This really isn't "tech" related, but it is definitely on my mind.

I was really excited to attend the grand opening of Nick and Nino's Coal Fired Pizza tonight. Monroe's newest restaurant represents a significant investment by two of my friends, Tony Sacco and Nino Perna, and if the grand opening crowd was any indication, I'm sure it's going to be an overwhelming success. 

The concept is great - a coal-fired pizza oven that gets up to 1000 degrees cooks the thin-crust pizzas super fast, and with a very unique flavor. The restaurant is beautiful, and the huge oven is very impressive in the center of the open kitchen.

Nino and Tony started working on this project five or six months ago - in the middle of the worst part of the credit crisis and "recession." I talked with them alot during the renovation of Dolce Vita, their upscale Italian restaurant which gave up some space for Nick and Nino's, and during the construction of the pizza restaurant. I don't know how much they spent, but I'm absolutely positive it wasn't a small investment. So I asked: "Why spend that much money, and open a new business, when the economy is tanking?"

Nino's answer was simple: "We have to do it to keep growing."

These two guys are very successful entrepreneurs who understand the best way to get through the tough economy - pay close attention to your bottom line, while planning for and investing in the inevitable top line growth that will come as things turn around. As the economy turns, which I think it's already starting to do, their brand new restaurants will be positioned way ahead of the competition's to take great care of customers who are again wanting to spend money.

This isn't to say they aren't already busy at Dolce Vita - most evenings I'm there (which yes, are too many) the restaurant is incredibly busy. I'm certain Nick and Nino's will be just as successful.

The investment and the confidence that Tony and Nino have in their businesses and their plan is really inspirational for small business owners who are sweating slower receivables, decreasing sales and margin pressure.

Seeing what they've done sure makes me feel good about our business and our community. I wish them tremendous success. And thanks for the great pizza!

So, our company Nextel bill came in the mail yesterday... It has slowly crept up to just over $400 a month. Heartburn city, let me tell you.

So, I figured I'd give Nextel a call to see what we could do to lower my costs. We have an extra phone on the account we're not using, so I knew I could put that phone in "seasonal standby" for a few months, which drops the cost, but I wasn't sure what other options might be available.

I was connected to a wonderful customer service representative named Elizabeth. She reviewed our services, compared options, and came back with fantastic news.

She was able to reduce our monthly bill by over $100 per month, and at the same time, give us unlimited data, unlimited texting, 500 more minutes per month, AND unlimited Blackberry data service. Oh, and unlimited direct connect (the reason we use Nextel).

The lesson here I suppose to to review these monthly bills and check in once in a while with the vendor. They have a way of slowly going up.