Haband

Happy Valentine's Day from Haband!

2012-02-14T16:50:00.000-05:00

To you from all of us here, a very Happy Valentine's Day! I bet you think this is the part where I am going to go into a big, long explanation about the history of St. Valentine, and how the custom of Valentine's Day came to be, and how it makes the greeting card companies, chocolate makers, and florists a ton of money each year — but you'd be wrong! In fact, all we want you to do is think about that special someone and how much they mean to you. Do something nice for them (even if all you have to give them is a peck on the cheek) and be thankful for them. Then, make sure they know you are. To me that's the perfect way to spend Valentine's Day. But whatever the perfect Valentine's Day looks like to you, we hope that's exactly what you receive today. 'Til next time, friends...

Celebrate your Sweet Tooth all this month!

2012-02-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

You might not know it (I didn't until today!), but February is National Chocolate Month! Considering the 14th is Valentine's Day, if I had to pick a month to be National Chocolate Month, February seems like a pretty good choice. But did you know that there's more to chocolate than the sweet taste alone? Here's some stuff I came across on the internet this morning:

• Your "theta" brain waves (whatever the heck THOSE are!) can apparently be raised by the very smell of chocolate, helping you to relax. Makes sense to me - I can't remember the last time I was stressed while eating a Hershey's® bar!

• Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before you eat may help diminish your appetite. So if you're looking to drop a few pounds, maybe that could help. Who knew Mom was so right when she said, "Don't have sweets before dinner, you'll ruin your appetite!"

• Chocolate may provide cardiovascular benefits by helping maintain the "stretchiness" of your blood vessels. It also increases the level of antioxidants in your blood, which I hear is a good thing. And it contains oleic acid, an unsaturated fat that may help raise the amount of GOOD cholesterol you have.

• Finally (and this is the one that really grabbed my attention), at least one study has found that men who eat chocolate live an average of one year longer than those who don't. Ladies, I don't know if the same is true for you or not, but why risk it? Let's all add some chocolate to our diet! And believe it or not you can even get your chocolate fix at Haband! Check out our 10 Box Chocolate Set! That's good for you health AND good for your pocketbook! A win-win if ever there was one.

So if you've always had a Sweet Tooth, live a little and give in to it every once in awhile — you might just live a little longer! And you'll definitely make your February a lot sweeter!

Groundhogs Day

2012-02-02T15:50:00.000-05:00

This just in from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania...

Looks like it's going to be 6 more weeks of winter, according to the official weather prognosticator of the Animal Kingdom, Punxsutawney Phil. Although if it's 6 more weeks of the same kind of winter we've been having so far, I think it would be hard to tell the difference between that and an early spring. Most days here in Oakland it feels like spring already!

And don't tell anyone, but according to a study done by the National Geographic Society he's only been right a third of the time anyway - and that's with 50/50 odds! Wouldn't it be nice if you could be wrong 2/3 of the time and still keep your job? Maybe they ought to use an octopus instead - remember that octopus from a few years ago who predicted the World Cup winners? He had a much better record. And besides, Octopus Day sounds way more awesome.

Funny thing about Groundhog Day is, it's not really a zoological holiday so much as an astronomical one - February 2nd is pretty much the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Seems like that might have something to do with the origin of the Groundhog Day concept, as the half-way mark makes a pretty good place to make a guess about what the rest of the journey to spring will be like. But as for how the groundhog itself got involved in the legend I haven't the foggiest idea.

Anyway, enjoy the next 6 weeks of "winter", everybody!

The Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T14:37:00.000-05:00

Hey all, Duke stopped me in the hall today and wished me a "Happy New Year!" When I questioned whether he's been that busy that he's just getting around to his well-wishes, he began to tell me all about Chinese New Year. And rather than me translate his story (and possibly screw it up), I decided to include his memo to all Haband Associates below - hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year, everybody!

Nope, that's not a mistake — and no I haven't spent the last 22 days hibernating! I say "Happy New Year" because that's just what it is — today is the first day of the Chinese New Year! It's also called the Lunar New Year since its date on the Gregorian calendar (the one most Americans traditionally use) changes each year based on the phases of the moon. The Spring Festival — which starts today in many regions of Southeast Asia — lasts for 15 days and is associated with firecrackers, paper lanterns, and the color red. Why? Well, many many years ago, according to the legend, a great beast called the Nian would wreak havoc on the rural villages, preying upon the livestock, and even people. Scary! The usual method the people employed to deal with the beast was to simply hide inside their homes, with doors and windows locked tightly to keep the creature out. One year, someone got the idea of trying to scare the Nian away using fireworks, lighting lanterns, banging drums, and lots of red decorations. Lo and behold, it worked! And it still must be working today because I've been to China during the Spring Festival myself - and while I saw lots of amazing sights and had lots of tasty food, I never saw any Nians!

So Happy New Year to you and yours, whether you're celebrating or not — Now, I'd stay away from the fireworks if I were you (someone might call the cops!!) but if you wanted to hang up some red Chinese lanterns (for good luck or to keep any local Nians away) I've found a neat website to show you just how to make them! And if you wanted to order a red shirt or jacket or something like that in the spirit of the day, I just happen to know a nice little website where you can do just that. What? You know I have to sneak one plug in there!

'Til next time my friends!

Duke Habernickel

Happy 306th, Mr. Franklin!

2012-01-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

Today, January 17th, is the birthday of one of our country's all-time most important citizens, a person without whom our lives would be different in more ways than you or I could possibly count! I'm talking about none other than Mr. Benjamin Franklin himself, and from a purely personal viewpoint, I actually owe quite a debt to Mr. Franklin - he was instrumental in the development of both the Post Office and the publishing industry. And without both, there would never have been a Haband in the first place!

By the way, while I was reading about Benjamin Franklin's life, I also learned a new vocabulary word: polymath. A polymath is someone who is an expert in many, many fields and the term certainly applies to Ben Franklin. Writer, statesman, inventor, scientist, humanitarian - he was all of these things and more. No wonder the U.S. Mint saw fit to place HIS likeness on our highest denomination unit of currency, the $100 bill. (Did you know he's the only non-President to be honored in such a way?).

However, there is one thing about which I believe Benjamin Franklin was wrong, and I wonder if you'd agree! When the matter was discussed of selecting our young country's official bird to serve as its symbol, Franklin was not in favor of the majestic bird we recognize in that way today. He pushed for a more, shall I say 'portly' choice - the Turkey! (I'm glad we went with the Bald Eagle, aren't you?)

So Happy 306th Birthday, Ben, and Gobble! Gobble! Your impact is still felt today, over three centuries later. You know, I bet he'd have been a Haband customer, too!

Movember's Growing Accomplishments!

2011-12-06T11:54:00.001-05:00

If you remember back at the start of November our veryown Eric Seader joined the Movember Movement. As a quick refresher Movember is a month long activity where men growtheir mustaches to raise awareness for men’s health issues.

While Eric’s goal was to simply raise awareness, he didmanage to raise $257. The team that heparticipated on was able to raise over 12K. In the United States over $13 Million was raised and Worldwide over $105Million. That totals $25 Million more thelast year!

Eric said that he had a great time and can’t wait to dothis again next year. He hopes that hehas impacted his friends and family to stay on top of their health! To see Eric’s progress throughout the monthcheck out the time-lapse video bellow of his moustache growing in over thecourse of Movember!

Duke's Journal #3 - The Salvation Army & The Holidays

2011-11-29T16:38:00.001-05:00

Duke here, with some very happy news! You might rememberthat back in August, we started a promotional campaign to benefit The S alvationArmy. The way it worked was simple: Forevery 1,000 brand new “Likes” that we received on Facebook, we pledged to donate$1,000 in first-quality Haband merchandise directly to The Salvation Army. We endedup getting just over 4,000 new “Likes” — and I’m pleased to officiallyannounce to all of you today that The Salvation Army has now received ourdonation.

But that’s not all! Because the Holiday Season is so near,we decided that even though those 4,000 “Likes” translated into a $4,000 Habandmerchandise donation, we’d like to do more. So we did — by increasing thatdonation to merchandise totaling $6,000! That way, we are (hopefully) accomplishing thegreatest possible good during this time of year when so many people need itmost.

The Salvation Armypicked everything up early on the morning on 11/29 from our Georgia warehouseand I wish you could have seen the excitement on their faces. I think it’s safe to say that they werethrilled with the size of the donation – and that’s something that YOU, our customers,helped make happen!

I’m sharing a few photographs from the merchandise pickupbelow and be sure to check our Facebook page for the rest. Thanks again to ALL those who made this possible, whether bygiving us your “Like” or by sharing our promotion with your own Facebookfriends. It’s always been a kind of company motto that “Nice People Work atHaband” but it always warms my heart to see that Nice People shop here, too!

Your friend,

Duke

11/11/11

2011-11-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

Today is 11/11/11 – Officially, it’s Veterans Day (thank you very much to all those Haband friends who also happen to be Veterans, this country’s a better place for your service) but unofficially, today is Corduroy Day! (All those 1’s lined up like that 11/11/11, looks very much like the groovy nature of Corduroy fabric – get it?)

Anyway, it’s definitely the corduroy time of year, so I thought I’d take this unique opportunity to put up some links to a few of Haband’s most popular corduroy products! After all, there won’t be another Corduroy Day like this for another hundred years!

Ladies Fit Forever Corduroy

Men's Stag Hill Corduroy

November, Now Officially Known as Movember

2011-11-08T10:29:00.000-05:00

Eric, Day 1

“During November each year, Movember is responsible forthe sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and aroundthe world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’shealth, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.”

Movember, is a great cause that Haband’s very own EricSeader is participating in raises funds and awareness for men’s healthissues. While their goal is overallmen’s health they do focus on prostate cancer and other cancers that affectmen. I did a Q & A with Eric to findout more about this cause and why he is participating:

Why are youparticipating?

I am participating because I believe it is a fun way toraise funds and awareness for a great cause. From my own experience, men have ahard time discussing their health issues and avoid going to the doctor evenwhen they think something may be wrong. I think my moustache, as it begins to grow, will be a great icebreakerto start conversations about the awareness of prostate and other male cancers aswell as overall men’s health.

Have you done thisbefore?

This will be my first time participating as a “Mo Bro,”but I donated to the cause the previous 2 years.

What is your goal?

My primary goal is actually not a financial one. Men are24% less likely to go to the doctor than women. If I can get my friends,family, and co-workers to go in for their annual checkup, I feel like I havemet my goal.

I am also looking to raise funds for the cause so thatawareness can be raised worldwide throughout the year and so that we cancontinue to work towards a cure for all types of cancer.

What kind ofmustache are you aiming for?

This will be the first time I’ve tried to grow amoustache, so I’m not sure how quickly it will grow and how it will look. Myfavorite moustache style is the “Rollie Fingers”, but I don’t think it willgrow fast enough in a 30 day period.

We at Haband believe this is a great cause and standbehind Eric 100%! Be sure to check back as we are making a time lapse video of Eric's mustache and will update you on his progress. If you would like learnmore here’s a link to the Movember Site: http://us.movember.com/about/

Time to Get Our Pink On

2011-11-03T15:31:00.000-04:00

As most of you are well aware, October is National Breast CancerAwareness Month. This month at Haband westarted a number of activities to raise awareness and some donations for theSusan G. Komen for the Cure® Foundation.

We kicked of the months activities at our main office in NewJersey. We had a number of activitiesthroughout the month starting by offering pink awareness bracelets for adonation and everyone wearing one wouldbe recognized as supporters just by puttingit on.

On Monday, 10/24, we organized a bake sale plus raffles every hourthroughout the day. We had a great turnout and you wouldn’t believe all of the baked goods we had! Check out some pictures from the event to seesome of the yummy foods we sold:

The end of the month wrapped up with onemore mini bake sale plus a team picture where (just about) everyone wore pink. It’sa good thing that we all love our treats at Haband as they were the perfect wayto raise donations. I think the biggesttreat of all though was seeing everyone pull together and raise money tosupport the fight against Breast Cancer. All together, our employees contributed $1,666 of their own money! Thenwith some extra help from Haband to give us nice round number, our overallcontribution for the cause was $2,000! This money will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure®Foundation through Jennie Marshall who participated in the 3-Day for the CureWalk in Atlanta.

GreatJob Team!!

Duke's Journal #2 - Mmmmm... Pumpkin Pie!

2011-10-04T09:33:00.005-04:00

There was a chill in the air when I woke up on Saturday morning, and as I walked a few blocks for coffee and the morning paper as I always do (at least until it gets so cold that I have to drive), I could smell the unmistakable scent of firewood burning. The calendar might say that Fall got here a few weeks ago, but there can be no doubt that it has truly arrived now. And as far as I'm concerned that's great -- I love the Fall in New Jersey. All the fiery colors that burst forth as the leaves turn. Holidays like Halloween and later, Thanksgiving. And of course, football season!

It's also the season for some of the best food! Mrs. Duke made some pumpkin pie this weekend that was absolutely delicious. (She probably wouldn't like it that I'm telling you this but normally she just buys one from the store!) Anyways, I asked her for the recipe so I could give it to you guys - and here you go:

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 Butter Pie Crust dough disk
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
¾ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cloves
3 large eggs
1¼ cups heavy whipping cream

Preheat to 375°F and move the rack to the bottom ⅓ of the oven. Spray 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Roll out dough on floured surface to 13-inch round. Place dough in prepared dish and fold edges under and crimp, forming high border. Bake until edges are light golden, pressing crust with back of fork if bubbles form, about 7 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Reposition oven rack to center.

Puree pumpkin in processor or blender. Mix in sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt & cloves. Add eggs 1 at a time, pulsing after each addition. Gradually add cream, process just until blended.

Pour filling into warm crust. Bake until edges are puffed and center is set, about 1 hour. Cool completely on rack. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Enjoy! Hope your first "true" Fall weekend was filled with all the familiar smells (and tastes) of the season! And remember that Haband.com is your place for all the menswear, ladieswear, gifts, and gadgets for your home all year round!

Til next time -
Duke

Duke's Journal #1 - A Little Bit of Magic?

2011-09-20T11:03:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends,

For years, magicians have used the powerful combination of Smoke and Mirrors to create illusions that amaze and delight their audiences. Which I kind of admire because, let’s face it — it’s very entertaining! And there’s no real harm done, right? As anyone who’s ever seen the ol’ “saw-a-woman-in-half” routine knows, it’s an INCREDIBLE trick. But that’s still just all it is — a trick of the eyes, nothing more. However, these days it seems that the same kind of “smoke and mirror” illusions are now being used by my “colleagues” in the direct mail business!

But this time, it could be your WALLET that ends up getting sawed in half! Who am I talking about? Well, the “Maine” culprit I’ve noticed likes to offer free postage in nearly every catalog. Seems like a good deal until you realize how much their prices have gone up on everything else — they are just sneaking the shipping costs (and more) into the product price! Suddenly that free postage doesn’t seem so free, does it? Don’t fall for it!

The good news is, you don’t have to! Because you can actually shop Haband and get REAL savings with TRUE low prices that always beat the competition with NO SMOKE, NO MIRRORS, and NO TRICKS of any sort!

How do I do it? The ol’ fashioned way — through some strong negotiation and volume buying power! See, by dealing directly with the manufacturers, and by ordering not by the hundreds, not by the thousands, but by the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, I am able to get prices the other guys only WISH they could! Then, we pass those savings on to you! So when we get a good deal, YOU get a GREAT DEAL! I don’t have to resort to illusions and tricks, because when the prices are as low as ours, there’s no need to do that!

And we do it all without holding back on the features that are important to YOU! Things like Quality! Comfort! And yes, even Style! All this will probably make me look like a REAL magician to all the other guys out there in the mail order clothing business. But as I’ve shown, there’s no magic involved! I simply care about you, my customers.

Just don’t delay — because with prices THIS low now (at the start of the season instead of the end!) the BIGGEST and BEST VALUES are sure to disappear faster than you can say, “Abracadabra!” And that, my friend, won’t be magic either — it’s just what happens when you have the lowest prices around and millions of Haband friends who know a VALUE when they see one! Because, believe me, I’m not blowin’ smoke when I say, “You’ll Never Get a Better Deal!”

Your Friend,
Duke Habernickel

Salvation Army Donation Wrap-Up

2011-09-16T11:50:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, we wrapped up our promotion to donate $1,000 worth of all-new, first-quality merchandise to the Salvation Army for every 1,000 new “likes” we got on Facebook. Our campaign was a huge success and we wanted to thank everyone for their help and support! While we fell a bit short of our goal to get to 10,000 likes, we did get close with just around 8800. That’s almost 4,000 new fans on Facebook!

Our promise was to donate $1000 worth of merchandise for every 1000 new likes we received and even though we missed our next milestone of 9000, we’re still going to round up and make it an even $4000 worth of merch. We fully support the Salvation Army and all the good they bring to our local communities and want to give them as much help as we possibly can!

We’ve alerted our warehouse to finish putting the goods together for our drop-off. Stay tuned to our page (and blog) for pictures of the donation effort. Again, many thanks to everyone who supported Haband and the Salvation Army!

Our Salvation Army Donation is Moving Full Steam Ahead

2011-08-16T16:22:00.002-04:00

Our Salvation Army Promotion has been running for just one week and the response has been overwhelming!

For those of you that don’t know, we are donating $1000 worth of merchandise for every 1,000 new likes we receive on Facebook. We started last week with 5,000 and have picked up nearly 1,000 already and feel confident that our goal of 10,000 will easily be reached in a couple of weeks!

The support we have received so far has been nothing but positive! Our fans have shown that they LIKE us but also really support everything the Salvation Army does. Because of that support, we would like to take the following space to show some of what our fans have said:

Jim G: “lets keep sharing this..let everyone you know about the promotion and lets help Haband help the Salvation Army..again..thanks Haband!...you are doing a good thing.”

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Eugene S: “Good Job”

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Eva E: “I have given to the Salvation Army for many, many years - this makes me glad to hear that you are also helping them. Of course I also purchased from Haband many things. Cheers to you!!!!!”Top of FormBottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Laurie S: “I applaud your generosity. If only all companies would do this on a regular basis what a better place this world would be.”

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Bradley B: “Haband has great merchandise at great prices go to haband.com

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Pat H: I PURCHASE MY HUBBYS CLOTHES FROM HABAND-GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE ALSO HELPING THE SALVATION ARMY, CHEERS TO YOU!”Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Harold F: “Glad to help Haband support the Salvation Army!”

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

On behalf of the entire Haband team, we’d like to say “thanks” for the support you have shown toward us and the Salvation Army!

Haband Plans Salvation Army Donation

2011-08-11T14:12:00.004-04:00

Haband has been thinking of great ways to give back to the community and we need your help! We want to donate $1,000 dollars worth of merchandise to The Salvation Army for every 1,000 new fans we get on Facebook. All that you have to do is click the "Like" button on the top of our Facebook page. Then, "Share" our fan page with your friends and family! We need you to help us reach our goal. We have until September 5th, 2011 at midnight to get 5,000 NEW fans. Give back to the community with just the click of a button- help us help The Salvation Army.

Click here to help us out! www.Facebook.com/haband

Keep checking back to see our progress!

Behind the Scenes at Haband

2011-06-29T10:07:00.004-04:00

Ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes at a Haband photo shoot? Our team went past the cubicles into the studio to show you where the magic happens. You won’t believe how many people it takes to direct and run a photo shoot! Making the clothing look perfect on print can be a long process, but the photos come to life when the team uses their talent to create a masterpiece. We caught up with our friends in the studio to show you firsthand what goes on.

Interested in photography, graphic design, lighting, or anything else shown in this video? Leave a comment to let us know what you want to see next!

May's Employee of the Month

2011-06-24T09:43:00.000-04:00

It’s that time again…to announce Haband’s employee of the month! We apologize for the break in posting. The staff has been quite busy around the office and the selection process is getting more difficult. Competition is heating up! Although we’ve skipped a few months, we have a new recipient for May’s employee of the month.

CONGRATULATIONS GEORGE K!

George is Haband’s Facilities Manager. He takes care of the people who work at Haband and the actual building itself, making sure everything runs smoothly. He’s an outstanding member of the staff not only because of his hard working ways, but also because of his friendly demeanor.
Get to know George:

We’re looking forward to see who our winner will be next month!

Haband's Social Media Gets A Makeover

2011-06-22T14:25:00.000-04:00

Haband is working hard to keep you connected, through social media, to the great deals you know and love from our company. We’re doing our best to keep you “posted” with great offers available through our Facebook fan page and Twitter page.

Recently, we’ve added several new and exciting features to Haband’s Facebook page, such as photos of merchandise with quick order links, a place to write customer reviews, and a “tab” that features the free gift of the week, which is updated weekly. With the enhanced Facebook page, there is more information available at your fingertips. The easy-to-use page helps you connect us; we want to hear what you have to say!

Our Twitter page is now better than ever. We are frequently “tweeting” the Deal of the Day, special promotions, and interesting articles that we’re certain you’ll enjoy. Don’t miss out! Mention our username, @Best_Web_Deals, in your tweet and we’ll give you a shout out!

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the social media world, you’ll want to check out Haband’s Facebook and Twitter to get news, information and updates available only to you!

Check out the NEW Features on Haband.com

2011-05-11T16:47:00.001-04:00

We've added some more features to the haband.com home page. We have two new ones (just below the main product image) - our "Deal of the Day" and "Free Gift of the Week".

Deal of the Day
Every day, we showcase a different product and slash the price so low we don't advertise it anywhere else but haband.com! Some of these products are new to Haband, and others are ones that you've seen and (hopefully) love, but we've taken huge cuts out of the price. Watch out though, there is a time limit to these offers and you'll know just how much time is left by the clock ticking down just above the banner. When you see something you like, I suggest that you hurry and buy it right then as the clock doesn't stop for anyone and when they're gone at the price, they're gone!!

Free Gift of the Week
Also new is our Free Gift Banner - each week, we feature our Top-Of-The-Line Free Gifts for you to take with your order. Our goal is to find the best, most valuable, most spectacular Free Gifts for you and will offer them up for one week only on our home page. We reset the Gifts each Monday so if you ever find one you like, again, don't wait as you don't want to miss out! These Gifts follow our standard offer where they are Free with purchase - But, they are yours to keep even if you return the rest of your order. How's that for a Great Deal?!

I urge you to visit haband.com today and see what deals and freebies we are cooking up. Then, bookmark the page and check back often as Duke would say, "You'll Never Get a Better Deal!"

Has it been a month already??

2011-03-31T16:28:00.000-04:00

Wow! Time flies when you're busy... I just realized that it's been awhile since I last wrote and didn't want to let too much time pass before checking in with you all.

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that we're in development of a new game for you to play on haband.com and that I would provide details as we progressed.

I am happy to announce that the game is live and you are invited to test it out. Actually, you loyal blog followers are the first to get this announcement so you will have the opportunity to let me know what you think - sort of like beta testers, if you will...

I do want to warn you though, that while the game is fully functional, we are still uploading some great free gifts to be awarded to each level of completion. I can't speak about them yet, but do promise you that you won't be disappointed! (we should be all done before the weekend and if you're on our email list, you'll get a notice letting you know when it's finished)

So please feel free to head over to www.haband.com/colgame and kick the tires for awhile. I can assure you that this game is very addictive, so make sure you have some time set aside before you start ;)

As always, comments/feedback/etc. are welcome. Enjoy!

Employee of the Month for February

2011-02-23T16:09:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago we started a new program at Haband - Employee of the Month!

Each month, a committee meets to decide who, out of all the outstanding employees at Haband, gets to be the current month's Employee of the Month. I will showcase each EOTM here and am working on some interviews for the first few recipients. While we put the finishing touches on December and January, I have February to share with you now, so apologies in advance for going out of order.

February's EOTM is Mary K. A Senior Inventory Control Buyer in our non-Apparel Department. She has been a Haband'er for 7+ years now and is responsible for making sure our shelves are stocked with everything from digital video cameras, to LED light bulbs, to battery chargers, to mops. If there's something you need for your house, Mary is sure to stock it and sell it - and do it for the lowest prices anywhere around!

We had a little fun with the interview and created an animation as if she were on TV speaking to a prominent nighttime talk show host. Click the play button below to watch our newest creation with the interview transcripts below. As always, comments are welcome.

[Ed.] What month were you picked for Employee of the Month?
[MK] February.

[Ed.] Were you surprised that you were picked for Employee of the Month?
[MK] Absolutely. Very humbled.

[Ed.] What's your title at Haband?
[MK] Senior Inventory Control Buyer.

[Ed.] How long have you worked at Haband?
[MK] A little over 7 years.

[Ed.] What do you love about your job?
[MK] Diversity. No box is the same.

[Ed.] If you weren't at Haband and wanted another occupation, what would you be?
[MK] An interior designer.

[Ed.] What's your favorite color?
[MK] Red.

[Ed.] Do you have a hobby?
[MK] Hiking.

[Ed.] What's your favorite food?
[MK] Thai.

[Ed.] What's your favorite place to eat?
[MK] Bensi's.

[Ed.] If you were stuck on an island with a Haband employee, who would you like to hang out with until the ship found you?
[MK] Very difficult to pinpoint to one person. We have such a colorful assortment of people working here, each with their own distinctive personality and each impacting my life in a different way. Picture being on an island where everything is green. You need blue, red, orange, etc. to feel complete. Or as best you can on a desert island.

It's Still Winter...

2011-02-04T16:13:00.000-05:00

...and it doesn't look like it's going to let up any time soon. I realize that Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow and that should mean an early Spring, but it just doesn't seem possible! After the 'stormiest' January on record and a major storm at least once a week, it seems like Winter is here to stay for awhile.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Winter and enjoy all the snow and outdoor fun that comes with it, but realize that I am probably in the minority with these feelings.

I found this picture online and wanted to share it with everyone. I'm sure there is some PhotoShop trickery involved, but real or fake, it probably best sums up what everyone else thinks about Winter - hope you enjoy!

Coming Soon!

2011-02-03T10:21:00.000-05:00

If you're a follower of our Blog (and receive email or visit our site haband.com), you know that we've been working on some online games for you to play and win cool gifts. The first game we launched was a memory game similar to the old TV show Concentration®.

We've been hard at work since that initial launch and are putting the finishing touches on our next game. It's a classic-style Columns® game and the graphics and gameplay are absolutely outstanding! (a big "Thank You!" to All Things Media) To whet your appetite, I'm including some screenshots of the game. When we're all done, I'll send an update with details where you can play, so check back often - this game is very addictive and I know you'll enjoy!

BTW, that last shot is my high score - level 10 baby! I'll issue the challenge now for you to beat that when the game is live. Comments always welcome and be sure to check in and tell us your score.

Video Update - Animation!

2011-01-26T10:45:00.000-05:00

If you're into creating home movies and noodling around your computer with video and special effects, let me introduce you to a great online tool - Xtranormal! Here you can select from several character sets and background scenes. You simply type in the dialog, add in some hand and facial gestures and publish! The online version is free to create your videos, but if you want to publish them to a blog or YouTube, you have to pay a nominal fee. You buy Xtranormal Points starting out at $10 and use them to buy special characters and settings and to publish your final product.

And, it couldn't be any easier! In fact, Xtranormal's motto is "If you can type, you can make movies". Have a look at my first attempt below, as always, some feedback would be appreciated. Have fun and feel free to check in with any creations of your own. Happy editing!

New to Haband.com - Video!

2011-01-12T16:29:00.001-05:00

Hello, and Happy New Year!

It's been awhile so I wanted to check in and let you know that we're still here. In addition, I wanted to share with you a new feature to our web site - video!

Some very talented folks from our Art Department have been creating videos to showcase our products (Jen and Shavonne, and a myriad of aspiring actors from around our halls). We've been adding them to our web site as they are available and been Tweeting and FaceBooking the links, but in case you missed all that, I invite you to check out YouTube now to see what we've been up to. You can go to http://www.youtube.com/user/HabandVideos or simply go to YouTube and search for "Haband" and you'll find everything.

And in case you aren't familiar with YouTube, each video has a section for you to comment or give a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down". If you see something you like, please let us know. If you see something you don't, which I'm sure you won't ;) let us know as well.

Here are two of my favorites, but please head on over and watch them all!

Haband Holiday Party

2010-12-17T15:54:00.000-05:00

Some more fun times from the home office... We had our annual Holiday Party last Wednesday night to celebrate another successful year and to reward everyone's hard work.

We had a semi-formal dinner at Macaluso's in Hawthorne, NJ, and if you ever get the opportunity to attend a function there, I would strongly recommend attending. The food was outstanding and the variety of things to choose was very impressive as well! While I'm not the most adventurous person when it comes to eating, those colleagues of mine who are said everything was superb!

Once the tables were cleared, the dance floor came alive. Like dancing at most parties, two women started things off (ahem, Bonnie L. & Mildred R.). They had the floor to themselves for about a minute before others started joining. But as soon as two joined, 4 more followed and before you know it, the floor was packed! The DJ kept the music playing throughout the night and a ~~good~~ GREAT time was had by all.

Please enjoy some pictures from that night and let us know how you're celebrating the holidays this year.

Baby, it's (not so) cold outside (anymore)

2010-12-10T13:50:00.000-05:00

More good things happening at Haband this Holiday Season - in November, we participated in the 15th Annual Jersey Cares Coat Drive. We put collection bins near our cafeteria with a request to our associates to contribute any new or "gently used" coats for local residents in need.

Throughout the month, I monitored the progress of our collections each day and was, at first, surprised how slowly it seemed to be going. I questioned the people in charge of the effort and quickly learned that they were emptying the bins sometimes twice a day as they were filling up so fast!

In the end, the turn out was overwhelming! We collected nearly 400 coats - and considering that there are a little more than 100 people in the office, I'd say it was a huge success!

Jersey Cares has been collecting coats for the past 14 years for at-risk men, women, & children. They have collected and distributed over 50,000 coats throughout these years and have had numerous companies, churches, schools and other organizations helping out with both collections and distribution. Fore more information about their worthy cause, click here.

Want to Improve Your Memory? Read on!

2010-12-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

We installed a new feature to haband.com this week and couldn't wait to tell everyone about it! We've been working with a very talented group of game designers in nearby Ramsey, NJ called All Things Media. We've signed with them to produce 3 games for us for as a starter, but hope to do many more!

The first game we have finished is a classic memory game, like Concentration®. We've designed it to look like Duke's desk with images of some of our great products, some free gifts, and an old-time pocket watch that will keep your time. See snapshot below...

We have several of our top-selling brand logos on flipped-over cards. To play, you have to flip the cards over one-by-one and remember where the matches are. You are competing against the clock and you want to improve your time through each level. The further you go in the game, the better the prizes get. And we are giving away some pretty cool free items (with purchase of course), but you have to play the game to find out exactly what.

Click over to www.haband.com/memgame and give it a try - it's very addicting so don't blame me if you lose track of time. Drop a note on our blog here and let us know how what you think about it and what your best time was.

Holiday Treats

2010-12-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

This Summer, we had our annual company picnic and, in addition to some great BBQ, we hosted several contests. One of which was a bake-off where several participants brought in their finest desserts. There were four categories: Cookies, Pie, Cupcakes, & Cake. I'm going to share with you the winning recipe for the Cupcake category in hopes that you'll try it and enjoy as much as we did!

This recipe comes from Lisa B., our non-apparel re-buyer who's been with us for a little over a year.

Red Velvet Cupcakes Stuffed With Chocolate Mouse,
Dipped In Chocolate Ganache.
Red Velvet Cake
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
2 ounces red food coloring
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the shortening, eggs and sugar. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa and food coloring. Add the paste to the shortening mixture. Sift the flour and salt together over parchment. Add to the batter alternately with the buttermilk in 3 additions. Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the baking soda and vinegar. Pour the batter into 2 greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let cool on a cooling rack. Invert the cakes from the pans.
Chocolate Mousse
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
¼ cup dark chocolate
¼ cup milk chocolate
Chop chocolate and place in small mixing bowl. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. (A double boiler is a small pot of water on the stove, place to small mixing bowl into the pot so it is in the water but not touching the bottom of the pot.) Heat and stir until completely melted. Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar until semi - stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate gently until all is combined.

Ganache
½ cup dark chocolate
½ cup milk chocolate
¼ cup heavy cream
Chop chocolate and place in large mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream to just before a boil. Pour heavy cream over chocolate, let sit for 2 minutes and whisk together to form a thick smooth chocolate sauce.
Putting it all together
After your cupcakes are cooled off, place the chocolate mousses in a zip lock bag and cut off the tip. Create a small hole in the top of your cupcake and fill with mousse. Make your chocolate ganche and dip the cupcakes in the ganche after they are filled. You can decorate the top with sprinkles or anything you would like.

Thanksgiving = Giving Back

2010-11-24T14:40:00.000-05:00

For most of my time here at Haband, on the last Wednesday of November, we've been greeted at the door on our way home with a hearty handshake and a fresh turkey for our Thanksgiving supper. But last year, the suggestion was made to give everyone Black Friday off instead, so that they could get a head start on their holiday shopping if they wanted, or just spend the extra day with family. Thing was, on Monday when we all returned to the office, everyone seemed to be a little sad to have seen the end of an 80-year old tradition.

So this year, we're mixing things up again. In addition to getting Black Friday off, we're also bringing back the turkey! Just not for us! I'll explain...

We had a food drive where all the departments put together baskets for the local food banks. We collected canned corn, bags of potatoes, stuffing, pie fillings, and all the good things that make up a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner. The only thing that we did not have to supply was a turkey. So Haband chipped in and put a nice, large, fresh turkey with every basket collected!

Our strongman and Jack-of-all-trades, George, hand delivered all the food and baskets of goodness to the local food bank, Center for Food Action, where he reported, that dozens of locals had come out to help sort, store and ultimately distribute the bounty to anyone in need this holiday season. He commented that it was very organized and quite a large operation.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that Haband was Thankful for not only getting to enjoy a day off but also for the opportunity to help provide a Happy Thanksgiving to those in the community that could use one the most. This holiday season, I'd ask that everyone give thanks for the good things in their life, but take any opportunity you can to help those who need more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Comfort Food

2010-11-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

I have been soliciting ideas from fellow Haband'ers for our blog and have been getting some great content. The first of which I'd like to share comes from Cate, our intrepid copy writer and Haband employee for 20 years! She tells the tale of some great home cooking that she grew up with and wanted to share her mom's recipe with all of you -- hope you enjoy!

Hello!

Well, here in the Northeast, the autumn leaves have almost completely fallen, it turned really cool over the weekend, and the frost is definitely on the pumpkin! Time for a fire in the wood stove and some nice, home-cooked comfort food!

What constitutes comfort food? It's something that tastes really yummy, of course, something that reminds you of your childhood, and something makes the house smell fantastic!

Next question: What to make? The first recipe that came to mind was a wonderful scalloped potato and pork casserole that my Mom used to make when I was a kid.

We lived in a rural area with lots of woods and neighbors who owned horses. In the fall and winter, we'd play in the woods, go horseback riding, or sledding, and really work up an appetite! After hours outdoors, (no TV or video games for us) our cheeks would be all rosy and we'd be chilled to the bone. Then we'd come into our house and be greeted by the amazing aroma of Mom's casserole! Such a welcome, comforting smell. And the taste was even better!

I've taken Mom's recipe and lightened it up a bit. It still has all the delicious flavor of her original, but a fraction of the fat and calories. It’s also fairly easy to make.

I suggest you make this recipe for someone special, and guaranteed, they'll feel loved and comforted indeed!

Potato and Pork Chop Casserole

4-6 lean pork chops (boneless or with bone in), trimmed of fat
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4-5 cups potatoes, with skins on, thinly sliced
1 can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375º F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.
Trim fat from chops and season with salt and pepper and brown lightly in oil in skillet.
Place chops in the bottom of baking pan. Layer with onions and then potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine soup with water, mixing well. Pour over top.
Cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, continue baking for 15 minutes more.
Serve and enjoy!
Servings: 4-6 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

They don't make 'em like this anymore

2010-11-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a classic! I found this beauty parked at Pennings Orchard in Warwick on my way to work this morning. I couldn't drive by without stopping for some pictures. It's decked out with a nice Fall display from their recent apple harvest season, but will soon be covered in garland and Christmas trees. Enjoy!

Office Pranks

2010-11-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

One of the best parts of working at Haband are the lighthearted pranks people play on each other around here. I recently changed the layout of my office by removing a big, un-used file cabinet and brought in a table and chairs: my own version of a mini-conference table.

To my surprise, when I returned from an extended weekend, I found my new table arranged for a party of three complete with 6-piece settings (including salad forks), placemats made from continuous-feed dot-matrix printer paper, and a center piece made from leftover parts we used in an old photo shoot! Tea is at four, one lump or two?

Just remember what they say about paybacks ;)

Haband's 2nd Annual Halloween Costume Party

2010-11-03T13:21:00.000-04:00

Halloween is always a fun time around Haband's Oakland headquarters. Naturally, we held our annual contest competition (congratulations Mike L., your headless man costume was definitely a cut above the rest - hardy har har!).

But this year, we decided to shake things up a bit and added a bowling competition to the mix - in costume of course! John M. and Shenay G. were our best bowlers, but the worst were recognized for their "achievement" as well. However, I wouldn't dream of embarrassing them by giving their names. *cough* Stacy L. & Ross H. *cough*

We even had a baking contest, and you can see a small portion of the entries in the pictures below. (The nice thing about a baking contest is, EVERYONE wins because we all get to enjoy the sweets and treats!) A spooky, sugary, silly time was had by all! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

A Halloween Story

2010-10-31T09:09:00.000-04:00

A man is walking home alone late one foggy Halloween night, when behind him he hears:

BUMP...

BUMP....

BUMP...

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.

BUMP....

BUMP...

BUMP....

Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him.

FASTER...

BUMP...

BUMP....

BUMP...

BUMP......

He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him. However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping.

clappity-BUMP...

clappity-BUMP....

clappity-BUMP...

on his heels, as the terrified man runs...

Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, he locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps.

With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door!

Bumping and clapping toward him.

The man screams --AAAAH-- and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup!

Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket...

and,

(hopefully you're ready for this!!!)

The COFFIN stops!

Hope you like our little story and you and your families have a Very Happy Halloween!