As the legend goes, eBay started when one young man wanted to impress his fiancée, a PEZ collector. When he couldn’t find any through traditional means, he launched the idea that became eBay in 1995. What do PEZ dispensers and the New Hampshire High Tech Council’s Entrepreneur Forum have in common? It was the “sizzle vs. steak” panel discussion about our two recent presentations from iPlayerHD and Securlytics. It turns out, you need a savory balance of both! (Steak and sizzle, that is.) And a ground breaking idea.
iPlayerHD’s goal is to corner the market as the most affordable high definition video publishing platform. Unlike others, iPlayerHD’s strength is their high fidelity, clear, crisp video quality at high bit rates. They provide uninterrupted video content without the trailer ads, pop-ups, and other branded messages that can distract the viewer from the intended message. iPlayerHD’s competitive edge is huge storage (30 GB) capacity, and high bandwidth (40 GB) at an affordable monthly recurring fee. With video, the quality is correlates to the “broadcasters” horsepower. If you’re watching from a souped-up computer and the video is being broadcast from a bow-wow, the video quality will look fuzzy and unprofessional. The trick is to broadcast with as much horsepower as you can muster for close-to-TV quality. For $ 30 per month, you can broadcast away, and video is the number one content type that SEO tools look for to stoke your inbound marketing campaign.
iPlayerHD was founded by Wes Moore, serial entrepreneur and inventor. His presentation was robust, well architected, and masterfully delivered within the fifteen minute time frame. No doubt he’s the guy to make this happen, he’s the type of CEO you can imagine on the morning news in Studio One delivering the goods without skipping a beat. Wes is Sampson fighting Goliath, YouTube. Can he do it? His premise is that YouTube takes you elsewhere and when you’re trying to sell something from your web-site. Ideally you want people to stay on your site and not deviate into YouTube land keeping your message and your content pure and focused.
For the evening, our distinguished panel for both presentations was Edward Bender, Special Ops, Dyn Inc., David Cutler, President of Creative Business Development, and Bill McCullen, Director for LaunchCapital in Boston. The panel’s comments started with David Cutler who immediately made the steak vs. sizzle analogy. He advised that iPlayerHD needs lots of sizzle (marketing) on their rock solid steak. He also said, “the only way to go is up”, meaning that customers are willing to pay for the right combination of features at a low cost without the overhead of features they don’t want. David’s advice was to find a tribe of passionate people, such as recording artists, who will create pull though demand. (Oh, by the way, it runs on iPlayerHD.)
Bill McCullen made the point that if price is the only differentiator, then iPlayerHD could “own the industry”. Wes presented a nice, neat competitive analysis grid that demonstrated that his plan vetted not just YouTube, but others charging for this service and providing various iterations of quality, bandwidth, and add-ons. Bill added that he loves to see bootstrapped companies who are making it happen and gaining market share before asking for investment. This demonstrates traction (customers) and revenue (or proof) that the concept is functioning and viable. Cha ching.
Ed Bender of Dyn made the suggestion to plug into platforms such as WordPress to become the ubiquitous HD platform of choice. The masses will follow, particularly if you grab the mobile market, hmm. Ed, who recently moved to New Hampshire from New York City and joined DYN, had the brilliant suggestion to hook your star to a strategic VC firm. Here the cross pollination of strategy, best practices, and doing what works will buzz from firm to firm in the portfolio to iPlayerHD. Safety in numbers, perhaps or is it a rising tide mentality? We’re glad Ed’s back in New Hampshire. I like his brain.
The second presenter for the evening was Mr. Vasu Ram, CEO for Securlytics, a firm specializing in securing IP content. According to IDC this year, “electronic content will grow 44 times in volume and 67 times in file count by 2020.” Content is vulnerable to hackers who can destroy a business or threaten to take down a government agency. Securlytics’ Lytica™ Framework provides usage analytics, security, and access control to secure, share, and track your content no matter what file type or format. This platform also tracks who is using the content and for what purpose. Their initial target application is eLearning and testing where more remote education and testing are happening. With accreditation, eLearning is susceptible to audits due to unethical behavior. Securlytics’ Lytica™ can provide an audit trail that could solve potential student issues and revenue losses for an education provider. Just this year, Cornell University reported that, “failing to secure content reduces Major eTraining Company’s Revenue by $2.8M”. The eLearning market alone is projected at $ 520 million and growing at 12% per year, this is a logical place to focus.
Securlytics came to the presentation with a question to solve, to attack vertical markets serially or in parallel and then to raise between $ 1 – 5 million depending on the strategy. From the panel, Ed Bender of Dyn questioned if eLearning is the market to focus on when you have other opportunities like government, legal, scientific research and pharmaceuticals. He also suggested that rather than trying to sell to data storage companies such as EMC as a customer, that this offering should be packaged as an OEM offering with EMC’s products.
Bill McCullen suggested that the marketing should be all about scaring prospects into investing in this service. This can be done through education, statistics, and very dynamic marketing programs. He also recommended that requesting $ 5 million in investment might be better after they have built the product and have a portfolio of customers. Bill said, “create smaller milestones, and nail them” to show investors measurable success.
David Cutler noted, “it’s all steak” without the sizzle. His advice was to better define sales channels, clarify differentiators, and then come up with a sizzling scary story that goes viral. For example, diplomas are being sold on Craig’s List because your university’s eLearning program has been hacked. Can you imagine the video? Priceless!
For iPlayerHD, I mentioned to Wes that the “i” in the name was genius. He can ride the coat tails of you know who. In fact, maybe these are just the people he should be talking to. Securlytics needs to attach itself to a killer app, like patient records, to become a defacto standard.
Just remember, when these guys are all over the Wall Street Journal, you saw them here first! It was another fun and educational night at the now NHHTC Entrepreneur Forum, same great people, just a different show. Will you join us in February for our next Entrepreneurial Forum? Join us, bring a friend, or make a new one. And don’t forget your PEZ dispenser. See you then!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Enlarge Your Tent –Can Marketers learn from the Ancients?
Like you, I’ve been reading the most recent research about the new wave, the big wave, and the next wave in marketing. I understand the SEO game, Google’s ad revenue dependence, and the social media firestorm. What most of us are struggling with is Shakespearian: “To share or not to share.”
The new rules of marketing demand that we share everything - give it away, publish it on the web, don’t ask questions, and all for free. That goes against my analytical nature of wanting to attract, capture, close, and measure. We grew up “funneling”. It’s wired in.
If we truly trust these new rules, throw caution to the wind, and what the hell – put ourselves out there for critique, then what? Will it be irreversible if we make a faux pas, or forgivable, since we know each other better and have a relationship?
What worries me is the class bully. Marketing via whoever has the biggest mouth and too much time on their hands. Noise is getting traction in this market, even if it’s unfounded, uneducated, and unqualified. There is so much clutter that it’s tough to know who is credible. I’m looking for the next trend that will add credibility to what is being published, podcast, and broadcast; a standards body to vet content.
The more noise and clutter on the web, the more relationships matter. If I know who you are, or I can research your track record, experience, and credentials, then I am more apt to believe you. The voices of many are being shouted in a sea of tweets, news, blogs, posts, and videos. It’s no longer that familiar face or voice that we know and trust.
Who knows, maybe the ancient prophet Isaiah did know what was coming. His advice was share, share, share but make sure your foundation is strong. Prophecy?
“Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch your tent curtains wide. Do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2
The new rules of marketing demand that we share everything - give it away, publish it on the web, don’t ask questions, and all for free. That goes against my analytical nature of wanting to attract, capture, close, and measure. We grew up “funneling”. It’s wired in.
If we truly trust these new rules, throw caution to the wind, and what the hell – put ourselves out there for critique, then what? Will it be irreversible if we make a faux pas, or forgivable, since we know each other better and have a relationship?
What worries me is the class bully. Marketing via whoever has the biggest mouth and too much time on their hands. Noise is getting traction in this market, even if it’s unfounded, uneducated, and unqualified. There is so much clutter that it’s tough to know who is credible. I’m looking for the next trend that will add credibility to what is being published, podcast, and broadcast; a standards body to vet content.
The more noise and clutter on the web, the more relationships matter. If I know who you are, or I can research your track record, experience, and credentials, then I am more apt to believe you. The voices of many are being shouted in a sea of tweets, news, blogs, posts, and videos. It’s no longer that familiar face or voice that we know and trust.
Who knows, maybe the ancient prophet Isaiah did know what was coming. His advice was share, share, share but make sure your foundation is strong. Prophecy?
“Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch your tent curtains wide. Do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2
Kaizen Isn't a Hollywood Baby Name Yet!
By Catherine Blake
President, Sales Protocol International
August 09, 2010 6:36 PM
Many moons ago at Big Blue, I attended Manufacturing School in Atlanta. This in-house program was designed to get the field up-to-speed on what our clients were dealing with day-to-day and to identify areas where our technology and services could help.
We studied best practices like JIT (just-in-time), TQM (Total Quality Management), ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and Kaizen (continuous improvement). Since then, I've been hooked on manufacturing. Fast forward to The Principals of Lean Manufacturing program I recently attended, delivered by a couple of rock stars at the New Hampshire Manufacturing Partnership. We manufactured our own desk clocks to experience "Lean." Now I'm a Lean evangelist. By the way, you can Lean anything (including your office or your garage).
The whole point of Lean is to eliminate waste and increase efficiency using five principals: identify value, map the value stream, create flow, establish pull, and seek perfection in a continuous loop. Lean cuts to the bone by producing value for the end customer. Lean demands continuous improvement and uses only what is being demanded (just-in-time) by the customer (kanban). No more racks and rows of inventory sitting for months waiting to be transformed into something. Raw material can sit on your books and drive the very astute guy in the corner office with the abacus crazy. They want raw materials off the books and into COGS (cost of good sold) so that it's realized by the top line as revenue rather than impacting the bottom line as expense. The finance people totally get this, so do the operations gurus.
So why doesn't everybody go Lean? When you consider that the benefits of Lean are decreased cycle time, reduced inventory, increased productivity and increased capital equipment utilization, it seems like a no-brainer. The hesitation to go Lean has everything to do with human capital. Like rolling out any company-wide program, it's getting your leadership to drink the Kool-Aid and give you carte blanche to get everyone trained to become a Lean culture. One of the best kept secrets in New Hampshire is the grant available through Gov. John Lynch's job training fund to pick up part of the tab for qualified prospects.
Moreover, programs offered through the New England Trade Adjustment Center are designed to help revive small New England manufacturers that have been impacted by international competitors. The idea is that unless companies adopt programs like Lean to become more competitive, they are going to risk losing more market share as global sourcing becomes the de facto standard for supply chain managers.
Salient Surgical Technologies in Portsmouth, has a wonderful champion in David LeGault, director of operations. Dave came to Salient already trained in Lean where his former employer wanted to build a new warehouse facility because they were "running out of room."
Applying Lean principals, like kanban and JIT, where you always have what you need in the warehouse and shop floor to match your customer demand, Salient was able to reduce its warehouse footprint and saved the company millions of dollars. By dramatically increasing their supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies, they avoided building a costly high-bay automated warehouse facility; you do the math!
Salient was wise to hire someone with a successful Lean track record. When Salient started manufacturing at the Portsmouth facility, Dave's goal from the beginning was cost avoidance by, "Kanbanning components rather than batching or kitting parts to build products." And Salient has created new manufacturing jobs by growing from five to 18 assemblers and increasing production output from 18,000 to 95,000 units in one year. To support this growth, Salient has hired additional support staff such as quality technicians, manufacturing engineers and supply chain personnel.
After building their beautiful new Lean-compliant facility at Pease Tradeport, Salient is now manufacturing finished goods in-house. The program has been wildly successful since about half of the employees have been trained in Lean principles, fully support it, and are now looking at ways to lean other departments to eliminate non-value added work while improving efficiency. In fact, Salient has even hosted Lean training for its business partners to improve their efficiencies and speed their supply chain time to market. LeGault envisions the day when Salient extends the kanban concept to its hospital customers so that Salient products are on their shelves when and where they need them, ideally for the exact number of scheduled surgeries.
Please join me on Sept. 28 for the Governor's Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, sponsored by BIA, NHMEP, NHTTC and DRED. You can call NHMEP at 603-226-3200.
More: http://millyardcommunications.com/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=News&refno=1728
To Register:
Upcoming Events
8th Annual Governor’s Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit (click here for details)
The Center of New Hampshire, Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH
September 28, 2010 from 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Fee: $95
"Collaboration in Changing Times"
7:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
7:30 a.m. Introduction and Welcoming remarks
Mark Godfrey, Chairman, Felton Brush
special introduction by Governor John Lynch
Joe Carelli, Executive Vice President, Citizens Bank
8:00 a.m. Charles E. "Gus" Whalen, Jr.
Chairman, The Warren Featherbone Company of Gainesville, Georgia
“Hooked at the Roots”
This presentation relates the real-life evolution of The Warren Featherbone Company of Gainesville, Georgia, founded in 1883. In its remarkable 127-year history, Warren companies have been active in manufacturing, banking, agriculture, publishing and philanthropy. The firm has weathered many economic storms and consumer trends; crisis has helped reinvent the company. That reinvention has often been non-linear, based not so much on what the company has done, but on what is at the core – its DNA. In 1917, Warren Featherbone’s founder and Gus’ great grandfather, E.K. Warren, created the first foundation in Michigan and set a new standard for philanthropic achievement in that state. Most recently, Warren Featherbone has helped create Featherbone Communiversity located in Gainesville, GA. Featherbone Communiversity is a learning community, which provides collaborative, cross-generational learning through a unique alliance among educational institutions, the first of its kind in the United States.
Gus Whalen is the Chairman of The Warren Featherbone Company and directs the efforts of The Warren Featherbone Foundation. He is the author of several books: The Featherbone Principle: A Declaration of Interdependence was published in 1996 and reprinted in 2001. His second book, The Featherbone Spirit, Celebrating Life’s Connections was published in 2000 and includes a special supplement on the role and work of foundations in America. The Gift of Renewal was published in 2003.
8:40 a.m. Interactive Session with Gus Whalen
9:30 a.m. Networking Break
9:45 a.m. Concurrent Workshops:
Workshop A: “Is Everyone in Your Organization Working Effectively Towards the Same Ends?”
Workshop B: “How Are You Sustaining Lean?”
Workshop C: “Advancing Your Talent Management”
10:45 a.m. Networking Break
10:45 a.m. Repeat Concurrent Workshops
12:00 p.m. Luncheon
Wrap-up Session with Gus Whalen
Gus shares the results of the morning's interactive sessions
Cost: $95 per participant
Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Time: 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: The Center of New Hampshire, Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH
Register Online
For more information, call Zenagui Brahim, New Hampshire, MEP, at 603.226.3200
President, Sales Protocol International
August 09, 2010 6:36 PM
Many moons ago at Big Blue, I attended Manufacturing School in Atlanta. This in-house program was designed to get the field up-to-speed on what our clients were dealing with day-to-day and to identify areas where our technology and services could help.
We studied best practices like JIT (just-in-time), TQM (Total Quality Management), ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and Kaizen (continuous improvement). Since then, I've been hooked on manufacturing. Fast forward to The Principals of Lean Manufacturing program I recently attended, delivered by a couple of rock stars at the New Hampshire Manufacturing Partnership. We manufactured our own desk clocks to experience "Lean." Now I'm a Lean evangelist. By the way, you can Lean anything (including your office or your garage).
The whole point of Lean is to eliminate waste and increase efficiency using five principals: identify value, map the value stream, create flow, establish pull, and seek perfection in a continuous loop. Lean cuts to the bone by producing value for the end customer. Lean demands continuous improvement and uses only what is being demanded (just-in-time) by the customer (kanban). No more racks and rows of inventory sitting for months waiting to be transformed into something. Raw material can sit on your books and drive the very astute guy in the corner office with the abacus crazy. They want raw materials off the books and into COGS (cost of good sold) so that it's realized by the top line as revenue rather than impacting the bottom line as expense. The finance people totally get this, so do the operations gurus.
So why doesn't everybody go Lean? When you consider that the benefits of Lean are decreased cycle time, reduced inventory, increased productivity and increased capital equipment utilization, it seems like a no-brainer. The hesitation to go Lean has everything to do with human capital. Like rolling out any company-wide program, it's getting your leadership to drink the Kool-Aid and give you carte blanche to get everyone trained to become a Lean culture. One of the best kept secrets in New Hampshire is the grant available through Gov. John Lynch's job training fund to pick up part of the tab for qualified prospects.
Moreover, programs offered through the New England Trade Adjustment Center are designed to help revive small New England manufacturers that have been impacted by international competitors. The idea is that unless companies adopt programs like Lean to become more competitive, they are going to risk losing more market share as global sourcing becomes the de facto standard for supply chain managers.
Salient Surgical Technologies in Portsmouth, has a wonderful champion in David LeGault, director of operations. Dave came to Salient already trained in Lean where his former employer wanted to build a new warehouse facility because they were "running out of room."
Applying Lean principals, like kanban and JIT, where you always have what you need in the warehouse and shop floor to match your customer demand, Salient was able to reduce its warehouse footprint and saved the company millions of dollars. By dramatically increasing their supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies, they avoided building a costly high-bay automated warehouse facility; you do the math!
Salient was wise to hire someone with a successful Lean track record. When Salient started manufacturing at the Portsmouth facility, Dave's goal from the beginning was cost avoidance by, "Kanbanning components rather than batching or kitting parts to build products." And Salient has created new manufacturing jobs by growing from five to 18 assemblers and increasing production output from 18,000 to 95,000 units in one year. To support this growth, Salient has hired additional support staff such as quality technicians, manufacturing engineers and supply chain personnel.
After building their beautiful new Lean-compliant facility at Pease Tradeport, Salient is now manufacturing finished goods in-house. The program has been wildly successful since about half of the employees have been trained in Lean principles, fully support it, and are now looking at ways to lean other departments to eliminate non-value added work while improving efficiency. In fact, Salient has even hosted Lean training for its business partners to improve their efficiencies and speed their supply chain time to market. LeGault envisions the day when Salient extends the kanban concept to its hospital customers so that Salient products are on their shelves when and where they need them, ideally for the exact number of scheduled surgeries.
Please join me on Sept. 28 for the Governor's Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, sponsored by BIA, NHMEP, NHTTC and DRED. You can call NHMEP at 603-226-3200.
More: http://millyardcommunications.com/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=News&refno=1728
To Register:
Upcoming Events
8th Annual Governor’s Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit (click here for details)
The Center of New Hampshire, Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH
September 28, 2010 from 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Fee: $95
"Collaboration in Changing Times"
7:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
7:30 a.m. Introduction and Welcoming remarks
Mark Godfrey, Chairman, Felton Brush
special introduction by Governor John Lynch
Joe Carelli, Executive Vice President, Citizens Bank
8:00 a.m. Charles E. "Gus" Whalen, Jr.
Chairman, The Warren Featherbone Company of Gainesville, Georgia
“Hooked at the Roots”
This presentation relates the real-life evolution of The Warren Featherbone Company of Gainesville, Georgia, founded in 1883. In its remarkable 127-year history, Warren companies have been active in manufacturing, banking, agriculture, publishing and philanthropy. The firm has weathered many economic storms and consumer trends; crisis has helped reinvent the company. That reinvention has often been non-linear, based not so much on what the company has done, but on what is at the core – its DNA. In 1917, Warren Featherbone’s founder and Gus’ great grandfather, E.K. Warren, created the first foundation in Michigan and set a new standard for philanthropic achievement in that state. Most recently, Warren Featherbone has helped create Featherbone Communiversity located in Gainesville, GA. Featherbone Communiversity is a learning community, which provides collaborative, cross-generational learning through a unique alliance among educational institutions, the first of its kind in the United States.
Gus Whalen is the Chairman of The Warren Featherbone Company and directs the efforts of The Warren Featherbone Foundation. He is the author of several books: The Featherbone Principle: A Declaration of Interdependence was published in 1996 and reprinted in 2001. His second book, The Featherbone Spirit, Celebrating Life’s Connections was published in 2000 and includes a special supplement on the role and work of foundations in America. The Gift of Renewal was published in 2003.
8:40 a.m. Interactive Session with Gus Whalen
9:30 a.m. Networking Break
9:45 a.m. Concurrent Workshops:
Workshop A: “Is Everyone in Your Organization Working Effectively Towards the Same Ends?”
Workshop B: “How Are You Sustaining Lean?”
Workshop C: “Advancing Your Talent Management”
10:45 a.m. Networking Break
10:45 a.m. Repeat Concurrent Workshops
12:00 p.m. Luncheon
Wrap-up Session with Gus Whalen
Gus shares the results of the morning's interactive sessions
Cost: $95 per participant
Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Time: 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: The Center of New Hampshire, Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH
Register Online
For more information, call Zenagui Brahim, New Hampshire, MEP, at 603.226.3200
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Tension is Good, by Amena Brown
We don’t lead from the safety of the fringe,
We take up residence in the fray.
Where change is happening,
Where change is necessary.
There we find ourselves in a unique tug-of-war
Between what was, what is, and what could be.
We are faced with the reality that we are
The catalyst in the moment.
A tension ensues between
Our ambitions and fears.
We are tempted to bail on our goals but discover
That under pressure
Our vision becomes remarkably crystallized.
A hundred voices attempt to sway us
And we find we must lean into God with
A faith deeper than we have ever known.
Change happens in the very place
Where many leaders flinch, fear, and fail.
The tension we resist is actually by design.
It tests us, it tries us,
It conforms to His image.
The tension is necessary.
The tension makes us strong.
The tension is good.
We take up residence in the fray.
Where change is happening,
Where change is necessary.
There we find ourselves in a unique tug-of-war
Between what was, what is, and what could be.
We are faced with the reality that we are
The catalyst in the moment.
A tension ensues between
Our ambitions and fears.
We are tempted to bail on our goals but discover
That under pressure
Our vision becomes remarkably crystallized.
A hundred voices attempt to sway us
And we find we must lean into God with
A faith deeper than we have ever known.
Change happens in the very place
Where many leaders flinch, fear, and fail.
The tension we resist is actually by design.
It tests us, it tries us,
It conforms to His image.
The tension is necessary.
The tension makes us strong.
The tension is good.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Quiet Leadership......Does Anyone Notice?
To: All the people who worked so hard (and continue to do so) rescue the animals in Middletown last week…..Thank you!
You are amazing.
I am sure there are days when you ask yourself if anyone notices or cares about your contribution. Know that we do.
I am sure that when you slog through mud and filth to rescue the innocent, the abused, and the neglected - you wonder why on earth you do this job. Know that it matters.
I am sure that when you are fighting all kinds of weather because someone needs to be fed, checked on, or kept alive, and you’re wondering if anyone knows how much of a sacrifice you’re making. When you’re no longer paid for your time, but you’re doing it on “your time” because you are dedicated and you care. We support you and thank you. We know how hard you’re working, even when nobody is there to witness your efforts on dark, cold nights, or on week-ends. When you went back to help, even when you job was done for the week; just because you care.
You are amazing.
Be encouraged, you are making a huge difference.
I believe that you’re fulfilling the reason why you’re here. Your God-given purpose.
Some people live their entire lives never figuring out what their calling is….You have.
There is nothing more fulfilling than doing exactly what you were born to do, using your unique gifts.
In your case, it’s to help animals, innocent souls who can’t speak for themselves.
Be encouraged.
Know that you matter.
Know that we notice, more than you know.
AND, that we admire you beyond words for your dedication, strength, and leadership.
Thank you and don’t stop!
http://www.wmur.com/news/22969964/detail.html
You are amazing.
I am sure there are days when you ask yourself if anyone notices or cares about your contribution. Know that we do.
I am sure that when you slog through mud and filth to rescue the innocent, the abused, and the neglected - you wonder why on earth you do this job. Know that it matters.
I am sure that when you are fighting all kinds of weather because someone needs to be fed, checked on, or kept alive, and you’re wondering if anyone knows how much of a sacrifice you’re making. When you’re no longer paid for your time, but you’re doing it on “your time” because you are dedicated and you care. We support you and thank you. We know how hard you’re working, even when nobody is there to witness your efforts on dark, cold nights, or on week-ends. When you went back to help, even when you job was done for the week; just because you care.
You are amazing.
Be encouraged, you are making a huge difference.
I believe that you’re fulfilling the reason why you’re here. Your God-given purpose.
Some people live their entire lives never figuring out what their calling is….You have.
There is nothing more fulfilling than doing exactly what you were born to do, using your unique gifts.
In your case, it’s to help animals, innocent souls who can’t speak for themselves.
Be encouraged.
Know that you matter.
Know that we notice, more than you know.
AND, that we admire you beyond words for your dedication, strength, and leadership.
Thank you and don’t stop!
http://www.wmur.com/news/22969964/detail.html
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sweetheart, You're Home
Today I rose at 3:00 am to join over one hundred people at Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At 4:20 am, a flight of US Army troops touched down for the first time on US soil after over a year serving in Iraq. These men and women were met by cheering veterans, families, volunteers, even dogs for a surprise welcome home. Led by bagpipes and a young boy in an army fatigues (probably a Boy Scout), these military men and women were completely surprised to have the community come out in the wee hours to an old terminal, closed to commercial flights, in the middle of nowhere.
Now you’ve met the Pease Greeters, men and women dedicated to greeting every military flight to and from Afghanistan and Iraq, 7x24x365. Day, night, rain, sleet and snow hundreds of Pease Greeters gather to welcome, hug, shake hands, and be the face of America until they reach their loved ones at home.
After getting a much needed cup of coffee, the troops attended a brief ceremony where flags, battle cries, and salutes were exchanged, a professional singer (dedicated volunteer) sang the National Anthem, and a chaplain led the Lord’s Prayer.
Then, with camera’s flashing, the troops boarded their flight to Ft. Bragg for a week long debrief before going home to their families. Imagine being the first American civilian these men and women have seen in over a year? There wasn’t a dry eye in the terminal.
As they were boarding the plane, we lined up to say goodbye. I couldn’t help giving many, many much appreciated hugs. Then, one of the service women, with tears in her eyes, melted in tears as I held her in my arms and said, “Sweetheart, you’re home.”
Join me to support our troops: http://www.peasegreeters.org
Now you’ve met the Pease Greeters, men and women dedicated to greeting every military flight to and from Afghanistan and Iraq, 7x24x365. Day, night, rain, sleet and snow hundreds of Pease Greeters gather to welcome, hug, shake hands, and be the face of America until they reach their loved ones at home.
After getting a much needed cup of coffee, the troops attended a brief ceremony where flags, battle cries, and salutes were exchanged, a professional singer (dedicated volunteer) sang the National Anthem, and a chaplain led the Lord’s Prayer.
Then, with camera’s flashing, the troops boarded their flight to Ft. Bragg for a week long debrief before going home to their families. Imagine being the first American civilian these men and women have seen in over a year? There wasn’t a dry eye in the terminal.
As they were boarding the plane, we lined up to say goodbye. I couldn’t help giving many, many much appreciated hugs. Then, one of the service women, with tears in her eyes, melted in tears as I held her in my arms and said, “Sweetheart, you’re home.”
Join me to support our troops: http://www.peasegreeters.org
Friday, August 14, 2009
Trade vs. Aid - Helping Africa
Last week's Global Leadership Summit had a profound impact on my thinking about how to help end poverty in a sustainable way.
What impacted me the most was the discussion on “Trade vs. Aid” delivered by Andrew Rugasira, Founder and CEO, Good African Coffee and African Trade Advocate. As an economist and native Ugandan educated in London, he has made the case for all of us that there is an economic answer to growing the African economy in a sustainable way while pooling together the efforts of those in even the most remote corners of the continent.
We all need to discover further how we can use our God given gifts to impact the least of these with real economic solutions.
My prayer is how God can use me as an entrepreneur and business professional to get more involved in driving the economy of the third world.
Please join me on August 5 & 6, 2010 to fill your leadership tank!
http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009
http://theglobalsummit.blogspot.com/2009/08/welcome-to-gls-blog.html
http://www.goodafrican.com/
Catherine B. Blake
Sales Protocol International
580 Bay Road
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
01+ 603 828 7312
http://www.marketplaceconnection.org
Sales | Marketing | Media Relations
What impacted me the most was the discussion on “Trade vs. Aid” delivered by Andrew Rugasira, Founder and CEO, Good African Coffee and African Trade Advocate. As an economist and native Ugandan educated in London, he has made the case for all of us that there is an economic answer to growing the African economy in a sustainable way while pooling together the efforts of those in even the most remote corners of the continent.
We all need to discover further how we can use our God given gifts to impact the least of these with real economic solutions.
My prayer is how God can use me as an entrepreneur and business professional to get more involved in driving the economy of the third world.
Please join me on August 5 & 6, 2010 to fill your leadership tank!
http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009
http://theglobalsummit.blogspot.com/2009/08/welcome-to-gls-blog.html
http://www.goodafrican.com/
Catherine B. Blake
Sales Protocol International
580 Bay Road
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
01+ 603 828 7312
http://www.marketplaceconnection.org
Sales | Marketing | Media Relations
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