The May Report: 1/24/2012: It has been an exciting and invigorating week, possibly since it gave me exposure to two topics that are under covered and under emphasized in our tech world: advanced manufacturing and bio fuels. And JB, Matt Moog, Kevin Willer, and the rest of the gang behind the 1871 Tech Center, I have a message for you: Internet companies are NOT the only game in town and if you’d ever show up at a meeting for energy, manufacturing, and other sectors; David Gulley is retiring in April so maybe then he’ll sing like a canary about Nancy Sullivan and if he doesn’t, I’ll sing for him; There has to be more to the story on Phil Tadros closing down Noble Tree than he’s saying since he also sold off Dollop and Kickstand; Rahm’s library about face; Hoyt Hudson, Chet Kolodziej, Roger Murphy and much more… This was supposed to go out at 3pm Monday, but a frozen mouse and trouble with opening AOL, delayed me until after 1am

Editor and publisher: Ron May, ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com,www.themayreport.com, 773-525-3944.
If you missed an article, go here:
www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter

(ALL REPORTS HAVE NOW BEEN POSTED ON THE TMRONLINE.COM SITE AND THANKS TO PROMINIC FOR FIXING THE PROBLEM)
Otherwise, just go to www.themayreport.com where all the articles are archived and the search function on the new site is now working
Louis Brandeis: “Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”
frequently attributed to Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” but the quote and its many variations have been the subject of dispute. See en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke for more.
“Larsen E. Whipsnade”: You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939), a comedy film starring and scripted by W. C. Fields
Andre’ Gide (1869 – 1951) in his “Les Nourritures Terrestres. Envoi:”:
“What another would have done as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself — and thus make yourself indispensable.”
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Scoop section:
– Sweis did actually rate an article in Venturebeat, so I should never have doubted him — more big news is on the way
– Noble Tree, owned by Phil Tadros of Doejo, Dollop, Kickstand, Next Door and some coffee shops at Columbia College as well, closed its doors late last week; who knows if one can believe what Phil says since it turns out that he has sold Kickstand and Dollop cafes to Dan Weiss, a former equity partner and I think we still need to look into Phil’s uncle’s dealings and Phil’s planning to put a roasting shop in the old Doejo space on Broadway which had been occupied by another failed Tadros venture Haystack
– Tom Bennett: A few remarks on Tadros
– Lynne Marek from Crain’s: The number of venture capital investments in Chicago companies rose by 40% in 2011, with a spurt of activity early in the year, but the total amount of money raised fell 23% as the median deal size shrank; also from Crain’s: VC investment in clean-tech firms rose in 2010
– After laying off staff and cutting library staff, Rahm is forced to do a switcheroo, an about face, and reinstate the Monday hours, but big issues remain
– Sometimes TMR is right on top of the news, and sometimes it’s not — in this case almost four months late: Ted Pincus a man who basically invented the field of investor relations died in late September
– Chris Sorensen: A Special Opportunity for Midwest Startups to pitch top VC’s in Silicon Valley at the Plug and Play Spring Expo on March 22
– Chet Kolodziej: What I learned at the Bio energy event on Thursday
– Hoyt Hudson (41) who majored in Applied Physics at Caltech www.caltech.edu/ went into IT when he graduated along with many of his fellow students since the Super Collider died, starting, along with Tom Simonds, one of the very first ISPs in 1993; he went to New Trier and even worked at the same Arby’s that Rahm worked at; now he’s in the energy field and the gasification plant his firm is working on in Hegewisch, IL is a $3B project!
– Jason Eric Krygsheld: Has two clean energy start-ups
– Roger Murphy, angel investor from Britain who funded Terry to the tune of about $1MM for desksurfer.com, clearly one of Terry’s “fans,” says he’s GLAD to hear today’s news
– Charles Wu: Too busy to attend meetings
– Tuesday, January 31: Technori Pitch January 2012 Lineup
– Thursday, Jan. 26: SOPA, Fee Fighters at Saper Law Seminar
– Monday January 23rd from 5:30pm to 9pm: VentureShot: Strategic Business Planning for A Great New Year
– February 16: ACG Chicago: Award Winning Success Story
– February 23: Business Networking Event @ChicagoMicro
– Tuesday, March 6: Power Pitch at the IBM Innovation Center in downtown Chicago to celebrate the 25th anniversary of IMSA
– A bit old, but still relevant: Emanuel Eyes Cuts to City’s Public Relations Staff
– Bruce Montgomery: Reinvestment During the Next Five Years Could Usher in a ‘Manufacturing Renaissance’ as the U.S.
– Ed Longanecker: OKCopay: Treatment for medical bills – Chicago Sun-Times
– What Would You Do With a Billion Dollar Bank Error?
– Uki Lucas: Full time with CyberWalkAbout.com and their current client is CouponCabin
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The Scoop section:
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Sweis did actually rate an article in Venturebeat, so I should never have doubted him — more big news is on the way
venturebeat.com/2012/01/20/junowallet-mobile-wallet/
JunoWallet scores big as its mobile wallet for gift cards goes viral
January 20, 2012 | Dean Takahashi
1 Comment
inShare.
In a sign that we are living in a truly mobile world, mobile gift cards are taking off like crazy.

During the holidays, grocery store clerks cheered whenever Chris Sweis, the chief mobile officer at JunoWallet, showed up to buy gift cards. That was because he gave the stores some huge business, buying every single iTunes card on the racks in the store.

He took them back to the office so employees, like Abel Jimenez pictured right, could literally swim in a sea of gift cards. The team had to scratch off the gift cards, get the access codes, and put them into the company’s database so JunoWallet could give away an electronic version of the card.

Sweis’ company has turned plastic gift cards into electronic gift cards. Instead of storing them in your physical wallet, you can put them in a virtual one on your iPhone or Android device. JunoWallet created a popular mobile app that will let you store all your gift card information in one place and access it right when you need it. It’s like a mobile wallet that connects you with just about every merchant in the world.

For consumers, the JunoWallet is a simple iOS or Android app that can securely store the numbers and pins for existing gift cards from businesses such as Starbucks, Apple, or The Gap. You can redeem those gift cards directly from the device, which means you no longer have to carry a bunch of plastic in your wallet or purse. It also means you will have the gift card information when you need it, as it’s easy to forget gift cards at home.

I met Sweis on the plane coming home from the Consumer Electronics Show; he was happily exhausted from being so busy. He laughed about how he and his team had to work around the clock to keep up with demand, which started taking off around Dec. 17, just before the holidays. In the last 30 days, the JunoWallet app has had more than 220,000 installs.

Sweis had to charge the grocery store sales to his corporate debit card. Once, the first time he did this, he was only able to charge $800 worth at a time. And after a few times, the bank turned the spigot off. Sweis had to call and explain that his business was taking off like crazy. That was just a couple of months ago, but now the whole process has been made electronic, where the gift card makers can send codes over in digital form.

“We definitely are not going to the grocery store anymore,” Sweis said. “Those were exhausting days, when we were doing 14,000 cards a day back then. We are doing significantly more business now. If we had to go to the grocery store still, I’d probably go crazy.”

JunoWallet also lets you obtain promotional certificates that can be used for a variety of products and services. That means you can essentially get free money from JunoWallet through various promotions. Users have been able to convert check-ins, for instance, into points that can be redeemed for gift cards. You can buy gift cards directly from within the app, as well as give cards and certificates to friends. Or you can get bonus gift cards and discounts when you make gift card purchases.

The free app has taken off like crazy. JunoWallet is at No. 5 in the finance category in the App Store. The company has also just launched an Asian-friendly wallet, dubbed BambooWallet, which is at No. 21. The BambooWallet is a companion app to JunoWallet, where you can connect different accounts.

Along the way, JunoWallet has added some interesting innovations that keep the cycle of card giving going. Last year, the company set up JunoPoints, where users can get 20 JunoPoints every time they log into a location. One JunoPoint was worth a penny, and the threshold for redemption was 10,000 JunoPoints, or $100. The company set up a JunoPoints reward system with Foursquare for a limited time last year and will relaunch it across the board later. The experiment was positive but Sweis said the company pulled the JunoPoints system down for now.

Some places will give away bulk JunoCredits, or a virtual currency, just to get people in the door. Users can trade around different points related to specific prizes (you may need four points to get a free product), so the JunoCredits are a kind of currency that encourages social interaction. The app has an “earn gifts” tab that lets you generate JunoCredits that you can then use to shop. Some companies can use the gift cards as promotions to drive new business into their doors. They can, for instance, get consumers to install apps through incentives such as issuing JunoCredits.

If someone installs an app or uses it a bunch of times, the consumer can be rewarded with gift cards sent straight to the mobile device. This cost-per-action model generates money for JunoWallet. The advertisers are happy because the user actions include things that help the brand, like getting on a company’s mailing list, becoming a fan on its Facebook page, taking a survey, calling a call center to hear a sales pitch, or an instant gathering of people communicating via text message. Sweis said there is a lot more opportunity to grow the business.

“We are incentivizing actions in what is called cost-per-action ad units,” Sweis said.

Sweis said his team plans to offer $10,000 in iTunes gift cards to be offered in return for certain mobile tasks to be done at the Macworld Expo next week in San Francisco.

Sweis, a self-described serial entrepreneur with failures under his belt, started the company in Chicago in 2009. He started with a vision and interviewed a bunch of programmers for the job. He was about to hire a team from India when he ran into Raghu Sastry (left), who became the company’s chief architect, who then introduced Sweis to his friend Jae Hoon Kim (right), who became chief applications officer. They started on Christmas Day. The company has relocated from Chicago to San Jose, Calif. Buddy Sastry helped create the security for the company.

“We all realized we had something amazing together,” Sweis said.

On Facebook, JunoWallet has more than 46,000 fans. It has 13,000 Twitter followers. Advertisers are knocking on the door to use the platform. Rivals include players such as Wrapp, Swagg and Blackhawk’s GoWallet. So far, JunoWallet has angel investors. But it may need to raise money if its business keeps growing like crazy.

“We’re working as hard as we can to keep up with the demand now,” Sweis said. “It is really testing us.”
Next Story: What are the most-played words in Hanging With Friends? (exclusive)
Previous Story: The DeanBeat: Should Zynga move into online gambling?
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Noble Tree, owned by Phil Tadros of Doejo, Dollop, Kickstand, Next Door and some coffee shops at Columbia College as well, closed its doors late last week; who knows if one can believe what Phil says since it turns out that he has sold Kickstand and Dollop cafes to Dan Weiss, a former equity partner and I think we still need to look into Phil’s uncle’s dealings and Phil’s planning to put a roasting shop in the old Doejo space on Broadway which had been occupied by another failed Tadros venture Haystack
chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/01/20/noble-tree-coffee-shutters-bow-truss-roasting-coming.php
Shutter Report

Noble Tree Shutters; Bow & Truss Roasting Coming
Friday, January 20, 2012, by Ari Bendersky
161
Noble Tree, the grandiose coffee house in a multistory walkup on Clark Street in Lincoln Park, closed earlier this week. Owner Phil Tadros, who also owns Dollop and Kickstand cafes interactive agency Doejo, said the closure was due to much-needed work to the building.
Tadros said the city required the building to install a fire escape, that major work was needed on a pipe in the basement, new air conditioning units needed to be installed and that the landlord wanted to “jack up” his rent so he was, essentially, forced to close. Tadros said the upgrades would have cost him upwards of $50,000 so he decided to close.

“Noble Tree strangely enough was the weakest link I had financially,” Tadros said. “I would never have closed it because of that [reason], but when faced with having to put up a lot of money … as a business it wasn’t the best, but it was great.”
But Tadros, who is a serial entrepreneur (he partnered with State Farm to open Next Door Cafe in Lakeview last year), is already on to his next project: a roasting works. Tadros partnered with Seth Kravitz, who owns incubator Technori, to open Bow & Truss roasting house.
Tadros said the roastery will open in about a month in the former Doejo headquarters at 2934 N. Broadway. They are awaiting delivery of a Probat roaster and have already established relationships with farmers in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and elsewhere. From this, they also plan to open a number of grab-and-go pour-over coffee shops called P.O.C. and are scouting locations around the city. “There’s a lot to learn in regard to roasting,” Tadros said, “but the trick is really to buy good quality coffee.”
· Next Door Cafe Opening Thursday with Coaching Services [~EChi~]
Noble Tree [Photo: GetawayHostel]
CORRECTION: Eater learned that Tadros had sold Kickstand and Dollop cafes to Dan Weiss, a former equity partner. Weiss now owns and runs both shops while Tadros runs the cafe at Next Door as well as some at Columbia College.
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Tom Bennett: A few remarks on Tadros

Philip Tadros, Peter Vitale Esq and Patrick Daley Thompson Esq
Inbox
x

Thomas Bennett tomrbennett@yahoo.com
3:14 AM (2 hours ago)
to me, ronaldmay, vermontaigne, fcoconate, crfdc
Ron:
Thanks for the heads-up related to Noble Tree Coffee & Tea operated by Philip Tadros and Peter Vitale Esq in Lincoln Park.
Its a favorite spot of Durkin & Roberts Attorneys at Law. In fact, while waiting for Thomas Anthony Durkin Esq (2446 N Clark Street) to wrap-up a phone call, I visited Noble Tree’s 2444 N Clark location for a cup of tea.
I’m disappointed to be informed that Noble Tree is shutting down….perhaps, to relocate to Musa Tadros/Crown Realty’s commercial property located next door to the Chicago Transit Authority campus located at 79th & Dan Ryan Expressway or near Leo High School and Saint Sabina Catholic School?
In any event, do you know how to get ahold of Peter Vitale Esq as evidently Vitale no longer works at Burke, Warren, McKay & Serritella P.C.? Nor is Peter Vitale’s contact information listed at www.iardc.org?
I guess I can lob-in a phone call to Patrick Daley Thompson Esq at Burke, Warren, McKay & Serritella as I have to chat with Patrick about a couple real estate deals:
1). Chicago Athletic Association
2). Evergreen Country Club/Evergreen Park Development LLC – a Sterling Bay and Pritzker Realty joint venture. As an aside, I’m still surprised that Rob Halpin (Rahm’s infamous Schedule E tenant) was next door neighbor to Glen Spear – General Counsel of Pritzker Realty Group.
There is a slight chance I might see Patrick at fundraiser that Patrick is hosting on February 2nd at Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap as Patrick Daley Thompson is running for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District this upcoming March….hopefully as a Reagan Republican.
Let me know if you have Vitale’s email.
Thank you.
All the best,
TRB
Thomas R. Bennett
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Lynne Marek from Crain’s: The number of venture capital investments in Chicago companies rose by 40% in 2011, with a spurt of activity early in the year, but the total amount of money raised fell 23% as the median deal size shrank; also from Crain’s: VC investment in clean-tech firms rose in 2010
www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120120/NEWS01/120119734/vc-investors-were-busy-in-2011-but-they-spread-less-money-around

VC investors were busy in 2011, but they spread less money around

By Lynne MarekJanuary 20, 2012

Today’s Headlines
1/20/2012
•Looming snow storm cancels 280 flights at O’Hare
•Illinois ranks 3rd in U.S. in green building
•TreeHouse forecasts quarterly results below expectations
•5 Chicago restaurants earn AAA Five Diamond Award
•VC investors were busy in 2011, but they spread less money around
•MillerCoors still looking for lite at the end of the tunnel
.

View All of Today’s News Headlines.

(Crain’s) — The number of venture capital investments in Chicago companies rose by 40% in 2011, with a spurt of activity early in the year, but the total amount of money raised fell 23% as the median deal size shrank.
Chicago companies raised $654.1 million in 70 investments last year. That compares with $854.6 million in 50 deals in 2010, according to data collected by Dow Jones & Co.’s VentureSource.

Nationwide, there was a 10% gain in capital raised and a 6% hike in the number of investments.

While first-quarter 2011 was the most active of the year in Chicago in terms of deals, that’s when the least amount of money was raised. Local companies raised the most money in the second quarter, pulling in $337.1 million, VentureSource said.
Consumer information services was the fastest-growing segment, with 21 deals, up from eight the previous year. That’s the segment into which Groupon Inc. fits, perhaps suggesting a follow-on effect, a spokeswoman for VentureSource said.

Read more: www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120120/NEWS01/120119734/vc-investors-were-busy-in-2011-but-they-spread-less-money-around#ixzz1k1Je5MSY
Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters
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www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110315/BLOGS06/303159995/vc-investment-in-clean-tech-firms-rose-in-2010

VC investment in clean-tech firms rose in 2010
March 15, 2011
(Reuters) — Venture capital investment in clean technology companies rose 46 percent to $5.1 billion last year after a big decline in 2009, according to a report by research firm Clean Edge released on Monday.

Clean energy companies, which include makers of electric cars, solar panels and biofuels, commanded 23 percent of all venture capital dollars in 2010, slightly topping the record of nearly 22 percent from 2008.

Total venture capital dollars invested in clean tech set a record of $6.1 billion in 2008, before the financial crisis and economic recession hurt investment.

In 2009, the industry experienced a 42 percent drop in venture capital investments.

The largest venture deal last year was a $350 million investment in electric vehicle infrastructure company Better Place, led by HSBC.

The remaining nine of the top 10 investments went to thin film solar company Solyndra, solar thermal company BrightSource Energy, electric car maker Fisker Automotive, solar company Amonix, biomass company Kior, thin film solar company Abound Solar, geothermal company Vulcan Power, thin film solar company Miasole and biochemicals company Elevance Renewable Sciences.

Global revenue for photovoltaic solar, wind power and biofuels soared 35.2 percent last year to $188.1 billion, Clean Edge said. That figure is expected to rise to $349.2 billion by 2020, the group said.
Get news for Chicago entrepreneurs from Crain’s via Twitter: @EnterpriseCity.
Follow Ann on Twitter at @AnnDwyer_Crains.

Read more: www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110315/BLOGS06/303159995/vc-investment-in-clean-tech-firms-rose-in-2010#ixzz1k1K0jWap
Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters
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After laying off staff and cutting library staff, Rahm is forced to do a switcheroo, an about face, and reinstate the Monday hours, but big issues remain
www.suntimes.com/10131449-417/emanuel-announces-plan-to-reopen-libraries-on-mondays.html
Emanuel announces plan to reopen libraries on Mondays
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter fspielman@suntimes.com January 21, 2012 12:13AM

Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Updated: January 23, 2012 12:59PM
Chicago’s branch libraries will reopen on Mondays, thanks to a political end-run engineered by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The mayor has accused the union representing library employees of blocking a scheduling change that would have averted the all-day Monday closing because they’re using libraries as a “bargaining chip” to “achieve something else.”

But, he’s not about to sit around and wait for the stalemate with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 to end.

On Saturday, the mayor announced that branch libraries will re-open on Monday afternoons — just as he had planned before the union balked at a schedule that included two half-days-a-week so libraries could open late on Monday and Friday.

Starting Feb. 6, the libraries will be staffed on Monday afternoons during the school year with the help of 90 union positions: approximately 45 reinstated union members, 32 who are being called back after being laid off, and 13 who will return to full-time status after being bumped to part-time; about 25 reassigned staffers from the Harold Washington Library and an estimated 20 new part-time library associates. A “re-balancing” of an unspecified number of other staffers will bolster the arrangement, said Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey, who said she was “thrilled” about it at a news conference where Emanuel announced the plan at the West Pullman Library, 830 W. 119th St..
Mayoral press secretary Sarah Hamilton said reopening the libraries on Mondays was a difficult task.

“It was not easy to do this. We had to take some difficult steps. But the bottom line is libraries will be open six-days-a-week and our kids will have a place to go during the school year. It’s the right thing to do for the city,” Hamilton said.
The end-run allows the mayor to declare victory — for the time being at least — in his latest skirmish with organized labor.

The only question is whether AFSCME will pay the price at the bargaining table when its union contract expires on June 30.

That’s a distinct possibility, judging from the heated rhetoric on both sides.

Earlier this month, Emanuel lambasted the union for standing in the way of a solution less painful to library patrons than the all-day Monday closing that infuriated Chicago aldermen.

“I’m as upset as the aldermen are. … I didn’t support this and I don’t want it. … I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. That’s why I came up with an alternative idea. But the alternative idea requires a `yes’ from the other side,” Emanuel said.

“I expect labor to be a partner in better managing the time because it’s about the people we serve in communities — not about them. … They’re trying to talk about a host of other subjects. I want to solve the library problem. … What it needs is a partner who’s ready to see that’s the goal and not try to use the libraries as a bargaining chip for something else.”

At the Saturday news conference, Emanuel clearly was talking about the union when he said: ‘Don’t try to achieve other objectives through the back door of the librairies.”

“We have tough times,” he added. “I can’t wish those tough times away.”

Henry Bayer, executive director of AFSCME Council 31, countered by saying the city has dragged its feet on setting up meetings with the union.

“Because the city has not communicated with our union in more than a week, we know none of the details of this plan,” he said in a prepared statement.

“Recalling some employees to work and restoring some library hours appears to be a step in the right direction, and a sign that the mayor is starting to appreciate the importance of libraries.”

“Today’s plan seems to leave branch libraries closed most Monday mornings and more than 100 library employees still out of work. We urge the mayor to work with the union to finish the job for the people of Chicago, a world-class city that deserves libraries fully open and fully staffed.”

Bayer accused the mayor of “looking for scapegoats rather than solutions” to the library controversy to “hide the fact that libraries aren’t a big priority for this administration.”

He noted that the mayor “wanted to cut the libraries even more” before an aldermanic outcry forced him to soften the blow.

Bayer also denounced a pair of powerful aldermen as “handmaidens of the mayor” for suggesting that library employees forfeit their 3.5 percent pay raise for 2012 to generate the $1.6 million needed to keep libraries open six days a week.
If Emanuel can ask corporate donors to help bankroll the $60 million NATO and G-8 Summits, Bayer said, he can ask those same businesses to cough up $3 million to keep Chicago public libraries open on Mondays.
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May here. There are many issues here beyond the union busting. The library employees report to AFSCME indirectly.
Rahm needs to answer some basic questions.
1. How many hours will the libraries be open?
2. How many books are now not being bought due to cutbacks?
3. What are the actual library utilization figures? And what are the trend lines?
4. Aren’t there huge numbers of books supposedly on the shelves which are sitting there unshelved?
5. How many bureaucrats are being cut and what are they being paid?
6. Whatever happened to life long learning?
7. There are resources that cannot be accessed on one’s smart phone, like reference materials.
8. What about research and resources for start-ups?
9. BTW, the Sulzer branch is one of the worst offenders.
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Sometimes TMR is right on top of the news, and sometimes it’s not — in this case almost four months late: Ted Pincus a man who basically invented the field of investor relations died in late September
[Editor's note: May here. Ted Pincus was legendary, even iconic, in the field of investor relation which some people may say he pioneered and there's a direct tech connection: Ted's son Mark Pincus is the co-founder of Zynga, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Pincus]
Ted Pincus, PR specialist, Sun-Times columnist, dies

BY DAVID ROEDER Business Reporter/droeder@suntimes.com September 30, 2011 5:14PM
Reprints
34

Ted Pincus
Updated: November 15, 2011 9:22AM
Ted Pincus knew a secret, and it put him squarely in the top echelons of Chicago business.
Mr. Pincus knew that corporate executives aren’t always the best communicators for their own cause. They might know their industry, but not how to tell their story to investors, regulators and the public.
So he set about reinventing the field of public relations, using his gift for words and eye for an anecdote. His advice made him a trusted counselor to numerous chief executives while his upbeat disposition and self-deprecating humor made him a welcome companion to many others.
Mr. Pincus died Friday at age 78 after a battle with cancer that he chronicled with his characteristic wit in the Chicago Sun-Times a year ago.
Mr. Pincus founded the Financial Relations Board, a firm that was among the largest public relations providers when he sold it in 2000. He also wrote a business column for the Sun-Times, was an adjunct finance professor at DePaul University and a consultant for political candidates ranging from Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 to Barack Obama in 2008.
Mr. Pincus suffered from multiple myeloma, which is cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow. He wrote about his diagnosis and treatment, which included a blood stem-cell transplant, describing his hospital unit as follows: “Welcome to Transylvania-west, where everyone is out for blood. Yours.”
The doctor in charge of the procedure, Mr. Pincus said, was his “Chemo Sabe.”
Mr. Pincus’ wife, Sherri, said he pursued the assignment with typical gusto. “He was running up and down the halls of the hospital while he was there, interviewing people about their stem-cell transplants,” she said. “It was something to see.”
She said her husband was always positive. “He kept his friends forever,” and one of his favorite down-time activities was a poker club that met for 40 years, she said.
Mr. Pincus graduated from Indiana University with a degree in journalism. He entered the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s and the brass let him promote the Thunderbird Aerial Demonstration Team.
He joked that they let him do that only because he may have been the worst trainee in the Air Force’s pilot training program.
Mr. Pincus was born in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood and his family later moved to Highland Park, where he said in his own obituary that he was “the most disastrous quarterback in the history of American high school football.”
He had better luck with words in his life and had a love for books, which didn’t sit unread on a shelf. Dan Miller, former business editor of the Sun-Times, recalled seeing a vast library at Mr. Pincus’ Chicago home.
“None of the books had dust jackets on them. I asked him why and he said, ‘They just get in the way,’” Miller said.
He said Mr. Pincus helped corporations define their overriding goal of improving shareholder value and understood that business success leads to social good.
With a client roster of more than 1,000 that included McDonald’s, Alberto Culver and Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Enterprises, Mr. Pincus pushed the idea of “transparency” in corporate affairs long before it became a buzzword.
After selling the Financial Relations Board for $40 million, he declined to retire. Mr. Pincus became a managing partner at the consultancy Stevens Gould Pincus. He also was vice chairman at SMG public relations group and a consultant for Weber Shandwick Group.
His awards included being named PR Professional of the Year in 2002 by the Public Relations Society of America.
Among his civic activities were directorships at the Chicago Film Festival and Gateway House Foundation.
Besides his wife, survivors include a sister, Barbara Adler; son Mark, the billionaire founder of online gaming company Zynga Inc.; daughters Anne Zitron Casey, Laura Pincus Hartman, Jennifer Zitron Suomi and Susan Pincus Sherman; and 12 grandchildren.
A memorial service for Mr. Pincus will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at Chicago Sinai Congregation, 15 W. Delaware Place. His family was planning a private graveside service.
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May here. A number of folks I know knew Ted ZPincus: Terry Savage, Brian Connolly, Steve Lundin, Chris Dever (who worked for him), Dan Miller, Howard Wolinsky, Mike Nikolich, Howard Solomon, and Gary Slack. Pincus asked me to speak at his office in 2000 (?) about the report, and Terry Savage attended. If I am not mistaken, Ted had great timing. He sold the Financial Relation Board for $40MM in 2000, when the market was at its peak.
Ted and Terry also attended the debate at Kellogg between Lloyd shefsky and John Gartner on whether entrepreneurs are born or made. After the debate, Ted, Terry, and Lloyd paid me a high compliment. I wrote this on 10/14/2005:
+++++++++++++++++
Terry Savage and Lloyd Shefsky and Ted Pincus paid me a high compliment today. Terry has not seen me in several years. They said that I was the first blog and that is a high compliment. TMR was a blog before they called it blogging. That is a pleasant thought to go into the weekend with. But I would like to know, which came first, TMR or Drudge? I think it was TMR as a gossipy newsletter and with the reader comments we are talking either August 1907 for the letter and not long after that for the letters and responses.
+++++++++++++++++++
I’d like to print a report with remembrances from people who knew Ted much better than I did.
If you have some Ted Pincus stories, send them to me at ron@themayreport.com and put Ted Pincus in the subject line..
I know one thing : if Ted hired Dever, he must have had a sense of humor and a great deal of tolerance.
The two iconic figures in the history of PR in Chicago are Ted Pincus and Herb Kraus.
Jeff Meredith may get a kick out of this snarky remark by Steve Lundin, but then again, maybe not. Jeff also went to Indiana and majored in journalism.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: Mr. Pincus graduated from Indiana University with a degree in journalism Date: 1/20/2012 11:54:53 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: slundin@bigfrontier.org
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com

I guess it could be noted that in his case it paid off!

On January 21, 2012 at 12:27 AM RONALDMAY@aol.com wrote:

Steve Lundin
Chief Hunter and Gatherer
_________________________________
Chris Sorensen: A Special Opportunity for Midwest Startups to pitch top VC’s in Silicon Valley at the Plug and Play Spring Expo on March 22
A Special Opportunity for Midwest Startups to pitch top VC’s in Silicon Valley
Inbox
x

from: Chris Sorensen Chris@plugandplaychicago.com
to: ron@themayreport.com
date: Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 12:53 PM
subject: A Special Opportunity for Midwest Startups to pitch top VC’s in Silicon Valley

Chris Sorensen Chris@plugandplaychicago.com
12:53 PM (12 hours ago)
to me

Dear Ron,

I thought your readers would be interested in a special opportunity to win a chance to pitch Silicon Valley’s top VC’s at the Plug and Play Spring Expo on March 22.

The Plug and Play Spring Expo will features 30 promising startups pitching to over 100 top-tier Silicon Valley VCs, and corporate partners, live demos and networking in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Plug and Play Chicago is conducting a special contest for one of Illinois’ most promising startups to win a free pass to pitch and demo at Plug and Play Spring Expo in Sunnyvale (a $1,999 value).

To qualify for consideration a company must be a technology related startup seeking Seed, Round A or Round B venture financing. The winner will be chosen by Plug and Play Tech Center.

To enter send an Executive Summary (or 10 slide Pitch Deck) to Contest@PlugandPlayChicago.com by February 17. (No purchase necessary)

About Plug and Play Tech Center

Plug and Play Tech Center is the largest technology accelerator in Silicon Valley. It supports the leading ecosystem of startups, investors, university, and corporate partners, all working together to accelerate tech startups.

· Home to over 300 global technology startups
· Helped startups raise $370M in 2011
· Over $900 million total funding raised to date
· Partners with over 200 VC’s like Sequoia, KP, Lightspeed, DFJ, etc.
· Over 100 global corporations in Business Partner Network
· Global community of over 3,000 technology companies with focus in Mobile, Internet, Digital Media, and Social Media
For more information about the Plug and Play Spring Expo
www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/expo/spring2012/
Chris Sorensen
Managing Director Plug and Play Chicago
Sunnyvale Ca.

Plug and Play Chicago www.PlugandPlayChicago.com
Plug and Play Silicon Valley www.PlugandPlayTechCenter.com

www.linkedin.com/in/chrissorensen
_______________________________
Chet Kolodziej: What I learned at the Bio energy event on Thursday
Subject: Thursday Night what I saw, heard, and understood.
Date: 1/22/2012 8:07:57 A.M. Central Standard Time
From: ckolodziej1@comcast.net
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Ron:
I have been following this Bio Energy “thing” (not just ethanol and corn stover) for about 4 years now, and it has obviously moved from a science project, except for algae, and has jumped over the innovator’s valley of death to project management funding. When big money interests fill the room, like they did at M-B on Thursday night, you know that something big is going on.
I thought the most interesting thing that evening was that this has moved from a special interest issue, like corn is better than….xxx… feedstock discussion, to a massive search for carbon. My mental image is THE BORG is out there looking for raw materials to feed the need for energy.
I met out in Denver last fall a start-up from the Bay area that is doing just about what Enerkem does. Again, commercial people with big money backing not walking around with “I have a patent” and give me some money talk. They are bio-aviation fuel people too! These are significant scale-ups courting not only money for themselves but also attracting supply chain participation and creating generalized commercial interest. We have just started shipping wood pellets from the South-East US to Europe for combustion bio fuels, and now there will be a competition for that as feedstocks for liquid fuels to power ships, cars, and aircraft. Wood waste which was recently dumped now has moved up the value chain.
The NREL Growth Conference last fall was another example where project financing and implementation was the subject, not just science. We have reached TRL 8 in really a short amount of time for liquid biofuels.
In Summary.. Energy is everywhere, it is a matter of the right amount at the right price, and it can be dropped into the current delivery infrastructures. Send money please and it will happen and we all will get rich. A monolithic system, based on crude oil and concentrated supply chains will be supplanted by opportunistic, regionalized materials, and diversified processes that will foster economic change as much as the Information age has?
An additional item: Germany with 82 MM people has 7,000 biogas manufacturing plants and generates three times more energy from them than they do from solar power.
So it can be done and frankly it has been done.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Germany
Thanks for asking.
Chet
______________________________
Hoyt Hudson (41) who majored in Applied Physics at Caltech www.caltech.edu/ went into IT when he graduated along with many of his fellow students since the Super Collider died, starting, along with Tom Simonds, one of the very first ISPs in 1993; he went to New Trier and even worked at the same Arby’s that Rahm worked at; now he’s in the energy field and the gasification plant his firm is working on in Hegewisch, IL is a $3B project!
Subject: RE: Dave/Hoyt, how far along’s the plant? Do you need to raise more $, other plants?
Date: 1/21/2012 9:40:11 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: hhudson@eidsite.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
CC: dhagen@eidsite.com

Ron,
Good chatting with you at CCEA. We are in the midst of managing State approvals for 30-year contracts between Chicago Clean Energy and two Illinois gas utilities, Nicor and Ameren. The framework for these contracts to sell substitute natural gas was created by the enabling legislation for Chicago Clean Energy, Public Act 97-096, which Governor Quinn signed on 7/13/11. Once these contracts are approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission (first half of 2012), the project still needs to complete permitting and land use applications prior to breaking ground. The expected construction start is 2014, and commercial operations in 2017.
The full timeline is on the Chicago Clean Energy web site, chicagocleanenergy.com, “about” section. There is also a nice video on there of the gasification process and its merits. Chicago Clean Energy is part of a portfolio of gasification projects being developed by Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE: LUK).
Glad to see cleantech getting more coverage in TMR. We may be the tortoise next to Groupon hare, but we plod along the best we can.
Hoyt Hudson
Eco-Industrial Development
312.642.2427
ChicagoCleanEnergy.com
From: RONALDMAY@aol.com [mailto:RONALDMAY@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 3:12 AM
To: David Hagen
Cc: Hoyt Hudson; ronaldmay@aol.com
Subject: Dave/Hoyt, how far along’s the plant? Do you need to raise more $, other plants?
____________________________
Jason Eric Krygsheld: Has two clean energy start-ups

Subject: Re: Jason, what do Elixer Bio Tec h and Energime do? We met at Clean Tech.
Date: 1/21/2012 1:27:19 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: needlemansr@gmail.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Dear Ronald,
Energime is a unique waste to fuel company that utilizes over 200 different technologies that are put together synergistically.
Elixir Biotech Inc is a algae/spirulina business that is looking for funding to make bio diesel from algae.
Hope this helps.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jason Eric Krygsheld

On Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 3:18 AM, <RONALDMAY@aol.com> wrote:
_________________________
Roger Murphy, angel investor from Britain who funded Terry to the tune of about $1MM for desksurfer.com, clearly one of Terry’s “fans,” says he’s GLAD to hear today’s news
Subject: Roger, from my point of view, a great day! This news just hit.
Date: 1/23/2012 11:10:48 A.M. Central Standard Time
From: roger@abbeyland.co.uk
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Ron,
Good Evening from UK, thanks for email, I had just read the news of TH’s departure in the May Report which came through earlier. I am Glad to hear that TH is having problems and that you are still on his back.
Regards.
Roger Murphy.
Abbeyland Ltd.
215 Tyburn Road.
Erdington.
Birmingham.
B24 8NB
T 0121 250 2146
F 0121 250 2148
M 07880 733590
E roger@abbeyland.co.uk
W www.abbeyland.co.uk
_____________________________
Charles Wu: Too busy to attend meetings
Subject: RE: Charles, where have you been? How’[s your co. doing? Have you spent the $13MM?
Date: 1/20/2012 8:24:19 A.M. Central Standard Time
From: cwu@cticonnect.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com

Hi,
Been busy
Doing great
Still working on spending the $13
-Charles
From: RONALDMAY@aol.com [mailto:RONALDMAY@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 7:53 AM
To: Charles Wu
Cc: ronaldmay@aol.com
Subject: Charles, where have you been? How’[s your co. doing? Have you spent the $13MM?
________________________________
Tuesday, January 31: Technori Pitch January 2012 Lineup
Technori Pitch, January 2012
15% Off $15 tickets for Technori Pitch! Use code: janpitch
Get your Regular Price Tickets before the price increases to $20.
Tickets have sold out every single month. Do not wait. (janpitch)

Tuesday, January 31st, Technori will host Chicago’s premier monthly showcase of the latest and greatest in innovative start-ups. Entrepreneurs, developers, designers, tech companies, investors, and enthusiasts alike will come together to bear witness to the most innovative Chicago companies presenting their newest products. Read the recap of November’s event.
Opening Keynote: Kevin Willer (CEC and 1871)
We are very excited and proud to have Kevin Willer, President of the CEC, as our opening keynote for Technori Pitch January 2012. As the President of the CEC, Kevin has been tasked with one of the most intense undertakings of the year: help facilitate the launch, delivery, and operations of the brand new tech center, 1871.
Come hear Kevin discuss the launch of the facility and its plans, plus a quick question and answer session to follow using your questions submitted from the audience!
Startups Pitching in January 2012:
Moosejaw – Launching + Demo
Leap Year Project – ReLaunching
AttorneyFee.com – Relaunching + Demo
GeoRama – Launching + Demo
Phaxio – ReLaunching + Demo
Plus, a couple of surprises to be announced later this week
Afterparty at Rosebud Theatre District
70 W Madison St
Chicago, IL 60602-4252
(312) 332-9500
$5 Domestic Beer
$7 Wine
$12 Pizza
What people are saying about Technori Pitch:
“A fantastic event full of quality entrepreneurs, great presentations from the demoing companies, and delicious food/drink. Highly recommend coming to a future Pitch!” – Tim Jahn, EntrepreneursUnpluggd.com
“Great presenters, well run and awesome community of Chicago tech. Must attend for anyone looking to get more involved in Chicago Tech!” – Brittany Laughlin
“Great networking, very intriguing presentations…overall, well worth the time. See you at the next one!” – Jim Snediker
“This is a great way to expose companies to Chicago and be around thought leaders in the area.” – Pascale Dargis
“Fantastic event! Well organized and great presentations. Can’t wait until the next one.” – Dave Chang
“Great crowd, great conversation – Thank you!” – Ludmila Baklanova
“I loved it” – Marcy Capron
All 500 Tickets Sell Out Every Month. Do Not Wait. Get Your Ticket (Use code: janpitch)
technoripitchjan-email.eventbrite.com/

Technori
435 N. LaSalle, Suite 204, Chicago, IL 60654
Website: www.technori.com
________________________________
Thursday, Jan. 26: SOPA, Fee Fighters at Saper Law Seminar
SOPA, Fee Fighters at Saper Law Seminar January 26
Inbox
x
ronaldmay@aol.com
x

Daliah Saper dsaper@saperlaw.com via mail110.us2.mcsv.net
7:42 PM (6 hours ago)
to ronaldmay
Images are not displayed. Display images below – Always display images from dsaper@saperlaw.com

Mark your Calendars!
Dear Clients and Friends ,
If you used the internet yesterday, then you probably read about SOPA (The Stop Online Piracy Act) and the many organizations that oppose it.
Saper Law drafted this article explaining SOPA on January 2
Daliah Saper was interviewed by Fox Chicago news last night on the topic
Mashable.com interviewed Daliah for possible alternatives to SOPA

January 26th’s Lunch Seminar at Saper Law: The Check is in the Mail—Just got even better.
In addition to Erik Kalman, Stella Fayman of Fee Fighters will also be a featured speaker. FeeFighters is a comparison shopping website for credit card processing that has gained nationwide attention. Read more about the seminar below and be sure to register before the event is sold out.
—
If you are like most businesses, your 2012 resolutions include getting paid in full for your products or services, and getting paid faster!
For its January Seminar, Saper Law has invited Stella Fayman of Fee Fighters, and Eric Kalman, Founder of Payment Revolution, to discuss the myriad of ways your business can accept payment while complying with financial privacy laws.
Along with Daliah Saper, Principal Attorney at Saper Law, Eric and Stella will answer the following questions:
Should you accept credit cards?
For those who already accept credit cards, how can you minimize those fees?
What are the latest forms of accepting payments in the ever-changing digital world? (Google Wallet, Square, iPads, etc.)
What privacy laws govern your retention of customer credit card information? What security measures are you required to implement?
How does newly enacted congressional legislation affect businesses and consumers?
What is Interchange?
Additional questions are welcome.
Details:
Thursday January 26, 2012
Saper Law Offices, LLC
505 N. LaSalle, Suite 350
Chicago, IL 60654
Time: 12:00 – 1:00
Cost $15 with online registration, $25 at the door.
Lunch will be provided
Saper Law is an intellectual property, social media, and business law firm with headline grabbing clients and cases. We’re best known for our expertise in handling contract negotiations, drafting complex software, trademark, and copyright licensing agreements, organizing new LLCs or Corporations, and generally serving as outside “inside” counsel to many creative individuals and innovative business organizations. Our litigation practice is equally famous for tackling novel internet or cyberlaw cases as well as traditional cases involving breach of contract, trade secret misappropriation, defamation, trademarks, copyrights, right of publicity, and privacy. Click on the News tab to learn about our media appearances and firm events or announcements. Sign up for our Seminar mailing list, Read what clients are saying about us.
_____________________________
Monday January 23rd from 5:30pm to 9pm: VentureShot: Strategic Business Planning for A Great New Year
Subject: Strategic Business Planning for A Great New Year
Date: 1/18/2012 12:25:53 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: bob@fundingfeedingfrenzy.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com

Join Us At VentureSHOTTM for
Strategic Business Planning for A Great New Year
Monday January 23rd from 5:30pm to 9pm
VentureSHOTTM Headquarters
744 N. Wells Street, Chicago, IL 60654
Located on Wells St. / River North neighborhood.
Only 1 Block from the Chicago Brown Line Stop.
Ron,
Are you an entrepreneur that is determined to be more successful in 2012? Strategic Planning for 2012 will help make your business more successful and lead to a great New Year!
Build your business better this year with guidance and insights from seasoned entrepreneurs and input from your peers.
Topics:
*Crafting A Vision for 2012
*Aligning Your Mission with the Market
*Power Objectives that Maximize Your Level of Success
*Major Definite Purpose for the Year
*Group Strategy Discussions
*Strategic Alliances
*Leveraging Growth Strategies
There will be a major amount of time for open “mastermind” discussion and collaboration, plus Q&A.
We have created a brand new Meetup Group to make it easy to RSVP or you can Register Here.
Only $20 early bird, $25 regular and $30 at the door.
These events will sell out due to space. Register now!
Email david@FundingFeedingFrenzy.com or call David Culver @ 312-953-9919 for more information.
Also plan on attending other outstanding VentureSHOT Events!
Chicago’s High Energy Entrepreneur Center
744 N. Wells Street, Chicago, IL 60654
Located on Wells St. / River North neighborhood.
Only 1 Block from the Chicago Brown Line Stop.
What are some of the great things that happen at VentureSHOTTM?
· VentureSHOTTM Super-Ultra Collaborative Entrepreneurial Group meetings
· “Meet the Money” Angel Investor and Venture Capital “Meet & Greet” sessions
· Coaching for Funding Presentations and other important strategic presentations
· Participation in many valuable Mastermind Sessions including:
- Founder / CEO “Top Challenges”

- Funding Challenges and Solutions
- Revenue Growth Strategies
- Strategic Marketing and Brand Development
- Developing a Powerful Company Culture

· Access to “Flex-Space” or Private Offices in a fun, highly collaborative and entrepreneur friendly working environment
Come experience the awesome collaboration opportunities at Chicago’s newest Entrepreneur Center & Incubator!
Cheers!
The VentueSHOT Team.
www.VentureShot.com
For more information about The Funding Feeding Frenzy, please be sure to contact:
Bob Bock,
708.646.9047
Bob@FundingFeedingFrenzy.com
_______________________________
February 16: ACG Chicago: Award Winning Success Story
Award Winning Success Story – Feb 16
Inbox
x

ACG Chicago Networking@acgchicago.com
2:18 PM (12 hours ago)
to me
Images are not displayed. Display images below – Always display images from Networking@acgchicago.com
Join Us Feb. 16 to Hear the Success Story: Thriving in the Depths of a Market
There is no question that Jones Lang LaSalle has impressively managed the real estate industry; one of the sectors most affected by the financial volatility of the last few years. Most of the firms in this industry declared success if they simply maintained their business. Jones Lang LaSalle easily exceeded this and was the clear choice as the 2012 Corporate Growth Award winner.
The award will be accepted by Lauralee Martin, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Operating Officer of Jones Lang LaSalle.
Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated is a Chicago based international real estate services company that provides a full range of services from management and leasing to tenant representation and investment management. They have successfully grown through acquisition and weathered the economic downturn. It is because of that continued growth throughout these difficult times that ACG Chicago is awarding Jones Lang LaSalle with the 2012 Outstanding Growth Award.
Register Now
February 16, 2012
10:30am – 1:15pm
The Standard Club
A Special Thanks to Our
Chapter Sponsors
Diamond Sponsor

Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
BDO USA, LLP; Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Corinthian Capital Group, LLC; Golub Capital; McDermott Will & Emery LLP; Mesirow Financial; Plante & Moran, PLLC; PNC Business Credit; Vedder Price P.C.; Wells Fargo Capital Financial; West Monroe Partners; Winston & Strawn LLP
Silver Sponsors
AccuVal Associates, Incorporated; Gould & Ratner LLP; Burke Warren; Horizon Capital Advisors, LLC; Huron Consulting Group; The Jordan Company; Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP; RHR International; Synergy Law Group, L.L.C.; Tatum
____________________________
February 23: Business Networking Event @ChicagoMicro

Subject: Business Networking Event @ChicagoMicro Feb 23rd
Date: 1/20/2012 10:55:43 A.M. Central Standard Time
From: julian@chicagomicro.com
To: julian@chicagomicro.com
ChicagoMicro invites you to our next business networking event Thursday February 23rd at our state of the art corporate headquarters located in downtown Arlington Heights.
Dude – our business networking events ROCK!
Register here: suburbantech2.eventbrite.com/
Enjoy the opportunity to explore new and emerging products and technologies and network with fellow business owners, service providers, and entrepreneurs! Like every other event we do, we’ll have great food, cool adult refreshments, and excellent giveaways! Bring lots of business cards. There will be multiple drawings for prizes. Business owners are encouraged to bring their employees that handle IT or their outside IT consultants.
Experts from companies such as Microsoft, HP, Hitachi, Eaton, APC, Cisco, Veeam, Barracuda, Ruckus, Lexmark, Lifesize and many others will be on hand.
Reserve your spot today! If you have additional questions, contact us at 877.832.4312 or by e-mail at social@chicagomicro.com
____________________________
Tuesday, March 6: Power Pitch at the IBM Innovation Center in downtown Chicago to celebrate the 25th anniversary of IMSA
Event Promotion
ronaldmay@aol.com
x

David Winkin dwinkin@stuart.iit.edu
4:15 PM (4 hours ago)
to ronaldmay
Hi Ron,
I would appreciate it if you would post this upcoming event in your newsletter.
Thanks.
–
David Winkin
Associate Director
Knapp Entrepreneurship Center
Illinois Institute of Technology
3424 S. State Street
Chicago, IL 60616
Phone: 312-567-3893
Cell: 847-922-4956
www.knappcenter.iit.edu
dwinkin@iit.edu
In celebration of its 25th Anniversary, the internationally acclaimed Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy teams up with the MIT Enterprise Forum to present Power Pitch on Tuesday, March 6, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the IBM Innovation Center in downtown Chicago. Power Pitch is the annual capstone event of TALENT, IMSA’s entrepreneurship program, in which finalists compete for cash prizes, showcasing their best new business ventures to distinguished investors, business leaders and guests. This year’s competition is focused on technology businesses and will feature the six finalists resulting from a preliminary round of the competition held at IMSA in February.
IMSA alumni have an outstanding record for creating high-impact companies that include YouTube, Yelp, OKCupid and Netscape.
The IBM Innovation Center is located at 71 S. Wacker Dr. in Chicago. Power Pitch prizes are made possible by the generosity of the Cherry Family Foundation. For more information, visit www3.imsa.edu/learning/talent/ or mitefchicago.org
__________________________
A bit old, but still relevant: Emanuel Eyes Cuts to City’s Public Relations Staff
www.chicagonewscoop.org/emanuel-eyes-cuts-to-citys-public-relations-staff/
Emanuel Eyes Cuts to City’s Public Relations Staff
John Konstantaras
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s press office plans an audit of the city’s communications staffing with an eye toward reducing the payroll.
by DAN MIHALOPOULOS | Dec 8, 2011

Dubbed “the leaker-in-chief” for his aggressive approach to spinning reporters as White House chief of staff, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is a voracious and careful reader of the news who has remarked on even the Tweeting habits of the City Hall press corps.

In replacing Richard M. Daley in May, Emanuel also inherited a small army of spin doctors – almost 50 employees whose jobs involved conducting media and public relations on behalf of the mayor’s office or city government departments.

Emanuel has made modest cuts to the city’s public relations staff, just as he has thinned the ranks of other management-level employees, and his communications director, Chris Mather, told the Chicago News Cooperative this week that the mayor’s press office plans an audit of city communications practices with an eye toward further trimming the payroll.

The audit will begin Thursday with the distribution of a questionnaire to all of Emanuel’s Cabinet members and to the heads of all the sister agencies of local government, including the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Transit Authority, Mather said.

The questionnaire will seek to quantify how much time city officials spend handling inquiries from reporters, responding to requests for public documents and tracking what has been published about the administration. Other questions center on the methods that administration officials use to get out City Hall’s message, including how they communicate in social media.

Mather, who became the mayor’s top press aide after working as a media-relations manager at a federal agency, said she has conducted similar audits in previous jobs and expected the review would help Emanuel further cut staffing levels.

“The mayor’s press office is assessing what services are provided in each department’s communications offices, as well as how they are provided, so we can eliminate redundancies and coordinate efforts to save taxpayers money,” Mather said.

Besides the mayor’s press office staff, the city government continued to employ 10 people with the words “public relations representative” in their titles as well as nine directors of public affairs, five public relations coordinators, four directors of news affairs, two public information officers and two senior public information officers, according to city payroll records obtained by the CNC two weeks ago. Those figures do not include CPS, CHA, CTA and other sister agencies.

Even as the city let go of hundreds of front-line workers to plug record budget deficits, Daley’s spin machine grew to more than 50 employees with total salaries of almost $5 million.

The Daley administration also paid millions of taxpayer dollars for the services of private public relations firms that promoted mayoral initiatives like the now-abandoned blue bag home recycling program and the effort to help homeowners renovate bungalows. After initially defending new contracts with public relations firms in 2008 as “worth it,” Daley responded to complaints from aldermen by rescinding those deals.

His moratorium on outside public relations spending, however, did not extend to the sister agencies. Emanuel administration officials said the freeze on outside City Hall contracts remained in place and could be extended to sister agencies after the audit is concluded.

Since taking office, the new administration has cut four City Hall public relations positions, at the Chicago Public Library, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, the Department of Housing and Economic Development and the Environment Department (which was disbanded). Mather said the city plans to cut three more public relations spots, including one in the Aviation Department.

The nerve center of the messaging operation, the mayor’s press office, will be sliced from 15 employees at the end of Daley’s tenure to 12 in 2012, according to city budget documents. Instead of two mayoral photographers, as was the case under Daley, there is now one.

The payroll for the mayor’s press secretaries is expected to decline next year to $1.03 million, from an appropriation of $1.18 million in 2011, the budget shows.

Emanuel has replaced many, though not all, of the Daley-era employees in the mayor’s press office with his own hires. He has kept most of the spokesmen and spokeswomen who long worked in city departments for Daley.

And while some high-ranking Emanuel aides are paid more than their predecessors, some new public relations hires agreed to lower pay than their Daley administration counterparts.

Mather’s annual salary is $162,492, compared to the final budgeted salary of $177, 216 for Daley’s long-time chief spokeswoman, Jacquelyn Heard. Heard, who was Daley’s spokeswoman for 15 years, and Daley’s last deputy press secretary, Jodi Kawada, went to work at the law firm that has employed the former mayor since he retired from office.
_____________________________
Bruce Montgomery: Reinvestment During the Next Five Years Could Usher in a ‘Manufacturing Renaissance’ as the U.S.
Subject: Reinvestment During the Next Five Years Could Usher in a ‘Manufacturing Renaissance’ as the U.S.
Date: 1/19/2012 11:41:02 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: onepresence@yahoo.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
CC: ronaldmay@aol.com
Reinvestment During the Next Five Years Could Usher in a ‘Manufacturing Renaissance’ as the U.S. Becomes a Low-Cost Country Among Developed Nations, According to Analysis by The Boston Consulting GroupCHICAGO, May 5, 2011—Within the next five years, the United States is expected to experience a manufacturing renaissance as the wage gap with China shrinks and certain U.S. states become some of the cheapest locations for manufacturing in the developed world, according to a new analysis by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
With Chinese wages rising at about 17 percent per year and the value of the yuan continuing to increase, the gap between U.S. and Chinese wages is narrowing rapidly. Meanwhile, flexible work rules and a host of government incentives are making many states—including Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama—increasingly competitive as low-cost bases for supplying the U.S. market.
“All over China, wages are climbing at 15 to 20 percent a year because of the supply-and-demand imbalance for skilled labor,” said Harold L. Sirkin, a BCG senior partner. “We expect net labor costs for manufacturing in China and the U.S. to converge by around 2015. As a result of the changing economics, you’re going to see a lot more products ‘Made in the USA’ in the next five years.”
After adjustments are made to account for American workers’ relatively higher productivity, wage rates in Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin are expected to be about only 30 percent cheaper than rates in low-cost U.S. states. And since wage rates account for 20 to 30 percent of a product’s total cost, manufacturing in China will be only 10 to 15 percent cheaper than in the U.S.—even before inventory and shipping costs are considered. After those costs are factored in, the total cost advantage will drop to single digits or be erased entirely, Sirkin said.
Products that require less labor and are churned out in modest volumes, such as household appliances and construction equipment, are most likely to shift to U.S. production. Goods that are labor-intensive and produced in high volumes, such as textiles, apparel, and TVs, will likely continue to be made overseas.
“Executives who are planning a new factory in China to make exports for sale in the U.S. should take a hard look at the total costs. They’re increasingly likely to get a good wage deal and substantial incentives in the U.S., so the cost advantage of China might not be large enough to bother—and that’s before taking into account the added expense, time, and complexity of logistics,” said Sirkin, whose most recent book, GLOBALITY: Competing with Everyone from Everywhere for Everything, deals with globalization and emerging markets.
Indeed, a number of companies, especially U.S.-based ones, are already rethinking their production locations and supply chains for goods destined to be sold in the U.S. For some, the economics have already reached a tipping point.
Caterpillar Inc., for example, announced last year the expansion of its U.S. operations with the construction of a new 600,000-square-foot hydraulic excavator manufacturing facility in Victoria, Texas. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to employ more than 500 people and will triple the company’s U.S.-based excavator capacity. “Victoria’s proximity to our supply base, access to ports and other transportation, as well as the positive business climate in Texas made this the ideal site for this project,” said Gary Stampanato, a Caterpillar vice president.
NCR Corp. announced in late 2009 that it was bringing back production of its ATMs to Columbus, Georgia, in order to decrease the time to market, increase internal collaboration, and lower operating costs. And toy manufacturer Wham-O Inc. last year returned 50 percent of its Frisbee production and its Hula Hoop production from China and Mexico to the U.S.
“Workers and unions are more willing to accept concessions to bring jobs back to the U.S.,” noted Michael Zinser, a BCG partner who leads the firm’s manufacturing work in the Americas. “Support from state and local governments can tip the balance.”
Zinser noted that executives should not make the mistake of comparing the average labor costs for production workers in China and the U.S. when making investment decisions. The costs of Chinese workers are still much cheaper, on average, than comparable U.S. workers, and some managers may assume that China is a better location. But averages can be deceiving.
“If you’re just comparing average wages in China against those in the United States, you’re looking at the problem in the wrong way,” Zinser cautioned. “Average wages don’t reflect the real decisions that companies have to make. Averages are historical and based on the country as a whole, not on where you would go today.”
“In the U.S., we have highly skilled workers in many of our lower-cost states. By contrast, in the lower-cost regions in China it’s actually very hard to find the skilled workers you need to run an effective plant,” added Doug Hohner, another BCG partner who focuses on manufacturing.
Even as companies reduce their investment in China to make goods for sale in the U.S., it is clear that China will remain a large and important manufacturing location. First, investments to supply the huge domestic market in that nation will continue. Second, in the absence of trade barriers that prevent offshoring, Western Europe will continue to rely on China’s relatively lower labor rates since the region lacks the flexibility in wages and benefits that the U.S. enjoys.
Third, even though other low-cost countries—such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia—will benefit from companies seeking wage rates that are lower than China’s, only a portion of the demand for manufacturing will shift from China. Smaller low-cost countries simply lack the supply chain, infrastructure, and labor skills to absorb all of it, Hohner noted.
The BCG analysis is part of an ongoing study of the future of global manufacturing that the firm’s Global Advantage and Operations practices are conducting.
To arrange an interview with a BCG expert, please contact Dave Fondiller at 212 446 3257 or fondiller.david@bcg.com.
About bcgperspectives.com
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The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 74 offices in 42 countries.

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Ed Longanecker: OKCopay: Treatment for medical bills – Chicago Sun-Times
Treatment for medical bills – Chicago Sun-Times
ronaldmay@aol.com
x

Ed Longanecker ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
6:04 PM (2 hours ago)
to ronaldmay
www.suntimes.com/technology/guy/10130647-452/treatment-for-medical-bills.html
www.suntimes.com/technology/guy/10130647-452/treatment-for-medical-bills.html

Treatment for medical bills
By SANDRA GUY sguy@suntimes.com January 20, 2012 5:16PM
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Updated: January 20, 2012 5:38PM
Kevin Kent, a 30-year-old entrepreneur looking to invent a next-generation baby monitor, negotiates with his doctor so he can afford the regular checkups he needs to regulate his diabetes.

He recently paid $275 for a physical exam and lab work that would have cost more than $600 because he worked out a deal with his physician.

The lab work includes tests of the thyroid, cholesterol and blood-sugar control, since diabetics are at increased risk of kidney and heart disease.

“Usually, I pay with cash or a credit card,” Kent said.

Kent is looking to take advantage of two technology innovations:
** A recently launched website, OKCopay.com, developed by Chicagoan J. Toure McCluskey. The site lets people compare the actual prices of 70 medical procedures throughout the Chicago area.

** And the increased willingness of investors — particularly those in Latin America — to help finance ideas such as Kent’s baby monitor.
In November, Kent moved to Santiago, Chile, from his home in River North to work on his invention at “Start-Up Chile,” an incubator that provided Kent with $40,000 in seed funding to realize this dream.

The medical-pricing search engine that Kent says he would welcome won an “Apps for Metro Chicago” award.

McCluskey painstakingly built the OkCopay site after being outraged over a $900 bill he received after he had gotten an MRI of his knee.

“I ended up paying only a deductible since I had health insurance, but I was curious what other places would charge,” said McCluskey, 35, who moved to Chicago two years ago after having earned his MBA at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. McCluskey and his wife DeShay, 32, a Chicago native, met while getting their MBAs at Stanford.

McCluskey discovered that prices in Chicago vary wildly for the same procedure. An abdominal MRI in downtown Chicago, for example, ranges from $325 to $2,100 at hospitals or care facilities that have won the highest levels of accreditation as imaging centers.

“In every other industry, people shop around before they make a purchase, whether it’s buying groceries, a car or an airline ticket,” McCluskey said. “You’re able to make an informed decision. But that’s never been true in health care.”

Users at OkCopay.com may sift through criteria other than price, including the doctors’ experience and qualifications, and whether the health-care center is accredited.

Users also can find health and dental clinics that serve the low-income or find clinics that charge sliding-fee scales based on one’s income.

“The database is free, and will remain free,” McCluskey said.

To make money, he hopes to charge doctors to advertise on the site as a way of promoting their practices and reaching people willing to pay cash for their services.

The eternally debated issue of mandatory health insurance in America has taken on new urgency with an 8.5 percent unemployment rate and U.S. Census Bureau data showing one in every five Chicagoans has no health insurance coverage.

Many are young people working as freelancers, bartenders and in part-time jobs who make too much money to qualify for state aid ($18,000 for singles is the cutoff) and who cannot afford individual health-care plans.

“They have no safety net,” McCluskey said. “They need care, but because of the cost, often go without it.”

Other groups interested in health-care shopping include those who are on employer-based high-deductible plans and those who want elective services such as cosmetic or Lasik eye surgery.

The market is expected to grow as companies continue to make employees pay a greater portion of their health-care costs, McCluskey said.
The OkCopay site is one of many such comparison sites entrepreneurs have tried over the years, but which end up stymied by a complicated thicket of regulations and long-term partnerships among doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and a myriad of other players.

Ayis Pyrros, a radiologist in the Munster (Ind.) Radiology Group, said key hurdles to an online price-comparison service include people’s willingness to pay exorbitant fees for medical care, doctors’ unwillingness or inability to disclose pricing, and a lack of powerful incentives to get doctors to participate.

Subbu Arumugam, co-organizer of Chicago Health 2.0/Tech, said similar price-comparison sites have run into problems with rules prohibiting doctors from making extra money off of referrals.
And lots of websites offer to help people manage their health-care costs, Arumugam said.

“There would have to be a groundswell, similar to the backlash against Wall Street, against the entire health-care pricing system,” he said. “I think the website should focus on a specific category such as diagnostic imaging.”

McCluskey believes the groundswell is coming.

“With nearly 75 million people classified as uninsured or underinsured, and more than 100 million without dental or vision coverage, the tipping point may have arrived,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kent’s idea, called PulseSocks, is to create high-tech baby booties integrated with sensors that would monitor a baby’s breathing, heart rate and other vital signs and alert parents in real time the moment the sensors pick up anything amiss. The booties’ sensors would send a wireless alert to a base station, which the parents could place next to their bed. The base station would make the parents’ cellphone ring to wake them up.

“Lots of my friends are having babies, and they have thousands of dollars worth of gizmos and gadgets, but nothing that works proactively before the child has started crying or choking or being in distress,” Kent said.
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What Would You Do With a Billion Dollar Bank Error?
What Would You Do With a Billion Dollar Bank Error?
By Bruce Watson Posted 2:55PM 01/19/12 Banking, Features
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It’s a cliche that dates back to Monopoly: A bank error in your favor leaves you with an unexpected windfall. But for Parijat Saha, an Indian schoolteacher, the Community Chest card came to life in a big way when he discovered that his bank account suddenly held $9.8 billion.
“I was expecting an amount of a little more than 10,000 rupees ($200),” Saha told the BBC. The teacher, whose monthly salary is roughly $700, was stunned to find his account filled with a Buffett-level balance. He quickly notified bank officials, who subsequently announced that the huge sum was listed as “uncleared,” which means that Saha couldn’t have withdrawn it.

Saha’s honesty is commendable, but it raises an interesting question: What should bank customers do when they find themselves the beneficiary of a bank error?

The other route, grabbing the money and hitting the road, can be alluring — for awhile. In 2009, a New Zealand couple, Leo Gao and Kara Hurring, were surprised to discover that a bank error had left them with a $6.2 million overdraft account. The two quickly withdrew about $2.3 million and went on the lam. In 2011, Hurring voluntarily returned to New Zealand, and Gao was arrested a few months later. She’s scheduled to go on trial in February and he is being held pending a bail hearing.
While among the most impressive accidental millionaires, Gao and Hurring are hardly the only people who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law after falling victim to the temptation to take advantage of a bank’s blunder. In 2008, Pennsylvania couple Randy and Melissa Marie Pratt used a bank mistake to make off with $177,250. They were later apprehended in Florida, and ended up behind bars. Similarly, when Susan R. Madakor, a Brooklyn, N.Y., woman, spent part of a $701,998 windfall that mysteriously appeared in her Chase Manhattan account, she ended up doing two years in prison for bank larceny and bank fraud.
But bank error stories don’t always end up quite so badly. In 2007, Harriet and Herbert Starbird, another Pennsylvania couple, spent about half of $280,276 that their bank erroneously deposited in Mr. Starbird’s account. When the case came to court, they were forced to repay the money, but didn’t end up doing time. While there are several reasons that Herbert Starbird got off relatively easily, the fact that he didn’t try to flee and repeatedly tried to return the money likely factoring in heavily.

The moral is clear: if you see a mistake in your balance, contact your bank immediately. The statute of limitations on bank errors that benefit customers can vary from state-to-state, but most jurisdictions give banks several years to discover their mistakes and seek restitution. And, needless to say, customers who spend their ill-gotten gains will likely find themselves facing the wrath of hordes of well-paid bank lawyers.

Bruce Watson is a senior features writer for DailyFinance. You can reach him by e-mail at bruce.watson@teamaol.com, or follow him on Twitter at @bruce1971.

Tagged: bank error in your favor, BankErrorInYourFavor, BBC, billion dollar error, BillionDollarError, Bruce Watson, Chase, Community Chest, monopoly, New Zealand, Parijat Saha, ParijatSaha, Twitter
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Uki Lucas: Full time with CyberWalkAbout.com and their current client is CouponCabin
Subject: Re: Did you & Natalia get together recently or did you tell Melanie to lie for you?
Date: 1/22/2012 4:48:10 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: ukidlucas@gmail.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
Hi Ron,
I hope you are doing well.
I am not sure what is the question. We have been working with Natalia for over a year now and currently, after quitting Sears I have been full time with Natalia working on CyberWalkAbout.com our current client is CouponCabin.
Natalia is sending you her regards.
We have not seen Melanie for few months now.

Uki D. Lucas
founder: CyberWalkAbout.com
+1 (650) 815-6603
On Jan 22, 2012 3:20 PM, <RONALDMAY@aol.com> wrote:
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