JESSICA BROWDER-STACKPOOLE of EventPro Strategies honored in the 2009 Enterprising Women of the Year Award by Enterprise Women Magazine.. 

        Enterprising Women has named the 2009 honorees for the Enterprising Women of the Year Award.  Winners and finalists will be recognized at a gala dinner held in their honor during the 7th Annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration, March 11-13, 2009 at Disney's Yacht Club Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL.  

       

        Nominations for the award poured in throughout October and November and the magazine's editorial team narrowed the field to a group of semi-finalists. A committee made up of members of the magazine's prestigious National Advisory Board conducted telephone interviews with candidates in order to finalize the selection of winners and finalists. 

       

        The caliber of honorees for the Enterprising Women of the Year Award is amazing. These women are all leading fast-growth businesses, while assuming leadership roles in their communities, and mentoring other women in business.  We are so proud of each and every one of them," Monica Smiley, Publisher/CEO of Enterprising Women, said.  

       The celebration that has been planned to shine a spotlight on the accomplishments of these honorees includes a Hall of Fame induction luncheon, gala awards dinners, procurement breakfast co-hosted by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), an opening reception co-hosted by the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), workshops co-sponsored by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the Women Presidents' Organization, and other partner organizations, a Disney Institute program, a golf clinic lead by LPGA pro golfer Dana Rader, and wine tasting featuring women-owned wineries from North America and Australia.  

 

Winners of the Enterprising Women of the Year Award include: 

  

OVER $25 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUES: 

  

·  Carolyn T. Doerle of Doerle Food Service, LLC, Broussard, LA 

·  Elise Hernandez of Ideal System Solutions, Inc., Maple Grove, MN 

·  Deborah Jallad of Accredited Surety & Casualty Company, Orlando, FL 

·  Amy Langer of SALO, LLC, Minneapolis, MN 

·  Tanya C. Matthews of TMG Construction Corporation, Purcellville, VA 

·  Cynthia J. Pasky of Strategic Staffing Solutions, Detroit, MI 

·  Sue Pisaturo of Small World Vacations, Washington Township, NJ 

·  Sonu Ratra of Akraya Inc., Sunnyvale, CA 

  

OVER $10 MILLION & UP TO $ 25 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUES: 

  

·  Terri S. Alpert of Uno Alla Volta LLC, North Branford, CT 

·  Carol Craig of Craig Technologies, Cape Canaveral ,FL 

·  Hannah Kain of ALOM, Fremont, CA 

·  Colleen Kramer of Evergreen Supply Company,  Chicago, IL 

·  Julie Levi of Progressive Promotions, Inc., Englewood, NJ 

·  LindaMoraski of PeopleSERVE, Inc., Chestnut Hill, MA

·  Anne D. Shybunko-Moore of GSE Dynamics Inc., Hauppauge, NY 

 

 OVER $ 5 MILLION & UP TO $ 10 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUES: 

  

·  Nancy Freeman Balkcom of MySupplies, Atlanta, GA 

·  Jessica Browder-Stackpoole of EventPro Strategies, Inc., Tempe, AZ 

·  Leah Brown of Aten Solutions, Inc., Cary, NC 

·  Annie Danielson of Danielson Designs, Trinidad, CO 

·  Angela Hedges Hendricks of Bentley Hudges Travel Service Inc.,  

   Oklahoma City, OK 

·  Lou Jurkowski of BJAC, pa, Raleigh, NC 

·  Darlene M. Miller of Permac Industries, Burnsville, MN 

·  Lynn Paige of PerfectPower, Inc., Phoenix, AZ 

·  Bridget Soyka Smith of Soyka Smith Design Studios, Upper Montclair, NJ 

·  Paula Turner of Lexair Electronics Sales Corporation, Greensboro, NC 

  

OVER $ 1 MILLION & UP TO $ 5 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUES: 

  

·  Marri Aviza of Rumors Salon and Spa, Latham, NY 

·  Tina Teree Baker of Cadence Group, Atlanta, GA 

·  JenniferBisceglie of InTEROS Solutions, McLean, VA 

·  J. Isabel Chancellor of IngenuitE, Inc., Oklahoma City, OK 

·  Joan Killian Gallagher of Warden-Brooks, Ltd., New Canaan, CT 

·  Jena Gardner of JG Black Book of Travel, New York, NY 

·  Debbi Somers of Somers Furniture Inc., Las Vegas, NV 

·  Terri Sullivan of Meridian Imaging Solutions, Alexandria, VA 

·  Mary Wu of Wu Consulting LLC, Washington, DC 

  

  UP TO $ 1 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUES:  

  

·  MaryArdapple Dierker of Apple's Bakery, Inc., Peoria, IL 

·  Ann Kayman of New York Grant Company, New York, NY 

·  GenmaStringer Holmes of Holmes Pest Control, Hermitage, TN 

·  Patricia Massey of Myca Multimedia & Training Solutions, Cincinnati, OH 

·  Laura Lee Williams of Laura Lee Designs, Inc., McLean, VA 

  

FINALISTS FOR THE 2009 ENTERPRISING WOMEN OF THE YEAR AWARD INCLUDE: 

  

·  Amberly Allen of Direct Innovations, LLC, Bellaire, TX 

·   Dale Bare of Bare International, Inc., Fairfax, VA 

·  Gloria J. Carter-Hicks of Hicks-Carter-Hicks, LLC, St. Louis, MO 

·  Tricia Dempsey of Agile Resources, Inc., Cumming, GA 

·  Helen Ficalora of Helen Ficalora, New York, NY 

·  Linda Maslow of The Maslow Media Group, Washington, DC 

·  Stella M. Miller of Stella May Contracting, Inc., Edgewood, MD 

·  Carrie Mitchell of ASAP Office Supply, Raleigh, NC 

·  Natalie Perkins of Clean Design, Research Triangle Park, NC 

·  Jill Vitiello of Vitiello Communications Group, LLC, East Brunswick, NJ 

·  Mindy T. Withrow of CSS Distribution Group, Inc., Louisville, KY 

Wi-Fi taking off on Virgin

Airline gets passengers online

by Marc Graser

From VARIETY Magazine.

In-flight entertainment's about to take off in a new direction.

Virgin America this week flipped the switch on a Wi-Fi service it will offer on all its planes by the middle of next year, letting passengers surf the Internet, email and send instant messages using a laptop computer or mobile device such as an iPhone or BlackBerry. Voice calls are not permitted.

Other airlines, including American and Delta, plan to roll out full Internet access on their planes next year, while JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska Airlines are testing similar technology.

Offering will instantly change the lives of business travelers, eliminating the brief respite they've had from their gadgets while on planes.

The Wi-Fi in the sky is also expected to have several major implications for Hollywood as well.

Airline passengers could become a greater source of revenue for operators of entertainment websites, with travelers logging onto those sites to watch a movie, TV show or Web series; download music; or play a game.

An uptick in traffic from bored fliers will enable those sites to collect more coin from advertisers.

Sites like YouTube are counting on it, with the company having paired up with Virgin America to promote the launch of the Wi-Fi service over the weekend during its YouTube Live event in San Francisco.

Chris Di Cesare, YouTube's head of marketing, called the launch of Wi-Fi at 35,000 feet "game-changing for the YouTube community," giving video creators access to a captive audience.

Yet Wi-Fi could impact the studios' bottom lines in a negative way.

If enough travelers pay the $10-$13 fee (depending on the length of the flight) to log online, they may be less likely to shell out the $2-$8 to watch a TV show or movie from a seatback or ceiling-mounted screen.

And with passengers able to view entertainment online, airlines don't necessarily have to buy movies and TV shows anymore. They can just collect the connectivity fee charged to give passengers access to the Web and allow them to find whatever they want to entertain themselves.

For example, Wi-Fi would suddenly enable an airline like Southwest, which never offered entertainment aboard its planes, to suddenly have an inflight entertainment system. And US Airways, which eliminated its onboard entertainment this fall due to cutbacks, will have it back again, should it deploy Wi-Fi.

So the advent of Wi-Fi service could reduce the $240 million that studios earn from film and TV sales to airlines each year.

But that kind of negative financial impact won't be felt for some time.

On a recent flight over San Francisco, emailing, instant messaging and visiting websites was a quick and simple process using Virgin America's system, operated by Gogo and Aircell.

Yet watching any kind of TV show or movie on Hulu.com or trailer on QuickTime brought back unwelcome memories of frustratingly jittery video streams from nearly a decade ago that paused more often than played.

The reason is bandwidth. Video quality varies depending on how many passengers are logged onto the Wi-Fi service and gives preference to those requiring less bandwidth for sending emails or surfing sites.

Thus airlines won't turn off their seatback screens anytime soon.

Wi-Fi is being sold as a convenience mostly for business travelers, and airlines like Virgin America will continue to use their in-flight entertainment systems to stand out from their rivals.

"Business travelers are certainly a key customer, especially given that we already offer power outlets at every seat," said Virgin America spokeswoman Abby Lunardini. "However, we really have a good mix of business and leisure travel and hope that Wi-Fi access will also be a draw for leisure travelers who may want to rent a car, Google map or just generally surf the Web en route to their destination."

Besides, relying solely on Wi-Fi as an entertainment provider will cost the airlines too much in lost revenue.

While airlines are expected to earn as much as $936 million from Wi-Fi services in 2012, according to research firm MultiMedia Intelligence, they'll also be able to generate as much as $913 million from in-flight video broadcasts.

In-flight Net access takes off on Virgin America

By Roger Yu, USA TODAY

PHOTO: Passenger Emmaline Allwood learns about Aircell's in-flight broadband service Gogo from Jared Karns in JFK Airport's American Airlines terminal.

Monday, Virgin America plans to become the latest airline to offer in-flight Wi-Fi Internet, a service with a problematic past that still promises far-ranging flexibility in entertainment.

The San Francisco-based carrier has scheduled the service for one Airbus A320 aircraft, joining American Airlines as the only carriers in the world to offer full Internet access.

Dubbed Gogo, the service lets passengers browse the Web, use e-mail and instant messaging, download video and connect to secure networks through three wireless access points on the plane. Voice calls over the Internet are not allowed. The cost is $9.95 to $12.95 a flight, depending on route length.

If Virgin America's test flight is deemed successful after about a week of flying, the airline will expand the service to 24 other planes in its fleet by mid-2009.

With two carriers offering the service commercially, in-flight Internet is making a serious comeback after a two-year period of dormancy.

The previous generation of in-flight Wi-Fi, operated by Connexion by Boeing, was shut off at the end of 2006. Its satellite-based system proved to be too expensive for domestic carriers, and Connexion couldn't find enough passenger demand for the $30-a-flight service.

Still, customers and airlines' interest in affordable in-flight Wi-Fi persisted, leading to several technology companies vying for the business. Working with its entertainment subsidiary, LiveTV, JetBlue introduced a text message/e-mail service last year on one aircraft as a trial.

In June, Chicago-based Aircell began offering its Gogo Internet service on 15 of American Airlines' Boeing 767 aircraft. LiveTV and Aircell rely on existing cell towers to beam transmissions. While this "air-to-ground" technology is less expensive for airlines to install, it limits access to flying over land.

"The speed was comparable to my home DSL," says frequent traveler David Ralph, music director of Webster Hall in New York who recently tried American's Internet.

"You can put a little instant-messaging icon that says you're (flying). My friend in Belgrade got back to me and thought it was amazing. It's definitely a step in the right direction."

Among other carriers that have revealed their Wi-Fi plans:

•Air Canada says it will offer Gogo starting in spring on several Airbus A319s that fly to the USA, with plans to expand it to the rest of the fleet later. Aircell plans to build cell towers in Canada so that Canadian airlines will be able to provide Wi-Fi on domestic flights.

•Alaska Airlines plans to test a satellite-based system on a Boeing 737 plane in 2009. Operated by California-based Row 44, the carrier plans to expand it to the rest of its fleet if the test is successful. The airline prefers a satellite system because many of its flights fly over water.

•Southwest Airlines has also signed with Row 44 and will test it in four aircraft early next year, spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger says.

•Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton says Delta will introduce GoGo in two aircraft by the end of the year. The airline expects to have more than 330 aircraft complete by summer 2009. It plans to extend it to its Northwest subsidiary, as well.

•Continental Airlines plans to introduce an e-mail and instant-messaging service operated by LiveTV in the summer.

US Airways and United say they're evaluating various vendors and didn't reveal more details.

B-to-B: MySpace Hits the Streets Fictitious Character Max ROI

Wednesday, November 19, 2008- EM BUZZ

In an effort to generate media buyer buzz, MySpace earlier this month played off election fever and unleashed 50 actors, megaphones and a fictitious character named Max ROI onto the streets of New York City. Max ROI (which is pronounced “Roy” and stands for Rate of Impression) may appear in future MySpace efforts. The goal of the promo was to send the message that partnering with MySpace yields the highest rate of impressions for advertisers.

On Nov. 3, 25 teams of two people, one dressed as a stockbroker, the other as a more casually attired MySpace user, were positioned together outside agencies and clients at lunchtime shouting on a megaphone, “Vote for Max ROI.”

“It was an opportunity for us to take advantage of the election and a slumping economy to say that we understand that return on investment is even more critical in today’s world and that MySpace is poised to deliver maximum ROI,” Angela Courtin, senior vp-marketing entertainment and content at MySpace, told Buzz. “The objective was to let our clients and potential clients let them know that we are a partner in helping them achieve their business objectives and that understanding ROI is probably at the top of the list.”

Although the immediate result was a spike in traffic, Courtin said that this is the beginning of a long-term campaign with this character in an effort to reach MySpace advertisers. “This is just the beginning,” she said. Future plans are still being determined.
Agency: Precision Event Group, Beverly Hills, CA.

Guerrilla: Harley Riders Hit The Street To Promote New FX Show

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
EM Buzz/Event Marketing Magazine

To get viewers revved up about the Sept. 3 premiere of its new original series “Sons of Anarchy,” the FX Network had 50 Harley-Davidson riders hit the streets of Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York City all wearing t-shirts branded with the show’s information.

“Getting people talking about it was our goal and I think we succeeded with that,” Kenya Hardaway, director integrated promotions at FX Network, told Buzz. “We wanted that watercooler buzz right before the day comes to an end and people determine what they’re going to tune in to that night.”

The bikers hit the streets in highly trafficked areas like Times Square in NYC and Rodeo Drive in L.A. during the lunch hour crowds for greater visibility in the busy cities.
In Manhattan the bikers covered 21 miles of road and 25 miles in L.A., which because of high vehicle and foot traffic took more than two hours to conclude. The stop and go traffic of the cities allowed passersby to get a good look at the bikers.

Adding to the authenticity of the show, all 50 bikers in the stunt were actual Harley owners that were recommended by bike dealerships, clubs and other relevant sources. Agency: Civic Entertainment Group, New York City. Staffing: EventPro Strategies, Phoenix, AZ

Comerica Honorees

NOV. 11- JESSICA BROWDER-STACKPOOLE AND NATHAN MUELLER OF EVENTPRO STRATEGIES (RIGHT) RECEIVE AWARD AT RECENT HONOREE CEREMONY.

PHOENIX, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ASBA (Arizona Small Business Association), in collaboration with the Edward Lowe Foundation, announces the 2008 Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch awardees. With more than 80,000 second-stage growth companies around the state, ASBA traveled to cities, statewide to share the opportunity to recognize Arizona companies on the fast track. More than 300 Arizona based companies were nominated for the chance to
be selected as a 2008 Arizona Company to Watch.

Research has shown that these firms show the greatest potential and results. They span all industries and they are creating jobs at a disproportionate rate as compared to their larger and smaller counterparts even in a down market. "Of all resident establishments in Arizona, 12% are second stage companies, and those companies create 41.6% of the jobs in the
state," according to research by the Edward Lowe Foundation. "That's 3.5% higher than the U.S. average," stated Joan Koerber-Walker, ASBA CEO.

The 2008 Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch Awardees will be honored at the third annual awards ceremony November 11 the Phoenix Convention Center from 6-9 p.m. In addition, five companies will receive the Spotlight Awards in
the following areas: Company Culture, Customer Service, Change/Innovation, Community and Commerce at the event. Until then, Spotlight Awardees are top secret.

"Companies like the Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch are one of the reasons that Arizona leads the country in economic growth. Through the efforts of great employees who deliver innovative products and services, these companies are growing at over four times the national average!" says Joan Koerber-Walker, CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association. "ASBA is proud to be recognizing and supporting this growing community of excellent companies," Koerber-Walker adds.

"Second-stage entrepreneurs are very important in this region, generating jobs and sustaining economic growth. Working with ASBA, we have a chance to recognize these companies' impact, and to help build a self-help network," said Meredith Russell, president of Comerica Bank in Arizona.

"Comerica Bank Companies to Watch is a unique awards program designed to shine the spotlight on second-stage companies," says Penny Lewandowski, director of entrepreneurship at the Edward Lowe Foundation, a not-for-profit operating foundation based in Michigan. The foundation supports entrepreneurship through research, recognition and educational programs, which
are delivered through entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) like ASBA, with a focus on second-stage companies.

The research Koerber-Walker refers to comes from YourEconomy(TM) (www.youreconomy.org), a new online tool created by the foundation to track business activity through time. YourEconomy enables users to see key trends and view their business communities from a new perspective.

"Comerica Bank partnered with ASBA in support of Arizona's small businesses community. It is companies like these who are the bedrock of our economy. If you are looking for examples of companies that demonstrate business excellence and inspiring levels of growth, you need to look no further than this 2008 class of Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch" shared Rick Danford, First Vice President of Small Business Banking at Comerica Bank, Arizona.

The 2008 Awardees are:

• Able Information Technologies, Inc., Chandler
• ActiveForever, Scottsdale
• AllSource Global Management, LLC, Sierra Vista
• ATS Electric, Inc., Phoenix
• Autohaus Arizona, Inc., Phoenix
• Caliente Construction, Inc., Mesa
• CCS Presentation Systems, Scottsdale
• CellTrust Corp., Scottsdale
• Collins Holdings, LLC., Tempe
• Company Nurse, LLC., Scottsdale
• CRS Temporary Housing, Phoenix
• Electronic Payment Providers, Inc., Phoenix
• EventPro Strategies, Tempe
• FlexPrint, Inc., Tempe
• Heinfeld, Meech & Co., P.C., Tucson
• Hospitality Performance Network, Scottsdale
• iMemories, Scottsdale
• Job Brokers Inc., Tempe
• Killer Shade, Phoenix
• Kutta Consulting, Inc., Phoenix
• Kyle Jones Enterprises, Inc., Phoenix
• Lapre Scali & Company, Scottsdale
• Lensco, Phoenix
• Logan Commercial Advisors, Scottsdale
• McFadden/Gavender Advertising, Inc., Tucson
• MKS Graphics, Inc., Tempe
• Morrison & Associates, CPAs PLLC., Chandler
• MSS Technologies, Inc., Phoenix
• My Computer Works, Scottsdale
• Nutri-Health, LLC., Cottonwood
• Orca Communications Unlimited, LLC., Phoenix
• Orchard Medical Consulting, Phoenix
• Paragon Space Development Corporation, Tucson
• Pragmatic Marketing, Scottsdale
• Precision Trials, LLC., Phoenix
• Primus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Scottsdale
• Professional Employment Solutions, Inc., Scottsdale
• Realty DataTrust Corp., Scottsdale
• Sierra Toyota, Sierra Vista
• Silverado Cable Company, Mesa
• Sindel Technology Solutions, Inc., Tempe
• Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Tempe
• SpringBoard, Inc., Phoenix
• StaffingMedical USA Inc., Scottsdale
• Telesphere, Scottsdale
• Terralever LLC., Tempe
• The Arizona Car Wash Company, Phoenix
• The Lavidge Company, Scottsdale
• TriSports.com, Tucson
• Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson, Tucson

Companies considered for the Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch list
are second-stage companies. For purposes of this award, they are defined as
having 10 to 100 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to
$100 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants. In
addition, the companies must be privately held and headquartered in Arizona.

Judges evaluated the companies for their demonstrated intent and capacity
to grow based on one or more of the following

• Employee or sales growth.
• Exceptional entrepreneurial leadership.
• Sustainable competitive advantage.
• Other notable factors that showcase the company's success.

Information about Arizona Companies to Watch can be found at www.asba.com
and www.AzCompaniesToWatch.org. To register a table or purchase individual
tickets, call 480-403-4601.

Following the Nov. 11 celebration, the 50 companies selected as 2008
Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch join with 100 past winners from 2006
and 2007 in the Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch Alliance an ongoing
experience designed specifically to support companies on the growth path.

Programs like this are made possible by community partners and sponsors.
ASBA recognizes Comerica Bank, Telesphere, Republic Media, Jobing.com, Compass
Insurance, Staples, Televerde, APS/AAAME, SCF Arizona, The Lavidge Company,
1510 KFNN Financial News Radio, Infusionsoft, Corporate Broadcast Center,
Arizona Department of Commerce, Metro Studios and KAET Eight their
contribution to second-stage companies.

SOURCE Comerica Bank

Asheville Firm Helps US Army Find Thousands of Recruits

Asheville, NC – The US Army has been on an aggressive nationwide marketing campaign to recruit the next generation of American Soldiers, and Asheville’s EventPro Strategies has played a significant role in making this a success. 



For the second year in a row, EventPro Strategies was hired to staff and execute an interactive hands-on campaign for US Army tours happening across the country. The experiential marketing firm provides staff and execution strategies for live interactive marketing events put on by the US Army.



The US Army has succeeded in overcoming negative stereotypes of being in the Army. “At these on-site events, we have hi-tech simulators and gadgets, push up contests, rock climbing walls and remote control tanks,” says Jai Ball, US Army Team Manager for EventPro Strategies. “These hi-touch, interactive games and contests have been a significant reason that there have been so many recruits. It shows people what the real army is like, versus what the news media often portrays.” 


“They signed up hundreds of recruits alone at an event in the small town of Bristol, TN – a huge success,” Jai says. 



EventPro Strategies was hired by Chicago-based Momentum Marketing, and is partly responsible for luring people into the US Army booths at different events. “We hire clean-cut, outgoing talent to draw in people walking by the display tents, and to operate some of the hands-on equipment,” says Nathan Mueller, General Manager for EventPro Strategies. “It’s amazing how hiring genuinely enthusiastic and confident people can make such a significant impact.” 



The last US Army campaign for this year ends in November, as EventPro Strategies continues staffing the Army’s campaigns at schools, festivals, and other big events across the country. 



EventPro Strategies was started in Asheville in 1999 by Jessica Browder-Stackpoole. She founded the company after being frustrated by marketing companies hiring models that were not suited to execute effective marketing campaigns. Nine years later, EventPro Strategies has nearly 150 clients, offices across the country, and over 40,000 readily available part-time talent. The company will grow from $5.5M to $10M in 2008 alone.


www.eventprostrategies.com