Consulting Alliance Newsletter - October/November 2010

Happy Autumn! It's a beautiful but busy season - it seems that every organization  has conferences and workshops over the next six weeks, and we barely have time to breathe! We encourage you to take time out of your schedule to attend a luncheon or breakfast (or both!), to reconnect with fellow Consulting Alliance members, and explore some new ways to grow and manage your consultancy. Also check out the great courses and presentations offered by fellow members, and cheer at our members' announcements.

And...take a few minutes to notice the changing leaves! They seem particularly beautiful this year; they'll remind you how fortunate we are to live and work in the Capital Region and Berkshires.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Spotlight Speakers

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 that 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 wish to get on the schedule or the wait list and haven’t been in touch with Susanna Opper, please email her with your preferences.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Luncheon:  Building the Berkshire Forum
Friday, October 8 at 11:30am Wolferts Roost
Click here to register

Entrepreneurs Tina Chase and Mary Collins George will describe their decade-long history of producing internationally-recognized technology investment conferences in association with Forbes magazine and Gilder Publishing, LLC and describe how they parlayed that experience into the development and production of the inaugural Berkshire Forum event (September 14 – 16 at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA).  The Berkshire Forum is described at their website.

They will detail the launch of The Berkshire Forum and share their secrets to attracting a remarkable network of over fifty regional and national business leaders, social innovators, technology visionaries, and entrepreneurs, such as the Chairman of the National Chamber Foundation, a world-leading health-policy expert, the Director of MIT’s Teaching and Learning Lab, and the Editor of the Boston Globe to speak at the event.

Brief Bio of Presenter(s): From 2000 – 2010, Tina Chase, an accountant and business manager, and Mary George, a writer and technology analyst, served various roles at Gilder Publishing, LLC in Great Barrington. MA. In addition to their contributions to the publication of several widely-circulated technology investment newsletters, they also co-produced a number of exclusive conferences around the U.S., including the internationally celebrated Gilder/Forbes Telecosm Conference, a technology-investment conference hosted annually by Forbes magazine Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes and Economist and Author, George Gilder.  In Spring 2010, Tina and Mary launched their own business, Chasing George, LLC. The production of the 2010 Berkshire Forum was the Chasing George’s first venture.


Breakfast:  Round Table Discussion
Friday, October 22 at 7:30am Wolferts Roost
Click here to register

Facilitator: Jennifer Amstutz, principal, JA Strategies

Jennifer Amstutz will facilitate a round table discussion about questions you have as a consultant about your business or about working with clients, including fees, contracts, getting new business, keeping current clients, vendors, or a particularly challenging situation.  We’ll use the wisdom of the membership to help answer these questions and suggest improved strategies and approaches.  This is wide open, so bring any and all questions, and your best strategies to share.

Jennifer Amstutz founded J.A. Strategies in June 2006 to provide organizational and staff development consulting and training for nonprofit organizations, universities, government and businesses.  Jennifer comes to the consultant field with 15 years experience working in government and nonprofit organizations. Jenny has a Masters Degree in Public Administration (M.P.A.) from New York University and a B.A. from Duke University in Political Science and Comparative International Studies.  


Annual Membership and Planning Meeting
Friday, November 19 at 7:30am, Wolferts Roost
Click here to register

This Annual Membership Meeting will provide the opportunity to discuss our goals for members, prospective members and the public. We will align these goals to initiatives currently underway, ideas generated at our July breakfast meeting, a potential 20th anniversary promotional initiative, and any other ideas that would maximize the value of the Consulting Alliance to our members and other constituencies.

This is an important meeting that will guide our activities for the upcoming year. Please be sure to attend. (Note: Please mark your calendars - this event is being held on the "third" Friday of the month.)

MEMBER NEWS

Lisa Giruzzi featured in UAlbany Fall Magazine
Lisa Giruzzi owner of the consulting firm Transformational Conversations was featured in the UAlbany Fall Magazine for her book, 31 Days to Transform Your Life. Click here to read the article.

Steve Jeffes wins Major Contract
Steve Jeffes is pleased to announce that his firm has won a multi-year, multi-$MM consulting contract with a national systems integration partner for a multi-channel marketing solution with a National Pharmaceutical company in CT.

Careers in Transition LLC Makes Appearances - and a Climb
Dr. Thomas Denham, Career Counselor, is appearing this month on Colonie Public Television and discussing “Going Back to School.”  He was recently heard on WAMC Northeast Public Radio in July on the topic “Acquiring Career Knowledge” and in August for “Creating a Personal Career Profile.”  His articles are now featured on the career center websites at Oklahoma Christian University and Australia National University.  This month, he is celebrating his 5th year consulting full-time and his 20th anniversary as a professional career counselor.  He is grateful that he was able to summit the notorious Grand Teton (13,770 ft.) in Wyoming on Thursday, July 22nd at 7:40am. 

UPCOMING MEMBER PRESENTATIONS

Mediation for Managers Course to be offered
Stage Right Organizational Development, Inc., will offer the course "Manager As Mediator"

During the course, participants will learn the true costs of unresolved workplace conflict, the factors that contribute to and keep employees engaged in destructive conflict, mediation strategies and tools that managers can use to turn conflict into cooperation.
 
The course will be offered on Monday, October 25, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (lunch on your own) in the Catskill Room at the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce, 5 Computer Drive South, Albany, NY.  The cost is $195 per person; $175 per person with early registration by October 1, 2010. Registration includes a workbook, reference cards and assessment materials. Register at www.mediation.eventbrite.com. For further information call 518-692-9779 or 888-692-9779 or email Alan. 

NYS Training and Development Council's Annual Conference
Denise Horan of Integrated Management & Sales Consulting has been selected to present at the New York State Training & Development Council's annual conference in October.  Denise Horan will present a workshop on "Mentoring Relationships."

Art n Soul's "How To Write and Publish Your Book"
Kimberley Debus of Melange Press will be presenting at Art & Soul, Inc.'s October 9th workshop on writing and publishing your book. The workshop will be held October 9th from 10am-3pm at Niske Isle. For more information, contact Janet Tanguay.

Building a Buzz for Your Business Course
“Building a Buzz for Your Business,” a course for business owners interested in increasing the visibility of their companies in tough economic times will be held on Wednesdays, November 3, 10 & 17, 2010 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY.  The $55 registration fee includes a coursebook.  To register, telephone 518-629-7339. 

Instructor Pauline Bartel will discuss an array of low-cost yet powerful word-of-mouth marketing strategies, including creating an unforgettable business impression, using social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to promote a business and harnessing the power of publicity. 

COMMITTEE NEWS

The Newsletter
We continue to seek input about the newsletter content - What do you want to see? Do you want us to expand the content to include tips, guidelines, or other information helpful to our membership? Would you like member profiles? Please send your ideas to Kimberley Debus.

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS FOR THE DECEMBER  NEWSLETTER

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 15
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly

• Works in Progress - consulting assignments, especially collabrations 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
• Member Publication - announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Members Only August Social
Friday, August 13 at 11:30am, The Rusty Anchor Waterfront Bar & Grill (The Barge)
Click here to register

We will gather for lunch and to socialize.  When making your reservation, please be sure to select one of the 3 entrees.  A variety of beverages will be included. (Please refer to the email blast for a more detailed menu & for directions).

Hope to see you all there!


Webinar: What's on Your Phone? Is Your Cell Phone a Friend or a Foe?
Tuesday, August 17 at 8am, GoToWebinar.com
Click here to register

Consulting Alliance member Cindy Herrmann will discuss how professionals are integrating their cell phones into their lives and businesses. Topics include the applications that have changed how professionals work, the best sources for news, the reasons why professionals love or hate their cell phones. Participants will have the opportunity to talk about their cell phones, the applications they use for work and pleasure and how they prefer to get their news. 


Luncheon: Lessons Learned from Teaching 10,000 Leaders Worldwide:  
Friday, September 10 at 11:30am Wolferts Roost
Click here to register

Speaker: Michele Dunn, President, CEO and Human Capitalist of Michele Dunn, Inc.

Michele Dunn is an international consultant with more than 25 years of experience in Executive Development, Executive Coaching and Board Effectiveness. Dunn was part of the legendary corporate transformation at General Electric led by Jack Welch. She has taught 10,000 leaders in large global corporations around the world. Dunn was recently certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and named a director of Easter Seals, Connecticut. She is a member of NACD, the National Association of Female Executives and the American Society of Training and Development. Dunn holds an MBA in Marketing from Pace University in New York City and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Business Administration from the State University of New York at Albany. For further information, visit www.MicheleDunn.com

BUSINESS DEALINGS

Company for Sale

Company for sale- Owner will stay or retire; Software doing in excess of one and half million located in Rensselaer County.  If interested, please contact Bob Warsh at 518.429.5841. Not on open market.

MEMBER NEWS

Bartel Communications to Create Publicity Campaign For Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway's 5th Anniversary
Bartel Communications, Inc., an award-winning corporate communications firm in Waterford, was contracted by the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway to create and execute a publicity campaign for the organization's 5th anniversary since being designated one of America’s Scenic Byways.  

The Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway seeks to increase awareness, enjoyment and linkage of the wide variety of scenic, recreational and historic resources along the Mohawk River and Erie Barge Canal corridor from Waterford to Schenectady. The Byway is a regional partnership of communities that balances the promotion of local interests with the protection of heritage resources. Visit the website at www.mohawktowpath.homestead.com


Steve Appel Consults with Census Bureau
Steve Appel, representing the Consulting Alliance in Washington, DC (Hey, I’m on K Street now, and you know what that means!) recently worked with the Census Bureau as a usability tester for a redesign of their American Community Survey (ACS) web site.

 The Census Bureau no longer does a long-form questionnaire to every fourth household, in case you were wondering why you didn’t see one in April.  Instead, they conduct an annual large-sample telephone survey, filled with questions on national origin, income, health, housing conditions, and other demographic data.  They combine with the data from surveys of the previous two years, to provide a three year really large-sample “rolling” survey, large enough to provide extensive information down to the small town level.  For example, there are 99 people in the City of Albany whose first language is Yiddish.  If you can figure that out, imagine the useful data that might be available.

Alan Krieger and I used this tool for a workforce development report last year, and through the coming improvements, the ACS will be even easier to use.

Steven Egna Publishes Article on Collaborative Divorce, Presents in Orlando

Steven M. Egna of Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs, P.C. (Albany, NY) co-authored “Business Valuation in a Collaborative Divorce” which was published in the July 2010 issue of the New York Family Law Monthly….thousands of lawyers across New York saw it.
 
Steven, who serves as Director of Business Advisory Services with Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, is scheduled to be the instructor for Essentials of Business Appraisal as part of the Consultants Training Institute in Orlando, Florida at the end of July.

UPCOMING MEMBER PRESENTATIONS

Two Members to Present at Art-n-Soul's Symposium on Creativity
Cindy Hermann of Mogul Marketing and Kimberley Debus of Melange Press will be presenting at the Symposium on Creativity on Friday, August 6 at The Barn (Rensselaer Technology Park). Cindy and Kimberley will be among five presenters at this day-long symposium and exhibition of artists and entrepreneurs. Cindy will talk about "Making Ideas Happen" and Kimberley will give attendees a chance to "Meet Your Muse". The fee is just $20, and corporate head shots will be taken throughout the day for just $75. To register, please call 518-842-1757 or click here.

COMMITTEE NEWS

Breakfast Program Committee
We had a great "working session" in July as a way to help the Alliance move forward and get a sense of each other's styles and approach to consulting. We came up with some great ideas and a lot of laughs and new insights about each other. 

Input wanted!! We have the same 15-20 people come to most breakfasts. I know some of you have scheduling conflicts or just don't like getting up that early.  For the rest of you - any suggestions on how to make breakfast programs of more interest? Please contact Alan Krieger at alan@krsol.com.

The Newsletter
We continue to seek input about the newsletter content - What do you want to see? Do you want us to expand the content to include tips, guidelines, or other information helpful to our membership? Would you like member profiles? Please send your ideas to Kimberley Debus at kdebus@melangepress.com.

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS FOR THE OCTOBER  NEWSLETTER

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 15
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly

• Works in Progress - consulting assignments, especially collabrations 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
• Member Publication - announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

Consulting Alliance Newsletter - June 2010

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pictures with Personality - Consulting Alliance Discount

Joan Heffler of Creative Expressions Photography -- Pictures With Personality! is offering a one-time 15% discount to all Consulting Alliance members and affiliates on products and services.  Joan is available for photographic consultation on web and media development as well as for on location and studio executive portraiture. Contact Joan at joan@joanheffler.com or 346-4485.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Luncheon: Fredric Church's Olana - A Public-Private Partnership
Friday, June 11 at 11: 30 am, Wolferts Roost
Click here to register

This program features Sara J. Griffen, President of The Olana Partnership, who will discuss Olana as a major driver of tourism and economic development and as a significant example of a public-private partnership. She will also discuss the rise of “Friends” groups in response to the State’s economic downturn and the help they will need from consultants in fundraising, marketing, strategic planning and volunteer management.

As President of The Olana Partnership, the not-for-profit support arm of Olana State Historic Site, Sara J. Griffen is responsible for overall management of the organization. Griffen serves as acting chair of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Conservancy and is a member of the steering committee for the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and the NY DEC Estuary Management Committee. She is former chair of the board of The Olana Partnership and the Planning Board of the Village of Kinderhook. Griffen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy and Psychology from Duke University.

Olana is a New York State Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Hudson Valley and upstate New York.


Webinar: So You Want To Write a Book
Tuesday, June 15 at 8 am Online/GoToWebinar.com
Click here to register

During the Webinar, Consulting Alliance member Kimberley Debus of Mélange Press will discuss the criteria for determining if an entrepreneur or consultant has the makings of a successful book; will review various publishing models; and will present an overview of the writing, editing, publishing and marketing process.
 
Debus is the owner and publisher at Mélange Press, an independent publishing firm in the Capital Region. An editor and writer, Debus has worked in technical, business and creative writing environments both in the Capital Region and North Carolina. She is on the Board of Directors of the Malta Business and Professional Association.


Member Breakfast: Strategic Media Relations for Consultants
Friday, June 25 at 7:30 am, Wolferts Roost
Click here to register

Strategic media relations is one of the most powerful, cost-effective tools consultants can use to raise awareness, attract new clients and generate sales. Learn the tools and techniques that shape a successful strategic media relations program, explore ways to work professionally with the media and understand how to harness the power of publicity. 

Pauline Bartel, M.A., is the president and chief creative officer of Bartel Communications, Inc., an award-winning corporate communications firm that builds the images of companies with words through public relations and media relations. Pauline manages strategic media relations for the Consulting Alliance and has generated publicity in The Business Review, Times Union and other media outlets. 

NEW BUSINESSES

Birdson, LLC Formed
A new business entity has been formed, Birdson, LLC.  Two Consulting Alliance members began a collaborative relationship about 8 years ago, a direct result of their membership.  Barbara Bird and Brad Morrison have collaborated since then in developing a sophisticated tool for process improvement in the health care field, have successfully applied this in consulting contracts and have reached the milestone of collaboration to create a business from their joint efforts.  The business will be in addition to their consulting practices, Bird Consulting Group, Inc . and Cost Control.  The target group for this new business is ambulatory health care centers.

There is the possibility that this is a first for the Consulting Alliance: a membership relationship (where we became aware of each other’s interests and skills) to a collaboration to a business.  It speaks to the value of membership in the Consulting Alliance.  Along the way we have been able to use the services and skills of other members, particularly BJ Johnson and U-Start, Cindy Herrmann and Susanna Opper.  Others have offered guiding words, support, suggestions and, yes, even referrals.

MEMBER NEWS

New Performance Space for Mop & Bucket Company
Kat Koppett is delighted to report that her improvisational theatre company, The Mop & Bucket Company, has successfully opened its ongoing run in Proctor's newest performance space. If you are looking for fun on a Friday night, check out Mopco Underground, performing completely improvised theatre, based on audience suggestions every week at 8pm. For more information, go to http://www.proctors.org/events/5705.

Congratulations to Program Graduates
Bill Polk congratulates the recent graduates of the Entrepreneurial Assistance Program at the Albany - Colonie Chamber of Commerce.  Along with several Consulting Alliance members who also served as instructors, Bill was an instructor in Business Plan Financial components; was a panel member for the Business Plan Competition and was a speaker at the graduation ceremony.

Nancy Schultz Consulting in New Location
Nancy Schultz has moved to her new home/office. Her new contact information is:
Nancy Schultz
Nancy Schultz Consulting
141 Golf Course Road
Craryville, NY 12521
518-755-1940

Careers in Transition LLC In the News
Careers In Transition LLC – Dr. Thomas Denham, Career Counselor, was featured on two episodes of WMHT’s Help Wanted on the topics, “The Art of Networking” and “Dealing with Downsizing.”  He appeared on Colonie Public Television and discussed “Evaluating Job Offers.”  He also was the featured speaker at the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless on “Goal Setting.”  He was recently heard on WAMC Northeast Public Radio for “Networking Beats NOTworking.”  He also critiqued resumes on a pro bono basis at the MLK Job Fair.” 

Steven Jeffes Launches Social Media and CRM Blog
Steven Jeffes has launched his new blog, with two new blog entries, titled "Social Media Campaigns That Drive Bottom Line Results!" and "Effective SRM Programs: Leveraging the Power of Social Media to Boost Customer Loyalty and Build Customer Relationships." Below are excerpts:

Social Media Campaigns That Drive Bottom Line Results!: Many activities will help you establish a basic presence within social media, but few activities drive real leads and closed business like successful social media campaigns. This post provides you with insights into several examples of successful social media campaigns that I have developed and executed as well as the results that these campaign have netted. This post also includes samples of industry leading tools from the social media best practice methodology I developed called SMARTE (the Social Media Adaptive/Responsive/Transcendent Enterprise) that you can use to structure your own successful social media campaigns.

Effective SRM Programs: Leveraging the Power of Social Media to Boost Customer Loyalty and Build Customer Relationships. How to build an effective enterprise-level social media program that builds positive brand sentiment, enables brand advocacy and increases brand & customer loyalty.

Some comments received thus far: "Great blog!", "Very informative", "Very helpful", "Well written", "You really know the social media space for enterprise-level companies", "I really enjoyed this article. It is well thought out, and completely covers the subject. Thanks for taking the time to put it out there."


Bartel Communications Releases Book
Bartel Communications introduced its latest tool to help companies make the most of their business anniversaries. The book SELL-abrate Your Business Anniversaries!  Ideas for Harnessing the Promotional Power of Your First 25 Years contains:

• “The Bartel Years™,” the award-winning roster of symbols developed just for business anniversaries
• A theme for each of “The Bartel Years™” business anniversaries from 1 through 25
• Theme-based ideas for 25 years of promotional campaigns directed to customers and prospects, recognition campaigns for employees, community service projects, publicity campaigns, business gifts and gift baskets
• Worksheets for customizing “The Bartel Years™” business anniversary themes from 1 through 25 for specific fields or industries; developing a strategic marketing plan for each business anniversary and creating monthly action plans to make the business anniversary celebration last all year.

The $24.95 spiral-bound book is available exclusively from Bartel Communications.

UPCOMING MEMBER PRESENTATIONS

Conflict: The Manager as Mediator
Alan Stern will be presenting an open-enrollment seminar,  Conflict: The Manager As Mediator at the Albany-Colonie Chamber on Tuesday, June 29, 2010. The program helps leaders, managers, supervisors and HR professionals understand the true costs of conflict in the workplace and teaches the tools of mediation that can be applied to manage conflict before it escalates to the grievance or litigation level.  Consulting Alliance members will receive a 10% discount and/or a 10% of registration finders fee for participants they refer.  Registration online at mediationstageright.eventbrite.com, or contact Alan directly.

No Excuses! Writing and Selling Your Book
Pauline Bartel will teach the continuing-education course "No Excuses! Writing and Selling Your Book" on Wednesdays, June 9, 16 and 23, 2010 from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. at Hudson Valley Community College. The $55 registration fee includes a coursebook. To register, telephone (518) 629-7339. 

In the course, Pauline will discuss the step-by-step process of transforming an idea into a commercially published book, including creating a book proposal, finding agents and publishers and guiding a book to publishing success.

An award-winning writer, Pauline is the author of seven published books, including The Complete GONE WITH THE WIND Trivia Book. She has also ghost written books for business experts. Pauline is a member of the prestigious American Society of Journalists and Authors.

COMMITTEE NEWS

The Newsletter
Kimberley Debus of Melange Press has assumed the role of newsletter editor for the Consulting Alliance. In the coming months, she will be seeking input about the newsletter content - specifically whether we want to expand our newsletter content to include tips, guidelines, or other information helpful to our membership.

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS FOR THE AUGUST NEWSLETTER

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: July 23rd
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO: Nancy Reilly

• Works in Progress - consulting assignments, especially collabrations 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
• Member Publication - announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations - news about upcoming presentations and workshops by members

Consulting Alliance Newsletter - April 2010

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau - Relationship Building

Alan Krieger had a meeting with the Visitors Bureau to explore ways we can work together.  We are planning an expanded listing in their membership guide that will highlight the services we can offer meeting planners and statewide associations.  Please contact Alan if you have any specific suggestions for this.  Alan will be working with the Speakers Showcase committee to build strong links on the CA website when people click through from the Visitor's Bureau.  We will also be advertising our lunches and webinars through their website.

All CA members can also access the on-line events calendar at www.Albany.com and in the members only section a more useful monthly listing and get updates to the convention calendar and possible leads.  If you'd like to help monitor this for the general CA membership, please contact Alan at alan@krsol.com.
__________________________________________________

Member to Member Service Exchange
Robert Braathe is offering all Consulting Alliance members complimentary consultations on iPhone and Macs for Business during the month of May.  If you are interested in learning more about using a Mac in a business setting, contact Robert @ robert@galaconcierge.com or 203 770 2686 for a phone or on-site consultation.
___________________________________________________

Pilot Effort to Share Consulting Insights with Entrepreneur
Ray Patterson and Deborah Burke are setting up a pilot CA "Feedback Forum" to provide feedback on a start-up enterprise.  The session will help Judd Rattner, CEO of Intellidemia, Inc. If you are interested in participating, please contact Ray Patterson.

We'll invite CA members for a short session where Judd can present an overview of his product and then we'll have a feedback session to gather members' thoughts on strategies to penetrate the corporate market. If we can get 6-10 members that would be great.  We'll let you know when and where when we get that nailed down.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Tales from the New York State Capitol
Friday, April 9, 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, Wolferts Roost. 
Local journalist and television personality Susan Arbetter will educate us with stories of note from the New York State Legislature.

Tech Talk
Friday, April 23, 7:30 am - 9:15 am, Wolferts Roost. Members-only.
Cody Anderson will present his annual tech talk, where he will answer your tech questions, demystify the world of business technology, find weapons of mass destruction, and otherwise *dazzle* you. To help get things started, Cody would like members to send him questions, issues, and concerns IN ADVANCE that they’d like covered during the conversation.  Email him at cody.anderson@evenerable.com.

The Value of a Good Reputation
Friday, May 14, 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, Wolferts Roost.
Jan Smith, long time Community Relations Manager for GE Energy worldwide, talks about the importance of building connections to support community goals and enhance the reputation of your firm.

Semi-Annual Consulting Alliance Planning Breakfast
Friday, May 28, 7:30 am - 9:15 am, Wolferts Roost. Members-only.

Strategic Media Relations For Consultants
Friday, June 25, 7:30 am - 9:15 am, Wolferts Roost. Members-only.
Pauline Bartel will discuss Strategic Media Relations for Consultants

MEMBER NEWS

Bartel Communications in the News
Empire Friends Roundtable of the New York Library Association named the Friends of the Waterford Public Library the winner of the 2009 Small Friends Group prize for activities held and publicity gained during 2009 National Friends of Libraries Week. According to Empire Friends Roundtable, "the Friends of the Waterford Public Library demonstrated creativity, innovation, community involvement and recognition, plus excellent promotion of Friends!" Bartel Communications donated special-event, community-relations and media relations services to the Friends of the Waterford Public Library for 2009 National Friends of Libraries Week.

The article "3 Big Mistakes Companies Make With Business Anniversaries" by Pauline Bartel was accepted and published on EzineArticles.com http://EzineArticles.com/?id=3797240  and sent to the exclusive EzineArticles RSS Feed.  Bartel earned Expert Author status with EzineArticles.com.

Pauline Bartel was interviewed on the one-hour "Power Women Magazine" Internet radio program (www.blogtalkradio.com/powerwmenmag) about her firm's business anniversary consulting services and one of its components, A Cause for Celebration, which pairs for-profit client-benefactors with not-for-profit organization-recipients for business anniversary community service projects that Bartel Communications creates, develops, launches and publicizes. Power Women Magazine Internet radio program presents topics of importance to women worldwide.
__________________________________________________

Ray Patterson Helps Bartel Communications
Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc., sends a big thank you to Ray Patterson of Capital Consulting Group for the referral to his client, Mohawk Towpath Byway. The strategic plan that Ray developed for the Byway included recognizing the organization's 5th corporate anniversary in 2010.  Ray recommended Bartel Communications as a resource for anniversary strategic planning, marketing and public relations. Pauline met with members of the Byway’s Board of Directors, and her company was hired to help the organization with its 5th anniversary celebration. "Thank you, Ray, for keeping me in mind and for providing an introduction to such an interesting new client," Pauline says.
__________________________________________________

Welcome New Members

Paul Carter of ClickBasics Internet Marketing
We are pleased to welcome to the Consulting Alliance Paul Carter, founder of ClickBasics Internet Marketing,  www.clickbasics.com. For nearly 10 years, ClickBasics has successfully helped organizations and individuals grow online, increasing leads, sales, memberships, and public awareness by focusing their internet marketing tools -- websites, Facebook and Twitter -- on business outcomes.
__________________________________________________

 
Kimberley Debus has always loved books, and she considers it a blessing that she now works with authors and their words. Her firm, Mélange Press, assists authors from initial book development through writing, editing, design, publication, and promotion. Her partnership publishing model means a personalized, professional, and hopefully enjoyable collaboration through the process.  Mélange Press is a division of Word Alchemy, Inc., which focuses on short projects for small businesses, but it is in the realm of book development that Kimberley has found her passion. A Sand Lake native, Kimberley returned to the Capital Region in 2004 from the Triangle region of North Carolina, and has become active with various community activities, including community theater and volunteering with the Round Lake Library.  Kimberley currently serves on the executive boards of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs and the Malta Business and Professional Association.
__________________________________________________

Angela DiNisco of Right Direction Consulting
Angela DiNisco is founder of www.rightdirectionconsulting.com is a management and leadership development consultant with 10 years of experience partnering with business, government, and non-profit leaders to accelerate productivity and establish thriving work environments. Angela facilitates leadership and management courses teaching the hard and soft skills employees need to better understand human behavior in the workplace, become more successful at managing people, and reach their organizational goals. She has expertise in workplace psychology, MBTI personality assessment, conflict resolution, EQ, teambuilding, change management and building employee engagement. 

Angela began her consulting career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in London, England and has since worked with numerous organizations and hundreds of managers across the globe to date. She now owns her own consulting business AED Consulting Incorporated, and is a partner in Right Direction Consulting Inc. Angela is a member of the public sector programs consulting team within Cornell University's ILR School offering her skills and expertise to government agencies as part of the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution.

Angela is certified to facilitate numerous professional development workshops. She received her B.S. in Management from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lally School of Management, and her M.S. in Organizational & Social Psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
__________________________________________________

Newell Eaton of Productivity Leadership Systems
Consulting Specialties: Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, Change Management, Retreat Facilitation, Enterprise Innovation, www.productivityclinic.com.
__________________________________________________

Pictures with Personality Announces New Contract

Joan Heffler of Creative Expressions Photography -- Pictures With Personality has been awarded a photography contract through Wellpoint Foundation which focuses on initiatives that improve the lives of people across the nation and the health of our communities. WellPoint is the nation's leading health benefits company serving the needs of approximately 35 million medical members nationwide.
 _________________________________________________

Tom Denham Keynotes

Careers In Transition LLC principal Dr. Thomas Denham, Career Counselor, was the keynote speaker for the NYS Unified Court Systems Employee Annual Conference at Turning Stone Casino on the topic “Empowering Your Personal and Professional Life.”  He also was interviewed via Skype for the websites BoomersNextStep.com and Employment Digest.net.  In addition, he has taken the story of his crevasse fall, “Rescue on Rainier,” on the road speaking to both the Adirondack Mountain Club and the NY Power Authority Visitor’s Center.     __________________________________________________

UPCOMING MEMBER PRESENTATIONS

Steve Egna Speaks at the 2010 NACVA
Steven M. Egna, Director of Business Advisory Services with Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte CPAs, P.C. is scheduled to speak at the 2010 National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA) and The Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA) National Valuation Conference in Miami Beach on the art and science of forecasting for business appraisals.

Susanna Opper to Speak To AMA
Susanna Opper is the featured speaker at the NY Capital Region Chapter of the American Marketing Association on May 13, 2010. She will address the topic: “A Company of One: Building an Authentic Personal Brand.” Non-members of the organization are welcome to attend. More information is available at http://www.nymarketing.org/index.cfm.

Life Planning Workshop
Ray Patterson and Kat Koppett will be leading a two day Personal Life Planning Workshop, April 16-17, at the Hyatt Place in Malta, NY (Exit 12 of the Northway).  Additional information on the workshop is available on-line at http://www.CapConsult.net/pdf/plp1.pdf.  Please check it out and send the link along to people you know who may benefit from this opportunity!  Seats are going quickly and there are only a limited number left.

COMMITTEE NEWS

The Web Site Committee has implemented two enhancements to the Alliance web site:
1. We've added a new Public Presentations page in the Meetings and Events section and populated it with the handouts and/or the slides from our presenters at the luncheons.  This page is a subset of what is already listed on the Presentations page in our restricted Archives section.  The new page has been added to our Site Map.
2. Our hosting and application vendor, Wild Apricot, recently added a new feature that displays the number of attendees who have signed up for an event.  When you view the events calendar (in list mode and as a visitor) you'll see a new line and link just above the gray REGISTER button:  Registered xx Attendees.  Clicking the link displays the registrants who opted to have their names appear on our handouts.  For members-only events, however, this information is currently available only if you log on first and then go to the calendar. 

In addition, the committee has added a new page of Alliance Procedures in the Members section for Webinars.  It will hold all information pertaining to Alliance webinar procedures and training documents.

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS FOR THE JUNE NEWSLETTER

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: May 26th
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO:  NANCY REILLY

• Works in Progress - 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 special offers offered by members to other members
• Member Publication – announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations – news about member presentations and workshops coming up

 

Consulting Alliance Newsletter - February 2010

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

2010 Election of Officers
By a unanimous vote, the slate presented to the membership in early January was approved. The following officers were announced via email on January 28th: 
 
    Alan Stern, President
    Nancy Schultz, Vice President
    Bill Polk, Treasurer
    Tom Denham, Secretary
 
Congratulations to the officers.  Also, we extend a warm thank you to Graham Jones for ably serving as Vice President in 2009.  Graham will continue to advise the officers and Board in an unofficial capacity.

 Important Notice Regarding Physical and New Mailing Address
The physical address of the Consulting Alliance is still 991 Broadway, Albany, NY 12204; however, the actual mailing address is different.  Please make a note of this – all payments for programs and dues should now be addressed and mailed to:
Nancy Reilly, Administrator
Consulting Alliance
154 Wormer Road
Voorheesville, NY 12186

The new address is on our Web site at the bottom of every page.

Luncheon Attendees Lists
Just a reminder that a Contact Opt Out feature has been added to member profiles on our Web site for your privacy, should you not wish to have your name included in the attendance lists.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

The Programming Committee has a number of great programs scheduled this month. Please register soon for:

What’s in the World of the Entrepreneur?
Friday, February 12, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm, Wolferts Roost. 
Members Deborah Ferro Burke, Ph.D., Berkshire Institute for Action Learning and William Polk, Business Advisory Services will moderate a discussion of popular forms of entrepreneurship, and the efforts that make them successful. At the end of the program, participants should be better able spot potential clients in the ranks of entrepreneurs, and to fine-tune services that meet their needs.

Consulting Roundtable with Bonnie Edelstein
Friday, February 26, 7:30 am – 9:15 am, Wolferts Roost. Members-only.
Join us for a facilitated discussion that will provide an opportunity for us to be each other’s experts.  Come share and learn from each others' experience and ideas.  Do you have questions about some aspect of your business? Fees—contracts—getting new business—keeping current clients—vendors—a particularly challenging situation?  Bring questions about whatever is on your mind.

This session will be facilitated by CA member Bonnie Edelstein, president and founding partner of PeopleWork. Bonnie is a seasoned Organization Development Consultant with a master's degree in organization development. Prior to founding Peoplework, Bonnie was an internal consultant for Fortune 500 companies in the energy field and in financial services.  Her specialties include: organizational assessment and analysis, strategic planning, team building and change management.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE SEEKS YOUR PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS

The Program Committee needs your suggestions for lunch speakers for upcoming programming. Speakers should have wide public appeal so we can continue to increase attendance at our lunch programs.  Please send suggestions to our new Program Chair Deborah Ferro Burke. In the works for the spring are:

Death by Email, and Other Diseases of Social Media
Friday, March 12, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm, Wolferts Roost.
Roger Matus is Executive Vice President of Safecore, Inc. of Burlington, Mass., founder of InBoxer, and a well-known commentator on the use of email, IM, and messaging technologies. Join us for what promises to be an entertaining and enlightening session.

The Art of Proposals
Friday, March 26, 7:30 am – 9:15 am, Wolferts Roost. Members-only.
Nancy Schultz of Nancy Schultz Consulting will facilitate a discussion, including a few case presentations, about how to structure a formal proposal to respond to a bid request, and how to structure a more informal proposal to respond to an emerging opportunity.

Update from the Legislature 
Friday, April 9, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm, Wolferts Roost.
Local journalist and television personality Susan Arbetter will educate us with stories of note from the New York State Legislature.

Technology Know-How
Friday, April 23, 7:30 am – 9:15 am, Wolferts Roost. Members-only.
Cody Anderson will present his annual tech talk, updating us about the latest in technology.

Managing Your Reputation in the Community
Friday, May 14, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm, Wolferts Roost.
Jan Smith, long time Community Relations Manager for GE Energy worldwide, talks about the importance of building connections to support community goals and enhance the reputation of your firm.

MEMBER NEWS

Deepest Thanks
Ray Patterson thanks all Consulting Alliance members for "your expressions of sympathy and concern during the loss of my brother in November.  Your thoughts were truly comforting and appreciated," he writes. ______________________________________

Bartel's Elevator Speech One of the Best
The elevator speech used by Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc. is quoted in the newly released book Sixty Seconds to an Unforgettable Elevator Speech by Don Rosenberg. Bartel's business introduction was also designated by Rosenberg as one of the top three most unforgettable elevator speeches cited as examples in the book. 
 
Bartel's elevator speech follows: "I am Pauline Bartel, president and chief creative officer of Bartel Communications, an award-winning corporate communications firm that builds the images of companies with words. We work with clients that are experiencing the best of times. Through our business anniversary consulting service, we help companies leverage their longevity to win new and repeat business, strengthen key relationships and gain strategic marketplace advantage. We also work with clients that are experiencing the worst of times. Through our crisis communication consulting services, we help companies protect their reputations when bad things happen. Whether your company is experiencing the best of times or the worst of times, Bartel Communications will work like the Dickens for you."
 
Sixty Seconds to an Unforgettable Elevator Speech shows readers how to create an elevator speech and make it memorable. The book retails for $12.95 and is available through http://www.unforgettablespeech.com.     ______________________________________

Mogul Marketing Gets the Word Out
Cindy Herrmann was tapped by the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce for three projects in January:
(1)For the Women's Business Council newsletter, she wrote an article “How to do a Google AdWords or Paid Search Campaign - How are they different than Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?” , which mentions the Consulting Alliance AdWords campaign.
(2) She also created the podcasts Getting Your Business Known   (3) and Your Image/Brand
_______________________________________

Careers in Transition Out in Public and Up the Mountain
Dr. Thomas Denham Career Counselor, and owner of Careers In Transition LLC, recently presented the Career Strategies Seminar Series at the Bethlehem Public Library.  In addition, he was interviewed by Dan Bazile for the new show Help Wanted, which ran on the PBS affiliates in the Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and New York City markets.  Dr. Denham was the kickoff speaker for the Empire State College Professional Employees Annual Conference.  His topic was “Empowering Your Personal and Professional Life.”  He recently presented “Career Development 101” to students at SUNY Delhi.  He was recently interviewed on TV17 Bethlehem on the subject of “Internships and Volunteering.”   And he was the featured speaker to the NYS Employee Assistance Professionals Association on the topic, “Reinventing Yourself in Retirement.”

In addition to all of that, on Saturday, January 16th at 12:27pm -- at 15 degrees and in 75 mph winds, Tom summitted the Northeast's highest peak, Mt. Washington -- and made his mountaineering comeback.  Due to the extreme nature of the conditions, he and his guide Craig John were only able to hold out for five minutes.  They were in a total white-out for several hours on the way up and on the way down until they got below the timberline.  Tom wants to thank everyone for all your words of encouragement. 
 ______________________________________

Performance Plus Updates Quickbooks Offering 
Lynette Seawall of Performance Plus completed Part I Certification for the 2010 QuickBooks Professional Advisor Program. This continuing education ensures that those certified have met or exceeded requirements for proper client setup in the newest software version.  QuickBooks represents over 90% market share of small business accounting software.
 
Over the years, Lynette has taught several QuickBooks sessions in the Albany-Colonie Chamber’s Entrepreneurship Program.  Lynette currently consults in one-on-one half-day or full-day sessions with clients who are establishing new businesses and are ready to get a grip on the businesses’ finances.  She typically does this onsite with the senior financial manager or CEO.
_______________________________________

Braathe Offers iPhone and Mac Business Training
Robert Braathe is presenting a Lunch and Learn session called "Learn about The iPhone and Macs - Use In a Business Environment" on Tuesday March 23rd at Tech II in Saratoga Springs NY from 11:45 to 1:15pm.  For more information or to register, visit http://www.tech-ii.com/events.html.
_______________________________________

Joan Heffler Announces New Projects
Joan Heffler of Pictures With Personality contracted with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to photograph Lobby Day, where thousands of employees from across the state join in the capital to lobby with senate and assembly leaders. Heffler also contracted with The New York State Association of Realtors to photograph their annual installation awards.
_______________________________________

Boardroom Series by Patterson
Ray Patterson has been contributing articles to "The Boardroom" section of the Ballston Journal. Check out the articles on Change, Leadership, and Sustainability at Ray’s Blog at http:www.capconsult.blogspot.com.
_______________________________________

Krieger Engaged for Workforce Development
Alan Krieger has begun working with three area BOCES and the Center for Economic Growth on several workforce development projects that grew out of the study he conducted with Steve Appel last spring.  These projects include building stronger connections between business leaders, educators and work force development programs, and providing additional career information to high school students and their parents to help them prepare for emerging opportunities in Tech Valley.

COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Shared Resources Committee
We are exploring how Consulting Alliance members can share the GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar subscription that the Consulting Alliance has just taken.  This capability could be used to collaborate with other CA members on projects, and possibly even to deliver specialized webinars to current and prospective clients.  Watch for details in the coming weeks and months.

Webinar Committee
Ray Patterson and Alan Stern presented our inaugural webinars on “Launching Your Consulting Career” on January 26 with 19 attendees. Non-members paid $29; members attended for free. Revenues were $145. This will be a continuing series in conjunction with our effort to help new consultants establish successful practices that is chaired by Pauline Bartel.

Members are encouraged to attend the next webinar on “Tips for Speakers’’ to improve your speaking and webinar presentation skills on March 11 at 8:00 am, presented by presenters extrodinaire, Kat Koppett and Will Ryan.

Susanna Opper will present “How to Establish an Electronic Newsletter” on March 16 at 7 pm.

Watch for the year’s schedule at http://www.consultingalliance.org. If you have ideas for webinars, contact Webinar chair, Cindy Herrmann.

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS FOR THE APRIL NEWSLETTER

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 26th
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO:  NANCY REILLY

• Works in Progress - 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 special offers offered by members to other members
• Member Publication – announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
• Member Presentations – news about member presentations and workshops coming up 

Consulting Alliance Newsletter -December 2009

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Holiday Losses
We extend our deepest sympathies to Ray Patterson, Lynette Seawall, and Janet Ann Smith, who all lost family members last month. This is a difficult time of year to lose a loved one. Please keep them in your thoughts.

 Consulting Alliance to be Featured on WAMC
Alan Stern, Tom Denham and Cindy Herrmann will appear on WAMC’s Vox Pop with Stephen Falano on Tuesday, December 29 at 2:00 PM.  They will discuss consulting in general and the Consulting Alliance and will take calls from listeners.  Tune in!

Consulting Alliance Joins Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau
The Consulting Alliance has joined the Albany Visitors and Convention Bureau and will be exploring ways to promote our members' services to organizations hosting conferences in the Albany area.  Alan Krieger, our liaison with the Visitors Bureau for the Consulting Alliance, offers the following initial list of planned  benefits:
· We will include on our website (in the Members-Only section) a listing of all upcoming Albany conferences and conventions (target date: January).
· The Visitors Bureau will become familiar with our membership and website and will refer their members and conference coordinators to us if they are looking for consultants (a frequent occurrence).
· The Visitors Bureau will help us shape our Speaker Showcase to make it more attractive and user-friendly for conference planners.
· All CA members will be able to attend Visitor Bureau networking events.
· The CA will be listed in the annual Visitors Guide they publish and on their website.
· We will have access to the Bureau’s membership directory.

Roost Now Hosting All CA Meetings
Our breakfast location has moved to Wolferts Roost, so starting in January, all of our programs will be at the Roost. Great breakfasts will be served!

Luncheon Attendees Lists
Just a reminder that a Contact Opt Out feature has been added to member profiles on our Web site for your privacy, should you not wish your name to be included in the attendance lists.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

End the year with our Holiday Hullabaloo!!
Friday, December 11, 3-5 pm, Fort Orange Club. Members-only.
New time, old place, don't miss it!  Spend time with old colleagues, get to know new ones better, all while eating, drinking and being merry. This is our final event at the Fort Orange Club.

"Revitalizing Our Cities : The What, The Why, And How It's Going”
Friday, January 8, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm, Wolferts Roost
Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors in Schenectady, will tell us what’s been done to revitalize downtown Schenectady and explore what it takes to make our cities vibrant and sustainable. Join us for lunch on January 8th at the Roost.

“Is it a Suspect, Interesting Encounter, or a Prospect?”
Friday, January 22, 7:30 am – 2:00 pm, Wolferts Roost
Lorraine Ferguson, President of Direct Impact Associates, LLC - the authorized licensee of Sandler Training, will speak about how knowing what to look for and how to ask the right questions early in the qualification process can save you valuable time - from the standpoint of proposal development and what we call "chasing" business that was not qualified to begin with.  Walk away with a few tips to help you gain control and confidence of the early discovery process.

Program Committee Seeks Suggestions for 2010
The Program Committee needs your suggestions for lunch speakers for upcoming programming. Speakers should have wide public appeal so we can continue to increase attendance at our lunch programs.  Please send suggestions to our new Program Chair Deborah Ferro Burke, Debbie@deborahburke.com.

MEMBER NEWS

Stage Right Expands Seminar Offerings
Alan Stern of Stage Right Organizational Development, Inc. has added three seminars on mediation to his repertoire of training offerings. The first presents an overview of techniques for managing conflict without the help of a professional mediator. The second teaches a process for “self-mediation” where individuals can navigate a conflict between him/herself and another. The third teaches a process whereby a manager can mediate between two staff who are in conflict. Alan presents these on behalf of the Mediation Training Institute International and will be offering these through Stage Right directly as well. He’s run this program since last spring for NY Stage agencies and this fall ran three very successful programs in NYC.
______________________________________

Bartel Communications Holds Fundraiser
Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc. held a fundraiser for the Regional Food Bank by presenting the seminar "Subtle Sell Marketing" and offering 15-minute "Food For Thought" speed marketing consultations to selected attendees, in return for canned food donations. Eight attendees met one-on-one with Pauline to discuss current marketing challenges and receive her advice and counsel.
______________________________________

Careers in Transition Public Appearances
Dr. Thomas Denham, Career Counselor and owner of Careers In Transition LLC, recently appeared on WMHT’s Capitaland Quarterly discussing careers in entrepreneurship.  He has been speaking on career management issues at the Albany Ad Club, the Women’s Employment Resource Center and the Times Union Job Fair.  With fellow CA members Cindy Herrmann and Alan Stern, he will be promoting the Consulting Alliance on Tuesday, December 29th from 2-3 pm on Northeast Public Radio 90.3 FM with the topic: The World of Consulting.
______________________________________

Shawenon Client Site Goes Live
Shawenon Communications’ latest client Web site went live in November. It can be viewed at www.BryanBergeron.com. “It was a huge challenge and a lot of heavy lifting,” says Susanna Opper. “But it was also very interesting and rewarding work. I’m looking for more opportunities like this one.”
______________________________________

Capital Consulting Continues Article Series 
Ray Patterson, of Capital Consulting Group published his third column in Ballston Spa weekly Ballston Journal. The article, part of a series on organizational change, appeared on October 10, 2009, Albany and was entitled “A Framework for Leveraging Change, Leading from an Emerging Future.”
______________________________________

Polk Judges EAP Business Plan Contest and Participates in Webinar
Bill Polk of Business Advisory Services, one of the several Alliance members who are instructors at the Chamber's Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP), was a judge in the Chamber's EAP Business Plan competition. Polk was also a speaker at the EAP graduation ceremony.

Polk also served as a panelist for an Excelsior College webinar on Business Planning.
______________________________________

Pictures with Personality Announces New Contracts and Ten Year Anniversary
Joan Heffler of Creative Expressions Photography, Pictures With Personality! has contracted with Parameta Projektberatung GmbH & Company, a consulting firm in Germany, to photograph their winter conference this December. She also won a contract with National AFSCME, the largest public employee and health care workers union in the United States, to photograph for their national publications and website. Heffler also photographs for AFSCME’s Lobby Day at the Capitol where thousands of employees lobby for employee benefits.

Heffler, the newest member of the Consulting Alliance, is also celebrating her tenth year in business and has been featured as a “success story” in the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce Visions Magazine. Her photography is published nationally in Forbes Magazine and locally in dozens of publications and websites.

 

UPCOMING MEMBER PRESENTATIONS

Dec. 1-2:   Alan Krieger will be presenting two programs to the School Facilities Managers Personnel Academy; one on dealing with difficult people and the other on "managing up" (dealing with your boss).

Dec. 18: Alan Krieger is also continuing to work with many key agencies involved in workforce development as a follow up to the regional talent pipeline report he and Steve Appel produced.  Alan will be speaking to a regional meeting of guidance counselors on December 18.

Dec 29: CA members Cindy Herrmann, Alan Stern, and Tom Denham will be promoting the Consulting Alliance on Tuesday, December 29th from 2-3 pm on Northeast Public Radio 90.3 FM with the topic: The World of Consulting.

December: Steven M. Egna, Director of Business Advisory Services with Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte CPAs, P.C., is scheduled to be a course instructor for the Institute of Business Appraisers. Egna will teach two classes about business valuations in an educational seminar series in Georgia.

Jan – Apr 2010: Alan Krieger will be providing a four-session leadership training program to 200 members of the senior management team at Ellis Hospital through a collaboration with Schenectady County Community College.

COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Program Committee
Debbie Burke has agreed to step up and take over the role of Program Chair for lunch programming. Alan Krieger will stay on as chair for planning CA Breakfast Meetings. Kat  Koppett will be focusing on the Speaker's Showcase. Please give all the support you can to these important volunteers. In particular, we are looking for your suggestions for upcoming luncheon meeting topics and speakers for 2010.  Send ideas to Deborah Ferro Burke, PhD
Debbie@deborahburke.com.

Marketing Committee - Publicity
The Consulting Alliance continues to garner coverage of its news in The Business Review; Gazette; Saratoga Business Journal; Times Union; The Record and Visions, the magazine of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Breakfast Meeting Planning Session
Thanks to all who made it to the meeting on November 20 at Wolfert’s Roost to discuss progress and next steps on our four initiatives. Lots of great ideas were shared and with some real enthusiasm we are moving ahead to the next steps.  Here are a few highlights:

o Speaker Showcase. We’re moving from a “speaker’s bureau” to a “Showcase” to better highlight CA members who do presentations. Kat Koppett and Will Ryan will be sending information to members on what listing information will be needed for the Showcase, and will work with Jim Harrison to make the Showcase user-friendly for organizations seeking speakers. 

o Member Resources. Many ideas were suggested to Bob Serenka (Ray Patterson was out of town) for (a) group purchases that members would like to explore, and (b) additional resources such as templates (e.g., contracts, proposals, etc.) for Members-Only section of the CA Website.  We also will explore how members can get assistance from CA experts on technology usage

o Boot Camp.  While actively working to get this off the ground, we’ve decided to take small steps. Our first workshop will likely be in the Spring of 2010, with one 2-hour session on a central aspect of the consulting business. Jenny Amstutz, Nancy Schultz and Alan Stern are working along with Pauline Bartel to get this up and running.

o Webinars. Cindy Herrmann and her committee have this well in hand. Our first webinar will be offered in late January on the topic of getting into the consulting business (considerations, tips, etc.), conducted by Alan Stern and Ray Patterson. This will tie into our Boot Camp concept and possibly serve as a feeder into that program. Cindy is actively looking for topics and is putting together a schedule.  If you have a topic you think would make a good webinar, please contact her at cindy@mogulmarketing.com. 

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS FOR THE FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 22nd
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO:  NANCY REILLY

· Works in Progress - 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 special offers offered by members to other members
· Member Publication – announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
· Member Presentations – news about member presentations and workshops coming up

 

Consulting Alliance Newsletter -- October 2009

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Founding Member Geoffrey Bullard granted Honorary Membership



The CA Board of Directors voted unanimously at its September meeting to grant Geoffrey Bullard an honorary membership. Geoffrey is a founding member of the Consulting Alliance and has contributed in many ways to making this organization what it is.  His distinguished contributions to the consulting profession and to the Alliance qualify him for this honor and the Board is pleased to extend him this tribute. We certainly hope to see Geoffrey at a luncheon or event soon.

Bob Furlong’s Loss Mourned by Consulting Alliance
We were all saddened by Bob Furlong’s death on September 21st from complications arising from a liver transplant. Bob was a long-standing member of the Consulting Alliance and his presence will be greatly missed. Personal condolences should be addressed to his widow, Maureen Furlong, at 14 Springwood Manor Drive Loudonville, NY 12211. 

Luncheon Attendees Lists
The Board recently approved the sharing of the luncheon registration list to promote networking.  The information shared is participant name, company name and phone number. All CA members should update their profiles to include their current contact information.  Please be aware that a Contact Opt Out feature has been added to member profiles on our Web site for your privacy, should you not wish your name to be included in the attendance lists.

GREAT FALL PROGRAMS

Breakfast Locations and Dates Changing

Please read our program announcements carefully for location and date changes coming up for our fall breakfasts.

Program Committee Seeks Suggestions for 2010

The Program Committee needs your suggestions for lunch speakers for upcoming programming. Speakers should have wide public appeal so we can continue to increase attendance at our lunch programs.  Please send suggestions to Alan Krieger at alan@krsol.com or Kat Koppett at kat@koppett.com.

October/November Meetings

Be sure to join us for our upcoming meetings! Visit http://consultingalliance.org/events for details and to register:

October 9th Luncheon
Wolferts Roost
Meetings Mean Business
Michele Vennard, President and CEO of the Albany County Convention Visitors Bureau
Michael Gulotty, General Manager Hampton Inn & Suites Albany Downtown

October 23rd Breakfast
Marriott Hotel, Wolf Rd, Albany
Instinct vs. Information – Fact-Finding for Consulting Projects
Members Brad Morrison, Steve Appel, and Bonnie Edelstein.

November 13th Luncheon
Wolferts Roost
Good News on the Horizon!
James Ross, Capital Region Labor Market Analyst for the New York State Department of Labor.

December 11th December Social 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Fort Orange Club
Details to follow.

Presenter Handouts Available Online

Keep checking the Members-Only section of our website http://consultingalliance.org/presentations for copies of presenter handouts or slides.  We just put up some great resources from September's lunch and breakfast Web 2.0 programs. If you don’t know your password, go to http://consultingalliance.org/Common/Password/ForgottenPasswordRequest.aspx for instructions on how to reset.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

Joan Heffler, Corporate Photographer

Joan Heffler, owner of Niskayuna-based Creative Expressions Photography, Pictures With Personality, specializes in all aspects of corporate photography and builds visual strategies for businesses, non-profits, statewide agencies and corporate executives. She combines 30 years of marketing experience with artistic vision to produce relevant and vibrant images that maximize return on investment, increase visibility and support branding efforts. She also mentors individuals on camera technology, composition, and technique.

MEMBER NEWS

Bartel Communications Forms Strategic Alliance

Bartel Communications, Inc. has formed a strategic alliance with Corso's Cookies of Syracuse, NY. The alliance designates Corso's Cookies as a preferred vendor and places the company on the vendor list that Bartel Communications recommends to clients seeking cookie gifts, cookie gift bouquets, and cookie gift baskets for business anniversaries.  With this commitment, Bartel Communications will also provide special pricing to Corso Cookies clients for business anniversary promotional campaigns.

Mogul Marketing Expands Flash, Photoshop & Video Capability

The Moguls took a break this summer to learn the newest slick Photoshop and Flash techniques in NYC. They have seen increasing demand for sophisticated photo manipulation and for video on web sites, and want to give their clients world-class quality. Mogul Marketing, Inc. is a marketing /communications firm founded in 1995 specializing in web design, photography and case studies. The firm provides very high quality work to a limited number of demanding clients.

Joan Heffler to Aid Smart Up Program

Joan Heffler, owner of Creative Expressions Photography, Pictures With Personality!, has been asked to be an advisor for the 2009 Rensselaer County Chamber's Smart Up Program. Her task is to advise a sole proprietor on all aspects of starting a sole proprietorship including marketing, business development, and finances.

Steven M. Egna Earns Professional Distinctions

Steven Egna, Director of Business Advisory Services with Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte CPAs, P.C. has been named the Institute of Business Appraisers Instructor of the Year. He also was elected to the board of the Eastern New York Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. 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 valuations, litigation support and CFO advisory work, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Dr. Thomas Denham Presents on Capital Region and Hudson Valley Broadcast Media

Dr. Thomas Denham, founder of Careers In Transition LLC has been frequently speaking on career issues on Northeast Public Radio, covering topics as “Social Networking Your Way to Your Next Job,” “Exploring Your Options in Mid-Life,” and “Career Strategies.” He can also be heard discussing career management subjects monthly on WVKR Poughkeepsie. His recent television shows on Bethlehem and Colonie Public Access have included talks on “Interviewing,” “Entrepreneurship,” and “Turning Your Passion into a Profession.”

Alan Krieger and Steve Appel Make Frequent Public Appearances

Alan Krieger and Steve Appel presented their report on developing a Regional Talent Pipeline for technicians in high tech industries to the Greater Capital Region Workforce Investment Boards.  It was well received by employers, educators, and work force developers, even though the report was critical of many of their efforts.  A work group is being formed to move into the implementation phase.

Janet Ann Smith Develops New Website at RPI

Multilogue Consulting Corporation founder Janet Ann Smith was awarded a contract in September to renovate the Website of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s New York Center for Future Energy Systems.  Janet Ann’s marketing consulting work focuses on technology businesses, particularly those involved with cutting-edge cleantech technologies. The new site is targeted for launch by December 1, 2009.

MEMBER PUBLICATIONS

Lisa Giruzzi's first published book, 42 Rules for Creating WE , was released on September 17, 2009 and quickly became a bestseller on Amazon.com, reaching #70 on the overall list and topping four business categories (Leadership, Management, Motivation , and Organizational Behavior). A collaboration of 19 members of The Creating WE Institute, the book offers clear strategies for turning organizational fatigue into opportunity and success at the turn of every page.

UPCOMING MEMBER PRESENTATIONS

Oct. Dates:

Alan Stern will be in NYC twice in October presenting programs on Self As Mediator and Manager As Mediator, two programs that teach tools and techniques anyone can use to deal effectively with workplace conflict with a one-on-one approach that moves conflict from “me against you” to “us against the problem.”  These tools help manage workplace conflict before it escalates into costly problems.  The first session will be a delivery for the New York and CSEA Partnership for Training. The second will be an open enrollment program to certify trainers in the tools. More information at www.stagerightorg.com/mediation.asp. Registration at www.mediationworks.com/index.html.

Oct 14–17:
Lisa Giruzzi, owner of Transformational Conversations and coauthor of 42 Rules for Creating WE will be the keynote speaker at the New York State Library Association's annual conference in Niagara Falls.  The program, Creating WE: The DNA of Teamwork, will address turning "I-centric" thinking into "WE-centric" thinking.

Oct 15:
Bartel Communications is partnering with Tech Valley Continuity to provide crisis communications planning and training services to clients. To kick off the strategic partnership, Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc., and Geoff L. Turner of Tech Valley Continuity, LLC will present a joint seminar, Snowstorms and Flooding and Ice – OH MY! Surviving Your Next Disaster, for the U-Start Business Incubator on Thursday, October 15 from 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. at The Center for Entrepreneurship in Schenectady.

Oct 19:
Human resources consultant Robert Braathe will be doing a presentation and workshop on Affordable and Efficient Technology Solutions from 3:45 to 5:15 on Monday October 19th at the Annual Affordable Housing Conference of the Neighborhood Preservation Coalition of NYS at the Desmond Hotel.

Oct. 20:
Alan Krieger is presenting at a number of conferences this month on topics ranging from Doing More with Less, to Motivation and Leadership.  He is presenting a program called Doing More With Less and Liking It! Time and Stress Management Strategies for Succeeding in Challenging Times at the closing plenary session from 10:30 to 12:00 at the Annual Affordable Housing Conference of the Neighborhood Preservation Coalition of NYS. He heard about this gig through the Consulting Alliance alerts.

Oct. 29:
Robert G. Dwyer will lead a panel discussion for the Tech Valley Not-for-Profit Business Council entitled Thinking Outside the Sandbox: Collaborative Strategies for Your Organization at the Italian American Community Center.

Nov.  6–7:
Kat Koppett and Ray Patterson are collaborating with Jim Francek of TAVA Full Circle to design and deliver a series of two day workshops on Personal Life Planning.  This initial workshop, to be held at Hyatt Place, Malta, is targeted to people who have put some thought to the life changes they might like to make (career or professionally focused, i.e. job or career changes, life phase changes, new business ventures, etc).  Additional details will be available soon at Capital Consulting Group web site.  Please mark your calendars and alert your network of friends to this opportunity!  Please contact Ray via email or phone 518-857-6500 for any additional details, including a special “early adopter’s special price.” Workshop group size is limited to 20.

MARKETING COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Webinar Member Benefit

Any member who wishes to give a Webinar can use the CA contact data base to publicize the event. The Webinar committee has developed guidelines that will help make it successful and professional. For more information, contact Cindy Herrmann. 

New Newsletter Editor

Janet Ann Smith has taken over as editor of our Newsletter with the resignation of Carol Young.  Janet has published many print and online newsletters, handling everything from editorial planning to writing, editing, production, and circulation. It’s great to have the CA newsletter in her talented hands. Please continue to send Nancy Reilly information about you and your business so she has vibrant material to work with. The newsletter is published electronically at the beginning of Feb, April, June, August, October, and December. All submissions must be submitted via email to by the 25th of the month before publication. See suggestions at the end of this newsletter!

Publicity Contribution Pays Off

Speaking of talented members, Pauline Bartel continues to get the Alliance awesome coverage in the local media. Awareness and understanding of our high professional standards have increased substantially because of her considerable efforts on our behalf.

Website Wonders

Webmaster Jim Harrison also continues to work his magic behind the scenes making our Web site a member resource.

SHARING RESOURCES!!!

Shared Resource Committee and Web 2.0 Tools

Under the leadership of Ray Patterson, the Shared Resource Committee has been looking into ways to help Consulting Alliance members share resources. Our emphasis is on tools to make members more productive in their business, particularly software and Web-based tools. Thanks to all of you who completed the survey conducted this summer, we were able to determine that the most important category of tools are those that help us collaborate with each other, with our clients, and with vendors.

If you would like a PDF copy of the survey results summary, please contact Ray via email. In the meantime, the committee is compiling information about the various tools respondents mentioned. We will be setting up topics within the Consulting Alliance Members Forum.  We would really like you all to help us by starting and participating in discussions about the various tools. Got some experience with a Project Management Tool? Write a review!  Have a question about a particular online conferencing solution? Post it!  Remember to “Subscribe” to the topics you want to follow and you will be notified with a simple email when anyone posts comments to those items you have subscribed to.  That makes it easier to keep up and keep learning! Also, if you have any questions on how to use this capability, please see Ray’s special offer below.

Patterson Offers Shared Resource Sessions for Fellow Members

As a follow-on to Guy Cortesi’s and Ray Patterson’s presentation on various web based tools, Ray is willing to spend some time (hour or two per “session”) with any CA member talking about specific situations where these tools may help you and your business.  Of course, all client details will be appropriately protected. “My interest is purely and truly to assist all of us in our learning,” he says. “I always learn from the sharing as well.  We are all more effective and smarter when we work together!”  To take advantage of Ray’s expertise, email him or call 518-857-6500.

The Last Word

Finally, for a little humorous commentary on the travails of being a consultant, check out this suggestion from Susanna Opper:
http://thenationalnetworker.blogspot.com/2009/08/it-all-starts-with-us-silent-screams-of.html

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS FOR THE DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 21ST
SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO:  NANCY REILLY

· Works in Progress - 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 special offers offered by members to other members
· Member Publication – announcements of books, articles, or other publication credits
· Member Presentations – news about member presentations and workshops coming up

Newsletter -- August 2009

Webinar Update

The board has approved the Webinar Committee’s  proposal to offer members the opportunity to conduct webinars as a benefit of membership in the Alliance.
Background
· One of the great benefits of CA membership is professional development and networking.  We have more breakfast program ideas than we have breakfasts. Offering our members the opportunity to give a Webinar and market it using our email list is a nice additional benefit. It also gives our members an opportunity to use new technology with a friendly audience.
Logistics
· If you have an idea for a Webinar, please send a proposal to Cindy Herrmann, the chair of the Webinar committee.
The Webinar committee is responsible for selecting high quality ideas consistent with the professional ideals of the CA. They have developed material to help you based on their experience and research.
 Execution
· Email invitations will be sent using the CA’s email list. The host and members will be encouraged to invite others who may be interested – which will increase the CA “family”.
· Times and topics will be coordinated with the program committee.
· The host / presenter will be responsible for setting the time and date and for technology logistics.
·        At least one member of the Webinar committee will attend to monitor quality.
·        The host will also assign a backup host.
·        An online survey will be sent out after the event.
·        We see the process evolving as we get more experience.
Benefits
· Many CA members travel a lot or have difficulty with the timing of our meetings. Webinars will give them another opportunity to connect from anywhere and to stay more connected.
· Low risk technology practice.
· May increase membership.
· May be more appropriate than breakfasts or lunches for some topics.
· Gives an opportunity to explore popular topics in more depth.

Web site Committee

The latest release of CA’s web software Wild Apricot has added a new feature that gives anyone viewing your member profile an alternative way to send you an email.  This feature was added because other WA clients don't publish their members' email addresses but still wanted a communication channel.
 
When you view a member's profile, just after the member's name you will see a new SEND MESSAGE button.  Clicking on the button opens a form so you can send an email directly to that person.  You can choose to turn this option off in your own profile.  Open your profile for editing, select the CONTACT tab, then Privacy Settings.  At the top of the list is Send Message Form that is currently set to "Anybody".  You can change the setting to "Members" (only), or to "No Access" to turn it off completely. 

Where's My Handout? Presenter handouts, if available, are posted on the web site within a week of luncheon and breakfast meetings.  Log onto the Presentation Page in Members/Archives section.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The “Member Services – Shared Resources” Committee is continuing to work on the variety of services and capabilities that we can share with other members.  Be on the lookout for a member survey on a variety of tools, and services, including possibly books and other resources that we might share among members.  Also please join the “conversation” on the CA Web site to share your ideas and provide input to our efforts.  The goal is another addition to “Value for Membership” in the Consulting Alliance.

Program Committee

August 14 Lunch Program “Clowning Around with the Consulting Alliance”

Consulting Alliance member Barbara Bird also known as “Sparky” and some of her clown friends will present the varied ways clowns use their performance arts in areas such as hospital clowning, clown ministry and comic relief following disasters. Bring your camera for photo ops.

The Program Committee is hustling to finalize plans for an exciting fall lineup.  Stay tuned!  If anyone would like to join the Program Committee, they could use another member or two.  They meet by phone and Yugma, and meetings are short and infrequent.  Committee members’ responsibilities are to help propose and review suggested speakers; and help organize at least two lunches and two breakfasts each year.  Many hands make light work!  Contact Alan Krieger 518-895-2939 or alan@krsol.com

Upcoming Event

Regional Economic Stimulus Forum
Accessing Federal Recovery and Reinvestment Funds
August 6 in Saratoga
Critical to New York State’s economic recovery is ensuring that business, educational and healthcare institutions, not-for-profit organizations, municipalities and others have access to New York’s share of federal funds appropriated and distributed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
 
With a total $26 billion dollars earmarked for economic stimulus and reinvestment projects statewide - distributed through a variety of state agencies - getting timely, accurate and specific application information to potential project stakeholders is imperative.
 
This forum will focus on the distribution of these funds in our region plus strategies to acces opportunities in: Research and Technology/Innovation, Small Business, Energy and Weatherization, Broadband, Health Information Technology.
Thursday August 6, 2009, 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location:        Empire State College, The Rotunda (Room.126), 2 Union Ave, Saratoga Springs
Host:  Joanne Yepsen, Saratoga County Supervisor
Co-Sponsor: Congressman Scott Murphy
Co-Sponsor: Gov. Paterson’s Economic Recovery Cabinet
Presenters: Key state agency staff with opening remarks by co-sponsors
Free and open to the public. REGISTRATION REQUIRED at 
Optional Post-Forum Networking Lunch @ $20

New Members

The Consulting Alliance welcomes Debbie Burke of The Berkshire Institute for Action Learning. One of the things Debbie Burke likes best about being a consultant is that she can combine corporate work, teaching, mentoring, community service and personal interests into a full but flexible schedule. She has been doing this under the moniker of The Berkshire Institute for Action Learning since 1990. She works with leadership teams to develop an organization culture that will enable strategy to be effectively deployed. Most of her clients are large corporations, including GE, CNA Insurance, Toyota, General Motors (Canada) and Ingersoll Rand. She also consults to young companies, and coaches entrepreneurs and rising managers.

Debbie’s primary corporate experience was at GE. As a manager at Crotonville, she created and repeatedly delivered a 5-day residential program for GE professional employees, leading a faculty of a dozen professors and business executives. Debbie led a team of consultants and managers to conduct innovative organization assessments and craft Work-Out to fit the changing needs of the then-$15-billion GE energy business. She was also human resources manager of the GE Corporate Audit Staff, and held several HR and communication positions in the defense business. Debbie has continued to consult with GE on Work-Out and Six Sigma, has developed and delivered global Culture Change for Safety and Culture Change for Quality efforts, and has facilitated technology transfer negotiations. Debbie is a senior consultant at Culture Change Consultants, and has worked through GE HR Solutions, as well as independently with clients.

Debbie was Associate Professor in the Lally School of Management and Technology at RPI, teaching organization behavior and leadership at the Troy and Hartford campuses, and in executive programs. She has also taught leadership in the China program of the Levin Institute at SUNY. For several years she has been a mentor-instructor in the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program at MIT, where she has recently been appointed to the program’s advisory board.

In her community, Debbie focuses on affordable housing, economic development and literacy. She is a key player in efforts to increase affordable housing options for families. She founded the Lenox Affordable Housing Corporation, and is appointed to the Town of Lenox Affordable Housing Committee. She frequently participates in economic development planning sessions. She is 3-term past chairman of the Literacy Network of South Berkshire. She is often asked to facilitate community meetings, particularly when options are unclear or agreements hard to attain.

Debbie is on the board of the Berkshire Entrepreneurs Network, and a member of the MIT Enterprise Forum. She has recently conducted and presented a reunion survey of her Smith College class, and she was on the planning committee for her 25th MBA reunion at Columbia.

Debbie’s doctoral work at Fielding Graduate University looked at interrelationships between business executives and management scholars during the last half of the 20th century, concluding that each group would benefit from more contact with the other.

When not working, teaching, mentoring or being active in the community, Debbie enjoys walking Berkshire trails with her dogs, attending plays and concerts, and shopping at the farmer’s market. She also is very involved in supporting the needs of her frail parents and aunt in Schenectady. Her husband, Richard J. Burke, PhD., chairs the engineering department at SUNY Maritime College. He is a naval architect and an industrial statistician.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to Clean Energy Technology Consultant Janet Ann Smith, president of Multilogue Consulting Corporation in Albany, NY. In her practice, Smith helps clean energy startups with branding and building basic marketing infrastructure, assists smart grid software and hardware manufacturers develop presence throughout the supply chain and helps utilities and government agencies communicate with constituents about energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.  

Smith earned her MBA in international marketing from Babson College and a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Russian language from Brandeis University.  She is the author of Customer Bonding: Pathways to Lasting Customer Loyalty, which was published in 1994 by NTC Business Books (now McGraw Hill), as well as numerous articles on marketing technology for Direct Marketing, Business Marketing and Circulation Management.  

A resident of Rensselaer, NY, Smith is a member of The Cleantech Group, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Institute for Management Consultants, Public Relations Society of America, American Marketing Association and Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce.   

Member News

Lisa Giruzzi, owner of Transformational Conversations and cofounder of the Creating WE Institute™ has coauthored, “42 Rules™ for Creating WE: A hands-on, practical approach to organizational development, change and leadership best practices” with members of the Creating WE Institute™ including best selling author Judith Glaser. 
 
42 Rules™ for Creating WE offers new insights from thought leaders in neuroscience, organizational development, and brand strategy, introducing groundbreaking practices for bringing the spirit of WE to any organization, team or cause.  42 Rules™ for Creating WE is being published by HappyAbout.info and is scheduled to be release in mid August.  Preorders are available by visiting http://happyabout.info/42rules/creatingwe.php.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Susanna Opper has “gone regional” with a semi-monthly column online at iBerkshires.com. The first one—“Berkshire Disconnect: Rural Living in the 21st Century”—was published July 8.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On July 14, Bill Polk was the featured speaker at the Albany Chamber of Commerce.  Titled "Where's My Million Dollars?, he covered information about and strategies for building retirement planning into your business practice.
 Also, congratulations to Bill for recently completing the requirements to attain recognition as "Advanced Communicator Gold" from Toastmasters International.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Krieger and Steve Appel completed a study on the employment needs of high tech employers in the Tech Valley region for mid-level technicians.  They also looked at how to best prepare candidates for these positions.  Some of the more interesting findings: there will be a labor shortage in this region for technicians in 2011 and some employment opportunities for graduates of two-year colleges pay more than most people with a bachelor's degree can earn starting out of college.  Soft skills continue to be a serious concern for area employers. Too many candidates are severely lacking in critical thinking skills especially.  If you'd like to see a copy of this report or executive summary, contact Alan at alan@krsol.com or Steve at Steve@appelresearch.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc., is quoted in the 2010 Woman's Advantage Shared Wisdom Page-a-Day Calendar, which features "365 innovative ideas on strategy, teambuilding, marketing, finance and more" (www.womansadvantage.biz). The innovative idea Bartel shares is to "mark your business anniversary with a pr campaign. You'll celebrate your staying power and 'sell'-abrate your products." Hardcopies of the $17.95 calendar will be available through www.amazon.com. An on-line version of the calendar will be displayed throughout 2010 on the women's homepage of Entrepreneur magazine.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Careers In Transition LLC – Dr. Thomas Denham, Career Counselor, was the featured speaker to the International Association of Administrative Professionals on the topic of “Career Options for the 21st Century.”  He was also the keynote speaker at the conference of the NYS Association of Professional Mortgage Women on the subject of “Work/Life Balance: Tips and Techniques.”  He is currently writing a weekly Career Blog for the Times Union which can be read at http://blog.timesunion.com/careers.  In addition, at the most recent Times Union Job Fair, he presented on the topic, “Resumes and Reinventing Yourself.”  He also critiqued resumes of job applicants on a pro bono basis.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CA in the News
Ray Patterson is one of the “Business Board Room” contributors to the Ballston Journal.  His first article can be found in the July 23rd issue at the local Stuarts Shops, in Ballston Spa/Malta, Hannaford in Milton, CVS stores, Cumberland Farms, all around Ballston Spa!

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc., was interviewed on the Web radio program “Mind Your BIZness” (www.wnbradionetwork.com) about “Harnessing the Promotional Power of Your Business Anniversary.” Pauline shared insights into why celebrating a business anniversary is an essential marketing strategy, key strategies for creating an anniversary-year branding message and the strategic components of a comprehensive business anniversary promotional campaign.

The Consulting Alliance was spotlighted in the July 19, 2009 edition of Latham Life, a part of the Troy Record,  in the feature story "Consultants Aim to Build Better Businesses." Consulting Alliance president Alan Stern was quoted throughout the article, which appeared in the Business Beat section.  Click on the link to read the whole article.
Thanks to Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications who arranged the media coverage as the Consulting Alliance's publicist.

Resources - On the humorous side

The video "The Vendor Client Relationship - in real world situations" shows the absurdity of some client negotiations. It is certainly something many can identify with.

Newsletter Deadlines and Tips

The newsletter is published every other month. Copy is due to Nancy Reilly the Friday of the breakfast meeting in, May, July, September, and December. Newsletter editor is Carol Day Young.

Please send recommendations of good resources, books, websites of interest to members, especially SHORT member news/announcements such as:
· Events/Presentations- big public events of interest to members
· Awards and honors
· Publications
· BIG contracts
· Appearances on TV or radio
· Launch of a new website
· Business anniversary/milestones
· Births, deaths, marriages
· Updates on member to member service exchanges
· Launch of a new project/enterprise outside the scope of the member’s usual business
· Unusual experiences

Newsletter -- June 2009

New Member

The Consulting Alliance welcomes Robert G. Dwyer, Senior Vice President/Consulting with OTC Consulting Services LLC.

Mr. Dwyer has significant hospital operations experience, and since 2004 has served as a financial consultant for the investment banking community evaluating M&A and other activity in the healthcare space. He is also an operations consultant to a wide range of non-profit organizations. He began his career as Controller of The House of the Good Samaritan and then moved to North County Hospitals, Inc., where he was Director of Finance. He spent the bulk of his professional career (1981-2003) with Quorum Health Resources, LLC, which eventually became part of Community Health Systems. Positions held include Contract CFO of Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic; District Controller over 12 hospitals in the Northeastern US; Assistant VP; and Group Vice President/Market Manager. Mr. Dwyer also served as a faculty member at the Learning institute at Quorum where he specialized in both quality improvement methods and change management. In 2003, he became Executive Director of Daughters of Sarah Senior Community/Massry Residence, and then State Manager for CGI Health Care and Government Division from 2005-2007.

Mr. Dwyer’s strongest area of expertise is operation of healthcare facilities, including patient acquisition, debt management, program services including outsourcing trends, and CAP EX. He consults for both for-profit and non-profit hospitals, including Community Health Systems, Life Point, Ascension Health, Hospital Corporation of America, and Universal Health Services, as well as with facilities serving adult disability and mental impairment.

The Consulting Alliance - The Organization in 2014

At the May 22nd Breakfast Meeting, the membership identified our next priority initiatives to strengthen the Alliance and continue to provide value to our members.  We began with a statement of how we see the Alliance looking 5 years into the future. (See the annual plans archive on our website.) To get us there, we considered many of the activities and projects that have emerged from planning sessions in recent years and our recent member survey. The Alliance will focus on four initiatives. Exploratory committees have formed to flesh out the details for each initiative. If you’d like to be included, please contact the committee leader.  

Speakers Bureau to promote our members as speakers and presenters, and to respond to inquiries and requests that we receive. Members: Tim Kraft (lead), Kat Koppett, Will Ryan

Consultant Boot Camp to plan a public workshop with sessions led by our members on the “how to's” of setting up a successful consulting practice. Members: Pauline Bartel (lead), Susan Harris, Alan Krieger, Ray Patterson, Will Ryan, Nancy Schultz

Shared Resources (Member Benefits) to identify resources we can make available to our members such as equipment and technology and services where volume discounts might help reduce costs for members. Members: Ray Patterson (lead), Bob Serenka, Janet Ann Smith

Webinars to develop a format providing members with the ability to provide both public and members-only webinars on their areas of expertise.  This will expand our ability to present programs and add to what we do at the Breakfast programs. Members:  Cindy Herrmann (lead), Susan Harris, Jim Harrison, Kat Koppett, Tim Kraft, Bob Serenka, Michelle Dubner.

You may access the complete planning document in the members-only archives on the Web site under Annual Plans “Results of Strategic Planning Session (May 2009).

New Policy on Breakfast Meetings

The Board approved a new procedure to waive the fee for breakfast meetings for members who make the meeting’s major program presentation.  This brings the breakfast meeting procedure into line with that for luncheon programs.

Programs

Seeking New Program Committee Member/s
The Program Committee could use another member or two to help organize its events.  Committee members are responsible for coordinating with the speakers to get the publicity information in advance, fine tune the presentation to make sure it meets our members' interests, and coordinate logistics for the day of the event.  The goal is to have six members so each member will be responsible for two lunches and two breakfasts each year.  Contact Alan Krieger, Program Chair, if you're interested. Current members are Steve Jeffes, Susan Harris, Abbie Von Schlegell and Kat Koppett.

Upcoming programs:

June 26 Breakfast – Susanna Opper and Will Ryan will present on fine tuning your elevator speech.

July 10 Lunch – Corey Jamison, President of the Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group will discuss working effectively with clients and companies of diverse cultural or generational backgrounds.

July 24 breakfast Peter Coombs will discuss how to best approach the initial client meeting and how to negotiate an agreement.

Our August lunch will be a fun one, featuring clowns.

 

Marketing Committee

Cindy Herrmann, Chair of the Marketing Committee, reports that our Google ads appear to be increasing awareness about the Alliance. Of the three ads running, “Find a Consultant” is the most popular. The most clicked-on keyword is “training”.

To help members figure out what's available on the Web site, the Marketing Committee has added a Site Map page as the first entry within the Members section.  As the Web site continues to evolve, this new page will reflect those future changes – thanks to our tireless webmaster Jim Harrison.

Membership Committee

Barbara Bird Has Stepped Down From Her Role as Chair Of The Membership Committee:  A Thank You From The Alliance 

As many members are aware, Barbara Bird has ended her amazing tenure as the Chair of this very important committee.  Barb has put in countless hours reaching out to potential members, setting up and conducting interviews, speaking with references and coordinating the activities of her Committee.  It is hard to recall a month when she has not brought at least one prospective member’s name up for a vote.  It is thanks to Barb’s untiring efforts and tremendous dedication that our membership has remained strong and indeed continues to grow.  During this time, Barb also lent her wisdom and experience to the Board of Directors.  While those contributions will be missed, Barb will remain on the Membership Committee and will focus her efforts on Member Retention – working to help the Alliance identify what members want and helping to see that we continue to provide a solid return on investment for members.  The Alliance owes Barb a warm and enormous Thank You!

Bravo to Jennifer Amstutz, the new chair of the Membership Committee who is following in Barb’s capable footsteps.

Member News

Death-defying Consultant

While climbing Mount Rainier, Tom Denham fell 30 feet when a snow bridge gave way — like a trap door, Tom recalled later — he screamed and plummeted into the abyss.“It was dark,” he remembered. “I just kept falling and falling and falling. It seemed like forever. I had forgotten I was tied in.”

Denham shot this picture after falling 30 feet into the crevasse. Note the hole and the precarious nature of the remaining snow bridge below. The second photo shows Denham after he climbed out of the crevasse, which is pictured behind him. See the full story from the Times Union.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Retirement Planning: “Where’s My Million Dollars?”

Bill Polk will be addressing the Small Business Council of the Albany Chamber at 7:30 AM on Tuesday, July 14.  The title is "Where's My Million Dollars?" It’s been said that you need savings of a million dollars before you can retire.  Is it still true?  Where is that amount of money going to come from?  Bill will provide practical strategies on how to run your business in order to help set you up for retirement. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alan Krieger and Steve Appel are winding up a workforce development research project and will be submitting a report to the Capital Region Workforce Development Boards at the end of this month.  The report will be released in on June 18.  The project focuses on identifying the skill sets needed for technician level jobs in high tech industries and developing a mechanism to increase collaboration between business and education/training organizations.

Alan Krieger is planning another video shoot this summer to add to his collection of video clips for trainers and further his career dream to be a Hollywood producer!  To see the current set of clips, visit:  www.kriegersolutions.com and follow the video links.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bartel Communications, Inc., has named the Scotia-Glenville Children’s Museum a “Charity of Choice.”  This designation adds the Scotia-Glenville Children’s Museum to A Cause for Celebration™, the registry of not-for-profit organizations Bartel Communications recommends to clients seeking a beneficiary for corporate-anniversary community-service campaigns.
Founded in 1978, in Scotia-Glenville Children’s Museum is an all-traveling museum “without walls” that travels to communities within a 50-mile radius of its administrative office.  It offers a wide range of programs developed to enhance New York State learning standards.

Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc., presented the seminar "'Sell'-abrating Your Business Anniversary" for Key Bank's Key4Women Lunch Box Lessons series.  The seminar coincided with the one-year anniversary celebration of the Key4Women Resource Center on Wolf Road.

Pauline was also quoted in the articles “Damage Control Go on the Offensive: Managing Tough News in Tough Times” and “Case Study: An Aggressive PR strategy Helps Save a Hospital” in the May 29 – June 4, 2009 edition of The Business Review.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Careers In Transition LLC – Dr. Thomas Denham, Career Counselor, was the keynote presenter to NYS Dept. of Education EAP on the subject of “Reinventing Yourself in a Recession.”  He also spoke to Leadership Tech Valley’s Class of 2009 on “Work/Life Balance: Tips and Techniques” as well as the UAlbany’s Preparing for the Professoriate Conference on “Making Cover Letter and Interview Skills Work for You.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brad Morrison, Cost Control, gave a presentation at the local APICS chapter professional development meeting at Glen Sanders Mansion.  The presentation topic was “Simulation:  A New Tool for Manufacturing & Healthcare.” Part of the presentation involved a simulation model that Barbara Bird, Bird Consulting Group, and Brad developed for a client in Houston, Texas.  The presentation also featured the first public viewing of Barb and Brad’s new Patient Process Tool simulation model. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ray Patterson has a very nice two page interview in the April issue of Success Magazine, and he also helps promote the Consulting Alliance with our logo on his business card which is also shown prominently on page 43 of the magazine.
 
Ray and two of his collaboration partners delivered two, three-day Developing Dynamic Leaders courses for Rensselaer’s Lally School, Executive MBA program.  He and his colleagues received very high marks and great feedback from the EMBA Students.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Bob Furlong’s invitation, Susanna Opper of Shawenon Communications presented "The Business Side of Social Networking" at SCORE in Albany in March. At the end of April, she discussed 5 Steps to a Great Web site at the Tri-Town Rotary in Lenox. And on May 1, she presented at the first-ever Berkshire Bar Camp at MASSMoCA. Topic: "Creating a Buzz."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please note the correct web address for the product launch announced in the last newsletter. Susanna Opper of Shawenon Communications helped launch the Berkshire Hills Financial Web site. Shawenon Communications provided copy for the 11-page site and also contributed to the design concept.

_______________________________________________________________

Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce News

Rental Space for Coaches and Trainers
One of the Chamber’s EAP graduates from 2005, Helen Sigsby of United Building Maintenance, Inc., has just completed renovations on a room in her facility. She would like to rent the space to coaches and instructors.  The rental rate is negotiable.  There is an office space and a small conference/workshop room plus an area to sell books/DVDs/videos.  If you think this might be of interest to you or someone you know, please contact Janet L. Tanguay, Entrepreneurial Assistance & Internship Coordinator (phone 518.431.1430).

Your Consulting Alliance membership entitles you to participate in events for Chamber members. Go to: Chamber Events or call to register and tell them you are a Consulting Alliance member. (phone 518.431.1414).

Quotations to Ponder

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin

“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
– Thomas Pynchon in Gravity’s Rainbow. New York: Penguin. 2000.

"I always said I wanted to be somebody. I guess I should have been more specific."
– Lily Tomlin

CA Web site

Where's My Handout?
Presenter handouts are usually posted on the web site within a week of luncheon and breakfast meetings.  The timing depends primarily on how quickly we receive an electronic copy from the presenter.  Log onto the Presentation Page in Members/Archives section for copies of the public and internal handouts and powerpoints we have.

Where on the Web Site is . . . . ?
Not sure what's on the Web site or where to look?  Visit the Site Map page to get a quick overview of what information is available, where it is and the active links to access it.

 

Newsletter Deadlines and Tips

The newsletter is published every other month. Copy is due to Nancy Reilly the Friday of the breakfast meeting in, May, July, September, and December. Newsletter editor is Carol Day Young.

Please send recommendations of good resources, books, websites of interest to members, especially SHORT member news/announcements such as:
· Events/Presentations- big public events of interest to members
· Awards and honors
· Publications
· BIG contracts
· Appearances on TV or radio
· Launch of a new website
· Business anniversary/milestones
· Births, deaths, marriages
· Updates on member to member service exchanges
· Launch of a new project/enterprise outside the scope of the member’s usual business
· Unusual experiences

 

Newsletter -- April 2009

Marketing Committee Offers New Services

As we transition from focusing on our web site redesign, the marketing committee is testing some new ideas to build member business and to increase awareness of the Consulting Alliance in the regional business community.

Google AdWords
The Consulting Alliance is testing a Google AdWords campaign  targeted to a 50-mile radius of Wolfert’s Roost to see how they work for us. Up to $2 per day is budgeted for a 90-day trial period. Our ads may appear when someone in our geographic area searches for consultants or speakers. They no longer appear after our daily budget has been reached. Please do not click on the ads – we pay for the click throughs.

Online Marketing Conference on April 13
Ray Patterson will present a web conference on Marketing on Monday, April 13 at 7:30 am for CA members. The program will include:
·         Marketing yourself using tools like Face Book and LinkedIn.
·         Updating your CA profile and the value of doing so
·         Reviewing case studies and the value to member’s marketing  initiatives

This program is a twofer – you’ll have an opportunity to experience the free conference software Yugma while learning more about online marketing. Go to ConsultingAlliance.org to register. Will Ryan coordinated this program. We will be looking for feedback to see if the CA should offer additional webinars as a member benefit.

Consulting Boot Camp
We plan to offer a public program on how to build a consulting practice.  The potential for fees from attendance will provide an income source for the Alliance and “graduates” will be potential members.  We are looking for a member to take the important lead role getting this off the ground and heading up the committee that is already forming.  Look for a separate announcement on this soon and for a discussion about how this should look at the May planning meeting. Meantime, if you are interested in leading this effort, contact Cindy Herrmann or Alan Stern.

Case Studies Online
Thanks to the marketing committee and webmaster Jim Harrison, we have a new Case Studies section on the Alliance web site.  For the moment, it's accessible to members only.  Once we've a number of entries posted, we'll open it up to the public. Like the White Papers section, we're using the blog format so you can post entries on your own, and edit them to your heart's content.  Currently, there are just two sub-pages, for Strategic Planning, and for Public Relations.  If you need a new category, send your request to Jim Harrison at jim@BusinessCapitalConnections.com.
 

Process Improvement Member Forum

Several Consulting Alliance members who specialize in business process improvement have launched a member forum in the ‘members only’ area of the Consulting Alliance web site. The purpose of the collaboration is to:
· Understand each others’ specialties within BPI
· Know when to give referrals to each other
· Understand how we can form alliances when opportunities are too large for us to handle individually
· Share techniques and methodologies

If you are interested in joining the forum, sign into the Member Forum area of the web site and subscribe. If you have any questions, please contact nancy@nancyschultzconsulting.com.

Member News

Consultants at the Great Wall in China - Nancy Schultz and Barbara Bird were recently spotted at the Great Wall in China. 
_______________________________________________________________

Using LinkedIn to Prepare for Presentations

Robert Furlong of Sage Leadership Consulting was invited to participate in a panel discussion with the Albany Chamber on ‘How Can Small Businesses Survive and Grow in Today’s Economy?’ Bob reports: “While I had definite ideas on the topic I also wanted to see what other practicing professionals were currently doing.  I went to two Linkedin sub-groups and started a discussion on ‘Surviving the economic crisis by investing in your human capital.’ I received responses with many variations of ideas from around the world.  This enabled me to be able to discuss the actions from my experiences as well as current activities on a global basis.  The downside was that I felt compelled to follow up and thank each of the contributors.  As I continue to use Linkedin I am finding great business uses.”
 
Bob also spoke at the Saratoga Technology Park on how SCORE can assist small businesses, to the Chicago HR Consortium on how to tie succession planning to your business vision and goals and to the Chamber of Commerce of Southern Saratoga County on Business Planning and Processes.

_______________________________________________________________

American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Annual Conference features CA Members

The Hudson-Mohawk Chapter of ASTD’s Workplace Learning and Performance Conference on March 27, 2009 featured presentations from the following CA members:

Alan Stern’s session was titled ‘When Knowledge is Not Enough:  Impacting Supervisors’ and Managers’ Leadership Behavior.’.

Dr. Thomas Denham of Careers In Transition LLC presented on ‘More Marketing with No Money.’

Alan Krieger launched his new business venture with a presentation on how to use video clips in training. (See below for details.)________________________________________________________________

Publications

Robert Braathe is now writing Robert Braathe's HR and Career Guide for albany.com at www.albany.com/hr . This site is a place to go whether you are looking for a job or looking to keep your people happy in their job.
-----------

Jim Harrison of Business Capital Connections authored the article "Finance Your Business Without Debt" which appeared in the March 23rd issue of eNews published by the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Product Launches

Susanna Opper of Shawenon Communications is pleased to announce the launch of the Berkshire Hills Financial Web site. Shawenon Communications provided copy for the 11-page site and also contributed to the design concept.
------------
Alan Krieger of Krieger Solutions, LLC, has developed two new training products in addition to his training and consulting services.  One is a set of very short video clips to be used in training workshops to stimulate discussion and model leadership and soft skills. The second is a self-assessment tool to assess individual communication and work styles (similar to personality assessments).  Check out his web site:  www.kriegersolutions.com.

Certifications and Faculty Appointments

Bonnie Edelstein of PeopleWork has been certified as a New York State Woman-Owned Business Enterprise.
-------------
Alan Stern of Stage Right Organizational Development, Inc. is now certified by the Mediation Training Institute International to offer their Managing Workplace Conflict: The Managing Differences Seminar series.  This adds some powerful but simple-to-learn and use tools to Alan’s repertoire for improving workplace performance.
-------------
Pauline Bartel of Bartel Communications, Inc., is teaching "Writing in the Professions" and "Advanced Editing" in the new Professional Writing baccalaureate degree and certificate programs at The Sages Colleges.  The programs are tailored to working adults, transfer students and traditional students who want careers as grant writers, technical writers, Web content managers, editors and freelance writers. Pauline also taught the seminar "Ace Your Next Internal-Promotion Interview" at Excelsior College.

Speaking Engagements

Alan Stern of Stage Right Organizational Development, Inc. will present on Business Etiquette for the Albany Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Entrepreneurial Assistance Program.  ‘Choose Your Business Performance’, will focus on using your business interactions to establish gravitas and make the right impression.

Alan will also present a session on training strategies that get participants out of their seats – figuratively as well as physically for the Hudson-Mohawk Chapter of ASTD on April 24th.  Topics will include story, reflective imagery and visual imagery.

-------------
Alan Krieger of Krieger Solutions, LLC, spoke at the Capital Region Human Resource Association annual conference on how to create high quality training in your organization.

-------------
Dr. Thomas Denham of Careers In Transition LLC was the keynote presenter to the New England Business Associates on the subject of “Goal Setting.”  He also spoke on the same topic to the Capital Alliance of Young Professionals recently.  Dr. Tom recently presented at Schenectady County Community College on the topic, “Networking Beats NOTworking.”  He was also a panelist for “The Brand is Me!” to the Small Business Council of the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce.  

Resources

Marketing Aggressively ... Now’s the Time
by Cindy Herrmann, Mogul Marketing

The article begins, “You’re good. Your company’s good. You’ve got great products. Now’s the time to let people know it. It is easy to stand out when half the world is afraid and hiding. …”

This upbeat article was published by the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce at http://acchamber.org/MediaCenter/businesslibrary/MarketingAggressively.aspx. It’s also available on the CA web site under white papers.

Programming Committee Welcomes Your Suggestions

The Program Committee would welcome suggestions for speakers for future lunches or breakfasts.  Please contact Alan Krieger at alan@krsol.com with any suggestions or any other feedback for the committee.  Thanks!

Upcoming Programs
 
April 24  Breakfast – Nancy Schultz will facilitate a round table discussion on strategies for handling these tough economic times.   What new opportunities might they present and what challenges do they offer?  See the website announcement for some specific topic ideas and email Nancy if you have other suggestions for discussion topics.  
 
May 8  Lunch - Tim Kraft, a Consulting Alliance member, will present a program "Small Business - Safe and Sound" covering the latest developments in internet security for small businesses.

The May 22 breakfast will focus on a six-month status check on how the Alliance stands with regard to the planning we accomplished back in November.  Members will receive an update on the priorities we identified at that time and discuss our ongoing long-term goals and our priorities for the next year. Among topics to be addressed will be a Consulting Boot Camp - an idea for offering fee-based programs for nonmembers; breakfast/lunch program ideas; and marketing. More details on the agenda and planning process will be coming before the meeting in May. We hope you plan on attending this important meeting.

June 12 Lunch will be a program on using networking sites such as Linked In to promote your business and increase opportunities.  Steve Jeffes will present.

June 26 Breakfast will focus on fine-tuning your elevator speech. - Susanna Opper and Will Ryan will present.

July 10 Lunch - Corey Jamison, President of the Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group will discuss working effectively with clients and companies with diverse cultural or generational backgrounds.
 
July 24 Breakfast - Peter Coombs will discuss how to best approach the initial client meeting and how to negotiate an agreement.

Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce News

Your Consulting Alliance membership entitles you to participate in events for Chamber members. For the latest Chamber events, visit http://acchamber.org/Events.aspx. To register, call the Chamber and tell them you are a Consulting Alliance member.

Newsletter Deadlines and Tips

The newsletter is published every other month. Copy is due to Nancy Reilly the Friday of the breakfast meeting in, May, July, September, and December. Newsletter editor is Carol Day Young.

Please send recommendations of good resources, books, websites of interest to members, especially SHORT member news/announcements such as:
· Events/Presentations- big public events of interest to members
· Awards and honors
· Publications
· BIG contracts
· Appearances on TV or radio
· Launch of a new website
· Business anniversary/milestones
· Births, deaths, marriages
· Updates on member to member service exchanges
· Launch of a new project/enterprise outside the scope of the member’s usual business
· Unusual experiences