Michigan, USA – While the automotive giants and industry big houses are off begging for bail-out funds, real business leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation are busy finding new ways to better serve customers.  Ask John Abbo, owner of Mobil station at Clyde Road and U.S. 23 in Hartland Township, who has transformed the gas station into a convenient one-stop-shop. 

"The general trend is consumption of petroleum has gone down; it has affected our industry a lot," Abbo said. "We're fortunate that we were able to do the different type of things that we did, like put in a new grill, and we've now converted the store into a market. Gas stations aren't what they used to be."

Abbo has expanded offerings at his 5,000-square-foot station, which he now refers to as the "Hartland General Store," including adding a full liquor collection, expanding Hartland Express Pizza into a grill and selling Michigan Department of Natural Resources hunting and fishing licenses on site. Frozen foods, a deli and other offerings are also included in the renovations, which are expected to wrap up within the next month or so.

In all, Abbo said, he's poured nearly a quarter of a million dollars in improvements.

Michigan, USA – Another remarkable business light shines through the darkness of Michigan’s economy.  Alpine Marketplace in Linden, Michigan, against all business odds refused to allow Michigan’s economy to get in the way of offering Linden residents the very best. 

“They have expanded and really offer the best of quality foods,” says Gina Shiller, customer of Alpine. “All other business are cutting corners trying to save cost, but not this place.  They spared no expense to take care of their customers.”

The “Alpine” name is the only thing that remains the same.  Marvin and Norm Yono say it is in their blood to give their customers their best, a standard of excellence they deserve.  “That means fresh, local, seasonal and gourmet products — priced affordably at regular ‘grocery store’ prices.” 

Michigan, USA – Obama’s ties to Chaldean business leaders is not limited to Chaldean British billionaire Nadhmi Auchi and Chicago millionaire Antoin “Tony” Rezko.  Auchi’s connection to Saddam Huseein and his loan to Obama of 3.5 million dollars through the Panamanian company Fintrade Services SA for his home on 5050 South Greenwood Avenue in Chicago, caught little media attention in the political campaign.  

Despite the fact that Obama’s appeal to Chaldean business owners isn’t in the small businesses policies he campaigned about, Chaldean business leaders are going to make the best of popularity. 

Take for example, gas station owner Sam Bazzi in Detroit.  Bazzi is capitalizing on the President Obama frenzy hoping to cover the eventual tax hikes his station and small business like his will face once Obama takes office.  The owners of the independent gas station re-branded a few months ago, including the roof, the sign, the pumps and even the awnings. The new Obama Oil on the corner of Wyoming Street and Plymouth Road in Detroit is a brilliant marketing move that has been “pumping” up customers and ringing in profits.

Michigan, USA – Chaldean businesses will soon feel another round of pinches as Michigan continues its economic free fall.  Chrysler LLC, whose owner has been in talks to sell the automaker to General Motors Corp., said Friday it will cut 25 percent of its salaried work force starting next month and warned that it will make more restructuring announcements soon.

Chrysler, which has about 18,500 white-collar workers, said Friday it also will cut a quarter of its contract employees — those who work for other companies under contract with the automaker.  About 5,000 people are likely to lose their jobs, although the company would not say how many contract workers it has.

“This will impact many Chaldean families,” says Joey Markos, owner of a dry cleaner with standing accounts for many Chrysler professionals.  “Many Michigan small businesses will feel the loss.  For every professional job that is lost, three times the impact is felt on small business.  I lose the revenue. I can’t spend, expand, or hire anyone.  I have to layoff two great workers; single mothers who have been with me for over five years.” 

Michigan, USA – Chaldean entrepreneurs have always fought to compete against the cold giant retailers.  “We do this on a personal level.  We reach out to our customers and make sure they are happy.  We support the community and give back,” says Eddie Katoola, manager of Grail of Gorcers in Highland Park.  Grail of Grocers fresh produce and meats remind customers of the days long gone, when butchers knew your name and shared community recipes.  

The success of Chaldean business owners is there ability to offer customers wonderful products and services and great prices.  It’s the reason why so many Chaldean businesses have been able to outperform major competitors.  The long standing tradition of offering valued goods is remarkable. 

Across town, Johnny Karmo, owner and manager of Market Fresh is offering his customers a most unique product.  Karmo wants his customers to have the most unique pumpkins on their block. 

Michigan, USA – Chaldean business owners are disappointed over continued efforts to stain independent grocers.  “This is bad.  These people don’t speak for us.  Our produce and foods are fresh.  This is just another way to take money from stores owners and give them nothing in return,” says Kamal Dally, owner of Riverside Liquor in Detroit. 

Dally is upset over an initiative announced at a private business meeting among Chaldeans, under the approving eye of Detroit’s new Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. that Chaldean store owners be asked to join a “Guaranteed Fresh” campaign for their stores.

Dally, and many other business owners feel the business group sold-out the Chaldean business community to gain political points with the new mayor and raise money for their own pet projects.  “They don’t care about Chaldean businesses.  All they care about is using the community name to take money from those who work so they can play golf,” says Dally’s son Thomas.  “Why didn’t they propose the city start a ‘Guarantee Response’ from the police every time a Chaldean store calls for help during an armed robbery or theft? 

Chaldeans are known for their congeniality and good-nature.  What would seem on the surface to be a wonderful trait, can become a huge risk in a corporate setting.  Chaldean professionals making their way through the corporate maze are forewarned that it’s easy to let imprudent information slip out. 

There are at least nine things Chaldeans or any professional minded go-getter should always keep to themselves at work. While some of these points are obvious, anyone who’s spent any time at all in an office can vouch for the fact that this advice bears repeating, and that heeding it could avoid a whole lot of unproductive drama.

California, USA - Catholic Answers Live invites Chaldeans to a number of possible job opportunities with Catholic Answers, the largest Catholic apologetics and evangelization organization in North America.  Catholic Answers has reached out to www.CHALDEAN.org asking for assistance in promoting a number of fantastic positions within their organization. 

One position invites Chaldeans to consider being a radio host.  Based out of El Cajon, California Catholic Answers is seeking a radio host for their Catholic Answers Live daily radio program. 

Catholic Answers is also offering Chaldeans around the world five other job opportunities in IT and customer service. 

Michigan, USA - Today, many homeowners are unable to make their monthly mortgage payments due to job loss, health issues or an adjusting ARM and are opting to do a foreclosure. The government bailout of banks will not offer much reassurance and those choosing to walk away from their home, especially Chaldeans, might consider a few things first. 

A foreclosure ruins a borrower’s credit for about 10 years, making them unable to buy another home, purchase a new car, impact businesses loans, or even prevent them from getting a new job.

Shrewd Chaldeans are considering a little known option for homeowners called a “Short-Sale”.

Planning a wedding is surely one of the most romantic and exciting times in people’s lives. From the moment a couple gets engaged to the moment they say “I do”, couples are fully submerged in planning for the big day. Furthermore, the excitement of engagement prevents many from realizing that there are other events that must be planned during the engagement period. This can be extremely stressful and time consuming, particularly in today’s day and age where couples are both working and/or going to school full time.

As a full time wedding coordinator who realizes the complexity of planning big events, it is no surprise to me when married couples approach me after the fact and say, “I wish I would have hired a wedding planner when I was getting married!”  And you may ask, why?

The economic explosion continues to ripple throughout the country.  Calls for taxpayers to bailout private companies for fear of an economic downturn plays on every network and old guard paper media outfits.  “You only seem to get the real news from talk radio and the Internet,” says Bashar Jarbow.  “You can’t trust the TV networks or newspapers anymore.”

Jarbow has good cause to be disillusioned.  However, hidden in some news pages were weak warnings of the looming economic crisis.  Fadi Faraj of Chicago, Illinois e-mails www.CHALDEAN.org an archived article in the New York Times back Business Page titled, Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending. 

Faraj, highlights the intense pressure from the Clinton Administration to force mortgage loans to low and moderate income people.   Congressional leaders arm twisted private banks to make more subprime loans to borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans.

California, USA –Chaldean business leaders are fast feeling the pinch as banks are reluctant to even give payroll loans on verified accounts receivables.  With the U.S. Economy on the verge of bankruptcy Chaldeans are still befuddled with how this could be possible. 

Sarmad Khomoro, of Bay Side Liquor in Los Angeles puts it this way, “If one customer asks me to loan him some money and that he will pay me back next month, I can handle it if he doesn’t pay his debt, it’s only one person.  Now, if the city of Los Angeles passes a law that tells me I have to give everyone who asks me a loan and the city will back-me-up if they don’t pay me-back.  I am going to give loans to hundreds of people because I want to get more customers and make them happy.  I don’t care if they can pay it back or not, since the city promised me they would bail me out if there was a problem.”

Khomoro’s example is pretty much exactly what happened on a national level with banks.  Banks were reassured that bad loans would be protected by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  www.CHALDEAN.org Michigan columnist Sam Yousif wrote that the blame lies with Democrats.  The article created a flurry of e-mails.  Over forty-two e-mails were sent asking for more information.  So we put our California business reporter, David Najor on the task.  This is what Najor reports...

It all began with the CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) that quickly turned into a thief’s bank in the early 90's.   The Los Angeles Times reported that, starting in 1992, a majority-Democratic Congress "mandated that Fannie and Freddie increase their purchases of mortgages for low-income and medium-income borrowers. Operating under that requirement, Fannie Mae, in particular, has been aggressive and creative in stimulating minority gains."

Michigan, USA - “Me and my wife work over seventy hours a week.  We make all our payments and when we can’t afford something we don’t buy it,” says Sam Kalesho.  “Our government is going crazy.  They are stealing from us all.  They want more taxes, charge us more for electricity, and killing America. Whoever’s fault this is should never be in politics again.”

Kalesho is surprised when a customer of his yells out, “Then get the Democrats out of office.”  Trevor Raddison, shopping at Lakeside Liquor blames the Democrats for the economic collapse.  “McCain himself tried to stop Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2006.  He predicted this tragedy and the Democrats blocked him.  Democrats are bought and sold.  Fannie and Freddie paid millions to the Democrats to protect them while they were cooking the books.  They gave protection paybacks to Obama, Biden, Clinton, and Dodd.  They act like they are for the working man, but they aren’t.  To them it is all a front.  Immigration, not allowing us to drill in America, not allowing people the right to work, Democrats are crooks.  I burnt my democrat card a long time ago.”

Raddison is right that McCain was a leading proponent of the corruption in Fannie Mae and Freedie Mac, that have caused the economic stumble of America.   Congressional record shows that back in 2006 McCain hammers them for falsification of financial records. Ironically the leaders of the corrupt companies, including Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson, both worked as advisers to Barack Obama. 

Chaldean family businesses present a unique set of conflict resolution strategies at the workplace.  Conflicts at home or at the business, whether they’re interpersonal or purely business, are an unavoidable fact of the Chaldean family business life.

 But a disagreement doesn’t have to end with hardship and hurt feelings. Employing smart psychology can help younger Chaldeans handle conflict wisely with their seniors and end up with a solution that works best for everyone.

Dr. Nabil Rafou, a Chaldean social psychologist who is an expert in conflict resolution, negotiation, mediation and leadership, shares some of the tactics that work among Chaldean family businesses.  “These ten tips work particularly well given the Chaldean cultures blended history,” Dr. Rafou says.  

Michigan, USA - Frustrated Detroit Chaldean business owners breathe a sign of relief.  “Finally.  It took this long and cost so much for this city to see what kind of crook we had in office,” says Khalid Nalou, manager of Downtown Corner Market.  “He picked on small business from day one.  This man forced more business to leave a city than Katrina.  I moved my entire family from Detroit and was looking for another place to work.”

The infamous Democratic Mayor was not shy to share his dislike for small businesses in the city.  He often complained and organized attacks against convenient stores, gas stations, hardware stores, salons, and dollar retailers. 

“He upset and offended so many people.  He was arrogant and thought he was a lion.  Now he is a mouse.  When you are sel;fish and not humble, this is what happens,” says Nalou.   Kilpatrick will shamefully resign, serve 120 days in jail, and pay $1M restitution.