President's Message

Our April members only breakfast was one of our best yet.  Program Chair Clare Monteau Stevenson surveyed members to select four professional development topics to be discussed at our April breakfast.  Once topics were chosen, members stepped forward to express interest in facilitating discussions on the topics.

Nancy Schultz of Nancy Schultz Consulting spoke about Leveraging Procurement Advantages as Minority/Women owned business.  Ellen Lahr of EGLahr Communications led a discussion on Retainer v Hourly v Success Fee Structure.  Ray Patterson of Capital Consulting Group, llc discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Building Alliances with Large Consulting Firms, and Clare Monteau Stevenson discussed Using Blogs as a Marketing Tool. 

What made the breakfast dynamic was the wide array of expertise we were able to share.  Peter Thomas of alpenGRAPHIK shared his background working for the SUNY System and as part of a large consulting firm, as well as key points on how many different ways there are to provide services.  Alan Krieger of Krieger Solutions, LLC spoke about his experiences working with other members of The Consulting Alliance on projects.  Deborah Mackin of New Directions Consulting, Inc. shared insights on how her business has grown and flourished over the last 28 years.

As President, what I enjoy seeing most is how our organization continues to grow in collaboration and camaraderie.  To truly appreciate the value of the Consulting Alliance means being a part of our members only events and keeping the dialogue going between those events.  

We hope you join us at our next public lunch on May 10th, and consider becoming a member so you can participate in our next members only professional development meetings on May 30 and June 28th.

My next Presidents Coffee will be on Wednesday May 15th from 8:30 -11 am.  Sign up for a 30 minute session with me to chat about The Consulting Alliance or business at http://presidentscoffee.eventbrite.com.

Robert Braathe, President
Consulting Alliance
robertjbraathe@gmail.com

Upcoming Programs

May Luncheon - Scenic Views of Volunteerism: Enhance Your Business Through Compassion
Friday, May 10th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Robert Clancy, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Soul and co-founder of Spiral Design Studio, LLC, will discuss how community service enhances your business and your bottom line, how volunteerism makes a difference in your community and why you should be involved, and how you can enhance your leadership through compassion. A book signing will precede and follow the program.

Members Only Luncheon - Professional and Business Development & Insight from R2R Winners
Thursday, May 30th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

This luncheon event will serve as an exciting opportunity to learn how last years winners benefited from their awarded consulting engagements. BESS Technologies CEO Fernando Gomez-Baquero and Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless President Bonnie St. Onge will share their experience with the Consulting Alliance and help us learn how this years initiative can grow and improve.

June Luncheon - Marketing Made Simple: Let Your Message Be Heard
Friday, June 14th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Our speakers, Ronald K. Smith and Sierra J. Sullivan of LifeStylized, will reveal why marketing is the greatest gift entrepreneurs can give to the people they are meant to serve; how to avoid the three biggest mistakes heart-centered entrepreneurs make when marketing to their audiences; and what makes people eager and excited to pay for an entrepreneur’s services.

Committee News

The Roadmap To Results in 2013!

The Roadmap To Results is back in 2013 and promises to be bigger and better.

The May 30th luncheon event will serve as an exciting opportunity to learn how last years winners benefited from their awarded consulting engagements. BESS Technologies CEO Fernando Gomez-Baquero and Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless President Bonnie St. Onge will share their experience with the Consulting Alliance and help us learn how this years initiative can grow and improve.

Members will also discover how they can take part in the fun and excitement. Last years teams learned how members can work together professionally, gain valuable experience, promote their skills expertise, gain access to viable business leads, and help the Consulting Alliance grow to meet the future needs of the Capital Region.

Member Presentations & News

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc. has been engaged to develop a 30th business anniversary promotional campaign for an artisan bread company in western New York. Elements of the integrated marketing and public relations strategic plan include educating existing and new customers about the company's products, telling the company's story through print and broadcast media and expanding the company's retail reach.

Robert Braathe of Braathe Enterprises recently gave a presentation and Q+A on LinkedIn for business at the SEFCU headquarters in Albany, NY on Washington Avenue. Local business owners and entrepreneurs came to listen to this 90 minute interactive presentation and Q+A on how to use LinkedIn for Business.  For more information on Robert's upcoming workshops and events, visit http://www.braatheenterprises.com

Joan Heffler of Creative Expressions Photograph -- Pictures With Personality! just launched a brand new website at www.joanhefflerphotography.com.  She also has contracted with the New York State Bar Association to photograph for them at their upcoming statewide delegates meeting.

Alan Krieger of Krieger Solutions, LLC will be presenting a breakfast program for the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce on Dealing with Difficult People on June 7, 7:30 a.m. at the Guilderland Public Library 2228 Western Ave. For more information, go to: http://www.guilderlandchamber.com/calendar.html.  Alan also reports that his clients have benefited greatly (as has he) from his membership in the Consulting Alliance.  Alan had a request for training from the City University of New York for topics outside his areas of expertise and has been able to assemble a team including two Consulting Alliance members to provide this training. In addition, Alan submitted and won a number of bids for leadership training, organizational assessments and consulting, and technical writing with the MTA, the Dormitory Authority, the Higher Education Services Corporation and the State Education Department, all with partnerships that include Consulting Alliance members.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC was the featured speaker at the March meeting of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce where he spoke on the topic, "Networking Beats NOTworking."  Dr. Tom was interviewed on WVCR on the topic, “What I Learned from the Death of My Brother.”   He volunteered his time at the Schenectady Job Fair and the Times Union Job Fair proving resume critiques and job search advice.  Dr. Tom continues to raise money for his daughter’s charity the Alport Syndrome Foundation as part of his 2013 Charity Climb of Half Dome and appreciates your support. You can donate at www.AlportSyndrome.org.

On Tuesday April 16th the Graduation for the Entrepreneur Boot Camp was held at the Albany Colony Chamber of Commerce.  17 Students completed the rigorous 12 week course.  Their efforts were recognized by keynote speaker, Lieutenant Governor, Robert Duffy.  Bill Polk of Business Advisory Services and Kat Koppett of Koppett & Company are among the many instructors.  
  
Ellen Lahr of EGLahr Communications has been retained by Experiential Resorts, a Denver-based hospitality group seeking to transform a Stockbridge, MA downtown-style "cottage" into a major destination resort. The company needs a zoning bylaw change at an upcoming town meeting and hired EGLahr to handle public outreach, media relations and event planning for an Open House that occurred at the estate April 17. With less than 10 days notice, Ellen's company developed media materials and an email marketing campaign to get the word out.  "We secured major media advance coverage for the event and day-of coverage in several area newspapers, including The Berkshire Eagle," says Lahr.  In addition, EGLahr also managed media relations for a special concert event by Berkshire-based Kids 4 Harmony, a classical music immersion program based on the El Sistema model established in Venezuela in 1975. That initial PR forms the basis for a $100,000 fundraising campaign for this unique early intervention program for urban children in Pittsfield. Ellen's company also about to launch their newest client website, www.newmarlborough.org.  Ellen also had a "get-to-know-you" meeting at Spiral Design, which does top-notch website design and development.

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future. As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the June Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: May 20th
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

President's Message

Our March members only meeting featured an overview of our dialogue and relationship with the CNSE.  Graham Jones presented an overview of the history of the CNSE, as well as what nano technology entails.  Bill Sorel and Alan Krieger discussed how the relationship began and how we can grow as a consulting alliance in terms of attracting and retaining the right talent within our organization.

We also discussed member benefits.  A recent survey indicated just how much members enjoyed our public events, our members only meetings, and our growing relationship with groups like CNSE, The Stakeholders and local schools and businesses.

Some of our most recent additions to member benefits include access to create content on The Consulting Alliance blog, as well as access to a professional projector for use at presentations in the area.

New Roles in The Consulting Alliance

I'd like to welcome Clare Stevenson Monteau and Liz Kodela to the board of The Consulting Alliance.  Clare is our new program chair, and Liz has joined us as our new marketing chair. In addition, Jerry Shaye has stepped up to the newly created role of analyzing the partnerships and relationships we have and are developing within the organization.

At The Consulting Alliance, its all about The Power of One - one of our trademarks is the role our volunteers play in supporting the organization, and we ask for each of our members to spend at least one hour per month supporting the initiatives of The Consulting Alliance. Thanks to the efforts of our board members, present and past, as well as our entire membership. We continue to see great strides in our business development opportunities and personal professional growth in our individual consultancies and practices.

See you at our next event, April 12th at 11:30 a.m.!  

Robert Braathe, President
The Consulting Alliance
robertjbraathe@gmail.com

Welcome New Members

At last month's members only program, we gained 3 new members!  We welcome them and look forward to their participation at Alliance events:

Ann Moynihan, President of Documentation Strategies; Tim Maniccia, Founder of Policy Innovation, Inc.; and Craig Shufelt, Owner/Founder of The Shufelt Group. 

Upcoming Programs

April Luncheon - Four Speakers and Their Must-Have Business Tools
Friday, April 12, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

 This presentation features:

“Even If You’re On the Right Track You’ll Get Run Over If You Just Sit There: 3 Tools to Keep You Moving Ahead” by Judi Clements
“High Touch and High Tech: How to Build an Empire” by Dr. Tom Denham
“Two Magic Tricks in Excel Anyone Can Perform” by James McGuinness
“Don’t Make Decisions in the Dark! Open a Goldmine of Demographic Data” by Robert Scardamalia

Members Only Breakfast - Business Development 
Friday, April 26th, 7:30 am to 9:30 am
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register   

Join your fellow CA members for an interactive networking breakfast to share ideas, collaborate on potential projects and discuss hot business topics.

May Luncheon - Scenic Views of Volunteerism: Enhance Your Business Through Compassion
Friday, May 10th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Robert Clancy, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Soul and co-founder of Spiral Design Studio, LLC, will discuss how community service enhances your business and your bottom line, how volunteerism makes a difference in your community and why you should be involved, and how you can enhance your leadership through compassion. A book signing will precede and follow the program.

Committee News

You Are Invited!

Renowned learning futurist Elliott Masie, will keynote a prestigious workplace learning and performance conference in Albany, N.Y. on Friday, May 3. Masie heads The MASIE Center, a Saratoga Springs, N.Y. think tank. His thought-provoking, entertaining and highly interactive presentation will cover cutting-edge workplace learning trends. The Hudson-Mohawk Chapter of the American Society for Training & Development hosts the day-long conference, which will also include inspirational and practical sessions from seven other top training experts. To get full details and to register for the event, visit the registration page or contact the chapter at 518.765.4080.

Member Presentations & News

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc. presented the program "Let the SELL-abrations Begin! Transform Your Business Anniversary Into a Growth Strategy" to members of The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce in Oneonta, NY. The program was in conjunction with the Chamber's 27th business anniversary. Pauline discussed innovative strategies for positioning products and services within the context of a business anniversary. Through client success stories, she demonstrated how creating themed, anniversary-year promotional campaigns celebrate a company's success and longevity, "sell"-abrate its products and services and deliver return on investment. Following the program, Pauline was a guest of the Chamber at its annual awards dinner.

Robert Braathe of Braathe Enterprises recently launched "The Business Lab", an interactive workshop where businesses can get support in areas of HR, Marketing, Project Management and Business Startup.  Open MTW from 3-7, the lab features Robert Braathe and other local business professionals who offer support to entrepreneurs, consultants and small business professionals including real estate agents who take classes at Manfred Learning Center.  For more information, visit http://businesslab.eventbrite.com or call 518-290-0812.

Ruth Walters of The Walters Group served as a panelist at the NYS Forum’s IT Corporate Roundtable February 28th, where she presented highlights from the 2013-14 Executive Budget alongside contract and procurement experts from OGS and lobbying organizations to about 60 Forum members. The NYS Forum’s IT Procurement Workgroup hosted an RFP Best Practices event the following week, where Ms. Walters again sat on a panel of nine other procurement and contracts experts and fielded questions and debate about topics surrounding RFP processes. The IT Corporate Roundtable is a monthly meeting hosted by the NYS Forum and is open to members. Each meeting features guest speakers dedicated to educating participants on relevant IT and technology developments happening in New York State. The Forum’s IT Procurement Workgroup operates within the Forum and is comprised of top Procurement experts from both the public and private sectors.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC recently spoke to members of the First United Methodist Church of Delmar on the topic, "Got Goals."  He was one of the featured speakers for the Medical Group Management Association Conference on the subject of “Work/Life Balance: Tips and Techniques.”  Dr. Tom appeared on TV-17 Colonie discussing Business Etiquette.  He continues to raise money for his daughter’s charity the Alport Syndrome Foundation as part of his 2013 Charity Climb of Half Dome and appreciates your support. You can donate at www.AlportSyndrome.org.

Author, speaker and consultant Lisa Giruzzi of Transformational Conversations was featured in the January 2013 issue of the Canadian Magazine, Metanoia. The meaning of the title of the magazine is "An experience or moment of transformation." The article on Lisa focused on her work in Appreciative Inquiry and its ability to transform organizational cultures and produce remarkable results.  
  
Steven M. Egna, CBA, ABAR, CM&AA, Director of Business Advisory Services at Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs, P.C. is scheduled to speak at Pioneer Bank in Albany, NY on April 23, 2013. This presentation, through the Endorphin Business Center Workshop series, will focus on business valuation and buy-sell agreements. Egna is a Certified Business Appraiser accredited by the Institute of Business Appraisers and a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor accredited by the Alliance of Mergers & Acquisitions; his focus is on business valuation, litigation support, economic damages analysis, and CFO advisory work as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future. As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the May Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: April 20th
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

President's Message

Fresh off our first business development meeting of the year at The Consulting Alliance, we are excited to report that several of our Consulting Alliance colleagues are collaborating on projects and interested in being part of team projects.  At our February breakfast, each participant was given an opportunity to share what business opportunities they were interested in pursuing and the kinds of projects they are collaborating on.  Personally, I was very enthused at several of the ideas my colleagues shared and am already starting a dialogue with them to see how best to work together.
 
To go along with our business development meeting, members have been sharing potential RFP opportunities with each other on the member forum to generate even more opportunity for our members.  This strategic focus has brought a renewed life to the efforts of the Alliance to help members grow their practices and collaborate on even bigger projects.  Past president Nancy Schultz and Treasurer Alan Krieger mentioned at our breakfast a new 4 month project they were selected for that came out of this opportunity sharing thanks to Pauline Bartel, Public Relations chair of The Consulting Alliance.
 
Following our successes from our February meeting, our vice president, Ray Patterson, started a discussion on our members forum to continue the dialogue as we proceed forward.  In March, we have Michael Fancher from the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering joining us to continue our business development focus and for him to share with us potential opportunities for Consulting Alliance members to participate in consulting work at the CNSE.
 
We welcomed 8 new members this month at our members breakfast and are interviewing other candidates who have expressed interest in the coming weeks.  It is truly an exciting time to be joining the Alliance and we welcome you to join us at our next public lunch on March 8th to hear what else we have in store! 

Robert Braathe, President
The Consulting Alliance
robertjbraathe@gmail.com

Welcome New Members

At last month's breakfast program, we gained 8 new members!  We welcome them and look forward to their participation at Alliance events:

Al Bellenchia, President of Bellenchia Consulting/The Alternative Board; Lynne Bunnell, CEO of Travel Health 101 LLC; Robert Clancy, Managing Partner at Spiral Design Studio, LLC; Chris Jones, Principal Consultant at Blue Creek Consulting, LLC; Liz Kodela, Owner of Capital District Design; Ellen Lahr, Founder & Owner of EGLahr Communications; James McGuinness, President of James McGuinness & Assoc.; and Clare Stevenson Monteau, Ph.D., of Clare Monteau. 

New Luncheon Pricing-Starting March

The Consulting Alliance luncheon costs have risen over the years, but we've kept our ticket prices stable. In March, Guests will pay $25 while CA members will pay $20.  This increase allows us to pay for the venue and still give everyone the opportunity to attend our events while covering our rising food costs.   

Upcoming Programs

March Luncheon - Influence Without Arm Twisting
Friday, March 8th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Lisa Giruzzi of Transformational Conversations will discuss the four communication myths preventing consultants from getting what they want, three little-known secrets for influencing others and effective communication strategies that can be implemented immediately to impact powerfully the behavior of others.

Members Only Luncheon - Partnering with the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering
Friday, March 22nd, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register   

Guest Speaker Michael Fancher CNSE Vice President for Business Development & Economic Outreach; Director, New York State CATN2; Associate Professor of Nanoeconomics will provide a review of CNSE and recent developments that will provide partnering opportunities with the Consulting Alliance.  He will lead a discussion with a panel of members to explore innovative ways we can work together with Albany Nanotech.

Stay tuned for details for our April 12th luncheon.

May Luncheon - Scenic Views of Volunteerism: Enhance Your Business Through Compassion
Friday, May 10th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Robert Clancy author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Soul and co-founder of Spiral Design Studio, LLC will discuss how community service enhances your business and your bottom line, how volunteerism makes a difference in your community and why you should be involved, and how you can enhance your leadership through compassion. A book signing will precede and follow the program.

Committee News

Albany Visitors & Convention Bureau Sales Meetings

The next monthly Director of Sales Meeting of the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau will be held Tuesday, March 12, noon, at New World Bistro Bar, 300 Delaware Avenue, Albany, NY. (Next to the Spectrum 8 Theaters - there is a large parking lot in the back and you may enter through the main entrance doors.) Networking begins at 11:30 am; the session will run until 1:00 pm. We are limited to a maximum of three CA members on a first come first serve basis. Please email Robert Braathe by March 5th at robert@saratogacollege.com.

You Are Invited!

Renowned learning futurist Elliott Masie, will keynote a prestigious workplace learning and performance conference in Albany, N.Y. on Friday, May 3. Masie heads The MASIE Center, a Saratoga Springs, N.Y. think tank. His thought-provoking, entertaining and highly interactive presentation will cover cutting-edge workplace learning trends. The Hudson-Mohawk Chapter of the American Society for Training & Development hosts the day-long conference, which will also include inspirational and practical sessions from seven other top training experts. To get full details and to register for the event, visit the registration page or contact the chapter at 518.765.4080.

Member Presentations & News

The article “3 Tips for Choosing the Right Consultant for Your Business Anniversary” by Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc., was accepted and published on EzineArticles.com: http://ezinearticles.com/?3-Tips-for-Choosing-the-Right-Consultant-for-Your-Business-Anniversary&id=7504532.

The article’s publication earned Pauline Expert Author status. As a result, the article appeared on the site’s high-traffic home page within 24 hours of acceptance, was sent to the exclusive EzineArticles RSS Feed and to the proprietary EzineArticles Email Alert Members.

Attention thought leaders! Learn how to get your work accepted by prestigious publications in the three-session continuing education course “Break Into Print With Nonfiction Articles” that  Pauline Bartel will teach at Hudson Valley Community College on Wednesdays, March 6, 13 and 20, 2013 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Troy Campus. Learn the step-by-step process of researching, writing and selling nonfiction in today’s red-hot periodicals market. Discover how you can explode one idea into dozens of articles (and collect multiple paychecks), guarantee that editors will call you when they need a feature and experience the thrill of seeing your nonfiction article in print. Register online at www.hvcc.edu or by phone (518) 629-7339.

Robert Braathe of Braathe Enterprises will be designing and delivering an all day workshop for a luxury resort property's management team in Southwest Virginia on March 28th.
 
Braathe Enterprises has also relaunched their BlogTalkRadio programming which features 15-30 minute segments on business topics and business profiles of entrepreneurs.  If you are interested in being profiled, contact Robert at Braathe Enterprises at robertjbraathe@gmail.com. Tune in at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/braathe.

Denise Horan, Principal of Integrated Management & Sales Consulting, will be conducting a seminar, “Building Your Network” for  the Women in Financial Services (WIFS) on March 12.  Guests are welcome.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC recently spoke to members of the Grown-Up Girls in Business on the topic, "LinkedIn or Left Behind: Strategies for Staying Current."  He served as a volunteer career counselor for the winter Times Union Job Fair.  Dr. Tom is among the Top 1% of Most Viewed LinkedIn Profiles out of 200 million members.

Steven M. Egna, Director of Business Advisory Services at Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs, P.C., is scheduled to present at the Binghamton University School of Management Seminar titled, Exit and Succession Planning for Closely Held Businesses on February 27, 2012.
 
Mr. Egna's session will focus on buy-sell agreements and business valuation aspects of the exit planning process; all sessions include case analyses and are designed to be highly interactive and are primarily targeted to owners of privately held business with more than one million dollars in annual revenue.
  
Egna is a Certified Business Appraiser accredited by the Institute of Business Appraisers and a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor accredited by the Alliance of Mergers & Acquisitions; his focus is on business valuation, litigation support, economic damages analysis, and CFO advisory work as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Susanna Opper of Shawenon Communications is presenting “Writing for the Web” at the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers on March 19 from 6-8 PM. The workshop will be held at the library in Lenox, MA. The event is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. Details about the Festival, which hosts 55 events throughout Berkshire county, are available at www.BerkshireWomenWriters.org.

Robin Weintraub of Robin Weintraub, Inc. recently enrolled in an 11-month Professional Speakers Academy sponsored by the National Speakers Association (NSA).  The program includes monthly, full-day training sessions plus small group meetings. The goals are to develop marketable speaking topics and hone one's presentation style as well as learn the tools, best practices, business models, marketing and resources needed to launch a Professional Speaking business.  Robin looks forward to sharing what she learned with CA members when she completes the program in November.

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future. As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the April Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 20th
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

President's Message

January's luncheon, which featured Consulting Alliance member Denise Horan on Networking, attracted over 80 attendees, a new record for a Consulting Alliance luncheon; there was a buzz about the room and a great rapport between members, prospective members and guests.   It was delightful to meet so many of you and reconnect with those who had attended our events in the past.

Whether you decide to attend our events as a guest or consider joining our group as a member, we look forward to seeing you soon at one of our upcoming events.  At our January 22nd members-only meeting, we discussed some new additions to our program calendar that will open up even more opportunities for connecting with your peers and potential clients.

One of the questions that always seems to come up is "What is the value of being a member of The Consulting Alliance?"  Here are some reasons you should consider joining:

Professional development breakfasts

A member or guest speaker focuses on important consulting skills at these monthly member-only gatherings. Members have recently spoken about consultant marketing, technology tools, and procuring government contracts.  In February, we will have a business development breakfast for our members where each member will share projects they'd like to be a part of and projects they'd like assistance with.  In March, this will be followed up by a members-only luncheon where members will get to share their Experience, Collaboration and Results to expand on the business development discussion.

Consulting Alliance Marketing

Through the Consulting Alliance's marketing efforts, businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and not-for-profits, visit our web site for referrals. Companies may search on-line and/or contact the Consulting Alliance for information and referrals.

Members can use the searchable database of Consulting Alliance members to network, develop referrals and create alliances.

Align yourself with the Alliance

Use the Alliance's logo, products, brochure, and other marketing materials as part of your sales and marketing package to take advantage of the Alliance's reputation and branding.

Partner with peers

Strengthen your offerings and open new markets through collaborative projects with other members.

Memberships and Associations

Profit both financially and professionally through memberships and associations forged by the Alliance, including the The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County and the Albany Convention and Visitors Bureau.  

Hold webinars and meetings for your business through our group subscription to GoToMeeting®.

Free listing on a new professional speakers website, PresentSpeakers.com (coming soon).

We hope you consider joining us, and look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon!

Robert Braathe, President
The Consulting Alliance
robertjbraathe@gmail.com

Welcome New Member

We welcome Gerald Shaye to The Consulting Alliance!  After working with Empire State Development from 1990-2012, Gerald formed Shaye Global LLC, which provides consulting services to businesses and organizations seeking international opportunities. Building upon Gerald Shaye's broad experience and vast network of international connections, the mission of Shaye Global LLC is to connect people, businesses and colleges with partners in other countries.  He also is the Executive in Residence at The Sage Colleges, working with the Dean of the School of Management to increase global and local contacts, to develop partnerships with foreign colleges and to help raise the visibility of the Sage Colleges to foreign students.

Letter from Vice President

The Stakeholders Regional Volunteer Center (RVC) will be conducting a series of information and training sessions for nonprofit organizations over the next several weeks and months.  You can find the latest schedule of events on their website (http://Stakeholders.force.com).  The Regional Volunteer Center is a valuable matchmaking web based capability connecting people who want to volunteer with organizations that utilize and depend on volunteers.  Individuals can go to the site and fill out individual volunteer profiles to identify the specific skills and interests, including preferred times they would like to volunteer.  Nonprofit organizations can register on the site, then post various volunteer needs.  There is no cost to either the nonprofit or the individuals to register and use the site.  The Stakeholders maintain the site as part of their role as the RVC.  The Stakeholders also help publish the volunteer opportunities and make connections.  If you know of any nonprofits that could use some assistance, please direct them to the Stakeholders website, or you can refer them to Ray Patterson through the Consulting Alliance website or directly at: Ray@TheStakeholders.org.    

Upcoming Programs

February Luncheon -  Overcoming Obstacles While Growing a Family Business
Friday, February 8th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register 

Andy Heck of Alpin Haus will share the obstacles he has faced and the success strategies he has used in running and growing a family-owned recreation business. 

Members Only Breakfast - Business Development Opportunities with The Consulting Alliance
Friday, February 22nd, 7:30 am to 9:30 am
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Join your fellow Consulting Alliance members in partnering on business development opportunities. 

March Luncheon - Influence Without Arm Twisting
Friday, March 8th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Lisa Giruzzi of Transformational Conversations will discuss the four communication myths preventing consultants from getting what they want, three little-known secrets for influencing others and effective communication strategies that can be implemented immediately to impact powerfully the behavior of others.

Members Only Luncheon - Table Topics - Diving Deeper into Business Development Opportunities
Friday, March 22nd, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register     

To follow up on the February 22nd event, we will have the opportunity to continue our dialogue on business development and engage in some topical discussions at rotating "roundtables".

Stay tuned for details for our April 12th luncheon, "Three Exciting Presenters".

Committee News

Albany Visitors & Convention Bureau Sales Meetings

The next monthly Director of Sales Meeting of the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau will be held Tuesday, February 12, noon, at Portofino's Italian Ristorante, 831 New Loudon Road, Latham, NY. Networking begins at 11:30 am; the session will run until 1:00 pm. We are limited to a maximum of three CA members on a first come first serve basis. Please email Alan Krieger’s Office Manager, Pam Fenoff if you're interested and she'll send you further details.

Member Presentations & News

Mark Boucher Resigns

Unfortunately, Mark Boucher is leaving the Consulting Alliance effective immediately as he cuts back his professional activities to focus on his treatments for MS.  Mark has been a great addition to the Alliance over the last year. He led the effort to orchestrate the highly successful R2R capstone event and, most recently, served as our Marketing chair.
 
Robert Braathe stated, "Mark will be sorely missed. But we can expect to see him from time to time as a visitor at our luncheons.  Wish Mark the best and please keep in touch with him."

Denise Horan, Principal of Integrated Management & Sales Consulting, will be conducting a seminar, “The Power of Body Language” for The Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce on January 29.  Denise will also be addressing the Women in Financial Services on March 12.  The topic is “Building Your Network”.  Guests are welcome.

Nancy Schultz Consulting of Nancy Schultz Consulting has been selected to deliver two full day workshops for SUNY’s Center for Professional Development on Improving Your Organizational Processes for Higher Education. She has also been invited to conduct the Kickoff Session for their Technology Conference in Lake Placid entitled Using Technology to Improve Your Organizational Processes. The SUNY Center for Professional Development provides access to high quality professional development opportunities focused on the latest trends and established best practices to enhance the capability of SUNY faculty and staff and increase SUNY’s competitive advantage.

Will Ryan of Shawenon Communications wrote a chapter, “The Joyful Diabetic’s Journey” for a recently published book entitled My Sweet Life: Successful Men with Diabetes. The book is available at Amazon by clicking this link. Although retired, Will is very active in developing TV shows for our local cable station as well as running diabetes seminars.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC recently spoke to members of the Bethlehem Business Builders on the subject, “Got Goals?”  Dr. Tom also gave a national webinar on the topic “Teaching Students the Career Development Process.”  In addition to his private practice, he is now the Director of Career Counseling Initiatives for InternBridge.com, the nation's premier college recruiting consulting and research firm.

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications has been re-elected to serve a one-year term on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Waterford Public Library. She is chair of the Public Relations Committee.

Lisa Giruzzi of Transformational Conversations is pleased to announce that her consulting firm has been granted status as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) by the New York State Department of Economic Development, Division of Minority and Women's Business Development (DMWBD). In other big news, www.JudeConnally.com is the exclusive sponsor for Lisa Giruzzi's appearance on the LeadHERship Empowerment Cruise!! Jude Connally's modern collection of vibrant prints and soft silhouettes makes everyday dressing for women easy, expressive and fun. For more information, visit http://www.Leadhershipcruise.com.

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future. As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the March Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 20th
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

President's Message

It is an honor and a privilege to be elected President of the Consulting Alliance.  After spending time in management with The Walt Disney Company, Gap, and Apple, I embarked on my consulting practice in 2005 and have seen tremendous growth over my first 7 years thanks to the relationships formed and the resources made available and shared with my Consulting Alliance colleagues.

During my four years as a member, we have been witness to some tremendous results and response to our efforts, and most recently in the efforts and results from the 20th Anniversary Roadmap to Results and its capstone event.   In 2013, we see some tremendous opportunities ahead in becoming more involved in our community, in our alliance, and in our individual business practices.

With our programs for 2013, we see some great ways to capitalize on our success in 2012 of our speakers series and panels to deliver more informative and collaborative events for our guests, our members, and strategic allies.

At our members only events, we have been educated and inspired by business and community leaders as well as by our own members who have delivered quality workshops and educational topics to our members.  In 2013, we see a great vision ahead of continuing to build on our learnings and growth in our practices while bringing in industry experts and expertise exclusive to our membership.

At our public events, we have met so many great consultants and aspiring consultants who can add to our eclectic group and build our community of talent.  Our members have had the opportunity to present some amazing topics to show their talents to the public at large and we've complimented that with some informative lectures and speakers from the business community in the Capital Region.  We look forward to welcoming new members to our talented group of consultants and build on the collaboration that has been part of our foundation for the last 20 years.

We look forward to seeing you at our January lunch and soon will have posted some "save the dates" for 2013 events to get to know us better, get to know each other better, and to strengthen your businesses and your ties with The Consulting Alliance.    

Robert Braathe, President

Roadmap to Results

The Consulting Alliance's 20th Anniversary and our "Roadmap to Results" Competition received front-page coverage in the Business section of the Times Union. Thanks to Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications for making this happen. To read the online coverage, follow these links:
 
http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Twenty-years-of-mutual-aid-4058279.php
 
http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Results-winners-are-named-4075508.php 

Social Media Update

The Social Media Subcommittee meets monthly to discuss and evaluate  strategies. Alyssa Colton, formerly intern for Bartel Communications, is now the freelance social media manager for the Consulting Alliance. During the past several months, we have significantly expanded our presence on  Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We also have a presence on Google Plus,
Tumblr and Vimeo. Alyssa is working with Peter Thomas to post videos onto YouTube. All members are encouraged to participate in our social media campaigns by checking out our sites and passing on announcements of events as they are distributed. You can reach our sites through the website or by searching for “Consulting Alliance” on any of our platforms. Alyssa welcomes comments and suggestions at abc@alyssabcolton.com or you can direct message me on Twitter (@consultingallia) or LinkedIn.

Upcoming Programs

January Luncheon - Promoting You and Your Business!
Friday, January 11, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany 
Click Here to Register 

This program features Denise F. Horan of Integrated Management & Sales Consulting. She will provide step-by-step guidance for developing a 2013 marketing and networking plan, recommend strategies for self-promotion and offer new ideas for networking and for choosing the right groups in which to get involved.

Members Only Breakfast - What's in store for 2013?
Friday, January 25, 7:30 am to 9:30 am
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register 
 
Robert Braathe, will provide an interactive forum focusing on the following:

Review 2012 - what's in store for 2013?
Programs - how do we add value and variety for us and our guests?
Membership - how do we strengthen the Alliance and the value of our membership?          

February Luncheon -  Overcoming Obstacles While Growing a Family Business
Friday, February 8, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register 

Andy Heck of Alpin Haus will share the obstacles he has faced and the success strategies he has used in running and growing a family-owned recreation business.   
    

Committee News

Albany Visitors & Convention Bureau Sales Meetings

The next monthly Director of Sales Meeting of the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau will be held Tuesday, January 8, noon, at The Albany Visitors Center, 25 Quackenbush Square, Albany, NY. Networking begins at 11:30 am; the session will run until 1:00 pm. We are limited to a maximum of three CA members on a first come first serve basis. Please email Alan Krieger’s Office Manager, Pam Fenoff if you're interested and she'll send you further details.

Member Presentations & News

Joan Heffler of Joan Heffler Photography -- Pictures With Personality! has contracted with Austin and Company, a major insurance company, to visually redesign and brand their new website. She has also contracted with CUNY to photograph all of their 2013 photography. www.joanhefflerphotography.com

Steven M. Egna of Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs, P.C. will be joining the Trust & Estate Advisory Committee of the Optometric Center of New York (OCNY), which is the endowing foundation of the SUNY College of Optometry www.sunyopt.edu. He also spoke at NYSSCPAs Northeast Chapter Annual Tax Conference. His presentation titled, Business Appraisals: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, focused on the basics of business valuation and key elements of estate and gift tax returns.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC recently spoke at the Professional Networking Group LLC on the subject, “YOU Are Your Brand.”  Dr. Tom also taped a show for TV-17 on “The 11 Steps to a Graceful Resignation.”  He is a contributing writer for the recently released book: “Coffee Lunch Coffee: A Practical Field Guide for Master Networking.”  In addition, he spoke at the American Society for Quality on “Career Trends and Management.”  In January, he will announce the location of his 2013 Charity Climb to benefit the Alport Syndrome Foundation.  He is grateful for your financial support and emotional encouragement.  

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications was a panelist for The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County's marketing seminar "Keys to Marketing Success: Planning for an Exceptional 2013." She and two other experts discussed writing a marketing plan from scratch, updating an existing marketing plan, developing metrics to measure success, defining target market segments and setting reasonable time lines and deadlines for implementing marketing plan activities. Ray Patterson of Capital Consulting Group moderated the panel discussion.

Barbara Bird of Bird Consulting Group, Inc. and Brad Morrison of Cost Control have completed the steps in forming a joint business, Birdson, LLC, and have gone through the development of a simulation tool as well as the Intellectual Property process. They are now ready to seek a couple of beta test sites for their health center simulation, a robust tool for health professionals to discover opportunities, test solutions, and optimize capacity.

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future. As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the February Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 20th
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

President's Message

I have been a member of this organization for 20 years. Two years ago I decided it was time to do my share and take a turn at the presidency. We were at a critical juncture. We needed to move forward to enhance our relevance in the region, or risk sliding backward. Coincidentally we were facing our 20th Anniversary. Members recognized the opportunity this presented. We spent a year of introspection and strategizing, and then launched a second year of letting the public know what a dynamic organization we are. Everyone who attended the Roadmap to Results Roundtable on November 28 knows we are glowing with pride over what we have become. Not only is our regional image enhanced but working together behind the scenes has transformed our relationships with each other. It has been my privilege to serve during this critical time. Thank you for the opportunity.
 

Nancy Schultz, President

New Officers for 2013

You voted and the results are in! Your officers for 2013 are:

 President - Robert Braathe
 Vice President - Ray Patterson
 Secretary - William Sorel
 Treasurer - Alan Krieger
  

Roadmap to Results Winners!

A nanotechnology startup and a nonprofit organization serving Albany's homeless community are the winners of the  Consulting Alliance’s "Roadmap to Results" regional competition.

Winners are B.E.S.S. (Battery Energy Storage Systems) Technologies, started in 2010 by a group of graduate students at the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering; and Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless in Albany, founded in 1984 to provide services to the homeless.

B.E.S.S. has developed a process to build battery nanostructures that significantly boosts their capacity to store energy, charge faster and last longer.

The Interfaith Partnership's services include a 30-bed emergency shelter, a housing program, a summer youth program and a drop-in center.

The two awards are valued at $48,000, and include a formal review and assessment of the organizations' business challenges and opportunities.

Upcoming Programs

Holiday Gathering (Members Only)
Friday, December 14, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Fort Orange Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Make sure to join us for the Consulting Alliance's holiday-time networking event at this specially-scheduled, members-only gathering.  

January Luncheon - Promoting You and Your Business!
Friday, January 11, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany 
Click Here to Register 

This program features Denise F. Horan of Integrated Management & Sales Consulting. She will provide step-by-step guidance for developing a 2013 marketing and networking plan, recommend strategies for self-promotion and offer new ideas for networking and for choosing the right groups in which to get involved.

Members Only Breakfast - TBA
Friday, January 25, 7:30 am to 9:30 am
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany 
                 

Committee News

Albany Visitors & Convention Bureau Sales Meetings

The next monthly Director of Sales Meeting of the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau will be held Tuesday, December 11, noon, at The Comedy Works, 500 Northern Blvd., Albany. Networking begins at 11:30 am; the session will run until 1:00 pm. The cost for this months DOS lunch is $17.00.  Upon receipt of RSVP, you will receive an email on payment options. We are limited to a maximum of three CA members on a first come first serve basis. Please email Alan Krieger’s Office Manager, Pam Fenoff if you're interested and she'll send you further details.

Member Presentations & News

Lisa Giruzzi of Transformational Conversations and at www.YourCommunicationAuthority.com has been selected to be a featured speaker on the 2013 LeadHERship Empowerment Cruise in April. The LeadHERship Empowerment Cruise is designed for women who want to take control of their life and set a course for personal peace, purpose and prosperity with fun engaging seminars for personal and business success.  More information is available at www.LeadhershipCruise.com.

Robert Braathe of Braathe Enterprises delivered an all-day workshop on Presentation Skills and LinkedIn For Business to Brivo Systems of Bethesda Maryland.  The workshop will be followed by a 12 week interactive online program featuring customized podcasts, webinars, asynchronous discussions and activities.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC is now the Director of Career Counseling Initiatives for InternBridge.com, the nation's premier college recruiting consulting and research firm.  He is a contributing writer for the recently published book, Coffee Lunch Coffee: A Practical Field Guide For Master Networking.  He recently spoke at the American Society for Quality on the topic, “Career Trends and Management.”  

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications received New York State recertification as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE). Bartel Communications serves as a sub-contractor on New York State contracts.

On Tuesday evening November 13th, the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce held the graduation of their fall "Entrepreneur Boot Camp".  Addressing the group was Senator Neil Breslin, Keynote Speaker Kat Koppett of Koppett & Company and Bill Polk of Business Advisory Services, an instructor in Business Finance.

 

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future. As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the January Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: December 20
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

President's Message

This exciting year is coming to a grand finale. The Roadmap To Results Competition applications are in and the Selection Committee is hard at work evaluating the applications based on rigorous objective criteria. Our capstone event, called Roadmap to Results Roundtable, is in the final planning stages and promises to be the highest profile activity we have ever undertaken. After the competition award is announced at the Roundtable event the Consulting Team(s) will be hard at work delivering the promised assessment to the winner(s).

We encourage our members and friends who receive this newsletter to join with us making this a memorable event:

Register now

     To register to attend and/or provide sponsorship for the event please click here.
     For Consulting Alliance Member registration please click here.

Consider a sponsorship in the program handout

     Sponsorships for quarter, half and full pages are available from $125 to $500 on the event registration page.

     Copy is due no  later than November 10.

Reach out to your business contacts to attend

     For a prepared e-mail invitation to forward to others click here.

Nancy Schultz, President

Election Season

Yes, Election Season comes to The Consulting Alliance as well and while our “leadership ticket” (i.e. proposed slate of officers) is being developed, we don’t foresee the need to host candidate debates yet.

We are actively seeking a candidate for President of The Consulting Alliance.  While the Vice President moving up to the President has normally filled this position, I (Ray Patterson) cannot take on these responsibilities at this time.  With pressing family illness issues to attend to, I believe it is in the best interest of The Alliance to have someone else fill the position of President.  

We currently have great candidates for the offices of Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, and we always like to have choices.  If you are interested in any of the four offices, please contact Ray Patterson or Barbara Bird with your interest by November 9th, or submit your nomination electronically to: info@consultingalliance.org. Nancy Schultz will serve as Immediate Past President.

Nominations will close Friday November 9th and election will be by electronic ballot available November 12-16th.  Watch your email for links to the ballot and election process starting November 12th. 

Welcome to New Member Dr. Ginamarie Pugliese Wells

Ginamarie provides a creative spectrum for success to help individuals & businesses struggling to or through transition. She helps businesses by healing workplace conflict, increasing productivity, improving company bench strength, and enhancing high-functioning team performance, communication and leadership abilities. She helps individuals transition through major life changes, enhance their careers and ease grief and heal from traumatic experiences.

She was attracted to the Consulting Alliance by a desire for collaboration with other independent consultants, mutual mentorship, and the opportunities to partner and share professional development and consulting opportunities. We look forward to working with Ginamarie to achieve these goals.

Upcoming Programs

Roadmap to Results Roundtable Event
Wednesday, November 28, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Italian-American Community Center, Albany

Member Only Registration

Open to the Public Registration

Join us as the Consulting Alliance celebrates 20 years of helping members build their businesses and serve the community. The program will feature:

A panel discussion, “Growth in a Challenging Economy,” moderated by Eric Anderson, business editor at the Times Union.
Our panelists are: Peter Coombs, Alan Krieger, Nancy Schultz, Ruth Walters & Robin Weintraub.

Holiday Gathering (Members Only)
Friday, December 14, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Fort Orange Club, Albany

Make sure to join us for the Consulting Alliance's holiday-time networking event at this specially-scheduled, members-only gathering.                      

Committee News

Albany Visitors & Convention Bureau Sales Meetings

The next monthly Director of Sales Meeting of the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau will be held Tuesday, November 13, noon, at Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown, 25 Chapel Street, Albany. Networking begins at 11:30 am; the session will run until 1:00 pm. There is no charge to attend this luncheon, and we are limited to a maximum of three CA members on a first come first serve basis. Please email Alan Krieger’s Office Manager, Pam Fenoff if you're interested and she'll send you further details.

Member Presentations & News

Joan Heffler of Joan Heffler Photography -- Pictures With Personality! has been chosen to photograph for CUNY and Albany Medical Center, and was the photographer of choice for the first "Executives Connecting at the Sagamore" event in September with keynote speakers Denise Horan and Jan Smith.

Robert Braathe of Braathe Enterprises, has been hired to conduct a one day workshop on Business Communications for a company in Bethesda, MD.  This one day workshop will be followed by an interactive 12 week online course.

Braathe Enterprises has launched its 7th anniversary initiative to award 7 companies 7 prizes through its Source Of Innovation Competition, which launched on October 17th.  Prizes include 1 year, 6 months or 3 months of access to Robert Braathe and the Virtual Internship Program, a social media or hr strategy plan, three 1 hour phone consultations or access to a free online course.  Letters of intent to compete are due November 17th and contest entries due December 5th.  For more information, visit http://www.sourceofinnovation.com.        

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC recently spoke at the Colonie Chamber of Commerce on the topic of “YOU Are Your Brand.”  He gave pro bono resume critiques and career counseling at the Times Union Tech Job Fair and the Saratoga Job Fair.  He was quoted in the magazine, Women@Work regarding Generations in the Workplace.  He recently taped a television show for TV17 Colonie on the subject, “From College to Career.”   

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications will appear at the 17th Chronicle Book Fair on Sunday, November 4, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Queensbury Hotel in downtown Glens Falls. She will sell and autograph copies of her books Amazing Animal Actors, The Complete GONE WITH THE WIND Trivia Book and Spellcasters: Witches and Witchcraft in History, Folklore and Popular Culture.

In honor of its 15th business anniversary, Bartel Communications has issued a special report: 15 FAQs About Business Anniversary “Sell”-abrations. Request a free PDF copy by emailing Pauline@PaulineBartel.com.

Bartel Communications will be an exhibitor at The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County's Holiday Showcase on Thursday, December 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Desmond Hotel. Pauline Bartel invites Consulting Alliance members to stop by and say hello.

The Walters Group Delivers for a Major Client  
In 2007, a $5 billion software solutions and services company merged with another firm that had a preexisting OGS statewide software contract for its products and services. Converting that contract to the new company was extremely complicated, and as time progressed, the company found it increasingly difficult to sell its products in the State and local government marketplace.  That contract continued to languish until the firm hired The Walters Consulting Group.  We used our contacts, expertise and experience to finally get the contract redrafted and through the cumbersome approval process in OGS, the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the State Comptroller.  Our client best describes our success:  The Walters Group “engaged levels in OGS we would otherwise not have had access to, and kept us in the game…”

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future. As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the December Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: November 20
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

President's Message
Rolling Out The 20th Anniversary Initiative

It all started from a member's business specialty. Pauline Bartel encouraged the Consulting Alliance to use our 20th Anniversary to build our brand and move the organization to the next level. To have newsworthy content to grow public awareness, she urged us to do a public service project. I waited to see how many members engaged.

First the membership voted to support the initiative and to levy a quarterly membership assessment. Then three thought leaders, Alan Krieger, Bill Sorel and Robin Weintraub, stepped forward to serve as the Coordinating Committee to develop the vision and get the community service project off the ground. The project, dubbed 'Roadmap to Results', took months of planning and has slowly engaged the majority of members. Individuals and groups have worked to refine the plan, manage the project, recruit Roadmap to Results applicants through community outreach, prepare to select the winning applicant, prepare for the Anniversary capstone event and apply for consultant pools to deliver the awarded consulting project.

As Pauline promised there have been many intangible benefits. Members have worked in committees with those whom they did not know well and gained insights to members' skills they could leverage in the future. We have established a number of collaboration techniques, like DropBox and BaseCamp, which we will use in our individual businesses in the future. By doing outreach to promote Roadmap to Results we have made connections with the business community that we will continue to nurture over time. 

What can I say to such an amazing group? Thank you for all you have done. I relish the opportunity to work with you in the future. I am prouder of the Consulting Alliance than at any time in my 20 years of membership.

Nancy Schultz, President

Welcome to New Members Deborah Mackin and Tony Farah

Deborah dazzled us in September with her presentation on ‘Developing Qualified Sales Leads from your Blog’. Her firm, New Directions, is an international training and consulting organization focused on helping organizations transform from traditional models to participatory, team-based structures.

Tony Farah, of Farah Consulting specializes in information technology Transformation, Service Management, Technology Business Management (TBM) and Infrastructure Efficiencies and Management.

We are delighted to have you with us.

Anniversary Capstone Event Set for Wednesday, November 28

Thanks to Robert Braathe and Mark Boucher, our 20th Anniversary capstone event is taking shape. It promises to be an excellent opportunity to position ourselves as THE professional consulting resource in the region. It will take place at the Italian-American Community Center on Washington Avenue Extension from 5:00 to 7:30 pm on Wednesday, November 28.

The evening’s programs will focus on a panel discussion entitled “Growth in a Challenging Economy”, and will be moderated by Eric Anderson, Business Editor at the Times Union. Invitations will be extended to key organizational leaders in the community.

Members and guests will have the opportunity to serve as sponsors that will be featured in the evening’s program handout. The program will also list the logos of businesses that have helped us promote the Roadmap to Results competition.

Watch for more information in our Member Forum and our LinkedIn group. 

Roadmap To Results Goes Public

On September 10 we launched our Roadmap to Results application period. We are publicizing the competition aggressively to economic development champions and individual organizations throughout our designated area 60 miles from downtown Albany. Please be sure to continue to promote the event. Our deadline for applications is October 10, 2012, 5:00 pm EDT.

For more information go to www.consultingalliance.org/competition.

Upcoming Programs

October Luncheon - Albany Women Business Leaders Share Their Success Stories
Friday, October 9, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register 

This program is a moderated panel discussion during which the participants will share their successes in business and their challenges in achieving and managing success. The moderator is Anne Saile, President of The Saile Group. The presenters are: Sandra M. Fox, Vice President, Technology Operations at CHA; Trish Rost, President and Founder of Madison Handbags & Tobi Saulnier, Founder and CEO of 1st Playable Productions. 

Members Only Luncheon - Bringing it all together:  Pooling resources to serve today's Tech Valley 
Friday, October 26, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register 

Independent businesses, especially consultants, are used to striking out on
their own and providing their specific expertise to other companies.   But the
world is changing - new technologies and an influx of international business has
changed the rules.  Can working in tandem with other consultants, or together
with business organizations such as the Consulting Alliance, chambers of
commerce, and economic development groups mean a stronger business for the
individual consultant?   This forum will explore that possibility.

Anniversary Capstone Event
Wednesday, November 28, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Italian-American Community Center, Albany


Stay tuned for registration information & watch for more information in our Member Forum and our LinkedIn group.

Committee News

Alyssa Colton Transforms our Social Media Presence

In the spring Pauline Bartel was approached by Alyssa Colton, Ph.D., an adjunct professor at the College of Saint Rose to do a public relations internship with Bartel Communications to enhance her public relations skills. Alyssa was particularly interested in learning more about social media. Pauline graciously shared Alyssa’s time with the Consulting Alliance. You have probably met her at some of our meetings.

Alyssa has worked tirelessly to draft documents to support our 20th Anniversary initiative and transformed our social media presence. We now are continuously sharing information on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Alyssa is challenging us to think strategically and advance the ‘back stories’ related to specific messaging. She is also working to grow the number of connections to each of these social media outlets.

Alyssa’s time as an intern came to an end on September 30. Fortunately the board voted to keep Alyssa on in a part time capacity for six more months. She will also collectively assist members on ideas to improve their social media presence. If you prefer to have individual consultation and support, you may hire Alyssa directly. Her contact info is abc@alyssabcolton.com or 518.944.7532.

Alyssa, we are deeply indebted for your generosity serving the Consulting Alliance.

Happy 20th Anniversary to US!

Our "Roadmap to Results" competition was promoted in the September 13, 2012 edition of the Ballston Journal. Our publicity campaign is off and running!
 
Albany Visitors & Convention Bureau Sales Meetings

The next monthly Director of Sales Meeting of the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau will be held Tuesday, October 9, noon, at Hotel Albany, 40 Lodge Street - Albany. Networking begins at 11:30 am; the session will run until 1:00 pm. There is no charge to attend this luncheon, and we are limited to a maximum of three CA members on a first come first serve basis. Please email Alan Krieger’s Office Manager, Pam Fenoff if you're interested and she'll send you further details.

Member Presentations & News

Kat Koppett of Koppett & Company is pleased to announce the release of the 2nd Edition of her book: "Training to Imagine: Practical Improvisational Techniques to Enhance Communication, Creativity, Leadership and Learning." The book, published by Stylus Publishing, Inc., has been called a seminal work in the field of Applied Improv and is used by organizational leaders, trainers and consultants worldwide. (www.koppett.com)

Steve Appel of Appel Research, LLC, occupying the Consulting Alliance outpost in Washington D.C., is an “Expert” once again, according to the Professional Research Certification (PRC) awarded to Steve by Marketing Research Association (MRA), the leading general marketing research organization in the United States.  This credential allows him to charge at least as much per hour as the “Genius” bar occupants in local Apple stores.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC recently spoke at the 6th annual smAlbany Business Expo at the Albany Nanotech Center on the subject of “YOU Are Your Brand.”  He also was a presenter at the InternBridge.com conference.  His topic was “Back to the Future: The Core of Career Counseling.”  His article, “Retire First, then Work Yourself to Death” was featured in full in the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce magazine this summer.   Dr. Tom  is a contributing writer for the newly released book, “Working in your Major”  and also writes for the 518Learn.com – The Transformative Power of Education.   

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications is offering a course for aspiring authors interested in writing and selling books. The course will be held on Wednesdays, October 10, 17 and 24, 2012 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College. “No Excuses: Writing and Selling Your Book” is offered through the Office of Community and Professional Education. Course fee is $55, which includes a coursebook. To register, call 518.629.7339. She will discuss the step-by-step process of transforming an idea into a published book, including creating a book proposal, finding agents and publishers and guiding a book to publishing success.

Pauline Bartel is an award-winning writer and the author of seven published books. She is a member of the prestigious American Society of Journalists and Authors. Visit her website (www.paulinebartel.com) for further information.

Steve Egna, CBA, ABAR, CM&AA, Director of Business Advisory Services at Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, is scheduled to present at the Death Care Management Council's fall conference in Key West, Florida on October 1, 2012. His presentation titled, "Your Buy-Sell Agreement, A Ticking Time Bomb?" covers the importance of a buy-sell agreement in the continuation of your business' success. Steve is a Certified Business Appraiser accredited by the Institute of Business Appraisers and a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor accredited by the Alliance of Mergers & Acquisitions; his focus is on business valuation, litigation support, economic damages analysis, and CFO advisory work as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Join Nancy Schultz of Nancy Schultz Consulting, Inc. and Endorphin Business Center on October 16 for a three hour workshop that demonstrates how simple techniques can transform your business processes. The best business owners and managers are constantly on the lookout for new and better ways to run their businesses. They know that the way things are being done today (or the way they have always been done) may not be the most efficient way. They also know that more efficient business processes can save time and save money, which results in increased profitability.

For more information go to http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e69ls7r7a3908689.

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future. As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the November Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: October 20
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

President's Message
The Hidden Value of Our Anniversary Initiative

When we started planning for our Anniversary Initiative last year, Pauline Bartel told us that we would discover substantial intangible benefits from working together on this project. Was she right! Our social media presence has enhanced our culture, through our members only Member Forum and our LinkedIn Group, as well as Facebook and Twitter. We now share business opportunities and insights among members at the speed of light, and dialog constantly with an external constituency that connects, likes and follows us. Our Roadmap To Results competition that will go public in September has engaged members that work around the country, and enabled everyone on the committees to see each others’ skills in action. We have new insights about how colleagues can work together in teams to serve our clients’ needs. And we have learned more about new project management technologies that will translate to our client projects. The Anniversary Initiative has transformed us from within. Now let’s go public and engage the rest of the community.

Nancy Schultz, President

Welcome New Member

Mark E. Boucher of Boucher Business Solutions retired from Price Chopper Supermarkets in April with over 39 years experience.  His last position was Vice President of Operational Administration with primary responsibilities for store labor, process improvement, inventory shrinkage, and customer service. Mark serves on several not for profit Boards of Directors. Boucher Business Solutions focuses on improving operating methods of new and existing enterprises in areas such as process improvement in all areas of operations, marketing strategies, office management and customer service.

Join the Consulting Alliance Leadership Team

As we enjoy the late days of Summer and look forward to the Fall, it is time to think about the various opportunities for Consulting Alliance leadership. In order for our organization to continue to grow and be the kind of organization we all want it to be we need to think about the various Board of Director and Officer positions that we have.  We know that there are some members who will be changing roles. What role would you like to consider as part of your personal and professional growth that can contribute to advancing The Consulting Alliance?  Please consider this and let Ray Patterson know of your thoughts and desires. We all have talents to contribute and areas where we can challenge ourselves to grow and advance our personal skills while positively building The Consulting Alliance. Let’s Talk :) to Ray.

Meeting Highlights

After our July 27th Breakfast meeting, I sent a brief email with some highlights of that meeting to all the membership through our website capabilities. I was encouraged by the responses I received from both members who were unable to attend as well as members who were there! That email was successfully delivered to 50 people, and 56% of the people opened it. I suspect that more people read the email through their “quick look” capabilities but didn’t actually “open” it. This is just another way we are trying to balance getting the word out, sharing information, and yet, not overload people with email.  - Ray Patterson

Roadmap To Results Accelerates

The Consulting Alliance's 20th Anniversary Initiative, Roadmap To Results (R2R), has moved from concept to reality.

This week, R2R promotion team chair Pauline Bartel plans to publicize the competition with an initial media announcement. Organizations interested in the complimentary grand prize consulting engagement worth $24,000 can apply by going to a newly designed Consulting Alliance webpage, www.ConsultingAlliance.org/Competition.

The Consulting Alliance is sponsoring this competition as part of its 20th Anniversary celebration and with the goals of strengthening the community and contributing to the success of the region.

The regional competition is open to all for-profit, not-for-profit, and public organizations. Applications for the competition must be submitted by October  10, 2012. Once applications are processed, the selection team, led by chair Barbara Bird, springs into action with finalist selections and "interviews."

New member Mark Boucher is heading up a team planning a "capstone" event in mid-November where a winner or winners of R2R will be announced along with a program that will feature a panel of speakers from the Consulting Alliance and moderated by a recognized local personality. Robert Braathe is organizing this exciting program. All members will be encouraged to attend this public event.

Active participation by members continues to grow as R2R gathers speed, but there are plenty of opportunities to join in the excitement. All Consulting Alliance members can help by simply getting the word out to their client base about the competition. Encourage your contacts to go to www.ConsultingAlliance.org/Competition to win a professionally developed roadmap to success.

Upcoming Programs

September Luncheon - Grow Your Business: Four Exciting Speakers Tell You How
Friday, September 14, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register 

This is a mini-conference featuring four speakers each of whom will offer a 30-minute presentation with a question-and-answer session. The presenters are: Deborah Mackin, Sandor (Sandy) Schuman, Mark Grimm & Robert Braathe.

Members Only Breakfast - Staying on Message: How to Create Powerful Content
Friday, September 28, 7:30 am to 9:30 am
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register 

From Facebook to your Web site and from networking to video, success in consulting today requires a well-crafted message tailored to the chosen medium. Susanna Opper of Shawenon Communications will address: Finding the key words that communicate your expertise; Selecting your primary and secondary channels; Shaping the message to the medium & Crafting the stories that showcase your contribution.

Committee News

Social Media Update: A Brave New World for the Consulting Alliance

The Social Media Subcommittee has been working for the last few months to develop and implement a social media strategy for the Consulting Alliance. Thanks to the help of Jim Harrison, we now have clickable buttons on our website. Our social media platforms currently consist of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. At this writing, we have 25 likes on our Facebook page, 11 followers on Twitter, and 165 members in our LinkedIn group. While this is still modest, we have seen some promising growth since starting this work.

We are working now on using these platforms consistently in order to publicize our news and events. We believe they will be instrumental in getting the word out about our upcoming anniversary events. However, in order for our social media to really take off, we could use your help!

What You Can Do Now:

• “Like” our Facebook page; invite your contacts to “Like” us also. Note that you can now easily find our Facebook page by simply going to www.facebook.com/consultingalliance.  Also, feel free to post news, comments, and items of interest to this page. Recently, we had someone come to the page inquiring about speakers.
  
• Join our LinkedIn Group if you have not yet done so. Invite other contacts who might be interested to join, too - this is open to all! Post news, links, and updates. Comment on another poster. There has been a lot of useful information being shared here. You can also easily connect with other members and potential members here.
  
• Subscribe to our Twitter feed @consultingallia. Send suggestions for tweets on your current doings. The Twitter feed right now is being used to connect mainly with media, but we can also use it to connect to members, potential members, and clients. When you receive a tweet from the Consulting Alliance, please help us out by retweeting it if you think it will be of interest to your followers.
  
• Members are also reminded of the members-only discussions ongoing in the Members Forum, accessible through our website at www.consultingalliance.org.
  
• Pauline Bartel's intern, Alyssa Colton, has been managing Twitter and Facebook for the Consulting Alliance. We will need a member to volunteer to take on this work. Please contact Nancy Schultz or Alyssa if you are interested. Alyssa is currently working on setting up a Hootsuite portal where we can easily post messages to all three platforms at the same time.
  

Other ideas or suggestions? Send them to Nancy Schultz.    

Happy 20th Anniversary to US!

The Anniversary Steering Committee is still seeking members to join the various teams planning the launch and promotion of “Roadmap to Results,” which is the centerpiece of our 20th Anniversary celebration.  Interested? Contact Bill Sorel for all the details.
 
Albany Visitors & Convention Bureau Sales Meetings

The next monthly Director of Sales Meeting of the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau will be held Tuesday, September 11, noon, at    J & A Prep Kitchen. Networking begins at 11:30 am; the session will run until 1:00 pm. There is no charge to attend this luncheon, and we are limited to a maximum of three CA members on a first come first serve basis. Please email Alan Krieger’s Office Manager, Pam Fenoff if you're interested and she'll send you further details.

Member Presentations & News

Three members of the Consulting Alliance will share a table at the upcoming Albany County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau “Hospitality Marketplace” on September 12 from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm at the Albany NanoTech Campus. Alan Krieger of Krieger Solutions, the Consulting Alliance liaison to the Visitor’s Bureau, will be joined by Lisa Giruzzi from Transformational Conversations and Nancy Schultz from Nancy Schultz Consulting. This opportunity, resulting from a Consulting Alliance e-mail blast from Alan, is another example of how members can collaborate to grow their businesses.

Robert Braathe of Braathe Enterprises is relaunching Workshop Wednesdays, offered Wednesday evenings from 6-7;30 pm in Saratoga and Latham.  On rotating Wednesdays, you can meet with Robert and his team to work in a group setting on business and marketing related questions, including Wordpress, email marketing and strategy issues.  To sign up and for more information, click here.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC recently spoke at the 6th annual smAlbany Business Expo at the Albany Nanotech Center on the subject of “YOU Are Your Brand.” He also was a presenter at the InternBridge.com conference.  His topic was “Back to the Future: The Core of Career Counseling.”  His article, “Retire First, then Work Yourself to Death” was featured in full in the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce magazine this summer. 

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications signed a contract with Taylor Trade Publishing to update her best-selling work, The Complete GONE WITH THE WIND Trivia Book. The updated edition will be published in Fall 2013 in anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the iconic film in 2014. An extensive promotional campaign is in the works.

Ray Patterson, Capital Consulting Group, llc is continuing to work with The Stakeholders in delivering some of their training sessions as part of the Regional Volunteer Center serving 8 counties. These training sessions are open to all non-profit organizations and are largely focused on the various aspects of Volunteer Management and the role of volunteers within these non-profit organizations.  Please share this information with anyone you know of who may be serving on a non-profit board.  More information on these training sessions are listed on The Stakeholders website (http://TheStakeholders.org). There are several opportunities for Consulting Alliance members to engage with The Stakeholders, and we are working on formalizing a relationship/ partnership between the Consulting Alliance and The Stakeholders. I have spoken to a couple of members about these opportunities already and assisting with introductions. If you are interested, please email, call, or speak with Ray Patterson at our next opportunity!

Ray has also been selected as the luncheon keynote speaker for the NYS Statewide Conference of the American Payroll Association where he will be speaking on Energizing Your Workforce/Workplace through Appreciative Inquiry & Appreciative Leadership.

Nancy Schultz of Nancy Schultz Consulting, will deliver a presentation on Business Process Re-engineering’s Role in Organizational Restructuring for the Berkshire Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) on September 11 at Zucco’s Restaurant in Pittsfield, MA. Networking starts at 6 PM and the public is welcome. Go to http://www.asq.org/sections/mini-sites/0106 for more information.

On October 16 Nancy will deliver a half day workshop on Reinventing Your Business Processes for Endorphin Business Center at the Berkshire Bank in Colonie from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. For more information go to http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e69ls7r7a3908689.

Passings

Brian Jordan, 44, husband of Lisa Jordan, a frequent guest at Consulting Alliance luncheons, died suddenly this past weekend of a heart attack. For more information go to http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailygazette/obituary.aspx?n=brian-k-jordan&pid=159469148#fbLoggedOut.

We extend our deepest sympathy to Lisa and her family.

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future.As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

Submit Your News for the October Newsletter

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 20
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly 

• Consulting Assignments, especially collaborations with other Consulting Alliance members
• Committee Updates - from committee chairs
• Member News - awards, designations, trainings, professional and personal accomplishments
• Shared Resources - information, reviews, resources, workshops, or specials offered by members to other members
• Announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

 

Connect with Us

 

Letter from the President

Our Private Photographer

You’ve probably noticed member Peter Thomas from alpenGRAPHIK discretely taking photos at our breakfast and luncheon meetings. Did you ever wonder what we do with those photos? They are stored in a DropBox for use on our web site, but they are also available for members to use promoting the Consulting Alliance and their businesses. If you would like access to the DropBox contact Nancy Schultz Also, if you use or would like to use Microsoft's SkyDrive (in the "cloud"), Peter maintains a gallery of the pictures there, and you can contact him to send you a link. Be sure to credit alpenGRAPHIK for the photo and recommend Peter to others who may need his services.

Nancy Schultz, President

Welcome New & Returning Members

Welcome to new member Mark Boucher. Mark is a retired Golub Corporation vice president of Operational Administration. His business specialties are operational process management, organizational structuring, entrepreneurial startups and inventory control.

We also welcome back Robert Braathe after a short hiatus. Braathe Enterprises based in Saratoga Springs, works with companies seeking to build, buy or sell their businesses and ideas.

We look forward to working together as we strengthen the Consulting Alliance and our individual businesses.

What are you Missing?

The Member Forum is where we share information privately among members, including leads. Only 57% of our members have logged in to the CA website Members Only area and subscribed to the Member Forum. If you haven’t joined, here are some of the opportunities you missed recently:

• The opportunity to be on a list of members with government experience.
• An update on the smAlbany event
• The opportunity to participate in the Women In Consulting compensation survey (open to men too) and to receive a copy of the completed survey
• Notification that Martin Patrick, the incoming president of the Capital Region Human Resources Association, would be attending our July luncheon meeting
• We have an exciting potential opportunity coming up to work with The Stakeholders delivering training. Don’t miss learning more.

 What are you waiting for?

Who Says There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch?

In last month's newsletter I encouraged members to bring guests to our luncheon meetings. The CA Board recognizes that it can be costly if a member frequently brings guests that they feel obligated to pay for.

We recognize that some guests can be a benefit to many members. For example, at the last meeting I invited Martin Patrick, the new president of the Capital Region Human Resource Association (CHHRA). I posted a message on the Member Forum in advance so members could seek him out if they wanted to get to know him. The CA paid for his lunch.

If you would like to invite someone to lunch who would benefit a number of members, pitch the idea to me. Consider whether the person would warrant an advance announcement to the membership. Then we can decide whether the person might qualify for a lunch paid by the Alliance. 

Call for Alliance Leadership Participation

Remember it is time for us to begin thinking about next year and it is your opportunity to let us know you are interested in joining The Consulting Alliance Leadership Team! Speak with Ray Patterson about your interest in becoming a Board Member for The Alliance.

Membership Committee: We are still looking for someone to step up to the unique opportunity of leading the Membership Committee - If you would be interested in assisting The Consulting Alliance in this capacity, please contact Ray Patterson or Nancy Schultz and let us know!  In this valuable service to The Alliance, you will be supported and assisted by the entire Board and Membership! You will be one of the first people to get to know applicants and new members!!

We have several applications in process and we will be bringing those forward to the membership as rapidly as we can!

Consulting Alliance Anniversary Ramps Up

A large number of members have been working together for months to leverage our 20th Anniversary to rejuvenate ourselves and remind the public about the rich pool of resources we provide to individuals and organizations in the region, nationally and internationally. As we celebrate watch for our activities:

• Roadmap to Results, a competition that will provide winning organizations with a free limited four-day consulting engagement, will result in a customized roadmap winners can follow to reach their desired goals. The application to participate is available on the Consulting Alliance web site in the Member Only area.
  
• Our new image and design, including our web site, which demonstrate the energy with which we are facing the future.
  
• Our Speaker Directory, which lists members who can provide fresh, insightful presentations for upcoming meetings, conferences, webinars and other events on a variety of topics. This directory is being publicized in a number of traditional and social media outlets. You can sign up for the speaker directory and list your topics on your member profile in the Members Only area on our web site.
  
• Tid Bits, short video clips about leading consulting topics that will be posted on our web site. A pilot group is launched and there will be opportunities for many members to participate. You can also use these clips on your web sites. For more information contact Barbara Bird.
  
• Our social media sites on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, which will keep the community apprized about key topics and happenings. Be sure to Connect, Like and Follow us and invite others to join us too.
  
• Our alliances with other organizations in the area, which will enhance our reach and impact. So far we are having discussions with the Albany Colonie Chamber, Chamber of Southern Saratoga County, Capital Region Human Resource Association, Project Management Institute of Upper New York, Hudson-Mohawk American Society for Training & Development and The Stakeholders. Please suggest other organizations that we can align with.

So join us as we celebrate 20 years of Expertise, Collaboration and Results!

Faughnan Award

Jim Faughnan had an idea:  How can people who have time on their hands, energy in their bodies, expertise in their fields of endeavor, and the desire to do so, collaborate to help others advance? With the help of the other founding members, Bob Pasciullo, Geof Bullard and Bob Warsh, Jim took this idea to create the Consulting Alliance, and this year we celebrate our 20th Anniversary.

The James Faughnan Award is made by the Consulting Alliance to recognize a member whose contribution to the Alliance, the Community and to the practice of Consulting, emulates those of James Faughnan.

This year's recipient of the James Faughnan Award will be a special one, and I am looking for a few Consulting Alliance members to help form the committee to make this award.   The Committee will meet two or three times during the summer and early fall to review the criteria, determine the application and review process, review the nominations and make a final decision.  Committee members must be Consulting Alliance members in good standing.

Please let me Jenny Amstutz know if you would be willing to be a part of the award committee! 

Access to New Consulting Alliance Logo

We are excited to share that the Consulting Alliance launched its new branding in July.  If you haven’t checked it out, go to our website at www.consultingalliance.org to view the new look. Expect to see the new logo and color palette rolled out everywhere by the CA meeting in September.

We recommend that members use the CA-branded Word template for meeting notes, agendas, letterhead, etc. and the CA PowerPoint template for presentations. This will save time individually formatting documents and provide a consistent look across our communications.

All of the new branding assets are in the Member Center on the CA website.   Look under the link “Branding Assets/Logo” to download the following files:

• CA Word document template (with CA header, footer and color palette imbedded)
• CA PowerPoint template (CA design with formatting imbedded)
• CA logo (color, grayscale and black versions)
• CA website banner (with and without the tagline)
• CA Logo Guidelines Book (definition of the new brand, colors, usage, etc.)

If you have any questions, please contact Bonnie Edelstein or Robin Weintraub.

Upcoming Programs

Members Only Summer Casual Networking Event

Friday, August 10th, 12 noon - 4:00 pm
Copake Lake
Click Here to register

Every August the Consulting Alliance has only one meeting, a members only event. The objective of this event is to allow members to get to know each other in a more casual way and build deeper relationships. We put several options to a member vote and selected the catered lunch at Nancy Schultz’s home on Copake Lake in southeastern Columbia County. There will be a pontoon boat, canoe and kayaks available so dress accordingly and bring your water shoes. Contact Nancy Schultz if you would like to play golf prior to the event.

No Open to the public August Luncheon & No August Members Only Breakfast

September Luncheon: Grow Your Business: Four Exciting Speakers Tell You How

Friday, September 14, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany
Click Here to Register

Committee News

Consulting Alliance Unveils New Branding
as Part of 20th Business Anniversary Celebration

The Consulting Alliance has unveiled a new logo and a refreshed brand image for the organization (www.consultingalliance.org). The re-branding is part of the organization’s yearlong 20th business anniversary celebration. “The original branding served us well for many years,” says Consulting Alliance President Nancy Schultz. “Our 20th anniversary provided the impetus for a new image that reflects the contemporary, professional face of the organization today.” The re-branding initiative was led by the Consulting Alliance’s Marketing Committee, including chair Bonnie Edelstein of PeopleWork (www.PeopleWork.com) and member Robin Weintraub of Robin Weintraub, Inc. (www.RobinWeintraub.com). 

The graphic designer hired to create the new logo, typeface and color palette was Susan M. Lapointe who is principal/creative director of TurningLeaf Design. Founded in 2000, TurningLeaf Design (www.turningleafonline.com) provides a full range of design services to all levels of businesses from start-up companies to Fortune 100 and 500 companies across the United States.  The Consulting Alliance is a non-profit association of leading independent consultants with diverse regional and national experience and proven success in solving client challenges. It is the ideal resource for organizations seeking to hire a consultant with the highest level of professionalism and expertise. Membership in the Consulting Alliance provides consultants with a vibrant and collaborative community where they can grow their businesses and advance their skills. The Consulting Alliance marks its 20th business anniversary in 2012. For further information, visit the website (www.consultingalliance.org). 

Albany Visitors & Convention Bureau Sales Meetings

The next monthly Director of Sales Meeting of the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau will be held Tuesday, August 14th, noon, at the Albany Ramada Plaza. Networking begins at 11:30 am; the session will run until 1:00 pm. There is no charge to attend this luncheon, and we are limited to a maximum of three CA members on a first come first serve basis. Please email Alan Krieger’s Office Manager, Pam Fenoff if you're interested and she'll send you further details.

Member Presentations & News

Denise Horan of Integrated Management & Sales Consulting will be hosting a pro bono seminar to benefit the Women’s Employment & Resource Center.  “Networking & Relationship Building” will be held at noon on September 7 at Tracy Metzger’s Beahive in Albany.  Denise will also be teaming up with Jan Smith, Castle Rock Ranch Group for “Executives Connecting at The Sagamore” on September 13.  The day will consist of topics on The Power of Body Language, Reputation Management and more.  Contact Denise Horan for more information or visit www.denisehoran.com.

Lynette Seawall of Performance Plus accomplished a long term goal of getting her scuba certification. She just returned from a 10 day indescribably delicious vacation in Bonaire. She highly recommends including scuba in your lifelong learning.

Joan Heffler Photography will be photographer of choice of The Traver's Wine Tasting Event in August to benefit Senior Services of Albany.

Dr. Tom Denham of Careers In Transition LLC recently taped a show for TV17-Colonie on “How to Organize Your Job Search.  He spoke on “Linkedin Basics for Career Development” at the Spring InterBridge.com Conference.  He was a contributing writer for the newly released book, “Working in Your Major.” He also presented at the smAlbany 2012 Small Business Expo at Albany Nanotech on the subject “You Are Your Brand.” He is very grateful to all the many Consulting Alliance members that have given so generously to support his 2012 Charity Climb of Devils Tower.  He raised $4,385 that will go to find a cure for Alport Syndrome.

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communicatons will share behind-the-scenes stories about the making of Gone With the Wind in “Gone With the Wind’s Rocky Road to Atlanta,”  a lecture and book signing on Saturday, August 4, 2012 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ballston Journal – Our Towne Multi Media Center, 83 Milton Avenue, Ballston Spa, NY. The cost is $15 with advance registration and $20 at the door on the day of the event. To register, telephone (518) 885-5238.

Ray Patterson, Capital Consulting Group, llc recently facilitated a day long board retreat and planning session for the Institute for Behavioral Health Improvement (IBHI.net) at the country estate of Mr. Peter Brown.  The board members came from across the country to meet and develop action plans for the coming year and beyond.  The group is committed to raising the awareness and connections between behavioral health and physical/general health, particularly in light of the Affordable Care Act and the considerable changes taking place in the health care delivery system in the US.

Ray has also been requested/selected to be the luncheon speaker for the New York State conference of the American Payroll Association which is taking place in Saratoga Springs on September 14th.  Ray will be speaking on the importance and connection of organization culture, particularly a positive, supportive, appreciative culture, to workplace productivity and performance.

Ray has recently aligned with iNovum (inovum.com), a company which "represents the synergistic collaboration of science and consumer intelligence to produce actionable insights into the customers mind for any product, service or idea. Dr. Howard Moskowitz, cofounder of i-Novum, is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of psychophysics and mind genomics. He has merged his science with the marketing, technological, and communication expertise of the i-Novum team to provide predictive and proactive consumer insights to a variety of industries."  Ray's contributions will include bringing these methods into various 3-5 day training/education sessions that will be delivered in Saratoga Springs.

Claim Your 7 Minutes of Fame

If you did not receive an e-mail message about this topic from the Consulting Alliance, log into the CA Members Only area and select Member Forum>Subscribe. I and others will be posting more business related Forum>topics here in the future.As consultants, we all appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you do?” At most Consulting Alliance breakfasts, one member has the privilege of responding to this question in front of everyone else. Known as our “Member Spotlight,” this opportunity is one of the greatest privileges of membership in the Alliance.  If you haven’t ever done a Spotlight, or did one a long time ago, you are eligible to sign up. If your schedule is too volatile to commit to a future date, join the wait list. Cancellations are inevitable. Contact Susanna Opper to claim your spot.

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