Red Wing Software - Notes from the President Ken Hilton

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and any other holiday or special event celebrated this time of year.

I had a conversation with a prominent consultant in the accounting industry regarding best management practices for high growth business. This is a very timely topic for the first newsletter of 2016, as everyone in business should be considering how to make the new year more profitable than the last. While the conversation initially centered on accounting software, it quickly became clear the focus really revolved around systems and processes. Here are a few of the observations we discussed during our conversation.

The best software in the world (of course that means software from Red Wing Software) can’t fix broken processes. A business needs to identify what is important to them for analysis purposes, and then implement a system that provides that information. That may mean changing some internal processes, so data that is being collected is sufficient to get the results they’re after. Change in process is always a difficult thing to implement, but may be necessary to accomplish an ultimate goal. The way to make a change successful is to make the process as easy as possible for people to understand, inform them of the importance of the information, how it will be used (share results), and then enforce implementation. It normally takes sticking to a new daily routine for just a couple of weeks for it to become habit.

I know many people reading this newsletter have great systems in place already, and have coworkers that would argue that there is no better way to do things. I would argue that any time we start to believe that our business can’t improve each and every thing that it does, the business stops growing, and we all know that without growth the business will fade away. I challenge everyone to take a look at what you’re doing today, tweak something that will make your business better, and reap the rewards. Here’s to a successful, different, and more profitable 2016.

- Ken Hilton, President


Behind the Scenes

  • Chad (Sales) was a successful bow hunter on his birthday.
  • Carole (Finance) and her daughter Zoe won championship belt buckles in their local horse show circuit.
  • Leah (Support) attended a Managerial Accounting Training class.
  • Katrina (Admin) and her husband Josh are first time home owners.
  • Roxie (Admin) headed up a drop-off location for collecting shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child - helpers include her grandsons Ezra and Ashton.
  • Dan's (Design) daughter Tiffany graduated from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago with a doctorate degree on his birthday.
  • Mike (QA) received a surprise gift for his 40th birthday - a weekend trip to Seattle.
  • Mark (Business Development) was visited at work by his grandsons. Ronan may have found a future; he seemed pretty happy.
Chad and his Deer, Ezra and Ashton, Ronan

A Special Thanks to These Businesses from Red Wing Software

Red Wing Software recently underwent the process of shooting a video for its business accounting software, CenterPoint Accounting. We are extremely grateful to the businesses that helped out by letting us shoot video footage at their facilities! CenterPoint Accounting can handle the needs of a great many different business types, and we wanted to show that in the video. We were fortunate to have found four very different businesses that allowed us to film their facilities and employees for the video. We would like to offer our sincere thanks to them! Here’s a shout out about each one of their businesses.

Pepin Manufacturing, Inc.

Pepin Manufacturing, Inc. (PMI) is rapidly expanding, award-winning manufacturing facility in Lake City, Minnesota. In business since 1993, PMI manufactures a wide range of products ranging from medical electrodes to medical device components, lint rollers, and even their own Marfree™ Urethane. A large part of PMI’s business includes custom contract converting/fabrication. For more information about PMI, please visit: www.pepinmfg.com, or call 1-800-291-6505.

 

The Smokin’ Oak

The Smokin’ Oak is a restaurant in Red Wing, Minnesota that specializes in wood-fired cooking. They offer catering and private parties, too. Some of the Smokin’ Oak’s delicious menu items include rotisserie and BBQ chicken, ribs, brisket, prime rib, and even their very own wood-fired pizzas. Be sure to stop by the Smokin’ Oak if you are in Red Wing! To view their entire menu or for more information, please visit: www.thesmokinoak.com.

 

Knudsen Trucking

Based in Hager City, Wisconsin, Knudsen Trucking is a 48 state common carrier with full authority. Knudsen Trucking is a family-based company in business since 1964. They currently ship in excess of 60 loads per week, to the Midwest, East, and Southeast. For more information, please visit www.knudsentruckinginc.com.

 

Mississippi National Golf Links

Mississippi National Golf Links is a 36-Hole golf course in Red Wing, Minnesota. Composed of the beautiful Highlands and Lowlands, Mississippi National Golf Links offers beautiful views of Red Wing and an exceptional golfing experience. For more information, visit www.golfredwing.com.

 

The new CenterPoint Accounting video will be done soon, and we will share it as soon as possible. Thanks again to these businesses for being a part of our product video!

Red Wing Software - Notes from the President Ken Hilton

Artwork by odieth: www.odieth.com

I recently attended a festival at the local airport, where people from around the world displayed their artistic talents. I wanted to share one of the many photos I took, as they had just uncrated this beautiful carving of a Pelican standing on a piling. I had to take the photo from just the right angle so-as to hide the fact that everything in the photo, with the exception of the two young ladies on the right that appear to be standing on a stump, is actually painted on the flat surfaces of plywood.

I wanted to share this example of something that appears to be one thing if it is looked at from one specific angle when, in realty, it is something totally different if viewed from another perspective. When you analyze the information in your business, make sure that you look at it from more than just the one angle that makes it appear to be how you want it to appear.

On behalf of Red Wing Software, I want to thank all the brave men and women that are dedicated to keeping us safe and free. This is a special time of year for many people around the world. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a prosperous New Year to our customers, employees, partners, and suppliers.

Did You Know?

CenterPoint Payroll features tools to handle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Reporting. This function within CenterPoint Payroll allows employers to track and report required ACA information for tax filing purposes. The ACA Reporting is included within CenterPoint as a standard feature. Please note that Red Wing Windows Payroll Users who need to handle ACA Reporting are highly encouraged to migrate to CenterPoint Payroll, as ACA Reporting will not be available within Red Wing Windows Payroll. To receive more information about upgrading to CenterPoint Payroll, please call 800-732-9464, or email sales@redwingsoftware.com.