Fifty years ago, Richard L. "Dick" Nelson started his career with a small loader. He established his business in Princeton, Illinois, a small rural community with a current population of 7,600. today, he is the founder of Nelson Enterprises which includes Advanced Asphalt Company, TCI Manufacturing and Sales, Tri-Con Materials, Northwest Illinois Construction LLC, Pavement Maintenance Services, Inc., D&J Leasing and AAA Aviation LLC. Nelson Enterprises has achieved $1.5 billion in total sales, has worldwide patent recognition, employs approximately 300 people and rents 100 trucks a day during construction season. Dick is the son of Malcolm and Frances Nelson (both deceased) and was raised in Princeton with five siblings (three of whom are deceased). He is a graduate of Princeton High School and served in the Army. He and his wife, Judy, have three grown children, Leanne (Jeff) Martin, Laurie Wallace and Steve (Gina) Nelson. They also have four grandchildren, Nicole Martin, Kelsey Wallace, Colin and Audrey Nelson. Dick attributes much of his success to his "team" of talented and dedicated professionals. He has also achieved success and national awards because of his God given mechanical talent, hard work, determination and what he calls a "Bachelor of Common Sense Degree from Life University". Dick has contributed a multitude of volunteer service hours to the Princeton Park Board, United Way, Cub Scouts, Little League and St. Matthew's Church. His passion is flying. And to that end, he built his own helicopter. In honor of his 50th anniversary in business, an open house was held to recognize his "team" and business milestones. At this event, the Nelson family established an annual scholarship at Princeton High School for a senior student planning to attend a vocational school. Doug Oberhelman, CEO of Caterpillar, was also in attendance at the open house and announced that Caterpillar will match the Nelson family annual scholarship. This is a tribute to the Nelson family and Nelson Enterprises for service to the community, central Illinois and the State of Illinois.

What publishing experts have to say: "You can die with the book inside you or you can discover how to leave your legacy with Get Between the Covers. Many people in the world need to know what you've learned and experienced." -Dan Poynter, author of The Self-Publishing Manual, http: //ParaPublishing.com "Shulman and Spencer have put together an incredible book...it's a must read if you feel that you have 'a book in you' and would like to write it in your lifetime." -Rick Frishman, President of Planned TV Arts, co-author AUTHOR 101 book series, WWW.AUTHOR101.COM "Get Between the Covers is chock-full of sound advice from all the notables in the field, plus inspiring success stories. It's concise. Readable. Motivational. Every aspiring author needs this book! What an impressive contribution to the existing body of literature on book writing and publishing." -Marilyn Ross, co-author of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing Companion, Jump Start Your Book Sales, and founder of SelfPublishingResources.com From the Authors: Get Between the Covers is a user-friendly and motivational tool designed to inspire the masses to write at least one book in their lifetime. Unlike others, we believe that everyone CAN write their own book, and the book takes you through the process from day 1 all the way to your publication options and even what to do once the book is out...with plenty of author success stories (coming from authors of all levels of readership), anecdotes, and humor along the way. It is completely updated for 2007 and builds on the groundwork of the 100+ books that have been written in this market over the past 20 years by packaging it into aninteresting read that is highly informative and concise for the millions who would like to write a book.

How do the benefits of higher education compare with its costs, and how does this comparison vary across individuals and institutions? These questions are fundamental to quantifying the productivity of the education sector. The studies in Productivity in Higher Education use rich and novel administrative data, modern econometric methods, and careful institutional analysis to explore productivity issues. The authors examine the returns to undergraduate education, differences in costs by major, the productivity of for-profit schools, the productivity of various types of faculty and of outcomes, the effects of online education on the higher education market, and the ways in which the productivity of different institutions responds to market forces. The analyses recognize five key challenges to assessing productivity in higher education: the potential for multiple student outcomes in terms of skills, earnings, invention, and employment; the fact that colleges and universities are “multiproduct” firms that conduct varied activities across many domains; the fact that students select which school to attend based in part on their aptitude; the difficulty of attributing outcomes to individual institutions when students attend more than one; and the possibility that some of the benefits of higher education may arise from the system as a whole rather than from a single institution. The findings and the approaches illustrated can facilitate decision-making processes in higher education.

The Practical Guide to Transforming Your Company is a concise handbook for conducting business transformations—defining and implementing a redirection in the company’s core business or in its strategic positioning. Starting where such programs as LEAN and Six Sigma leave off, the text offers a well-proven methodology for conducting a comprehensive transformation (not a process-by-process efficiency enhancement). The book provides dozens of forms, figures, templates, and checklists the authors have developed through personal experience leading successful corporate efforts. In a sequence paralleling the process of transformation, individual chapters are devoted to the roles and responsibilities of the company leadership, the workforce, and the board of directors. Principles are reinforced by illuminating key success factors by examining government and commercial projects from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Written by two individuals with proven track records, this book is sure to produce success in any transformation endeavor.

Raising Great Kids in a Chaotic World: A Handbook of Strategies, Examples, and Suggestions for Educators and Parentsis a practical resource of tips that parents and educators can use to help kids acquire, practice and/or correct behaviors that are needed to become responsible and successful adults. It offers a broad range of strategies that emphasize: how to teach and model the values and attitudes of success how to talk effectively so kids will listen how to anticipate possible consequences before acting how to equip children and teenagers with skills they can use if they feel anxious, overwhelmed, bullied, or faced with difficult challenges

Paving Our Ways covers the international history of road paving in an interesting, readable and technically accurate way. It provides an overview of the associated technologies in a historical context. It examines the earliest pavements in Egypt and Mesopotamia and then moves to North Africa, Crete, Greece and Italy, before a review of pavements used by the Romans in their magnificent road system. After its empire collapsed, Roman pavements fell into ruin. The slow recovery of pavements in Europe began in France and then in England. The work of Trésaguet, Telford and McAdam is examined. Asphalt and concrete slowly improved as paving materials in the second part of the 19th century. Major advances occurred in the 20th century with the availability of powerful machinery, pneumatic tyres and bitumen. The advances needed to bring pavements to their current development are explored, as are the tools for financing, constructing, managing and maintaining pavements. The book should appeal to those interested in road paving, and in the history of engineering and transport. It can also serve as a text for courses in engineering history.