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Articles Knoxville Reviews

Open Letter: Harper Acura Does It Again

Mr. Tom Harper
Harper Dealerships
9735 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37922

Dear Mr. Harper:

If my memory serves me correctly, it was about 10 years ago when I had my first Harper Auto Square experience. I was a few months into the ownership of a ’01 VW Jetta when I experienced a brake light switch failure for the second time. After limping it into Harper Volkswagen your technicians promptly resolved the issue, in under 45 minutes if I remember correctly.

Fast forward to 2011 and here I am, still visiting the Harper brand. The service I received long ago at the VW dealership led me to purchase my last two cars from a Harper dealership – Harper Acura to be exact.

Since January 30, 2006 I have been taking our Acura’s to Harper Acura for routine maintenance. On January 18th I made a special trip, one that included routine maintenance but also a user error fix. After a failed personal grille replacement procedure I put a call into Richard Tompa and his crew and explained my dilemma. Richard got me a quick slot on the books and I was all set.

When I arrived at the dealership the morning of the 18th I was greeted by Kenny Rolen who confirmed the reason for my visit. I snatched my loaner car, which was clean inside and out I might add, and headed to work. A couple hours later I received a call from Richard who explained the procedure needed to replace the chrome grille trim and a very fair quote for the fix. I approved the work and a few hours later I was back in the service bay retrieving my ’06 TSX.

When they pulled the car around I inspected the repair work and it was, as expected, top notch. During this visit, I believe Brian Brown was the tech that worked on my car. In any case, the Harper experience that day was just as they all are for me: prompt, well-explained and full of genuine interactions from all the folks that work there.

In the future I’m confident I’ll continue to receive the best service at Harper Acura so kudos to you Mr. Harper for pairing remarkable customer service with remarkable automotive brands.

Keeping it between the lines,

Casey Peters

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Acura TSX Articles Reviews

2006 Acura TSX – 5 Years of Ownership, Nothing But Superlatives

In winter of 2005/06 I decided to shop for a new four-door sedan. Out of the Lexus IS250, Acura TSX and Volkswagen Jetta GLI I chose the TSX. It met all of my requirements and the fact that it was assembled in Japan was a big plus for me.

January 30th of this year will mark 5 years of ownership with my TSX. In typical blog fashion, I am writing a review to share the ups and downs of owning this particular model. Let’s start with the numbers.

Current Mileage: 75,437
Average Fuel Economy / Range: 26.39 MPG / 280.3 miles
Maintenance Costs (including tires): $3,117.31
Personal Modification Costs: $308.05

All generations of the TSX are based on the European version of the Honda Accord which makes it smaller than the US version of the Accord. Part of the draw to own this car was it’s small, sporty size that still has ample interior room for four adults and their accompanying luggage.

Continue reading “2006 Acura TSX – 5 Years of Ownership, Nothing But Superlatives”
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Articles Reviews

Review: Case-mate Barely There Case for HTC EVO

Update: As I quoted below, “bad news” ensued when I dropped my Evo. I still give this case a passing grade for everyday wear and tear protection.

On the bell curve of innovation I tend to fall in the early adopters section. Perhaps because I like to try new things or maybe it’s because I like to inflict a lot of pain…on myself. Whatever the reason I like my products to be covered in the fresh scent of beta.

Early in 2010 I decided to put Sprint to the test by purchasing their first Android-based smartphone, the HTC Hero. A quick trip to Best Buy (which I highly recommend for cell phone transactions) and off I went. About twelve months and many cuss words later I decided that the Hero didn’t have the hardware oomph to take Android OS to the next level. So, I upgraded to the HTC EVO 4G.

After about 20 days with the EVO I have to say that I’m very pleased. It’s fast, consistent and packs a big enough screen to ease the pain of not having some type of keyboard for my fat fingers. Since my cell phone acts as both my mobile and home phone line, it goes with me everywhere which means it’s going to get dropped. I’m going to need a case, right?

Continue reading “Review: Case-mate Barely There Case for HTC EVO”
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Acura MDX Articles

Acura MDX Gas Mileage: 10 Tanks and Counting

If you follow this site you probably know by now that I love crunching data, especially when it comes to the fuel efficiency of my cars.

In late October of this year my wife and I purchased a 2009 Acura MDX to replace her aging Honda Accord. Obligatory plug: we took delivery via Harper Acura who worked diligently to procure the car from another state and ensure they left us as happy customers. I’ve been going to Harper VW and Harper Acura since 2002ish and they’ve never disappointed me. If you’re in the market give Shannon a call at the Porsche building and he’ll hook you up with the right person.

Continue reading “Acura MDX Gas Mileage: 10 Tanks and Counting”
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Articles The Web

4 Project Management Blogs That Won’t Give You Scope Creep

As I prepare to take the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam early next year, I’m constantly trying to cram as much project management (PM) info into each day. While browsing my RSS reader today I realized I have a good spread of PM sites in my arsenal. Instead of hording them to myself I thought I would share. Here are four project management blogs that are worth your time:

  • The Project Management Hut. Always updating, the PM Hut is stuffed with PM articles covering just about every topic you could imagine. The collection of authors do an excellent job relating to various industries as well, making sure not to cover one sector too strongly.
  • Project Shrink. This site does a great job of mixing the sometimes boring semantics of PM work with the real world human aspects of working on projects. The author, Bas de Baar, intermittently updates the site with informative videos, thoughtful advice and a drizzle of social media info.
  • Scope crêpe. Rich Maltzman, PMP, updates his site Scope crêpe about once a month. He tends to focus on showcasing tools and processes that will help any project manager, novice or pro.
  • Fear No Project. The FNP blog is written by Bruce McGraw and is focused on covering real world project scenarios. He recently posted a timely read called “What to do when everyone leaves town for the Holiday” which I’m sure is on every PM’s mind about this time of year.
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Articles Food

Classified Info: Pal’s Sudden Service Secret Menu

For over 18 years plus a few summers, I lived in Kingsport, TN, headquarters to Pal’s Sudden Service. Not once during those 18 years did anyone mention the Pal’s Secret Menu – until today.

While skimming the I Love Pal’s group pages on Facebook, I stumbled upon a discussion thread asking what everyone liked best on the Secret Menu. For those as sheltered as I am here are the items:

– Dipped Big Pal (meat is dipped in sauce burger sauce)
– Dressed Hot Dog (hot dog with lettuce, tomato and pickle)
– Toasted Cheese (bun reversed grilled cheese with lettuce and tomato)
– Ham & Cheese Breakfast Style (toasted cheese w/ ham)
– Peachy Mello Yellow
– Peachy Sprite

Something tells me there will be a need for stickers and t-shirts proclaiming ones knowledge of this highly classified menu.

More Secret Menu Items: Chili Cheddar Rounds (William)

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Articles Reviews

Well Protected: Seidio BlackBerry Innocase Review

If my parents had only known how I’d turn out they would have made my middle name “Frugal”. Let’s just say I didn’t join the text message revolution until a few months ago.

But when my Motorola MotoQ crapped out on me I saw a window of opportunity to upgrade both my phone and my plan. So now, I’m sporting a BlackBerry Curve with an unlimited text plan, putting those $0.20/text charges to bed forever. Dang, I’m so rogue.

The Curve comes with a leather pouch that makes slipping the phone into your pocket fairly easy. It’s removing the phone from the pouch over and over that gets old.

Looking for a better protection setup, I turned to a brand I had used before, Seidio. My MotoQ was once wrapped in their black Innocase Surface case which I loved – until a couple of clips broke that held the two sides together and rendered it useless. Nonetheless, the surface the product name eludes to is spectacular. It provides just the right amount of grip.

As pictured above, I outfitted my Curve 8330 with the Innocase Hybrid case. As the name suggests, Seidio combines a “Crystal” front plate with a black Innocase Surface back-plate.

I chose the hybrid model to retain a visible front while receiving the grip that I mentioned earlier from the back. This case has an excellent snug fit which protects all areas while only increasing the size of phone by a minuscule amount.

I received the case as a Christmas gift, but the $29.95 price tag is well worth it if you’re looking for a durable product that will protect your cellphone investment.

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Acura TSX Articles

What I found after 2.5 years of tracking my fuel consumption

Miles Per Gallon

A little over a month ago I gave you a glimpse at my auto-shifting 2006 Acura TSX fuel economy. After nearly 2.5 years of ownership I remain completely satisfied each time I complete a commute.

The same can be said for my fuel consumption. The owners manual for the TSX calls for no less than 91 octane. Beginning February 7, 2006, the only octane ratings guzzled up have been 92 or 93, depending on the fueling station.

After 133 fill-ups I have averaged 25.93 MPG, or 27.53 MPG per the multi informational display (MID) located in the gauge cluster. I arrived at the 25.93 number by dividing miles on the tank by gallons needed to top off the tank; a number I feel more confident in versus the MID.

Miles Per Gallon

Continue reading “What I found after 2.5 years of tracking my fuel consumption”
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Articles

How did you become you?

I often attempt to make dining out for lunch a common occurrence. Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Gavin Baker, CEO of Abunga.com.

We shared a lot of good stories pertaining to the past and present. I was, however, caught off-guard by a question from Gavin who asked, “how did the Casey who grew up in East Tennessee become the Casey Peters that we know today?”

I can’t say that I have ever given much thought to that question. As I fumbled around I left wondering if I really answered his question. So, here are a few short points that get at an answer.

  • I’m not afraid of being wrong. Someone once asked me, “Casey, what would you say to a classroom full of high school students?” to which I replied, “Screw up and screw up often.” I don’t advise that you begin a search for mistakes; that would be like putting your car in reverse. However, I have learned more from being wrong than I have from being right. Furthermore, mistakes have forced me to become more innovative.
  • You have to care about everything. If someone takes the time to create an application, write a book, carry out a favor, let that person know that you care. Send a note or e-mail stating that it changed you so it can in return, better the creator/writer/person or their work.
  • I’m not afraid of ‘no’. Everyone puts their pants on the same way in the morning; maybe some are more graceful than others. If you want advice, feedback or have a favor request, don’t be afraid to climb the totem pole for an answer. I promise, hearing ‘no’ isn’t all that scary.
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Articles

My leadership departure from YPK

Well, I did it.

Effective June 1, 2008, I will become member and President Emeritus of Young Professionals of Knoxville (YPK). After agreeing to serve a second year, I have decided that it’s best for me to hand the torch to a more fitting individual and relinquish my leadership role.

In my e-mail to the executive committee I stated that it was hard to pin-point a single reason for my decision. But, that kind of reason never satisfies anyone. To cast a better light onto the situation, here are a few reasons for my departure:

  • Vision: I’m a firm believer in that a founder should only lead for so long. Since 2005, I have worked on YPK to take it from idea to organization. I have always been an “insider” so I feel it’s time to bring on someone who has an “outside” view of the group to spark new energy.
  • Pockets of Energy: Knoxville is sitting on the tipping point for a myriad of great ideas. I want to make some of those happen and keep my home life intact. So, my priorities received a much needed shift.

As I stated above, I will remain a member, focusing my efforts on becoming a technician rather than an entrepreneur. We have started work on a brand new website which I will manage until completion.

I still very much believe in what YPK stands for and know that it will thrive throughout the Knoxville community.

Many thanks go out to those who helped get YPK started, those who keep YPK running and to those that will come along and change the future.