BGS Participates in MTA's Trucks and Toys 2016 Event
December 13, 2016 | Carole Clark IsaksonThe BGS Transportation Law Department is carrying on the tradition of involvement with a great cause – the Minnesota Trucking Association (MTA) Trucks and Toys event. This event provides toys for disadvantaged children and teens all over the state of Minnesota, through the efforts of MTA members like BGS. This year BGS attorneys and staff enthusiastically jumped in to the shopping challenge, and even helped load a truck! The MTA has been running this event for more than 20 years, and this year twenty three MTA members around the state collected toys and cash (used to buy more toys). The MTA coordinates with many charities throughout the state, and this year partnered with even more groups to donate even more toys. Here in the metro area, the MTA donated toys to Kinship in Fridley, People Serving People in Minneapolis and Harriet Tubman Foundation in Minneapolis. BGS personnel took part in the event on a more direct level. On Friday night December 2, BGS staff Jackie Campbell and Marly Gullekson (and Marly’s daughters and grandkids!) had a great time helping shop at the Blaine Target, where they helped the MTA purchase more than $13,000 of toys. Bright and early the next morning, and fueled by coffee and hot chocolate, assistant Jackie Campbell and attorneys…
Read MoreWhy we all need an “IDIOT!” light
December 5, 2016 | Carole Clark IsaksonMy first car was a canary yellow 1964 Corvair coupe. I could tell stories about that car for hours! Learned a lot too – one my strongest memories is of my father’s description of a dash feature. “This,” he said nicely, “is commonly called the ‘idiot light’. If it goes on you need to pull over immediately, shut off the engine, go find a phone and call me!” That light is a warning that things are on the verge of going badly. IF you paid attention, he said, there was still time to save the day (and the engine block) by pulling over and calling for help. What (or who) is your “idiot” light? We all need one! For some of us, it’s a spouse or other family member with enough distance from a situation to see that things are headed in the wrong direction. Your accountant and financial advisor may play this role as well, warning you when an investment isn’t performing, the 529 is underfunded, or the 401k is weighted too heavily in one fund. As parents we try to be the ‘idiot light’ for our kids. As attorneys we are sometimes in this position as well, a role that we take very seriously. I have been counseling business owners for…
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