Fuse Blog

Spring is Coming!

For those of you new to the area within the last 8 months, I promise you Duluth does have a Spring Season.  In fact Duluth has 4 seasons and Spring is one of my favorites.  In a couple weeks, we will be able to go outside with a simple fleece zip up or hoodie and sneakers instead of mukluks.  The grass will start to turn green and trees will bear beautiful green leaves. This new environment begs me to come out and play.

I'm not an extremely active person, but I love to get out on a good day and do a short run/walk.  I also love to go to the many city parks we have in the Duluth area.  Did you know the city of Duluth owns and maintains over 11,000 acres of parks and facilities?  Click here for more on the Parks & Rec department.

In 2002, my husband and I were looking for a park to get married in.  I protested an outdoor wedding knowing how unpredictable Duluth's weather can be, but eventually gave in because it was the most inexpesive option -and that was appealing to me!  Our first choice of park to "tie the knot" in was Enger Tower.  Beautiful park with lots of trees, gardens, and parking.  But alas, the space was booked.  The woman over the phone at Parks & Rec suggested Chamber's Grove.  I have lived in Duluth my whole life and had no idea what she was talking about.  After visiting once our decision was made.  It is a gorgeous park!

If you are unfamiliar with the many parks Duluth has to offer, click here for a full photo gallery.  Even if you are familiar, click the link and look through. Every picture was taken in the summer and the green grass will instantly cheer you up.

What’s My Job Again?

Do you ever feel like you have so much to do at work that you don’t have time to do your actual job? After starting a new job and getting efficient with what you do, you expand into “other stuff.” This other stuff can be anything from serving on boards and committees to helping your fellow coworkers with their work. Pretty soon you are struggling just to get the basics done and you have lost sight of your original goals. This is an easy trap to fall into and happens to the best of us. 

Don't Call Me Ma'am!

It's pretty dangerous for me to be younger than 30 years old, working with a young professionals group in a community abundant in baby boomers and traditionalists.  I have to be careful about my use of the "o" word.  You know, the word "old."  Of course age is a relative term.  What's old to one person is not old to another. 

I was at a networking event on Friday and I ran into someone I don't get to see very often.  We use to meet every week a couple years ago.  When she said, "hello."  I replied with, "there's my old friend Laura."  Immediately everyone at the table attacked me for calling her "old."  I was totally misunderstood. 

I immediately shared a story that happened with John the intern.  We were at a networking event with mostly 30-35 year olds in the room.  He said he felt like everyone in the room was really old.  I felt a little offended but then I understood what he meant.  Even with a 5 year gap in age, it can be hard to start a conversation.  What was he supposed to do?  Walk up to someone and ask what they think of the latest Will Farrell movie?

The ladies at my table enjoyed this story partly because it put me in the "old" category that they didn't see me in at first.  Then we got into the word "ma'am."  Boys, for those of you that don't know... don't ever call a woman "ma'am."  It makes many women feel older.  There's a point in our lives when we go from being called "miss" to being called "ma'am."  We want to be called "miss" for as long as possible.

What is the point of this whole blog?  Let's recap:

• If you're young, be careful how you use the "o" word.
• If you're really young, learn some basic conversation starters that are good with all generations.  Like, "Where do you work?" "How long have you been there?" "What's the best thing about your job?"
• If you call out to a woman whose name you don't know, use the word "miss" to get her attention.

To Intern or Not to Intern ...that is the question.

Some businesses struggle with the idea of having interns in their office.  They might have several questions about how it works, how to compensate, who to have intern, etc.  Then there's the fear that you might not have enough projects for an intern or that it will be a lot of work scheduling their time, filling out school paperwork so that they can get credit and more.

These fears are simply not as scary as people make them out to be.  I have had two interns in my 2 years here at the Chamber.  It is amazing the amount of work that gets done and how little management there is on my part.  I am PRO intern.  I think every company should be making use of the great talent our local colleges have to offer. 

The following is a quick list of my tips that will help you have a successful internship experience:

• Do not try to fit an intern into an already created job description.  Met with students to learn about their strengths and interests.  Develop an internship based on that and your needs as a company.
• Have one point of contact within a company that the intern reports to.  However, make sure that the intern feels comfortable asking for projects and tasks from other staff members.
• Give constant feedback.  This is a Millenial Generation attribute.  They crave constant feedback and affirmation that they are on the right track and that they did a great job on their project or tast.

In these tough economic times interns can help businesses with tasks they now have fewer employees assigned to.  At the same time, interns are learning about the local business community and will have a better chance to become productive experienced professionals upon graduation.

If you have had a postitive intern experience or if you have questions and are looking for advice in this area, post your question or share your story on the Facebook wall.

The Face of an Underground Happy Hour

People who are new to Fuse Duluth ask me, "Who comes to the Underground Happy Hour events?"  This takes me some time to answer because there is no specific demographic that attends.  Here is a quick list of the general Underground Attendees:

• The college student or new college grad.  Many college students or new grads want to get connected and learn how to network in a fun environment.
• The young professional who is about 6-8 years into their career.  They may be looking for a job change or to make connections and grow their business.
• The transplant.  This person could be any age, but they are new to the community and need to get connected quick!
• The mentor.  Many Fusers who are in their 40's, 50's and 60's want to get to know the 20-40 year olds and mentor them.  They believe, like many, that it is critical to attract and retain young people in our community.

Those are just some of the faces of the monthly Fuse Duluth event called Underground Happy Hour.  Remember the tagline... no regisration, no nametags and no cost to get in.  Just show up and one free drink on this month's host.