CrossCheck Blog

In a world where technology is reshaping personal and business relationships, MachineryLink has joined the sharing economy while revolutionizing heavy equipment rentals for agricultural dealers, retailers and farmers. Redefining community, the company is bringing farmers and dealers together from across the US, expanding the range of what one might consider their neighbor while maintaining small-town values.

HVAC systems as well as insulation, windows, doors and siding have improved tremendously over the past 50 years, rendering many older homes obsolete. The situation is most critical in the winter when heat loss can cost lives, or during the summer when every cubic foot of coolness brings potential comfort. When homeowners can’t identify why their house isn’t cooling properly, a cadre of experts such as energy auditors, HVAC professionals and building materials managers stand ready to improve conditions for people and pets while increasing their own profits. Knowing that effective cooling methods vary according to design, structural components and devices, the Department of Energy has compiled a list of HVAC suggestions for enhancing air conditioning systems.

It's as if the world's I.T. department and the largest names in the automotive industry are competing for who can do it better — self-driving vehicles that is. While not many autonomous vehicles have hit the streets yet, US auto dealers anxiously await snippets of stories released every day by companies like Google, Tesla and recently Rolls-Royce. The competition to launch the first production self-driving car has the fervor of a drag race where companies reveal virtual information via tweets, press releases and videos, practically revving their engines to grab your attention. This update combines the latest developer news in conjunction with established content.

The year was 1983. The Police and Phil Collins dominated the music charts; Sally Ride became the first American woman to visit space; and down on Earth in Petaluma, California, a new payment processing company took its first breath. Founder Timothy LaBadie named it “CrossCheck.” The firm was established on the premise of improving existing payment processing services for merchants. While operating a record store, LaBadie received a pitch for a check guarantee service. Not being satisfied with the approach that was presented, he gathered a dynamic team of people and created a business model based on the concept of Standard Check Guarantee. Thirty-three years later, what began as a basic necessity for businesses has morphed into customized payment processing for businesses in virtually every industry. The continued success of the company can be attributed to many factors, including CrossCheck’s attention to customer needs as well as the company’s adaptability during a time of digitalization.

With energy being one of the most expensive resources in the world, this winter’s firm grip caused utility bills to remain inflated longer than residents would have liked. Spring officially began on March 20, but people in northern states contested the cold with space heaters, the common devices that provide supplemental heat and account for nearly 45 percent of the total heating bill in the average family home. To address such extreme temperatures, building materials managers and hardware store leads can help consumers save big money by providing energy efficient upgrades.

Natural disasters may strike at any moment and often without warning. In the event that a twister touches down or the ground starts to shake, evacuating human and animal family members to safer locations is often a necessity. Access to resources such as energy, food or water, and transportation may be cutoff, so establishing an emergency plan in advance will eliminate the need to scrounge for essential materials at the last minute. The larger the number of people and animals, the larger the task. Veterinarians encouraging animal owners to implement a disaster preparedness plan may save lives that might otherwise be stranded during a disaster or evacuation.

Keeping a sales team motivated can be hard work for an owner/operator or sales manager. In addition to engaging with potential clients and leads, you've got to hold it down on the sales floor and continually inspire employees to stick around and work harder. Salespeople may be short on motivation for a number of reasons. According to Forbes.com, only 30% of employees in the US feel engaged and inspired by their careers. Common factors for workplace demotivation include micromanagement, lack of confidence in company leadership and plain ole’ boredom. “It’s critical to find ways to ignite an entire department, not just identify your leading sellers,” says management consultant Doug Johnson. “You have to create a program that allows everyone to win at some level.” With decades of experience and some tips from sales experts, we've accumulated a list of ten sure-fire ways to keep ‘em motivated to increase sales and perhaps make your supervisory position even more exciting.

Furniture and home furnishings sales in the United States have slowly increased in recent years, but as always, it will take concentrated efforts to keep the momentum going. March sales domestically brought in $8.79B, up from 2015’s March revenue of $8.506B according to ycharts statistics. Home furnishings stores must continue to offer styles that cater to the desires of their customers, especially as the country continues to recover from the housing market recession of 2007-2009 that devastated the home furnishings and real estate industries (see our earlier article, “Home Furnishings Industry Rebounding Says Economic Census”). One approach involves capitalizing on the success of the tourism industry. As the economy rebuilds, travel and tourism — specifically domestic travel spending — has increased exponentially. According to a travel report from Statista, U.S. residents spent $802B traveling the states in 2015. Thus, identifying and utilizing the sentiments that draw people to popular domestic tourism destinations could increase sales to those wanting their interior designs to mimic their favorite vacation spots.

“Click It or Ticket.” We all know the phrase; it’s the most successful safety campaign ever produced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). More than half of passenger vehicle occupants killed between 2010 and 2014 weren’t wearing seat belts and the latest seat belt user rates study reveals that many continue to risk danger by not utilizing one. Despite lap and shoulder seat belts having been produced in every car since 1974, thirty-one states reported less than 90% belt use rate.

The world rate of diabetes has risen nearly 400% since 1980. The World Health Organization's first global report on diabetes reveals that 422 million people in the world — up from 108 million in 1980 — were diagnosed with diabetes in 2014. Type 2 diabetes accounts for the majority of those diagnosed, largely resulting from excess body weight and physical inactivity. Released April 7 for World Health Day, the 88-page report revealed that Type 2 diabetes, once seen only in adults, is increasingly occurring in children and young people.