Features

The 2006 Customers First Awards

All too often, being a customer is like living out a bad joke. But the winners of our third-annual Customers First Awards turn the humdrum into entertaining experiences.

On With the Show!

The Enlightenment of Richard Branson By Alan Deutschman

The Agonies of Lewis Black By Chuck Salter

Basic Training By David Lidsky

It's 11 O'Clock. Do You Know What Your Customers Are Worth?

Our Customer Champions

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group By Bill Breen

NASCAR By Michael A. Prospero

American Girl By Keith H. Hammonds

Burton Snowboards By Jennifer Reingold

Life Time Fitness By David Lidsky

MAC Cosmetics By Danielle Sacks

Honorable Mentions

Local Heroes

Frost Bank By Jordan Breal

Estridge HOMExperience By Evan West

Zane's Cycles By Alyssa Danigelis

More Local Heroes

Slideshow: 2006 Customer Service Champions

Slideshow: Customer Service Tales from the Experts

Just Two Good Ole Boys...

How CMT is making cowboy boots, pickup trucks, and woeful ballads cool. But not too cool. By Ryan Underwood

How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change the World? One. And You're Looking At It.

For years, compact fluorescent bulbs have promised dramatic energy savings--yet they remain a mere curiosity. That's about to change. By Charles Fishman

Space Shot: Bloomberg Headquarters, New York, NY

Bloomberg's new headquarters is an architectural expression of the global financial markets. By Linda Tischler

Slideshow: Bloomberg Headquarters

Moving Pictures

"If you want to send a message" in Hollywood, the saying goes, "call Western Union." Don't tell that to entrepreneur and philanthropist Jeff Skoll. With 11 Oscar nominations for cause-driven work such as Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck--and a growing roster of A-list talent at his side--he's proving that it pays to be pointed. By Anya Kamenetz

Fast Talk: Advertising Architects

Buzz-worthy campaigns turn ad-agency creatives into the cool kids of the moment. But behind every copywriter-cum--rock star is a courageous client. Meet the people who had the guts to greenlight this past year's boldest advertising. By Danielle Sacks

School Days

Should for-profit companies run public schools? An entrepreneur and a principal weigh in. By Steven F. Wilson and George Wood

Full Text: School Days

Next

Hospitality. Sweet.

The recipe for a sublime risotto? It's all about being nice. By Linda Tischler

Nano Is Nice

Bruce Stewart is building a nanotech research conglomerate. By Michael Fitzgerald

Self-Serving

There are so many ways to provide good service, and just as many to fail. These blogs show you how to get it right. By Michael A. Prospero

We're With the Band

The new cultural tastemakers: you--and everyone else. By Howard Parnell

When the Music's Over

After-show media puts the concert in your pocket. By Dan Daley

Good Vibrations

Researchers harvest the energy from our steps. By Tracy Staedter

A Mushroom in Your Tank?

Taking stock of the latest in alternative-fuel strategies. By Jennifer Alsever

Cue the Computers

How Star Circle Pictures is remaking moviemaking. By Adam L. Penenberg

Miracle Microbes

Innovation: Synthetic malaria cure. Available: 2009. By Tonya Garcia

We Got the Beat

Our distinctive typing patterns could prove the key to digital security. By Joseph Manez

Plastic Planet

For Tupperware, all the world's a storage container. By Alyssa Danigelis

Cement Bloc

Builders recycle the stuff of Communist-era Berlin. By Michael Dumiak

Slam Excerpt

The Price of Disgust

How much less will we pay for a shirt someone else has tried on? By Tim Hyland

Datebook

Critical calendar listings for September 2006. By Joseph Manez

L.A.'s Online Safety Net

Healthy City brings mapping technology to social services. By John Rosenthal

Mani Sivasubramanian: Spamming for Good

By Josie Swindler

Halcyon Hospitals

The latest in a series of tales inspired by past visions of a perfect future. By Paul Lukas

Playbook

A First-Class Production

Business class is the new first, as startup airlines and old stalwarts try to woo you with fresh seats and services. By Susan Stellin

What Business Class Gets You On 6 Carriers

And what your fellow passengers think. By Susan Stellin

Jeeves Plugs In

Introducing the BlackBerry-powered hotel butler. By Susan Stellin

A Hard Day's Night

I should be sleeping like a dog. I'm not. My monthlong rehab plan. By David Lidsky

Reading List: The Immortal Game

Chess has played a pivotal role in society for centuries. The Immortal Game tells the story. By Lucas Conley

Other Recommended Reading

Econospinning and The Accidental Investment Banker. By Lucas Conley

The Corporate Shrink

The doctor is out: After three years, the Corporate Shrink takes down his shingle. By Dr. Kerry J. Sulkowicz

More Great Stuff

Letter from the Editor

Only connect. By Mark N. Vamos

Between the Lines

The stories behind this issue's stories.

Feedback

Letters. Updates. Advice.

Report From the Past: You Read It Here First