Walter Barnes

It is with tremendous sadness that we share that our Walter Barnes (70), passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Monday, July 2, 2018.

Walter was born in Bunkie, Louisiana (population 4,064) on February 22, 1948.  Walter’s father was a brakeman on the rails and Walter carried the travel bug with him into his young adulthood travelling across the country living in places as far away as Arizona and Colorado before settling down to find a career in Houston.

(L) Walter and (R) Ron Royall circa 1999

Walter married Mary Jane Barnes in 1980 and was recruited to Business Extension Bureau (BEB) in August of 1981 by our founder, Robert “Bob” Royall.  Walter was known for his mechanical talent and extensive knowledge of the United States Postal Service rules and regulations. It has been said that Walter could listen to the sound of a machine and know what was wrong with it; and his expertise with all things postal earned him the nick name “Mail Guru” as he was considered a Houston Postal Industry Leader.

Walter and Rachel Alba – 35yrs + BEBers

Walter was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the Bunkie Masonic Lodge #326, and a member of the Scottish Rite, Order of DeMolay. He was a recipient of the Chevalier, the highest honor for distinguished DeMolay service that can be awarded.

Walter loved his family and was an excellent chef.  All of us at BEB miss his culinary skills and Angel Vierna tells the story of how Walter was the only person who gave her the secret to making “the best” biscuits ever!  Walter also loved his LSU Tigers, and would often recount in detail how special Saturday nights at Tiger Stadium were to him.  We at BEB will always remember the daily Domino games between Walter and Bob.

Our BEB family mourn the loss of Walter and our thoughts and prayers are with his family through this trying time.

Left to cherish his memories are his wife, Mary Jane and son Wally.

Visitation services are on Thursday, July 5, 2018 from 5pm – 8pm at Forest Park East Funeral Home located at 21620 Gulf Freeway in Webster, Texas 77598.

The funeral service is on Friday, July 6, 2018 from 10am – 1pm at Forest Park East Funeral Home located at 21620 Gulf Freeway in Webster, Texas 77598.

Click here for more details.

Check out this great infographic from the WASP Barcode Technologies 2017 “State if Small Business Report”

A wayzgoose (or wayz-goose, waygoose or wayzegoose) was at one time an entertainment given by a master printer to his workmen each year on or about St Bartholomew’s Day (24 August). It marked the traditional end of summer and the start of the season of working by candlelight. Later, the word came to refer to an annual outing for the staff of a printing works or the printers on a newspaper.

In modern times, the tradition has been adopted by large publishing and educational sales companies in The United States. Southwestern Advantage throws an annual festival at the end of the summer/fall (early September) for their most successful dealers to celebrate a long summer of work. The festivities largely consist of several days of chanting, games, and libations.

Be on the lookout for more information on the Printing Industries of the Gulf Coast, first annual, Wayzgoose coming in August!

We are so proud to be on the benefit committee for the Stuttering Association for the Young’s George Springer All Star Bowling Benefit for the 4th year in a row!

GEORGE SPRINGER FOURTH ANNUAL ALL-STAR BOWLING BENEFIT
Sunday, July 8, 2018, at Bowlmor, Houston, TX

7 pm Cocktail Hour

Proceeds help send children from families-in-need to Camp SAY: a summer camp for young people who stutter. Click here to learn more about Camp SAY.

Join us for Cocktail Reception, mingle with George Springer, Celebrity Lane Captains – fellow Astros, other pro athletes & celebrity friends & enjoy a memorable night of bowling fun.

Click here to Purchase Sponsorships, Tickets & Ads

Twitter Hastags: Do’s & Don’ts Straight from the “Birdies Mouth”

Hashtags can be an great way to grow your reach, encourage engagement, and get discovered on Twitter.   Here are 10 Do’s and Don’ts (straight from the birdies mouth)!

• Make it easy to remember AND easy to spell.  Typos will leave your hashtag undiscovered.
• Be realistic. Don’t expect people to start using your hashtag in their Tweets if it doesn’t fit naturally and there is no incentive for them to do so.
• Do your research. This is big.  Check and see if  people are already using the hashtag and make sure it is being used in a manner you want your brand associated with.
• Give people a reason to use your hashtag.  You can offer a prize, recognition in the form of a Retweet, (your audience will respond better when it’s a mutually beneficial relationship), or something others would want to share from an educational perspective.
• Partner with influencers.  Influencers are usually fast to engage and you can gain exposure and visibility for your hashtag if they start using it.

• Over hashtag. One to two relevant hashtags per Tweet is the sweet spot. Remember, this isn’t Instagram: character count matters.
• Expect your brand slogan to translate to a hashtag. A hashtag is meant to be inclusive, shareable, and easy to discover. If it doesn’t organically fit within a Tweet, it’ll feel forced and lose its intended purpose.
• Expect people to use your hashtag without a reason or incentive. The best hashtags have the ability to draw people in and invoke curiosity to explore and join in on the conversation.
• Neglect to educate on what it is and how to use it. Make sure you’re clearly communicating the hashtag and more importantly, why someone would want to include it in their own Tweet.
• Use all CAPS LOCK. Unless it’s an acronym, this feels like shouting and also adds unnecessary work.

We are honored to report that BEB is the proud recipient of the Best Of Digital Calendars Award in this year’s Printing Industries of the Gulf Coast Graphic Excellence Awards (GEA)!  Our entry of the 2018 BEB Interactive Calendar brings us this fantastic honor for the fourth year in a row.

Judging is based on creativity, style, composition, print presentation, color balance, and reviewed for flaws. Judges have varied technical, design, and layout expertise.  They serve as judges not only for the PIGC Awards, but other regional, national, and international premier print awards competitions.

We also snagged an Award of Excellence for a wide-format project (window graphics for a Central Care Clinic location).  This is a relatively new service for us which makes the recognition super satisfying.

Considered the premier print event of Houston, the 2019 Graphic Excellence Awards Competition recognizes the best in technology, and craftsmanship from the regions printing, imaging, finishing, and creative community.  The competition was stiff this year with over 300 entries vying for a coveted award.  We are proud to be a part of the Amazing amazing Gulf Coast Printing Community and this gala is great place to see how so many are pushing the envelope on superb quality, inspiring detail, and output in imaginative ways.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Check out this great “ode” to Mum’s.  Click here.