The Creative Alliance

Nothing beats the warm glow of a flickering candle or fire in the fireplace on a chilly fall day or winter evening. Many people consider the ambiance it creates an essential element of the season. However, it’s important to understand the change in indoor air quality that candles and fireplaces create. Flames of any kind release substances into the air that can be harmful if not managed pr...

Good air quality is essential to your health and happiness. Whether in your home or business, the air you breathe has both immediate and long-term effects on you and your family, employees, and customers. So, there’s tremendous pressure to ensure that the air flowing from your HVAC system is as free of particles as possible. The good news is that it’s not difficult to maintain good air qua...

One of the frustrating things about business is that you work so hard to grow your company, and then, when your efforts start paying off, you find yourself with another challenge: “Where can we get the space needed to support our growth?” That question can become urgent for multiple reasons: You don’t have room to store raw materials and components of your operations. You need space for...

In the field of aviation safety, much of the focus is on scenarios in which an aircraft is taking off, in flight or landing. Given the high risk of injuries and property damage in those situations, the emphasis on safety is undoubtedly warranted. However, there are also countless risks to aircraft, equipment, structures, passengers, and personnel during ground handling. By most estimates, ra...

Happy customers, clients, and employees have always been essential to a company’s success. However, businesses today are more focused than ever on creating designs that deliver outstanding user experiences. For example, most businesses are familiar with user experience (UX) design. It’s the process of developing products that deliver meaningful and positive experiences for users. And, of co...

A while back, I wrote a short piece on the role patents hold for a small business. There are many solid reasons for seeking and gaining patent protection. For a small, technical business, two of the larger reasons are to add value and to open lines of communication. But what about small businesses that are developing (or have developed) technology and are engaged in government contracting? ...

Hired and non-owned auto liability add-on coverage for a business owners policy (BOP) or a general liability insurance policy provides liability protection when you or an employee is driving a rented, leased, hired, or borrowed vehicle for business purposes. It does not, however, cover damage to the vehicle. This type of coverage is needed if, for instance, employees make deliveries for the b...

For many companies, semi trailers are an essential part of their operations. Whether they’re shipping hard goods in dry vans, perishables in reefers or large loads on flatbeds, they must have the equipment necessary to get the job done correctly. But successful businesses look beyond simply having an adequate supply of semi trailers. They focus on having the right trailers. What’s meant b...

Winter is coming. That’s not just a catchphrase from a popular show—it’s a prompt here in Colorado to prepare your furnace for all the work it’ll be doing in the cold months ahead. Taking action now helps you, your family, employees, and customers in multiple ways. First and foremost, taking a proactive approach to maintaining your furnace helps ensure it will provide reliable, consistent ...

There are approximately 27,000 ramp accidents and incidents worldwide each year. While the injury rate is about 9 per 1,000 departures, and we care deeply about the cost to our personnel, the price we pay for these mishaps goes far beyond the bodily toll. This is not simply due to aircraft damage, but also due to the time and labor spent to repair an airframe and absorb the cost of its do...