[nfbmi-talk] Business Enterprise Program article ann arbor news
Terry Eagle
terrydeagle at yahoo.com
Fri Nov 30 19:53:39 UTC 2012
I have had first-hand contact and knowledge with Mark Rothenhauser with
regard to his business at the capitol as a member of his Business Enterprise
Support Team, known as BEST, and if the truth be known, people would not be
casting stones and insults at Mark Rothenhauser. If Mr, Essenberg, one of
those casting insults at Mark, and a member of Mark's BEST, were to stand up
for blind operators and demand accountability from management, rather than
doing unethical things to protect and get more favor for themselves, their
friends, and sighted significant others, they wouldn't have to be throwing
Mark Rothenhauserunder the rolling bus wheels, then, just perhaps, the BEP
would not be facing exstinction as it is today.
I can say as a fact that Mark's promotional agent never followed through on
ideas that could assist Mark's business, for example, getting the authority
and permits to establish a hot dog/sandwich cart outside the Capitol
building during summer months. This lack of support is confirmed by the
newly released BEP audit report by the auditor general, an independent
source. I know Mark's promotional agent was diligently busy doing
manadatory paperwork, which was never turned in, costing the BEP $7000. when
a vending machine was destroyed with the demolishment of the Holt rest area
facility, because the promotional agent did not follow through with his
duties, as also noted by the auditor general.
For five years I have been suggesting and begging the Elected Operators'
Committee and BEP mmanagement to visit, evaluate, and take positive,
affirmative action on the many mimimum sales facilities in the Business
Enterprise Program. What has been done other than attempt and actually
revoke the license of struggling and outspoken operators? Absolutely
nothing, with the exception of a Flint facility. And now, the likes of Rob
Essenberg, Constance Zanger, James Hull, and James Chaney are visiting
facilities as a "meet and greet" agenda. What is the purpose of such
questionable visits, since no report or affirmative action has been reported
or taken to assist the struggling mimimal sales facilities? Yeah, I too
would like a public report and explaination. And how about seeing any
notes, summaries, or affirmative plans for those facilities. In fact, it is
not those struggling minimal sales facilities that have been visited.
The fact is that the favored are given the attention and rewarded, such as a
facility being remodeled that was remodeled eight years ago, while there are
facilities that have not been remodeled for 30 years! This lack of
attention to facilities was pointed out last year by Mr. Steve Arwood of
LARA, with a response from BEP management that such issues will be addressed
in their (BEP management) time frames. Then the blind question the "why" of
such action as the Executive Orders and House Bill 6006?
Perhaps as Hazell Brooks once publicly suggested, Mr. Essenberg should tell
and show how to use the system to get that which one needs for their
struggling facility and business, the way Mr. Essenberg has gotten from the
state system. Is such information so personal that Mr. Essenberg cannot
share such valuable beneficial information. I strongly sense the newly
released auditor general's findings and conclusions give us as citizens
partial insight into why such information and methods cannot or will not be
divulged by the likes of Mr. Essenberg. However, I do challenge the likes
of Mr. Essenberg, James Chaney, and Mark's sister Marlene , to expend the
energy they used inthrowing Mark under the bus wheels, by blaming the
Capitol building facility problems solely on Mark and holding themselves and
the program blameless for the lack of sales and challenges there, and I
suggest that they put there time, energy, and own money into personally
operating that and other minimal sales facilities for a year, and strictly
with the lack of support and follow-up given to Mark, and without the secret
tricks used by the favored, to demonstrate just how profitable the Capitol
and other minimal sales facilities can actually be, as hhas been suggested
by the outspoken. The time has come to step up and demonstrate your beliefs
for the good and survival of these facilities and the BEP.
In the meantime, we are stuck with the same BEP management, despite agency
reorganization, a sad and poor performance report from the independent
auditor general, continued poor training of BEP operators, sighted persons
operating and destroying facility businesses mandated for qualified blind
persons, and incompetent management and program promotional agents, who are
charged by law to support and assist blind persons in business.
Those in management and alleged leadership can once again accuse me of
shooting another "missile" or rock in their direction with this writing,
however I write and speak with documented facts and actions presented by
others than myself. I am certain though, if the BS4BP management and
allegedEOC leadership can find another way to discriminate and retaliate
against me for continued speaking the truth, they indeed will further
discriminate and retaliate. Their latest is now to retaliate against my
sister who desires to return to the BEP from a medical leave following knee
surgery, by not accepting her bids on BEP facilities. She likely will be
the next operator to be thrown under the bus wheels by the EOC, exclaiming
and blaming my sister for taking a medical leave, and for some undisclosed
reason finding my sister ineligible to bid on facilities. Where are Mr.
Essenberg and Mr. Chaney, who profess to be fighting for all BEP operators
and blind persons. Sorry sister, I guess you too fall under the EOC's Terry
Eagle exclusion clause, because you are my sister and share my last name.
But have no fear sister, justice will be had in the end, and the evil will
be overcome and replaced with goodness. Truth and justice shall prevail.
The same will become true for you Mark Rothenhauser.
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Sontag
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Business Enterprise Program article ann arbor news
You'll never guess how some members of the Elected Operators' Committee and
other operators are reacting to this article. They are heaping abuse on Mr.
Rothenhauser, even his sister, saying he's a bad operator who should be
removed from the program. I know nothing about his abilities as an
operator, but I know that his facility has been a troubled location for many
years, well before Mark took over.
----- Original Message -----
From: "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 19:47
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Business Enterprise Program article ann arbor news
> Outragious. Simply outragious. My copy of this report was totally and
> outragiously inaccessable.
>
> That is a fact Jackson!
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "trising" <trising at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "nfbmi List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 6:36 PM
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Business Enterprise Program article ann arbor news
>
>
>> Mark Rothenhauser, 55, operates the snack bar at the state Capitol.
>> He's been participating in the state's Business Enterprise Program for
>> people who are blind and visually impaired for six years.Melissa Anders |
>> MLive
>> LANSING, MI - The state did not properly manage a program that helps
>> blind people run vending facilities in government buildings, according to
>> an audit report that estimates the program improperly spent about a
>> quarter million dollars.
>>
>> A report released Tuesday by Michigan's Auditor General found that the
>> Michigan Commission for the Blind did not effectively monitor the
>> finances, contracting and inventory for its Business Enterprise Program.
>> The program offers licenses to blind and visually impaired people to
>> operate vending machines, cafeterias, snack bars, carts and other food
>> services in state and federal buildings, highway rest stops and visitor
>> centers.
>>
>> The audit generally covered Oct. 2008 through July 2011, when the program
>> was still managed by the Michigan Commission for the Blind.
>>
>> The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) realized there
>> were several issues with the vending program and requested the audit.
>>
>> Gov. Rick Snyder responded to broader issues surrounding the Commission
>> for the Blind with an executive order that replaced the commission with
>> the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons in October.
>>
>> Ed Rodgers took over as director of the bureau last month with the
>> mandate to make improvements.
>>
>> "While there's issues and problems we need to correct, the public needs
>> to be reassured that this administration is not wasting taxpayers'
>> dollars and that we are running an effective and efficient program,"
>> Rodgers said. "We're doing what we're supposed to be doing."
>>
>> The Business Enterprise Program had eight staff members and more than 80
>> licensees who operated about 400 sites throughout the state as of July
>> 2011.
>>
>> Operators give 10 percent of their profits to the commission to pay for
>> expenses such as new equipment and retirement funds.
>>
>> "The public needs to be reassured that this administration is not wasting
>> taxpayers' dollars." - Ed Rodgers
>> The audit estimates that the commission improperly spent $254,000 in
>> operator fees from Oct. 2008 through July 2011 on miscellaneous program
>> expenses that were not in accordance with state code.
>>
>> The commission also did not effectively confirm operators' monthly sales
>> reports, meaning the state couldn't make sure that it properly calculated
>> and paid retirement contributions, pension payments and operator fees,
>> the audit found. Even though the vendors are independent contractors, the
>> program pays out such benefits.
>>
>> That finding didn't surprise Mark Rothenhauser, who operates the snack
>> bar at the state Capitol. He sells pizza slices, popcorn, soda and other
>> snacks from a small shop located on the ground level of the building.
>>
>> "An operator can basically pull a number out of the air and report that
>> as sales," he said. "There's not a mechanism in place to authenticate
>> what the operator reports as sales is actually their sales. So if you go
>> with that, you don't know if they're paying the correct set-aside fee."
>>
>> Rodgers said he set aside $150,000 to create a new data program for the
>> entire bureau that will keep better track of vending sales and net
>> income. It should be in place early next year.
>>
>> Other audit findings dealt with deficiencies in monitoring equipment
>> inventory, contracts and operator assistance.
>>
>> The bureau is completing an inventory of its equipment, such as coolers
>> and microwaves, and is setting up performance measures for staff members
>> who assist operators.
>>
>> "The auditor general's office should be applauded for the thorough job
>> they did in this," Rodgers said.
>>
>> Email Melissa Anders at manders at mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter:
>> @MelissaDAnders.
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