Today I learned about something gives me more hope for the future of mankind than I've had in a very long time.

Having lived for many years in Louisiana, I was very affected by the this year's Gulf oil spill disaster. My obsession with news about the spill led to the discovery of a lot of disturbing revelations about the oil industry, which quite frankly disgusted and depressed me on a very deep level.  

Considering the tragedy of the spill, and now the explosion of another offshore rig in the Gulf today, I've been frustrated by a lack of clean energy alternatives available to average consumers. I know that if the option to purchase cleaner and safer energy were avaiable, millions of people like me would choose it. 

When I heard that Canine To Five was offering Quicken Loans employees free doggy daycare for a month in order to welcome us to our new office in downtown Detroit - I was filled with mixed emotions.

Obviously, I was happy and excited to take my dogs, Betty Bacon and Murdoch AKA "The Doctor" to daycare every day for a month.  I hate leaving them at home alone all day. We generally spring for daycare once a week, but this offer gives them a pass to run around and play all week long!

But I was also a little nervous.  Would they like this place?  Would they get along with the other dogs?

This morning, I took them to daycare for the first time.  Like a mother dropping her child off, I fought back tears as I gently removed their collars...

OK - there were no tears, but I was excited to hear that I could see them on Canine To Five's Flickr page around noon. 

The clock struck 12 and off to Flickr I went.  How were they doing?  Were they having fun? Click through to find out...

Leave it to the Japanese to take something as uncool as a 300 sq. ft. home and make it very cool.

I guess that's what happens when land is at a super premium.

It's hard for me to imagine that, coming from Detroit, where land is pretty much as cheap as it gets.

But evidently, Japan is a little different than Detroit and the good people there make the best of a difficult situation.

Recently, NPR.org ran a very good article on Japan's tiny homes, In Japan, Living Large in Really Tiny Houses. Here is a bit from the article:

As you may or may not recall, I am an active member of a vintage scooter club, The Rovers.  This weekend marks one of my favorite times of the year.  Our scooter club throws its annual scooter rally in the city of Detroit.

Today is Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen! What does that mean?

From the Miracle Treat Day site:

One thing's for sure, Dairy Queen loves kids and kids love DQ®. That's why $1 or more from every Blizzard® treat sale on Miracle Treat Day, August 5, 2010 will help sick and injured children in your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Since 1984, DQ has raised over $81 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Let's make 2010 a record-breaking year! Join DQ  and help make miracles happen.

Totally joining in on this one. I think I'll get an Oreo Cheesequake Blizzard. What will you get?

Old Spice has consistently had some really great commercials.  I really enjoyed the ones that featured Michigan native Bruce Campbell, but the new series featuring the incredibly handsome, charming & resourceful Isaiah Mustafa has slayed me.  Old Spice Man, I am a happily married woman - but I am wondering, would you like to join our union?  We have room for one more, but only if that one more is you.

I am hoping you answer my question, just like you've been addressing your many adoring fans on YouTube today.  The people have questions, and the Old Spice Man certainly has some answers.  I think that if Old Spice Man has the time to address the comment that he actually has a "nerdy voice", he can respond to my proposal of a marriage that is illegal in most (all?) states.

 

 

Big accomplishments are always the result of a build-up of small things. Regardless of the importance, attention to the detail ultimately leads to larger success. In fact, consistently doing the little things shows you care.

It is this attention to detail that The Diff has awarded its first annual “Little Things Matter” Award to EzineArticles.com

EzineArticles was cool enough to send me a coffee mug and coaster as gifts for becoming an expert author on the Ezine site. The gift definitely made my day!

I recommend Ezine for anyone trying to gain more exposure when writing, or for a business trying to position itself as an expert in its respective field.

Everybody's favorite British drummer, Ringo Starr, is 70 today.

He's still a great performer, by the way. I saw the Ringo All Star Band a few years back and it was a super fun show. Sheila E. was the main drummer for the band that year and despite the fact she is obviously 100x more skilled as a drummer than Ringo, he's still Ringo and that means he's awesome.

I've loved the Beatles my entire life and I really love Ringo's songs. I love his deadpan vocals and I love his drumming style. Nothing fancy. Just that strong back beat that every Beatles song is known for.

Doug Peeples and I just had a violent argument that Tupac was as globally influential as the Beatles. What? Tupac in the same category as the Beatles?

How silly.

Happy birthday Ringo!

Quicken Loans and the DIFF Blog team wish all of our readers a very happy 4th of July. It's a great day to be an American and we're so proud we wanted to share a video Amber Hunt sent out to the team last week.

It's approriate for the 4th because there is a big old American flag in the background and because the drummer is absolutely on fire. I embedded this version that has 500k views, but the original has over 5 millon and that qualifes as viral (the original doesn't have an embed code that is working for me).

We hope you enjoy today as much as this guy enjoys drumming.

Making employees love working at your company is a key to having a successful business. To do this, Quicken Loans does its best to get rid of old corporate structure and make sure every employee is on the same playing field. “Boss” is a four-letter word and each team-member has a say in projects vital to the overall success of the organization. That’s a culture we can be proud of here at QL.

This focus on culture is why we love Woot.com CEO Matt Rutledge’s recent email to his employees. In the letter, Matt announces Woot’s big decision to join Amazon and answers some burning questions in an awesome way.

By Nikki Stellini

Quicken Loans is proud to announce that its Data Warehouse team is the co-winner of a Best Practices Award in Operational Business Intelligence from The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI), a leading association in the industry. The award recognizes the team’s excellence in creating and maintaining software that reports, gathers, secures, and analyzes up-to-the-minute data, keeping our business running efficiently and fostering growth each year.

The Quicken Loans Data Warehouse team is a group of dedicated engineers and database administrators who write the software programs that tie all of the company’s important data together in one location.
 “The team is really excited and proud to win this award,” said Steve Brennan, Quicken Loans Data Warehouse team leader. “We use business intelligence to stay on top of our game. It’s an honor to be recognized for our hard work in the industry.”

Garden Court Condominiums in Detroit ran a contest that encouraged people to submit a 2 minute video about why they love Detroit.  The winner would live in Detroit, staying in a Garden Court condo rent-free for a year and blog about their adventures in the city.  The contest is now over, and here is the winning video:

I love this video and can't wait to read all about Brandi Kay's adventures in the D on the blog!  Congrats, Brandi & we'll see you in Detroit!

via Detroit Moxie

We've got a BIG announcement! Literally...

You may have already heard that Quicken Loans will be moving to downtown Detroit this year.  But if you somehow missed the message, we hope that this GIANT BILLBOARD will make it clear.  We're Quicken Loans and we're coming to Detroit!

Image via The Burton Theatre's Facebook Page. 

The Burton Theatre is a prime example of what makes Detroit so great.  The theater is the product of four friends who wanted to open a movie theater in Detroit, and decided to do so in a vacant public school.  It's a really cool story and you can read more about it here.

Over the holiday weekend, the Burton decided to up their game.

Quicken Loans is a great place to work.  There is always something fun going on and yesterday was no exception.  The IT teams had a post-it note mural competition!  They created post-it note murals all over the 4th floor of the Quicken Loans office and they results were really cool. 

A few of us were talking today about doodling during meetings.  Some see this as a time-waisting habit or assume that the doodler is not paying attention to the Very Important Meeting taking place.  However, a 2009 study by Jackie Andrade shows that doodling actually helps keep your brain engaged and doodlers actually retain more information during meetings than non-doodlers.  The study suggests that doodling helped prevent people from daydreaming, which not only distracts the mind from the task at hand, but it also uses and focuses the brains energy on the daydream.  So doodle on, doodlers! There's even a flickr "office meeting doodles" group where you can upload your meeting "notes".

Photo by Flickr user mrmatt

Every Friday I like to participate in a weekly event deemed "Metal Friday".  Metal Friday consists of listening to heavy metal during the work day on Friday.  That's it.  It's best to keep things simple, especially on Friday.  Metal Friday is open to everyone and participating is easy.  Just listen to some metal.  Today I'm paying tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio who lost his battle with cancer on May 16, 2010.  RIP Ronnie.  Today Metal Friday lives on in your honor.  Click through to watch one of the greatest music videos of all time.

Facebook fans - we're back with more free stuff!

In the spirit of the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff run, we will be giving away a $50 Cavs store gift card in a random drawing of our Facebook fans today (5/13/2010)!

We’ll notify the winner by a message through Facebook. If you are currently a Quicken Loans Facebook fan, good luck! If you’re not a fan, you have until 5:00pm EST today to become one and get a chance to win! Please spread the word!

Another installment for our Bizdom Biz Feature series. This time, we welcome PostEGram to the Quicken Loans family. Read on to learn more about this awesome new venture!

If you’re like millions of Americans, chances are you’re on Facebook. Furthermore, odds are you’re uploading lots of photographs.  About 2.5 Billion images are uploaded to Facebook every month. It seems as if it has never been easier to share your life in pictures with your family and friends, right?

Well it certainly is easy to connect on Facebook, but the truth is there may be someone special missing all those snapshots of school events, birthday parties and vacations—and that person is Grandma. Statistics show that about half of all Americans over the age of 65 do not have Internet access. So while you’re uploading images from your mobile phone, poor Grandma is looking in her mailbox looking for a letter from you.

That’s where PostEgram comes in. 

Spotted this on Josh Linkner's Twitter feed.  I'd love to go fishing with David Lynch.  We'd set out on a rickety old pirate ship, he'd be eating a banana and whistling the theme song to "The Love Boat".  I'd only be able to speak backwards yet he would somehow be able to understand.  Small goats would wander around the boat and every so often one would do a cannonball into the black sea on which we sail.  Then I would catch a little fish.  The little fish would open his mouth and a stream of fireworks would shoot into the air.  David and I would embrace, and I would know that all is right in this strange, strange world.

via Museum of Weird Art

On April 21, David Carroll, Vice President of Administration at Quicken Loans attended the Michigan’s Next Great Companies 2010 Summit in Bath, Mich. and spoke about the company’s culture.

The summit brought business leaders from across the state together to help Michigan companies grow by focusing on culture and how their working environments can fuel innovation and creativity.

Michigan’s First Gentleman, Dan Mulhern, spoke about the importance of corporate culture and the keynote address was delivered by Bo Burlingham, author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big.

David Carroll’s presentation was part of an informal panel in which several companies had the opportunity to discuss how they make their organization a “great place to work.”  David explained that the Quicken Loans culture is a combination of a million little things and that our ISMs (18 guiding principles) enable all team members to live the culture each day.  Quicken Loans has been named to Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for seven consecutive years.

To learn more about resources to help your business receive recognition for a positive work environment, check out the Michigan Advantage web site.

There's something about spring in Detroit.

Snow melts and everything around you turns from gray to green. When I was young, I never noticed. Nowadays, I get excited about the first tulip bud and hint of color in the trees.

It's also the time that our beloved Detroit Tigers pick up their bats for the season. Opening Day is the greatest holiday between my friends and I - a day to get downtown and soak it all up. We rarely ever go to the game - being downtown around other fans is enough for us.

But when I was younger, I knew nothing of the parties and Friday night fireworks. Instead, we had the radio and a soothing, southern voice to narrate our summer nights.

It was always so warm, so relaxed and with just a faint static of radio. Perhaps you would otherwise occupied, but then you'd hear a loud "crack"  and then the familiar voice who'd make your head turn when he said, "It's loooooooooooooong gone!"

His name was Ernie, but he is Detroit. He may have grown up in Atlanta, but he's ours. Sorry, Atlanta.

Ernie Harwell coached Detroit Tigers fans through 40+ seasons of ups and downs. He was let go for about a year in the early 90s, but brought back by heavy fan demand. He retired in 2002 on his own terms and really....who were we to stop him? Ernie called the shots. 

He announced he had incurable cancer in September of 2009. Just a few short weeks later, he gave a sort of farewell address before a game at Comerica Park. Watch the video of that below.

Did you know that you can help clean up the BP oil spill using something found right on top of your head?  I stumbled across this interesting video from a chairty called Matter of Trust this morning.  They create oil absorbing booms and mats using hair collected from salons, individuals and pet groomers.  Hair is a natural, efficient and abundant material for collecting and containing petroleum spills.  If you're interested in donating to this cause or encouraging your salon or doggy groomer to do so, you can find more information here.

One of my favorite home & product design blogs, Design*Sponge has a recurring feature that I just LOVE.  It's called "Living In" and it utilizes some of the most notable films ever to grace the silver screen and showcases products that would allow you to convert your surroundings into their world.  Today they featured a quintessential film from my childhood, Stand By Me.  I love this movie and the inspiration boards she created using various screenshots made me swoon.  I want everything!  Well, except the blueberry pie...

Also, here's 3 tips for a greener home from Quicken Loans Mortgage News.

John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press wrote a really cool article the other day about Campus Martius (across the street from where we're moving to in downtown Detroit), and we love it. Here's a preview:

Detroit’s Campus Martius Park was named today the first-ever winner of the Urban Land Institute’s Amanda Burden Urban Open Space Award, given in a national competition to recognize an outstanding example of a public open space that has catalyzed the transformation of the surrounding community.

The announcement was made this morning at ULI’s Real Estate Summit in Boston. Detroit’s park was chosen over park finalists in Boston, New York, Seattle, Pittsburgh, and Greenville, S.C. for the top honor. The finalists were chosen from among 88 initial entries.

Read the full article if you'd like.

We'll be down there in about three months or so, enjoying the top U.S. urban park.

Guess what, y'all? Shortly after we posted the email exchange between Steve Madden's customer service and our anonymous DIFF reader, yet another customer service rep contacted our friend and had a completely different take on things. 

Alina, Customer Service Manager from Steve Madden, offered to completely replace the boots and even more, since they were no longer available, gave a $100 credit towards a new pair!

Picture here you'll see our friend's brand new boots, purchased with her Steve Madden credit.

Major props to Steve Madden for working this issue out and truly delivering on their 100% Customer Satisfaction promise. We believe in the same thing here at Quicken Loans and always go above and beyond to do what's right for our clients.

Today, Detroit’s Bizdom U entrepreneurial bootcamp was featured on CNBC’s Power Lunch program.  The segment, which features interviews with Dan Gilbert and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, focuses on the need for a strong entrepreneurial core as part of Detroit’s recovery.

Bizdom U teaches entrepreneurs everything they need to know to start a thriving business in the city of Detroit.  While undergoing four months of intensive training, the entrepreneurs develop a plan for a scalable business that must be located in Detroit.  If the business plan is ultimately approved, the entrepreneur receives funding and continued mentoring along the way. 

Check out the Bizdom U video on Youtube.

I like to think we've done some innovative stuff here at Quicken Loans regarding online customer service and social media. It's been a passion of ours for several years now and it's great when results come back and get noticed.

Earlier this month Quicken Loans was featured in a WOMMA webinar about online customer service. I'm also be on the faculty of the upcoming WOMMA School of WOM in May in Chicago (I highly urge everyone with an interest in word of mouth marketing to attend the School of WOM - you'll be happy you did).

And next week Quicken Loans has been asked to sit on the panel of PRWeek's webinar - From Foe to Friend: Turning online critics into brand ambassadors.

It's a free webinar and I recommend signing up. You'll get some great advice and best practices from four online customer service experts, including our own Kelly LaVaute.

Don't miss it! You can sign up here.

So there are coffee shops, and then there's Biggby. Why is Biggby better? Let me count the ways:

1. They're a Michigan-based company (I love to give business to my fellow Michiganders).
2. They have a fantastic understanding of what it means to provide stellar customer service - evident in their company culture and the way they reach out to clients via social media like twitter and facebook.
3. Our CMO Stu Davis is a devout Biggby drinker, thanks to their fantastic customer service (see #2 and this).
4. Because Biggby Bob, the CEO of Biggby, is a cool guy and an innovative, hands-on entrepreneur.  
5. They are the fastest growing coffee franchise in the Midwest, in an economic climate where many businesses are struggling - which proves they are doing something right!
6. Their website rocks.
7. They have super yum coffee drinks.

Are you convinced yet? No?

Then how about this? They are giving away a FREE specialty beverage -  today only - in honor of their 15th birthday!

Now who gives OTHERS a gift on their own birthday? (I told you they were special!)

Happy Birthday, Biggby! Raising my cup to you!

Everyone has morning rituals. Some people get up, stretch, have a cup of coffee, hop in the shower, brush their teeth, let the dogs out, etc. The first thing I do in the morning is check Woot.com.

My friend and former Quicken Loans team member Jarrett “Spiderman” Knyal introduced me to Woot about four years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. Maybe it’s an uber-geek personality that drives people like Jarrett and me to get so excited about a cult-like “deal-a-day” website or maybe it’s an online shopping addiction - who knows. Call it what you want, but you really can’t have too many Roombas (those nifty robotic vacuums that clean your floors, Jetsons-style).

Since my first Woot purchase (a Roomba, of course), I’ve amassed nearly 50 Woots (that’s what us in the “in crowd” call the daily Woot products), ranging from over a dozen t-shirts, countless screaming monkeys, a “bag of crap” (the most coveted of all Woot deals), two Dyson vacuum cleaners, a color laser printer, the greatest oven mitts I’ve ever owned, and of course, a marshmallow gun. There’s a special feeling when you arrive home from a long day at the office to discover a Woot box on your porch. It’s like one more little slice of happiness to round out the day.

By Mark Smith

While many of us envision a lengthy vacation as a relaxation utopia filled with tide-combed sandy beaches, romantic sunsets and tropical drinks filled to their sugary rims, one Quicken Loans team member decided to take a bit of a different vacation… one that benefits millions!

Along with 60 other generous folks from around the nation, David Little is heading in opposite direction of your typical holiday and venturing north…the Great White North to be exact! In order to raise donations for the Diabetes Research Institute, these brave snowmobilers are covering more than 4,100 miles through the frozen landscapes of northern United States and Canada on their trek from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to Tok, Alaska.

Organizing this trip with a cause is MichCanSka, Bill Bradfield’s international snowmobiling charity ride benefiting the Diabetes Research Institute which helps millions around the world in their fight against diabetes.

Follow David Little’s journey from the comfort of your cozy laptop on his blog. This site shares David’s posts along the snowy tracks of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon territory and Alaska.  You’ll also find links to the official MichCanSka site, live tracking of David’s group as well as a Donations page where you can help take the Diabetes Research Institute steps closer to curing diabetes.

In honor of our snowy weather (which really isn’t so bad), check out the greatest weatherman in the history of the world. You cannot tell me that this guy doesn’t love his job!

Editor's Note: Thanks to Ryan Sills for sharing this with the Quicken Loans Marketing Team! We love it and he's definitely the DIFF.

Ok, this is a GREAT post and we wanted to share it. Originally posted on Coyote Crossing, it was sent to us by our own financial guru and Capital Markets genius, Bill Banfield.  It tells you what a blog post really is all about. Here it is in it's entirety:

This is the title of a typical incendiary blog post

Posted by Chris Clarke on January 24, 2010

This sentence contains a provocative statement that attracts the readers’ attention, but really only has very little to do with the topic of the blog post. This sentence claims to follow logically from the first sentence, though the connection is actually rather tenuous. This sentence claims that very few people are willing to admit the obvious inference of the last two sentences, with an implication that the reader is not one of those very few people. This sentence expresses the unwillingness of the writer to be silenced despite going against the popular wisdom. This sentence is a sort of drum roll, preparing the reader for the shocking truth to be contained in the next sentence.

Youth Mosiac Detroit is a great organization.

Why do I say that?

Good question. Well, to put it bluntly, the group does amazingly creative things and they do them well.

This is a world-class arts organization that puts on top notch shows. I've seen one of their performances - Crossing 8 Mile - and was blown away by the talent. These kids are good.

And, I've had the pleasure of being in some shows with some of the graduates of the programs and they were incredible. They literally saved one show I was in and took another to a level we couldn't have acheived without them.

If you're from the Detroit area, support them. You'll be happy you did. If you're a reader from another area, I bet there is something like Mosiac Youth Theatre of Detroit near you. Find them and support them. You'll be happy you did.

Here's a little more info about Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit from their website:

We did it again!

For 7 years running, we've had the privilege of being a part of FORTUNE Magazine's list of "100 Best Companies to Work For"! We're proud to retain the same position as last year, #29. We also continue to be the #1 ranked company in Michigan.

Check out part of FORTUNE'S profile of Quicken Loans:

What makes it so great?
Nation’s fifth-largest retail mortgage lender will move its headquarters this spring to downtown Detroit from the suburbs. The move, which will affect 1,700 employees, is owner Dan Gilbert’s idea.

Some of you might think a move to *downtown Detroit* is not a perk. But if you read the DIFF, you know we think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Not only are we excited to be a part of Motown's revitalization, we're excited to just be in the city - working, living, loving it.

You can see a little more insight in these quotes from our Chairman Dan Gilbert in a press release posted this morning:

“Our ranking on FORTUNE’s list is proof that a company’s culture and people can overcome any challenge. The last several years have been difficult for many companies in the home finance sector, but thanks to our extraordinary team members, and our take-charge, innovation-based culture, we not only survived – but achieved new company records in closed loan volume, client experience ratings, revenue and profitability,” said Quicken Loans Founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert.

“Our 3,000-plus dedicated and empowered team members continued to raise their level of awareness and met the challenges that faced them every single day. The passion and will to ‘figure it out’ was key to Quicken Loans’ accomplishments in an extremely difficult economic environment during the past couple of years,” Gilbert added.

I can't really say I've ever agreed with anything more. We did have challenges. We're not perfect. But the greatest thing about working at Quicken Loans is that everyone is a leader. You see something that doesn't make sense? Fix it. You want to make a DIFFerence? Do it.

My everyday job here as Social Media Manager is help make clients I come across on the web happy to work with Quicken Loans. And I'll tell you this...if I wasn't happy, I don't think I could do my job. My one bit of unsolicited business advice - make your employees happy. If they're happy, they'll make your clients happy. There's your bottom line.

I'm a veteran.

I'm mentioned that a few times. I wrote about 1st Sgt. Whatshisname a few years back and I've posted a few other times about my two-year stint in the U.S Army.

I learned quite a bit in those two years. And I also got some good benefits out of it. Cash for college was the one I used pretty much right away after I got out.

Then when I decided to buy a home, I used the absolute best benefit of military service and took advantage of the VA loan program.

VA loans are awesome, especially for young folks and first time home buyers (which I was when I bought my home). That's the house in the picture.  A little west side Detroit bungalow. That house was awesome. Built like a tank. Brick exterior, plaster walls, original hardwood flooring, nice-sized backyard, pretty good location (near lots of good suburban Detroit shopping) and even very close to some sizeable woods (not what you'd expect in the Motor City, but I actually saw several deer and coyotes in the area in the 11 years I lived there).

A couple of months ago, one of Quicken Loans own team members, Linda Evans, was told that she needed Gall Bladder surgery. Linda ended up going in for surgery at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, MI. She had been to different hospitals in the area before, but she had never been to Botsford Hospital before this surgery.

Linda was surprised at the level of service she received at the hospital. Her surgeon, Dr. S Pastor, always greeted her with a smile on his face or a hug and made certain she didn’t worry about her upcoming surgery. Even after her surgery, her check-ups at the hospital were just as pleasant.

The most surprising part of the service Linda received happened last week on December 21st, months after her surgery took place. Linda received a phone call from a nurse at Botsford Hospital (Jan Shimmel). The nurse was calling to follow up on how Linda was feeling after the surgery, asked if she had any concerns and wished her well.

A big round of applause goes out to Botsford Hospital for taking great care of your clients. In the words of Linda Evans herself, “There is a hospital out there that doesn’t just treat you as a ‘patient’ but as a person and cares about you. Four stars from me.”

Pictured above is Linda Evans.

Real is always better than fake. And apparently Caribou Coffee agrees. On our most recent after-lunch coffee run, we discovered that they've switched from using chocolate syrup to pieces of real chocolate instead.

Now, I didn't get a chocolate drink myself this time, but my friend did and she gave it rave reviews.

Caribou even took the extra step and gave a little blurb about the switch on the cup sleeves...As if the wonderful chocolatey goodness you're sipping on wasn't enough of a clue.

So good job Caribou, for switching to the real stuff and making your coffee that much better.

Every year around Christmas time, when I was little, my parents would drive my sister and I around town to look at all the Christmas lights people had put up. We were always amazed at the different lights people would use and the designs they would create. There were blue lights, multi-colored lights, white lights, big lights, and small lights; basic patterns around the edge of a house or lights wrapped around bushes and trees. However, there never was a house in my town that was quite as dedicated to their light display as the Trykoski Family from Frisco, Texas, shown in the video above.

The Trykoski Family's light show consists of over 75,000 lights that are synchronized to several different songs. Although, the family has been decorating their house with Christmas lights for a long time, they have only had their light display synchronized to music since 2004. They continue to change and make improvements to their design every year. 

One question that is brought to mind when watching the video is how the Trykoski family stands the flashing of lights from inside their house for the 4 hours it runs every night. Even so, I wish that someone in my town would have or could have put on such a show when I was little. Thanks Trykoski Family for making such a wonderful Christmas light display!

For more information on their light show and where it's located visit their site.

If you haven't heard about the special Time Inc./CNN Money project about Detroit, it's definitely "time" you check it out. Their mission?

"It's a city in crisis – but with potential for a big comeback. Despite an ailing auto industry and the highest jobless rate in the nation, Detroiters are determined to make their hometown thrive once again. For the next year, CNNMoney will focus on that challenge."

One of their latest articles includes a feature of Quicken Loans Chairman Dan Gilbert and his vision for our company and our move to Detroit. It's called "Making Detroit a tech hub - One mogul's vision".

But in the video above, you'll see a glimpse of what needs to happen in Detroit to make it a place to attract even more businesses. Listen in as Randall Charlton (Executive Director, TechTown), Chanell Scott (QL friend and Co-Founder of Guffly) and Matt Cullen (President of the QL mothership aka Rockbridge Growth Equity) discuss the kinds of things entrepreneurs are looking to find when considering the Motor City.

What else do you think Detroit needs to attract successful businesses?

Going to the doctor can be a drag. But if you have a great doctor, you might even look forward to it!

Honestly, my own doctor, Dr. Peter Dews of the Providence hospital group in Detroit, is one of the great ones. In fact, when I recently called to make an appointment and learned he had moved to another hospital group many miles away, I gladly tracked him down and followed him there. He’s one that I could not let get away. In fact, he really renewed my faith in the medical profession after several bad doctor experiences.

But in this post I want to talk about a doctor that Dr. Dews referred me to. A doctor that made me laugh, despite being zapped with electric shocks and repeatedly stabbed with long needles.

In an effort to try to find out what is wrong with my continually painful wrist (other than the fact I am on the computer for 14+ hours a day!), Dr. Dews referred me to Dr. M. David Jackson for an EMG. That’s Electromyography for the uninitiated. And I have to say I had no idea what it entailed.

Completely innocent of what an EMG was, I went to see Dr. Jackson with no expectations. On the way to the appointment, I encountered construction and was running late that morning. I sat for some time in the examination room, face-to-face with a strange looking computer, and assumed this was the Electromyograph thingy.

I was correct, but it was more than that. When Dr. Jackson came into the room he explained that this machine would not only record the response of my muscle cells, but would do so by administering a series of increasingly powerful electric shocks.

Referring to my lateness, he fake-maniacally laughed as he attached the electrodes to my hand and arm, and said, "After this, you’ll never be late again."

Ha!

I must say that this procedure was overall very, very unpleasant. But this joke made me laugh, and set the tone for the rest of the ordeal, which was made much less of an ordeal with humor.

I know what you're thinking. Another video, Kelly? Too easy. GIVE US THE GOOD STUFF! WE NEED THE DIFF!

Well, my people, this is it. Over the weekend, I became more than slightly obsessed with this video from Chow.com. It's not new, not cutting edge, fancy schmancy technologically-advanced or even celebrity dance-y pants. This video? THIS.VIDEO.IS.PURE.AWESOME.

There are times in life when you come across someone with such a zest for life that it leaves you scratching your head. They're that happy? Can't be *that happy* all the time. They leave you questioning their motives or even the source of their unapologetic energy (whatever they're on can't be legal).

Check out this awesome YouTube video from the kickoff of the new Oprah season. I'm not a huge Oprah fan (Mom is though! Hi Mom!), but this is totally amazing.

Essentially, they accomplished what is believed to be the biggest Flash Mob ever. With the help of a Oprah-customized performance from the Black Eyed Peas, thousands of people danced along to the tune. The aerial view is pretty cool. Also? Watch 'til the very end. Apparently, the Big O had no clue this was going to happen.

Craving more YouTube videos? Check us out - Quicken Loans on YouTube.

While no one I know at work actually plays a guitar, our halls are filled with a ton of Rock Stars. Which is why Quicken Loans is proud to be involved with the RockStars@Work conference on October 20 in Minneapolis. 

About RockStars@Work straight from their site:

The RockStars@Work Conference was created to address the talent gap in a trend-setting event, featuring:

Star Speakers
Executives of some of the largest companies in the U.S. will share their stories of success as a result of working with younger generations. Purchase a VIP pass to meet these leading stars!

Proven Strategies
View mini-performances (break-outs) led by the most innovative organizations that are effectively recruiting, retaining, managing, and marketing to younger generations. A non-profit track is included.

Trend-Setting Tools
From tech gadgets to green space, experience the future of the workplace at the World Tour -- a series of interactive displays featuring the latest and greatest instruments preferred by Generations X and Y.

Next Generation Celebration
Apply for a Next Generation Employer of Choice Award or learn from the best during an entertaining, Grammy-style awards ceremony.

Rockin’ Entertainment
From the red carpet to RockStars TV, music videos, light show, and live band, this conference is guaranteed to deliver great information in an especially entertaining and engaging way.

We're even lucky enough to be sending one of our brightest, Regional Vice President Tony Nuckolls, to be a speaker! And rumor has it yours truly will be flying out as well to cover the event from every social media angle possible. I can't wait! Here's a bit about Tony's preso:

Quicken Loans is proud to announce the launch of Guffly.com - one of the brightest and boldest businesses from our Bizdom U students.

(If you're all, "Hold up, what's Bizdom U?" go learn more about the Detroit school for entrepreneurs from Quicken Loans Chairman Dan Gilbert here.) 

Here is more about Guffly from their press release:

Guffly founders, Jordan Contreras and Chanell Scott, are graduates of Bizdom U, the Detroit based entrepreneurial academy founded by Dan Gilbert. In February 2008, Contreras and Scott began an eco-friendly blog and quickly garnered a following of hip, eco-friendly consumers with a conscious. Through listening to their audience and other research, they discovered that while the eco-friendly product market is growing, many items are not appealing to the young, stylish, and urban demographic - Guffly plans to change this. Each day, Guffly will feature a new stylish, eco-friendly product. During that time, visitors to the site can view the product, read comments about it, talk about it, and buy it.

"We have created an online store and community where it is easy for people to find eco-friendly products that actually look cool and fit into a modern lifestyle," says Scott, Guffly's CEO. "We have created relationships with people that create simply amazing eco-friendly products that we are excited to bring to the daily lives of the modern user."

To reduce its environmental impact and provide fast service to customers, Guffly uses drop shipping directly from suppliers. This concept is integral to a green business model and offers lower shipping costs, which benefit the customer, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions, which benefits the environment. Additionally, Guffly checks all suppliers to ensure their eco-friendly products are truly green, sustainable, or fair trade.

Totally the DIFF, right? We think so too. So go check them out (everyday if you can, there's something spankin' new all the time!) and not only will you be more environmentally-friendly, you'll be stylish and trendy as well.

By Chris Klau

Service today stinks!  Ok, so that is a very general statement but overall I think most of us would agree that outstanding, WOW service experiences are few and far between.  Take a moment to think about your most recent service experiences…whether it be a stop at the dry cleaners, a call to your local cable provider, your most recent restaurant trip, your last hotel stay or trip to the mall.  How was that experience?  Did the service you received leave something to be desired?  I bet it did.

Well the good news in all of this is that if you are the provider of any service you  have an outstanding opportunity to be noticed.  You can do the little things that will provide you with the chance to be remembered.  And to be remember in a positive way.  To provide that WOW customer service experience that people will talk about and share…the ones that grow your business by enhancing great customer relationships.  And the best news of all… that gap between average and excellent (the DIFF!) isn’t as big as one may think. 

As a Quicken Loans team member there is a huge emphasis on creating that WOW experience for our clients, both internally and externally.  And because of that I feel I am hypersensitive to my experiences as a consumer.

Detroit is commonly pegged as a run-down city with little to offer. And to the untrained eye, that might seem accurate, but look beneath the surface and you’ll find a different story. The people of Detroit are what truly make it a city worth living in.

CNN recently did a piece on the city called Why I Love Detroit. It covers the stories of 13 residents and why they choose to stay, when many other choose to leave.

Everyone lists their favorite spot in the city as well as why the love Detroit, and the answers run the gamut.  From Michigan Avenue to Eastern Market and everything in between, the residents acknowledge the city’s hardships while celebrating its rich history, exciting culture and everything else that makes the city great.

Check out the entire series here:

Why I Love Detroit: 13 stories

I came across this image yesterday and thought it was a great example of "be careful what you wish for". Pay close attention to the Audi billboard at the left of the photo, and the several-story-high response BMW erected afterward. Audi's got game, but BMW's the Grandmaster in this head-to-head match-up.