My mom used to tell me that all the time when things seemed to go awry. Well it’s been almost two months since we lost all our server files during a storm and I have to say that I actually believe this saying to be true. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it’s been an easy transition but what I can say is there have actually been some benefits to starting over.

1. It’s been a great way to purge our files.
2. We are so much more organized now with our filing system.
3. We’re on our way to having a back-up system that should never fail.
4. It’s been a true test to see which team members can truly laugh in the face of danger.

Now, if Companion, our insurance company can come through to offset the business income loss then I will truly feel like Trio survived and triumphed. And, honestly even if they don’t - we’ll still come out on top because we’re all stronger and wiser.

This past Thursday, Trio Solutions Inc. launched our latest service to the nonprofit world at the 11th annual SCANPO conference - The Nonprofit Nook. We signed up an enthusiastic group of nonprofit professionals to help serve as our launch focus group. We look forward to receiving their feedback and making this site the best resource it can be. Our goal is that The Nonprofit Nook will offer a special section on the World Wide Web for nonprofits to gather free information, resources and support for their marketing needs. A place for nonprofits to make the most of their marketing, event and Web efforts. We have lofty plans for The Nonprofit Nook and look forward to providing quality, useful and innovative services for our nonprofit members. Check it out!

When I started thinking about writing a blog at first I wanted to state something really intelligent and industry specific. The first thought that came to mind was the current state of the economy and how companies and individuals are looking for ways to conserve capital and stay afloat.

There is just so much media hype right now about how bad not only the nation, but the world is going to be affected by the current economic slowdown. The media is playing on our fears. I read an article where it said that “instead of taking a near-term hit to profits and investing in long-term growth, companies seem to be frightened by the economy, cutting budgets” this could be advertising or payroll. The article also stated that such short-term thinking is bad for the company and the economy in general.

With all that being said, the employees of companies can help each other and the company they work for tremendously. I recently passed an article around the office that hinted at things employees could do during the economic slowdown to benefit the companies they work for. I do feel that we have a wonderful team at Trio and are well on our way to implementing all of these actions. Teamwork is key, along with multitasking. Even our company philosophy embraces great actions for a great company. (Work hard. Enjoy life. Make a difference.)

And a special note to all employees and business owners: during this time of economic uncertainty - don’t worry so much, be happy… The  media loves to focus on the negative. We have to remember to focus on the positive. Whatever does or does not happen to the economy it will pass with time. In the meantime we need to stay positive and do things that make us as individuals happy. We are a better, stronger team when we are a positive team.

So go ahead find what makes you happy…and do it. For me if I was not currently at work being the good productive employee that I am ;) I would be curled up on my couch with a blanket and a good romance novel (my guilty pleasure). Or listening to my 10-year-old autistic son talk non-stop about the animals he so loves. What makes you happy? Go do it…

Our worst nightmare came true! Our server crashed (thanks to the storms on Sat. night) and our back-up system doesn’t appear to have worked like we planned. We thought we had our bases covered (nightly backups, surge protectors, external hard drives, etc.) but with all the glory technology bestows on us; it is the biggest ordeal when it doesn’t work. We are all hard at work to recreate the files and to ensure little to no downtime for our clients. We are rebuilding our library - file by file - thanks to e-mail attachments. In the meantime, let’s hope the miracle workers at Data Recovery Specialists in California can deliver on their mission. As for a long-term plan, Trio is going to have a security and data management system tighter than Fort Knox. For other small businesses out there, here’s a good article about data recovery planning. I highly recommend you set your plan in place before you experience the pain.

My son had a “perfect” day in kindergarten today. You wondering what that means? Well, put it this way - we have been struggling since the first day of kindergarten to get a smiley face for every section of his day. Learning to read - check; understanding the concept of adding and subtracting - check; goofing out in the bathroom - check; pouring milk into peas at lunch - check. You get the point. Well today we made a significant turn. The teacher was pleased with every aspect of his day. We made a big deal of this milestone and all he wanted in return were Legos. Legos it is! The feeling of accomplishment was priceless. His gold medal was Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase. Watching his happiness made me yearn for the days when life was so simple. I thought to myself, if only I could go to the office and get through an entire day with smiley faces. Maybe if society followed the rules of kindergarten we could all get through the day with happy faces and Legos as our prize. Wouldn’t that be nice?

We are always good listeners.
We are helpers, not hurters.
We are walkers, not runners.
We are builders, not breakers.
We are talkers, not shouters.

Check out our STATUS REPORT

A special thank you to the Createathon team:
Krista Robertson
Jeanine Szczesniak
Jennifer Cherock
Jessica Munday
Jessica Kersey
Brian Cendrowski
Nicole Cendrowski
Roxanne Hicks
Brian Dadin
Cultigraphic girls

Trio Solutions was selected as the official CreateAthon® agency for the Lowcountry. Although CreateAthon is in its tenth year nationally, this will be the first year this event has been available to Lowcountry nonprofits. For 24 hours, from 8 a.m. on Thursday, September 13 until 8 a.m. on Friday, September 14, every member of our staff will work on pro-bono projects for several nonprofit organizations in our area. During that time, we will complete 15 projects for five organizations. All of our time will be donated.

Congratulations to this year’s CreateAthon recipients:

LOVE Inc.
My Sister’s House
Teacher’s Supply Closet
Lowcountry Earth Force
Berkeley County Foundation of Volunteers for the SC Guardian Ad Litem Program

Working on the fund-raising event for Carolina Autism was so rewarding. I had the opportunity to help with everything from hand delivering invitations to setting up the evening of. This was definitely the highlight of my internship with Trio. Here are some pictures from the event.

This past weekend Trio Solutions Inc. had the privilege of working with MedExpress Clinics on opening their first retail health care clinic. A fairly new concept within the health care industry, retail health care is an approach that is more consumer-focused and here’s the magic word, affordable! MedExpress opened their first clinic in Evans, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta. It is their hope that the concept will take off in Evans and they will be able to expand across the Southeast.

Their facility isn’t an urgent care facility and it’s not meant to replace a relationship with a primary care provider. The purpose is to complement the health care continuum and open up an opportunity for individuals with little or no insurance. Pricing is known before you step foot in the door and you are sure to be seen quickly.

Trio Solutions Inc. specializes in health care and has been excited to be involved with a new approach to a seriously injured industry. Because MedExpress is a new business we were able to help with everything from logo design to advertising to a Web site, allowing every member of our team an opportunity to get involved.

We wish MedExpress much success and have enjoyed working with such a great group of people.

Check out this story that ran in the Augusta Chronicle on July 13, 2007.