Drive Politely

Over the last 12 years, The Next Street has grown from a 10 employee company to a 150 employee company. In that time, we have been constantly working on our company culture and our practices to attract and retain high quality people. Our business is a service business. We have grown this much by getting really good at providing outstanding service to our customers. In our experience, the best way to provide outstanding service is to hire an outstanding team. 

There are no good solutions for back to school in 2020. Parents, students, teachers and administrators are all having a shared experience of worry, fear, sadness and frustration. Perhaps the biggest challenge is the unknown. As schools start to reopen and people begin to make their decisions and live their new lives, no one feels any sense of comfort that the setup on September 1 will still be the setup on October 1. And if the rug gets pulled out from under you, what will you do? 

The world is hard. If you’re like me, there are times you want to throw your hands in the air and scream. People can be downright mean, from strangers to the people closest to you and everywhere in between. It sucks, and it’s sad and it’s frustrating and sometimes the weight of it all can just feel like too much to bear.

Thank you for everything that you do Jordan! You are an inspiration! 

The following is from an email sent to us about Jordan.

"He has been a dedicated member of our local Fire Department since the month he turned 14 and was finally of age to become a junior member. He has since earned his CPR certification at the age of 14, His EMR certification at the age of 15 and his Boating License at the age of 16, just to name a few.

At The Next Street, heroes mean a lot to us. They work among us, sit in our classrooms, or have children that attend. Our heroes have fought for our freedom, protected our streets and homes, and some still put their life in harm's way to this day. Whether it be military, or public service. We recognize all of these brave men and women and what they have done and still do for us. That is why The Next Street is proud to give as much support as we can to these individuals. For one, we like to hire heroes. Their lead from the front mentality and dedication to the job is something we like all of the employees at The Next Street to have and our heroic employees provide a good example of how to be to everyone. We love having them on our team. On the other side, we take pride in doing our part in recognizing these individuals when they plan on attending our classrooms or enrolling a child in one of our classes. We offer discounts to our heroes and their families upon enrollment as recognition for a job well done. We would love to do more. So, if you, or someone you know is a hero who has served in the Armed Forces, Police, or Fire. We would like to recognize that person and encourage others to do the same. Reach out to us on social media, by phone, or email with a photo of your hero and brief description. We would love to share it to our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter page!

Every town has its traffic trouble spots. On this episode of Traffic Troubles, The Next Street visited Officer Soccio with the New London Police Department. We talked about what some of the department's major concerns were when it came to traffic within New London and went to visit them. One thing to keep in mind about New London, which is something that happens to a lot of other smaller cities, is that the roads were built a long time ago. Meaning, when built, the growth of the city was not a major concern, so being able to handle so much traffic was not expected. Officer Soccio went over why these areas were concerning and how, and when, to avoid trouble in these areas.  

Long trips in the car can get boring. Liven things up for yourself and your passengers by playing one of these simple but fun car games!

Why you should regularly get maintenance done on your car

 Having a car is an investment in you and your independence and investments cost money. Getting from Point A to Point B requires gas which can be costly. Then if you need work done on your car that adds to the total cost of own and operating a car. But reality is that driving allows you the ability to get yourself around and earn a good paycheck. Having a car allows us to see new places and have new experiences that aren’t in our own backyard. Life is better having the freedom to drive yourself and your family.

If the thought of a DMV visit feels like an obstacle course that’s set up just for you to fail, you’ve come to the right place. As promised, The Next Street is still working diligently at maneuvering through each office in Connecticut; stick with us and your next trip to the Willimantic Department of Motor Vehicles will be a joy ride. 

When your teen has their driver's license, and you no longer have to schedule your day around theirs, you might be wondering "now that I have this free time, what can I do?" Don't worry. We've put together a list of ideas to help you figure it out.