
Virtual Offices and Alternative Workplaces
June 20th, 1996 at 12:00 Noon Eastern Time
How would you like to have instant access to the best
talent and resources whenever you need? A growing number
of successful small businesses do and you'll see how on
June 20th. Watch America At Work as we explore Virtual
Offices and Alternative Workplaces.
West Philadelphia Enterprise Center, Philadelphia, PA
Entrepreneurs utilize this unique resource incubator in order to keep overhead costs
down and ensure the successes of their new businesses. They share computers, clerical
and administrative staff, and mailing services, as well as business tools and services
that support their efforts. Find out how this business model can be replicated and how
one business, a tour company, is benefiting from this alternative workplace.
Gotcha Covered Wholesale, Las Vegas, NV
Gotcha Covered runs a wholesale flower business out of the cab of their truck.
Outfitted with laptop computer, cellular phones, beepers, faxes, and printers, this
father-and-son duo can operate with utmost efficiency from virtually anywhere. Plus,
the ability to stay in constant contact with suppliers allows them to jump on good
deals and unique merchandise whenever possible. What’s the bottom line of this
vehicular venture? In just three years, Gotcha Covered has made satisfied customers of
more than one-third of the retail florists in Las Vegas.
West Coast Stevedoring, Juneau, AK
As an industry, ship loading isn’t typically associated with high-end PC technology.
But West Coast Stevedoring is changing all that with a technology solution that
enables the company to shave weeks off the process of tracking cargo that is loaded
onto ships. Armed with laptop computers, employees can collect cargo data, enter it
into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and send it by e-mail to the company headquarters in
Juneau, Alaska. The time savings (resulting in huge cost savings) have turned West
Coast Stevedoring into such a fierce competitor that other companies are scrambling to
catch this sailing ship.
Gary Everest, Seattle, WA
Why sit in the office when you can "shred" the moguls or ride the waves? That question
led Gary Everest, a successful wholesale insurance broker, to trade in his desktop for a
laptop. Over the years, as Everest’s professional practice expanded, so did the demands
on his time. The price for his success was spending less time doing what he loved -
windsurfing and snowboarding - and more time chained to his desk. Now, with his
portable office, Everest can take his business wherever the wind, waves, and snow
beckon, meeting his clients’ needs while retaining the quality of life he nearly lost
while trapped in a traditional corporate setting.
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