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| | The May Report: 8/26/2010: Juno Wallet creates #1 mobile app for gift cards; Brad Flora funded by Knight Foundation and to start new firm; Layton Olson and Tarkus Murphy on broadband; Andrew Mason is not a face man, he's a fridge man, and more.....
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| | August 26, 2010
The May Report: 8/26/2010: Juno Wallet creates #1 mobile app for gift cards; Brad Flora funded by Knight Foundation and to start new firm; Layton Olson and Tarkus Murphy on broadband; Andrew Mason is not a face man, he's a fridge man, and more.....
Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com , 773-525-3944.
Assistant editor: Melanie Adcock, iPHONE: 312-259-0610, melanie_adcock@msn.com
If you missed an article, go here: http://www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
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New interactivity at HR Technology 2010
This year's HR Technology® Conference will bethe most interactive ever! We're giving you more chances to state your opinion and ask your questions of our expert presenters in debates, Q&A sessions as well as panel discussions. And the conference is at nearby McCormick Place, September 29 - October 1, so you don't have to travel far.
Best of all, we've arranged a special $500.00 discount for May Report subscribers -- just register at www.HRTechnologyConference.com and use Promo Code MAY to receive your savings.
Take a look at the 6 panel discussions you can take part in:
* How Talent Management Failed and How to Fix It
* Getting the Most out of Workforce Planning
* Being Global -- Lessons From Executives Already There
* Job Boards -- Valued 21st Century Partners or RIP?
* Social Learning: What Is It? Why the Buzz? Are There Results?
* Blogger Insights on Social Media
Then download the conference brochure at http://www.hrtechnologyconference.com/WEB-BROCH.pdf?submit22=Download to get all the details on our most interactive event yet! And don't forget to use Promo Code MAY to save $500.00 when registering online at www.HRTechnologyConference.com.
If you can't make the entire conference, you can still stop by the Expo whenever it's convenient for you. Simply pre-register online to get into the Expo for FREE -- a $35.00 savings!
Sincerely,
Bill Kutik
Co-Chair, HR Technology® Conference & Expo
Technology Columnist, Human Resource Executive® Magazine
LRP Publications
360 Hiatt Drive
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
1-800-727-1227
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GP Ventures specializes in M&A advisory services for technology companies in a wide range of sectors.
NEW PROJECT: Business Development for Japanese electronics distribution company seeking new products in semiconductors, electronics, new energy, materials, sensors, etc. Please contact GP Ventures if you know of an electronics company seeking to establish or expand their sales network in Japan/Asia.
Other current projects include:
*Acquisition Program for publicly-traded IT Consulting firm, seeking firms in the Data Center, Managed Services, and IT Consulting (SAP, Oracle, etc.) sectors ($10 million to $100 million revenues)
*Acquisition Program for US PC Board Manufacturer seeking US PCB shops ($1 million to $30 million revenues)
*Sell Side Program for 40 million Euro Fiber Optics Company (based in Europe, now preparing materials)
Please contact GP Ventures to discuss sell-side projects, acquisition programs, and "grooming" consulting projects.
Tom Kastner
GP Ventures
847-431-3993
M&A Advisory Services for technology companies in EMS, PCB, Software, Defense, IT Services, Electronics, Distribution
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Scoop section:
-- Friday, August 27th: IT & Innovation in Chicago: i.c.stars and iOpener Conference -- IdeaBlender Challenge
-- Thursday, August 26, 2010, 10am CST, Resources for Entrepreneurs Who Want to Reach $1M/Yr in Revenue
-- Social Media Club is granted non profit status plus their latest local event announcement
-- The science/climate blog "Watts Up With That?"
-- Robin Cook, remember him?, has moved to Virginia and was on Netherlands TV
-- Juno Wallet, A Chicago based Start-up, Creates #1 Mobile Gift Card App, interview by Melanie Adcock
-- Jerry Smith, Executive Producer, Reel Story Productions
-- McKinley Blumenberg: Looking for job opportunities in project management, financial services
-- Mike from crowdSPRING on how they're doing
-- Layton Olson: What is up with broadband
-- Tarkus Murphy: Responding to and adding to Layton
-- TMR - TechAmerica monthly newsletter: Chicago Innovation Awards, Grant Thornton, Napersoft, Midwest Events, Illinois Policy Updates and more
-- A Message from Herb Shields, President MSPC
-- Tom Bennett, who researched the TIF article we published, is pursuing the TIF issue with the Inspector General's office
-- From Crain's: Flyover Geeks: A new face at an old tech-media standby
Posted by Ann D. at 8/25/2010 3:15 PM CDT on Chicago Business, By Edward Domain
-- From BIGFrontier: The May Report grows a second head
[Editor's note: May here. No time to do a proper job on Briefly noted right now. But I have a lot for you, from Thomas Edison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison v. Nikola Tesla http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla or better yet, Tesla v. Kurt Godel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_G%C3%B6del v. Alan Turing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing
Kevin Harriss votes for Turing because we would all be Nazis now if he had not broken the German code. Throughout the evening things degenerated a bit, but overall a very good discussion.
That was just a small fraction of topics covered during the drunken panel from 8pm to 11pm Saturday night at Barcamp. Overall attendance throughout the day was about a hundred, I was told. The panel had about 50.
Jason Rexilius has basically pulled out of participation in Barcamp, being replaced by Tim Saylor and Kevin Harriss. Jason and I talked for a while this week and he is going to be involved in a new start-up called NowSpot, I believe, and that firm is being run by Brad Flora, formerly of Windy Citizen, and now recipient of a $250K grant from the Knight Foundation. Melanie and I will be interviewing them.
http://www.knightfoundation.org/news/press_room/knight_press_releases/detail.dot?id=364342
http://www.knightfoundation.org/grants/grant_detail.dot?id=365102
http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2010/06/16/good-knight-brad-flora-gets-250000-grant
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2010/06/windycitizen-brad-flora-wins-knight-news-challenge-grant-jobs-joann-genette-wbig-high-dellios-ap.html
So, is Rahm really serious about running for Mayor? Not according to Tom Bennett. He's a stalking horse for other Daley candidates and Tom believes there is a better than 50/50 chance Daley won't run. Tom thinks Tom Dart has a good shot at being the Daley backed candidate. Rahm's floating the rumor that he might run chokes off funds from potential Jewish contributors. As Tom Bennett pointed out to me, in Chicago, as Danny Rostenkowski used to say, you have to cover the three "I"s: Ireland, Italy and Israel.
McGuire Woods got the business associated with Tiger Wood's now ex-wife so they will be corking some champagne.
I have much more on the Groupon business model, pros and cons, but one tidbit is that Andrew Mason is not a face man -- he's a fridge man. Andrew has been known to get involved in everything and that includes going through the fridge to find food that is going bad and getting rid of it.
Things are getting better and I am on the mend. More on that later, but physical therapy is helping, it seems. Ten more days of IV antibiotics and then one more month of oral, followed by another CT scan.]
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How are all "those" successful companies achieving top 1st page rankings on search engines like google, yahoo!, Bing, and ask?
The Search Engine Store knows how some of them got there, because they're the ones that put 'em there. From small online shops to large corporations, they've proven themselves time after time and their clients couldn't be happier.
Read what a few said:
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Rob M.
B2B Corporation
"We needed a solution for our online presence so we could stay ahead of our competition and get more business leads from our website. Being a small local company looking for local business, The Search Engine Store recommended we hit up geo-targeted city keywords within our industry. Within 4 months we have been top 5 ranking in over 50 surrounding cities on google and at least 10-15 hot leads coming in per week. Needless to say, they rock!"
Jan C.
Warehouse Facility
"A print marketing company built our online shop with over 300 products. The company did not have much experience in Internet Marketing and very little in SEO. There wasn't much success because they sold us on the age-old saying, if you build it, they will come.
They didn't come until The Search Engine Store brought in their team of experts and revamped our site so the search engines could actually find us. Thanks solely to them, we now sell in the hundreds of thousands online every month. A mere fraction of what it cost us. My partner said it was the best investment we'd ever made! I couldn't agree more."
Rich M.
Specialty Products Company
For information on how The Search Engine Store can bring your website more ROI contact The Search Engine Store at 312.455.1511 and ask for one of our Search Engine Specialists. Also, The Search Engine Store will also do a complimentary SEO website evaluation via their website at www.thesearchenginestore.com
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Announcing Early Registration for 3rd Annual Business Innovation Conference October 4-6, 2010
Top-tier Innovation Conference Features Thought Leaders from Business, Government and Academe
WHAT: 3-day business innovation event with 6 high-impact workshops, 18 outstanding speaker presentations, and 5 compelling keynote addresses from a diverse range of industries and domains
WHEN: October 4-6, 2010
WHERE: IIT Rice Campus, 201 East Loop Road, Wheaton, IL 60189
The 3rd annual Business Innovation Conference is a premier educational and networking event bringing together leading innovation experts and practitioners from business, academia and government to exchange experiences and knowledge about the science of innovation. The conference focuses on the tools we now have to master innovation so that we can become continual thinkers, capable of innovating on demand, and managing innovation teams to predictable outcomes.
Attendees will also make invaluable professional connections and have opportunities to share ideas and experiences with other accomplished innovators from around the US and the world.
For more information, including registration instructions and sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.businessinnovationconference.com
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The Scoop section:
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Friday, August 27th: IT & Innovation in Chicago: i.c.stars and iOpener Conference -- IdeaBlender Challenge
From: Diana Arand <darand@cornerpin-welcome.com>
Subject: IT & Innovation in Chicago: i.c.stars and iOpener Conference -- IdeaBlender Challenge
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:48:22 -0500
To: <ron@themayreport.com>
Good Morning Ron,
i.c.stars is holding its 4th annual iOpener Conference this Friday, and the IdeaBlender is holding an open challenge for the conference bringing together IT Executives to pool their experience and ideas around the technology innovation challenge. To learn more about the challenge visit: http://www.ideablender.com/icstars
You can find an article about the conference this Friday at http://www.suntimes.com/technology/guy/2621468,CST-NWS-ECOL21.article
i.c.stars is a non-profit in Chicago using project-based learning to provide an opportunity for change-driven future leaders to develop skills in business and technology.
IdeaBlender: To sum it up we form a question looking to be solved (or create awareness among a community) and we push this challenge out to our community and the appropriate challenger audience for an innovative solution.
Thanks and have a great day!
Diana Arand
Marketing & Communications
CornerPin www.cornerpin-welcome.com
200 W Monroe | Suite 1450 | Chicago, IL 60606
C: (847) 626 6793 F: (847) 626 6893
E: darand@cornerpin-welcome.com
Tweet! @blenderlounge
Facebook! IdeaBlender
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Thursday, August 26, 2010, 10am CST, Resources for Entrepreneurs Who Want to Reach $1M/Yr in Revenue
Resource for Entrepreneurs Looking to Reach $1M/Yr in Revenue
Subject: Resource for Entrepreneurs Looking to Reach $1M/Yr in Revenue.
Date: 8/20/2010 9:55:22 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: warren@millcreeksystems.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com
Hi Ron,
I have attached a Word doc about some entrepreneurial resources. Hopefully, Word format works for you. If not, I can send the content in an email.
Regards,
Warren
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here's Try #2 (Paste w/o formatting, no hyperlinks):
Subject: Resources for Entrepreneurs Who Want to Reach $1M/Yr in Revenue
Dear Ron,
I would like to make you and your readers aware of some helpful resources for those looking to grow their business up to $1M/year and beyond through an initiative called 1M/1M (referred to as "One Million by One Million") - helping 1 Million entrepreneurs reach $1M in revenue/year. This program was started by Ms. Sramana Mitra, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur herself who recently has turned her attention to helping entrepreneurs.
The easiest way to investigate if this initiative is going to be helpful is to attend free weekly 1M/1M Strategy Roundtable (via web meeting) where typically 3-4 entrepreneurs from around the globe, all at various stages of growth, present their business direction and challenges to Sramana. She guides them along a strategic discussion and provides next steps and advice. Some of the typical issues discussed include bootstrapping, raising money, validating the business model, gaining focus/clarifying their story, marketing, distribution, etc. The audience can learn a lot from these often animated discussions. The 1M/1M Strategy Roundtable is open to all entrepreneurs - both to attend and to present. The schedule for the upcoming meetings through September is as follows::
Thursday, August 26, 2010, 10am CST
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Thursday, September 16, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Thursday, September 23, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Thursday, September 30, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Register Here...
She also provides numerous other resources including:
1. The Entrepreneur Journey methodology of building a business, which has been distilled from doing dozens and dozens of interviews with successful entrepreneurs. The nature of which is that entrepreneurs must be immersed in their subject matter, validate their product/service in the market, generally bootstrap until the business has been validated and avoid "spray and pray" mistakes of trying to address too many differing markets. Common sense, yes, but many still make mistakes in this area.
2. Numerous inspiring interviews/case studies on her site of companies that were built from scratch, many without any financing
3. Numerous interviews/case studies with current trends of what angel and VC investors are are currently looking for
4. Articles on vertical topics such as CleanTech, Healthcare IT, Online Advertising, Gaming, Open Source, Outsourcing, etc.
5. Incubation Radar page - exposure for companies who have shown validation of their business model
6. Deal Radar page - exposure for companies who have reach $1M/Yr in revenue
7. Daily email of new interviews/case studies of up and coming companies, trends, etc.
8. Weekly Strategy Roundtable web meetings where entrepreneurs pitch briefly Sramana their business plan and she provides strategic advice. The audience can learn a lot from these often animated discussions. She also shares her extensive Rolodex of contacts with those who pitch as well.
9. Four Entrepreneur Journeys series of books (Volumes I-IV) are available electronically and in print (note: all the material in books is available free on the site)
These are of course all free on her web site http://sramanamitra.com. Her entrepreneurial teachings have helped demystify entrepreneurship and have personally benefited me by helping me become more focused over the past several months.
Regards,
Warren Newhauser
Mill Creek Systems, Inc.
http://millcreeksystems.com
Arlington Heights, IL
1M/1M Ambassador to the Midwest
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Social Media Club is granted non profit status plus their latest local event announcement
Subject: FW: Social Media Club is granted non profit status plus their latest local event announcement
Date: 8/24/2010 1:30:56 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Ron,
I saw this on the National Social Media Club Fan Page on Facebook. It says they will have more news about this soon. -Melanie
Social Media Club RT @socialmediaclub: Very excited to say that we received the official 501c6 non profit designation from the IRS today. More news soon. http://www.facebook.com/SocialMediaClub?ref=ts
I saw this on the Chicago Social Media Club Group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SocialMediaClub?ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=36916001352&ref=ts
CitizenGulf Chicago: National Day of Action
http://citizengulfchicago.eventbrite.com/
August 25
Social Media Club Chicago is sponsor and collaborator of this initiative. This will be Social Media Club Chicago's August event.
Citizen Effect's CitizenGulf project http://citizeneffect.org/projects/citizengulf_day_of_actionwill become a National Day of Action on August 25th, in alignment with the week of the fifth anniversary of Katrina. The benefit - to be promoted by Gulf Coast Benefit http://gulfcoastbenefit.com/- seeks to help fishing families find a new, more sustainable future by providing education resources for their children.
CitizenGulf Education Program for Gulf Oil Spill Families
All ticket sales and donations from CitizenGulf Day of Action events will give families living in affected areas the extra support they need to get their children off to a great start this school year and to help ease stress on families with after school support services and activities.
The most vulnerable victims of the disaster are children. As part of our response to helping fishing families, Citizen Effect and Catholic Charities of New Orleans have created an education fund that will provide assistance to families in the form of school supplies and uniforms, as well as after school programming that includes tutoring and homework assistance, enrichment classes, recreational activities, and healthy snacks.
Social Media Masters' Summit
On Monday, August 23rd, Windy City Social kicks off the Social Media Masters' Summit with an Opening Night VIP Party from 7pm-8:30pm. Then on Tuesday, August 24th, the Social Media Masters' Summit program begins with registration at 8am and will continue until 6:15pm. Social Media Club Chicago http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=36916001352 members can use discount code "WCS20″ when you register in advance.
Integrated Marketing Summit-Chicago
Tuesday, August 24, is the Integrated Marketing Summit-Chicago http://www.integratedmarketingsummit.com/agenda.php?id=9 This event will continue with workshops on Wednesday, August 25. Social Media Club Chicago members can save 20% by using discount code SMCC10 when you register for IMSC.http://www.integratedmarketingsummit.com/register.php?id=9
#140conf Road Trip Chicago
August 27
Register for the Chicago #140conf Road Trip Tweetup http://140roadaug27.eventbrite.com/ and join Jeff Pulver, members of Social Media Club Chicago, and others. Registration is free and you can have your voice and your stories heard in The State of Now.
Melanie Adcock
iPHONE: 312-259-0610
DROID: 312-833-1825
E-Mail: melanie_adcock@msn.com
Facebook Fan Page: http://bit.ly/MelanieAdcockFacebookFanPage
Bio: http://bit.ly/MelanieAdcockARC
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieadcock
Twitter: http://twitter.com/melanie_adcock
Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/melanie.a.adcock
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The science/climate blog "Watts Up With That?"
From: "Charles Stack, MPH" <cstack@2ci.com>
Sender: "Charles Stack, MPH" <cstack@2ci.com>
Subject: Hi Ron! Learn something new every day
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:26:07 -0500
To: "ron@themayreport.com" <ron@themayreport.com>
Hi Ron, hope you are well!
I am a regular reader of the science/climate blog "Watts Up With That?", an
award-winning science blog with eclectic assortment of commentators from
around the globe.
Here's a recent announcement by blog author Anthony Watts about a cloud
upgrade:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/08/24/wuwt-adminstrative-note/
"The people behind the WordPress.com blogging service recently shared some
technical information about their new data center in Chicago, which is
located in a Layered Technologies facility."
I was not familiar with Layered Technologies, but their link found above on
WUWT leads to some fascinating information on this Chicago B2B!
Please share the WUWT link with your readers, they may get a kick out of the
back & forth on the blog. It has some of the highest-level discussion of
climate science & politics that I've ever seen. Recent discussions have
included Chicago Climate Exchange, carbon regulation and other topics of the
day.
Cheers, Chuck
Charles R. Stack, MPH
Vice President
Constant Compliance Inc.
140 South Dearborn Street
Suite 411
Chicago, Illinois 60603 USA
Cell phone (630) 841-8706
Fax (312) 782-0936
Website: http://www.2Ci.com/
________________________________________
Robin Cook -- remember him?-- has moved to Virginia and was on Netherlands TV
From: Robin Cook <orgdevguy@comcast.net>
Subject: I was interviewed for Netherlands TV...
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:49:47 -0400
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
A few days ago.
They filmed ~4 hrs of video & edited it down to 2.5 mins...
http://nos.nl/video/179831-twee-jaar-werkloos-en-dan-verkoop-je-je-platencollectie.html
--
Robin Cook
"Organizational Development Guy"
1634 N. 21st St., Apt. 6
Arlington, VA. 22209
(571) 257-7179
OrgDevGuy@comcast.net
http://www.virtualstrategist.net/Issue5/5-2-1.HTMFrom: Robin Cook <orgdevguy@comcast.net>
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Juno Wallet, A Chicago based Start-up, Creates #1 Mobile Gift Card App, interview by Melanie Adcock
_
Subject: Juno Wallet, A Chicago based Start-up, Creates #1 Mobile Gift Card App
Date: 8/24/2010 1:17:37 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Juno Wallet, A Chicago based Start-up, Creates #1 Mobile Gift Card App
Ron, I couldn't sleep tonight and wound up writing this for The May Report. -Melanie
Do you have a Geek Image?
I've been thinking a lot about what Ed Domain said in his recent article in Crain's Chicago Business about how the tech scene in Chicago is great, and how the game is, "on," when it comes to us Midwesterners competing with the Valley. (click here to read his article in case you missed it:http://shar.es/0bQdz) Game on indeed. Let's go get 'em. We know we will win, but how?
Still awake from a Monday afternoon coffee binge, I looked at the newsfeed on my Facebook page at a few minutes past 2am. There I found an answer. Good old fashioned work ethic!! I saw that only a few moments prior Todor Kreu, Marketing volunteer for JunoWallet, (Click here to read his profile: http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=8314348&authToken=Xy0-&authType=name) had posted a link on the Facebook Fan Page for T-Mobile Android about JunoWallet's new app with FourSquare. I was lucky enough to be able to chat with him on Facebook and below is an excerpt from our conversation:
Me
Hey there, are you still awake, too?
2:20amTodor
Yup
2:21amMe
: )
2:21amTodor
getting the word out on Junowallet
2:21amMe
Wow, that is some serious dedication there. Way to go!!
2:22amTodor
it is a cool app and now with the API to Foursquare it just makes it that much better.
Foursquare users can turn their checkin points into gift cards
it could bring new life to Foursquare
2:23amMe
I was interested in writing a bit more about this for The May Report above and beyond the press release stuff.
You helped build this app, right?
2:24amTodor
no, 3 PHDs did the coding
2:27amMe
Well hopefully they give you a very prestigious title or something for all your hard work?
2:28amTodor
I also get to use the mobile gift cards at some cool places
2:29amMe
very cool.
Do you have to work early in the morning tomorrow like I do?
2:29amTodor
yeah, have to be at work at 9am
2:30amMe
Man, we are like super geeks or something, LOL!
2:33amMe
You are a hard worker for sure!!! Hats off to you.
2:34amTodor
Tonight I had to watch 2 episodes of XXXXXXXX (dont tell anyone I watch XXXXXXXX). Ruin my geek image.
2:35amMe
Oh man, no I won't tell anyone! LOL!
2:36amTodor
I will keep you posted on the progress with the Foursquare integration. It should be live soon.
2:37amMe
Yeah, please do send over anything you think would be of interest for this newsletter and we will gladly print it for you. :)
2:44amMe
Well, I've got to get some rest. You are a great example of the work ethic that makes the Chicago tech scene great. :)
2:45amTodor
thanks. I am about to crash for about an hour before the girls get up.
2:45amMe
:Take care, talk to you later.
2:46amTodor
you too
Well a promise is a promise, and I'm not going to tell you the name of the T.V. show Todor watches with his family that he fears could ruin his geek image. You can ask him yourself. All fun and joking aside, I will say that with a work ethic like this his geek image seems pretty rock solid to me. (Geek terminology used in the most positive sense of the word.) Do you have a similar geek image, or do you know someone who does? Send your scoop to The May Report.
http://www.chicago-social-marketing.com/junowallet.shtml
JunoWallet allows you to get free promotional mobile gift cards and certificates, securely store your existing gift cards, check balances, and buy gift cards at discounts and with bonuses. Download JunoWallet now!
Download JunoWallet now to your iPhone or Android:
JunoWallet is the number 1 gift card app for both iPhone and Android users. With over $700 million dollars worth of promotional gift cards JunoWallet offers users an incentive to try out mobile gift cards for their favorite merchants everywhere. JunoWallet offers businesses the ability to start a mobile media gift card campaign within 5 minutes and with a single click push the campaign to Android and iPhone users.
Features & Benefits
* iPhone, iPad 3G, and Android
* Store all your gift card information in one place
* Real time balance checking
* Free downloads of promotional mobile gift cards and certificates
* Redeem promotional mobile gift cards/certificates right from your phone
* Push notification letting you know when a new free promotional gift is available
* Facebook and Twitter sharing to let your friends know about new promotional offers
* Buy gift cards and get bonus gift cards and discounts
* Protect your information with a 4-digit PIN code
* Your information never leaves your device
JunoWallet products for businesses:
1. Promotional mobile gift cards/certificates that can be PUSHED to a large number of high demographic customers to help with customer acquisition.
2. HotSpots that are location based direct response advertising for advertisers who want to promote their products at point of sale and for retailers who want to drive customers to their location.
3. JunoPoints - Turn Check-Ins Into Gift Cards. Location based loyalty that adds social gifting and social buying amongst many customers who become a part of a business and its growth.
4. JunoCredits - Turn Tasks Into Gift Cards. Pay per view, pay per survey, pay per download, and pay per calls allow users to turn tasks into gift cards from their favorite retailers and merchants for gifts users can give away or to gift themself with.
5. Go Shop - Retailers can sell their gift cards to mobile users for cash and users can buy gift cards with credit cards, using JunoPoints, or JunoCredits from their favorite retailers.
JunoWallet Tools to grow a business:
1. iPhone app. Number one in the iTunes store.
2. Anroid app. Number one in the Android marketplace.
3. Facebook app. Fan page builder to offer mobile gift cards to fans who join a brand or business fan page.
4. HotSpots. Location based ads for advertisers looking to get their brand in front of users at point of sale.
5. JunoPoints. Location based loyalty that let's customers become loyal fans of a business.
6. YouTube exposure to showcase a venue.
Android
* Optional voice entry of your gift card and personal information
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:40:43 -0500
From: tkrecu2@gmail.com
To: melanie_adcock@msn.com
CC: chris@junowallet.com
Subject: Turn Foursquare Check-Ins Into Junowallet Gift Cards
Hi Melanie,
How are you? I wanted to make sure you and The May Report were among the
first to hear about this.Take a sneak peak at what is coming in the next
few days:
http://foursquare.com/app/junowallet
We are planning launch parties on Sep. 15 and would love to have you
guys involved.
Let me know what you think.
Regards,
Todor Krecu
(773) 257-3282
tkrecu2@gmail.com
http://www.foursquare.com/user/tkrecu
http://www.google.com/profiles/tkrecu#about
http://chicagoandroid.com/profile/TodorKrecu
http://chicago-social-marketing.ning.com/profile/todor
Melanie Adcock
iPHONE: 312-259-0610
DROID: 312-833-1825
E-Mail: melanie_adcock@msn.com
Facebook Fan Page: http://bit.ly/MelanieAdcockFacebookFanPage
Bio: http://bit.ly/MelanieAdcockARC
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieadcock
Twitter: http://twitter.com/melanie_adcock
Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/melanie.a.adcock
______________________________________
Jerry Smith, Executive Producer, Reel Story Productions
From: "Jerry Smith" <jerry@publications.betuitive.com>
Subject: take another look at your "about us"
Date: 24 Aug 2010 11:00:02 -0400
To: "Ron May" <ron@themayreport.com>
Dear Ron,
Recently we've been singing the praises of video as a grossly underused asset in traditional web marketing. We're still surprised by the dearth of visually dynamic case studies, video testimonials and product demos on the sites we frequent. The opportunity to stand out has never been better and for many marketers its only a matter of time before the competition beats them to the punch.
Today we want to switch gears and talk about us. Actually "About Us", the most under-appreciated link on any home page. Why? Because up until now we've become accustomed to being underwhelemed by what we find when we click this link - a brief, dry description of what you do, written in 3 point type and possibly accompanied by some outdated thumbnails of your team or the outside of your headquarters. And yet what better place to get people inspired than on page one?
If ever there was a place to start testing the video waters its here, in the beginning. If you haven't done it in a while, take a moment to check out your company's "About Us" link. Now imagine that instead of forcing the visitor to read anything, clicking that link starts a very straightforward presentation that lets people know exactly who you are, what you do and how you do it - without making them scramble for their reading glasses or worse, leaving for more dynamic pastures.Picture something that tells your story in an engaging and entertaining way that makes the "About Us" link a destination instead of an afterthought.
Check out this example from Groupon.com, one of the coolest and fastest growing sites on the web and one of several on their site:
Learn How Groupon Works
Creative, concise and easy to follow. Animation is a great tool here, an affordable and effective medium that is limited only by the imagination of the writer, but its not the only one. In fact combining animation with new or pre-existing video is also a great way to set yourself apart and grab a little "edge". Or skip the animation altogether and feature some client testimonials, profiles and beauty shots of your products and services - either way you'll be standing well apart from the crowd.
The creative possibilities are myriad, but the real value in upgrading the "About Us" link is the opportunity to set a tone and grab some attention early in the process of browsing your site. Of course the downside is that the rest of the site may not be as media-rich as the "About Us" page, but in our experience, that's much better than a site that grabs our attention with well-produced video content throughout only to arrive at an "About Us" link that looks like a holdover from 2 revisions ago.
As usual, don't take our word for it. Spend a few minutes looking at your competitors "About Us" pages and find out if you have an opportunity or need to play catch up. And as always, if you need some help capitalizing on that opportunity, check us out at www.reelstoryproductions.com or give us a call at 312-527-7200.
Best,
Jerry
--
Jerry Smith | Executive Producer
Reel Story Productions
Reel Story Productions
www.reelstoryproductions.com | 312-527-7200
116 W. Illinois Ave, Suite 6W | Chicago, IL 60654
_____________________________________
McKinley Blumenberg: Looking for job opportunities in project management, financial services
Subject: McKinley Blumenberg - Cover Letter
Date: 8/24/2010 2:04:22 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: mckinley_blumenberg@yahoo.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Hi Ron,
Business efficiency and development has been a key goal throughout my professional career. Customer retention, loyalty, marketing, technical business development, and strong people management skills while managing multi-million dollar Fortune 500 accounts are my strong attributes.
Some highlights of my professional background include:
Member of a team that established a business partnership that multiplied profit margins
Customer/account retention rate of 95% over ten years
Senior Project Manager - Managed and maintained relationships with legal, IT, E-commerce, and Marketing departments of many companies including Deutsche Bank/DWS Investments, NATIXIS, Merrill Lynch/Blackrock, TIAA-CREF, MetLife, JPM Chase, UBS and PIMCO.
Defined processes for hiring, training and managing a team of engineers and client service representatives, and customers
Managed cost, scope, and invoicing for projects of every scale for large corporations
Database management, programming and setup in MS SQL Server
Established processes for improving business/document automation development that significantly decreased development time to market while minimizing production support timelines.
Strong technical background in numerous computer hardware and software development technologies from database programming (SQL) , Java, Web (HTML, XML, etc.), MS Office Suite, etc.
Strong understanding of budgets and business initiatives and the ability to develop a team are some of my greatest strengths inside and outside of any partnered organization. My experience includes hosting meetings with executives at many levels of large Fortune 500 companies. In addition, I have hosted many product demonstrations, technical sales presentations, and training sessions for large groups.
My experiences with large corporations have left a great mark on my clients, who would all be available references. I look forward to the opportunity to have personal interviews regarding the value that I can bring to your organization.
Sincerely,
McKinley Blumenberg
Mckinley_Blumenberg@yahoo.com
773.668.7404
_________________________________________
Mike from crowdSPRING on how they're doing
Subject: Re: Ross/Mike, 1st, how are things going? 2nd, has Groupon has taken all the O2?
Date: 8/22/2010 12:12:53 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: mike@crowdspring.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
CC: ross@crowdspring.com
Hiya Ron,
Things continue to go well here at crowdSPRING (http://www.crowdspring.com/). Here are some current stats:
posted well over 13,000 creative projects
seen significant increases in traffic, unit economics, gross margins, and projects posted
registered over 90,000 users from 180+ countries
seen more than 1.1 million user-generated entries submitted to projects
are receiving over 7 million page views per month
continue to receive significant press coverage (here's latest from PBS Mediashift: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2010/08/crowdspring-brings-crowdsourcing-to-design-writing232.html
developed a world-class customer service team that has answered well over 60,000 support requests (52% of which were solved in under 24 hours!)
As to Groupon - we celebrate and are in awe of their success everyday. Chicago tech is well- served by their progress and we continue to wish Andrew and the team all the best!
Regards,
Mike
On Aug 22, 2010, at 12:03 PM, RONALDMAY@aol.com wrote:
____________________________________
Layton Olson: What is up with broadband
Subject: FW: EXCLUSIVE: Melanie Adcock discusses her plans for the May Report as its new assistant editor! BIGfrontier needs your vote for SXSW today.
Date: 8/25/2010 10:44:42 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: leo@howehutton.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
CC: tarkus@ripco.com
Ron,
Congratulations on your new assistant editor!
Look forward to great things from the "bad cop, good cop" team.
Would hope that Youth Communication Chicago "New Expression" editors might be able to interview her - or you and her, at some point.
Thank you again for your generous time last fall in talking with young reporters at Columbia College.
____________________
For news in the next month or so - There will be a number of broadband organizational and funding things in the coming month, including some that I hope to be involved with. Glad to see Illinois done well with recent $106 million in Federal funds, including for major projects of IL Century Network. It helps with Gov. Quinn's and the Illinois General Assembly's "Return on Investment" strategy, involving the use of $50 million "broadband capital fund" part of last summer's Capital Bill as "investment match" to secure 4 to 9 times as much in return for multi-year revenue-sustainable Internet extension infrastructure and service projects in 5 broadband opportunity partnership areas (developed by DCEO, ICN and Illinois Broadband Deployment Council) around Illinois. US Department of Commerce and USDA will be making final Round 2 awards (from total of $7 billion) from last year's Stimulus bill by September 30.
Tarkus likely has some updates on Federal broadband investments, too. And, we hope to have him come through Chicago at some point and tell us more about some of his projects that will affect the Illinois Decade, or perhaps the Great Lakes Decade, for Digital Life. Now that Chicago has moved up higher in the top 10 world cities, and we haven't had any big oil spills in Lake Michigan, yet, to slow us down! (Only the little oil spill in Kalmazoo, but that's about 80 miles upriver from Lake Michigan).
Layton
-----------------------------
From: Big Frontier [mailto:slundin@bigfrontier.org]
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 9:01 AM
To: Layton E. Olson
Subject: EXCLUSIVE: Melanie Adcock discusses her plans for the May Report as its new assistant editor! BIGfrontier needs your vote for SXSW today.
__________________________________
Tarkus Murphy: Responding to and adding to Layton
Subject: RE: EXCLUSIVE: Melanie Adcock discusses her plans for the May Report as its new assistant editor! BIGfrontier needs your vote for SXSW today.
Date: 8/25/2010 12:31:13 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: tarkus@ripco.com
To: leo@howehutton.com, RONALDMAY@aol.com
CC: tarkus@ripco.com
Greetings from the Information Superglacier(TM) Layton,
I'm still trying to figure out what the Department of Commerce is doing with the last of their Stimulus money. I don't know if you saw that some of the BTOP money (about $300 M) was moved to fund the recent jobs bill. We have a few partners that were funding and a few projects that were just on the verge of an announcement. 5 Public Safety grants leapfrogged the pack and scooped up tens of millions. Some funds that were given awards in the first rounds may still be in negotiations. It is only a stimulus if someone actually starts spending the money!
Speaking of which, the Meaningful User regulations start in October. Physicians can earn up to $44,000 over the life of the program and they will start to have to worry about penalties if they don't get started by 2010. Look for every medical records sales organization to start losing their minds by December.
I was intending to be out in the Summer (Air Show), but the timing was off.
It looks like my next role is to be an ombudsman for four companies that need to pick up the pace because they need further development help. If those companies don't get moving they are stalling another $40 - $60 M in funding for the next group of companies.
With any luck, the Illinois Decade is still on track to be 2010 - 2020 (I'm glad I took the long bet in 2008, despite the crash). I've been heavily involved in infrastructure, alternative energy and advanced manufacturing (the first two prongs), but I'm still looking for that third prong to emerge and start economic growth in earnest.
It's probably I come to Chicago to thump my chest because the Paleocons around here can't stand to see a progressive that creates new high paying jobs and that same person does not consider a 3% tax hike as "Socialism" (I think it is more important to create jobs that might get you to that tax bracket).
______________________________________
TMR - TechAmerica monthly newsletter: Chicago Innovation Awards, Grant Thornton, Napersoft, Midwest Events, Illinois Policy Updates and more
Subject: TMR - TechAmerica monthly newsletter: Chicago Innovation Awards, Grant Thornton, Napersoft, Midwest Events, Illinois Policy Updates and more
Date: 8/25/2010 8:57:20 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Ron,
Below are some topics and updates from our most recent newsletter that may be of interest to your readers. Thank you.
Read the TechAmerica monthly newsletter online: http://www.techamerica.org/midwest-september2010
40th Annual AeA Classic Investor Conference
The Chicago Innovation Awards by Thomas D. Kuczmarski
Featured Midwest Member - Grant Thornton LLP
Illinois State Policy Update
InnerWorkings and Rent-A-Center Announce Multi-Year Print Management Agreement
Napersoft Launches New Website Highlighting Its Document Automation Solutions for the Insurance Industry
Stronger IT Budget Expectations Fuel Emerging Pockets of Optimism in IT Job Market
San Francisco Bay Area Selects Motorola for the Nation's First Public Safety 700 MHz LTE Broadband Network
TechAmerica Applauds Illinois Governor Pat Quinn for Digital Textbook Legislation
More Midwest Member News
TechAmerica Supported Webinar: Desktop Virtualization for Financial Services - August 26, 2010
TechAmerica Supported Event: Oracle Datacenter Optimization Summit, Chicago - August 26, 2010
New CEO, CFO & HR Virtual Roundtables
TechAmerica Supported Webinar: How to Sell US Clean Technologies in Europe - US Cleantech Mission & Pollutec - August 26, 2010
TechAmerica Human Services IT Advisory Group (HSITAG) Meeting: Guest Speaker Anne Sapp, Texas HHSC - Chicago, IL, August 31, 2010
TechAmerica Supported Event: Tech in the Middle, Chicago - September 11, 2010
TechAmerica Supported Event: Midwest Clean Tech 2010, Chicago - September 14-15, 2010
TechAmerica Midwest CFO Roundtable, Lombard, IL: September 17, 2010 (Invitation Only)
TechAmerica Supported Event: ITEC Chicago Conference and Expo: September 21, 2010 (Member Discount Available)
TechAmerica Supported Webinar: Exporting Software - Withholding Taxes & International Tax Treaties - September 22, 2010
iBIO Institute Announces 2010 iCON Award Winners: Awards Dinner, Chicago - September 30, 2010
NEW Monday Morning Briefing: TechAmerica Midwest CEO Webinar - Economic Forecast for 2011: October 4, 2010 (Member Only)
TechAmerica Supported Event: Business Innovation Conference, Wheaton, IL - October 4-6, 2010
TechAmerica Sponsored Event: 6th Annual VoIP Conference and Expo, Wheaton, IL - October 12-13, 2010
TechAmerica & INPUT State & Local Government Event (CIO of Chicago & CIO of Illinois), Chicago, IL: October 13, 2010
TechAmerica Supported Event: The New Era of Global Corporate Citizenship and Compliance, Chicago - October 27, 2010
NEW Monday Morning Briefing: TechAmerica Midwest CEO Webinar - Five Rules of Negotiation: November 1, 2010 (Member Only)
TechAmerica Sponsored Chicago Innovation Awards, Chicago, IL: November 1, 2010
TechAmerica's 40th Annual AeA Classic Investor Conference, San Diego, CA - November 7-9, 2010
TechAmerica Illinois NASDAQ Market Open, New York, NY - November 15, 2010 (Invitation Only)
TechAmerica Supported Event: Great Lakes Entrepreneurs Forum, Chicago, IL: November 16, 2010
NEW Monday Morning Briefing: TechAmerica Midwest CEO Webinar - Ten Reasons Strategies Fail: December 6, 2010 (Member Only)
Intel Schools of Distinction - 2010 Midwest Finalists
TechAmerica Applauds Illinois Governor Pat Quinn for Digital Textbook Legislation
Quinn signs tax credits bill at Abbott Ceremony
Illinois Economic Recovery Commission Releases Final Report
Governor Quinn Signs Illinois R&D Tax Credit Legislation
TechAmerica Digital Textbook Legislation Awaits Governor's Signature
Illinois No. 7 in US for high-tech jobs: Chicago Tribune
Jobs added to Ill.'s high-tech industry: Chicago Sun Times
TechAmerica Midwest Interviewed Live on WGNTV: Sales Tax For Downloads: IL Governor Proposes Digital Download Tax To Help Bail Out Budget
Monthly Environmental Compliance and Policy Newsletter
Controlling and Managing Health care Cost - Compare TechAmerica Health Today!
TechAmerica National Compensation Survey - Participate Today!
Participate in TechAmerica Member-to-Member Discount Program
TechAmerica Shipping Program - Expanded Member Shipping & Freight Discounts & Offers
TechAmerica Committees: Public Sector, Commercial Sector, Standards, Engineering & Technical
TechAmerica Resources in a Challenging Economy: Cost Savings, Business Development, Pubic Policy Expertise, Access to Investors
TechAmerica Midwest, Illinois Technology Executives Open NASDAQ Stock Market
TechAmerica Executive Roundtable with Illinois Governor Quinn recap
Meet your TechAmerica Midwest State Government Affairs Team
TechAmerica Partners with Illinois workNet to Offer Comprehensive Technology Employment Resource Center
TechAmerica Foundation Announces New GTO-21 Commissioners
Participate in the U.S. / Mexico Technology Summit in Dallas.
TechAmerica Statement on Border Security Bill Provision Raising Visa Fees
State CIOs Promote Business Innovation and Request Reform in TechAmerica/NASCIO/Grant Thornton Survey
Register to Attend TechAmerica's Annual ETM Workshop and Training
TechAmerica Savings on Monster.com
Fee Waived for TechAmerica Members to Join Hertz #1 Club Gold
Join the TechAmerica Shipping Program and Start Saving Today!
Best regards,
Ed Longanecker
Executive Director, Regional Vice President
TechAmerica
630-282-4332
ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
www.techamerica.org
AeA & ITAA have merged to form TechAmerica
Where the future begins
___________________________________
A Message from Herb Shields, President MSPC
Subject: A Message from Herb Shields, President MSPC
Date: 8/25/2010 10:00:14 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: hcsconsnb@aol.com
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
A Message from Herb Shields, President MSPC
Dear Mr. Ron,
The MSPC board and I want you to be aware of several important initiatives that we are planning for the balance of 2010.
September 1st - How to use Public Relations to enhance your consulting practice. Public relations expert Patricia Rioux will be the presenter.
October 6th - Town Meeting - We hope you will join us to discuss the viability as well as the future of MSPC. We have been working this year with marketing students at Loyola to explore new directions for MSPC. However, we want input from current members and past attendees on subjects such as format, frequency, and structure of programs for 2011 and beyond. As we look to expand our reach through social media and with people considering consulting as a profession, we also need your thoughts on education and mentoring, both key missions of MSPC.
November 3rd - Tom Long will lead a program on Essential Issues for New Consultants.
December 1st - Holiday networking event. Join us for an evening of informal networking with a surprise guest or two to keep things interesting. More information will be forthcoming.
Please put these dates - September 1, October 6, November 3, and December 1 - on your calendar now. You don't want to miss these business development and networking opportunities!
Special Offer. Attend two out of the three meetings September - November and receive free admission to the Holiday Networking event.
Student Offer. Attend any or all of these programs at a special rate of $30 for the regular programs and free admission to the Holiday networking party.
We appreciate your continued support and look forward to seeing you several times more in 2010. If you have any questions, please contact me or any Board member.
Sincerely,
Herb Shields
President
Midwest Society of Professional Consultants
Ph: 847-686-8622www.mspc.org
MSPC
1954 First Street, #218
Highland Park, Illinois 60035
_________________________________________
Tom Bennett, who researched the TIF article we published, is pursuing the TIF issue with the Inspector General's office
From: Thomas Bennett <tomrbennett@yahoo.com>
Subject: Fw: Bennett
To: ronaldmay@aol.com
Date: Monday, August 23, 2010, 11:48 AM
Ron:
As a follow-up to our conversation from this morning, I had the opportunity to meet with the City of Chicago's Inspector General Office this past Thursday afternoon at their 180 North Michigan Avenue office. In fact, I also had the opportunity to briefly meet Dave Grossman in the reception area prior to our meeting. Mr. Grossman, a former FBI agent, is the Director of Investigations with the City of Chicago's Inspector General Office.
Our Thursday afternoon meeting was an extremely positive meeting. Me, my brother, my attorney and Investigator Matt Hanson were present for the appx. 1-hour meeting. In addition to providing Mr. Hanson with my professional background and my takeaways from the 247 South State FOIA research exercise, the Inspector General's office was also very interested in my professional assessment related to 247 South State Street's non-compliance with the $8,000,000 Technology TIF based upon my previous interactions with MB Real Estate and Brijus Properties/Steve Levin.
While I was disappointed to be informed that the Inspector General's Office still had not secured the 3-boxes of collateral information related to 247 South State that I reviewed earlier this year, it appears that the Inspector General will be taking appropriate investigative action very shortly.
I also encouraged the Inspector General to contact The May Report and Dan Lyne at World Business Chicago for your respective perspectives related to the 247 South State Street project.
I will keep you posted on my continued efforts related to the 247 South State Street $8,000,000 Technology TIF. Please do same.
Respectfully,
Tom Bennett 773.658.4830 (mobile)
--- On Fri, 8/20/10, Thomas Bennett <tomrbennett@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Thomas Bennett <tomrbennett@yahoo.com>
Subject: Bennett
To: "Matthew Hanson" <MHanson@chicagoinspectorgeneral.org>
Cc: mhart@chicagoinspectorgeneral.org, dgrossman@chicagoinspectorgeneral.org, gwalsh@crowleylamb.com, michael.bennett@mobilemoney360.com
Date: Friday, August 20, 2010, 2:15 PM
Matt:
It was a pleasure meeting with you yesterday and registering as a Whistleblower related to the taxpayer-funded waste and corruption associated with the 247 South State $8,000,000 TIF. It was also a pleasure briefly meeting Mr. Grossman in the reception area prior to our meeting.
Pursuant to our conversation, I have included the attached one-pager for your review. It includes a snapshot of highlights of my professional experience to date. Please note that the attached one-pager has not been updated to reflect the underwriting/deal experience I acquired while partnering with Urban Investment Research Corporation and Calamos Real Estate in 2007-thru-2008 to jointly pursue re-development and investment opportunities before the credit markets cratered in late 2008.
As the attached one-pager highlights, I started-out in the downtown commercial real estate business in 1997 with CB Richard Ellis after spending my childhood (as the oldest of six kids) helping our parents tend to our various multi-family properties throughout the Chicago area. Upon completing my studies at The University of Iowa, I worked for Prime Group Realty Trust - one of the largest developers of downtown properties in the city (77 West Wacker, 180 N LaSalle and 131 South Dearborn). I was recruited by Security Capital Group to manage and direct the marketing efforts of a Security Capital Group technology investment (Commercial Realty Online) after being highly recommended by my former colleagues at CB Richard Ellis. While at Commercial Realty Online, I was recruited by William A. Lederer of Minotaur Capital Management (Art.com) to buildtaxlienauction.com, AX.com, egovstrategies.com and Netgov.com - a Softbank (Gary Rieschel) Venture Capital investment - a major Silicon Valley Venture Capital firm.
Subsequent to the March 2001 technology crash --- I transitioned my career back to commercial real estate where I worked for both U.S. Equities Realty and HSA Commercial before establishing Bennett Real EstatePartners in early 2004. From 2004-to-2006 Bennett Real Estate Partners focused exclusively upon providing best-in-class real estate advisory services to a number of corporate users and developers/investors including SEIU, ACORN Housing Corporation, CarePages, Podmajersky Management, Inc., among others. In late 2006, I started to transition my platform toward the value-add investment/development side of the business and was making substantial strides until my firm was the victim of public sector-sponsored fraud while pursuing a couple high-profile investment/redevelopment projects in Chicago's CBD (biggovernment.com/bgough/2010/01/26/the-fix-was-in-obama-donor-gets-sweetheart-real-estate-deal-in-chicago/) --- (breitbart.tv/the-b-cast-interview-obama-donor-gets-sweetheart-real-estate-deal-in-chicago/comment-page-1/).
While I have never pursued litigation against anyone, I have been evaluating my options in recent months as a substantial amount of investment was lost in 2007 related to the above public-sector sponsored fraud. In addition, I have been actively preparing to file an approximately $250,000 claim related a commission earned at 247 South State while representing an emerging technology company.
Subsequent to my late 2007 experience, I began working with Urban Investment Research Corporation toward creating a more permanent and strategic partnership, however, when the credit markets and economy cratered I scaled-down my platform in Summer 2009. Over the past several months, I have been actively positioning to identify pragmatic redevelopment and investment opportunities that have the "bad" already priced-in to both their pricing and cost-basis where I can create-value by demonstrating strong, hands-on sponsorship. I have also been leveraging my contacts in Private Equity and Emerging Technologies in evaluating value-add investment opportunities.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions related to my FOIA-related research earlier this year and/or my experience in dealing with Brijus Properties.
Please keep me posted related to the progress of your investigation involving the taxpayer-funded waste as well as the non-compliance and non-enforcement related to the 247 South State Street redevelopment agreement, especially the lack of enforcement in the repayment of the $8,000,000 TIF.
Respectfully,
Tom Bennett
--------------------------------------
Thomas R. Bennett
Thomas Bennett Limited / Bennett Real Estate Partners / Mobile Money 360°
10641 South Hale Avenue
3rd Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60643
773.658.4830 (mobile)
530.658.4830 (fax)
_________________________________________
From Crain's: Flyover Geeks: A new face at an old tech-media standby
Posted by Ann D. at 8/25/2010 3:15 PM CDT on Chicago Business, By Edward Domain
http://www.facebook.com/l/83ada;tinyurl.com/2cfzadx
Flyover Geeks: A new face at an old tech-media standby
Posted by Ann D. at 8/25/2010 3:15 PM CDT on Chicago Business
blog post photo
By Edward Domain
"Hi, Edward, this is Ron May." The words came through my phone and I hesitated.
I am getting a bit ahead of myself, though. Before we get into my phone call with Ron May, I need to back things up. Let's start with quotes.
"Have you met Ron May?"
"Edward - you have to meet Ron May if you want to get anywhere in this city."
"Careful - Ron May will come after you."
"Ron May knows everyone and everything about the Chicago scene. He can make or break someone. He will know everything about you, too - just wait."
"Ron is the TMZ of Chicago tech."
The above quotes are taken from actual people I have met since coming onto the tech scene in Chicago. For those that don't know, Ron May is the creator and proprietor of "The May Report," an e-mail newsletter that is short on looks and heavy on everything else. Ron May knows what VCs are funding which company, and he knows what entrepreneurs have wronged their old business partners and which have made successful companies. The more I heard about Ron, the more TMR started to sound like Valleywag back in the day when it was all about mentioning which rich dot-com mogul was sleeping with his best friend's wife in his Ferrari and which co-founder had been booted from his own startup. Now it's just a sad afterthought to Gawker, and the Valley is a sadder place for it.
Here in Chicago, Ron May has not changed his style, and this is why: Depending on who you ask, Ron May is the White Knight of Chicago's tech scene, telling it like it is, or Chicago's El Diablo Grande, spreading doom and gloom wherever his evil shadow may fall.
Fast forward to five days ago, Friday, Aug. 20. Ron May's report came out the same as always and was e-mailed to its following of more than 55,000 people as it always is. Right away I started getting Tweets saying:
"OMG have you seen the May Report? "
"Hey you made the May Report, gratz"
"Check the May Report Now!"
"Ron May is adding Melanie!"
Other than one or two Tweets alerting me that my Crain's article made TMR, the others were all about Melanie Adcock being added as an "Assistant Editor" and what we can only assume is also "Official Successor to Ron." It appears that as Ron is getting a little older he has realized it's time to bring in some help to man the ship. His choice? Melanie Adcock.
Melanie is a software sales professional here in Chicago, besides being an artist and avid supporter of the start-up scene. I tend to run into her whenever I am attending one of the many networking events regularly occurring somewhere. Melanie has been very gracious in introducing me to many of the movers here in the city, and I could see immediately see why Ron chose her.
blog post photo
Melanie Adcock
We chatted about what her new role at the May Report meant for the tech community in general and what she hoped to add. Melanie is an early-adopting, two-smartphone-carrying type of multitasker with more things on her plate than, well, anyone. (Seriously, she carries an iPhone and a Droid X.)
She also is a big proponent of the Android community here in Chicago headed up by Uki Lukas, and she does some consulting for visionary App producers Applitite. Melanie has a grasp on what is happening in Chicago now and traces her attitude back to her Midwestern roots.
"I grew up on a farm outside of a small town," she said, "so I really was in the middle of nowhere." She went on, "I got my Midwest personality from my family and especially my grandmother, who wrote a column for the paper in Decatur, Ill., and lived to be nearly 100. She had a very peculiar sense of humor, and I think she and Ron would have gotten along if they had known each other."
Melanie said she planned to try and stay as objective and optimistic as she has always been about the tech scene in Chicago and hoped the community would welcome her with open arms.
Also, when asked why Ron would choose her over a list of potential candidates, she replied, "I guess it just comes down to Ron trusting me and trusting my judgment to carry on what he has created and do the best job I can continuing reporting on the community for everyone that follows the May Report."
"Hi, Edward, this is Ron May."
I figured I should say something.
I talked to Ron and he talked to me. And I have to say - he made me laugh more than once. I introduced myself, and before I finished saying my name, he revealed he knew about my startup, my Social Security Number, my likes, dislikes and that my favorite color is green.
He said, "Look, I know where the bodies are buried, and I know the history of everyone in the industry in this town. Melanie doesn't know all that, and I think that's a good thing. Melanie is bright, energetic and brings a fresh perspective to the May Report that it needs and that the industry needs. We tend to focus on the past too much in Chicago, and I think she is going to do a great job."
He is right: Chicago can use every fresh voice it can get to report on the tech scene, and Melanie Adcock is a breath of fresh air. If anyone involved in the mobile space doesn't know her yet, they ought to look her up ASAP as she has the ear of some influential people in the city.
Melanie has an eye for things that most people don't - it could be because of her art but it seems that every time there is an event or a new startup happening, Melanie is on the list of people invited and she can introduce anyone in the room to anyone else in the room - her network reaches far.
Best of luck to you, Melanie - Chicago is waiting to see what you do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
blog post photo
Edward Domain is a writer, U.S. Army veteran and the founder of FlyoverGeeks, a tech blog dedicated to furthering the profile of Chicago and the rest of Flyover Country in the tech world. Before founding FlyoverGeeks, he founded, grew and successfully exited his own startup, TroopSpace.
In case you missed it, check out Edward's debut column for Enterprise City last week: The Case for Chicago As Silicon City. It generated a fair amount of buzz.
Follow FlyoverGeeks on Twitter: @FlyoverGeeks. Edward's Twitter handle is @EdwardDomain.
You can also follow Enterprise City, Crain's blog for Chicago entrepreneurs, on Twitter. Join us on Facebook. Network with us on LinkedIn.
Comments (0) | Permanent Link
Tags: EdwardDomain, FlyoverGeeks, MayReport, Adcock, news, media, gossip, tech Flyover Geeks: A new face at an old tech-media standby
Posted by Ann D. at 8/25/2010 3:15 PM CDT on Chicago Business
blog post photo
_______________________________________
From BIGFrontier: The May Report grows a second head
http://tinyurl.com/2e4mhkn
The May Report grows a second head
Melanie Adcock answers some tough questions on the future of Chicago's favorite love it or hate it tech community gossip rag.
Seven days ago Melanie Adcock was just another cat lover on Facebook. She made the rounds at local tech events, known as the smiling, friendly woman who took pride in making people feel comfortable. Chatty and personable, Melanie's creative zeal colored her activities and lead to her involvement in several local arts organizations. She would be called by a "pleaser" in Adlerian psychology and a "giver" by the rest of the world. In short, she is the polar opposite of Ron May, who has famously quipped, "the May Report has no friends." Yet on Friday, August 20, Ron announced in his Report that Melanie Adcock would become his new assistant editor.
The news was as much of a surprise to Adcock as it was to the Report's readers, and something she immediately embraced and touted on her Facebook page. Adcock is a relative newcomer to Chicago's tech scene, which may prove to be a good thing, because she is not burdened with the baggage and demons that have haunted Ron's Report like the grim ghosts of Christmas past. Clues to how the May/Adcock oil and water pairing will play out may be found in this exclusive BIGfrontier interview.
Are you looking forward to working with Ron?
I wasn't expecting to be appointed assistant editor, so it came as a surprise. I think Ron and I have a lot of complimentary personality traits and skills as well as many significant differences- it's a good match. We are both passionate about high tech and care about the local industry.
Do the names David Jacobson, Katherine Gehl, Josh Schneider or Walt Winkleman mean anything to you?
No, I never heard of any of them.
How long in have you been involved with the technology industry?
I've been working in Chicago high tech since early 2005. I have a Master's degree in fine arts and visual communications and was a design teacher at the International Academy of Design and Technology. I love teaching but have been working technology sales for awhile. Anyone can check out my complete resume on Linkedin.
I infer that you'll be bringing a new perspective to the scene. What will you be doing for the Report?
Going to events - talking about them, writing about them; I have already been doing it for fun and for business development. I like meeting people.
Has any of your writing been published before?
Yes, I've contributed material to fine arts magazines. I'm used to working for free and I'm not getting paid to work for Ron. I will volunteer for things that I'm passionate about. I'm also in charge of the PR committee for ARC galleries - I do that because it's a cooperative for something I care about.
Will NOT being Ron get you into places that Ron is banned from?
Absolutely - I'm going to the ITA tonight and I recently spoke there; I have a great relationship with them.
How is your style for getting information going to be different than Ron's?
I'm not as confrontational as Ron - I'm sweet and kind - and have a presence that people like. Ron has made enemies - but I like to think that I can be on better footing with people - so I am a fresh perspective and want to add something new and different.
It sounds like you're interested in helping, is that what the Report is known for?
Ron has upset a lot of people - including me. Several years ago he told me I'm a terrible person to be networking because I'm nice and there's no real reason to know me. I thought about that - and he was right - there was no real reason to for me to network - but it made me think - there probably are reasons why people should know me. And so I changed - I made reasons for people to know me. His advice was not meant to hurt my feelings, but it did, and it also helped me. The things that he says are intended to help - but in his own way.
Ron typically goes to events looking for dirt - is that going to be your agenda?
I like to hear what's going on - some of it could be gossip; there is always the possibility that you can find it.
Could any of this change the nature of the Report?
Sure - why not. Change is good. Just the fact that he wants a new voice means that he's open to change. I hope things will be more positive through balance. I want to inspire people - help them - make them laugh - give people something to read. People read the Report to see that if they're in it or not. That's his style. I don't think I'll be like that.
If Ron dropped dead tomorrow would you be in charge of the Report?
I have not discussed that with him - so I don't know. I will have an answer for that in the next couple of weeks.
Would you want to run it if you could?
Sure - it's like being called to service; when I taught I felt the same way.
Are there any bad guys in Chicago's high tech community?
Of course - those people can be under the radar - they can appear as friends or leaders.
Are there any assignments that you'd turn down?
Yes, anything that endangered my safety.
Like working with Ron? Does this job give you immunity from being hit by his cane?
I don't know. I haven't tested it yet, so let's hope so!
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END OF REPORT
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