Day: April 4, 2022

VASE is a family business that has attracted the attention from various media outlets like Univision, Miami New Times and Miami Herald with its innovative initiative. It was founded by two sisters and a friend who joined forces to create a unique footwear that has managed to sell 5000 pairs in one season. These initial sales numbers are important for an up-and-coming women-owned small business to gather attention from big events, and such was the case when the renown Ultra Music Fest gave them the rights to sell their dazzling shoes at their event.  

From its very beginning, VASE has been a lifestyle brand that has presented their LED Light Sneakers as their main product. The brand’s objective has always been to motivate people to have self-confidence. The main store was so innovative that it operated as a showroom, gallery and pop-up store for VASE and other partnered brands. Victoria Sain, one of the co-founders, acquired the role of creative director from June of 2015, and she was the one responsible for designing and developing the LED Light Sneakers brand, as well as taking command of its aggressive and visually appealing marketing campaign and concept store. “I designed this store in a remodeled food truck that operated as showroom, gallery and pop-up store for VASE and other partnered brands”, Sain claimed.

Victoria commented, “As one of the first pop-up stores in Miami, we were hired by Uber Rider’s Lounge to sell our LED Light Sneakers at the Ultra Music Festival, which is one of the most important music festivals of the country. People from all over the world fly in to Miami to attend this festival. We were the hottest product of the festival because both the type of music and the audience made a perfect match with our Sneakers.”

While being one of the first pop-up stores in Miami, VASE was invited to sell at Faena Bazaar, Uber Rider’s Lounge at the Ultra Music Festival and other places within the city’s arts and culture scene. With this strategy, the brand managed to sell more than 5000 pairs in a period of 3 months, which is why everyone is waiting on the edge of their seats for the next product with which they will impact the market once again. We are hopeful that their initiative will include other major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Houston and Boston.

Having a well-established digital footprint is one of the most important assets anyone can have nowadays. After all, most, if not all, of the world’s industries have shifted into the virtual sphere. When it comes to helping put a person or brand on the digital map, one remarkable entrepreneur stands out – Abdallah Hawshar.

He is a social media expert and the brilliant mind behind Crown Digital Agency, a leading SEO enterprise. Before becoming an authority in the digital marketing industry, he first had a career as an aviation mechanic. However, his passion for meeting new people and his substantial interest in business eventually led him to where he is now.

When asked what helped Abdallah Hawshar accomplish such great success, the insightful man never fails to mention his impeccable work ethic and relentless drive to become better. As a testament to this, he studied Mass Media and Communication at the University of Balamand and went on to earn a master’s degree in Digital Marketing. On top of that, he hones his skills and put them into practice by developing marketing strategies and managing social media pages for several renowned businesses.

Due to his impressive dedication to his profession, the outstanding entrepreneur has successfully scaled Crown Digital Agency. The social media management company is known for its incredible work in helping various ventures, especially startups, grow their social media presence and brand.

The intuitive enterprise utilizes tailored strategies best suited for a specific company’s content and marketing goals. On top of that, it is also a consulting firm for businesses and other digital media firms.

Most people do not know that the brand simply started as Abdallah Hawshar’s trial side project to help satisfy his marketing passion. In addition, it also served as a way for him to explore and learn about the industry. Observing a significant and timely shift of businesses and corporations toward the online space in the past few years, he found an excellent opportunity to create a venture. Thus, Crown Digital Agency was born.

Because of his fantastic principles and extensive knowledge, he was able to scale the business in no time. Seeing the meteoric rise of his passion project has fueled the founder to devote even more dedication to the agency and pursue higher digital marketing potential. Now, the brand is considered one of the top authorities in digital marketing and SEO.

As the entrepreneur profoundly shared, “People viewed the COVID-19 as a negative development for their career path and future; however, I saw it as an opportunity to further my digital marketing and social media skills, earning well-respected certificates from Google, Boston University through edX, and the Open Media Institute (OMI), among others.”

Abdallah Hawshar is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring self-made entrepreneurs in the digital marketing space. As such, his unrivaled success and the extraordinary accomplishments of his firm Crown Digital Agency have become great sources of motivation for emerging players in the industry, specifically budding marketing agencies and hopeful young individuals who wish to learn about digital and social media marketing.

If you purchased a new car a decade ago, you may have felt like you paid more than you should have. You may not have been imagining things. In 2013, officials uncovered a massive global price-fixing conspiracy among major auto parts manufacturers. This conspiracy to rig higher prices for auto parts affected car pricing for nearly every major auto manufacturer. For years, auto parts manufacturers held clandestine meetings to rig bids and drive up the cost of everything from seat belts to radiators to spark plugs, with the exorbitant costs passed down to the buyer.

Award-winning lawyer Omar Ochoa was right on the front lines of the battle to take down the parts makers who were involved in the collusion. Ochoa currently heads up his own law office, Omar Ochoa Law Firm, but while at a past firm, he was integral to stopping the auto parts conspiracy in its tracks and garnering the largest recovery for indirect purchasers in US history. 

A Global Collusion 

Trouble began brewing within the auto parts industry over a decade ago, when a competition agency in Japan, a group tasked with regulating competition in certain countries, uncovered possible price-fixing among a handful of Japanese auto parts manufacturers. Much like peeling an onion, once they started digging, the problem only intensified. 

“It was a handful of people driving this,” remarks Ochoa. “Yet, the impact was global.” 

Antitrust enforcement agencies worldwide became involved in uncovering the layered intricacies of the conspiracy. At the end of an exhaustive investigation, twenty companies were shown to be involved in the conspiracy, and an estimated 5 billion dollars were made selling the parts to automakers. Approximately 25 million car purchases were directly affected by price-fixing. 

“The macro effect of this was stunning,” says Ochoa.

Bringing the Conspirators to Justice 

Ochoa’s role in bringing about justice for the estimated 25 million car purchasers affected by this scheme was significant. 

“I put a lot of time and work into it,” he explains, “But it was a team effort. Three law firms were the leads on the case. I did a lot of the legwork to put the pieces together that determined how widespread this collusion was.”

Ochoa showcases a professional humility when discussing his role in this record-breaking case. Bringing down the parts makers responsible for the conspiracy was a massive team effort, involving multiple law firms, government officials, car manufacturers, and purchasers participating in class action suits. However, one cannot overstate the tremendous effect Ochoa’s extreme effort had on the overall outcome of the case. 

For all of his work on this case, Ochoa was awarded the Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement by a Young Lawyer Award from the American Antitrust Institute at a ceremony in Washington, DC. The historic case has been widely documented and cemented Ochoa’s reputation as one to watch as both a young lawyer and Latino man in law. 

Justice Served 

The conspiracy to rig bids for auto parts affected approximately ten different automakers and managed to fly under the radar for nearly a decade before being uncovered. 

“It illustrates how injustice by a few can have a global impact,” says Ochoa. 

Once the conspiracy was uncovered, the companies involved began to cooperate with the investigation. This is where Ochoa’s role in the case kicked into high gear. The legwork included managing court filings, hearings, depositions, interviewing employees who admitted to the collusion and gathering information on co-conspirators and their activities. 

Ultimately, the twenty companies entangled in the conspiracy agreed to plead guilty and pay over $1.6 billion in fines. 

At the time of the plea deals, Eric Holder, US Attorney General, promised a thorough investigation and swift justice. 

“We will continue to check under every hood and kick every tire to make sure we put an end to this illegal and destructive conduct,” Holder told Reuters in 2013. 

Since opening his own firm, Ochoa has continued the tradition of fighting hard for what is right and just and winning laudable settlements for his clients. His successes have run the gamut from healthcare whistleblower cases to million-dollar settlements for business contract disputes. In addition, he has prosecuted anti-kickback and Medicare and Medicaid fraud claims against healthcare providers and medical equipment suppliers. Ochoa himself continues to be recognized as one of the best young trial lawyers in the country, much of his work fighting for the “little guy” against unscrupulous companies and organizations. 

The child of parents who grew up as migrant laborers and obtained advanced degrees, Ochoa has always valued hard work. The dedication and tenacity he focused on the auto parts conspiracy case have continued with every case he’s pursued since. 

“It’s about seeking excellence. It’s wanting to be at the top of my game,” explains Ochoa when discussing the driving force behind his practice, “It’s wanting to be the best lawyer that I can be, giving the best service that I can to our clients. That is my biggest motivator.” 

Employee recognition, or social capital, is a high commodity in the workplace right now. As one of the main causes for The Great Resignation, employees are on the hunt for greener pastures; companies that will offer them better benefits, flexible schedules, and an inviting environment. For some employers, achieving these standards can be difficult. After all, it can be hard to let go of the status-quo. Understanding the importance of workplace recognition — but also how to implement it — will be crucial in surviving the new wave of employment. This is something CEO and founder of Preciate, Ed Stevens has become an expert on. 

The Importance of Workplace Recognition

Recent studies have shown that appreciation in the workplace leads to increased productivity, stronger relationships, and loyalty to the company. Employees that feel valued are less likely to jump ship when things get rough. “When employees spend 40 hours a week with the same people day in, day out, it’s best case scenario that they all have a good relationship with each other,” says Stevens. Feeling connected to other team members only helps build the team up more. Giving someone a “gold star”, or recognizing them for their hard work, is a great way to do this. 

“Especially now that a good portion of the workforce is working some type of remote schedule, feeling connected to the team is an even more difficult undertaking,” Stevens says. Since the 2020 pandemic, some new employees haven’t, and probably never will, meet their coworkers in person. That’s why making connections and letting all team members know how valued they are is so imperative. Developing personal connections is difficult when the parties are in different states, but hey, if people can fall in love over the internet, perhaps co-workers can become friends; just keep it within HR’s guidelines. 

It’s also worth noting that recognition needs to come from both leadership roles and peers. It’s easy for the people who see the hard work being done every day to acknowledge each other and support one another because more often than not, the higher ups don’t see all that goes into a project and they show up at the end with a “good job” and that’s it. “[Recognition] needs to come often and from everyone,” Steven says. 

Integrating New Ideas

There is a long list of ways companies can begin to establish relationships and connections with their employees. One of which is Mr. Stevens’ employee recognition platform, Preciate Recognition. The tool allows team members to customize badges and stickers to reinforce the behaviors and traits that matter most to them. Employees can encourage and celebrate each other as often as they’d like. 

In addition to the new platform, Stevens suggests companies adopt a new style of meetings (whether virtual or in-person) that encourage engagement, conversation, and participation. Oftentimes, meetings are one-sided and 95 percent of the attendees never speak. By encouraging a portion of the meeting to hold no “shop talk” and instead get to know one another, bonds are formed that create a more connected team. “It’s all a domino effect,” says Stevens, “because when you have a more connected team, they’re productivity goes up. When they’re rewarded for that productivity, you have a happier team, and so on, so forth.” 

For those remote teams, hosting virtual happy hours, themed parties that include icebreakers, or activities to get everyone involved is a great option. Simple changes like this can solidify a company’s dedication to the betterment of their team. 

Recognition can no longer be just an Employee of the Month certificate that comes two months late. There’s potential for real connections to be made. With an intentional effort to regularly and consistently give more recognition, retention rates and more importantly, company satisfaction will increase.