John Fries

George A. Thoma Funeral Home, Inc. was founded and open in 1958 by George A. Thoma. Since that time, we have been providing continuous service to families in Wexford and across the North Hills.
Our property has a fascinating history. During the middle of the 20th century, the stretch of Route 19/Perry Highway that's now familiar to Wexford residents and visitors as the busy "Wexford flats," lined with stores, car dealerships and other businesses, was largely farmland. In fact, the land on whi...

By John Fries

One day in October 2009, Brittany Sakson came home from high school sick with the H1N1 influenza, commonly known as swine flu. In the days that followed, Brittany’s mother Stephanie, caught the flu as well. Although her symptoms weren’t as severe, they continued for several months. After numerous doctor visits, tests and trips to the emergency room, there was no clear conclusion about what was making her feel so sick.

Stephanie finally got a diagnosis the day she went with her mother to an ap...

By John Fries

In 1998, Marianne Vennitti, a Cherry Hill, New Jersey wife, mother, and fitness professional, suddenly started experiencing a rash of unusual symptoms—chronic fatigue, body pain, and even mental confusion. When she sought medical help, doctors considered a wide variety of possibilities including fibromyalgia and Lyme disease. Unfortunately, none of the treatments made a difference.

Thirty-two-year-old Erica Barram was just 22 when she was diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis. Previously healthy, Erica didn’t know anything about autoimmune diseases until learning she had one. She was completely unaware about how many people have vasculitis. “I was very scared when I was first diagnosed. I was also very angry, and I felt very alone. Thank goodness for the Vasculitis Foundation. It really opened my eyes.”

On a hot, muggy evening in July, Brandon Hudgins competed in the Liberty Mile in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and finished third, ahead of one longtime rival, but behind two others. “My times weren’t very fast due to the sweltering conditions,” Brandon recalled, “but the effort was there. I fought off many demons and negative thoughts during that last mile, that were begging me to give into the pain and horrible conditions. It was a huge step in the right direction, mentally, as I begin to prep ...

On Sunday, July 22, Abby Cobey woke up in Lake Placid, New York, a village in the Adirondack Mountains known for its picturesque natural environs—trees, trails and lakes—and for being the site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
It was an important day for Abby, a psychologist from Alexandria, Virginia, who has dedicated her career to helping clients manage a variety of personal issues. This, however, was a day that Abby would test her own mettle.
In a short time, Abby would join many ...

10 Marketing Secrets I Learned from Andy Warhol.

If you work in the nonprofit world, one of your biggest challenges is getting, maintaining and continuing to grow financial support. Whether you appeal to foundations, corporations, the public, or some combination of the three, know this: you’re competing against lots and lots of other nonprofits, many if not most of which have cases for support that are as strong as yours.
In a perfect world, there would be lots of money to go around and all nonprofits would benefit. But budgets being budget...

What separates successful people from unsuccessful people? Often, it comes down to a single word: action.
You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you don't take action, then it's just that. An idea. A lonely, unfulfilled idea. And if you don't take action, not only do you not reap the potential benefits of your idea, but the world will be deprived of something that might be helpful, even life-changing.
Steve Jobs and his friend Steve Wozniak took action and built a better computer...

If 2015 has a theme in the world of marketing, it's The Age of Content. We all know that content matters, that great content helps grow business and that there's lots and lots of content out there--some good, some bad and some downright ugly. Content marketing only helps a company when it's able to grab attention, sustain reader interest and establish the business or personal brand it represents as authoritative and credible, eventually leading the reader to respond in some way to the writer,...

Whether you're a prospective, fledgling or veteran entrepreneur, here are 10 marketing tips to help you position your business for success.

We've all been in this position at one time or another. Some people are in it every day. Whether you're interviewing for a new job, a screenwriter or producer trying to make a deal, a salesperson, fundraiser, financial advisor, or a professional in one of countless other fields, there's a situation we all must eventually address:

There's something you want.

And there's someone who can say "yes" so you'll get it.

Salespeople pitch potential new customers for business. Development people pitch ...