Client’s new site offers options for engaged couples concerned with budget, envrionment, conflict diamonds
Posted on | November 23, 2009 | No Comments
In this era of global awareness and “green living,” couples are balancing a number of concerns when it comes to buying an engagement ring. Over the past decade, awareness has grown about “conflict diamonds,” and interest in earth-friendly jewelry and sustainable practices have increased. But in the current economy, budget is most certainly a concern, and many couples are looking for more-affordable options when it comes to engagement rings.
In response to these issues, Colorado businesswoman Michelle Rahm has launched www.OurCustomWeddingRings.com as a new division of her 12-year-old business, www.JewelryImpressions.com.
The new venture offers synthetic, lab-grown colored stones, like rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds, all nearly indistinguishable from mined stones. In addition to lab-grown stones, the company also offers some natural stones, and a variety of mountings, all available exclusively online.
A variety of choices allows the customer to create a unique, individualized ring that addresses their individual concerns about the environment, global politics and their own budget.
Perception is reality
Posted on | November 20, 2009 | 1 Comment
An acquaintance of mine was laid off this week – a nice guy, married, young kids, smart, hard working. Seemed to me to be very devoted to his job, forward thinking, active and involved in the community.
I was at his place of work a couple of weeks ago and noticed a brand new Porsche convertible, with temp tags, in a special handicapped spot, right by the front entrance. I thought nothing of it.
I was there again briefly tonight – and the car was still there, so it seemed clear that it belonged to someone affiliated with the business. I was informed it belongs to the owner.
I must confess I know little about the situation with my acquaintance and the business, except that the industry it is in is clearly headed for a slow part of the year, and that, in general, has felt the effects of the economy (though another source tells me this outpost had a good summer).
That being said, I still think it sends a really bad message – to the public, the rest of your staff, and the world at large – to buy a brand new luxury vehicle, which I’m guessing runs in the neighborhood of $70,000, and still have the temp tags on it when you lay off an employee with a family to support.
Clearly, the owner has done well for himself, at least financially. His health is clearly not great, since a glance at him makes it clear why he needs the special parking spot within steps of the front entrance. And for that, more power to him; but I’ll have trouble patronizing that business in the future, given the circumstances.
In the recent annals of less-than-ethical behavior by management, ownership, C-level execs, etc., this is clearly a very minor incident; but it is one that is very visible to me, which is no doubt at least part of my misgivings about the situation.
ESG presents “Managing the Employee Lifecycle” Nov. 19
Posted on | November 16, 2009 | No Comments
Please join ESG (www.esghr.com) for our ongoing educational series presented each month at the Loveland Chamber of Commerce (www.loveland.org). We provide lunch and useful educational materials that you can take back to your business and apply immediately.
In November, learn how to best handle all phases of the employee lifecycle.
Managing the Employee Lifecycle
Thursday, November 19, 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Hergenreter, PHR and Gayvaughn Marnich, SPHR
Defining the job, recruiting, on-boarding, coaching, appraising performance, rewarding, disciplining, terminating… there are a lot of ways employers interact with their employees. Each impacts the other and creates either opportunities or roadblocks to success. In this session, participants will be given a quick overview of each part of the process, and shown how it’s all inter-related. Learn how to set yourself up for success with each step.
December
In December we will not be providing a seminar, since the holiday season is filled with many events and time spent building memories with family and friends. ESG wishes you a successful December and 2010. We will be sending out the schedule of seminars for 2010 in January, with some great new topics and opportunities to help create prosperity in the New Year!
About ESG
Employer Solutions Group (ESG) enables its clients to cost-effectively outsource the Administration of human resources, employee benefits, payroll and related tax compliance, and Workers’ compensation. Specializing in these specific employer needs allows ESG to efficiently deliver a tailored package of services to its clients. ESG clients are then able to focus on growing and operating their businesses, rather than worrying about HR. The company’s Loveland, Colorado-based professional staff serves companies that range in size from a handful of employees to hundreds. ESG is a member of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (www.napeo.com). For more information, visit www.esghr.com, email sstolen@esghr.com or call 970-612-2022.
Media struggles with coverage of suicide cluster
Posted on | November 3, 2009 | No Comments
The high school my wife graduated from, in Palo Alto, California, is dealing with a tragedy – four students have committed suicide by stepping in front of trains at a nearby commuter rail crossing during the last six months or so. A fifth was headed to do the same thing, but his mother got suspicious, followed him, and pulled him off the tracks with the help of some passers-by.
This type of cluster is rare, and has received quite a bit of attention from, of course, the school, the surrounding community, and that then spread to the national media. It’s interesting in the coverage of the events, experts, and even students at the school, Henry M. Gunn High School, have noted that the exposure may have contributed to the cluster through the attention the school and its students are getting, the attention paid to those that committed suicide, and some sort of lowering of the bar for those who might have considered the act, but were put off by the act of stepping in front of a train — almost a “they did it, I can, too” response. One adult interviewed said that video footage of a train bearing down on a crossing might make the thought of completing the act more easily considered.
The online clips I’ve seen about the story avoided that type of shot, although there was plenty of footage of crossing gates, flashing lights and clanging bells at crossings, as well as coverage of emergency responders dealing with the aftermath on the scene.
National experts have become involved in the discussion, and local resources are being called into play to try and stop anyone else from joining the tragic toll that HMG is dealing with. Students have started their own efforts to avoid further heartbreak, starting a program called ROCK (Reach out, care, know), and a blog — HMGGMH, Henry M. Gunn Gives Me Hope — for visitors to post their thoughts on the school and the positives it brings to their lives. There are also a bevy of articles that advise that avoiding the subject is not wise, that talking about it to help the kids – and all impacted – understand and process it is a positive step, not one that might lead to additional suicides.
Ideally, there won’t be more news about another incident in the cluster, and the news cycle will roll on and find other stories, while the school and community will work to heal and learn from these shattering events.
Reality shows, PR and the drive for fame/attention
Posted on | November 2, 2009 | 2 Comments
We’ve all lived through the mess of “balloon boy” – nationally and internationally; but since they are from just up the road from SMC HQ, the sting (lol, I just typoed “stink”, how appropriate) of having the Heene family’s idiocy affiliated so closely with northern Colorado is especially sharp. Not to mention the opportunity for our lovely sheriff, who I’m not a big fan of, to grab some of the spotlight for himself, all the while saying he is not interested in being in the spotlight. The power of fame is fascinating and frightening.
Last week South Park, on Comedy Central, presented an episode called “Whale Whores” where they skewered the “Whale Wars” reality show from the Animal Planet network. I watched a couple of Whale Wars’ early episodes, and it resembled more of a keystone cops on the sea than anything else. The Sea Shepherd crew were stunningly inept at accomplishing anything, and appearances suggested they were practicing their incompetence in a part of the world that could get them killed relatively easily. If they are looking to impress people with what they were doing out there, and garner financial support, this seems to be the wrong way to go about it.
It turns out that a graduate from the CSU graduate program in technical communication, which I attended, was on the crew that shot the show, and I believe he/they won an award, though I’m not sure what for, and good for him/them. The show has proven to be the 2nd most popular on Animal Planet, and was renewed for a second season, then a third.
When it comes to evaluating the merits of Whale Wars, South Park was not so kind. The show points out the foibles and ineffectiveness of the captain, crew and their tactics, and demonstrates what they might accomplish if their actions were of a scale similar to what their words all-too-often reach for.
I found the South Park episode hilarious and spot on, if typically harsh and profane, in its assessment of the show.
Richard Spilman wrote a story for the Huffington Post about Whale Wars and eco-terrorism as reality TV (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-spilman/whale-wars—eco-terroris_b_211993.html) that gives the show and the Sea Shepherds way too much credit. South Park was much closer to the mark, in reality, tagging them as goofballs with their own agenda, puttering about in boats, accomplishing not much of anything.
Another article on South Park’s ripping of WW: http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/related_news/2009_Nov_01_parodies
To be perfectly clear, I watch way too much television, but just when it seems like it can’t become any more of a vast wasteland, it reaches yet another new low – all thanks to the cost-conscious move to reality programming in recent years.
ESG Seminars Aid Employers, Managers, HR
Posted on | October 12, 2009 | No Comments
Please join ESG for our ongoing educational series presented each month at the Loveland Chamber of Commerce (www.loveland.org). We provide lunch and useful educational materials that you can take back to your business and apply immediately.
In October, learn about tools to let you provide benefits and control costs.
In November, learn how to best handle all phases of the employee lifecycle.
Managing Benefit Costs
Thursday, October 15, 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Kendra Johnson, Licensed Health and Life Insurance Broker and Jessica Hergenreter, PHR
Good benefits can help you attract and retain quality employees – but providing them can be prohibitively expensive. Understand the ever-increasing challenges of offering benefits to your employees and become more educated regarding trends, plan design options, and promoting consumerism. This session will discuss Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), Gap Plans, and High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) as a way to provide benefits and control costs.
Managing the Employee Lifecycle
Thursday, November 19, 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Hergenreter, PHR and Gayvaughn Marnich, SPHR
Defining the job, recruiting, on-boarding, coaching, appraising performance, rewarding, disciplining, terminating… there are a lot of ways employers interact with their employees. Each impacts the other and creates either opportunities or roadblocks to success. In this session, participants will be given a quick overview of each part of the process, and shown how it’s all inter-related. Learn how to set yourself up for success with each step.
About ESG
Employer Solutions Group (ESG) enables its clients to cost-effectively outsource the Administration of human resources, employee benefits, payroll and related tax compliance, and Workers’ compensation. Specializing in these specific employer needs allows ESG to efficiently deliver a tailored package of services to its clients. ESG clients are then able to focus on growing and operating their businesses, rather than worrying about HR. The company’s Loveland, Colorado-based professional staff serves companies that range in size from a handful of employees to hundreds. ESG is a member of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (www.napeo.com). For more information, visit www.esghr.com, email sstolen@esghr.com or call 970-612-2022.
New ESG seminars for September and October
Posted on | September 21, 2009 | No Comments
Please note — this seminar has been re-scheduled, and all who RSVP’s have been notified — an illness in the ESG family led them to postpone.
On October 15, ESG will present the next seminar in its series, “Managing the Employee Lifecycle.”
Employer Solutions Group (www.esghr.com) continues its ongoing educational series of seminars this week, with a Thursday (9/24) lunch session on tools to help employers provide benefits and control costs.
There is no charge for the event, which will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Loveland Chamber of Commerce (www.loveland.org).
ESG provides lunch and useful education materials that you can take back to your business and apply immediately.
On October 15th, the next event in this series will be held, and will cover handling all phases of the employee life cycle.
Managing Benefit Costs
Thursday, September 24, 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Kendra Johnson, Licensed Health and Life Insurance Broker and Jessica Hergenreter, PHR
Good benefits can help you attract and retain quality employees – but providing them can be prohibitively expensive. Understand the ever-increasing challenges of offering benefits to your employees and become more educated regarding trends, plan design options, and promoting consumerism. This session will discuss Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), Gap Plans, and High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) as a way to provide benefits and control costs.
Managing the Employee Lifecycle
Thursday, October 15, 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Hergenreter, PHR and Gayvaughn Marnich, SPHR
Defining the job, recruiting, on-boarding, coaching, appraising performance, rewarding, disciplining, terminating… there are a lot of ways employers interact with their employees. Each impacts the other and creates either opportunities or roadblocks to success. In this session, participants will be given a quick overview of each part of the process, and shown how it’s all inter-related. Learn how to set yourself up for success with each step.
About ESG
Employer Solutions Group (ESG) enables its clients to cost-effectively outsource the Administration of human resources, employee benefits, payroll and related tax compliance, and Workers’ compensation. Specializing in these specific employer needs allows ESG to efficiently deliver a tailored package of services to its clients. ESG clients are then able to focus on growing and operating their businesses, rather than worrying about HR. The company’s Loveland, Colorado-based professional staff serves companies that range in size from a handful of employees to hundreds. ESG is a member of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (www.napeo.com). For more information, visit www.esghr.com, email sstolen@esghr.com or call 970-612-2022.
ESG Offers Another Free Seminar 8/13
Posted on | August 5, 2009 | No Comments
The folks at Employer Solutions Group will be offering the latest of their free seminars (and lunch is included!) on Thursday, 8/13 at the Loveland Chamber of Commerce
They provide lunch and useful educational materials that you can take back to your business and apply immediately.
In August, learn how to effectively coach employees to improve performance and productivity.
In September, learn about tools to let you provide benefits and control costs.
Coaching for Success
Thursday, August 13, 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Hergenreter, PHR and Gayvaughn Marnich, SPHR
Recent studies found that 20 percent of employees are “highly engaged” in their jobs, 20 percent are “actively disengaged,” and 55 percent are somewhere in between. How can you work to help more be actively engaged, improve your organization’s productivity and profitability, and reduce turnover and related expenses? This free seminar covers how to reduce conflict and increase individual and organizational success by learning how to influence desired behaviors, address poor performance, and create clear expectations. In this workshop, participants gain skills needed to offer constructive feedback, coach others in a positive and productive manner and learn how to hold others accountable for their actions and behavior. First-time managers as well as seasoned leaders will benefit from developing their own inner coach.
BIXPO
September 17, 2009, Embassy Suites
Managing Benefit Costs
Thursday, September 24, 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Kendra Johnson, Licensed Health and Life Insurance Broker and Jessica Hergenreter, PHR
Good benefits can help you attract and retain quality employees – but providing them can be prohibitively expensive. Understand the ever-increasing challenges of offering benefits to your employees and become more educated regarding trends, plan design options, and promoting consumerism. This Session will discuss Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), Gap Plans, and High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) as a way to provide benefits and control costs.
About ESG
Employer Solutions Group (ESG) enables its clients to cost-effectively outsource the Administration of human resources, employee benefits, payroll and related tax compliance, and Workers’ compensation. Specializing in these specific employer needs allows ESG to efficiently deliver a tailored package of services to its clients. ESG clients are then able to focus on growing and operating their businesses, rather than worrying about HR. The company’s Loveland, Colorado-based professional staff serves companies that range in size from a handful of employees to hundreds. ESG is a member of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (www.napeo.com). For more information, visit www.esghr.com, email sstolen@esghr.com or call 970-612-2022.
Are free press release posting sites worth it?
Posted on | July 23, 2009 | No Comments
I’ve seen many PR professionals comment that free press release posting sites are worth exactly what you pay for them. There are certainly some sites out there that I have found and used and not seen much point in continuing with.
However, I’ve had a couple of interesting experiences with one free site, www.PRlog.org. This is not an endorsement, and I am not affiliated with the site in any way. In fact, the site has an option to use to post articles, as well, and I’ve been frustrated that it has never worked or been functional for me when I tried it.
However, I posted one or more releases to PRlog.org for a client, a small local business that provides, of all things, portable toilet rentals for local events. In the last few months, I’ve gotten at least two calls from people looking to get pricing from Portable Rental Systems after seeking out portable toilet rental services for northern Colorado, and finding releases from PRS that I posted on PRLog.org.
I’m not sure why these people called me, since it is pretty clear in the release that the best contact would be the business itself; but the fact is, months after taking 10 minutes or so to post to this particular free news distribution site, at least two warm leads called me. Who knows how many folks may have called the client directly after finding a release.
I’ve used a number of other sites on occasion, including the free site www.24-7pressrelease.com, as well as the (formerly free) site www.PRWeb.com, as well as www.marketwire.com. I can’t specifically say that any of these have produced similar, if modest, results to the calls I’ve gotten from PRlog.org.
Leads from posting to PRlog.org may not make or break any given business, but a lead is a lead, a sale is a sale.
Did Michael Jackson’s image suffer from lack of PR?
Posted on | July 2, 2009 | No Comments
Someone posted this question on LinkedIn (my answer follows, see my LinkedIn profile here: www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyrshannon):
Did Micheal Jackson’s Image Suffer From a Lack of Public Relations?
I am interested in your views. In fact, we can broaden the question to include harm to Michael Jackson Incorporated, the business of the Micheal Jackson brand (i.e. corporate reputation not branding – though you can argue along those lines too). How about the role of PR in celebrity management – did a lack in PR actually lead to the death of the King of Pop? Everyone seems to have stood aside or distanced themself from the vortex while this storm was happening…. Should PR have entered the maelstrom of management?
Since this is “arguably” the Q&A category for public relations on LinkedIn, and this is the hottest news story of the decade, I expect lots of PR interaction.
The answers here will tell me plenty about your opinions on the nature of PR.
My response:
MJ’s image did not suffer from a lack of PR. It suffered from his unwillingness/inability to change the way he presented himself to the public, and stop doing so many of the weird things that turned so many people off.
Or, to put it another way, MJ’s image did not suffer from a lack of PR. It suffered from his unwillingness/inability to change the way he presented himself to the public, and stop doing so many of the weird things that turned so many people off.
Or, to put it another way, efforts to help him via PR suffered due to his lack of willingness (or ability) to accept responsibility for some of his actions, and his failure to get help for his obvious mental health issues.
My recollections of his prime time interviews are of him being defensive and justifying his actions, with no regard for or acknowledgement of how many of the things he had done or had been accused of could be seen as problematic.
I was also struck by Paul McCartney’s hurt and frustration when telling a story about advising MJ, as a friend, to buy song rights as an investment, while in the midst of trying to gain back the rights to the Beatles works. MJ’s response — to tell Paul he would, and that he would start by buying Beatles songs, which he then did.
His talent and the quality of the music he produced were tarnished by his deep flaws, though they largely stand alone despite his troubles. But no matter how good any PR efforts may have been on his behalf, those same flaws and his failure to modify how he presented himself to the world in his personal life would (and did) ultimately undermine any chance to change his behavior and his image and truly redeem himself.
If you are a whack job at some level, there is only so much that PR can do for you if you are not willing or able to address the behaviors that are causing you image problems.