The May Report: 10/25/2010: Chicago-based Cleversafe receives $26MM in Series C funding from lead investor Harrison Street Capital LLC and Sumitomo Bank’s investment arm, Presidio Ventures, joining existing investors New Enterprise Associates, Alsop Louie Partners and OCA Ventures and Chris Galvin joins the board; Melanie Adcock on SES, MoMo, the coolness of Syncubator and more; Dalka “Hungary” to Keynote in Budapest, comes away starving

The May Report October 25th, 2010

Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com , 773-525-3944.

Assistant editor: Melanie Adcock, iPHONE: 312-259-0610, melanie_adcock@msn.com

If you missed an article, go here: www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
_________________________________
****************************************************
GP Ventures specializes in M&A advisory services for technology
companies in a wide range of sectors. GPV has industry connections
throughout the US, Europe, and Asia.

*Is your company seeking acquisitions in the tech space?

*Are you an owner, CEO, or investor thinking of selling a tech company?

If so, contact GP Ventures at mail@gp-ventures.com or call
847-431-3993 to discuss.

Current projects include:

*Acquisition Program for publicly-traded IT Consulting firm, seeking
firms in the Data Center, Managed Services, and IT Consulting (SAP,
Oracle, etc.) sectors ($10 million to $100 million revenues)

*Business Development for Japanese electronics distribution company
seeking new products in semiconductors, electronics, new energy,
materials, sensors, etc.

*Acquisition Program for US PC Board Manufacturer seeking US PCB shops
($1 million to $30 million revenues)

*Sell Side Program for 40 million Euro Fiber Optics Company (based in
Europe, now preparing materials)

Contact GP Ventures to discuss sell-side projects, acquisition
programs, and “grooming” consulting projects.

Tom Kastner
GP Ventures
847-431-3993
mail@gp-ventures.com

M&A Advisory Services for technology companies in EMS, PCB, Software,
Defense, IT Services, Electronics, Distribution
**********************************************
_____________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Scoop section:

– Cleversafe packs some punch as it raises $26MM Series C and Chris Galvin joins the board
– This just in: Research casts doubt about Groupon’s business model
– The Great Lakes Region can Become the National Leader in the Next Economy,
say Brookings’ Researchers
– Department of Energy Formally Commits $1 Billion in Recovery Act Funding to
FutureGen 2.0
– Chicago Heights Manufacturer and Partners Utilizing Federal Funding To Create Approximately 250 Jobs
– Charles Stack: This is a very interesting & encouraging interview with the new
President of University of Illinois, Mike Hogan
– Commission on Government Technology Opportunity in the 21st Century Releases Action Plan for Improving Federal IT
– Tuesday, October 26: BNC After Hours, 6-9:30 pm, SYNC Technology Center, 322 S. Green, 3rd Floor
– Wednesday, October 27: Midwest-Silicon Valley Mobile Tech Seminar at IIT McCormick Tribune Campus Center
– Wednesday, October 27: Funding Feeding Frenzy kickoff event with the main event on November 8th
– Friday, October 29: DexCon2010: 1st Chicago Neighborhood Digital Excellence Conference
– Lean Start Up Circle, Oct. 21, which took place at the Illinois Technology Association, by Melanie Adcock
– SES Conference Oct. 18-22, 2010, by Melanie Adcock
– John Katsantonis: Groupon issues “The most confusing press release ever,” according to Tech Crunch
– Jeff Schwartz speaks at MoMo before starting new company, NoNa, Inc. + A few interesting Mobile events, by Melanie Adcock
– The Sync Technology Center and Syncubator: The Tech Community’s Cool New Hang Out, by Melanie Adcock
– How is Madison Dearborn doing relative to other funds and is it under water?
– Reminder: Wednesday, October 27: Chicago Booth Marketing Roundtable – “The Changing World of On-LinePromotion” – 5:45 p.m.
– Wednesday, November 3: Shakers and Stirrers Event and High Speed Networking Event
– December 9 and 10: Rocked the Recession comes to Chicago!
– Monday, October 25: BOOTSTRAPPING: How to increase your sales comfort and get the order!
– Dalka’s Facebook page says he is off to Hungary to give the keynote, but his presentation is not listed as a keynote at all and if it were a keynote, he would have brought Nik Rokop to do translation

[Editor's note: Ron May here. I spent all of Friday and will spend most of today working on my court case so don't tell me that representing yourself pro se is at no cost. It's a lot of work and I hope to finish it today.

We have run into a glitch with the new site and I believe it can be fixed, but it may mean keeping the old site along with the new site so that articles that are linked to specific articles will be fine. We need to maintain the integrity of the net and that means not pulling out all the wiring that is there already for ten plus years.

tinyurl.com/24xq8vz

That is the link to the latest newsletter from Lundin which has Ed Domain continuing to slam TMR and now he is going after Melanie.

Ed, how about that picture.

Well, Ed, revenge is a dish best eaten cold and you will know when your voicemails to Melanie are on the net for all to hear.

Does anyone have the full Venturewire article, some 440 words, on the Cleversafe funding? I'd like to read it.

If you want to hold a meeting at The Syncubator, they have room comfortably for about 100 people in the big conference area and they have 300 chairs. It is a much friendlier place than "you know where" and they won't tell you that you have to join or you can't come back!

Most importantly, the environment is a much better fit for start-up entrepreneurs.

Dalka is not giving the keynote at the conference in Hungary. Check out his claim on his Facebook page at the end of the report. Do we have another Willinger in the making?

Dalka, the embellisher.

Let me get this out.]
__________________________________
*********************************************
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANRIGHT CALENDAR

bit.ly/cWPJSd

The Canright Calendar is a weekly email featuring
CHICAGO NETWORKING EVENTS and a regularly updated
calendar of the same.

It’s a compendium of networking opportunities for
executives, marketers, technology geeks, as well
as entrepreneurs and innovators.

It’s a selected digest of meetings sponsored by
such organizations as Business Marketing Association
Chicago, Business Networking Chicago, Chicago Council
on Global Affairs, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce,
Illinois Technology Association, MIT Enterprise Forum
Chicago, The Executives’ Club of Chicago,
The Wright Leadership Institute, and anything else
we think looks cool.

It’s a doorway to other Chicago Networking Calendars
and interesting networking events.

And it’s FREE:

bit.ly/cWPJSd

Here’s what others have said:

“We love the Canright Calendar. You know you can’t
stop doing it.” -John Davidoff, Davidoff Communications

“It contains useful information.” -Ron May, TMR, after
complaining that it choked his inbox weekly then explaining
why he doesn’t unsubscribe.

bit.ly/cWPJSd

***********************************************
____________________________
*******************************************
There’s a new tech space for rent and meetings in town…with no strings attached!

Are you looking for a place to hold your tech groups meeting – and thought that the ITA’s Tech Nexus was the only show in town? The Syncubator is a new alternative — attractive space and rates, with no political strings or personality strings attached – and you can invite anyone you’d like! Rented space from the ITA before? Ask for the “jump the ship” rate.

twitter.com/Syncubator

syncubator.com/

syncubator.wordpress.com/

Contact Mike Rhodes at 708-574-0500 and/or mike@syncubator.com
*******************************************
________________________________
The Scoop section:
____________________
Cleversafe packs some punch as it raises $26MM Series C and Chris Galvin joins the board

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cleversafe-selected-by-iqt-for-strategic-deployments-supporting-us-intelligence-community-105668133.html

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cleversafe-delivers-efficiency-and-security-enhancements-to-drive-cloud-storage-deployments-105668118.html

Cleversafe Packs Up $26M More To Take On Storage Giants
VentureWire, October 25, 2010, 442 words English
Cleversafe Inc. said it has added $26.4 million to its Series C round to
finance its first serious foray into the highly competitive storage market
by building its sales and marketing force around its cloud-based systems….
++++++++++++++++++++++

www.cleversafe.com/news-reviews/press-releases/r07-5

Dispersed Storage(TM) Technology Provider Also Secures Series C Funding from Presidio Ventures, Alsop Louie Partners, NEA and OCA Ventures

CHICAGO-November 11, 2007-Cleversafe Inc., the lead developer of Dispersed Storage appliances and software that enable deployment of dispersed storage networks, today announced the appointment of Christopher Galvin, the former chairman and CEO of Motorola and one of the world’s most influential technology executives, to its board of directors.

The company also announced its Series C round of funding, with lead investor Harrison Street Capital LLC and Sumitomo Bank’s investment arm, Presidio Ventures, joining existing investors New Enterprise Associates, Alsop Louie Partners and OCA Ventures in this round. Cleversafe plans to use the additional financing to support the commercialization of products based on its Dispersed Storage technology early next year. Galvin is Harrison’s co-founder and chairman.

“For more than 30 years, I have embraced breakthrough innovation. Cleversafe appears to have solved the problems thought for decades to be insolvable: offering commercially available, reliable and cost-effective global data storage grids,” said Galvin. “I have been very impressed with Cleversafe’s technology and vision, and believe the company has an opportunity to serve important segments of the worldwide storage industry in a distinctive way.”

Galvin brings 36 years of experience managing the issues facing growing global high technology companies that includes investing in advanced R&D, business-model change, assembling global executive talent, and motivating the creation of exciting new products such as the RAZR cellular phone. Galvin is known for his passion for technology innovation and for high ethical standards and innovations in corporate governance. He is also chairman of NAVTEQ, Inc., the leading supplier of global digital mapping databases, where he is overseeing the impending acquisition of NAVTEQ Inc. by Nokia for $8.1B in 2008.

“We are extremely pleased to have Chris Galvin lead this investment round and to have an executive of his caliber and proven record of successful technology innovation join our board,” said Jonathan Zakin, CEO of Cleversafe. “Chris’ investment and presence is a tremendous endorsement of the potential of our business and our unique vision for the storage industry.”

Cleversafe’s Dispersed Storage technology delivers a more secure, private, reliable and cost-effective solution than traditional copy-based storage methods. A dsNet can tolerate multiple simultaneous failures of hardware, storage locations or administrators, while still keeping data secure and easily accessible. Because Dispersed Storage delivers higher levels of reliability and security without making copies, it reduces overall storage and bandwidth expansion to a small fraction of the size of copy-based storage methods, decreasing overall cost and management.

Additional Biographical Information: Christopher Galvin
Galvin is also a member of Bechtel Corp.’s board of counselors, Northwestern University’s board of trustees, the American Enterprise Institute Board, the Legion D’honneur, Business Council (U.S.) and the American Society of Corporate Executives. He is an advisor to the City of Tianjin, China; Searle Family Trusts; and the Board of the Chicago Council of Global Affairs. Galvin is a former chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council, a director of Rand Corp., and a member of the U.S. Department of Defense Science Board.

About Cleversafe
Cleversafe, Inc. is the developer of Cleversafe Dispersed Storage(TM) software, which uses Information Dispersal Algorithms (IDAs) to separate data into unrecognizable DataSlices(TM) and distribute them, via secure Internet connections, to multiple storage locations on a dispersed storage network. With dispersed storage, transmission and storage of data is inherently private and secure. No single entire copy of the data is in one location, and only some of the slices are required to retrieve the entire data. Data on the network remains private and secure in the face of natural catastrophes, or failures of hardware, connection, facility or IT management. Moreover, the individual data slices do not carry enough information for an unauthorized viewer to determine the original content. For more information, please visit www.cleversafe.com or the Company’s open source site, www.cleversafe.org.

###

For more information, contact:

Patricia Colby

Page One PR

patricia@pageonepr.com, 650-543-4703
_____________________________________
This just in: Research casts doubt about Groupon’s business model

tinyurl.com/397elel

Research casts doubt on Groupon model
Research suggests that many businesses lose money on their Groupon
promotions, with 25% of Groupon customers spending money beyond the value of
their initial deal and 15% of customers coming back for a repeat visit. That
means companies need to treat Groupon promotions as loss leaders and be
realistic about the scope for using social commerce to boost their business,
experts say. “If things continue the way they are, I would be very surprised
if it’s sustainable,” says social-commerce researcher Utpal Dholakia. MIT
Technology Review
__________________________________
The Great Lakes Region can Become the National Leader in the Next Economy,
say Brookings’ Researchers

www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2010/0927_great_lakes/0927_

great_lakes.pdf

The Great Lakes Region can Become the National Leader in the Next Economy,
say Brooking’ Researchers
Brookings’ researchers contend that the U.S. region worst hit by the Great
Recession has the potential to spearhead the U.S. towards a Next Economy.
The Next Economy: Economic Recovery and Transformation in the Great Lakes
Region provides a roadmap for federal, state and local stakeholders to
transition the Rust Belt into a forward thinking economy. It replaces the
old economy, which was driven by highly-leveraged, domestic consumption,
with an export-oriented Next Economy powered by a low-carbon energy strategy
and driven by innovation that benefits all Americans.

The report outlines the many resources that can position the Great Lakes
region as an economic leader. They include:

Global trade networks: Many of region’s cities rank among the top cities in
terms of the share of their metro output that is exported;

Clean energy/low carbon capacity: Their blue-green potential due to the
Great Lakes, waterways and abundant natural wind/solar resources position
the region well in renewable energy generation; and

Innovation infrastructure: The region’s metros are home to 21 of the 32
major public and private research universities, which attract substantial
federal research investment. Each year almost 36% of all U.S. science and
engineering degrees come from schools in the region. The region also
registers almost 33% of all U.S. patents.

These strengths provide the region with opportunities that are necessary to
achieve success in the Next Economy. However, the research indicates that
these strengths must work in a coordinated effort to achieve that success.

The report also highlights the challenges faced by the region due to its
declining economic health. To achieve this economic transformation, the
region will have to address the deficient transportation infrastructure for
trade, the concentration of energy-intensive industries, the lack of seed
capital and the low educational attainment levels. To resolve these
challenges, the report provides three key Next Economy drivers that will
help federal, state and metropolitan leaders to maximize the region’s
promise:

Invest in the assets that matter: innovation, human capital, and
infrastructure: Even though budget cuts have become a regular occurrence,
the researchers argue, Long-range economic health is not just a matter of
spending less, but spending and investing to spur growth. The region should
concentrate its efforts on developing regional innovation clusters,
instituting workforce development at community colleges and smart spending
on infrastructure to facilitate trade.

Devise new public-private institutions that are market-oriented and
performance-driven: Government leaders should be prepared to go to voters to
support bond issues or dedicated tax sources for these institutions. They
also can consider reorganizing money from programs and systems that are
underperforming. These institutions include new infrastructure banks,
advanced manufacturing labs, regional energy research and innovation centers
and a venture capital fund of funds.
Reimagine metros’ form and governance structures to set the right conditions
for economic growth: To achieve growth and innovation, cities and states
must overhaul their physical redevelopment strategies and local governance
structures in the Great Lakes region due to their significant population and
economic declines. They must focus on right-sizing communities, green
development and infrastructure and governance reform.
___________________________________
Department of Energy Formally Commits $1 Billion in Recovery Act Funding to
FutureGen 2.0

Department of Energy Formally Commits $1 Billion in Recovery Act Funding to
FutureGen 2.0

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that the
Department of Energy has signed final cooperative agreements with the
FutureGen Industrial Alliance and Ameren Energy Resources that formally
commit $1 billion in Recovery Act funding to build FutureGen 2.0. The
FutureGen 2.0 project will help to position the United States as a leader in
innovative technologies for reducing carbon emissions from existing
coal-fired power plants. As part of this new initiative, the Department of
Energy will partner with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance to select an
Illinois host community for the carbon storage site as well as a geologic
sequestration research complex and a craft labor training center. This site
could eventually become a regional CO2 storage site in downstate Illinois.
The project partners estimate that FutureGen 2.0 will bring 900 jobs to
Illinois and another 1,000 to suppliers across the state.

“Today’s milestone will help ensure the U.S. remains competitive in a carbon
constrained economy, creating jobs while reducing greenhouse gas pollution,”
said Secretary Chu. “Developing innovative, cost effective carbon capture
and storage technologies is critical to the country’s transition to a clean
energy future.”

“This $1 billion federal commitment is a critical step to bringing FutureGen
to Illinois. We look forward to demonstrating to the world that we can use
one of our greatest natural assets in a way that protects our environment
and puts more people to work,” Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said.

“If there was any remaining question as to whether FutureGen is really
coming to Illinois, today we have the answer,” said U.S. Senator Dick
Durbin. “Soon, we will announce a process to evaluate the more than two
dozen Illinois communities that have expressed interest in hosting the
sequestration, research and training facilities for FutureGen 2.0. I thank
President Obama and Secretary Chu for their leadership on this project and
for putting Illinois at the forefront of cutting-edge technology that will
improve the environment and create good-paying jobs.”

In August, DOE announced its intention to fund FutureGen 2.0 as part of an
integrated strategy to repower America’s coal industry. Ameren Energy
Resources, Babcock & Wilcox, and Air Liquide Process & Construction, Inc.
are leading the project to repower Ameren’s 200 megawatt Unit 4 in
Meredosia, Illinois with advanced oxy-combustion technology. The plant’s new
boiler, air separation unit, CO2 purification and compression unit will
deliver 90 percent CO2 capture and eliminate most SOx, NOx, mercury, and
particulate emissions. The Ameren Energy Resources team estimates that the
retrofitting of the plant is expected to create approximately 500
construction jobs and allow Ameren to add approximately 50 workers to the
plant staff, once the repowered unit is operational. The FutureGen
Industrial Alliance and the Ameren, B&W, and Air Liquide team are developing
a technical cooperation agreement to ensure coordination among each element
in FutureGen 2.0 and to provide the foundation for rapid commercial
deployment for this exciting new technology once this first-of-a-kind
facility is operational.

The FutureGen Industrial Alliance, working with the State of Illinois, will
develop a permanent CO2 sequestration facility, research and visitors
facilities, and a labor training center at the site. The Alliance will also
build a CO2 pipeline network from Meredosia to the sequestration site. The
pipeline and storage site will transport and store more than 1 million tons
of captured CO2 per year. The project partners estimate the new pipeline
network is expected to create additional construction and permanent jobs.
The pipeline network, along with the storage site to be selected in early
2011, will help to lay the foundation for a regional CO2 network. The
Illinois storage site will be used to conduct research on site
characterization, injection and storage, and CO2 monitoring and measurement.

The Department of Energy is working with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance,
with details to be announced in the coming weeks, to develop a competitive
process to select the host for the CO2 storage site, the visitors complex
and training center, and vendor(s) to build the pipeline and the injection
and monitoring wells.

Follow the Department of Energy on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr.
Follow Secretary Chu on his Facebook page.

Media contact(s):

(202) 586-4940
______________________________________
Chicago Heights Manufacturer and Partners Utilizing Federal Funding To Create Approximately 250 Jobs

Subject: Chicago Heights Manufacturer and Partners Utilizing Federal Funding To Create Approximately 250 Jobs
Date: 10/24/2010 9:36:32 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: tatvshow@yahoo.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
CC: melanie_adcock@msn.com

Governor Quinn Highlights $5 Million Investment to Advance Renewable Energy in Illinois, Create Jobs

Chicago Heights Manufacturer and Partners Utilizing Federal Funding To Create Approximately 250 Jobs

CHICAGO – October 22, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today highlighted a $5 million federal stimulus grant to Funk Linko, a Chicago Heights manufacturer that is retooling its equipment to produce low-emission and high-speed rail locomotives, and wind energy components. Funk Linko and its partners, Microtech Machine Company and the National Railway Equipment Corporation (NREC), have created 88 jobs to date and expect to create a total of 250 new Illinois jobs by February 2012.

“Creating jobs is priority number one,” said Governor Quinn. “I salute Funk Linko and its partners for taking advantage of the state’s Green Industry Business Development Program to create good manufacturing jobs and advance renewable energy and high-speed rail in Illinois.”

Funk Linko (formerly Funk Forging) has designed and fabricated commercial sign and light poles since 1925. The woman-owned business is utilizing the stimulus grant to retool its existing steel mill equipment to produce low-emission freight and high-speed rail locomotives, and components for wind power generation. The project will contribute to Illinois’ Renewable Portfolio Standard by producing wind turbine parts and equipment.

The funding is being provided through the state’s Green Industry Business Development Program. The program is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and supports the retooling of Illinois’ traditional manufacturers to take advantage of the fast-growing green economy.

The grant was awarded earlier this year. To date, the companies have been preparing to upgrade their production capabilities by ordering new equipment, making initial hires and finalizing necessary contracts. Starting today, the companies will be upgrading their facilities to launch production of rail locomotive and wind energy components.

“At Funk Linko we are committed to growing the rail and renewable energy industries in Illinois,” said Funk Linko CEO Vicky Linko. “I’m grateful to the Governor for making this investment and creating green jobs.”

Governor Quinn also highlighted today’s announcement that Illinois’ unemployment rate fell again in September, countering the national trend. The seasonally adjusted rate fell -0.2 points to 9.9 percent in September, while the national unemployment rate remained unchanged. Illinois has added 50,700 jobs this year and the state’s economy has grown at a rate of 0.9 percent, nearly twice the rate of the national economy.

Bruce Eric Montgomery
Executive Producer & Host
Technology Access Television
200 S. Wacker Drive, 15th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606-5865
(312) 725-8601
tatvshow@yahoo.com
www.tatv.org
www.twitter.com/techaccesstv
www.facebook.com/brucemontgomery
______________________________________
Charles Stack: This is a very interesting & encouraging interview with the new
President of University of Illinois, Mike Hogan

From: “Charles Stack, MPH”
Sender: “Charles Stack, MPH”
Subject: Interview with new UI President Mike Hogan
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2010 23:32:56 -0500
To: “ron@themayreport.com”

Hi Ron! This is a very interesting & encouraging interview with the new
President of University of Illinois, Mike Hogan:

www.uiaa.org/uic/news/uicalumni/1009b.html

I’m particularly pleased that he said the following:

Q: What¹s on your ³to-do² list?

A: Today, I met with people who are engaged in Illinois Ventures, a venture
capital fund that helps fund the commercialization of intellectual property
generated by our distinguished faculty. This University has produced so much
great, world-class intellectual property. Think of all the inventions and
innovations that [have come] out of our faculty here?and yet we¹ve captured
very little of the revenue generated by those inventions. So now we need to
think more systematically about that. We have to spend a lot of time
thinking about how to generate additional revenues?through our activities
with the Foundation, through federal funding and research grants, as well as
the commercialization of our intellectual property.
——-

I’ve emailed a bit with “President Mike,” he seems to be a very spirited and
genuine fellow with a clear vision & particular affection for students! I
think the UI got lucky with this hire, let’s wish him the best.

Cheers, Chuck

Charles R. Stack, MPH
Vice President
Constant Compliance Inc.
140 South Dearborn Street
Suite 411
Chicago, Illinois 60603 USA
Cell phone (630) 841-8706
Fax (312) 782-0936
Website: www.2Ci.com/
_______________________________________
Commission on Government Technology Opportunity in the 21st Century Releases Action Plan for Improving Federal IT

Subject: Commission on Government Technology Opportunity in the 21st Century Releases Action Plan for Improving Federal IT
Date: 10/25/2010 8:42:14 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
To: ronaldmay@aol.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 25, 2010

Contact: Charlie Greenwald at 202.682.4443 or charlie.greenwald@techamericafoundation.org

Anne Caliguiri Savoie at 703.284.5305 or anne.savoie@techamericafoundation.org

Commission on Government Technology Opportunity in the 21st Century Releases Action Plan for Improving Federal IT

Washington DC – TechAmerica Foundation’s Commission on Government Technology Opportunity in the 21st Century (GTO-21) today recommended a 33-step action plan to the Obama Administration for improving federal Information Technology (IT) acquisitions and management. The Commission convened following an announcement by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that it will focus on ways to improve federal technology acquisition and management processes after the Administration froze many large-scale federal technology implementations.

Commissioners identified concrete, achievable steps toward achieving the following widely supported but elusive goals for improving the way government buys and manages IT implications: Developing a professional program management capability; promoting agile, incremental development; strengthening risk management and enhancing internal and external engagement.

“For years, the community has known how to improve things but, so far, we have collectively failed to accomplish the mission,” said Dr. Steve Kelman, co-chair of the Commission and a professor with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. “As a Commission, we have chosen to focus our efforts on identifying specific, practical actions that government and industry can take to overcome the obstacles to fully realizing the promise of government technology.”

“Clearest of all in our findings is the pressing need to improve coordination between agencies and their private-sector partners,” said Linda Gooden, Commission co-chair and executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Services. “In that vein, we welcome the opportunity to work with the government to support our common goal of maximizing the federal government’s return on its IT investment. Based on the collective wisdom of the government technology community, this report charts the course for a stronger public-private partnership in government innovation in the 21st Century.”

The commission comprises 31 senior leaders from industry and academia with many years of IT and federal acquisition experience. Recommendations were based on their experience, a comprehensive review of prior work to the subject and interviews with more than 100 government technology leaders and industry executives focused on both public and commercial sectors.

Commissioners placed particular emphasis on improving engagement, collaboration, and communication between government and industry, a need cited by 78 percent of the government-experienced IT leaders the body interviewed. The panel therefore asked OMB to endorse the value of communication with industry in a memo to senior personnel across the government. Similarly, acquisitions professionals in government need to do a better job communicating with their own users about whether the systems acquired meet the agency’s needs, the Commission said.

The panel also called upon the government to establish an independent risk review role for major acquisitions to help reduce chances of failure. To improve government program management, recommendations included creating a formal IT program management career track and establishing a program management leadership academy. Commissioners also suggested making large acquisitions more agile and incremental by, among other things, establishing a common methodological framework, sharing best practices, and developing an agile-ready workforce.

A complete copy of the report can be viewed via the following links:

www.techamerica.org/Docs/GTO21.pdf

www.techamerica.org/Docs/GTO21_volume2.pdf

- # # # -

About TechAmerica Foundation
TechAmerica Foundation educates executives, policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public on the size, scope, outlook, and impact of the technology industry and on policies that enable and promote technological innovations to advance prosperity, security, and the general welfare. Launched in 1981, the Foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit, non-partisan affiliate of TechAmerica, the leading voice and resource for the U.S. technology industry. It disseminates award-winning industry, policy, and market research covering topics such as U.S. competitiveness in a global economy, innovation in government, government IT forecasts, technology employment and international trade indicators, and other areas of national interest. The Foundation also organizes conferences and seminars to explore pertinent issues with government and industry representatives and to share the Foundation’s findings.

Best regards,

Ed Longanecker

Executive Director, Regional Vice President

TechAmerica
630-282-4332
ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
www.techamerica.org

AeA & ITAA have merged to form TechAmerica

Where the future begins
_____________________________________
Tuesday, October 26: BNC After Hours, 6-9:30 pm, SYNC Technology Center, 322 S. Green, 3rd Floor

Subject: BNC After Hours, Oct. 26th 6-9:30 pm, SYNC Technology Center, 322 S. Green, 3rd Floor
Date: 10/24/2010 6:35:16 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

BNC After Hours, Oct. 26th 6-9:30 pm, SYNC Technology Center, 322 S. Green, 3rd Floor

‘Where Chicago’s Business Professionals Go To Network’

The mission of BNC is to bring together Chicago’s top business professionals, facilitate the development of their personal networks through our diverse groups, and promote the growth of business in Chicago. We are committed to helping you develop mutually beneficial “win-win” relationships with the people who can make the biggest difference in your career and life. ‘Your Network Is Your Net Worth.’

We are excited to announce new changes at the monthly BNC “After Hours” event. Beginning in September, we added more activities and introduced nationally-known speakers to address hot topics such as networking, social media, entrepreneurship, innovation, etc.

NOTE: We are NOT meeting at Texas de Brazil any longer. Our new location is the brand new SYNC Technology Center, an incubator for early-stage tech companies, located in the heart of Greektown.

The Activities

Main Room:

Speaker: TBA

Speed Networking:

The purpose of these sessions is to meet as many people as you can in as short period of time and to get you in front of your target audience to build your personal network. This is NOT your typical one-on-one networking. You talk with 5 people at a time and then switch to another group of 5 people. These sessions are very popular and fill up quickly so, if you want to participate, sign up for one of these 2 sessions immediately. To facilitate our matchmaking process, please complete the online questionnaire.

Meet a BNC Leader:

Each month one of our BNC group leaders is available to answer your questions regarding BNC, the BNC groups, our services or how we can help you become a better networker. Feel free to drop by their table located near the registration desk.

Ask an Expert Room: In this room, we feature 3 experts who answer questions on relevant topics such as jobseeking, networking, social media, etc. This month’s experts: Lauren Milligan– Jobseeking, Harriett Di Cerbo–Networking, Katy Lynch–Social Media.

Open Networking:

This is the typical networking fare offered at most events. The difference here is that we have ambassadors in the room to help you make valuable business connections. If you have unscheduled time for the evening or you just enjoy unstructured networking, this is the place to be.

If you do not get into the speaker, speed networking or “Ask an Expert” sessions, you will still have plenty of opportunities for learning and networking with other professionals.

The Details:

Date: Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010

Time: 6:00 to 9:30 pm

Place: SYNC Technology Center, 322 S. Green, 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611 (Located in the heart of Greektown, 1 block west of Halsted and 1 block south of Jackson. Dial 0300 to enter.)

Online Registration: oct2010afterhours.eventbrite.com

Early registration closes at midnight on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010

Late registration closes at 6pm on Monday, Oct. 25, 2010

Admission Price: $15 until midnight on Saturday (10/23), $20 late registration until 6 pm on Monday, (10/25). $30 at the door (cash only)

(Note: Online price does not include Eventbrite fees.)

Event Schedule:

6:00 – Registration Opens

6:30 – Session 1 of Meet an Expert & Speed Networking

7:30 – Break

8:00 – Session 2 of Meet an Expert & Speed Networking

9:30 – End of Event

Food & Drinks:

Thanks to Ramon DeLeon, Domino’s pizza will be served

BNC will supply beer, soft drinks and water

Parking & Transportation:

Lot Parking: At the corner of Green and Jackson.

Buses: Take the Halsted bus to Jackson and walk West one block & south 1/2 block, OR

Take the 126 West to Peoria, walk East 1 block & North 1/2 block

Train: Take the Blue Line to Halsted stop, walk North 1 1/2 blocks, West 1 block and North 1/2 block.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with the registration desk, greet and direct people and manage the activity rooms. If interested, please contact Jean Pickering. Volunteers receive a special price discount.

BNC is one of the premiere professional business networking organizations proudly serving the Greater Chicago area since 2001. “After Hours” is open to the public so please feel free to invite friends and colleagues to come and connect, reconnect, network and make new friends.

As always, please:

Visit our website: www.bnchicago.org

Send an email to: BNC_Chicago-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to join our Yahoo Group and receive invitations to all BNC events

Participate in discussions by joining our LinkedIn group and one or more of our LinkedIn subgroups

Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/BusinessNetworkChicago

Join our Meetup group: www.meetup.com/BNChicago

For more information contact:

David Carman, BNC President & CEO, at dcarman@BNChicago.org or

C: 312-203-3122.

Jean Pickering, BNC Director of Social Media, at jpickering@BNChicago.org or

O: 773-770-8969.
_____________________________________
Wednesday, October 27: Midwest-Silicon Valley Mobile Tech Seminar at IIT McCormick Tribune Campus Center

Subject: Midwest-Silicon Valley Mobile Tech Seminar
Date: 10/24/2010 12:44:27 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

Midwest-Silicon Valley Mobile Tech Seminar
with Special Guest Speaker Patrick Houston
Presented by AsSeenOnPhone.com

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 from 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Illinois Institute of Technology
McCormick Tribune Campus Center
3201 S. State Street
Chicago, IL 60616

Join us at the Midwest-Silicon Valley Mobile Tech Seminar with Special Guest Speaker Patrick Houston presented by AsSeenOnPhone.com. Mr. Houston was the former General Manager at Yahoo who started Yahoo Tech!, was Senior Editor at both ZDNET and CNET, now Senior Vice President & Media/Chief Publisher of NetShelter Technology Media, his resume goes long and precedes him. With Groupon and other top tech companies on the rise, Chicago is becoming a growing technology player in the mobile technology industry. He will interact and enlighten us with his perspective on where technology is headed in the mobile space and more. The event will be held at Illinois Institute of Technology campus located in the McCormick Tribune Campus Center, at 3201 S. State Street from 3pm to 7pm.
The seminar objective will educate students, entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses about the revenue opportunities mobile technology can have on their businesses. Also learn who is As Seen On Phone, parent company of powerful Internet property AndroidTapp.com, as we showcase how we Reach Millions of Consumers, Engage them with Quality Content and Influence Consumer Purchase Decision.
This is a free event however we are accepting donations. All donations will go to As Seen On Phone’s educational institute, Gentech, which teaches 3rd-12th grade students digital media; animation, video game & mobile app development on IIT campus.

As Seen On Phone, Inc.
AsSeenOnPhone.com (ASOP) is the hub of network websites related to the mobile industry. The goal of the network extension websites is to present mobile industry topics separated by cellular platform type (i.e. Android, iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows). We evaluate niche subjects, collectively reaching millions of readers engaging them with quality content to create a powerful influence and voice in the mobile industry.

Melanie Adcock
iPHONE: 312-259-0610
DROID: 312-833-1825
E-Mail: melanie_adcock@msn.com
Facebook Fan Page: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockFacebookFanPage
Bio: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockARC
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melanieadcock
Twitter: twitter.com/melanie_adcock
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/melanie.a.adcock
__________________________________
Wednesday, October 27: Funding Feeding Frenzy kickoff event with the main event on November 8th

Subject: Funding Feeding Frenzy
Date: 10/25/2010 12:25:18 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

Melanie,

It’s always great seeing you at the events, and last night was no
exception. I really appreciate you being willing to help up spread the word
for us! I am attaching the fliers for the two events, the 27th kickoff and
the main event on the 8th. The flyer for the 8th will be updated as we go
but the information is correct as of now.

Please call me with any questions you may have!

Kati Scronce
Event Coordinator & Promoter
Funding Feeding Frenzy
224-805-8722

Funding Feeding Frenzy

When: Kick-Off Event is the 27th of October 2010, 5pm to 9pm.
Beer & wine reception and registration from 5-6pm, and then we’re going swimming with the fishes for a Feeding Frenzy Preview! Networking reception to follow.
Where: SYNC Technology Center, 322 S Green Street, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60607
Fees: Only $10 online registration. $20 at the door.

Who should attend?
Entrepreneurs
Investors (Angels, VC’s, Private Equity, Alternative Funding Sources)
Captial Matchmakers
Resource Providers to all of the above!

The Funding Feeding Frenzy, is an exceptional event launching this December 8th 2010 in Chicago. We’ve assembled some of the most innovative and exciting entrepreneurial companies around to showcase their businesses in an attempt to take their companies to the highest levels of success.

The Kick-off event will give us a great preview to some of these companies, their presentations and what real, live investors think of their concepts.
The Funding Feeding Frenzy promises to offer loads of opportunities for you to connect with CEOs and founders of fast growing companies along, with investors with sizable portfolios of companies (including Angel Investors, Private Equity Groups, Venture Capitalists and alternative funding sources).

If you’d like to skip the splashing around in the kiddie pool and get right to the “Main Event” on December 8th, then take the plunge by visiting us at the link below to reserve your space now.
www.regonline.com/FundingFeedingFrenzy
How can I be a Sponsor or Exhibitor?
If your business involves providing resources to entrepreneurs and / or investors, as a potential exhibitor or sponsor for the “Main Event”, you can be assured that the Funding Feeding Frenzy Chicago 2010 will be an exceptional springboard to position your company strategically. Contact Kati@FundingFeedingFrenzy.com to take advantage of this awesome opportunity and get the details about how to become a sponsor or exhibitor.
This is the place to be because the key decision-makers of your target customers will be here in force and we want to give you a preview, so come dangle your feet with us on the 27th of October because we know after this event you’re going to be diving in head first! Just beware of the “big fish,” they’re looking to take a bite…

There’s something stirring in the water…do you dare to find out what it is?

Melanie Adcock
iPHONE: 312-259-0610
DROID: 312-833-1825
E-Mail: melanie_adcock@msn.com
Facebook Fan Page: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockFacebookFanPage
Bio: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockARC
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melanieadcock
Twitter: twitter.com/melanie_adcock
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/melanie.a.adcock
____________________________________
Friday, October 29: DexCon2010: 1st Chicago Neighborhood Digital Excellence Conference

Subject: 10/29 event for May Report consideration
Date: 10/21/2010 9:23:27 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: nancy_tubbs@FullCalendar.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com, melanie_adcock@msn.com

Hi Ron and Melanie,

Here’s an event for consideration for The May Report.

Thanks very much,
Nancy Tubbs
==============================================

Chicago Digital Access Alliance presents:

DexCon2010: 1st Chicago Neighborhood Digital Excellence Conference

DATE/TIME:
Friday, October 29
8:00am-6:00pm

LOCATION:
DePaul University Egan Urban Center
1 East Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL, 60602

euc.depaul.edu/NewsandEvents/MeetingSpace/index.html

COST/REGISTRATION:
$109.

dexcon2010.eventbrite.com

MORE INFO:
Website: dexcon2010.eventbrite.com
Email: pierre@digitalexcellence.net
Phone: 312-970-0249
Contact: Pierre Clark

DESCRIPTION:
1st Chicago Neighborhood Digital Excellence Conference And Technology Fair

Technology and digital tools have already changed the way we work, learn
and communicate! From conducting on-line meetings on Skype to e-blasting
thousands with e-newsletters and SMS text messages, if you and your
organization are not maximizing your online effectiveness, you are behind
the times.

GET SMART NOW AT THE CONFERENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FAIR FOR EVERYONE!

On Friday, October 29, 2010, you are invited to meet, network with and
learn from the community experts who are training and helping others
master these new tools at the first-of-its-kind one day conference,
DexCon2010: 1st Chicago Neighborhood Digital Excellence Conference and
Technology Fair, Friday, October 29, 2010, from 8:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m., at
DePaul University’s Egan Urban Center, 1 East Jackson Boulevard, Lower
Level, in downtown Chicago.
___________________________________
Lean Start Up Circle, Oct. 21, which took place at the Illinois Technology Association, by Melanie Adcock

Troy Henikoff Speaks about Excelerate www.exceleratelabs.com/

The most recent Lean Start Up Circle Meet Up on Oct. 21, had 80 attendees (eleven of which were women). It started with an introduction from the ITA Leadership. A few things worth noting that were said in this introduction are: The ITA is not a government organization like some people think, rather it is an organization created by entrepreneurs; 57 companies have started in Tech Nexus; 42 Million dollars in capital has been raised by companies working out of Tech Nexus; and the ITA wants to be seen as a clubhouse for the entrepreneurs. All attendees were encouraged to become members of the ITA, however there was no clarification of membership criteria.

Troy Henikoff had a tough act to follow. Last month’s presenter at the Lean Start up Circle, Mike Evans from GrubHub, was outstanding. What made Mike’s presentation so compelling was he was giving the inside scoop on how he built his company and he shared an abundance of knowledge. I was hoping Troy would have spoken more about his own experiences with his company OneWed.com which according to his Linkedin Profile he left there in June 2010. www.linkedin.com/in/troyhenikoff It would have been interesting to hear about Troy’s successes and failures throughout his career. He now serves on the board at Excelerate Labs with Kapil Chaudhary, Partner at I2A Fund, and Kelli Rhee Vice President, Sandbox Industries. The Executive Director of Excelerate Labs is Sam Yagan, founder and CEO of OkCupid, SparkNotes and eDonkey.

Key things said in Troy’s presentation: 306 companies applied for the Summer 2010 Excelerate Challenge of which ten were selected to receive $20k in seed capital and put through a focused program designed to help make them profitable. In exchange these companies gave Excelerate Labs a 5% stake in their business. The companies who were selected to participate gave presentations at the House of Blues this past summer. He’s not entirely sure how Excelerate got this many companies to apply, but they plan on doing it again next year. A tidbit he shared that I didn’t know about was a new website called Builtinchicago.org created by Matt Moog, former CEO of Cool Savings. It is a website for startups where you can create your own profile and participate in discussion groups.

Next month’s presenters sound really interesting.

Lean Start Up Circle Nov. 4 www.meetup.com/Chicago-Lean-Startup-Circle/calendar/14997579/

Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits on Lean Startups

Nov 4 Thu 6:30 PM

Location:

ITA

200 S. Wacker

15th Floor

Chicago, IL 60606

312-371-3869

Who’s coming?

158 Members

22 spots left

Who’s hosting?

Bernhard Kappe, Brandon McNamara, Dan Wellisch, and Eduardo Fernandez

Brant and Patrick are the authors of the Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development , a book that Steve Blank calls “A must read for all startups and their stakeholders.”

They’ll be giving a crash course on the customer development approach. This is not an event you’ll want to miss – the book is great, these guys REALLY know their way around customer development. We always end up with a waiting list, so reserve your spot early.

The event is sponsored by Pathfinder Development, the leading software development partner for lean startups.

Brant and Patrick will also be be speaking and participating as mentors and judges in the Lean Startup Machine on Friday through Sunday. This is another great event – a more in-depth lean startup bootcamp, where you’ll learn by doing. More information and ticket purchases are on the Lean Startup Machine site: chicago.theleanstartupmachine.com/

Lean Start Up Circle Nov. 18 bit.ly/9ryQDD

How Lean Entrepreneurs Can Attract Interest from the VC Community

Nov 18 Thu 6:30 PM

Location:

ITA

200 S. Wacker

15th Floor

Chicago, IL 60606

312-371-3869

Who’s coming?

79 Members

71 spots left

Who’s hosting?

Bernhard Kappe, Brandon McNamara, Dan Wellisch, and Eduardo Fernandez

Carl Ledbeter, Managing Director at Pelion Venture Partners (formerly UV Partners) will talk on how lean entrepreneurs can attract interest from the VC community.

Bio: Carl Ledbetter is a managing director at Pelion Venture Partners (formerly UV Partners). His investment focus is Healthcare IT & Services, Internet, Medical Devices, Mobile, Nanotechnology, Networking, Open Source Software and Telecommunications. He has served on the board of nine Pelion portfolio companies. Previously, Carl served on the boards of three public and eight other private companies. Before joining Pelion, Carl was a senior executive in engineering or operations at Novell, Control Data Corporation, ETA Systems, Hybrid Networks, Prime Computing, Sun Microsystems, and IBM. Also, Carl was President of AT&T’s Consumer Products Division. He was a dean and a professor of mathematics at universities on both coasts. As the holder of six patents in computing and telecommunications and the former CEO of a venture-backed startup himself, Carl has firsthand knowledge of what it’s like to run a young company in the technology sector. He acts as Pelion’s technology expert and often lends his technical, engineering, and operating expertise and provides industry connections on behalf of our portfolio companies.

For more information: pelionvp.com/CustomContentRetrieve.aspx?ID=2984880

Lean Startup Machine Fri., Nov. 05, 2010 at 6:00 PM – Sun., Nov. 07, 2010 at 5:00 PM lsmchicago.eventbrite.com/

Location:

Illinois Technology Association (ITA)
200 S. Wacker Drive, 15th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606

Lean Startup Machine is a weekend-long startup competition that conforms to Lean Startup principles, a method of using customer feedback to rapidly iterate your product to reach product/market fit. On Friday evening, the event commences with networking and pitches. Participants then select ideas and form teams to work on their project over the weekend. On Sunday, teams pitch their business and Minimum Viable Product to a panel of well-known entrepreneurs for cash and mentoring. The winning pot of cash is the event’s profit, projected to be ~$1,000.

Registration is $50 and there are only 60 tickets. All proceeds go to cover expenses and the winnings, this event’s not for profit. LSM’s budget is online & completely transparent. bit.ly/chNP4m

Schedule:

Friday, November 5

5:30pm – Doors open

6 – Event begins. Networking time.

(Pizza and beverages served)

7 – Official kick-off and welcome

7:15 – Speakers:

Brant Cooper (The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development)

Patrick Vlaskovits (The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development)

8 – Pitches

9:30 – Networking, Teams Solidify

11 – Break off to coffee shop and begin work

Saturday, November 6

8:30am – Breakfast is served (Ramen Noodles). This day is all about customer development

10 – Teams split into Problem group & Solution group. Problem group gets out of building to talk to customers. Solution group starts spec’ing MVP, building the website, copy, & prototype

6 – Dinner (Ramen Noodles)

…Work through the night

Sunday, November 7

8:30am – Breakfast

10 – Teams should have a working prototype to showcase.

12 – Eat lunch while you work, teams prepare final presentation on what they’ve learned

3 – Judges takes their seats. Special guests say a few words. Final presentations begin.

4:30 – Winners Announced & Prizes Awarded!

SES Conference Oct. 18-22, 2010, by Melanie Adcock

Subject: SES Conference Oct. 18-22, 2010
Date: 10/23/2010 11:12:40 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

SES Conference Oct. 18-22, 2010

The SES (Search Engine Strategy) Conference took place Oct. 18-22 at the Hilton on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The SES Conference is an international conference series that focuses Search Engine Marketing and Optimization (SEM and SEO). To see a full list of this year’s presenters please visit here: www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago/presentations.php

I attended a segment where attendees gave feedback on the conference. According to the buzz I heard a couple people said the event was okay compared to last year’s but had less people attending overall, the lunches were great, the earlier time of year compared to last year’s conference was looked upon favorably, but people had to duck out early in the afternoon to make it to the airport which was an issue for those coming in from out of town. Someone suggested using a mobile app called Taxi Magic to help out those needing to get to the airport.

I ran into David Dalka, Founder of Chicago-based Dalka Strategy Consulting who spoke at SES on the topic of digital marketing strategy and Selling Search to the C-Suite. He speaks more frequently outside the country than he does in Chicago but wouldn’t mind participating in more local events. I got the feeling based on some things he said that he might like to change that. If you’re in the Midwest and need an expert to speak at your next event consider e-mailing David at david_dalka4gsb@yahoo.com for more details.

I also met Bryan Eisenberg, an Advisory Board Member of SES and best-selling Author of “Call to Action,” “Waiting For Your Cat to Bark?” and “Always Be Testing.” He spoke at the SES event as well and I was impressed by the genuine passion he had for Google search.

A Canadian Nortel employee I spoke to mentioned Nortel had sold off a large segment of their business resulting in dramatic decrease in their staff. He is also pursuing a side project in the mobile space while he works at Nortel or, “what’s left of it.” (His words) He was there with 3 or 4 other people from Nortel.

On the way out I spoke to Paul Banks, President of TheSportsBank.net who is in business to deliver the latest information in Midwest Sports. One day he would like to have a Mobile app and was interested in learning about Mobile Ad Revenue. Nice guy. His business card is textured to look like a basketball.

List of 2010 SES Presenters, their Twitter handles, and bios: www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago/speakers.php

If you did not attend this conference but would like help in the Digital Marketing, SEO and SEM area these experts can serve as a terrific resource to get critical solutions for your search strategy. I suggest getting in touch with the experts below if there is something they can help you with and ask to schedule a call with them.

John Katsantonis: Groupon issues “The most confusing press release ever,” according to Tech Crunch

Subject: GROUPON ISSUES “MOST CONFUSING PRESS RELEASE EVER,” ACCORDING TO TECHCRUNDH
Date: 10/23/2010 11:46:57 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: jpkattt@att.net
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com

File under “Going Mobile”~jk

–
John P. Katsantonis
Chief Reality Officer
847-526-3622

Most Confusing Press Release Ever

Posted: 22 Oct 2010 12:24 PM PDT

Dear PR industry,

This is why reporters are oftentimes derisive when they refer to you. Not one of these 400 or so words refers to the fact that Mobile, Alabama isn’t the first thing you think of when, as a tech blogger looking for news, you see the word “mobile” in a press release headline.

A human would have made a joke about it.

Best,

Alexia

FULL RELEASE BELOW

Groupon Launches in Mobile

Upcoming Features Include Tanning Package, Dance Lessons and Local Café

MOBILE, Ala.-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Groupon (www.groupon.com), a shopping website that offers a daily deal on the best local goods, services and cultural events in more than 250 markets around the world, launched in Mobile on October 18, 2010.

“We’ll offer unbeatable deals to residents from the highest quality businesses, while generating a stream of new customers for local merchants.”
“Mobile – a hub of history, culture, arts and entertainment – is an ideal match for the Groupon model,” said Rob Solomon, president and chief operating officer of Groupon. “We’ll offer unbeatable deals to residents from the highest quality businesses, while generating a stream of new customers for local merchants.”

Using the principles of collective buying, Groupon negotiates unprecedented discounts with popular businesses. Groupon subscribers get free daily emails alerting them to the deals. The deals are activated only when a minimum number of people agree to buy, encouraging subscribers to share the promotion with family and friends. By guaranteeing a large number of new customers, Groupon has created a powerful new marketing vehicle for local merchants. This innovative approach to e-commerce has brought millions of dollars in new revenue to local businesses while saving more than $600 million for subscribers across North America.

“Groupon brings buyers and sellers together in a fun and collaborative way,” said Solomon. “We offer the consumer a great deal they can’t get anywhere else and deliver the sales directly to the merchant.”

During its first week in Mobile, featured deals included orchestra tickets and a pastry shop. Upcoming deals include a tanning package, dance lessons and a local cafe. Mobile joins Birmingham as Alabama’s second Groupon city.

About Groupon

Groupon, launched in November 2008 in Chicago, features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, eat, see and buy in more than 250 markets around the world. Groupon uses collective buying power to offer unbeatable prices and provide a win-win for businesses and consumers, delivering nearly 200 deals daily throughout the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.groupon.com.

To get Groupon’s daily free email for the best in your city, subscribe at www.groupon.com.

For more information on Groupon apps for the iPhone and Android, visit www.groupon.com/mobile.

To learn more on how to become a featured business on Groupon, visit www.grouponworks.com.

CrunchBase Information
Groupon
Information provided by CrunchBase

____________________________________

Jeff Schwartz speaks at MoMo before starting new company, NoNa, Inc. + A few interesting Mobile events, by Melanie Adcock

Subject: Jeff Schwartz speaks at MoMo before starting new company, NoNa, Inc. + A few interesting Mobile events
Date: 10/24/2010 11:59:04 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

Jeff Schwartz speaks at MoMo before starting new company, NoNa, Inc.

MoMo Event Monday Oct. 18, 2010 which took place at Citytech Inc. 211 W. Wacker St. Chicago

www.momochicago.org

By Melanie Adcock

It was Jeff Schwartz’s last week at CityTech before he starts his own new venture in a mobile related start up called NoNa, Inc. A Technical Architect and Project Manager at Citytech, Jeff gave a jam packed presentation on using Phone Gap to create multi-platform apps with greater ease and efficiency. In his new venture with NoNa, Inc. he will get to work from home and spend more time with his beautiful family and I wish him the best of luck. As more info on his company becomes available I hope he will send it along and keep in touch. His presentation was incredibly useful and informative and was well received by the 43 people I counted in attendance.

Anthony Hand announced www.momochicago.org is working on a local directory of mobile companies. Stay tuned for updates. Anthony is also speaking next week in Wheaton (event announcement below). The MoMo event for November will feature J Schwan from Solstice Consulting and MoMo Chicago will also have a holiday party in early December.

Melanie’s notes from Jeff Schwartz’s presentation:

Cross Platform Mobile Development

A Brief Timeline

-BIE (Before iPhone Era) 2007, pda phones were all the rage

-Summer 2007 iPhone came out and it had:

-Native Apps, third party web apps with html. Web apps were the only option at first

-Summer 2008 iPhone 2.0 came out and it had:

-Third Party native apps with Objective C.

-Oct. 2008 Google releases Android SDK and it had:

-Third Party native apps with Java.

-April 2010 Apple releases iOS4 SDK and stated:

-Applications must be written in C, Objective C, C++, or Javascript as executed by the iPhone OS web kit engine. The rules forbid the use of an intermediary or compatibility layer or tool.

-The Department of Justice did an informal inquiry on this issue- Note: Here is a great article on CNet written by Erica Ogg where you can read more about this topic: bit.ly/cIwb7R

-Sept. 2010 Apple releases iOS 4.1 which does open up app development to other tools.

Apple has a subjective approval process that takes up to 2 weeks. There is no way to prequalify what will be accepted or rejected. For example, Google created a GoogleTalk App, submitted it to the App Store, and received no response. The Android Market, by contrast enables you to get an app approved in 30 minutes.

So the question becomes how do you control costs without sacrificing quality?

Jeff listed a few programs for cross platform development. He called them X-Platform choices:

-RhoMobile (Ruby)

-Monotouch (C# , good for .net programmers)

-Appcelerator (Javascript)

-Phone Gap (Javascript)

JQ Touch and Phone Gap are good to use because of their mobile stylesheet and open standards and it they are seen as a cost efficient way to develop for both iPhone and Android platforms.

Tips for making Cross-Platform Decisions:

-Know the tools’ technological limits

-Risk and expenses increase as limits are crossed

-Tools are constantly getting more capable

-Steve Jobs could change his mind again about tools acceptable for creating iPhone Apps

Overall, Jeff Schwartz gave a solid presentation with useful information and displayed his expertise with great credibility. He went on to demonstrate a number of programming techniques within an html stylesheet, and discussed tidbits like changing the theme from web to apple, setting the width view to be the width of the device, creating JQ Touch variables, separating html pages, and updating anchor tags and consolidating indexes to fix broken apps. If you have any questions about these subjects I would suggest getting in touch with Jeff via e-mail at jeff@schwartz-tribe.com

I hope my abbreviated notes give you a taste of the excellent content of this presentation and to illustrate the high quality in the presentations featured by MoMo Chicago. I have never been disappointed by a MoMo event because I am always learning something new. If you think this is cool, you should attend their event next month. I will look forward to seeing you there.

MobileAppEx Presentation at MoMo:

Chris Beavers from Kolenmesse also presented information about MobileAppEx , the upcoming Mobile Trade show event in June 2011 at Navy Pier. slidesha.re/8YXduw

A brief Excerpt from the presentation:

Why Chicago?

The greater Chicago metro area has more than 300,000 businesses; 95% are classified small to midsize entities.

The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the corporate headquarters of 57 Fortune 1000 companies, including Boeing, McDonald, Motorola, Discover Financial Services and United Airlines, representing a diverse group of industries. The area is a major financial center in North America, and is home to the largest futures exchange in the United States, the CME Group.

The greater Chicago metro area has 9.7 million residents

The State of Illinois has a total of 12.9 million residents

The U.S. has over 307 million residents

The U.S. has over 23,343,821 companies with 24,846,832 locations of operations (2002 U.S. Census Data)

MobileAppEx: the home for businesses of all sizes to meet, find and buy from a complete ecosystem of mobile apps and business solutions.

Mobile App Expo provides the only platform for this meteoric growth industry. Exhibit at Mobile App Expo and be found, be seen, explore the B2B opportunities and meet today’s & tomorrow’s best customers.

The only B2B event designed to be open to companies of all stages and of all sizes.

Face-to-Face is the only human way to excite your audience.

Early bird registration ends January 31, 2011

Pricing:

Exhibit booth $29.90 per square foot (booth size is 100 square feet)

Innovation Corridor: $800 to qualify for the Innovation Corridor your company must be under 5 people, have under $500,000 in funding and be less than 5 years old.

About Citytech (where the MoMo event was held this month):

CITYTECH is a Chicago-based IT consultancy specializing in the development of highly available, extensible and scalable enterprise applications. We believe the best enterprise solutions are created by technical architects who understand business-related issues and possess the expert knowledge of strategic technology platforms used today and positioned for tomorrow. CITYTECH consultants’ grasp of both business and technology ensures that the systems we design won’t constrain your organization, but can adapt to meet ever-changing business needs. For more information on CITYTECH, contact Matt Van Bergen at 312.673.6433 x111 or Melissa Geoffrion at 312.673.6433 x148.

Chicago area resources for the Mobile Industry as listed on the MoMochicago.org website:

Chicago Mobile Alliance www.chicagomobilealliance.org

Provides an integrated feed of Chicago-area mobile news and events.

Chicago Android chicagoandroid.com/

Chicago Android: Training and development for Android software engineers

Chicago CocoaHeads groups.google.com/group/cawug

Chicago CocoaHeads / CAWUG is a developer’s user group focused on Mac & iPhone (iPod Touch and iPad) development. The group is open to anyone with an interest in Mac or iPhone development. The group meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Chicago Apple Store on Michigan Ave.

chiPhone groups.google.com/group/chiphone

A developer group and low-traffic mailing list for iOS developers in Chicago.

Flyover Geeks www.flyovergeeks.com/

Flyover Geeks is dedicated to all the game changers; the people changing the world now and oh, by the way, they might just live outside Silicon Valley. All too often startups outside Silicon Valley don’t get recognition or news coverage — Flyover Geeks changes all that by aiming to become the source for all news in the Midwest tech scene.

Heartland Mobile Council heartlandmobilecouncil.org/

A Chicago-based non-profit organization whose mission is to help businesses ‘cross the chasm’ from mobile technologies to mobile marketing.

ITA Mobile Visionary Roundtable www.illinoistech.org/roundtable.aspx/19

Affiliated with the Illinois Technology Association, ITA Roundtables are an ongoing peer-to-peer collaboration series designed to grow the Illinois technology industry.

Mobile TECH Cocktail Events techcocktail.com/category/mobile-news

A mobile-focused spinoff from the Chicago-based TECH Cocktail drinks-and-demos series.

Social Tech Pop www.socialtechpop.com/

SocialTechPop.com is Chicago’s and beyond premier popular culture and technology blog. The blog is run by a group of homegrown Chicago technophiles and instills the vision of establishing Chicago as the Silicon Valley of the Midwest. SocialTechPop reports on emerging digital technologies, start-ups, incubators, events, and society’s affects and influences on technology.

Uniforum Chicago: Android Fragmentation & UI by Anthony Hand Oct. 26, 7pm, at IIT-Rice in Wheaton

Tuesday October 26, 2010 from 7pm to 9pm – IIT-Rice Campus, Wheaton

Uniforum Chicago, a networking group for open systems professionals, has kindly invited me to speak about Android this coming Tuesday, 10/26, at 7 pm at the IIT-Rice campus in Wheaton. For more information on the talk, including directions, please go to:

www.uniforumchicago.org/meetings/androidapps.html

For more information about UniForum Chicago contact info@uniforum.chi.il.us

Here’s a brief abstract for the talk:

“Google’s open source Android OS is rapidly gaining in popularity for devices ranging from smartphones to tablets to TV entertainment systems and more. As an open platform, Android allows users to install apps via the Android market — and that exploding user base is hungry for compelling apps.

“This talk will provide an overview of the Android platform and ecosystem. We’ll discuss a few issues in Android app development, including tips for avoiding UI gotchas and maximizing compatibility of your app across devices. We’ll also discuss the Android market, the market’s size, and general features. Please feel free to bring additional questions for the Q&A section.”

I hope to see you there!

- Anthony

P.S.

There might be a nominal entrance fee, but I’m not sure exactly…

Bio

Anthony Hand is a user interface designer at Motorola working on the Android platform. Mr. Hand has a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction from the Univ. of Michigan and has designed user experiences for all of the major smartphone platforms and mobile Java. Mr. Hand is also co-chair of Mobile Monday Chicago (www.momochicago.org), an organization dedicated to professional networking and promoting the mobile industry in Chicago. On the side, Mr. Hand promotes and maintains MobileESP, an open source code library for PHP, Java, .NET, and JavaScript to detect mobile device visitors to web sites.

Comment from Melanie: Anyone who’s attended MoMo knows Anthony is a terrific speaker and I would love to go to this event. If anyone who is attending can give me a ride out to Wheaton please give me a call. Otherwise, I hope there will be some excellent video documentation of this to watch and share with everyone. Good luck to Anthony. It sounds awesome!

Chicago CocoaHeads / CAWUG is a developer’s user group Tues. Nov. 9, 7pm

Chicago CocoaHeads / CAWUG is a developer’s user group focused on Mac & iPhone (iPod Touch and iPad) development. Our group is open to anyone with an interest in Mac or iPhone development. groups.google.com/group/cawug

We meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Chicago Apple Store on Michigan Ave.

Subscribe to the iCal (NSCoder is on this calendar too): CocoaHeads Calendar bit.ly/a54daG (subscribe to calendar link is on bottom left of calendar)

Address:

679 North Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60611

(312) 981-4104

Store hours:

Mon – Sat:10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.Sun:11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. How to get here:

The Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue, is next to Nike Town on the southeast corner of Michigan and Huron.

Subject: CAWUG/CocoaHeads Meeting

Start Date: Tuesday, November 9 2010 7:00PM

End Date: Tuesday, November 9 2010 9:00PM

Summary: Agenda:

- Introductions & Announcements

-Presentations…

-Q & A

-O’Tooles

Subject: NSCoder Night

Start Date: Tuesday, November 30 2010 6:00PM

End Date: Tuesday, November 30 2010 9:00PM

Summary: RSVP Requested

HMC Location Based Mobile Services Seminar, Tuesday Oct. 26, 3pm hmc-lbs.eventbrite.com/

Start: October 26, 2010 3:00 pm

End: October 26, 2010 8:30 pm Venue: DraftFCB, 14th Floor Auditorium

Address:

Google Map 101 E. Erie St., Chicago, United States, 60611

The Heartland Mobile Council is pleased to announce a seminar on Location Based Services. There is a lot in the press about LBS potential, check-in apps like Facebook Places, Foursquare and Shopkick. The promise of location based coupons is always mentioned. But what is the reality vs. the hype? What does this mean for managers of retailers and brands?

The session will be opened by Chris Miller, EVP, group management director, Digital at DraftFCB, who will paint the landscape of location based services from a marketing perspective. He is followed by three industry leaders pushing the LBS envelope – Google, Slifter and Placecast.

Drew Mitchell, Head of Industry, Local for Google, will discuss Google’s current LBS initiatives and address where LBS is heading. Google recently announced $1 billion in mobile ad sales confirming the importance of mobile for advertisers. Alistair Goodman, CEO of Placecast, will discuss the creation of geofences and how North Face has successfully used them to execute promotions. Alex Muller, CEO of GPShopper will discuss LBS within mobile applications. GPShopper has created applications for several retailers including Best Buy and Express. The speakers will also address a number of timely topics related to LBS including:

Check-in apps such as Facebook Places, Foursquare and Shopkick

Mobile couponing

The use of LBS in mobile marketing

Metrics (or lack thereof)

Moving engagement beyond early adopters

Privacy issues/concerns

Hype versus reality

The session will conclude with a one hour roundtable discussion during which the speakers will answer attendees’ questions.

Get your tickets early. The last mobile we co-produced with the AMA sold out. Space is limited to just 80 attendees. The conference will begin at 3:00 PM and will conclude at 7:00 PM. A networking reception will be held immediately following the event from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Cocktails and appetizers will be served.

Early bird registration ends Tuesday, 10/12/10. Click here to register: hmc-lbs.eventbrite.com/ Any questions please contact Steve Snyder, VP of HMC Seminars at steve@heartlandmobilecouncil.com.

Melanie Adcock
iPHONE: 312-259-0610
DROID: 312-833-1825
E-Mail: melanie_adcock@msn.com
Facebook Fan Page: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockFacebookFanPage
Bio: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockARC
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melanieadcock
Twitter: twitter.com/melanie_adcock
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/melanie.a.adcock
____________________________________
The Sync Technology Center and Syncubator: The Tech Community’s Cool New Hang Out, by Melanie Adcock

Subject: The Sync Technology Syncubator: The Tech Community’s Cool New Hang Out
Date: 10/24/2010 11:47:22 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

The Sync Technology Center and Syncubator: The Tech Community’s Cool New Hang Out, by Melanie Adcock

The first moment I walked into Syncubator, syncubator.com Mike Rhodes’ new tech incubator space at 322 S. Green Street in Chicago I was taken by the environment and felt at home. Tech professionals are flocking to this fresh new space by word of mouth and I can’t say that I blame them. The whole space feels like it was designed to inspire. When it comes to design and interior spaces I know what I’m talking about. When I used to teach color theory to interior design and IT students at the International Academy of Design and Technology I learned there are design tricks that can elicit a variety of responses in the brain from neurological, cultural and psychological standpoints. The Syncubator nails the cool tech atmosphere perfectly. The textured silver metal accents appeal to a sophisticated audience, the brown wooden columns exude a comfortable feeling that makes you want to have a conversation, and the bright red chairs give the sense that something fantastic is about to happen while adding an exciting pop of color and interest. The round shape of the space lends itself to networking and the event space itself looks like a great setting for a small press conference. The office spaces look like real professionals work in them and anyone who’s in the know about this red hot space wants to be a part of it. The only thing I would change is they could use some more artwork. Guess what? I started an artwork a few years back but never thought it was finished. By chance the size perfectly fits one of their walls. Hmmm…. The possibilities!

Here is a photo album www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=233462&id=157866972970 on the BNC Chicago’s Facebook page that shows the space. These pictures are great but the space is even better.

Every Friday this space hosts “Sip at the Sync,” an informal gathering of people who get together for a drink in the late afternoon at the end of every week. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Melanie Adcock
iPHONE: 312-259-0610
DROID: 312-833-1825
E-Mail: melanie_adcock@msn.com
Facebook Fan Page: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockFacebookFanPage
Bio: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockARC
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melanieadcock
Twitter: twitter.com/melanie_adcock
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/melanie.a.adcock
____________________________________
How is Madison Dearborn doing relative to other funds and is it under water?

[Editor's note. Ron May here. There is a chart that demonstrates much more starkly that Madison Dearborn is in decline, but I am trying to get my hands on it.]

Source: Public pension funds data, Preqin Ltd., The Deal

Every economic slump has toppled some of private equity’s top bananas and sent loads of lesser firms to oblivion. In the early 2000s, huge soured bets on telecom and high tech doomed Forstmann Little & Co. and Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, both formidable players.

The Great Recession, many foresee, will produce more casualties than past downturns. “There will be a real shakeout,” says one banker who works with major private equity firms. “A big question is, who will be the Forstmanns and the Hicks Muses of this cycle?”

However it plays out, the shakeout will be only the most visible element of a sweeping rationalization that will dial back the size of an industry that had soared until the financial crisis. Not only will as many as 20% to 40% of all buyout firms close down, experts say, but most survivors will experience a dramatic rollback in funding from investors. The industry may well shrink to its pre-2004 dimensions.

Indeed, a big difference in this down cycle is expected to be the sizes of the investment funds raised by the big brand-name firms. The previous downturn didn’t even create a hiccup in the financial arms race: Even as Forstmann and Hicks Muse flamed out, their surviving peers, firms like Blackstone Group LP, Thomas H. Lee Partners LP, DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Warburg Pincus drew record commitments of $5.3 billion to $6.5 billion. In this cycle, Blackstone has struggled to pull in $13.5 billion for its latest fund. Though the sum is hefty and is the most any firm has raised since 2008, it is markedly smaller than Blackstone’s 2006 fund, which topped out at $21.7 billion, and falls below the $15 billion target Blackstone reportedly has set.

Blackstone managed to bag most of the $13.5 billion before the bottom fell out of the market. A more telling bellwether of what looms will be how Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., another marquee name with a superior track record, fares when it sets out to raise its latest fund in the coming months. KKR hopes for a better outcome than it got in 2009 when its first stab at marketing the new fund failed. It has set its sights low, targeting the fund at only half the size of the $17.6 billion fund it had garnered in 2006. Even that proved tough to raise, so KKR decided to wait until conditions improved.

Yet KKR and others peddling new funds shouldn’t get their hopes up. Even though buyout activity itself has perked up, the hard truth is that many LPs have no choice but to slash future PE commitments. Having pledged a total of $840 billion into buyout funds from 2005 to 2008, according to Preqin Ltd., only to see their investment portfolios tumble in value when the markets tanked, many large institutional investors are overallocated to the buyout category and must cut back to rebalance accounts.

Observes one KKR investor: “KKR has a fine record, and I believe in their strategy and their team. But even if I wanted to, there’s no way I could commit as much money to their next fund as I did to the last.”

In addition to downsizing private equity’s purse, the next fundraising cycle could shift the industry’s center of gravity. Convinced that big buyout houses sank too much money at the peak of the market into overleveraged, overvalued megadeals that look to be losers, many LPs say they’re disenchanted with big-cap buyouts and are thinking smaller.

“A lot of LPs have been burnt by the megabuyouts in this cycle, and so they’re looking to get into the middle market,” observes Barry Gonder, a partner at pension fund consultant Grove Street Advisors. Says a fund-of-private-equity-funds manager: “If you look at 2006 to 2008, large-cap funds account for about 49% of the private equity capital raised. We’re now recommending that our clients put only 10% to 15% of what they commit into large-cap funds.

“We just think large-cap will be a less interesting space for the next couple of years,” he says, explaining that the midsized market should benefit from abundant dealflow and more favorable supply-demand dynamics.

Clearly, though, the biggest change in private equity will be a thinning of the ranks. Scores of weaker performers will be drummed out of the business, pension managers and other LPs say.
Source: Public pension funds data, Preqin Ltd., The Deal

“We expect that investors are going to pare back weaker performers and concentrate their private equity portfolios with fewer, best-performing managers,” says Marc Sacks, head of private equity investing at Mesirow Financial Inc., a fund-of-funds manager. He and others note that, after factoring out the impact of leverage on investment returns and factoring in fees, most sponsors underperform the stock market. Mediocrity, he says, doesn’t cut it.

“If you invest with too many private equity managers, you end up with returns that regress to the mean, or worse. That’s not acceptable.” Accordingly, he and others say, LPs will purge their portfolios of stragglers.

Which returns us to the question of whether any of the industry’s very biggest stars will fall. The answer, LPs say, is probably not — at least not any firms as mighty as Forstmann or Hicks Muse were in their prime.

That may come as a shock to those who recall how wretchedly the $10 billion fund that one top-tier player, Apollo Management LP, raised in 2006 was performing less than a year ago. Apollo’s sixth flagship fund sank $1 billion into a disastrous purchase of real estate broker Realogy Corp., and it backed a now-distressed buyout of casino operator Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. At the end of 2009, the fund was valued at just 60% of what it had invested, sources say. But Apollo presciently bought up debt on the cheap in companies it owns, and that debt has rallied, boosting the fund’s mark-to-market value as of March 31 to 120% of cost. By the lackluster standards of vintage 2006 funds, that’s a stellar performance.

Cerberus Capital Management LP is another big name that splurged on failed buyouts, most notably those of Chrysler LLC and GMAC LLC, but has mounted a comeback. Owing to well-timed bets on distressed mortgages and the hugely profitable sale of its stake in Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp., its latest flagship fund shows a slim profit. A third well-known firm, Fortress Investment Group LLC, hasn’t fared nearly as well. Some of its largest private equity investments are struggling, and the $2.5 billion fund it raised in 2006 was valued on March 31 at 79% of cost.

Fortress, though, has something going for it that many buyout firms don’t: diversification. It oversees a passel of hedge, credit and PE vehicles totaling $31 billion in managed assets. When one operation falters, the others afford cover. Because of that, Fortress isn’t in imminent danger.

Still, some second-tier firms are clearly in peril.

J.C. Flowers & Co. LLC: Of second-line U.S. players, J. Christopher Flowers’ New York buyout shop is at the top of the endangered list. The former Goldman, Sachs & Co. M&A hotshot displayed his Midas touch in 2000, engineering a $1.1 billion bailout of Japan’s Shinsei Bank Ltd. (formerly Long-Term Credit Bank). That deal delivered a fivefold profit. But many of Flowers’ subsequent bets have foundered — including a large follow-on investment in Shinsei.

Flowers, whose favorite niche is financial services, took heavy losses on hefty investments in Germany’s Hypo Real Estate Holding AG and in German shipping lender HSH Nord-
bank AG. His successes, including a deal to sell Fox-Pitt Kelton for a 100% gain, have been few and relatively small. Last year Flowers drew the ire of his peers with a boast he made about a deal he helped orchestrate to buy IndyMac Federal Bank, the failed California lender, from the government: “The government has all the downside and we have all the upside.” The remark is widely believed to have induced the U.S. government to restrict sales of failed banks to PE groups.

Nor are his LPs any happier with him. As of March 31, the $7 billion fund that J.C. Flowers completed raising in early 2007 was valued at just 38% of cost.

“At the last investor meeting, the LPs were up in arms,” says one LP. “Unless that performance improves dramatically, he won’t be able to raise another fund.”

Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd. and Candover Partners Ltd.: These prominent British firms appear to be even worse off than J.C. Flowers.

Guy Hands, Terra Firma’s founder, got into the same bind as Forstmann Little did by risking a large part of his purse on one disastrous deal. (To be fair to Forstmann, it diversified a bit more, blowing much of its capital on two disastrous deals.)

Terra Firma sank just under a third of the â‚¬5.4 billion ($7.3 billion) fund it had raised in 2006 into a £4.2 billion ($6.6 billion) leveraged buyout of U.K. music giant EMI Group Ltd. in 2007. That deal was valued at an eye-popping 18 times cash flow, and EMI’s sales nose-dived soon after the deal closed.

EMI has dragged down the overall value of the 2006 fund — it was just 27% of cost as of March 31. Says one Terra Firma investor: “If they were to come to market today with a fund, they couldn’t raise it.”

Candover, an old-line firm founded in 1980, also is on the ropes. In August, Candover Investments plc, the firm’s publicly traded British affiliate and a major investor in Candover’s deals, went into runoff mode. One source insists the decision to go into runoff applied only to the affiliate and could open the way for Candover Partners to raise a new fund. But with Candover’s â‚¬3.5 billion 2005 fund valued at 50% of cost on March 31, its odds of doing so aren’t terrific.

Elevation Partners: Specializing in media and tech, Elevation started life with a bang in 2004, raising $1.9 billion for its inaugural fund. Its chances of raising a second fund at this point aren’t encouraging.

LPs say the strikes against Elevation are its so-so performance — not awful, but nonetheless subpar — along with the firm’s brief history and its move to recruit the ubiquitous rock star Bono of U2 as a managing director. Some LPs consider Bono a vanity hire by Elevation co-founder Roger McNamee, a big rock ‘n’ roll fan.

As of March 31, Elevation’s investments were worth just 82% of cost. Its odds of survival have not been helped by its microscopic profit on selling Palm Inc., the smartphone maker, an investment that ate up nearly 25% of its fund. An early investment in video games designer VG Holdings Corp. was a winner, but a minority investment in magazine publisher Forbes Media LLC has been a loser, a source says.

Even if its returns turn positive, Elevation could be stigmatized in LPs’ eyes by its slender track record. “It’s a first-time fund — they don’t have any prior funds” to point to, says one fund-of-funds investor.

This investor notes the firm could get a fresh lease on life if its stakes in Yelp Inc., a user-generated review website, and Facebook Inc., the immensely popular social networking platform, do well. Even if they do, though, he doubts Elevation could raise another large fund, since it failed to deploy the entire $1.9 billion during the allotted six-year investment period.

More numerous are sponsors with middling recent records that LPs say could be chopped down in size:

In 2009, Madison Dearborn Partners LLC’s existence appeared to be hanging by a thread. The biggest private equity boutique in Chicago, it raised a $6.5 billion fund in 2006 and proceeded to plow much of it into king-sized buyouts of systems integrator CDW Corp., fund manager Nuveen Investments Inc. and Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications Inc., all of which went on the fritz. The fund was deeply underwater.

Since then, however, the fund’s value marks have risen considerably, though not as strongly as Apollo’s and Cerberus’. “Nuveen’s performance has come back nicely, and so has CDW,” says an LP. As of March 31, the 2006 fund was valued at 80% of cost. Struggling Univision remains a major question mark.

Madison Dearborn won’t need to drum up money for a time, having closed a $4.1 billion fund earlier this year. Though that’s a lot, the sum suggests the firm has been knocked from its perch as one of private equity’s leading players.

Middle-market mainstays Fenway Partners and Veronis Suhler Stevenson may also face an uphill battle attracting anything close to the amount of funding they did in the past. Their weakness is their averageness — their failure to stand out at a time when LPs are concentrating commitments with superior performers. Remarks one Fenway LP: “Suffice it to say that if the returns on Fenway’s last two funds don’t improve, it will be difficult for them to raise another fund.”

Distressed securities investor MatlinPatterson Global Advisers LLC could find itself in the same boat. Its latest fund’s performance suffers by comparison with Centerbridge Partners LP and WL Ross & Co. LLC, two rival vulture investors that have “just knocked the lights out,” one LP says.

Finally, there is a small host of once-prominent firms that tanked years before the economy did. Unable to raise new funds, they’ve been forced into runoff mode: Brera Capital Partners LLC, Cypress Group, Heritage Partners Inc., Questor Management Co. LLC, Stonington Partners Inc.

Needless to say, the next fundraising cycle will move some firms to the top of a reshuffled deck. Already, two new industry powerhouses have emerged, San Francisco’s Hellman & Friedman LLC, which boasts a top-decile record and which locked up an $8.8 billion fund last year, its largest ever, and First Reserve Corp. an energy-focused sponsor that last year corralled $9 billion.

Just as past periods of turbulence in private equity have produced turnover in the ranks, the industry’s current travails will spawn a handful of new front-line players even as others are sent packing.
__________________________________
Reminder: Wednesday, October 27: Chicago Booth Marketing Roundtable – “The Changing World of On-LinePromotion” – 5:45 p.m.

Subject: REMINDER: Chicago Booth Marketing Roundtable – “The Changing World of On-LinePromotion” – Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 5:45 p.m.
Date: 10/22/2010 8:58:21 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: smcg@am3inc.net
Reply To: smcg@chicagobooth.edu
To: marketing-roundtable@lists.chicagobooth.edu

Topic: The Changing World of On-Line Promotion

Speaker: Larry Burns, President and CEO, StartSampling, Inc.

Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Time: 5:45 – 6:30 Registration — Networking and Cash Bar
6:30 – 8:00 Program
8:00 – Cash Bar Re-opens

Once again, we’ll have a cash bar before and after the presentation in order to maximize your networking opportunity. If you need to leave at 8, we encourage you to come early and enjoy the pre-meeting networking.

Location: Gleacher Center – Room 100 (Directions: www.chicagobooth.edu/visit/gleacher/gleachermap.pdf)

To RSVP: Register Online

Questions? Please contact Daniel Drake at ProfDrake@comcast.net

Session Overview

On-line promotion and analysis of the resulting data has become an important element of marketing for traditional retailers and CPG manufacturers. As the nature of internet and media communications evolves and methods for analysis of market data improve, on-line promotions must also change in order to be successful.

In this session, we will look the state of on-line promotions, current practices and future directions. Actual case studies and campaigns will be discussed to shed light on various aspects of internet marketing and product sampling within the CPG and retail space.

Topics will include:
On-line support for branded manufacturers,
The role of product sampling in new product launches,
Consumer education through product sampling programs,
Social media and traditional CPG marketing techniques,
Data analysis and methods for measure success of marketing campaigns.

About Our Speaker

Larry Burns has been President and CEO of StartSampling, Inc. since the company’s launch in 1999. Under Larry’s guidance, the enterprise has completed over 2,000 projects, and currently manages over 50 programs a month for CPG and retail clients that include Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Sam’s, and CVS.

Prior to 1999, Larry was Executive Vice President of Product Management at Information Resources, Inc., where he oversaw the InfoScan™ brand. Before IRI, he worked as a marketing research professional for several major consumer product companies, including Heinz USA, Cadbury Beverages, Pepperidge Farm and General Foods. He began his career in the trenches of the marketing research industry, with junior analyst positions and an early job as both a telephone and mall interviewer.

Burns earned his B.S. in chemistry from Alfred University. He resides in Wheaton, Ill. with his wife and four children. Larry is also a self described “soccer guy” and is proud to sit on the Board for the Chicago Fire Juniors soccer club, which he reports currently fields over 70 teams representing more than 900 players.

* * * * *

Special Note

Once again, we’ll set up a Literature Table in the front registration area before the meeting. You may use the table to distribute copies of anything (within reason) that communicates your business, your capabilities, and/or career interests. This would include a brochure, a fact sheet, a resume, or other items of interest. This will give us all an opportunity to share our interests and find ways to help each other achieve goals.

* * *

HERE’S ANOTHER FINE CHICAGO BOOTH EVENT, COMING NEXT THURSDAY . . .

Chicago Booth Alumni Club Gala Dinner: Feast on the Latest Leadership Thinking!
Thursday, October 28th, 2010 5:30pm
Gleacher Center, Banquet Hall 621

$40 per person for Club Members, Students & Guests, $60 per person General Public

What do your team members need from you as a Leader? How can you discover and meet those needs?
Featuring Booth Associate Dean Jeff Anderson “Lessons on Leadership: What Your Team Wants You to Know”

Successful leadership is a two-way-street relationship: it needs to flow. Experts and books tell us how to get what we, as leaders, want from our organizations, but few focus on what our teams and organizations want from us.

Jeff Anderson packed the room at the latest Chicago Booth Management Conference. Be among the first to hear his latest insights on leadership that you can apply tomorrow.

Enjoy the delicious International Buffet from Wolfgang Puck Catering while reigniting old connections and making new ones.

Hear Interim Dean Harry Davis’ introductory remarks and insights on Booth.

The Festivities open with Cocktail Hour at 5:30pm, followed immediately by Dinner at 6:00pm and the program. All for a BARGAIN PRICE of only $40 per person for Members, Booth Students and their Guests. $60 per person for all others.
For more details and registration:

CLICK HERE to Register

* * *

Discounted Parking

Chicago Booth has arranged with the AMC Theater-River East Self parking Garage to provide discounted parking:

300 East Illinois Street (AMC Theater-River East Self Park Garage)
$6.00 after 3:00pm
Garage: Self Park Facility
Payment: Automated; at pay-stations by cash or credit card or upon exit pay by credit card only.
To receive discounted rate: There is a card validator at the first floor security desk of the Gleacher Center. The new system for the AMC Theater- River East Self Park Garage is automated. You will only need to insert your parking card in the validator and the new price will be automatically applied. You can validate your parking ticket at any time between your arrival at and departure from the Gleacher Center. When you leave the lot you will be charged for the lower $6.00 fee.

Detailed Directions :
Garage is located next to PJ Clarks and below the AMC Theater.
a) When traveling east on Illinois cross over Columbus and enter the Garage on the left (north) side of the street.
b) If driving west on Grand (north of Theater), you can enter the garage ½ block before Columbus on the left (south) side of the street.

* * *

CHECK YOUR CHICAGO WEEKLY FOR OTHER CHICAGO BOOTH ALUMNI EVENTS OF INTEREST:

For information on other coming Chicago Booth Roundtable meetings, Chicago Booth Alumni Club events, and other alumni events of interest, visit www.chicagogsb.edu/chicagoweekly/. The Chicago Weekly is updated every Thursday.

* * * * *
ABOUT THE MARKETING ROUNDTABLE

Our mission: The mission of the Chicago Booth Marketing Roundtable is to help Chicago alumni and a broader community of marketing professionals learn more, meet other colleagues, and solve marketing issues. Our vision is to be the first choice for learning and sharing new marketing ideas.

About our meetings: Chicago Booth Marketing Roundtable meetings are typically scheduled at the downtown campus (Gleacher Center), on the last Wednesday of each month (with some variation), from 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. They are free of charge, and no food is served. (Food is available, if you wish, in the cafeteria.) Room location is posted each month at the front desk. Please note date is subject to change – check calendar listing for details.

Guests: Your guests who have an active interest in marketing are always welcome via your personal invitation. Please RSVP and let us know how many to expect! (But please don’t post this or any Chicago Booth Marketing Roundtable announcement in any public forum.)

Got a topic idea? If you have a topic idea, a presenter to recommend, or any questions or suggestions, please contact any Chicago Booth Marketing Roundtable Steering Team member:

Bijoy Chacko, 847 598 7016, chackobe@yahoo.com
Peg Conway, 312.347.3918, margaret.conway@cmegroup.com
Santanu DasGupta, 312.961.4866, sdasgupt@chicagobooth.edu
Dan Drake, 630.212.2314, Ddrake1@chicagobooth.edu
Jordan Katz, 312-288-2422, Jordan_Katz@gallup.com
Scott McGarvey, 312.648.6275, smcg@chicagobooth.edu
Vivek Prabhu, (312) 493 4987, vivek.r.prabhu@gmail.com
Les Stern, 847.205.1936, les@lsternmktg.com
Jim Steuer, 773-935-7208, JSEChicago@aol.com
Galen Williams, 312.810.1300, gwmw@sbcglobal.net
_______________________________________
Wednesday, November 3: Shakers and Stirrers Event and High Speed Networking Event

Subject: Shakers and Stirrers Event and High Speed Networking Event this November
Date: 10/25/2010 2:47:13 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

Shakers and Stirrers

www.networkingforprofessionals.com/eventlistings.php?event=SSCH

Chicago Wednesday 3rd November 2010
Time: 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Place: Berghoff Restaurant
17 West Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60603
Visit them online at www.TheBerghoff.com
Includes: Complimentary nibbles and one complimentary drink. Cash bar.
Cost: Online in advance: NFP Members: $10, Non-Members: $15
AT DOOR: $20 for everyone. Cash only at door.
* Members please log on above before booking this event to receive the member price.
OVERVIEW:
* Make quality business connections and mingle with top professionals.
* Your first stein of Berghoff beer is on the house! Enjoy delicious appetizers and drink specials ($5 wells, $12 pitchers of Berghoff beer). Cash bar.
* The next day we’ll email you the list of confirmed attendees to help you follow up with your new contacts.
* Only those who sign up in advance online will receive the list of attendees.
Note about parking: Berghoff’s offers discount parking to their patrons at Interparking located at 17 East Adams (Less than one full city block away). Have your parking validated at the host stand.

This event is hosted by NFP Representative Patrick Snyder and co-hosted by Kimberly Mueller.
Patrick is VP of operations for the Difference Makers, a company that does Big Client Sales Training Events and consulting for companies like Panasonic, AT&T, Frito Lay and Oracle.
Kimberly is founder of Urban Business Professionals, an innovative law firm tailored specifically to meet the legal needs of entrepreneurs and upstart businesses. After spending 13 years at the helm of her prior law firm, Mendoza & Mueller, Kim enjoys the energy of working with entrepreneurs and networking them with other professionals as well

High Speed Networking

www.networkingforprofessionals.com/eventlistings.php?event=HSNCH

Chicago Wednesday 17th November 2010
Time: 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Place: District Bar
170 West Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60654
View web site at District Bar
Includes: Complimentary Nibbles. Cash Bar.
Cost: Online In Advance: Members: $20, Non-Members $30.
At the door: $35
* Members please log on above before booking this event to receive the member price.
Do you have over 100 friends on Facebook? Find out how to get a FREE TICKET to this event.
OVERVIEW
6.00pm – 6.30pm Registration and mingling. Light hors d’oeuvres served.
6.30pm – 7.45pm Introduction and High Speed Networking.
7.45pm – 8.00pm Informal networking.
* With HIGH SPEED NETWORKING you can make more new business contacts in one evening than most people will make in 6 months!
* Network with other professionals, one on one, a few minutes at a time.
* Leave with a pocket full of business cards and a ton of new business connections!
* Chances are you’ll meet lots of people you wish you had more time with. Sign up online in advance and after the event we will email you the list of attendees so that you can follow up with your new contacts.
* Enjoy complimentary nibbles. Cash bar.
Only those who sign up in advance receive the list, so BOOK NOW!
ADVANCED BOOKING RECOMMENDED Attendance is capped, so don’t miss out!

This event is hosted by NFP Representative Kim Wynette and co-hosted by Jeremy Bonsol.
Kim is President of Affairs Events, a events company specializing in networking, themed events. Born and raised in New York City she took the opportunity to start her own business after working on events with such people as the Hudlin Brother’s (House Party and Boomerang). Kim is also a member of the Metropolitan Club in Chicago, Illinois.

Melanie Adcock
iPHONE: 312-259-0610
DROID: 312-833-1825
E-Mail: melanie_adcock@msn.com
Facebook Fan Page: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockFacebookFanPage
Bio: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockARC
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melanieadcock
Twitter: twitter.com/melanie_adcock
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/melanie.a.adcock
__________________________________
December 9 and 10: Rocked the Recession comes to Chicago!

Subject: Rocked the Recession! Dec. 9 & 10, Sync Center & Loyola University
Date: 10/24/2010 10:28:30 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

Subject: Rocked the Recession! Dec. 9 & 10, Sync Center & Loyola University

Rocked the Recession! Dec. 9 & 10, Sync Center & Loyola University

Dec 9th and 10th: Rocked the Recession comes to Chicago!

Flyover Geeks has teamed up with Social Tech Pop to bring Chicago a business conference focusing on businesses that not only survived the recession but are thriving in spite of it!

On Dec. 9th, the Chicago Sync Center will play host to 15 different panels on topics as diverse as legal aspects for small businesses to consider in 2011, tax deals, how entrepreneurs can fund their own retirement, get quality health insurance and a variety of other issues all entrepreneurs face at one point or another in their growth.

On December 10th, the main event takes place in Loyola University’s Mundelein Center where 750 members of Chicago’s entrepreneurial community will gather for a day of speakers and panels designed to give advice and inspiration to entrepreneurs. You’ll find out what successes and mistakes entrepreneurs have made int heir journeys and where they plan to take their business in 2011.

One of our keynote speakers is going to Mike Evans of Grubhub who definitely knows a thing or two about creating an incredible brand while growing a business (and also happens to be an excellent speaker.)

On our Startup panel you’ll hear from Jeb Ory of The App House, Ben Reid of Foodie Registry, Swathy Prithivi of Present Bee, Kevin Weilgus of the upcoming, already causing waves Jabber Jury.

But there is more- much more. You’ll also hear from Mark Papadas of the inspiring “I Am 4 Kids”, Chicago’s “First lady of Film” Ruth Ratney, Michael Davis of the wildly successful The Savid Group Mike Rhodes of the Sync Center and many more!

At the end of the day, there will be a networking reception (complete with cocktails) where everyone can mingle, make deals and discuss how they Rocked the Recession!

__________________________________________________________

Web: www.momochicago.org

MoMo on Linked In : www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1780435&trk=hb_side_g

MoMo on Twitter: twitter.com/MoMoChicago

GoogleGroups: momochicago@googlegroups.com

Melanie Adcock
iPHONE: 312-259-0610
DROID: 312-833-1825
E-Mail: melanie_adcock@msn.com
Facebook Fan Page: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockFacebookFanPage
Bio: bit.ly/MelanieAdcockARC
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melanieadcock
Twitter: twitter.com/melanie_adcock
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/melanie.a.adcock
_________________________________________
Monday, October 25: BOOTSTRAPPING: How to increase your sales comfort and get the order!

Subject: FW: BOOTSTRAPPING Meeting Wheaton Illinois Monday October 25, 2010
Date: 10/24/2010 11:50:10 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

Another interesting event! -Melanie

From: jerry@jerryrmitchellandassoc.com
To: info@jerryrmitchellandassoc.com
Subject: BOOTSTRAPPING Meeting Wheaton Illinois Monday October 25, 2010
Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2010 23:41:42 -0500

How to increase your sales comfort and get the order!

Check out speakers bio below!

www.linkedin.com/in/jerryrmitchell

Blog jerrymitchellblog.com

********************************************************************
BOOTSTRAPPING Meeting Wheaton Illinois Monday October 25, 2010 “Most
People learn from their own mistakes the fortunate learn from those of
others”
********************************************************************

This newsletter is provided free of charge to the Entrepreneurial
community, courtesy of Bootstrappingejrm This document may be freely
redistributed by e-mail. We encourage you to share it with your
friends. To subscribe, send a blank message to
mailto:bootstrappingjrm-on@mail-list.com

Monday Nights Meeting: 6:00 .-8:00 P.M
The meetings will be at Room 166 of the Dan and Ada Rice Campus
of the Illinois Institute of Technology, located
at 201 East Loop Road,Wheaton,IL.
Directions below

All the seminars are FREE. Register for any of the seminars by
emailing to: bootstrapping@jerryrmitchellandassoc.com

1) Monday evening October 25 6:00P.M.-8:00 P.M.is the date for the
next in the Bootstrappingseminars : How to increase your sales comfort
and get the order!

Entrepreneurs survive by being enthusiastic about their ventures and
by being committed to promoting their concepts unceasingly. It
therefore seems unnatural for entrepreneurs to equate “being silent”
with “actively promoting the venture.”

In today’s economy, big and small businesses are seeking every
opportunity to win sales through competitive advantages. Smart owners
of small business know a sales strategy can create a competitive
advantage. “Nothing happens until someone sells something.” It is
unfortunate that some entrepreneurs when starting a business have a
fear and dislike of selling as it is rare that any successful
businessperson fails to overcome the fear and master the fundamentals
of this most basic of all business skills.

Unfortunately, it is a common impression many have. This jaundiced
view is based on the misunderstandings: that salespeople are dishonest
and unethical; that salespeople customarily lie, and pressure people
into buying, regardless of need or affordability; that selling based
is on personality and that salespeople are interested only in their
Commissions not the customer. If you share these misunderstandings
it is time to correct your thinking if you are going to succeed in
business.

Do I have to sell? Yes. As you will find out, selling is an
important part of any business activity. If you are already in
business you know it. If you are just starting out, much of your
success will depend on your sales skills. If you dislike selling or
are fearful of it carefully read this, perhaps it will help you.

In reality, salesmanship is persuading others to your viewpoint.
Nothing more. There is no mystery to it only hard work and a lot of
rejection. Just think of selling as successfully asking someone to do
something. It can be learned. It is a skill that comes from practice
and positive thinking. If your product or service is competitive, and
you believe in its value, you can sell it.

The business world is full of successful salespersons that overcame
their doubts about selling. If you are uncomfortable about phoning or
seeing a stranger to ask for business, you are not unusual- nearly
every well-known actor has experienced the same discomfort from stage
fright. People, who must learn public speaking, know all about sweaty
palms and nervous stomachs. It is only through repeated attempts at
selling, acting, and speaking do the discomforts partially vanish; and
they will.

As an entrepreneur, you will begin your sales career the moment you
give birth to the idea of your company. You will need to sell your
idea to your spouse, your sources of money, your suppliers, your
landlord, and your new employees. You may not call it selling, but
that is what it is. You have a message and you want others to buy it.
In your enthusiasm, you do not question your sales ability you just do
it. The moment the first person that signs on to your plans is the
moment you have debunked the sales myth. You have made a sale without
being a phony, without imposing on others, and without lying. You
made a sale, because your message makes sense and you believe in it.
Selling can be fun if you make it so. After all, it is your business

Some argue that selling skills are mostly a product of personality.
Yes, there is validity to the argument that outgoing people have an
easier time of it than shy ones, but whether you are outgoing or
quiet, if you have the right message, and believe in it, you will
persuade others.

In my opinion, salesmanship is not based on personality, it is a
learned skill, combined with a logical and honest message about a
product or service that a potential customer need or wants. It is
nothing more. It is not showmanship or magic. It is the presentation
of information in a persuasive manner. Remember success starts with
the same letter of the alphabet as selling!

Some topics we will cover tonight:

The Keys to Selling to Big Companies
Getting in to see senior executives
How does “Selling” really happen?
Letters that get positive responses
Proper questions to ask on the telephone
Why you should Avoid Low-Hanging Fruit

Bring your tough questions to the meeting.

Detailed directions to the Rice Campus:

The campus is just North of Butterfield Road (Rt 56) and a half-mile East of
Naperville Road. From the East you can take the East-West toll Road (I-88)
West to the Naperville Road exit. Go North on Freedom Drive to Warrenville
Road at the stop light which is Warrenville Road turn Right (East). At the
first stop light which is Naperville Road turn Left (North) Turn Right
(East) on Butterfield Road (Rt 56) Turn left [North] at East Loop Road, the
first stoplight on Butterfield Road. The IIT building is a short distance
ahead on your right.
_________________________________________
Dalka’s Facebook page says he is off to Hungary to give the keynote, but his presentation is not listed as a keynote at all and if it were a keynote, he would have brought Nik Rokop to do translation

www.internethungary.com/english/

Day two: 16.45-17.30
Presentation

SEM and its business models in marketing. How is it possible
that one company closed after 153 years and another is opening
new locations – simply from being effective with search marketing
and content strategy.
Presented by: David Dalka (USA)

David Dalka

David is about to leave on a trip to Budapest, Hungary

David Dalka Off to Budapest for the Keynote at Internet Hungary!

O’hare International airport
David just checked-in @ O’hare International airport (w/ 2 others) (Chicago, Illinois)

about an hour ago via Foursquare · Comment ·LikeUnlike · View Feedback (1)Hide Feedback (1) · David on foursquare

Yesterday at 8:01am via TripIt · Comment ·LikeUnlike · View Feedback (4)Hide Feedback (4) · Plan a trip on TripIt

3 people like this.

David Dalka Internet Hungary keynote speech, here I come!
Yesterday at 8:27am · LikeUnlike
______________________________________
END OF REPORT

Leave a Reply

Archives

Twitter: themayreport