What is Connect magazine?
Connect is a general-business monthly magazine for the Utah business community. Connect offers an inside look at the regional economic landscape and the people driving its development. Connect profiles innovative companies and businesspeople with ties to Utah so you are aware of the major players in the region. Connect provides regular hands-on articles and advice columns from local professionals on a variety of topics to help you do your job better.
A good example is a recent article that we did on a local store that sells all sorts of gift baskets. They had a brick and mortar store with their packaging plant next door. Hiring and then training local people, this gift basket store was slowly expanding once their online store began to rank high in the search for gift baskets. Their story was impressive since they has started their business in the living room of their home only five years ago with clever baby gift baskets and spa gift baskets they created themselves. But by optimizing their website using a technique known as “enterprise SEO”, they managed to rank very high for searches of ‘gift baskets’ in all the search engines, including Google. SEO stands for ‘search engine optimization’ and enterprise SEO is kind of the high powered version of this new strategy, where the emphasis is on identifying the most valuable keywords for the business, and focusing on those terms. Now the store is offering gourmet gift baskets filled with goodies made by other local small businesses, wine baskets with wines from around the US as well as Europe, as well as occasion gift baskets for anniversaries, birthdays, congratulations, get well, sympathy, thank you and thinking of you. Their buyers work with other local businesses to utilize their products as much as possible. In an innovative move, they contacted floral shops throughout Utah to work out arrangements whereby their online store would offer fresh flowers and the local florists nearest to the order would fill the order and deliver the flowers.
I learned about this company when I was searching online for a gift basket for my aunt who was recovering in a hospital from injuries she has suffered in a serious car accident. I had the get well gift basket delivered to my home, so I could take it to the hospital myself. Te day I arrived she was interviewing a car accident lawyer. After introductions I quietly sat in the hospital room listening to the car accident lawyer explain ho he billed. I didn’t realize that most car accident lawyers work on a contingency basis. When the case is finished, they take a percentage (usually between 30% to 40%) of the settlement. In addition the plaintiff, in this case my aunt, would also be responsible for paying all court-related fees like filing costs and copying expenses. The lawyer told her that he does not accept a client who has suffered only minor injuries since he could not justify the legal costs involved. He was very familiar with the state laws regarding car accidents and apparently was very experienced. I listened as he explained the facts in a clear and supportive manner, even telling her approximately how much her case was worth. My aunt decided to hire him and I am glad she did. He was able to get her a substantial settlement, even after his fees of 35% were subtracted from the total amount.
We admire this company’s sense of community and wrote several articles about them. We also did related companion pieces with advice on how to create your own gift baskets as presents to friends and family, as well as a column about creating gift baskets to auction off at school or event fund raisers. Since it is easy to personalize a gift basket for a particular recipient, it makes a particularly memorable gift for both children and adults.
Ralph Deluca’s love of antiques and collectibles lead him into a business that is both unique and rewarding. He’s an expert on vintage movie posters along with other collectibles. From his website, he offers free appraisals of posters, often discovered in attics and basements – a good find can be a windfall for the right poster. He can spot value from replicas and as such he’s kind of an investment advisor to celebrity collectors. If you find an old movie poster and want to know if it’s valuable, you can connect with him at ralphdeluca.com. You never know what you might stumble into, even in an old house left to you by your parents.
An update on our featured gift basket store:
They are now moving into corporate gift baskets with particularly stunning offerings.
The staff members at Connect are committed to helping grow and unite the regional business community. Please send any comments or suggestions to [email protected] Contact info:
Connect Magazine / Lumin Publishing
801-417-3000 ph
801-417-3001 fax
6183 South Prairie View Dr, Suite 103A
Salt Lake City, UT 84118
General Questions
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Letters to the Editor
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Advertising info
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Staff Members:
Publisher
Arkin Hill
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Executive Editor
Colin Kelly
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Associate Publisher
Jennifer Black
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Senior Editor
Kathryn Peterson
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Creative Director
Kevin Kiernan
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Production Artist
Zane Pendleton
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Advertising Director
Geoff Osmond
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Senior Advertising Consultant
Brandon Ellis
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Advertising Consultant
Rachelle Mickelson
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