plus 3, News From Around the Water Cooler - KYW News radio

News From Around the Water Cooler - KYW News radio
Beatrice jobless rate dips in January - Beatrice Daily Sun
KOEPPEL NISSAN - Queens Courier
Cape Coral-Fort Myers foreclosure rate second highest ... - News-Press

News From Around the Water Cooler - KYW News radio

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 12:47 PM PST

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Beatrice jobless rate dips in January - Beatrice Daily Sun

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 01:08 PM PST

LINCOLN - While the unemployment rate in Beatrice remains among the state's highest, the percentage of unemployed dipped to 6.7 percent in January, down from 7 percent in December.

Nebraska's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.6 percent in January, still less than half the national rate of 9.7 percent, state officials said in a report issued Wednesday.

The state said the preliminary December rate of 4.7 percent reported on Jan. 22 has been revised to 4.6 percent.

The state's January rate was a half-point higher than the 4.1 percent reported a year ago, the Nebraska Department of Labor said. The national rate in January was two percentage points higher than a year earlier.

The unemployment rate in Beatrice figures to continue its decline in light of a recent expansion announcement by Pennsylvania-based auto parts manufacturer Neapco, which plans to add 70-90 jobs to its Beatrice facility over the next two years.

North Dakota had the nation's lowest jobless rate in January, at 4.2 percent, and was followed by Nebraska's 4.6 percent and South Dakota's 4.8 percent.

Two sectors of the state economy added jobs in January. The education and health services sector added 5,479 jobs, and the other services - repair and maintenance sector added 113 jobs, the report said.

Nebraska's seasonally adjusted labor force included 983,427 people in January. Of those, 45,361 were listed as unemployed, which is 607 lower than in December and 4,560 higher than January 2009.

Omaha's estimated unemployment rate increased to 6 percent in January, from a revised 4.8 percent in December. The rate was 5.1 percent in January 2009.

Lincoln's estimated unemployment rate also increased, to 5 percent in January from a revised 3.9 percent in December. In January 2009, the Lincoln rate was 4.6 percent.

Unemployment rates for Omaha and Lincoln are not seasonally adjusted and cannot be compared with the state unemployment rate.

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KOEPPEL NISSAN - Queens Courier

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 01:15 PM PST

KOEPPEL NISSAN
70 years of trust and transparency

BY STEVE MOSCO
Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:17 PM EST
These are not the easiest of times for car dealerships. With the economy slowly recovering from a recession and automotive recalls making headlines, customers have become a far more discriminating group. In addition to wanting a reliable car, they want a trustworthy salesperson that will be honest about what is under the hood, from showroom to service area.

The Koeppel name has been synonymous with Queens car dealerships for over 70 years. Koeppel started selling cars in Queens before landmarks like Shea Stadium and the World's Fair ever broke ground.

Starting in 1937, Koeppel has since grown to four dealerships spanning Northern Boulevard. The family of Koeppel dealerships includes Nissan, Mazda, Volkswagen and Subaru; selling both new and pre-owned cars of almost every type imaginable.

However, Koeppel did not garner its outstanding reputation by merely having a wide selection of cars available. They have built a loyal customer base through years of impeccable service and vigilant quality assurance.

"We are not going to sell any car to any person just for the sake of making a sale," said Mark Lacher, executive manager of Koeppel Nissan in Jackson Heights. "We want the cars we sell to fit the people that buy them. What we do not want is someone finding out that they cannot afford a car after they bought it."

Koeppel Nissan is the 16th largest Nissan dealer in the country. At first blush, this does not sound too impressive – that is until you realize that there are just over a thousand Nissan dealerships across the country.

Lacher helped accelerate Koeppel Nissan to these heights through a time-tested philosophy that highlights transparency. According to Lacher, being honest with the customer will give them a reason to recommend the product to friends and family, giving Koeppel their greatest source of new customers: the referral.

"You have to treat everyone like they are coming into your house for a visit," said Lacher, who co-owns Koeppel Nissan with Howard Koeppel. "In order to do that, you have to have workers that are willing to accommodate and work with the customer."

One of those hires, sales manager of Koeppel Nissan Ramiro Taveras, agrees that success comes from offering more than just affordable prices to potential car buyers. While value is important, dealerships have to ensure quality in their products and trustworthiness among their staff.

"We have a 70-year-old standard to uphold," said Taveras. "We have a policy of honesty and treating the customer with respect. It is a policy that starts at the top and is consistent right down the line."

Taveras believes that Koeppel's treatment of its customers directly informs their success with future customers. Without the utmost in service, the referrals so important to a dealerships success would stall out.

"We relay on the satisfaction of our customers to help us fill the showroom," said Taveras.

Koeppel has a new car customer satisfaction rating consistently ranked tops in the nation, and Koeppel Nissan is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau for over 25 tears. This commitment to their customers' needs is evident in the service options they offer.

One of Koeppel's largest sources of revenue is their used and pre-owned cars, for which they offer a used car guarantee. Their factory trained technicians perform an extensive inspection of every car sold, and even offer a seven day exchange policy. They also offer free roadside assistance, free shuttle service and a fix-it-right-the-first-time guarantee, as well as a six month warranty on any vehicle sold.

Catering to those with automotive knowledge is important and can help bolster a dealership's reputation, but most car buyers are not grease-stained mechanics with a transmission repair hobby. The majority of the car buying public's knowledge of auto repair rarely goes beyond tire kicking, and the staff at Koeppel Nissan is sensitive to this. That is why their customer service reputation echoes from one satisfied customer to the next.

Flo Blumlein of Middle Village is on her second Nissan Pathfinder. When her first car was totaled out, she had no second thoughts about where she would go to purchase a new one.

"From the second that first car was totaled, I had no doubt what I wanted to replace it with," said Blumlein. "I told them which model I wanted and as soon as it came in, they called me."

No matter where she is, Blumlein refuses to bring her car anywhere else but Koeppel Nissan when it needs service. To her, Koeppel's honesty far exceeds that of any other dealership, and their waiting area also boasts more coffee than any other she has ever seen.

"They really go above and beyond what most people would expect from a dealership," she said. "It is convenient; they care about their customers, and look at all that coffee. It is incredible."

Blumlein's Pathfinder was rear-ended recently, cracking her Koeppel Nissan license plate frame. Rather than just hang the plate on the bumper, she asked for a new frame and got one, free of charge.

"Koeppel Nissan is one advertisement I do not mind having on my car," she said.

As customers continue to praise Koeppel, Koeppel continues to champion Queens. The dealership is actively involved with many charitable and not-for-profit organizations. They have donated many vehicles to the Fire Department of New York family assistance team, as well as supported City Harvest, the Queens Center for Progress and local school programs such as Horizon School for the Deaf, little league baseball, soccer and more.

Mark Lacher believes that enriching the surrounding community means enriching the lives of staff members and customers.

"Most of the people that work here come from the surrounding community," said Lacher. "The people who work for me should have a clear head when they come in to work."

That is why Lacher did not cut back on benefits when the economy started to sputter almost two years ago. Lacher said that while they made plenty of adjustments, they were sure not to cut any benefits.

They also did not cut back on their commitment to customer service. More than just selling cars, Lacher know that what Koeppel does is provide a genuine service to the people of Queens.

"A car can be the biggest purchase most people make in this area," he said. "These are more than just cars. It is the freedom to go places, to go on vacation. It is their ego and how they feel about themselves."

Personalizing the car-buying experience is chief among Lacher's goals. He wants his salespeople to exhaust every possible aspect of a buyer's wants and needs.

"I prefer to think of my workers as advisors, not salespeople," he said. "You have to guide the customer and look out for them. A particular car might not be right for their area. If there are a lot of potholes, maybe they should buy an SUV. It is about getting involved and changing the way people think of car dealers."

As Koeppel Nissan moves forward, changing is something that Lacher does not plan on doing. He believes that staying in business for 70 years means you are doing something right, so deviating from his proven business model is not an option.

"I never force anything. There are results I want and I will always want," he said. "As long as the standards are met and both the employees and customers are smiling, I feel I have done my job."

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Cape Coral-Fort Myers foreclosure rate second highest ... - News-Press

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 11:13 AM PST

The Cape Coral-Fort Myers metro area had the second highest foreclosure rate in the country, according to a report released today by Irvine, Calif.-based real estate data company RealtyTrac.

One in every 92 housing units received a foreclosure filing, including default notices, lawsuits and auction notices. No. 1 was Las Vegas, Nevada, with one notice per 90 housing units.

Boutique hosting embroidery event

Sewing Boutique in North Fort Myers is hosting a "Start Your Own Embroidery Business" event Saturday.

The boutique will feature Brother International's PR-650 "The Entrepreneur" embroidery machine. Brother will send an educator to perform demonstrations.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sewing Boutique, 13500 N. Cleveland Ave.

For more information, call 656-4489 or visit sewingboutique.com.

FGCU to host business seminars

Florida Gulf Coast University's Small Business Development Center will host several workshops and seminars in March for small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

A free session on basic and advanced e-mail marketing strategies will be from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Hilton Garden Inn Airport, 16410 Corporate Commerce Way, Estero.

A workshop on "How to Get Certified as a Minority Woman in Business" will be held from 2 to 4:30 p.m. March 23 at the Bonita Springs Chamber office, 25071 Chamber of Commerce Drive, Bonita Springs.

To learn more or view other workshops, visit sbdcseminars.org or 745-3700.

BB&T donation will help with repairs

BB&T has donated $2,500 to help the Lee Building Industry Association Builders Care program provide free home repairs to disadvantage Lee County residents.

BB&T senior vice president Bob Bassett serves as president on the Builders Care board of directors.

New sales rep joins Home-Tech

Kimberly Riching has joined Home-Tech in Fort Myers as the company's first outside service agreement sales representative.

She will be responsible for building relationships and promoting service agreement sales within a five-county territory for the company, an air-conditioning and appliance service and sales center.

Lordstone to lead search for VP

Lordstone Corp. has been retained by Landi Renzo, an Italian-based automotive supplier of alternative fuel systems, to conduct a national search for a new vice president of sales and marketing.

Lordstone's president and CEO Jeff Ketchum will lead the search.

Lordstone is a global executive search firm headquartered in Fort Myers.

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