Press Releases
What makes a good press release? A great story. That’s how we write press releases about our clients’ new books and events, interesting projects, new services, and original ideas. Using our experience as journalists, we pull out the information we know will appeal to other reporters — then pick the important details and write up the press release as we would an article. It’s not a magic formula. It’s simply an authentic, newsworthy approach.
Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs
Inkandescent Public Relations
hope@inkandescentpr.com / 703 346-6975
Tell a great story in a concise and clever manner, add in pithy subheads and easy-to-remember bullet points, and call readers to action
Washington DC, Today’s Date — “Grabbing the reader’s attention, encouraging them to attend an event or learn more about a product or service, and intriguing reporters so they want to learn more is the goal for any good press release,” says Inkandesent Public Relations founder Hope Katz Gibbs, a veteran journalist who for more than a decade has been happily writing interesting press releases that get picked up by the media.
“Whenever I’m writing a release, my purpose is to tell a story—albeit briefly—that makes readers want to learn more about the topic I’m discussing,” she says. “Of course, it’s also rewarding to write a press release in a way so that it reads like a mini-article, since this gives it a greater chance of being picked up by newspapers, magazines, and blogs.”
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How Competitive Are You?
Washington DC, July 1, 2013 — “If you are like most business owners, competition drives you,” understands Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher of Be Inkandescent magazine. “That’s why we tackle the topic in the July issue.”
Featuring interviews with Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman’s new book, Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, the entire issue features insight into their in-depth research.
“For a decade, it’s been a constant drumbeat, issued by leaders of our nation and corporations, to employees and even to our youngest students: we must all be more competitive,” explains Merryman, who with Bronson shares insights into:
- When Worriers beat Warriors—and when they don’t.
- Why Michelangelo needed an agent.
- The power of the home-field advantage.
Merryman and Bronson also provide 7 Tips for Entrepreneurs, including:
- Find a Contest
- Think About What Went Wrong the Right Way
- In General, Beware of Following “The General Rule”
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If you have read anything about long–term-care insurance, you know that rates are increasing, and more insurance companies are withdrawing from the marketplace. Here are the questions you should be asking.
Washington DC, July 1, 2013 — “If you have read anything about long–term-care insurance, you know that rates are increasing, and more insurance companies are withdrawing from the marketplace,” writes insurance expert Dave Beck in the July 2013 issue of “Be Inkandescent magazine.
A partner at Egan, Berger & Weiner LLC, Beck says there are three questions worth asking:
- Why are rate increases occurring? Will they continue to go up?
- What will The Affordable Care Act mean to long-term-care plans?
- What is the future of the long-term-care insurance industry?
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Ten female leaders offer insight into how they lean in—and how you can, too
Washington DC, June 1, 2013 — “Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry—which means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives,” explains Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her bestseller, Lean In.
An extension of her wildly popular December 2010 TedTalk, Sandberg has turned her initial 15-minute-and-28-second snapshot of the issue into a 187-page showstopper that not only examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled—it has galvanized us in ways perhaps more profound than the Atlantic Monthly article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” by Anne-Marie Slaughter.
Why has Sandberg’s movement struck such a chord with so many women?
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs
Inkandescent Public Relations, www.inkandescentpr.com
hope@inkandescentpr.com / 703 346-6975
May 13, 2013, Washington, DC — Edinger Associates PLLC served as counsel for Franchise Services of North America Inc. (“FSNA”) in its acquisition of Advantage Rent A Car (“Advantage”) from Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (“Hertz”) and the sublease of Advantage’s nationwide rental car fleet from Hertz. The acquisition of Advantage was consummated on December 12, 2012, and FSNA has been managing Advantage since that date.
Edinger Associates also served as counsel for FSNA in its transaction with Macquarie Capital (“Macquarie”) to provide equity financing for the Advantage acquisition. The final phase of the equity financing was consummated on May 3, 2013 in connection with the re-domestication of FSNA from Canada to Delaware and the issuance of a newly created class of FSNA preferred shares to Macquarie.
The Edinger Associates team advising FSNA was led by Principal Brook Edinger with the assistance of Partners Ladd Johnson and Scott Woodworth, and Senior Counsel Dag Wilkinson, as well as the Firm’s Associate and Legal Assistant staff.
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Gaithersburg MD, November 1, 2012 — “I love making something out of nothing, and I love art,” says Curry’s Auto Service co-founder and CMO Judy Curry. So when Curry’s Auto opens a new location, she is in her glory because often the site’s exterior walls are dull and drab.
“I view these walls as simply canvases on which to create beautiful murals,” Curry believes, which is exactly what the creative exec has done at the company’s Gaithersburg, MD, location.
This is the second mural project we have finished in the last year, and it’s a great opportunity to connect with our neighbors through what is depicted in the mural.
“Plus, everyone who drives by can appreciate the art,” she says. “There is no reason that art needs to live inside a museum or gallery. A mural is art that can be appreciated by everyone.”
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Vienna, VA, September 10, 2012 — ING Financial Partners has honored longtime Financial Planner Michael Egan with the prestigious Advisory Elite distinction, earned by fewer than 1% of investment adviser representatives who work with the firm.
Egan has achieved this status for attaining notably high levels of assets under management and because of his investment planning success.
“The Advisory Elite status marks an important career milestone,” said Karl Lindberg, President of ING Financial Partners. “This is an opportunity for ING Financial Partners to acknowledge Egan’s hard work, sustained success, and dedication to client satisfaction over time.”
Designed for investment adviser representatives, The Advisory Elite honors advisers who have grown and sustained their business to an impressive level. To be recognized as an Advisory Elite member, Egan exceeded an assets-under-management milestone that sets him apart as a top performer.
Egan is co-founder and partner at Egan, Berger & Weiner, LLC. He has more than 21 years of experience in the financial services industry and holds the CFP® certification.
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Arlington, VA, August 21, 2012 — “Currently, social entrepreneurship is as much a field as it is a movement,” explains Beverly Schwartz in the introduction to her new book, Rippling: How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation Throughout the World, which is the featured Book of the Month in the August issue of Be Inkandescent magazine.
“A whole new generation of ethical change agents—whether in business or academia or the media—is building a new sensibility about the way we live and interact,” Schwartz says, noting that these social entrepreneurs “begin by having a clear picture of the end in mind—the end being the creation of an emerging social phenomenon that cannot be reversed. They do what I always hoped I could do—confront difficult issues and actively pursue a more just, secure, and sustainable world.”
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Arlington, VA, August 20, 2012 — With quarterly taxes due in less than a month, on Sept. 15, conflict resolution expert and author Lisa McLeod asks Do you like paying taxes?
The issue: “I own my own business, which means I write quarterly checks to the IRS,” McLeod explains. “And I confess, in the past I didn’t enjoy paying them. We have a meeting every Friday afternoon to go over the cash flow, the receivables, and the projected revenues. At the top right corner of the report was an account labeled: Taxes.”
The old solution: “I set aside a chunk of every check for taxes so that she won’t come up short at the end of the month. After several years of business ups and downs, this has been our best year ever. I’m grateful. Yet as we made more money, the number in the Taxes account grew bigger, too, and I found myself getting more and more frustrated.”
Try this new solution.
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Vienna VA, August 13, 2012 — “Since Social Security is a complicated system, it requires a significant amount of planning before you file for benefits,” says Michael Egan, co-founder and partner of the Northern Virginia financial planning firm Egan, Berger & Weiner, LLC. “I have spent years studying how it works so that I can best help my clients plan and prepare a proper strategy.”
He notes that savvy planners should keep in mind ways to integrate their Social Security strategy into their overall financial plan.
“Do not assume that the Social Security office will have all the answers to your questions; be sure to educate yourself,” Egan insists.
Click inside for key points to remember when you are planning your own Social Security strategy.
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Arlington, VA, August 10, 2012 — While working with multiple generations in the workforce is challenging, it isn’t impossible, says HR and hiring expert Barbara Mitchell, author of “The Big Book of HR.” The key is to take time to look for the common ground, she says.
“It’s also critical to honor and respect differences instead of letting them drive wedges between co-workers” she adds, noting that the best strategy is to realize that not everyone who is part of a certain generation behaves the same way.
Note, too, that in the coming years Millennials (born 1982-2003) will make up the largest segment of the US population, and, therefore, the workforce.
“Those of us who have been working for decades often find it hard to be patient with the younger employees on staff,” she has observed. “That’s why it is critical to understand where these folks are coming from.”
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Washington, DC, August 9, 2012 — “Getting a good education and having success throughout school are clearly critical goals,” says Andrea Keating, founder of the international video-staffing firm Crews Control. “But to be truly successful, I believe the key to being educated is to be a lifelong learner.”
That’s why she established Crews Control University (CCU) in 2010.
“Not only do I want my entire team here at Crews Control be be up-to-date on the latest equipment and technology and production trends in our industry, I want to create an environment where all of our crews and clients have the opportunity to share in that learning opportunity as well,” Keating insists.
Click here to learn why Crews Control University has been such a hit.
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Understanding the “Me” Versus “We” Approach to Work to Prosper in the Era Ahead
Arlington, VA, August 27, 2012 — “Since at least the time of Socrates, older generations have criticized younger ones for not being as smart, hardworking, polite, selfless, or strong as they themselves were when they were young, explain generational experts Michael Hais and Morley Winograd.
“For that reason, it’s hardly surprising that a cottage industry has arisen devoted to attacking the nation’s youngest generation, Millennials (born 1982-2003), as a lazy, soft, self-centered, and narcissistic ‘me’ generation,” they note. Click inside to learn why.
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Arlington VA, August 8, 2012 — Playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
“By this definition, some of today’s leading entrepreneurs are decidedly unreasonable—and a fair few have even been dubbed crazy,” insists Pamela Hartigan, the August 2012 Entrepreneur of the Month in the monthly business magazine, BeInkandescent.com.
A frequent lecturer on social entrepreneurship and innovation at graduate schools of business in the USA, Europe, and Asia, and an adjunct professor at the Columbia Business School, Hartigan explains exactly what is social entrepreneurism, how social entrepreneurs are changing the world, and some of the new businesses that are emerging.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs
Inkandescent Public Relations
703 346-6975 / hope@inkandescentpr.com
CREWS CONTROL FORECASTS THE FUTURE OF THE VIDEO INDUSTRY
When it comes to tracking trends in the corporate video world, it’s time to go beyond what’s new, bigger, and better, says Andrea Keating, founder of the international video-staffing firm Crews Control. Following are some of the industry trends that her company is tracking.
Washington, DC, July 2, 2012 — The video production world, like most other industries, is moving forward at lightning speed thanks to new technologies, realizes Andrea Keating, founder of the international video-staffing firm Crews Control.
“But think back—it wasn’t always this way,” she insists. “Just a few years ago, for instance, our clients were using tape, and standard definition at that.”
What started the flurry of innovation? In the June issue of her monthly publication, Crews Control News, Keating’s trend analyst Rebekah Toth provides interesting statistics (such as those listed below), as well as a thoughtful analysis of the trends in video production that may interest your readers.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs
Inkandescent Public Relations
hope@inkandescentpr.com / 703 346-6975
5 TIPS FOR RETIRMENT SUCCESS
Everyone knows they should plan for retirement-but too many people never get around to doing it. Following are five simple ways to make the process easier, courtesy of the financial planning firm Egan, Berger & Weiner, LLC
Washington, DC, July 2, 2012 – Although many people are concerned about the economy, planning ahead for a secure financial future isn’t something that most people have mastered. And that can be a big mistake, especially during turbulent financial times.
“Planning for retirement is the equivalent of deciding to go on a trip to a place that’s far away and unfamiliar,” says Bryan Beatty, a partner at Egan, Berger & Weiner, LLC, who has been a financial planner for more than two decades. “You need to figure out how much gas and food you’ll need, and which transportation methods you will use. Then you have to chart a route or series of paths you must take to get to your destination without getting stuck at an impassable bridge or diving into a ravine or missing your target entirely and getting lost in a desert. You get the picture.” Following are some of the tips that Beatty shares with his clients.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs
Inkandescent Public Relations
hope@inkandescentpr.com / 703 346-6975
A NEW GENERATION DEBUTS: MEET ‘THE PLURALS’
Futurists and authors of “Millennial Momentum,” Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais, Welcome the ‘Pluralist Generation’
Washington DC, June 6, 2012 — “Evidence of the arrival of America’s newest Adaptive generation has surfaced, which is beginning to define how and why this latest Adaptive generation differs from the older Millennial Generation,” researchers Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais announced today.
In a groundbreaking release, they point to the market research firm Frank N. Magid Associates, which name the emerging, Adaptive generation the “Pluralist Generation.”
“Its members, known as ‘Plurals,’ reflect the overwhelmingly distinguishing demographic of America’s newest generation: its ethnic, racial, and religious diversity.”
Somewhere among the nation’s current crop of grade-schoolers is a charismatic charmer who will become this century’s rebel. It remains to be seen if he or she will enlist fellow Plurals in a cause that will remake the country, or simply signal the beginning of yet another generational shift in the nation’s attitudes and beliefs.
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After feeling he had no choice but to close the doors of the school his parents founded in 1992, ACT College president Jeffrey S. Moore fights for change and for rights for all students in the nation’s career colleges
April 10, 2012, Arlington, VA —Jeffrey S. Moore explained today why the for-profit vocational school his parents founded in 1992, ACT College, was required to close its doors on April 3.
“We feel terrible for the 361 students who were enrolled, and the 54 employees on our payroll,” says Moore, who been president of ACT College since 2002. “We have always been focused on the students. We tried desperately to keep the school open, but could not overcome the Department of Education’s refusal to reimburse the school for money it had earned for teaching the students since December 2011.”
Moore’s attorney, Gerald Ritzert of Ritzert & Leyton in Fairfax, VA, indicates that the total being withheld is $1,444,974.
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October 1. 2011, Annapolis MD — Inkandescent Public Relations is thrilled to have partnered with Art at Large, Inc., a graphics and public art company based in Annapolis, MD, on the fall 2011 Get Your Joy On Annapolis marketing campaign.
In addition to helping with project management, hiring photographers and videographers, and assisting Art at Large’s president Sally Wern Comport, Inkandescent PR’s Hope Gibbs helped write the text that appears on the Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference & Visitors Bureau website, www.visitannapolis.org/get-your-joy-on.
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September 1, 2011, Washington DC — Bring your creativity. Bring your optimism.
And join us Sunday afternoon, September 18, 2011, for the Life is Good Kids Rock & Art Festival to raise funds for The Life is Good Playmakers Kids Foundation, which helps kids overcome life-threatening challenges.
“I have been raising funds all summer to support this important organization, and even got to interview Bert Jacobs, the founder of The Life is good Company, to talk about more ways to help kids who aren’t as lucky as me and my friends,” says Dylan Gibbs, 12, who is hosting the backyard event. “He suggested that we host a festival with backyard games, art contests, and music, and I thought that would be a fantastic idea. See the photo of me and Bert, below.”
When: The festivities begin at 1 p.m. and go until 5 p.m.
Where: At Dylan’s house (Send us an email for directions.)
Donations: We ask that each attendee make a minimum of a $5 donation to the Life is Good Kids Foundation at the door. (Credit card donations will be uploaded directly to the website upon entry, and your name will be posted on the fundraising website. Cash and checks are accepted. Please make all checks out to the Life is good Playmakers.)
What: Music, arts & crafts, backyard games, treats, and a wine tasting for the adults. We are thrilled to featuring the following:
Music: The day will be filled with music by kid musicians, including teenage phenom Cecelia Jeffrey, 11th grade violinist Anna Gibbs, middle schoolers rockers Muchos Muchos Tacos, and 7th grade guitarist Evie Priestman (see those bios below).
Arts & Crafts: Each participant will be given a large sheet of construction paper and with the provided pens, markers, and crayons will have the opportunity to create their own Life is good artwork. We’ll then tack all of the creations to the front and back of our house to build a giant mural. A panel of artists will then choose their favorite 25 pieces of artwork, which Dylan will deliver to the Chief Playmaker, Steve Gross, at Life is good headquarters in Boston.
Backyard Games by the Boy Scouts: Members of Dylan’s local Boy Scout Troop 106 will be creating and moderating the backyard games, which include sack races, obstacle course, a football toss, hula hoop contest, face painting, and more.
Cookies and Lemonade Stand: Girls who the neighborhood will be raising even more funds at the cookie & lemonade stand they are setting up.
Wine Tasting for the Grown-Ups: Several local wine shops have agreed to donate bottles of wine so the adults can learn about wine. An additional donation of $5 is requested.
Thanks to our Sponsors! We are truly grateful to our sponsors, Arlington’s Arrowine & Cheese, whose owner Doug Rosen graciously donated two cases of wine for our tasting. And Barston’s Child’s Play,”:http://www.barstonschildsplay.com which donated a very special toy for our grand prize.
For details, contact us at by email hope@inkandescentpr.com, and cell at 703 346-6975.
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Don’t miss this Board of Trade Speaker Series featuring Tom Gardner, Co-Founder, The Motley Fool and LouAnn Lofton, Author, “Warren Buffett Invests Like a Girl, and Why You Should Too.”
When: Friday, July 8, 2011
8:00 am Registration and Networking
8:30 – 10:15 am Program and Book Signing
Where: Key Bridge Marriott, Arlington VA, Capital View Ballroom
Register Now: $75 Members / $100 Non-Members
What will you learn? Warren Buffett and all of the women of the world have one thing in common: They are better investors than the average man, a fact proven by psychologists, scientists, and the value of their portfolios. While men tend to be too confident, compulsive, and overly daring, women tend to be more studious, skeptical, and reasonable — traits that have led them to consistently outperform their male counterparts as investors.
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March 29, 2011, Washington, DC — Edinger Associates founder and principal Brook Edinger announced today that he and his partner, J. Ladd Johnson, welcome Scott W. Woodworth as their new associate.
“Scott brings to Edinger Associates years of experience on communications issues, having represented clients before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other federal agencies,” Edinger explains. “In his impressive law career, he has represented broadcast, media, and other communications clients in all types of FCC rulemaking, application, and enforcement proceedings.”
Johnson adds, “We were also impressed that Scott had advised clients on media transactions, with an emphasis on FCC rules and policies, which is one of our key practice areas. We know he will be a valuable addition to our team.”
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March 29, 2011, Washington, DC — Brook Edinger and J. Ladd Johnson, of the Washington DC law firm Edinger Associates, are pleased to announce that Dag Wilksonson has joined their firm as senior counsel.
“With more than 25 years of experience as a large law firm partner and general counsel, Mr. Wilkinson brings to Edinger Associates a wealth of corporate finance, securities, transactional and executive expertise,” Edinger explains. “He has a proven track record of forging long-term working relationships with executive management teams.”
Mr. Wilkinson was previously Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Capital Pacific Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded $600 million real-estate company based in Newport Beach, California, with operations in multiple states.
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March 28, 2011, Washington, DC — Having spent 25 years working as an educator and marketing executive, entrepreneur Robin McDougal married her understanding of education with her flair for fashion in 2001 when she founded e-GLAM, a company that manufactures fashionable business products and sells them to the wholesale market. Her mantra: “Pursue your dreams in style.”
Beginning April 1, she will take her skills and knowledge to a new level when she becomes the Leadership columnist for Be Inkandescent Magazine, an online business and lifestyle publication with 15,000 subscribers and more than 75,000 readers.
“I am very excited to be branching out into this area,” says McDougal, whose company creates beautiful and functional organizational laptop bags and briefcases that help business people move more easily through their busy days. “Business people are my customers. I have had the privilege of meeting some spectacular leaders who have taught me tremendous lessons about success, empowerment, and balancing work and life. I’ll be interviewing these savvy leaders for my column, and will also be interviewing them on my new blog radio show. My goal is inspire others and help propel them toward greatness.”
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March 1, 2011 — Inkandescent Public Relations new client, artisan Stephanie Ponder of Seattle, WA says she has always liked to keep her hands busy.
“I’ve cycled through latch hook rugs, bubble gum wrapper chains, cross stitch, knitting and finally the pendants and other pieces made with resin,” she shares. “But when I saw examples of resin on Scrabble tiles, I knew it was something I had to try making. In the last couple of years, I’ve battled with errant bubbles, resin that doesn’t cure, and paper that isn’t sealed properly. Nonetheless, each imperfect piece was a learning opportunity.”
Today, she has mastered the art of adhering art to Scrabble tiles. “It’s amazing to see how an image will read when it’s reproduced in such a small format. It doesn’t hurt that the resin helps images pop. It’s also fun to see the effects of a little well-placed glitter.”
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Arlington, VA, January 20, 2011 — Imagine a neighborhood urgent-care office that is open nights and weekends, and accepts major insurance. That’s Simplicity Urgent Care, located at 3263 Columbia Pike in Arlington, VA.
The founders, Dr. John Jones and Dr. John Maguire, were joined by Arlington County Board Chairman Christopher Zimmerman, and Arlington Chamber President Richard V. Doud, Jr., for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“The Chamber is very excited to have a new urgent-care center in Arlington,” says Arlington Chamber President Rich Doud. “The facility is huge, incredibly clean, and very efficient. Those who choose Simplicity can rest assured that they’ll get the finest care.”
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January 13, 2011, Washington, DC — Ladd Johnson, a partner at the Washington, DC-based law practice Edinger Associates, learned today that he was named one of Utah’s Legal Elite for 2011 by Utah Business Magazine.
“This is a prestigious list, and I am very pleased to have been recognized,” says Johnson, who has a wealth of experience representing public and private companies of all sizes in business and finance matters.
For nearly 10 years, Utah Business has published the Legal Elite list showcasing the state’s best-of-the-best lawyers, the editors explain. Each lawyer on the list received votes from numerous peers.
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Washington, DC, November 18, 2010 — Join Robin Strongin and her Disruptive Women bloggers on December 1 at The Kreeger Museum for a night of art and music when she hosts the 2010 Disruptive Women holiday event, “Music & Art Therapy: A Demonstration in Healing.”
“I designed this special holiday event with a singular purpose in mind: to help people understand the enormous evidence-based power of the arts to heal — mentally, physically, and spiritually,” says Strongin, the creator of the Disruptive Women in Health Care Blog (www.disruptivewomen.net) and the president and CEO of the Washington, DC, firm Amplify Public Affairs (www.amplifypublicaffairs.net.)
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Arlington VA, December 7, 2010 — Veteran emergency room doctors John Jones and John Maguire have opened Simplicity Urgent Care, a neighborhood medical center located at 3263 Columbia Pike that allows patients with or without insurance to see a doctor without an appointment.
“Urgent care is for accidents and illnesses that require a doctor’s attention, but not a trip to the emergency room,” explains Dr. Jones, an emergency department physician at INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital, who is certified in both pediatric and adult emergency care. “From colds and flu to minor injuries and urinary tract infections, our physicians will specialize in fast, friendly care. That also includes immunizations, x-rays, drug screenings, travel medicine, and more.”
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Washington DC, May 27, 2010 — “It’s not supposed to be this way,” writes HR specialist Sharon Armstrong in the introduction to her new book, “The Essential Performance Review Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional,” published in May 2010 by Career Press (www.theessentialperformancereviewhandbook.com).
Although performance reviews are actually less popular than a trip to the dentist for most supervisors (see that study below), the good news is that Sharon Armstrong — the woman who began her career in Human Resources in 1985 as a recruiter/trainer in a large Manhattan law firm and launched her own HR consulting business in the year 2000 — has found a way to take the pain out of the process.
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Washington, DC, April 26, 2010 — On Wednesday, April 28, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (www.NFTE.com) will honor Bethesda businesswoman and philanthropist Patty Alper at its 13th annual Dare to Dream DC Gala, which is being held from 6-10 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in DC (www.daretodreamdc.org).
In 1998, Alper gave $10,000 as seed capital for 200 students in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship-Greater Washington to launch their companies. More importantly, she has given her time.
“My work with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship-Greater Washington began with my giving seed money to low-income students in the program that would launch them into business,” says Alper who, in addition to running her real estate and marketing firm in Bethesda, is the vice president and secretary of the Alper Family Foundation.
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Washington DC, April 12, 2010 — Inspired by philosopher John Rawls A Theory of Justice, Vienna, VA fine artist Judith Peck has taken a legal concept and translated it into a powerful series of paintings that will be shown throughout June 2010 at the Hillyer Art Space in downtown Washington, DC.
Peck, who is sister to two lawyers, and mother to an aspiring law student, explains that Rawls ideas spoke to her long-time devotion to painting about social justice issues.
“John Rawls’ thought experiment, using a veil to cloak our knowledge of individual’s attributes, renders us able to effectively consider the interests of all people especially the least advantaged members of society,” Peck shares. “Basically, he asks us to imagine what would happen if societal roles were completely re-fashioned and redistributed, and that from behind your veil of ignorance you do not know what role you will be reassigned. Only then, he believes, can you truly consider the morality of an issue. The metaphor of the veil is a powerful one, and what I use to enable the viewer’s experience in this collection of work.”
Pictured right: Unveiling, 18×24 oil on linen
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Washington, DC, April 26, 2010 — Tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 28, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (dc.nfte.com) will host its 13th annual Dare to Dream DC Gala, which is being held from 6-10 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in DC (www.daretodreamdc.org).
“It is truly my pleasure to have been the chairman of the 2010 Dare to Dream DC event,” says Cynthia de Lorenzi, founder and CEO of the women’s networking group Success in the City, who notes that since 1987, NFTE has provided entrepreneurial education programs to more than 280,000 youths in 21 states and 12 countries.
“This year alone, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship-Greater Washington is working with 700 students in 17 low-income schools in the region. Since 1994, it has served more than 22,000 students in the area,” she says. “Now that’s an accomplishment — not just because NFTE helps young people explore new opportunities and build toward a successful future. To me, this organization is incredible because NFTE’s leaders, from staff to teachers to the students it touches, learn the skills needed to live the American dream.”
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WASHINGTON, DC / MINNEAPOLIS, MN, April 27, 2010 — Join Artspace Projects, Inc. on Friday, April 30 from 12:00 noon to 1 p.m. to break ground at the Brookland Artspace Lofts, 3225 8th Street, NE in Washington, DC.
The four-story, 57,000-square-foot arts campus in Washington, D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood is a $13.1 million project that will include 41 affordable apartment units for artists. It will also house a dance and music rehearsal studio with gallery for Dance Place, a modern dance and arts education organization.
Arlington, Va.-based Bognet Construction (www.bognet.com) is the general contractor for the project, and the architect is D.C.-based Hickok Cole. The project is expected to be finished in July 2011.
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Washington, DC, April 23, 2010 — Anyone who has been following the fast-moving education technology company Blackboard Inc., knows of its savvy president and CEO Michael Chasen (www.blackboard.com). He took Blackboard from a start-up company with just one product and a handful of clients to a publicly held company, with thousands of clients, offering software and services used by millions of people around the world.
On April 28, the national nonprofit organization the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (www.NFTE.com) will honor Chasen at its 13th annual Dare to Dream DC Gala, being held from 6-10 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in DC (www.daretodreamdc.org.)
Together with Blackboard Chairman Matthew Pittinsky, Chasen founded the company in 1997. Chasen brings a solid mixture of business development and Internet engineering skills that have been critical to Blackboard’s success. During his tenure, he has provided both strategic and tactical direction for every department in the company. Chasen oversees the day-to-day business in addition to developing and implementing Blackboard’s vision and business strategy.
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Washington, DC, April 2010 — If you had the privilege of seeing the 2006 blockbuster film, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” starring Will Smith, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to meet the man behind the movie Chris Gardner, who will be the keynote speaker at the April 28 Dare to Dream DC Gala (http://www.daretodreamdc.com) for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
“Chris Gardner is indeed an inspiration to every entrepreneur,” says Julie Kantor, executive director of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship-Greater Washington. “His story speaks volumes about the human spirit. It’s incredible to think what one determined person could do to change his or her life — and that of others.”
This year’s gala chairwoman, Cynthia de Lorenzi, CEO of the networking group Success in the City, says Gardner will be one of the highlights of what is expected to be an incredible evening.
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Washington, DC, April 15, 2010 — Mark your calendar for April 28 when the Washington, DC office of the national nonprofit organization the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (dc.nfte.com) hosts its annual Dare to Dream Gala at 6-10 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in DC (www.daretodreamdc.org).
This year’s event will honor several well-known entrepreneurs and philanthropists including Blackboard Inc. President and CEO Michael Chasen, Alper Family Foundation’s Vice President Patty Alper, and the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
The keynote speaker will be Chris Gardner, the self-made millionaire, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and philanthropist who, during the early 1980s, struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher, Jr. Gardner’s book of memoirs, The Pursuit of Happyness, was published in May 2006 and later that year became an internationally acclaimed motion picture starring Will Smith.
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OTJ Architects, Inc. will design the project that is scheduled to be complete in June 2010, says Fernando Murias, founder of the GWSA
Washington DC, April 8, 2010 — Bognet Construction (www.bognet.com) has sealed a deal with the Greater Washington Sports Alliance (GWSA, www.gwsportsalliance.com) to rebuild its new offices at 2300 14th St. in Washington, DC.
GWSA chairman Fernando Murias, who is also the global compliance services leader for Latin America for Price Waterhouse Coopers, said that the contract was also awarded to OTJ Architects, Inc (www.otj.com), and us because both companies truly understood the mission and vision for the organization.
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New York, NY April 9, 2010 — Inkandescent Public Relations was recently contacted to help promote the April 20 and 21st DC show of the all-star, all-author rock group Rock Bottom Remainders—featuring writers and authors Dave Barry, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, Scott Turow, Roy Blount, Jr., Greg Iles, James McBride, Ridley Pearson and Kathi Kamen Goldmark.
The Rock Bottom Remainders 2010 Wordstock Tour kicks off in Washington, Tuesday, April 20, 2010 with a special event “Besides the Music: a Conversation with the Rock Bottom Remainders,” hosted by veteran newsman Sam Donaldson. The band will travel by train to bring their own brand of classic rock to Washington D.C. on April 21st, Philadelphia on April 22nd, New York City on April 23rd, and in Boston on April 24th. Proceeds from the tour, which is being presented by the Pearson Foundation, will support Haitian relief and local non-profit organizations at work in each community.
Read more about band founder Kathi Kamen Goldmark here!
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March 2010 — NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” TV series contacted Inkandescent PR to help spread the word about auditions this Saturday, March 6 in Washington, DC.
Here’s what they are looking for:
NBC’s popular reality series “The Biggest Loser” is launching a 15-city cross-country search to find new contestants for the next edition of the hit show. Individuals and teams of two who have at least 100 lbs. to lose are encouraged to apply for the new season, which will air in the fall of 2010.
Casting producers are looking for outgoing and charismatic individuals and teams of two who have the personality, desire and competitive edge to vie for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lose weight, change their lives forever and compete for a grand prize of $250,000. Candidates must be at least 18 years of age and legal residents of the United States.
While they will try to see everyone, “The Biggest Loser” casting teams will do their best to see the first 500 people in line. People will not be allowed to line up prior to three hours before the start of the open call. Candidates should bring a non-returnable photo of themselves (and their partners if applying as a team).
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ARLINGTON VA, February 24, 2010 — Arlington, VA-based Bognet Construction (www.bognet.com) has signed a deal to build the Brookland Artspace Lofts, a four-story, 57,000-square-foot arts campus in Washington, D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood.
The $13.1 million project will include 41 affordable apartment units for artists, and a dance and music rehearsal studio with gallery for Dance Place, a modern dance and arts education organization. The architecture firm is D.C.-based Hickok Cole, which has worked with Bognet Construction on prior projects.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for April 9; the project is expected to be completed by July 2011.
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ARLINGTON VA, February 14, 2010 — The Inkandescent Group, LLC, is proud to announce the launch of its new online magazine: Be Inkandescent: the ezine for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs (www.beinkandescent.com).
Publisher Hope Katz Gibbs, president of Inkandescent Public Relations and a veteran journalist who has written for dozens of newspapers and magazines including The Washington Post and USA Today, created the publication as a way to share the expertise of her clients and other entrepreneurs who are making strides in their industries.
“At Inkandescent Public Relations, we focus on helping entrepreneurs get the visibility they need, frequent interviews by the nation’s top publications and also reach out with monthly newsletters to their own customers,” Gibbs notes. “Our goal for the magazine is to give a bigger voice to our clients and other entrepreneurs who have an important message for their fellow business owners.”
In this Issue:
• Entrepreneurs of the Month: Jim Bognet and Jeff Kaiser, Bognet Construction
• Book Review: Alpha Male Syndrome
• Careers: Get Personal with your clients
• Education: Impact of the economy on schools
• Events: DC’s most romantic party place
And much more! Click here to view.
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Gaithersburg MD, December 4, 2009 — Stephanie Cohen, CEO of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen, was named one of SmartCEO Magazine’s 2010 Smart100 CEOs this week.
“After another competitive year of nominations, the selection committee has chosen Stephanie Cohen to join an elite group of 100 of Greater Washington’s leading CEOs and their organizations,” announced SmartCEO magazine’s Makenna Coyne on December 1. “Combined, this group employs more than 150,000 people, boasts revenues in excess of $9 billion, and has won almost 1,500 business awards. In addition, the group shares a philanthropic spirit by donating time, energy and money to local Washington area charities.”
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RESTON VA, December 4, 2009 — More than 6500 girls in grades 3 to 8 are scheduled to turn out for this Saturday’s 5K Reindeer Romp Fun Run, hosted by Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia. Be there to cheer the kids on at the Reston Town Center on Saturday, December 5, starting at 8:30 a.m.
“We were blown away by the response and support we have gotten for this event and sold out so fast that we actually had to turn some runners away,” explains executive director Catherine Keightley. “I believe that is simply a testimony to the power of this program.”
In fact, more than 3000 girls in nearly 180 schools from all over Northern Virginia have participated for the last 10 weeks in our Girls on the Run program to empower girls with a greater sense of self-awareness, self esteem and healthy living through the power of running.
“This run is the culmination and celebration of their efforts, and pairs the girls with a buddy runner to help them achieve their goals,” Keightley adds.
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Washington DC, December 1, 2009 — The Nov. 30 news website FierceHealthcare.com featured Robin Strongin’s popular health care blog, Disruptive Women in Health Care (www.disruptivewomen.net), noting it was featured as one of “Five Fierce Female Healthcare Bloggers to Watch.”
FierceHealthcare.com reporter Anne Zieger wrote: “This blog is written by dozens of senior female health care professionals, including clinicians, academic researchers, health advocates, management consultants and political insiders.”
Disruptive Women in Health Care should be required reading, Zieger said.
“This blog lives up to its name, offering challenging ideas—and a strong dose of much-needed attitude—on critical topics like medication adherence and health plan design,” the reporter explained.
“There’s also a lot of play given to women’s topics, such as the new breast cancer screening recommendations, which sadly don’t get as much attention in other publications. While nobody’s suggesting that women’s takes on health issues are better than men’s, these contributors are exceptionally passionate in what they have to say, and it’s a pleasure to hear women roar. There’s much to learn here.”
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WASHINGTON DC, December 1, 2009 — Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell, co-authors of the popular human resources book, The Essential HR Handbook (www.theessentialhrhandbook.com), got word today that their 2008 book is so successful that it will go into its second printing later this month.
Nearly 6000 copies have been sold to date, an impressive amount for a business book, explains the publisher, Career Press. It plans to print 2000 more copies just in time for the holiday rush.
While many of the books are sold at national retail bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble, the majority of books are sold through Amazon.com. In addition to being available in paperback, the 224-page book is one of fewer than 300,000 titles that were selected to be compatible with Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader.
“We couldn’t be more excited that the book is doing so well,” says Armstrong, who is also the author of Stress-free Performance Appraisals, which is also in its second printing. Her next book, The Essential Performance Review Handbook will be published in the spring of 2010.
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WASHINGTON DC, AUGUST 21, 2009 — Mark your calendar for September 8 at 8 p.m. when the DC-based author events company Hooks Book Events will host an intriguing conversation at DC’s Avalon Theater between New York Times bestselling writer Dan Pink and award-winning science journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.
The topic of discussion will be Bronson and Merryman’s hot new book NURTURESHOCK, which argues that when it comes to children, we’ve mistaken good intentions for good ideas. “Many of modern society’s strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring because key twists in the science have been overlooked,” the authors explain.
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Newark, NJ / Washington DC, July 2009 — In her new book, “Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me: Love, Inspiration and the Constitution,” author and attorney Joy Rodino offers insights into the question, “Why is the Preamble to the Constitution relevant today?”
She accomplishes the task by discussing the life history and lessons learned by her late husband, Congressman Peter Rodino, a 40-year legislator and defender of the Constitution and the Chairman of the House Committee that in July 1974 voted to impeach President Richard Nixon.
“Peter believed the Preamble is our country’s soul, not only projecting a vision of who we are as a people, but also expressing the limitless possibilities of all we can be,” says Joy. “In these troubled times, when nothing is certain, people are searching for meaning in their lives. These 52 words of the Preamble remind us of the importance of upholding our highest ideals, and that there is security in the values and principles inherent in the foundation of our nation.”
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GAITHERSBURG MD, June 2009 — The owners of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen are pleased to announce that this year, once again, they have made the list of the Top 10 largest health insurance firms in Washington Business Journal’s Book of Lists.
“We are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, as we have built our business brick by brick,” says Stephanie Cohen, CEO of Golden & Cohen. “We want to thank all our loyal clients, many of whom have been with us since our inception. We will continue to work hard everyday to make sure each and every client is receiving world-class service and the best possible insurance strategy for their needs and budget.”
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Newark, NJ / Washington DC, July 2, 2009 — As we celebrate the July 4th holiday, it is the perfect time to ask, “Why is the Preamble to the Constitution relevant today?” For the answer, pick up a copy of “Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me,” by attorney Joy Rodino.
She offers insights through the eyes of her late husband, Congressman Peter Rodino, a 40-year legislator and defender of the Constitution who believed the Preamble is our country’s soul, “not only projecting a vision of who we are as a people, but also expressing the limitless possibilities of all we can be.”
“In these troubled times, when nothing is certain, people are searching for meaning in their lives,” Joy says. “These 52 words of the Preamble remind us of the importance of upholding our highest ideals, and that there is security in the values and principles inherent in the foundation of our nation.”
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GAITHERSBURG MD, June 2009 — The owners of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen are pleased to announce that this year, once again, they have made the list of the Top 10 largest health insurance firms in Washington Business Journal’s Book of Lists”:http://www.bizjournals.com/.
“We are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, as we have built our business brick by brick,” says Stephanie Cohen, CEO of Golden & Cohen. “We want to thank all our loyal clients, many of whom have been with us since our inception. We will continue to work hard everyday to make sure each and every client is receiving world-class service and the best possible insurance strategy for their needs and budget.”
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YouTube, June 1, 2009 — A Transformational Journey from Gettysburg is the title of the most recent YouTube video release that Inkandescent Public Relations helped create for Steve Wiley’s Lincoln Leadership Institute.
Based on the intensive three-day leadership training program that well-known speaker Wiley has been hosting for years, this video by Inkandescent’s videographer Zach Starr, features insights and lessons from generals, ambassadors, and the other LLI faculty members who each year teach hundreds of managers and executives from top U.S. firms how to be more effective and efficient.
“We use the battle of Gettysburg as a metaphor, but our program is not a just a history lesson,” says Wiley. “We focus on the key things that helped the North secure the win on those critical July days in 1863.”
This is the third video Zach Starr has created for The Lincoln Leadership Institute.
Watch it now on YouTube.
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Join Bernard Wolfe & Associates June 2, 6-8 pm, when the financial planning firm hosts an educational session on income-generating strategies for 2009 and beyond
Chevy Chase, MD, May 26, 2009 — As most people continue to navigate the volatile economic climate, the top-rated financial planning firm Bernard Wolfe & Associates (http://www.bernardwolfe.com) is taking the initiative to educate all investors by hosting informative seminars every other month to teach investors about the new landscape of financial planning.
“I have been in finance business for nearly 30 years, and am committed now more than ever to being a trusted advisor to all of our current and potential clients who might need to rethink their current financial strategies,” says Bernard Wolfe, a Certified Financial Planner, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), and one of the first members of the Registry of Financial Planners in the Washington DC area.
What makes Wolfe’s firm stand out from the rest, he believes, is that he operates from a strategy he learned when he played for the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals for nearly five seasons.
“As Wayne Gretzky used to say, ‘a good hockey player plays where the puck is, a great hockey player plays to where the puck is going to be,’” says Wolfe, who was named the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Athlete of the Year, and All Canadian by his alma mater, Sir George Williams University in Montreal. “That metaphor couldn’t be more appropriate than it is in this current economic crisis. What we try to do in our business is exactly what Gretzky spoke about in hockey. We try to anticipate how best to situate our clients and not rely on what worked over the last 20-30 years, but what will work today and tomorrow.”
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In the News: Maimah Karmo Speaks at Press Conference Along with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Support of EARLY Act
March 23, 2009, Washington, DC — At a press conference in the Capitol building today, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) was joined by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), to announce legislation they will introduce to highlight the breast cancer risks facing young women under the age of 40 to empower these women with the tools they need to prevent and fight this deadly disease.
They were joined by Rep. Melissa Bean (IL-8) as well as local cancer survivor Maimah Karmo, Executive Director of the Tigerlily Foundation, and Dr. Sandra
Swain the medical director of the Cancer Institute at Washington Hospital Center.
“I found my cancer early because of knowledge and awareness,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “I knew that I should perform breast self-exams, and I was aware of what my body was supposed to feel like. We need to ensure that every young woman in America can rely on more than luck because their survival depends on it.”
“It is critical that we support the EARLY Act and get this legislation passed,” said Ms. Karmo. “There are over a quarter million women living in the United States today who are diagnosed with breast cancer under 40. These women are not just statistics, they’re heart beats. They need education, they need to be aware, and they need hands on support.”
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GLADWYNE PA, March 17, 2009 — The downturn in the economy has taken its toll on The Delaware Market House, say owners Kim and Edgar Alvarez, who will be closing their Gladwyne gourmet store on Saturday, March 21. “With the increase of food costs and the decline in revenue, the market has been unable to keep up with the drastic changes in this tumultuous economic time,” says Chef Kim. “We will officially close our doors at 5pm.” The couple admits closing the store is like losing a dear friend. “We thank all of our customers for the support they have showered on us since we bought the store in 2004,” Kim says. “We’ve had a wonderful time cooking for you, talking with you, and having you as a part of our Delaware Market House family. Please stay in touch.”
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WASHINGtON BUSINESS JOURNAL, March 13, 2009 — Layoffs are never pleasant and often scary, but if you stay upbeat, make a plan and get busy, this seismic shift could help push your career in a better direction, human resources training and consulting expert Sharon Armstrong explained to Washington Business Journal reporter Jennifer Nycz-Conner in a feature that appeared today on pages 26-27. Following are tips that Armstrong offered to help you bounce back.
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Gettysburg PA, February 24, 2009 — The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg launched a special YouTube video this week to celebrate the move into its new offices in the historic David Wills House — the location where the 16th president spent the night before reciting the historic Gettysburg Address. “We are thrilled to have our headquarters in this beautifully restored historic landmark,” says Steven B. Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, who spoke at the opening luncheon prior official ribbon cutting for the museum.
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Washington DC, January 11, 2009 — Why do you fall in love with one person rather than another? That’s the question biological anthropologist Helen Fisher will address one month from today when she speaks about her new book “WHY HIM? WHY HER?” at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 11 at 6pm.
Dr. Fisher’s new book — the fifth from the world-renown Research Professor and member of the Center for Human Evolutionary Studies in the Department of Anthropology at Rutgers University — stems from her current work as Scientific Advisor to the Internet dating site, Chemistry.com, a subsidiary of Match.com. Her data and ideas are based on her analysis of patterns of attraction among 28,000 men and women, as well as data from genetics, neurochemistry and personality studies.
Dr. Fisher has developed a personality test that reveals some of the basic biological aspects of who you are, your temperament. And using data from her new book, “WHY HIM? WHY HER?” she discusses four “natural” personality styles that stem, respectively, from activity in the neural systems for dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and estrogen/oxytocin.
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Washington DC, January 4, 2009 — Anyone who understands the importance of micro-lending as a means to end global poverty will want to join Hooks Book Events when it hosts a special event with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. on at the Lisner Auditorium on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
The Grameen Bank founder and managing director will be speaking about his latest book, “Creating a World Without Poverty,” which outlines his vision for a new business model that combines the power of free markets with the quest for a more humane world. He’ll share the inspiring stories of companies that are doing this work today.
This event is open to the public. A portion of proceeds from book sales will benefit the Grameen Foundation. Tickets to event are $25 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. For more information visit www.hooksbookevents.com.
About Dr. Muhammad Yunus
A native of Bangladesh, Dr. Yunus was educated at Dhaka University and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study economics at Vanderbilt University. In 1972, he became head of the economics department at Chittagong University. He is the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, a pioneer of microcredit, an economic movement that has helped lift millions of families around the world out of poverty. Yunus and Grameen Bank are winners of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.
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PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC, January 1, 2009 — Insight into how her three books have helped HR expert Sharon Armstrong’s business is featured in a new book released this month entitled, “42 Rules™ for Driving Success With Books,” by Mitchell Levy, publisher of Happy About, a quick2publish book publisher based in Southern California.
“The authors in this book wrote content that allowed them to demonstrate innovation, share their marketing strategy, improve client retention, and share tricks and techniques on using a tool or service,” Levy explains. “The fact that they put this content in a book gave their ideas weight and increased their credibility and reputation. Having the books show up on Amazon, BN.com and other bookstores as well as personally delivering their books to clients/prospects really helped to drive the impact of their message.”
Armstrong is the author of three books: The Essential HR Handbook, 2007, Stress-Free Performance Appraisals, and Healing the Canine Within. For Levy’s book, she contributed the text for Chapter 25: Get Immediate Credibilty.
She writes: “I hadn’t planned on writing ‘Stress-Free Performance Appraisals’ back in 2002. But when an agent at Career Press read my first book … she liked it, and thought I could write another one for her. The next one was for HR professionals, and right up my alley … “
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Gettysburg, PA, November 18, 2008 — CEO Steve Smith and his team of executives graduated last month from the three-day Transformational Journey from Gettysburg, a leadership training program designed by nationally-renown motivational speaker Steven B. Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg.
“Part of being a good leader is listening and learning from other Leaders,” realizes Smith, who has participated in Wiley’s Transformational Journey three times in the last several years. “My company, Charlotte Valve and Fitting Company, is a distributor of Swagelok, and we are always learning from the experience of the leaders at Swagelok. They challenged us to improve our leadership skills and management skills to become an industry leading employer, and Steve Wiley’s program fits in perfectly with our goals.”
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Washington DC, November 8, 2008 — Inkandescent Public Relations, a new Northern Virginia PR / publications / media relations / marketing firm that helps small businesses get the visibility they need, launched it’s new website today: www.inkandescentpr.com.
Journalist Hope Katz Gibbs founded the company in 2008, and is excited to get the word out about her growing agency.
“Like the company’s name suggests, our goal is to make our clients shine,,” says Hope, whose clients to date include authors and chefs, national speakers, leadership and HR experts, health care professionals, and school districts, among others. “We accomplish that with the help of our ur award-winning team — including award-winnng illustrator and designer Michael Gibbs, photographer Steve Barrett, web developer Max Kukoy, videographer Zach Starr, and book editor Kristin Nauth.”
Hope says her ideal client is an entrepreneur who is an expert is their field that is looking for bold, exciting ways to get the word out about his or her company, and isn’t afraid of being in the limelight. “We then wrap our creative ideas around their goals, and help them get to where they want to go in terms of media outreach , the speaker’s circuit, books, events, and more.”
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New family-friendly, family-owned Italian restaurant opening in Del Ray
Alexandria, VA, April 1, 2008 — If you love Northern Italian cuisine, get your taste buds primed for La Strada, a new restaurant opening this month in the heart of Del Ray.
The executive chef is Stephen Scott, the former maestro of the kitchen at such D.C. area dining icons as Zola, Argia’s, Primi Piati, Galileo, and I Matti. His parents Stephen and Diana, and sisters Courtney and Kristen, will be managing the restaurant.
Stephen’s grandmother, Argia Balboni, knew early in Stephen’s life that he was destined to become a chef. As a little boy, he would sit in her kitchen every Sunday and watch her fix the traditional weekend brunch: a roast of beef, braised chicken, Italian meatballs and handmade tortellini.
Also special was Argia herself, who emigrated to the U.S. from Italy in 1917. Putting family and good food first was always her priority. In fact, most of the ingredients for the family feast came from her garden — a giant yard in suburban Boston.
“Argia taught me the essence of Italian cooking, and it makes me proud to carry on her traditions in my restaurants,” Stephen says today, noting that La Strada is certainly about “la familia” —but not just because it’s family owned.
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Washington DC, September 8, 2008 — In 14th-century England, masons, carpenters, leather workers, and other skilled craftsmen organized themselves into guildsAithe first unions that were used to improve their work conditions. With the Industrial Revolution came divisions of labor, negotiable wages and hours, and challenging work conditions, and the owner was replaced by a new character, the boss, who was solely focused on getting the job done fast and right.
Conflict ensued and so the human resources industry was born to help set things straight, explain authors Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell in the introduction to their new book, The Essential HR Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional.
This 250-page reference guide, published in the fall of 2008 by Career Press, is a must-have for everyone who deals with employees on a daily basis, believe Mitchell and Armstrong. They wrote the book because, as human resource professionals with decades of experience, they wanted to shed light on the issues that keep managers up at night.
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Gladwyne PA, April 15, 2008 — Delaware Market House was chosen from a list of a dozen Main Line catering companies to prepare a feast for the Hillary Clinton fundraiser held April 11 in Penn Valley.
Chef Kim Alvarez got the call a few weeks ago from Marjie Katz, co-chairman of the fundraiser.
“We picked the Delaware Market House to cater this important event because of its excellent reputation for serving delicious food, and also for being an incredibly easy and enjoyable company to work with,” says Katz, who worked with Chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez to choose the menu.
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City of Fairfax, VA, July 2007 —School Board Chairman Janice Miller got the good news on June 18 that, for the second time, the City Schools Close-Up newsletter has won an Award of Excellence from the National Schools Public Relations Association (www.NSPRA.org).
There were 1121 entries in this year’s contest, and only 125 publications from school districts around the country received this prestigious honor, Miller explains.
The issues submitted for consideration included the May-June 2006 cover story featuring Fairfax High’s graduation speaker Colin Powell, as well as four cover stories that were part of a series entitled “Building Blocks: Insights Into Education K-12.”
“We knew we had a great story to tell when General Powell spoke at graduation last year, but I believe the reason we on this award is due to the Building Blocks series that we published from November 2006 to June 2007,” Miller explains. “Our editor, Hope Gibbs, interviewed more than a dozen teachers, and in the articles they explained to our readers exactly what kids need to know by the end of each grade.”
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Washington DC, July 2, 2008 — What are guys’ lives like today? What is important to them and how can we better relate to them? That was what Spike TV asked the Washington DC-based futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies to help the network find out.
As the home of everything “men,” Spike TV commissioned the study to gain a deeper understanding of the many facets of men, according to Kimberly Maxwell, senior director of brand and consumer research.
“We wanted to check the pulse of American guys to be better able to understand their lifestyles, their daily habits, and values,” she says, noting that the research builds upon Spike’s 2004 “Guy’s State of the Union,” which delivered a wide-ranging overview of guy’s lives.
Maxwell worked with Social Technologies’ senior analyst Chris Carbone (pictured above) to investigate how men aged 18 to 49 feel about fatherhood and family, politics, relationships and women, role models, work and stress, technology, and more.
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Washington DC, June 28, 2008 — Consumers have long hoped that medical and pharmacological research would lead to a so-called “fat pill,” an easy-to-use pharmaceutical answer to the growing scourge of obesity.
Social Technologies’ analyst Christopher Kent recently considered this possibility as part of our series on discontinuities (those sudden, sharp breaks that can strike consumers, business sectors, nations, or the world with disruptive force).
“The ideal solution would allow consumers to continue their regular eating and lifestyle behaviors without gaining weight,” Kent explains, noting two drugs in development, Rimonabant and Alli, offer some benefits of an anti-obesity pill, but neither is 100% effective–and both may have serious side effects.
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Herndon VA, October 1, 2008 — Leadership development expert Alice Waagen, PhD, will be a featured speaker at the Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo in Springfield, VA on Oct. 24, and will present a workshop on “Managing Growth: Knowing when and how to hire help.”
“Like many business owners, I’ve been faced with the challenge of wanting to increase revenue—but not knowing exactly how I’d pay for the additional help needed to grow my company,” explains Waagen, owner of Workforce Learning,
LLC. “Rather than pull anyone on as an employee, I have contracted with nearly a dozen professionals who help me with sales and development, PR and marketing, tech support, and finance and legal issues. Their work has freed me to up to do what I do best — conduct intensive workshops that provide managers and C-level executives with the skills and knowledge they need to build a more productive work environment.”
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March 15, 2007, Washington, DC — “There has perhaps never been a time in human history when strategic foresight is more needed,” says futurist Andy Hines in the introduction to his new book, Thinking about the Future: Guidelines for Strategic Foresight (Social Technologies, February 2007).
Precious little guidance is available for executives, analysts, and educators seeking the best way to plan and prepare for the future. That is why Hines and co-editor Peter Bishop put together the 231-page paperback, which distills the expertise of 36 world-renowned futurists into an easily scannable guidebook.
What is strategic foresight?
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