Nibby Priest -Life On Purpose

Living at Mile Marker 803.9 of the Ohio River in Downtown Henderson KY

Starbucks in Henderson KY

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Inside information told me yesterday that the real estate people for Starbucks were in the area the past few weeks and did look at locations in Henderson KY but have put off opening any store in our area for at least two to three years.  A lot having to do with I69 highway development I was told.

This means if you are thinking of opening a full-fledged official coffee-house in Henderson KY you stand a good chance of making it if your product is good. You should not have to fear Starbucks coming in and taking your business away.

I would encourage anyone thinking of a venture like this to go for it. Our community is ripe for an establishment like this. Henderson Kentucky people are looking for a place to be and be seen in a coffee shop type environment. The need is great. It doesn’t have to be downtown either-anywhere in our community would be nice.

We have three coffee establishments in Henderson Kentucky area that presently serve as a coffee destination.

Bridgeview Coffee at the corner of 2nd and N Green is a drive-through coffee place. They really can’t be called a coffee-house because they just have outdoor seating for two and a place for you to park your bicycle.  I do have to say that their product is consistently good and price is reasonable.  I buy coffee from them frequently.  I have a problem with the Styrofoam cups that they serve custom coffee drinks. They should use paper cups.   I’m not a huge fan of the drive through anything-, but I do  use this service when I want coffee in downtown Henderson and not on my bicycle. Their product would do quite well in a location that would allow inside seating. Just this morning I personally witnessed cars wrapped around this small kiosk at 8:00 am in line for coffee.  Their business is booming.

Planters Coffee House is a long time mainly lunch destination than a coffee-house  or coffee shop in downtown Henderson KY. They are open during the mornings and are trying out new evening venues and serve beer and wine.

The Thirst Aid Station at the Elm Street entrance to Methodist Hospital is good too.  Consistently they serve a good cup of official Starbucks. I think though people are having a hard time grasping going to the local hospital to get a cup of good java. I hope they stay.  It is really close to my house.  They have real potential of making a coffee destination. Read Methodist Hospital press release about The Thirst Aid Station.

Another tidbit of information in the Starbucks Evansville IN market is that they plan on enlarging the Green River Road Store (#9759) into the former Integra Bank location. With this, they will be able to offer drive through service.   Starbuck’s is also looking to  bring back a west side Starbucks location.  They  closed a west side Evansville IN location a few years ago.

I too was told that in order for a community to have a local Starbucks they need to have either a Target or Kroger in the vicinity.  Have you heard that?

What would you like to see as a coffee destination in Henderson Kentucky?

AMS360 and the iPad

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Writers Note:  This blog post is written for those in the insurance sales and technology industry, the rest of you may not find it interesting. However, If you need an insurance rate quote, please contact me.

I have really been pressing Vertafore to be more iPad friendly over the past few years. What I really would like to do on my iPad with Vertafore AMS360 is simply this:

  1. Look up a client name, phone, email and or address
  2. Verify policies in force
  3. Record an activity and or look up previous activities
  4. See existing claims

Really my list of requirements are rather simple and basic.  I was glad to find out today that some of this I can do.  I tried it and it does work.  It is much faster however from a workstation and fully functioning computer.

Vertafore’s official word to me about their support for AMS360 and the iPad is this:

With AMS360 v6.0 you can launch your browser on your iPad or ANY mobile device with any browser to login to AMS360 and navigate within web-forms ( AMS360 web-forms are pages that have an actual URL address in AMS360, like Centers ). This means navigating from Center to Center and ability to launch a dec page. That is the extent of AMS360 functionality and usability with any tablets, be that an iPad or Samsung Galaxy.

This means the win-forms (the pages in AMS360 where you enter or edit data and have no URL address) will not load on these tables. Win-forms require AMS360 Client REV 3 and Net 3.5 sp1 and these component do not load onto tablets, UNLESS, they’re loaded on tablets with Windows Operating System.

The only way to fully utilize AMS360 on iPad or similar tables is to use any remoting apps ( like LogME in, Webex, PocketCloud, etc… ) which connects you to your local desktop at the office, and there are many apps like those. You may want to check several threads on NetVU NCOM for those who have tested and are currently running these environments.

Other than that, there are no immediate development plans for full AMS360 compatibility with any Apple products.

Read Vertafore press release about Vertafore AMS360 v6.0 and that it Delivers Enhanced user Experience and Mobile Access.

GoVaughn.com Insurance has used Vertafore systems since 1974.  The vendor has had many names (Safecom, AGENA, AMS now Vertafore).

Below is a promotional video that Vertafore has released about using AMS360 with a iPad.

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How would you like to see AMS360 work on a iPad?  Have you tried the option above?  Has it worked well for you? 

How do you send a Text from your PC or Outlook?

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If you have your contacts mobile number and provider, you can send an email that will be a text message.

For example to send a text via email to a customer on AT&T, you would send to 1112223333@txt.att.net. See below for a known list of companies.

AT&T – cellnumber@txt.att.net
Verizon – cellnumber@vtext.com
T-Mobile – cellnumber@tmomail.net
Sprint PCS – cellnumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Virgin Mobile – cellnumber@vmobl.com
US Cellular – cellnumber@email.uscc.net
Nextel – cellnumber@messaging.nextel.com
Boost – cellnumber@myboostmobile.com
Alltel – cellnumber@message.alltel.com

Of course you should ask permission before you send someone a text message via email since the receiver is responsible for the cost.

 

Free Tax Filing for those with Low Income in Henderson KY

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Last week I participated  in the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Certification Training.

Not only did I complete the basic certification exam but the immediate certification as well, and now I can  begin volunteering (along with many others from Henderson KY) through the United Way of Henderson County as a Certified VITA Tax Preparer.

The VITA program volunteers provide a valuable community service by preparing tax returns at no cost to qualifying families. Individuals earning less than $30,000 and families earning less than $50,000 in 2011 qualify to have their taxes prepared by VITA volunteers.

The Henderson County VITA site is located at the Henderson County Housing Authority, 111 South Adams Street, Henderson KY.

The hours of operation are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. VITA services will begin on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012.

For more about the Henderson County VITA Program see their Facebook Page or website.

If you have questions about this free service contact United Way of Henderson County.  I will be volunteering many of the times the site is open.

Bring these items to the tax site, if you have them:

  • Picture ID
  • Social Security cards for self, spouse and children, or Individual Taxpayer ID number (ITIN)- for self, spouse and children.
  • Information for other additional income (Social Security, Alimony or Maintenance. Unemployment, etc.
  • Proof of tuition expenses (1098-T from college).
  • Information for all deductions and credits.
  • Proof of Dependent Care Expense in 2010, your providers Name, Address and Employer ID or Social Security Number.
  • A copy of last year’s return.
  • For Direct Deposit: Personal bank account number and the bank’s Routing Number

To speed up the process a filer can complete the Intake/Interview & Quality Review Sheet before they come to the VITA Site.

The video below shows two friends discussing the Earned Income Tax Credit while commuting. Find out if you qualify to get up to 5,600 dollars back from the IRS.

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