Pivotal Player: Sandy Spring Bancorp Recognized for Creating a Business Founded on Trust
Courtesy of SNL Financial
In the business world, we are continually confronted with stories about unethical practices that are harmful to the community. Whether it is an insider trading story, or a news piece about poor conditions for workers, many companies often cut corners to enhance profitability and lose sight of their ethical and moral compasses.
Fortunately, Forbes Magazine is creating the standard for shining a light on companies that are doing right by their employees and communities.
Using data from GMI Ratings, Forbes came up with a list of the 100 most “transparent and trustworthy” companies by examining more than 8,000 companies traded on U.S. exchanges. The list looks beyond income statements and balance sheets and analyzes management practices and other indicators that gauge trustworthiness.
For the second year in a row, Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. – the largest publicly traded banking company headquartered and operating in Maryland – was named to this year’s list.
Sandy Spring Bancorp was recognized for the following:
- High levels of accounting transparency;
- Low incidences of high-risk events;
- Hands-on board-level guidance and supervision.
In addition, Sandy Spring Bancorp has a 140-year storied history of being outstanding community stewards. The bank has continually raised money for multiple charities, coordinated efforts to rebuild low-income homes, as well as launched in-school education initiatives to teach children how to save money.
The foundation of these efforts, was a driver of being named to the Forbes list, is the bank’s corporate culture, and mission to form long-lasting and trusting relationships with clients.
We recently spoke with Philip J. Mantua, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sandy Spring Bancorp, as well as Andrew Moses, Manager with MorganFranklin Consulting and a “Pivotal Plays Ambassador.”
Following is a lively and inspiring discussion about how Sandy Spring Bancorp has developed a deep core values system, which is based on the highest ethics, and how this has translated into good business.
Be sure to check out the full podcast below.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pivotalplays/2013/05/21/sandy-spring-named-ehtical-company
Jordan Zimmermann’s Season a Pivotal Play for the National’s So Far
Jordan Zimmermann’s continued emergence as a dominant starting pitcher has become a Pivotal Play for the Washington Nationals.
In a season where Washington has dealt with an abundance of early-season adversity, Zimmermann has been the one steadying influence for the 21-19 club. The rest of the club’s starting pitchers – even former No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg – have had their struggles.
Courtesy of Brad Mills, USAToday Sports
And offensively the entire season has been one frustrating compilation of at-bats, with Danny Espinosa and Tyler Moore struggling to produce and regulars like Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, and Wilson Ramos taking turns nursing injuries.
Through all the struggles and frustration, Zimmermann has been a radiantly shining star and comforting presence, showing up every fifth day to deliver another ace performance to make everybody on the team feel better. He has become medicine for a club that has been good, but not nearly as dominate as the pundits were expecting.
The 27-year-old pitcher has become one of the league’s most excellent starters, working to a 7-1 record while posting a 1.69 ERA after eight starts. The winner of one-third of Washington’s games so far, Zimmermann is pitch-efficient and proficient at saving the Nationals’ bullpen; he’s hurled at least seven innings in six of his last seven outings.
Zimmermann’s seven victories are the most among National League pitchers and his 1.69 ERA ranks seventh in the circuit. Only Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright have stockpiled more innings of work than the Washington right-hander, who’s 0.87 WHIP is third-best in baseball.
A former second-round pick who has improved during each of his four-plus seasons in the major leagues, Zimmermann is giving the Nationals what the experts expected Strasburg or lefty, Gio Gonzalez to deliver.
Strasburg is considered one of baseball’s most revered starters because of his plus four-pitch repertoire, widely considered one of the best arsenals in the entire game – but Zimmermann has been better than Strasburg.
Gonzalez finished third in the NL in Cy Young balloting last season. The former Oakland Athletic has been dominant at times and has struggled in a few of his starts. While he’s been a solid member of Washington’s rotation, he hasn’t been Zimmermann.
Sometimes, the lesser known and less-often discussed members of a work place are the most important pieces to an organization’s success. That has certainly been the case for the Nationals so far this season.
Zimmermann takes the mound with far less national exposure and hype than the majority of the pitchers with which he shares a clubhouse. However, all Zimmermann does is post quality starts; one after another, every fifth day – like clockwork.
When the Wisconsin native took the hill in Los Angeles this week he halted a two-game National’s losing streak with a 7.2 inning gem while allowing just two runs. Earlier in the month Zimmermann started in Atlanta, halting a three-game skid while helping the Nationals win their first game against the division-rival Braves in six tries in 2013. In that victory Zimmermann threw eight dominant, shutout innings with eight strikeouts.
Zimmermann has become Mr. Consistency. When things are falling apart, he shows up with a tool belt on ready to fix whatever’s ailing Washington. His eight tremendous starts have been a Pivotal Play this season.
The Capitals Need Ovechkin’s Pivotal Play to Advance in the Playoffs
This week’s Pivotal Play is whether the Washington Capitals star-winger Alexander Ovechkin can get back to creating quality scoring opportunities in the team’s ongoing postseason series with the New York Rangers.
Courtesy of Nick Wass/Associated Press
If the team’s captain – the NHL’s leading goal-scorer in the regular season and one of the top contenders for the league’s MVP award – is able to re-capture the lamp-lighting ability that carried Washington to a Southeast Division championship, the Capitals will pass the test they’re currently being administered by the underdog-Rangers.
Ovechkin has had a phenomenal season, finishing atop the entire league in goals scored (32), power play tallies (16), goals created (23), and scoring chances (220). After a pair of down seasons, Ovechkin returned to form as one of hockey’s most feared skaters and lethal offensive assassins.
To the 27-year-old Russian’s credit, he began the 2013 postseason as an impact offensive player as well. Ovechkin scored in the Capitals’ game-one win at the Verizon Center, then assisted on the club’s only goal in a thrilling 1-0 overtime triumph in game-two last Saturday.
Through two games, both Washington wins, Ovechkin had tallied multiple points while firing 12 shots on net. He was creating scoring opportunities while also playing a physical brand of hockey that saw him deliver seven big hits in the team’s game-two victory.
But as the series shifted to New York, the Rangers’ defense was able to focus more of its attention on the 230-pound speed-skater, and the result has been a frustrating pair of games.
Ovechkin managed to get a total of three shots on net in games three and four at Madison Square Garden. Not surprisingly, Washington lost both games and that’s the point of this week’s Pivotal Play.
With Ovechkin contributing points and scoring goals, Washington is much more dangerous to its opponents. But when clubs are able to slow him down – like New York did while pulling even in the best-of-seven series with back-to-back wins on Monday and Wednesday night respectively – the Capitals aren’t the same team.
If Ovechkin can elevate his play for an extended playoff stretch, throwing the Capitals on his shoulders like the elite leaders often find a way to do in the postseason, Washington’s two recent losses will be a footnote in the book ultimately written about the 2012-2013’s memorable run.
There is no play more pivotal to the fellas rocking the red than those made by Ovechkin. When Washington gets back to the Verizon Center on Friday evening, they will need the ‘great eight’ to get back to lighting the lamp the way he did all season.
Pivotal Player: ANCILE Solutions Recognized for Revolutionary Approach to Providing Customer Service
Effective customer service is the cornerstone of any successful business. Though for many technology companies, customer service often takes a back seat and it’s often very difficult to even get a live person on the phone whenever trouble-shooting is necessary.
ANCILE Solutions, a global provider of learning and performance software solutions to the largest corporations, has taken the exact opposite approach by bringing customer service to unprecedented heights.
The organization empowers its support staff to be trusted advisors to its users at all times. Each member of the ANCILE Solutions’ support team has their own online page with their own personalized photos and contact details available – so its software users really get to know the them.
In addition to launching a blog to serve as an additional communications channel with customers, the company takes a team-based approach to hiring and training its employees. These integration efforts have translated into happier and more productive customer service representatives. As a result, customers know they are dealing with passionate service reps who are willing to go above-and-beyond when it comes to tending to their needs.
As a result of these efforts, ANCILE Solutions has been awarded with three Bronze People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, which is clearly a Pivotal Play. The company rose above more than 1,000 competitive submissions and has been duly noted for effectively tending to the needs of more than 3,500 customers.
The Pivotal Plays editorial team recently interviewed Mike Domingues, Director of Customer Relationship Management at ANCILE Solutions, who shared his organization’s secrets to customer service success.
In addition, Steve Conger, a Pivotal Plays Ambassador and Vice President at Lockton Companies, joined in on this lively discussion about the role of customer service and how it is vital for any organization.
Below is the full podcast interview:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pivotalplays/2013/05/08/podcast-dave-lingg-ancile-solutions
Capitals’ Penalty Kill in Game One of the Playoffs is This Week’s Pivotal Play
The Washington Capitals turned in this week’s Pivotal Play in their game-one victory over the New York Rangers in the quarterfinal round of the NHL’s Eastern Conference playoffs.
Tied at a goal apiece midway through the second period, Washington faced a 5-on-3 penalty kill for 56 seconds. Had the Rangers have found a way to beat Braden Holtby with a goal while operating with a two-man advantage, the visitors would have taken their second lead of the game while recapturing the momentum of the contest.
Courtesy of the Associated Press/Alex Brandon
Rather than allowing New York to cash in, Washington’s special teams unit came up with one of its most pivotal penalty kills of the season, prohibiting the Rangers from taking control of the game while seizing momentum and reinvigorating a sold-out Verizon Center crowd with every clock-milking dump of the puck across center ice.
The Capitals were forced to kill the 5-on-3 in the wake of a pair of penalties assessed 56 seconds apart – a boarding call on second-line winger Martin Erat and an interference call on third-liner Eric Fehr.
With just under two minutes after Fehr served his time in the penalty box, speed-skating Marcus Johansson got behind New York’s defense for a breakaway tally that gave Washington its first lead of the game. The Capitals wouldn’t relinquish that advantage for the remainder of the evening.
In fact, 46 seconds after Johansson scored the fourth playoff goal of his career, Jason Chimera celebrated his 34th birthday by beating Henrik Lundqvist with a turnaround, off-balance shot the goal-tender never saw.
Both of Washington’s goals led to euphoria inside the Verizon Center, but it was the preceding penalty kill – which kept the score knotted at one – that worked the crowd into a frenzy, turning a nervous Verizon Center into a raucous building.
“Those were some real tough minutes,” Fehr said about the penalty he had to serve. “It felt like a half an hour. The guys did a great job killing it that was a big turning point for us. We killed it and we scored right after, that was the key to the game.”
Washington’s epic penalty kill was particularly impressive based on the team’s struggles in that area during the regular season. The Capitals ended the regular season having posted a 77.9 penalty kill percentage, which ranked 27th among the league’s 30 teams.
But on opening night of Washington’s sixth consecutive playoff appearance, the Caps’ penalty kill was flawless, including that massive 56-second stretch of 5-on-3 hockey.
That crucial stretch fueled the team’s game-one win and that’s why Washington’s penalty killing unit is deserving of this week’s Pivotal Play.
The NFL Draft Tees Up a Pivotal Play for the Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins will be making this week’s Pivotal Play tonight, when the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft take place in New York City.
The Redskins are the reigning NFC East champions and are coming off a 10-6 season that saw their organization encounter a renaissance led by quarterback Robert Griffin III. While the team’s defense made several big plays during a seven-game winning streak to end the 2012 season, the Redskins enter this weekend’s draft knowing they still need plenty of help in the secondary.
Courtesy of the National Football League
The most pivotal decision Washington can make with its second round selection would be to bolster a defensive backfield that needs more play-making and ball-hawking ability. One of the team’s biggest deficiencies last year was defending the pass, where the Redskins just didn’t have deep enough personnel to provide quality coverage against some of the league’s more prolific passing teams.
The Redskins ranked 30th against the pass last season, allowing 281.9 passing yards per game. What’s worse was that the club’s defense was haunted by big plays, yielding 11 gains of 40 or-more yards – the fifth-worst total in the league.
The team was plagued by poor play at free safety last season and 2012 starter Madieu Williams is still a free agent. Currently, an ideal option as a free safety starter in 2013 does not exist on the team, where many of the team’s problems defending the pass occurred. Washington could dramatically benefit from the addition of a free safety with one of its first picks this weekend.
But in addition to safety, the cornerback position is also in need of quality depth.
Starters Josh Wilson and DeAngelo Hall are not under contract beyond this season, and Cedric Griffin, the team’s third cornerback from a year ago is no longer with the team. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer EJ Biggers was added as a backup. He will compete with a couple of less-experienced corners for playing time behind Hall and Wilson.
While the Redskins did win their first division championship in 13 years, it is important to note that last year’s first-place finishing team was also 3-6 at one point. There are still several areas on the roster in need of improvement, especially in the wake of an offseason that saw Washington handcuffed by an $18 million NFL-enforced salary cap penalty.
The smartest play for the Redskins will be to use one, or both, of their first two draft picks, in the second and third rounds respectively, on defensive backs. If the team is able to add a cornerback and a safety with two of its early selections, it will have selected a secondary duo that will have a chance to contribute in 2013 and perhaps start in future seasons.
The NFL draft is always of massive significance for NFL teams. For a team like the Redskins, who weren’t able to spend the way they would have liked to improve during free agency, this weekend’s draft is even more pivotal to their success than usual.
Pivotal Player: The American College of Radiology Rebuilds Haiti’s Healthcare System
On January 11, 2010, the western hemisphere experienced the worst natural disaster in recent memory when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the heart of Haiti. More than, 200,000 people were killed and millions more were injured and displaced.
Courtesy of ACR.
The country faced a reconstruction effort that could take decades to complete and the initial response that ensued from governments and charity organizations was tremendous. However, today, only three years after the earthquake, and one of the most significant challenges facing Haiti today is declining donor interest in the country.
Fortunately though, there are organizations that are continuing to help rebuild the infrastructure of Haiti, and one of those is the American College of Radiology (ACR).
Much of the healthcare infrastructure in Haiti’s capital and largest city, Port-Au-Prince, was destroyed by the earthquake including radiology equipment, supplies, and teaching materials that help support day-to-day care, which were already very limited before the earthquake.
Last month, the ACR, along with the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging, the Society for Pediatric Radiology, the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound, and the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers gathered in Port-au-Prince to provide a series of educational lectures and hands-on ultrasound training at “Radiology Education Days” to 100 radiologists, pediatricians and physicians from Haiti.
The series is part of the ACR’s ongoing commitment help the Haitian medical community to rebuild and restore its radiology infrastructure. There is a tremendous need for basic radiology education, which can help detect medical conditions that range from tuberculosis to malnutrition to fractures and breaks.
Read more detail about this successful mission on ACR’s Haiti blog.
Of all the nations in the Western Hemisphere, none faces greater challenges to improve its healthcare system than Haiti. Thanks to organizations like ACR, our Pivotal Player of the week, Haiti has a chance to continue rebuilding their medical infrastructure through radiological training and support.
