Conner Prairie to Open Nature Walk

From our Friends and Neighbors at Conner Prairie

“Unplug” your kids and bring them to Conner Prairie Interactive History Park as we celebrate nature during the 2013 season.

“In a society where many of our children – and adults – are suffering from ‘Nature Deficit Disorder,’ Conner Prairie has chosen to be a part of a national movement to reconnect children with the outdoors,” said Ellen M. Rosenthal, president and CEO of Conner Prairie. “At Conner Prairie families can pet a new-born lamb and explore nature while learning about Indiana’s past.”

All outdoor experiences will re-open on March 28 with new programming throughout the property that emphasizes the importance of bonding with nature and each other. Several new adventures will heighten senses and will help families discover how they are connected to earth, water, air and the planet’s plethora of living things.

Conner Prairie, Indiana’s only Smithsonian Affiliate, will host several new experiences as part of the “Year of Nature,” including: Conner Prairie Nature Walk.  Opens March 28, accessible during regular hours.

Explore Conner Prairie’s natural setting in our brand new Conner Prairie Nature Walk. Trek along a gravel path that begins in the heart of our outdoor historic areas and winds through a forest and along the top of a levee, which is flanked by woods, farmland, prairie and the White River. Along the way you will discover plant and animal life and discuss the importance of nature with your family. Learn how land was used in the past by Native Americans and William Conner, and how it is used today. At the end of the trail you will find an elevated observation deck that will provide a wonderful view of the prairie, which was created to attract migratory birds. Included with general admission. (.64 miles round trip)

United Way's Volunteer of the Year - Jeff Hagerman

A MESSAGE FROM THE UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL INDIANA:

 

His parents named him Jeff Hagerman, but we came up with a new name: United Way of Central Indiana's Volunteer of the Year!

He's the one with the rose in his lapel. Since 2008, Hagerman and his company have partnered with United Way to improve the safety of more than 30 child care ministries in Central Indiana, donating thousands in construction fees and generating more in-kind donations so we could serve even more children!

Jeff also volunteered on the campaign cabinet to encourage other companies to contribute in ways that help our whole community! Thank you Jeff!



Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

Learn more about the science of success with Heidi Grant Halvorson's HBR Single, based on this blog post.

Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer — that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others — is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. "Lose 5 pounds" is a better goal than "lose some weight," because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you'll "eat less" or "sleep more" is too vague — be clear and precise. "I'll be in bed by 10pm on weeknights" leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you've actually done it.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.

To seize the moment, decide when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g., "If it's Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I'll work out for 30 minutes before work.") Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300%.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go. Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress — if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently — weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.

4. Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don't underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good. Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed — that no matter what we do, we won't improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.

Fortunately, decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong — abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

6. Have grit. Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty. Studies show that gritty people obtain more education in their lifetime, and earn higher college GPAs. Grit predicts which cadets will stick out their first grueling year at West Point. In fact, grit even predicts which round contestants will make it to at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The good news is, if you aren't particularly gritty now, there is something you can do about it. People who lack grit more often than not believe that they just don't have the innate abilities successful people have. If that describes your own thinking .... well, there's no way to put this nicely: you are wrong. As I mentioned earlier, effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will not only help you see yourself and your goals more accurately, but also do wonders for your grit.

7. Build your willpower muscle. Your self-control "muscle" is just like the other muscles in your body — when it doesn't get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.

To build willpower, take on a challenge that requires you to do something you'd honestly rather not do. Give up high-fat snacks, do 100 sit-ups a day, stand up straight when you catch yourself slouching, try to learn a new skill. When you find yourself wanting to give in, give up, or just not bother — don't. Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they occur ("If I have a craving for a snack, I will eat one piece of fresh or three pieces of dried fruit.") It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier, and that's the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on more challenges and step-up your self-control workout.

8. Don't tempt fate. No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it's important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it you will temporarily run out of steam. Don't try to take on two challenging tasks at once, if you can help it (like quitting smoking and dieting at the same time). And don't put yourself in harm's way — many people are overly-confident in their ability to resist temptation, and as a result they put themselves in situations where temptations abound. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.

9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won't do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g., "Don't think about white bears!") has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior — by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.

If you want to change your ways, ask yourself, What will I do instead? For example, if you are trying to gain control of your temper and stop flying off the handle, you might make a plan like "If I am starting to feel angry, then I will take three deep breaths to calm down." By using deep breathing as a replacement for giving in to your anger, your bad habit will get worn away over time until it disappears completely.

It is my hope that, after reading about the nine things successful people do differently, you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along. Even more important, I hope are able to identify the mistakes that have derailed you, and use that knowledge to your advantage from now on. Remember, you don't need to become a different person to become a more successful one. It's never what you are, but what you do.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist, and author of the new book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (Hudson Street Press, 2011). She is also an expert blogger on motivation and leadership for Fast Company and Psychology Today. Her personal blog, The Science of Success, can be found at www.heidigranthalvorson.com. Follow her on Twitter @hghalvorson

The Hagerman Group Receives Two Awards at ISA GC of the Year Banquet

The Hagerman Group was excited to participate in the Indiana Subcontractors Association (ISA) "Construction Networking Event of the Year" yesterday afternoon.  This event provides unique opportunities for meaningful networking within the construction community, attracting people from every corner of the State. The trade show featured prominent and key leaders from Owner, GC/CM/Developer, and Architectural/Design Professional companies. 

The event was followed by the GC of the Year Awards Banquet. This important and prestigious event honors the GCs nominated by ISA members.  Those nominees are also eligible for other wards including Projects of the Year, Excellence In Ethics, and Subcontractors Choice.

The Hagerman Group was honored to receive two awards last night.  The Project of the Year Award was given for the Hamilton Southeastern Jr. High School job.  A special thanks to Mike Holtkamp, Greg Delagrange, Jim Burkett, Stacie Nordhoff, and Kitty Arvin for their hard work on this project. 

We were also honored to be given the Subcontractors Choice Award.  We were up against 15 of our competitors for these awards and were very honored to have received this prestigious recognition in the subcontractor community.

Our team enjoyed networking at this event and was proud to be a part of such a quality group of peers as well as a top notch event.  Many thanks to ISA for putting on The Networking Event of the Year and continually recognizing the importance of subcontractor relationships in this industry.  

Stacy Neill | Marketing Director



Tax Preparation Checklist: What You'll Need to File

I don't know about you, but every year I find myself wondering.... do I have everything I need to file my taxes properly?  Should I itemize my deductions?  What am I missing?  I went on a hunt for some resources to help me make sure I was prepared.  Below is a tax preparation checklist from H&R Block that I found to be very helpful in making sure there was no stone left unturned before filing my 2012 taxes.


Tax Preparation Checklist

Personal Information

         Your social security number

         Your spouse's full name and social security number

         Amount of any alimony paid and ex-spouse's social security number

         Add Your 2010, 2009, and/or 2008 tax return(s). Your Tax Professional can check them for accuracy

Other people who may belong on your return

         Dates of birth and social security numbers

         Childcare records (including the provider's ID number) if applicable

         Approximate income of other adults in your home (not spouse, if you're filing jointly)

         Form 8332, copies of your divorce decree, or other documents showing that your ex-spouse is releasing their right to claim a child to you

Education Payments

         Bills from the educational institution or anything else that itemizes what you paid or received loans for versus what was covered by scholarship or other financial aid

         Forms 1098-T and 1098-E, if you received them

         Scholarships and fellowships

Employee Information

         Forms W-2

Self-Employment Information

         Forms 1099-MISC, Schedules K-1, income records to verify amounts not reported on 1099s.

         Records of all expenses — check registers or credit card statements, and receipts

         Business-use asset information (cost, date placed in service, etc.) for depreciation

         Office in home information, if applicable

Vehicle Information

         Total miles driven for the year (or beginning/ending odometer readings)

         Total business miles driven for the year (other than commuting)

         Amount of parking and tolls paid

         If you want to claim actual expenses, receipts or totals for gas, oil, car washes, licenses, personal property tax, lease or interest expense, etc.

Rental Income

         Records of income and expenses

         Rental asset information (cost, date placed in service, etc.) for depreciation

Retirement Income

         Pension/IRA/annuity income (1099-R)

         Social security/RRB income (1099-SSA, RRB-1099)

Savings and Investments

         Interest, dividend income (1099-INT, 1099-OID, 1099-DIV)

         Income from sales of stock or other property (1099-B, 1099-S)

         Dates of acquisition and records of your cost or other basis in property you sold

Other Income

         Unemployment, state tax refund (1099-G)

         Gambling income (W-2G or records showing income, as well as expense records)

         Amount of any alimony received and ex-spouse's name

         Health care reimbursements (1099-SA or 1099-LTC)

         Jury duty records

         Hobby income and expenses

         Prizes and awards

         Other 1099

Itemizing Deductions

         Forms 1098 or other mortgage statements

         Amount of state/local income tax paid (other than wage withholding), or amount of state and local sales tax paid

         Real estate and personal property tax records

         Invoice showing amount of vehicle sales tax paid

         HUD statement showing closing date of home purchase

         Cash amounts donated to houses of worship, schools, other charitable organizations

         Records of non-cash charitable donations

         Amounts paid for healthcare insurance and to doctors, dentists, hospitals

         Amounts of miles driven for charitable or medical purposes

         Expenses related to your investments

         Amount paid for preparation of your 2010 tax return

         Employment-related expenses (dues, publications, tools, uniform cost and cleaning, travel)

         Job-hunting expenses

IRA Information

         Amount contributed for 2011 (and 2012, if applicable)

         Traditional IRA basis

         Value of IRAs on Dec. 31, 2011

If you were affected by a federally declared disaster

         City/county you lived/worked/had property in

         Records to support property losses (appraisal, clean up costs, etc.)

         Records of rebuilding/repair costs

         Insurance reimbursements/claims to be paid

         FEMA assistance information

         Check FEMA site to see if my county qualifies for individual assistance

http://www.hrblock.com/offices/tax-preparation-checklist.html

Stacy Neill |Marketing Director

A State Championship Title in the Horizon

At the beginning of every season each wrestler has one goal in mind, a State Championship Title.  While everyone hopes to reach this elite goal, only a few actually have the dedication, skill, and determination to make it.  And for John Meyer’s son, Seth, this dream will come true on Saturday, February 9, 2013.  Seth qualified to compete in front of thousands at the IHSAA Individual Wrestling State Championships at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  As any athlete will tell you, it takes a great deal of sacrifice to compete at the highest level; and for wrestlers it is no different. Seth was eliminated in the first round of Regionals in 2012 as a freshman. After this tough loss, Seth used this experience as motivation for next season. While other athletes were relaxing and spending time with friends in the off season, Seth was in the wrestling room with numerous coaches perfecting his skills. He spent hours and hours running sprints, lifting weights, drilling technique and wrestling in live situations to gain precious experience that would lift him to the next level. As the 2013 season approached, the goal was the same… but this year, the outcome was different! 

 “It is very exciting to see that all the hard work Seth has put in, is paying off.  As a freshman, wrestling varsity at 195 pound class, he sure took his lumps; most of the wrestlers in the upper weight classes are Juniors and Seniors.  This year, Seth is wrestling at the 220 pound weight class and he took 1^st place at Sectional and Regionals.  Going to Semi-State, Seth was not predicted to finish any better than 7^th by the ‘experts,’ he wrestled in the Championship match this past Saturday! “John Meyer shares…full of pride!

“Being a parent and his coach it is a feeling that overwhelms me with emotion, for those of you that know me a little more personally, I don’t do a very good job of hiding them.  Seth’s journey this is year is not over; he will work very hard this week and the goal now is to place - meaning he will have to win his first match on Friday night.  Both Stephanie and I are very proud of the hard work he has exemplified.  He couldn’t have gotten here without the support of his Harrison Wrestlers team mates and coaches.”

I would like to give special congratulations to this young man for this once in a life time accomplishment. Seth Meyer will participate in the “March of Champions” on Friday, February 15, 2013 before he prepares himself for competition. Words simply cannot describe the breathtaking feeling of this competition. Please join me in wishing the best of luck to John Meyer’s son this weekend as he continues to achieve his goal.

This local news station touts the teams’ efforts as well in the below segnment they ran.  They recognize the dedication and team work it has taken for these young men to reach their goal.  Way to go Seth, and way to go Raiders!  

Josh Norris | Project Engineer

What Happens In Vegas.....

I just received this picture, hot off the celebrity press, and had to share.  I knew Evan and Tony were going to Vegas to receive an award for the Hagerman Group this week.... what I DIDN'T know was that they stopped off at a show while they are in town... or should I say, were SEEN at a show.  A trusted source sent me this picture late last night, apparently Evan and Tony were called on stage at this "famous Tiger show" and my friend snapped a picture!  

Okay, maybe they aren't... in fact... at a "famous Tiger show", as convincing as my photographer was.... But our head of the masonry department and head of field ops for the masonry division are, in fact, in Vegas right now; not to start a new career in tiger taming, but to receive a National Award that The Hagerman Construction Mason Team just won for their work on The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. However, if they happen to wear their new show stopping threads to the awards ceremony at the World of Concrete/World of Masonry convention.... no one can blame them!

If you want to watch live as Evan and Tony accept the 2012 Masonry Project of the Year Award, Municipal Category, with the 3000 other people that will be there live and the 5000 viewers that will be watching online, here is the link:

www.specmixbricklayer500.com 

FEBRUARY 6th from 4:00 - 5:00pm (1:00 - 2:00 pm PST)

I think the question we are all asking ourselves is "Will he be wearing his new 'tiger taming uniform'.... or won't he?????"  I guess you will have to tune in to find out!

More information about the Award: 

“The 2012 Masonry Construction’s Project of the Year winners showcase the significant contributions the masonry industry makes to the advancements in architectural design. These projects demonstrate cooperation between the mason contractor, materials supplier, design engineer, and architect,” said Editor Rick Yelton. “These projects provide optimism for our audience that masonry construction is on the path to recovery. Masonry Construction’s qualities — resiliency, sustainability, and durability — continue to garner the interest of owners.”

Industry support of Masonry Construction’s Project of the Year continues to grow. This year there were 57 submissions, and online voting for Reader’s Choice was the highest ever. The contest exemplifies mason contractors’ contributions, including: helping architects and engineers create the best masonry has to offer; exceptional problem solving and teamwork; painstaking restoration and repair work; and environmentally friendly construction.

The awards include one overall Project of the Year and winners in seven categories. Winning projects will be featured on Masonry Construction’s website, www.masonryconstruction.com

Stacy Neill | Director of Marketing