Stories I am following this week for Small Business Week, Teacher Appreciation Week, and Mother's Day

It is ...

• Small Business Week;

• Teacher Appreciation Week; and, 

• This weekend is Mother's Day 

... and I have a few story ideas for your consideration:

[1]

This summer students start their own small business instead of looking for a summer job, with new school curriculum focused on entrepreneurship, for Small Business Week

10 schools in metro Detroit (Detroit, River Rouge, Novi, Brighton) are teaching students how to become entrepreneurs. I want to invite you into the classroom to meet these students, capture the energy inside the classroom and inside the minds of these students who will graduate high school already starting their first business. 

• Example, meet ​Dylan McConnel, a student at Cornerstone is just one example, with this t-shirt company, Heir Customs.

• ​Youth Entrepreneurs is a year-long curriculum that teaches middle and high school students core entrepreneurial and economic concepts.

• It has its curriculum in 10 schools in SE Michigan, with more planned for the next school year.

[2] 

A teacher's passion for their students inspires a new generation of entrepreneurs, for Teacher Appreciation Week

Each one of the 10 teachers has been trained by Youth Entrepreneurs to bring a very specific curriculum into the classroom to empower students to be self-sufficient and start their own business.  I want to invite you to capture their energy as they interact with their students, talk to the students about how their teacher inspires them to succeed. 

• Stacey Brown Smith, River Rouge High School

• Tom Staperfenne, Chandler Park Academy Middle School    

• Renate Matthews, a teacher at Cornerstone Health + Technology High School

[3] 

When a small business becomes a family business in creating one of Detroit's Culinary Landmarks

For small business week, I want to introduce you to Joe and his daughter Stephanie. Joe was a program manager at WGPR when he and a friend decided to buy a business based on a coin flip. Since 1982, Joe has been operating Louisiana Creole Gumbo on the edge of Eastern Market. I want to invite you to sit down and have lunch with Joe and his family to talk about his business and how he has remained one of Detroit's culinary landmarks through the city's good and bad and his optimism for the future. 

[4]

Last minute DIY gift ideas for kids to make mom for Mother's Day 

​Mother’s Day weekend creates the perfect opportunity for families to walk around one of Michigan’s most charming downtowns, Art Birmingham celebrates its 38th annual return to Shain Park in downtown Birmingham, May 11-12. Admission is free, with art activities sponsored by the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center (BBAC). Children will be able to make gifts for their mom, grandmother, and aunt.

• Come to the BBAC or downtown Birmingham in Shain Park and we will show you how to make last-minute gifts for mom, where to spend some quality time with her this weekend and enjoy some of the finest art for sale this weekend at Art Birmingham

I am happy to facilitate any of these story ideas, should you be interested. 

NOW LET’S START THE CONVERSATION!
Daniel

Fighting Climate Change, One Bite At A Time

Companies throughout the world are grappling with how or if they should address issues around climate change. With principles in place after the COP24 climate talks concluded last week however government leaders must work build partnerships with the business community to address climate change. This is an issue that will be on the agenda at Davos next month.

I am not sure the last time you ate at Max Burgers (130 restaurants in Sweden, Findland, Denmark, Poland, Egypt, & the U.A.E.), but recently the fast-food chain with 130 restaurants in Europe and The Middle East launched a climate positive menu to help prevent further damage caused by climate change.

They do this by (1) measuring their product emissions from the farmers' land to the guests' hand, (2) reducing their emissions, and (3) capturing at least 110% of their emissions by planting trees.

They take their role seriously in not only reducing their carbon footprint but they are covering up to reverse the damage caused by the agricultural and fast-food industry. In addition to their climate positive menu, Max Burgers :

• Lists the impact each item has on the climate on their menu. 

• Has set a goal that, by 2022, half of all meals it sells worldwide will be made of foods other than beef.

• Has a significant menu of plant-based and lacto-ovo options,  

European companies are more aggressive around climate change and offer a window as to what is to come for North American chains. If you are a journalist interested in talking about how companies are making significant changes in their business operations to reduce the impact they are having on the environment, feel free to direct message me so that I can connect you to the executives at MAX Burgers and other corporate leaders making a difference in sustainability.

Just tell me what I need to know when you find out!

Each state in the U.S. has their own individual laws as to when a company must report a data breach. In addition, there are federal laws and EU laws that likewise dictate when companies need to disclose. 

On September 1, 2018, Colorado will enact the toughest law yet, giving companies 30 days to provide notice of a breach involving personal information belonging to Colorado residents. Most states mandate 45 or 60 days. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, "Colorado also expanded the definition of personal information to include biometric data, driver’s license numbers, passwords and other items. In other state laws, personal information is often limited to a first name or initial and last name in combination with an identifier, such as a Social Security number."

Just this week, Air Canada discovered a breach and responded within days of discovering it. You can see their response below to the people who they believe were affected. It timely and clearly explains:

• What happened;
• The steps the company took to limit the breach; and,
• What they need their customers do to further protect themselves. 

Your system will be breached. It is not a matter of IF, it will be a matter of WHEN. To prepare your company needs to create the protocols to MONITOR your systems and develop the PLANS to respond. This includes creating the TEAM and creating SIMULATED responses. 

In 2017, a data breach compromised the personal information of 147.9 million Equifax customers. The company was not prepared for the breach and failed in their response, leaving peoples personal data exposed. 

if the law in your state or for your industry is unclear, company's in the U.S. should use  the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which went into effect in May, as guidance which requires companies to disclose a breach within 72 hours of discovering it. Companies, both large and small, should now put the plans in place and prepare for the next attack. 

AIR CANADA EMAIL RE. DATA BREACH
28 AUGUST 2018

We recently detected unusual log‑in behaviour with Air Canada’s mobile App between Aug. 22‑24, 2018. We immediately took action to block these attempts and implemented additional protocols to protect against further unauthorized attempts. As an additional security precaution, we have locked all Air Canada mobile App accounts to protect our customers’ data. 

Am I affected? 
As a result of our analysis, we are confident your account was not affected by these unauthorized attempts. As an additional security precaution however, we have locked all Air Canada mobile App accounts to further protect customer data.

To reactivate your Air Canada mobile App account, please see the instructions below or follow the prompts the next time you log into your Air Canada mobile App. 

Your privacy and the protection of your data are extremely important to Air Canada. Our security is multi‑layered, and we work with leading industry experts to continuously improve our practices as technology and security procedures evolve. 

Reset your password 
Please reset your password to resume using Air Canada’s mobile App and mobile products with confidence. 

Your new password must be a minimum of 10 characters. Here are some helpful tips in creating your new password: 
• Minimum of 10 characters which must contain at least 1 uppercase letter, 1 number, 1 symbol/special character, 1 lowercase letter
• Do not use your old password
• Do not use your name or something easily associated with you
• Do not use your Air Canada mobile App password with other accounts

You can reset your password by following the prompts when you next log‑in to your Air Canada mobile App, or you may reset your password now or you may also go to https://services.aircanada.com/portal-web/mobile/profile?action=resetpwd&locale=en 

For more information 
We regret any inconvenience this has caused. If you have questions, please refer to additional information posted on aircanada.com 

Sincerely,

Catherine Dyer
Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Air Canada