Page 32—Ag Progress Section 1, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 12, 2000
SMALL-BUSINESS
CEOS SHARE
SECRETS OF SUCCESS
John Berry
Lehigh County
Marketing Agent
It’s easy to know what makes
Bill Gates tick or what demons
drive Donald Trump. They live
their lives in a media swirl,
much of it self-invited.
But what about the thousands
of CEOs in smaller businesses,
the ones who will never be celeb
rities except perhaps in their
home town or in their industry
circles? What is it that drove
them to the top, what keeps
them there, and how has their
ambition affected those around
them?
Leadership portraits have
been developed from a diverse
group of businesses and circum
stances by engaging small busi
ness owners in conversations
about what is leadership and life
at the top.
So what makes these CEOs
run? Some think that the skills
and drive for leadership are
hardwired into certain people’s
brains or as one CEO ex
plains, “I think people climb
mountains because they can;
All I Need Is A WHITE.
TEST DRIVE
A] WHITE TRACTOR AT
I AGCO
AG PROGRESS DAYS AUG. 15,16,17
J & M MACHINERY CO.
Route 22 & 819
Greensburg, PA
412-668-2276
MILLER EQUIPMENT CO.
RD 1
Bechtelsville, PA
610-845-2911
they run in marathons because
they can. I’m a CEO, because I
can. This is just what I do and
what I am.”
Genetic or not, unusual ambi
tion and an unbending will to
succeed are the hallmarks of
these CEOs.
For many of these CEOs,
values and character are con
sciously embedded in their lead
ership. Robert Cutler, from a
promotional marketing firm,
echoes those thoughts: “As a
business leader, you don’t do the
right thing because bad things
will happen if you don’t. You do
the right thing because it is a re
flection of your character and
values.”
Steve Tobias, who built a $l5
million annual shipping con
tainer business from scratch,
expresses it this way; “If you do
what’s right, everything will
work out in the end. If vou fail,
you still have your values and
your character.”
A value that many share is a
desire to give back to their em
ployees and to the wider com
munity.
One CEO pays his employees
to learn, everything from work
related skills to after-hours book
clubs. “If you can spend five
percent more of vour salary base
EAST IST STREET
LEBANON VALLEY
IMPLEMENT CO., INC.
700 E Linden St
Richland, PA
717-866-7518
WITMER S INC.
Box 368
Columbiana, OH 44408
330-427-2147
Remove Standing Water To Keep
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) The itch of a
mosquito bite is one of the big
gest nuisances of summer. But
you can reduce your chances of
being bitten and help keep
mosquito populations in check
by taking a few simple pre
cautions, said an expert in Penn
State’s College of Agricultural
Sciences.
“Ordinarily, mosquitoes are
little more than a mild irritant,”
said Charles Pitts, professor of
entomology. “But because they
can transmit diseases to humans
and pets such as West Nile
encephalitis, eastern equine en
cephalitis, and canine
on education, think of the tre
mendous benefits not just to
the people, but to the business.”
Debra Turpin, founder of a
15-person graphic design firm,
speaks of her community com
mitments this way: “I have been
blessed with more than my share
of good fortune, and I’ve never
had to ask for anything. I feel I
have an obligation to give some
thing back in return.”
In the fabric of modern busi
ness, the headlines go to the big
gest corporations or the
splashiest industries.
You can’t get to where these
folks have gotten without tons of
passion. Sometimes that leaves
their lives out of balance, espe
cially when it comes to their
families. Still, on balance, they
come across as caring, generous,
and high-mined people, with a
sense of purpose that extends far
beyond their own success.
STANLEYS
FARM SERVICE
RD 1 - Off Rte 125
Klmgerstown, PA
717-648-2088
HERNLEY’ S FARM
EQUIPMENT, INC.
2095 S. Market St
Elizabethtown, PA
Mosquitoes At Bay
heartworm you should take
steps to avoid being bitten and to
eliminate mosquito breeding
areas.”
Mosquitoes breed in standing
water. Only female mosquitoes
bite, according to Pitts. “In most
cases, the female must have a
blood meal before laying eggs,”
he said. “The females’ persistent
search for blood brings them
into houses and yards, where
they may become annoying
pests.”
Many mosquito problems can
be traced to containers of water
around the yard, such as chil
dren’s toys, pots and cans, tire
swings, animal tracks and
clogged rain gutters. Neighbor
hood breeding areas can include
construction sites, trash dumps
and cemetery urns or planters.
Most mosquitoes remain within
a half-mile of where they
hatched, but some can fly many
miles.
During warm weather, mos
quitoes can breed in any puddle
that stands for more than four
days. “The most effective way to
control mosquitoes is to elimi
nate standing water,” said Pitts.
He advises homeowners to:
• Remove old tires, tin cans,
buckets, glass jars, toys and
other water-catching objects.
• Tightly cover rain barrels to
prevent egg-laying. A thin layer
of oil will kill mosquitoes al
ready present.
• Change water in bird baths
by flushing with a hose at least
once a week.
• Fill tree holes with sand or
cement or drill to allow dram-
age,
• Keep rain gutters clean and
free of obstructions.
• Drain excess water from
flower pots.
• Keep swimming pools cov
ered when not in use.
• Turn over wading pools and
wheelbarrows when not in use.
• Empty accumulated water
from boats and cargo trailers.
• Clear aquatic vegetation
from around the edges of ponds
to allow fish to feed on mosquito
larvae and pupae.
Pitts said mosquitoes should
be excluded from building by
keeping windows, doors, and
porches tightly screened. “For
mosquitoes inside the house, use
a fly swatter or an aerosol insec
ticide labeled for flying insects,”
he said. “Avoid spraying around
food, dishes or eating utensils.”
When going outdoors for an
extended period of time, insect
repellents can provide protec
tion from mosquito bites. “Re
pellents can protect for up to
five hours,” said Pitts. “But be
cause people vary in their at
tractiveness to mosquitoes, the
effectiveness of the repellent
may depend on the individual.”
Before using a repellent or in
secticide, be sure you thoroughly
read and understand all direc
tions and cautions on the prod
uct label, Pitts said.
For a free fact sheet on mos
quitoes, contact the nearest
county office of Penn State Co
operative Extension, or visit the
Web at http://www.ento.p
su.edu/extension/factsheets.
htm/mosquitoes.htm.