Margy is famous!

Depending on how I feel, I may offer to fly you out to Jay's. *I* can't
afford
to stay there, but I have a friend who lives half and hour flight north of
there, so it might be doable.

George, George, George. Our suites start at just $59.95 per night -- and
your Usenet Discount knocks that down another 20%. Thus, for just $47.95
per night, you get a 300 square foot suite, with a full kitchen, breakfast
bar, queen sized bed, and a delivered-to-your-suite breakfast basket in the
morning -- including the daily newspaper!

Or, you can pay 100% more, at $99.95, and stay at a Holiday Inn Express in a
room 50% smaller, with no kitchen, and no delivered breakfast. (I guess
that's what makes the people who stay there so "smart", eh?)

True, for $47.95 you won't enjoy an aviation theme suite, and you won't get
a jacuzzi hot tub -- but that suite (our smallest) is actually *bigger* than
the local Sheraton's BIGGEST suite. :-)

We have the most affordable luxury suites, anywhere -- period.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Wow! That's a good deal!

What's the circ at your local paper? I might have to start pitching their
mailroom people! This way I can justify a trip out...

Heck - if I can close something, I might even splurge for a Jacuzzi!

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:N8Jjb.799678$uu5.140928@sccrnsc04:

George, George, George. Our suites start at just $59.95 per night --
and your Usenet Discount knocks that down another 20%. Thus, for just
$47.95 per night, you get a 300 square foot suite, with a full kitchen,
breakfast bar, queen sized bed, and a delivered-to-your-suite breakfast
basket in the morning -- including the daily newspaper!

Or, you can pay 100% more, at $99.95, and stay at a Holiday Inn Express
in a room 50% smaller, with no kitchen, and no delivered breakfast.
(I guess that's what makes the people who stay there so "smart", eh?)

True, for $47.95 you won't enjoy an aviation theme suite, and you won't
get a jacuzzi hot tub -- but that suite (our smallest) is actually
*bigger* than the local Sheraton's BIGGEST suite. :-)

We have the most affordable luxury suites, anywhere -- period.

Wow! That's a good deal!

Thanks. We're holding the prices until all the suites are done -- at least
two years away...

What's the circ at your local paper? I might have to start pitching their
mailroom people! This way I can justify a trip out...

The Press-Citizen has something close to 30,000. There are actually three
"local" papers -- the Press-Citizen (Gannett owned), the Gazette (out of
Cedar Rapids, family-owned), and the Daily Iowan (owned by the University).
Combined they probably have a circ of close to 70,000 -- in a city of
65,000!

This is a newspaper town, for sure. It helps that everyone (and I mean
EVERYONE) has a college degree. (One of my desk clerks speaks 14
languages...)

Heck - if I can close something, I might even splurge for a Jacuzzi!

What do you pitch to the mailroom folks? I worked in Circulation and
Distribution for 22 years -- maybe I can steer you in the right direction?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck ) wrote:

It helps that everyone (and I mean
EVERYONE) has a college degree. (One of my desk clerks speaks 14
languages...)

This just goes to show how tough the current job market is.


--
Peter












----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups
---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

("Peter R." wrote)
It helps that everyone (and I mean
EVERYONE) has a college degree. (One of my desk clerks speaks 14
languages...)

This just goes to show how tough the current job market is.

Nope. It's a college town thing. My sister has been in Boulder Colorado for
over 30 years. She says people take college courses, there at CU, the way
people in other cities go to the local health club or gym. Academic workout?
Brain Buff?

Even during the roaring 90's, she would often tell us about the guy bagging
her groceries, with a PhD in something obscure, or her mailman, the rocket
scientist.

--
Montblack

Montblack hit it on the head. We only have 2% unemployment around here --
it's just that people who graduate from the U of Iowa fall in love with the
place, and want to stay here. Many will take any job they can find in order
to do so.

Iowa City has also (I kid you not!) become a popular retirement destination.

As a result, we have two widely disparate groups who do nothing but go to
school in their spare time! It makes for an interesting place to live, and
a fabulous (if bored) work force.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:7hSjb.157329$%h1.154594@sccrnsc02:

Wow! That's a good deal!

Thanks. We're holding the prices until all the suites are done -- at
least two years away...

OK, then I have some time!


What's the circ at your local paper? I might have to start pitching
their mailroom people! This way I can justify a trip out...

The Press-Citizen has something close to 30,000. There are actually
three "local" papers -- the Press-Citizen (Gannett owned), the Gazette
(out of Cedar Rapids, family-owned), and the Daily Iowan (owned by the
University). Combined they probably have a circ of close to 70,000 --
in a city of 65,000!

This is a newspaper town, for sure. It helps that everyone (and I mean
EVERYONE) has a college degree. (One of my desk clerks speaks 14
languages...)


Wow! That's amazing! Looks like I'll DEFINITELY have to drop by!


What do you pitch to the mailroom folks? I worked in Circulation and
Distribution for 22 years -- maybe I can steer you in the right
direction?

I saw you mention in a previous post that you had a DC or something in a
"previous life"...

If you've heard of a product called NEWSCOM, that's our "bread and
butter"... It's an Inserter control system for SLS's, 72's and 99's.
Besides NEWSCOM, we also do Stacker control upgrades and Inkjet systems
for labelling on bottomwraps and on TMCs. We're also going to be
producing a Bundle Distribution System next year...

Basically, we do software and controls from the Pressroom Wall to the
Loading Bay Window...

I probably shouldn't get too heavy into the pitch in the newsgroup. If
you want more details, or you can help me out at all, EMail me at my name
at miracomcomputer.com... (Hopefully that's obscure enough to avoid the
spam robots! )

Thanks!!

Judah

If you've heard of a product called NEWSCOM, that's our "bread and
butter"... It's an Inserter control system for SLS's, 72's and 99's.
Besides NEWSCOM, we also do Stacker control upgrades and Inkjet systems
for labelling on bottomwraps and on TMCs. We're also going to be
producing a Bundle Distribution System next year...

Basically, we do software and controls from the Pressroom Wall to the
Loading Bay Window...

Ow, ow, ow! Stop it -- you're hurting my head!

I haven't heard those words in close to 18 months -- nor have I used any
"newspaper brain cells". (Perhaps they've regenerated, after being damaged
for 22 years?

So YOU'RE the guy we used to curse in the middle of the night, eh? God, I
can't tell you how many times I had a D.C. full of contract drivers, waiting
for the papers that were late because of some "mailroom glitch"...

There's nothing like trying to placate a couple of dozen ****ed off guys,
who are NOT being paid extra to wait for their newspapers. When the Cedar
Rapids Gazette (our primary customer) went "live" with their new mailroom
(and press) systems a couple of years ago, this scene was played out every
night, for months...

We used to sit around sticking pins in little "Judah" dolls -- did you
experience any unexplained pains during this time? :-)

Anyway, do you do any work with Lee Enterprise? They own something close to
30 (maybe more, now?) papers throughout the Midwest. I worked for (and
with) them for 12 years, too...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:QRakb.169068$%h1.160953@sccrnsc02:

Ow, ow, ow! Stop it -- you're hurting my head!

"Just when I thought I was out, they PULL me back in!"

I haven't heard those words in close to 18 months -- nor have I used
any "newspaper brain cells". (Perhaps they've regenerated, after
being damaged for 22 years?

So YOU'RE the guy we used to curse in the middle of the night, eh?
God, I can't tell you how many times I had a D.C. full of contract
drivers, waiting for the papers that were late because of some
"mailroom glitch"...

There's nothing like trying to placate a couple of dozen ****ed off
guys, who are NOT being paid extra to wait for their newspapers. When
the Cedar Rapids Gazette (our primary customer) went "live" with their
new mailroom (and press) systems a couple of years ago, this scene was
played out every night, for months...

We used to sit around sticking pins in little "Judah" dolls -- did you
experience any unexplained pains during this time? :-)

Nah... Our stuff works! Besides, many of the papers where we do
installations don't have DCs. They go out the window with route-based
bundle breaks to "ma and pa" carriers who won't stick around if their stuff
is late. They gotta get back home to get their kids off to school, or get
toe their day job!

I think the worst holdup I can remember we had was in Colorado. The
inserter was running so nicely, the operator kept bumping up the speed...
Finally, she got the thing up to about 22k/hr (faster than I have ever seen
an inserter run in production!) All of a sudden, "BANG!" - it happened. A
few of the single-sheet inserts were blowing past the pockets from the wind
generated by the jackets at 22k... Instead of falling inside the pockets,
they were blowing all over and in between. Eventually, a few of them got
wrapped around the main drive sprocket, and knocked the collator chain off
the sprocket. That in turn broke a series of pockets and brought the whole
machine to a screeching halt.

It took over an hour to get things back together... Actually, most of the
time was spent trying to get the collator chain to move at all.

Sure enough, we got blamed!

Anyway, do you do any work with Lee Enterprise? They own something
close to 30 (maybe more, now?) papers throughout the Midwest. I worked
for (and with) them for 12 years, too...

I know the name and the logo, but I haven't met anyone over there. I was
going to use the "East Coast" excuse (both Miracom and NEWSTEC, our key
distributor, are based in the NorthEast), but looking at their website it
seems they have a couple papers out my way now, too - upstate NY and PA...
According to E&P they are up to 38...

Hmmm... I will have to get on that...


Thanks!

Judah

Ow, ow, ow! Stop it -- you're hurting my head!

"Just when I thought I was out, they PULL me back in!"

No way. If I ever go back to newspapers, it will be back into the marketing
side, period. No more dealing with drunk contract haulers at 2 AM, thank
you!

I much preferred my years in marketing, where I never had to actually *do*
any work. All I had to do was come up with ideas that *others* had to
implement. (And if the concepts failed in the field, it was OBVIOUSLY the
fault of the soldiers on the ground who were incapable of properly
implementing the plan -- right?)

Too bad running my newspaper distribution company was so danged profitable.
It just about ruined my health -- but newspapers were willing to pay
whatever it took to remove *that* particular headache from their hands...

Nah... Our stuff works! Besides, many of the papers where we do
installations don't have DCs. They go out the window with route-based
bundle breaks to "ma and pa" carriers who won't stick around if their
stuff
is late. They gotta get back home to get their kids off to school, or get
to their day job!

Must be using employee-run distribution/circulation operations at those
newspapers. Newspapers that utilize contract distributors (like my old
company) don't give a **** whether the papers go out on time or not -- it
isn't *their* problem to deal with the ****ed-off drivers. It's a whole
different attitude at newspapers with employee district managers running the
carriers! (I've worked in both systems...)

I think the worst holdup I can remember we had was in Colorado. The
inserter was running so nicely, the operator kept bumping up the speed...
Finally, she got the thing up to about 22k/hr (faster than I have ever
seen
an inserter run in production!) All of a sudden, "BANG!" - it happened. A
few of the single-sheet inserts were blowing past the pockets from the
wind
generated by the jackets at 22k... Instead of falling inside the pockets,
they were blowing all over and in between. Eventually, a few of them got
wrapped around the main drive sprocket, and knocked the collator chain off
the sprocket. That in turn broke a series of pockets and brought the whole
machine to a screeching halt.

Ouch. Been there, done that.

The worst hold ups I've seen were when the Cedar Rapids Gazette brought
their new mailroom and press equipment on-line. Although their primary
problems were press-related (they actually ended up bringing suit against
Goss, it was so bad -- a losing battle, since Goss was bankrupt by that
time...), it always seemed that an inserter or conveyor would go down
whenever the press was "up".

We actually had to deliver newspapers at NOON one Sunday -- the papers were
NINE hours late, coming off the press. Many of my drivers had to go to
their regular jobs, and the ONLY thing that saved us was the fact that it
happened on a Sunday -- otherwise we would have lost them all.

My stomach churns just thinking about that day. And there were sooo many
like that, over the years...

I know the name and the logo, but I haven't met anyone over there. I was
going to use the "East Coast" excuse (both Miracom and NEWSTEC, our key
distributor, are based in the NorthEast), but looking at their website it
seems they have a couple papers out my way now, too - upstate NY and PA...
According to E&P they are up to 38...

I finally just let my Editor & Publisher subscription lapse, after some 15+
years as a subscriber. Now that we've survived 14 months with the inn --
thus far, successfully -- I'm hopeful that I can let the rest of my
newspaper skills atrophy...

Wow -- they've got 38 products now? Impressive.

If you do hit Lee up, be prepared -- they're so tight, they make Gannett
look like drunken sailors... :-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"