Our Blog

Columbus Day - What is That?

Today is Columbus Day! BUT, what is it, and why are we celebrating it? Well try to explain with the help of History.com, but effectively, we are celebrating the fact that Christopher Columbus discovered Asia by landing in Cuba. Odd, but we like celebrating mistakes in America. They are very often the foundations for great things. Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Christopher Columbus was an Italian-born explorer who set sail in August 1492, bound for Asia with backing from the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Columbus intended to chart a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia. Instead, he landed in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings established colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century. Later that October, Columbus sighted Cuba and believed it was mainland China; in December the expedition found Hispaniola, which he thought might be Japan. There, he established Spains first colony in the Americas with 39 of his men. In March 1493, Columbus returned to Spain in triumph, bearing gold, spices and Indian captives. The explorer crossed the Atlantic several more times before his death in 1506. It wasnt until his third journey that Columbus finally realized he hadnt reached Asia but instead had stumbled upon a continent previously unknown to Europeans. History.com OOPS! Third time is a charm!

State of Emergency for Georgia - Offices Closed

Our Atlanta offices are closed due to a State of Emergency declared for the State of Georgia. Please be aware that we are working from remote locations, and may not be as responsive as we would like in the short term.

Hurricane Harvey Houston Relief

TSWUS is teaming up with local Atlanta Public School, Warren T. Jackson Elementary to help with the Hurricane Harvey relief. KIPP Climb Academy, located 1 mile from the Sims Bayou in South Houston will be receiving our donations.  Each house at Jackson is contributing different back-to-school items for children in the Houston area. Our i-transact offices in Houston have “feet on the ground”, and will keep us posted on how we can continue to help. We are happy to have a tangible way to move forward in doing so now, and are also extremely pleased to participate in an effort that helps educate our local Atlanta children on the importance of giving back. 

JACKSON IS TAKING ACTION - HURRICANE RELIEF:

Many schools in Texas have been severely impacted by Hurricane Harvey. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to take action and show care and concern for others. Through an organization called Principals Helping Principals, we have been paired with KIPP Climb Academy—located 1 mile from the Sims Bayou in South Houston. We are asking Jackson students to take action and help by donating school supplies. Each house is designated specific school supplies to donate. To encourage participation in this humanitarian project, the house with the most school supply items donated will be awarded 10 house points. Here is the list of school supplies that each house will be collecting: Yellow - pencils, erasers, pens; Blue - crayons, markers, colored pencils; Black, composition book, paper, spiral notebooks; Silver - scissors, glue sticks, glue.

Hurricane Harvey i-transact Houston

Sending our love and support to all of our team members in Houston at i-transact. Stay safe, and stay dry! 

Profit with a Purpose - Back to School

Last year at this time, I wrote this post about Desiree Metzger. I am warmed by her continued commitment to the cause.

Understanding what your contribution means in a community is the key to a continued commitment in supporting charitable efforts. The feedback we receive as a company is incredible.

As the President of this company, I am so proud of Desiree, and the rest of my staff, today as we ship out our contributions. Next year we hope to contribute even more.

If we can start one child's school year on a better foot, that will make all of the difference.

"One of the best moments in life is when you pass the torch. It is not great because you want to walk away, but because you see in someone else the ability to take on a task, and potentially do it even better. Holding on to ownership when someone else wants to step up is not only bad as a mentor, it means you never free up your time to explore something new.
This past week, we passed the torch for our “Back to School” charitable efforts for under-privileged children on to Desiree Metzger. We pulled her out of her comfort zone, and made her engage the rest of our staff to great success. Desiree not only embodies the selflessness that charitable efforts require, but keeps incredibly under the radar in pursuing her goal of helping others. People like her never boast about their efforts, which is why we need to shout it out.
Cheers Desiree Metzger!"

Solar Eclipse

Amazing afternoon viewing the North American Solar Eclipse. 

Celebrate Independence Day

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Independence Day! 

Independence Day in America

Our offices in the US will be closed on Monday and Tuesday of this week in celebration of Independence Day. As not all of our offices are in the US, we thought we would highlight the nature of the holiday, and assure everyone in our home office in the UK that we are still on On the Bus!  

With the help of Military.com: On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event. Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence.  On July 1, 1776, the Continental Congress reconvened, and on the following day, the Lee Resolution for independence was adopted. On July 4th, the Declaration was officially adopted. John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!"

Independence Day in America

Our offices in the US will be closed on Monday and Tuesday of this week in celebration of Independence Day. As not all of our offices are in the US, we thought we would highlight the nature of the holiday, and assure everyone in our home office in the UK that we are still on On the Bus!  

With the help of Military.com: On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event. Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence.  On July 1, 1776, the Continental Congress reconvened, and on the following day, the Lee Resolution for independence was adopted. On July 4th, the Declaration was officially adopted. John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!"

Cocktail Friday - the Impact of Patriotic Branding

It is Cocktail Friday at TSWUS, and we are headed into a long weekend celebrating the birth of the United States of America. What better post could we make, than one highlighting the "artfully" redesigned "Patriotic" packaging that seems ubiquitous on these American holidays. What impact does re-packaging have on sales during patriotic holidays? Can the re-packaging stand alone, or does it need to be combined with advertising support to maximize product sales? Do patriotic holidays impact sales more significantly than family holidays like Halloween or Christmas? Why am I compelled to buy the Red, White and Blue six-pack? 

These are all key questions to ponder when walking down the beer aisle this weekend. Just in case you are curious, we are attaching some research from Kidd.com on the Purchasing Power of Brand Patriotism. http://www.kidd.com/branding/purchasing-power-patriotism-businesses-shift-american-branding-summer/