Blazo Gjorev’s career in transportation illustrates the need for strategic thinking in a tough economy  

Blazo Gjorev’s work shows the value of reassessing when economic times or industry changes require change.

NAPLES, FLORIDA, May 28, 2022 — In an economic downturn, the transportation industry is often hit by multiple challenges in quick succession, and how these challenges are responded to help determines which businesses will survive and which will fall. Industry leader Blazo Gjorev has experienced many unique challenges during his career, and this career illustrates the need for critical, growth-minded thinking when facing complex issues.

Blazo Gjorev’s career and rebuilding

For many companies, tough economic times require a reassessment of an entire enterprise, and Gjorev experienced this first-hand after acquiring a highly respected refrigerated transportation firm in the late 2000s. The business was previously experiencing financial difficulties, and an economic downturn was in progress nationally. Through strategic restructuring and learnings, the company was brought back from the brink of ruin with restored financials and its 50-year reputation intact. After the successful rehabilitation, the company was sold to another refrigerated trucking firm.

Gjorev helped effect this turnaround in an economic time, not unlike the present. Fuel costs were up, consumer prices spiked, and the market was still responding to a massive financial crisis. The keys to successful response have not changed and remain best practices in both market dips and upswings.

Plan ahead

While the U.S. economy is facing unique challenges in 2022 due to a variety of factors and requires immediate action by many companies, successful trucking firms were planning ahead for market changes prior to the problems developing. How? By staying focused on efficiency and identifying areas where the business can maintain profitability in a variety of economic situations.

Blazo Gjorev has always maintained a focus on optimizing logistics. When a company is operating as efficiently as possible heading into a recession or downturn, it is in a better position to survive and potentially thrive. It is also capable of reevaluating positions and options more quickly as basics, such as personnel, supply chain, and routing, are already streamlined.

Diversify

Transportation companies with a diversified income stream are better able to respond and maintain revenue in an economic shift. Diversity can look like expanding into varied regions, acquiring firms already operating in different areas, or exploring new services. Blazo Gjorev’s transition from temporary truck driver to business owner to consulting with other companies illustrates the importance of maximizing opportunities for growth.

Consolidate

While it may seem the opposite of diversifying, consolidation is actually an exercise in maximizing access and prices through combined buying power and shared learnings.

In his consulting role, Blazo Gjorev helps a variety of smaller trucking firms improve buying power, access to technology, and benefit from operational knowledge that helps enterprises scale. Through consolidation or participation in a network, transportation businesses are often able to reduce costs above and beyond what was possible independently. When costs are rising overall, increased savings helps mitigate the impact.

Giving Back: Why Wellman Shew Is A Dedicated Supporter Of Compassion International

Wellman Shew believes in supporting those in need and is proud to support Compassion International. The worldwide charity works to help children in poverty get the spiritual, physical, economic, and social care that they need to help them reach their full potential. 

Compassion International’s Current Work

The organization works with churches to help children in communities in need. Compassion International takes a holistic approach, addressing all facets of a child’s well-being to help them grow and develop in a healthy way. Sometimes, a child’s involvement with CI begins before they’re even born and follows them into young adulthood. 

CI believes in providing for the needs of each child as an individual rather than taking a wide-sweeping approach. This individualized attention means that CI is able to change their approach as each child’s needs change, helping them grow and change over the full course of their development into an adult. Compassion International offers several initiatives designed to support children, including critical needs care, child sponsorship, youth development, and compassion survival.

Critical Needs

The critical needs initiative at CI works to solve immediate issues for children in crisis, according to Wellman Shew. The critical needs initiative addresses many issues faced by children in poverty, including help with pressing medical issues, access to clean drinking water, prenatal and postnatal care, customized career training, care for children living with HIV and/or AIDS, relief during natural disasters, education and parenting classes, and more. 

Child Sponsorship

Most of Compassion International’s aid is driven through child sponsorship. When a donor chooses to sponsor a child, the child receives Christian training, health care, nutritional supplements, recreational activities, and more. Sponsors have the opportunity to connect with their sponsored children through letter writing. 

Youth Development

Compassion International provides children ages 12 and older with vocational training that allows them to thrive in their chosen career paths. Students receive both formal and non-formal education, as well as income generation training to help them learn how to effectively manage their earnings during their careers, according to Wellman Shew.

Compassion Survival

Often, infants born into poverty do not make it through the first year of life. Compassion International works to support both babies and mothers in the early stages of the child’s life. Pregnant mothers receive nutritional support and medical care to help increase the likelihood that their babies will be born full-term and at a healthy weight. Survival centers work to offer mothers a safe place where they can rest and grow while also providing children with the support they need for healthy development. Moms receiving care through the compassion survival initiative are visited in their homes once each month by a specialist who provides Biblical mentoring, prenatal education, and parenting education.

Cory Carnley takes a closer look at cigar humidors and which one is needed based on consumer preferences.

June 6, 2022 — Cory Carnley is a certified tobacconist with an appreciation for a good cigar and the proper care of a collection. When many are first starting with a cigar hobby, a common question that pops up is how to choose a humidor.

With a vast array of options available, Cory Carnley reports the average consumer will want to assess individual smoking habits as well as budget, commitment to the art of collecting, and the overall environment of a smoking room.

Cory Carnley reviews humidor basics

Size

For the cigar lover, a collection is always evolving, but many have a firm idea of how many cigars are kept on hand at any one time based on smoking habits and purchase history. When planning to purchase a first or new humidor, Carnley recommends sizing up.

Ideal cigar storage means leaving room for airflow in the humidor, so consider approximately doubling the capacity of a humidor over the number of cigars. For example, for the smoker who wants to keep 50 cigars — roughly — at all times, look for a 100-cigar unit. If a manufacturer does not specify the cigar capacity, a rule of thumb is that 100 cigars can be stored in 700 cubic inches.

Smoking habits

For different cigar types, it may be necessary to have multiple humidors or a humidor with separate storage areas to keep more powerful flavors from overwhelming their milder relatives. A tight seal for the entire humidor and between areas is also necessary to maintain quality.

Science

For the cigar collection that includes exclusive options that improve with age and keen storage, ensuring proper humidity levels long-term is important, so investing in a box with built-in humidifiers and external monitoring options helps limit the number of times the box needs to be opened to smoking sessions. According to Cory Carnley, many options feature humidity and temperature monitoring dials on the outside versus the inside lid, and these are great for more exclusive blends.

Portability

How a smoker enjoys cigars is also important for determining the best storage options. Many cigar humidors are – to some degree –  portable due to their size, but specific options are designed for travel or portability. When cigars are enjoyed at a smoking club or a rotating house party, consider investing in a travel humidor that looks sharp on the desk with a small selection of favorites and is easily carried to the next lounge setting.

Deluxe care

True aficionados may also appreciate the added ambiance of a statement piece with a glass top for viewing, exclusive finishes, digital monitoring, and additional storage for key accessories, such as a cigar cutter and lighter. Cory Carnley advises the sky is really the limit for higher-end humidors with many larger options offering the chic, streamlined appearance of wine coolers and high-end storage centers. There is always the option to start small and work up to more exclusive offerings as a personal cigar collection grows.

As the war continues with no end in sight in Ukraine, Dr. Gregory Finkelson discusses the situation unfolding in Ukraine and globally.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — The devastation of the war in Ukraine was evident from the first day of the Russian government’s assault. As the war has continued unabated and with no end in sight, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding with innocent civilians involved on both sides.

Dr. Gregory Finkelson is an expert on U.S. business immigration needs and is now seeing Russian citizens denied the opportunity to build a new life based on their country of birth and the policies of that government and not on their individual efforts. This is a striking juxtaposition to the relief efforts being provided to Ukraine refugees.

Dr. Gregory Finkelson calls out discrimination

While the war in Ukraine was started by the Russian government, many citizens of Russia stand against the invasion. From the start of Russia’s military action, citizens of Russia have staged protests, faced arrest, and suffered other reprisals for their actions. Many more citizens are silently protesting as they witness the devaluation of their currency, loss of opportunities for domestic growth in a professional field, and concerns for long-term safety.

Many of these citizens are in the process of preparing for or ready to embark on a move from Russia to a new region. In the past, prime countries for immigration included Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America according to Dr. Gregory Finkelson.

However, many of these locations and others are now denying entry to those attempting to flee an oppressive government. While the immigration of these individuals does not present the immediate humanitarian crisis of providing homes for Ukrainian refugees, purposeful delays to the immigration process or refusal based on Russian nationality is clear discrimination against individuals based on the actions of their government.

Dr. Gregory Finkelson is calling on class action attorneys with concerns about current immigration policy to investigate the situation thoroughly and determine the best path forward for those seeking immigration.

Opportunities for investigation also extend to the situation facing immigrants already housed in the United States and other countries who are experiencing discrimination when they seek housing, bank accounts, or business bank accounts to conduct business for themselves and their families.

These individuals are living in the United States, often employed in jobs that require their expertise or dedication and contributions to the American economy via their efforts. Despite this, they are being denied their rights. The long-term economic impacts of not being provided the same personal and business financial opportunities as their contemporaries will be felt by Russian families for generations if a course correction is not made soon.

Over time it has been seen that the education landscape has gone through many changes. And a huge effect was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic where the educators tried to help the students in the best way possible. 

Jonathan Ullmer who is a well-known educator was quite concerned about the studies and the future of the students and thus he has come across some of the best educational trends so that the students succeed in their studies:

• The remote learning system 

With the growing COVID-19 cases many schools were made to take the decision to become remote or follow hybrid education in order to make sure that there are the required tools for the students to succeed. There are many changes in the online learning technology in the process by the experts to avoid the problem causes by learning on the business-oriented platform that as zoom or Microsoft. 

The experts are trying that the school and colleges to provide tailor-made solutions to their students for faster learning. 

• Educating students about the soft-skills 

Soft skills such as social as well as emotional regulations are required for the students along with their studies and that is why educators like Mr. Ullmer emphasize it so that along with their studies the students can get learn how to interact with other students and also improve their behavior in the class. 

Students also learn how they can navigate complex social situations, understand what others are feeling and things around them, and give appropriate responses in class. 

• Learning through projects 

There are many changes in the education system and one of them also includes project-based learning where the students don’t need to undergo rote memorization or replicating the information for performing well in their class. With such learning, the teachers are trying that the students to grab information through real-world skills when there are learning some important concepts. 

Students can also have integrated learning which is also very beneficial and consists of a wide range of great ability levels which are very helpful for the students. 

• Micro-learning 

The other great way of learning is micro-learning where the big information is broken into small bites so that the concepts are understood easily by the students and they learn faster.

Due to COVID-19, many students have lost interest in education which can be improved if we take help from the educators who know the right way of making the students learn and have a bright future ahead.

Thinking about pursuing cybersecurity as a career? Looking for an interesting job? Let’s hear from Manuel Mendy Goldring.

Most people no longer want “just” a job. Folks desire work that’s engaging and meaningful, and they want to be employed by companies they love. Finding a dream career is easier said than done. IT whiz Manuel Goldring suggests students consider a career in cybersecurity because it is rewarding, lucrative, and engaging.

“Careers in cybersecurity can be exciting, engaging, and you can often find well-paying jobs,” Manuel Mendy Goldring argues. “Sure, movies and TV dramatize cybersecurity careers, but in the real world, you’re often working to solve complex problems and your work produces tangible outcomes.”

If you enjoy stimulating environments, critical thinking, and working through problems, cybersecurity might just be the career you’re looking for. You’ll have to pick up tech skills, of course, but many people intimidated by coding and other tasks actually find it quite accessible once they put their mind to it.

Gallup found that just 36 percent of employees were fully engaged in 2021, while 15 percent were actively disengaged and even working against their company’s efforts. Lack of engagement hurts productivity, sure, but you can bet that many disengaged employees dislike their job and even simply showing up for work. Boredom often means long days, whereas engagement makes time fly.

“I got into technology and cybersecurity because I didn’t want to be bored day in and day out doing menial work,” Manuel Mendy Goldring says. “Get stuck in a career you hate, and it quickly becomes a burden.”

The takeaway? Finding an engaging career that offers diverse work may end up improving your overall well-being.

Manuel Goldring Looks At Job Growth and Employment Prospects

Working in cybersecurity is lucrative as well with Information System Analysts earning over $100,000 per year, for example. Demand for these cybersecurity experts is high too, projected to grow 33 percent through 2030.

High demand isn’t great just for high salaries, either. If your talent is badly needed, you can hop jobs, move to a different city, and otherwise take charge of your life. Should a recession set in, you probably won’t stress as much as people in other fields because your skills will remain in demand.

For students, this flexibility and stability can lay an excellent foundation for not just a career, but also your adult life.

“You probably shouldn’t let job growth and employment outcomes determine your career,” Manuel Goldring suggests, “but at the same time, you don’t want to overlook these factors either. With cybersecurity, your skills will be in high demand, which makes it easier for you to pursue your career on your own terms, not your employer’s.”

To get into a career in cybersecurity, you can start with college. Computer science degrees and related fields will help you build a foundation. However, your education should probably go beyond what you learn in class. Many of the best computer engineers and cybersecurity experts are also self-taught to some extent or another.

“A career in technology and cybersecurity takes a lot of effort,” Manuel Mendy Goldring says, “but lots of folks will find fulfillment.”