PEiR Group Member LSG is Recognized as Progressive Small Business by Governor of North Carolina

Please take a few moments to watch the short video clip of a section of the State of the State Address by North Carolina's 73rd Governor, Beverly Eaves Perdue.

North Carolina's Governor Perdue

Click Here to View the Video on LSG's Web Site

In the governor’s address she mentions how she is supporting small businesses and how PEiR Group member, Wayne Branch, has transformed his business from simply a printer to a full service digitally enabled service company!

Congratulations Wayne and the rest of the team at LSG!

Shaun

Is Trashing Toner Bottles The Only Way?

Over the past year or so The PEiR Group has received several inquiries from members wondering if a “greener” approach could be taken to disposal of their toner bottles. Specifically, users of Océs 9700, 9800, and TDS 800 printers wondered if there wasn't a better way to recycle the "thousands" of bottles they get and go through each year.

“I would like to start saving the empty bottles from E-1 toner, and returning them to Océ for reuse,” American Repro's Ken Karbeling says. “Currently they are simply being thrown out, and I am thinking with all of this emphasis on green reprography, a toner bottle recycling program would be very well received…”

As it turns out, however, Océ has an entirely different recommendation when it comes to getting rid of those plastic E-1 bottles – trash them.

“Based on our knowledge about different types of disposal, we advise your customer to dispose of toner bottles through their normal waste,” wrote Michelle Sheldon, former Marketing Services Manager for Océ North America. “This is not what people want to hear, but this is truly the best for our environment.”

Michelle, who has since left Océ for another position, was right when she said that “straight to trash” was not what aspiring green reprographers wanted to hear.

“Other suppliers provide UPS return labels with their products,” Ken says. “We throw out probably over a thousand of these bottles every year. There's got to be a better way...”

But Océ stands firm on its position when it comes to the E-1 bottles, which are made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polystyrene (PS) plastics.

“If the waste is recycled after being collected it is possible for machines to sort out different types of plastics,” Michelle explains. “Customers can easily dispose our empty Océ bottles and cartridges in the normal waste. Only the rest which can not be recycled will be disposed in a landfill nowadays.”

And if your area doesn’t have a recycling program, and incinerates its waste?

“In the normal process of garbage incineration extra fuels needs to be added to be able to burn normal waste from our households and companies,” Michelle says. “But due to the fact that Océ toner bottles and ink cartridges are made from high quality plastics those bottles and cartridges are even used as an accelerator in the burning process. This is substituting virgin oil in the burning process and therefore reduces the use of natural resources.”

Okay? So there you have it. But if you’re hip-deep in E-1s and you have a better idea for getting rid of them than throwing them in the shop dumpster, let us know by using the “comments” button below.

Meanwhile, access Océs green solutions web site by clicking HERE.

Good Stories Need To Be Told - Tell Yours!

Some Tips from The PEiR Group

A lot of people see reporters as scheming, conniving members of a slavering wolfpack who would do anything for story.

And you'd be partly right. Most self-respecting reporters
would do anything for a story. If you're smart - you'll
give them one. Yours.

We frequently talk with members frustrated by their seeming inability to get "the word" out about their business, about how it works and about how the industry works as a whole.

The right exposure may lead to new business, contact from prospective customers, and leads. Sitting on your hands gets you nothing. You're going to have to reach out... you may not always succeed, but eventually an editor is going to spot what you have to say and assign a reporter to help tell it.

Many people we speak with el feel they have no story to tell, don't know how
to get it out there, and don't want to pander to what they suspect may be a hostile press. To this we say - "hogwash."

We’ll be getting into this more deeply in the weeks ahead but if you feel some press coverage could benefit your shop, try this approach first:

Put yourself in the reporter’s position. The story you may want to tell may not be the one they want to hear. What’s big right now and working? Your Green Program. The press is interested in how old-school business is using new technologies to “go green.”

Here's how to "pitch" your story:

1. Prepare a list of your shop’s best practices. Detail how your green effort (or any other successful effort you have mounted lately) works.

2. Prepare a fact list of measurable data you can give the reporter, TV crew. Show them how your green plan, for example, lessens your shop’s impact on the environment in quantifiable terms they can understand. Use a "Green Calculator" to determine how many trees you were able to save using
recycled paper or how many tons of carbon emissions you kept out of the atmosphere with your recycling or hybrid programs.

3. Don’t be afraid to pitch them. We are finding that many traditional newspaper and television outlets are looking for businesses to profile. Be subtle and don’t oversell yourself. Make sure the guts of the story are there and waiting before you pitch it.

4. Online submissions. Newspapers and television stations are like any other business; they’ve had to scale back their staffs. Once verboten, online submissions are now an acceptable way of reaching reporters and editors with little time. Often, you can find email addresses for the entire staff on the company web site. Pitch the assignment editor or individual reporter.

5. Keep it short, Mac. Reporters are looking for an angle, something different to report. Give it to them.

6. Relax. A lot of people get nervous when the cameras and notepads come out. Don’t worry. Have your facts straight and offer to show the crew around (to they extent you are comfortable, of course). Remember, photographers love interesting subject matter – give it to them. Action and faces, action and faces. That’s what photographers are looking for.

Okay? Good luck and let us know when news of your shop hits the streets!