 | | October 22, 2007
The May Report: 10/22/2007: Lafleur definitely went to U. of C. and possibly the hospitals; Songza.com Launch Party; JRex at Web2.0 Summit; MIT-EF: give me that mic!; and more....
Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com 773-525-3944.
August 2007: Celebrating 19 years since the first column in the Chicago Computer Guide, 15 years since the first column in the Guide on Chicago high tech; and 10 years as an online newsletter and website
If you missed an article, go here: http://www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
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http://www.midphase.com/
midPhase is always looking to add to its talented staff. You can find a jobs link on midPhase.com and apply right over the website
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The Center for Creativity and Innovation
at DePaul University
Presents a Conference:
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT IN BUSINESS
October 26, 2007
12:00-5:00pm
DePaul University Conference Center
1 E. Jackson, 8th Floor
Chicago, IL
Keynote luncheon and breakout sessions feature business and academic leaders in innovation who will discuss approaches to breakthrough thinking and strategic options for managing innovation in companies across industries. For more information, visit http://creativity.depaul.edu or call 312-362-8395.
Sampling of featured speakers:
• Matthew Wise, CEO, Q Interactive, a Chicago Innovation Award winner.
• Dr. Min Basadur, Professor of Innovation, McMaster University and Founder, Basadur Applied Creativity.
• Experts from innovation leaders such as IDEO and Kraft.
• Innovation specialists sharing cases and best practices, helping you to bring new innovation processes into your organization or team.
Sampling of Breakout Sessions
• Idea Management Systems
• You Never Learn Anything by Getting It Right
• The Innovation Mindset
• Learn Your Creative Problem Solving Profile
• Creative Problem Solving Applications for Business
• Innovation in Health Care: Making a Difference in Quality of Life
• Building and Sustaining Innovative Work Cultures
• Deliberate Creativity
• Managing Innovation
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Scoop section:
-- This just in. An invite to a funding reception for www.ufoodgrill.com on Tuesday, Oct. 23rd at 5:30pm at the Drake in the Venetian room, Mezzanine level
-- Briefly noted, by Ron May
-- Ron Kirschner: TMR has it wrong
-- Big changes in the offing at Argonne
-- Deals
-- Nokia's Profit Rises 85% On Gains in Emerging Markets
-- Aza Raskin: Songza.com Launch Party
-- Gerald Murphy, President, Cook County Chamber of Commerce: Electronic voting
-- Sandee Kastrul: This year's i.c.stars TechBash on November 29, 2007 at 6:00pm
-- Debate at the Harris Theater: China and the environment: WBEZ and The Economist, October 24
-- Donna Conroy: H1-B myth is exposed by this columnist
-- MySpace Hops on Facebook Bandwagon
-- Chicago’s Civic Leaders Identify Priorities for Ensuring the City’s Global Success
-- Wednesday, Oct. 24th: India: The Emergence of an Innovation Economy
-- TechPresident.com in Association with the New York Times Editorial Board and MSNBC Launches 10Questions.com, a Presidential Video Forum
1. READERS' COMMENTS AND RESPONSES
1a. Spencer Maus: Apologizes for not allowing audience to use the mic at the MIT-EF
1b. Phil Rosenberg: Report on LinkedIN: Face-to-Face 10/19/07
1c. Joshua Gutstein: Stayclip
1d. Melissa Kauck: Just saying hi
1e. Dan Ushman: Good having Ron at the data center
1f. News: The Midwest, 2 Guys & The Dalai Lama?
1g. Tom Williams: Introduces himself and his firm
2. OTHER (Events)
2a. Wednesday, October 24: Real Estate Seminar: “Own Your Own Office Space”
2b. Thursday, Nov. 2: "Destination Growth" Conference, COD
3. Special Reports and Features
3a. The rest of the Economic Club of Chicago attendee list for the Al Gore dinner on the 17th of October [These are the people in the Crystal Ball room. Gore spoke in both the Grand and the Crystal Ballroom. They had 2,500 people and were turning last minute hopefuls away. Wonder if they figured he would win the Nobel Prize in Peace when they booked him, probably about a year ago.]
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NEED TO RAISE MONEY TO LAUNCH OR GROW YOUR BUSINESS? Then register for ...
Raising Capital: What are the Options?
Presented by the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University
Thursday, November 15, 2007
6 – 8 pm
Location: University Center, 525 S. State St.
$35 Early Registration; $45 after November 12
Register at: http://cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2007/11/funding_your_bu_2.php
Description:
This seminar is a must for entrepreneurs getting ready to wander through the maze of raising capital. If you have been wondering what kind of funding to pursue for your business, we recommend this seminar to answer your questions. Our panel of experienced entrepreneurs and financing decision-makers will share information to help you decide which method is best for your type and stage of business, including information about bootstrapping, loans, angel investments, and venture capital.
Topics covered will include myths and realities about funding for start-ups and growing businesses; pros and cons of debt and equity financing; the importance of the business plan (and the most common problems investors see in them); and factors that could be “deal-breakers”.
Confirmed Panelists:
- Eddie Lou – OCA Ventures
- Dennis Serio – Illinois Business & Investor Forum
- Greg Kilgore - LiftSeat Corporation
Register at: http://cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2007/11/funding_your_bu_2.php
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The Scoop section:
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This just in. An invite to a funding reception for www.ufoodgrill.com on Tuesday, Oct. 23rd at 5:30pm at the Drake in the Venetian room, Mezzanine level
From: Nicholson, Steve [SNicholson@spencertrask.com]
To: Ron May
Subject: Please join us for a drink at the Drake
Sent: Mon 10/22/2007 1:04 PM
Ron-We are thrilled to be involved with www.ufoodgrill.com in a capital raise. The founder and CEO is George Naddaff who took Boston Chicken public and the national spokes person is George Foreman. We are presenting in Chicago on the 23rd at the Drake and would love to host you. The invitation is attached.-SN
Steven Nicholson
Vice President Private Equity Group
Spencer Trask Ventures
535 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022
(212) 326-9280 (800) 622-7078 ext. 280
SNicholson@spencertrask.com
www.spencertrask.com
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Briefly noted, by Ron May
* I have to get ready to go to the Chicago Innovation Awards ceremony that is being held tonight at the Goodman Theater. This has to be fast.
Given how short the report has been lately, you might think I am doing very little.
Au contraire.
I am swamped with the big story about the CEO who will be leaving his firm soon. I have not said the name of the firm or the CEO, but I will tell him something that only he knows: Casey Drewes.
Now you know whom you are and the rest, my friend, is history.
Srumpette.com has taken down its site which infuriates me. I am writing an essay on why they should restore it. They take you to www.furthermore.com when you go to Strumpette.
Ten things, quickly.
1. I have it on good authority that the Mayor's Office intervened and told the State's Attorney not to charge John Haley of Logan Square with a hate crime after he had pushed 62-year-old Du Doan into the water. Doan, who could not swim, drowned. This took place at 5:30am on Saturday, September 1st. Mr. Doan was Vietnamese, I believe and there was talk of charging him with a hate crime but the Mayor's office intervened because of the Olympics. Something similar happened when the World Cup was here. All of a sudden, all the panhandlers downtown disappeared. Daley is obsessed with our image for the Olympics but two cops I talked to said, "Forget about it." Putting on the Olympics would require building several new highways, they told me.
2. A company I have written about quite a lot over the years has a $20MM VC round pending with a $100MM pre-money valuation. The company has 25 people now.
3. Check out www.orthoscan.com. It is a Phoenix company that has just started production on its flouroscan product and they are expected to do $4MM in biz very quickly. This is supposedly the best product on the market, according to Bob Geras, who is invested in them along with 22 other firms.
4. Geras is visiting www.MicroBlade.us in Wisconsin on Tuesday. That is another of his investments.
5. I attended five events last week: ITDA Monday Morning Meeting; tour of the MidPhase and SingleHop data center at 601 West Polk; the MIT-EF meeting Tuesday night; and then two sessions of the Direct Marketing Association, one on Wednesday afternoon and one on Thursday. Both of those sessions were on the topic of new media.
6. Here are the top ten firms contributing to the presidential campaigns this year:
http://www.eweek.com/slideshow/0,1206,pg=0&s=26333&a=217581,00.asp
7. Jason Rexilius of www.hostedlabs.com and I had a long talk on Friday. He attended http://www.web2summit.com/ in San Francisco last week. There were a few Chicago area firms there including: Tribune, Accenture, DoubleClick and an organization called www.sufo.org; Matt Smith of www.complaints.com was there as was Al Wasserberger of www.mediariver.com; Professor Chang (I believe) of UIUC; David Hills, a VC from the area, I believe Winnetka; Julianne (spelling??) Cole, the CTO of Tribune Interactive; and if my notes are right, a guy named David Vize of Critical Mass was there.
8. Sufo.org:
sufo.org is a resource for surgeons and physicians.
interested in participating in the private beta? please email the information requested below to register [at] sufo [dot] org - we'll validate and pre-register you.
(a) first and last name, followed by degree (MD, DO, MBBS, etc)
(b) specialty (dermatology, plastic surgery, etc)
(c) any society affiliations (AAD, ASPS, ISAPS, etc)
(d) office contact information (address, phone number)
(e) training institution - where you trained or where you are currently training (eg, UCSD plastic surgery residency program)
(f) work email address (required) and personal email address (required)
(g) medical license number (required if you practice in north america)
information provided won't be sold to anyone (we're docs also).
we'll only contact you when we're ready to begin the private beta or if we're having problems with verification.
9. Jason said that one hot area that has been largely overlooked is local media and advertising, an area that has not been properly monetized yet. He said that Tribune Company bought a firm in California that is in this space but he could not recall the firm's name but they were at the conference. This firm is in the same space as a local firm, www.centro.com . Jason also told me that he had to lobby to get into the conference and he was proud of the fact that he was invited. Jason also said that the local advertising was one of the big reasons that Nokia bought Navteq. Chicago area attendance at the conference was poor. As Jason said, for every five pages of people there was one from Chicago or Illinois.
9. I am not going to give you my MIT-EF write-up today but there were 82 people in attendance and by the time Q&A came about, there were about 45 left. Overall the meeting was OK, and I learned a few things, but I did feel that the analysis could have been more in-depth, more rigorous and more insightful. We got a lot of general stats that may not have given much value. But if the talks were OK, the Q&A period was not well handled. Bruce Montgomery forgot that moderators are supposed to open things up for audience participation and he hogged the Q&A period. Bruce, you are a great speaker and a very engaging guy, but you should not be moderating or speaking first if you are one of several speakers. When Anna Belyaev ran the MIT-EF meeting about a year ago, your talk went on so long that it threw the timing off for the whole meeting. The MIT-EF members and guests want to participate and they don't want something silly like 3x5 or 4x6 index cards to write their questions down. You can see Gerald Murphy's comments in this report which would have been raised at the meeting if they had given him the time and microphone to do it. Gerald Murphy just so happens to be the President of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. There were some experts in the audience but they were not given a voice. Spencer Maus has apologized for the way the Q&A was handled (see Readers' Comments) and Nancy Munro explained to me that when they planned the meeting it was with the idea in mind that some actual candidate representatives would be there and they were concerned that those people would be deluged with questions they did not want to answer.
10. I have not heard back from Kristi Lafleur yet but I wonder what is up with her. Her assistant tells me that Kristi's last day was Friday and she is at the University of Chicago. I am trying to get her title and the school she is in. I just talked to her assistant again and she said she thinks Kristi said something about U. of C. Hospitals, and that would make sense if it is not the business school. No listing on her yet at the main number. She just started today.
Speaking of hot women, put this name on your list. She met me at a Gerald Haman party and she was at the MIT-EF. Jenny Morehead is the local sales manager for WGN Radio 720 and a Kellogg MBA student. I thought about her for two days.
BTW, not only is Kellogg and U. of C. taking credit for Roger Myerson and his Nobel prize, but the Old Town School of Folk Music is also claiming him as a harmonica student.
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Ron Kirschner: TMR has it wrong
From: Ron Kirschner [ron.kirschner@comcast.net]
To: Ron May
Subject: Fwd: FYI. Out of the May Report
Sent: Tue 10/16/2007 5:26 PM
Ron,
The "Word" on the "Word street" is wrong. Whoever gave you the "word" confused the "word" that they heard about another group. This other group, according to the "word," did exactly what you said. I never heard about anybody leveraging help. We don't charge a fee to present.
I guess we now have another "word" out there.
The unspoken "word" is that life goes on.... Until the Next May Report!
Ron
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Cliff Turner" <cliffjt@comcast.net>
Date: October 16, 2007 5:11:17 PM CDT
To: <ron.kirschner@comcast.net>
Subject: FYI. Out of the May Report
-- Word is that Ron Kirschner wants a piece of the action in the firms that present at his group, but I have to check that out. I am not sure but there may be a $3K fee to present. But Kirschner tells people that if they want him to do more, it will cost them. Ron, buddy, is that true??
Regards,
Cliff Turner
DNArP Consulting, LLC
Phone/Fax: 708-448-3836
Cell: 708-927-8213
SKYPE: cjturner41688 (Computer to Computer)
Email: cliffjt@comcast.net
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Big changes in the offing at Argonne
From: Name withheld [although not requested]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: FYI
Sent: Fri 10/19/2007 2:31 PM
http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2007/news071019a.html
Message to all Argonne employees from Bob Rosner, Argonne Director
Argonne's contributions to the nation's nuclear energy program have been
visionary and transformative, from our origins in the design of the first
nuclear reactors to our recent advances in closing the fuel cycle and
developing new reactor technologies. For Argonne to continue to make
significant impacts on the nation's nuclear energy program, from time to
time we need to pause and reevaluate our programmatic strategic objectives.
The nation's energy priorities have changed and to solve the nation's
biggest problems we must focus on our core competencies of long-term
science-based R&D that incorporates and integrates advances in engineering
and computation with the basic sciences. As we adapt our nuclear program to
better serve the nation, we must also address the need for compliant
facilities where we perform our nuclear experiments.
This past July, I announced the temporary cessation of programmatic
activities in G and K wings in Building 205. Now, after a thorough analysis
of our current situation and discussions locally and at DOE Headquarters, we
have determined that our significantly aging infrastructure would require,
among other programmatic equipment upgrades, new ventilation and fire
suppression systems. We have also determined that the costs to upgrade our
facilities with the required safety architecture are significant and the
necessary investments and operating costs would unduly burden programs both
inside and outside of the nuclear energy area. Recognizing that there will
still be a need to perform cutting edge experimental work, we plan to
leverage the DOE's robust experimental facilities at other DOE sites.
Argonne and Savannah River National Laboratory are currently formalizing a
partnership to collaborate in basic and applied separations R&D and to
conduct various types of nuclear experiments in facilities at Savannah
River.
My decision to not restart the nuclear facilities at Argonne was a difficult
one and will result in some personnel reassignments and changes. We hope to
absorb most of the employees affected by this decision in other areas of the
laboratory where their expertise will be invaluable.
These programmatic and facility changes do not mean that we will not be
operating nuclear facilities. Our plans call for consolidating all nuclear
materials into one or two facilities. The clean up and consolidation effort
will require significant new resources and will be an ongoing effort over
the next decade.
Change is hard, but we have gone through it repeatedly and with tremendous
results. The breakthroughs we have achieved in the past occurred as a result
of creative and innovative approaches that broke from traditional thinking
and catapulted us into leadership positions. As we embrace change going
forward, I am confident that Argonne will continue to provide leadership in
all areas of nuclear energy science and technology.
____________________________________
Deals:
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Ryerson Inc. (NYSE: RYI) stockholders have approved a $34.50 per share
buyout offer from Platinum Equity. The total deal is valued at approximately
$2 billion. Ryerson is a Chicago-based metals processor, and is being
advised by UBS. www.ryerson.com
Manor Care Inc. (NYSE: HCR) stockholders have approved a $67 per share
buyout offer from The Carlyle Group. The total deal is valued at
approximately $6.3 billion. Manor Care is a Toledo, Ohio-based nursing home
operator. www.hcr-manorcare.com
Nanosphere Inc., a Northbrook, Ill.-based molecular diagnostics company with
a nanotech-based platform to enable earlier disease detection and treatment,
has set its IPO terms to seven million common shares being offered at
between $14 and $16 per share. It would have an initial market cap of
approximately $343 million, if it prices at the high end of its range.
Nanosphere plans to trade on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol NSPH, with
Credit Suisse serving as lead underwriter. Nanosphere has raised around $80
million in VC funding since 2000, from firms like Brookside Capital
Partners, Lurie Investments Bain Capital Ventures and Allen & Company.
www.nanosphere.us
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Nokia's Profit Rises 85% On Gains in Emerging Markets
By ADAM EWING
STOCKHOLM -- Nokia Corp. posted an 85% rise in third-quarter net profit, as the world's dominant mobile-phone maker said it expects its global device market share to be steady at around 39% in the fourth quarter. Shares rose on the news.
Net profit topped analysts' expectations, rising to €1.56 billion ($2.21 billion), or 40 European cents a share, from €845 million, or 21 cents a share, as volume-sales growth and by sales of new, lucrative multimedia handsets outweighed an expected poor performance from its networks joint venture with Germany's Siemens AG, Nokia Siemens Networks.
Sales rose 28% to €12.90 billion from €10.1 billion. Analysts had expected net profit to rise 55% to €1.31 billion on sales of €13.09 billion.
The Espoo, Finland-based company boosted profits thanks to continued strength in the emerging markets of India and China -- regions where millions of new mobile phone users enter the market each month. Mobile-phone shipments jumped 26% to 111.7 million from 88.5 million, as the average selling price for a mobile phone decreased to €82 from €90 in the second quarter.
"In a strong market, we simultaneously gained market share and increased our operating margins," said Nokia Chief Executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. "The quality and depth of our device portfolio continues to give us a good competitive edge and we believe our portfolio looks promising for next year."
Nokia's mobile phone division reported an operating margin of 22.6% compared with 13.1%. Multimedia handset sales grew 23% to €2.6 billion, thanks in part to high volume sales of its N-series range, especially the N95, considered by analysts to be a strong competitor against Apple Inc.'s iPhone.
"I am really paying attention to Apple and RIM, as an example of competitors," Mr. Kallasvuo told analysts Thursday. "We need to beat, not match, the competition."
CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood said Nokia's phone business has a clear competitive edge on its rivals. "It is exploiting its leadership in supply chain, manufacturing, distribution and brand," he said. "This makes it possible to dramatically increase the proportion of low cost, below €30, handsets while maintaining margins and snatching 39% of the global market. It now has more market share than its next three competitors put together."
Nokia's networks business made steps towards profitability, despite its €120 million operating loss on the quarter. Nokia said it now estimates restructuring charges at Nokia Siemens Networks to be slightly above €2 billion, compared with previous estimates of €1.5 billion. Remaining charges will be booked in the fourth quarter.
The company said it expects industry mobile-device volumes in the fourth quarter to rise, but predicts market share to remain at the same level sequentially
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Aza Raskin: Songza.com Launch Party
From: azaaza@gmail.com; on behalf of; Aza [aza@humanized.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com; ronaldmay@aol.com
Subject: Songza.com Launch Party
Sent: Thu 10/18/2007 9:23 PM
Hi Ron,
Hope you are doing well. I wanted to give you an invite to the launch party of my/Humanized's latest side project. It's a free internet music search engine and jukebox. I think it is pretty neat. The basic feature is that it lets you listen to whatever song may be bouncing around your head in its entirety. Of course, it also lets you send it to friends, add it to a playlist, or embed in your own site. There will also be a Facebook app by the time we launch. Nicely Web 2.0 :) It's located here: www.songza.com
Basically, Songza.com solves the problem of "I want to listen to such and such a song..." or "I want to send a link of such and such a song to a friend".
The launch party is taking place on November 8th from 5:30-9ish p.m. at the Elephant & Castle on N. Wabash. We'll have free beer provided by New Belgium (the Fat Tire people).
If you want to talk it up and get the word out to other people, that would be awesome. We want a big showing :) You, of course, get access to our VIP lounge. I'll send a passcode to get into the full site in a bit. Pester me.
--
Aza Raskin
President, Humanized
www.humanized.com
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Gerald Murphy, President, Cook County Chamber of Commerce: Electronic voting
From: glmurphy@comcast.net
To: ron@themayreport.com
CC: Sanford Morganstein; Bob Wilson
Subject: Electronic Voting
Sent: Thu 10/18/2007 11:08 AM
Hi Ron:
While it is still a timely subject, I wanted to follow up on our conversation this week about "Technology and Politics" the topic of the MITEF meeting this week.
That meeting would have been more informative if more than one question from the floor been allowed.
Reference was made to HAVA, the Help Americans Vote Act, which was prompted by problems with voting in 2000. The most notable problems were in Florida because the Presidential election outcome hinged on the Florida outcome. A subsequent study that was co-sponsored by the Chicago Tribune made the finding that Vice President Al Gore would have carried Florida and been elected President but for the vote count problems and intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court.
During the development of HAVA legislation, Diebold, then a leading voting machine company, paid lobbyist Jack Abramoff $275,000 to win Congressional support for the elimination of a paper trail in new electronic voting machines that would be developed pursuant to the Act. The notoriety from this initiative has led to misfortunes for Diebold and the renaming of its company.
For additional information about the evolution of this legislation and its consequences:
* Please visit blackboxvoting.org and blackboxvoting.com,
* A good source of local information is Bob Wilson, chair of the Illinois Ballot Security Association, with offices in Evanston (try 847-733-9016)
* Sanford Morganstein, president of Populex, in East Dundee (847-426-1018) can provide insight into the availability and features of voting machines that address the problems encountered in 2006 and thereafter from the perspective of a producer of a voting machine with a paper trail.
The Cook County experience with new voting machines in the 2006 primary was notable for a failure of most polling place workers to complete the training for the use of the machine, fried memory devices used to record the vote. The renomination of Cook County Board President, incapacitated by a stroke, was accomplished by a combination of pervasive party endorsements, a failure of local media to fully discuss Stroger's condition in the final week of the campaign and grotesque characterizations of challenger Commissioner Forrest Claypool, Stroger's challenger. Later in the summer of 2006, the County Democratic Central Committee anointed Todd Stroger, who is now calling for increased revenues of more than 28%.
With respect to the talks by panelists Clem Balanoff of Cook County and Mr. Beirne of the Texas-based electronic voting machine group, the reality differs substantially from the indications of public satisfaction with the current generation of voting machines and with the Cook County experience. Cook County Clerk David Orr had withheld payments to the vendor of the new machines because of poor performance of the new machines. The fiascoes of the current voting machines are not given enough national publicity, yet are resulting in many elections of persons with fewer votes.
Legislation to reinstate a paper trail for all votes cast is not addressing this need for all voting machines. People have the option to vote by paper ballot and the share of such voters is high in the affluent suburbs and city neighborhoods.
Voting machine vendors and their field personnel have symbiotic relationships with most county clerks, which inhibits the development of more complete reforms. Legislation to require a paper trail has been languishing for several years. The size of this market is, by my estimate, $5.00 per capita (the entire population in a political subdivision) and around $1.5 Billion nationally.
Please feel free to call if you have any questions.
Jerry
Gerald Murphy
Cook County Chamber of Commerce
708-531-1117
_________________________________________
Sandee Kastrul: This year's i.c.stars TechBash on November 29, 2007 at 6:00pm
From: Sandee Kastrul [rsvp@icstars.org]
To: Claire Dolinar
Subject: Save the NEW Date - i.c.stars TechBash Nov. 29
Sent: Wed 10/17/2007 1:35 PM
Join us for this year's i.c.stars TechBash on November 29, 2007 at 6:00pm.
This year's party will take place on 3 floors at the i.c.stars and closerlook loft in River North, 212 West Superior
3 floors???
Yes!
i.c.stars has grown. Thanks to generous support from Urban Innovations, i.c.stars was able to add 3,000 square feet to support doubling our program size this year. Can't wait to SEE YOU at the 4th Annual TechBash.
Come celebrate the growth of our mission toward 1,000 Community Leaders by 2020.
Registration and pricing will be forthcoming in the next email.
Thank you!!
Sandee Kastrul
President and cofounder
i.c.stars
www.icstars.org
212 W. Superior suite 300
Chicago Il 60610
312-640-3851
i.c.stars receives generously donated email marketing services from proceed interactive (www.proceedinteractive.com)
____________________________________________
Debate at the Harris Theater: China and the environment: WBEZ and The Economist, October 24
From: Justin Hendrix [JustinHendrix@economist.com]
To: Bobbi Meyer
Subject; China and the environment: WBEZ and The Economist, October 24
Sent: Thu 10/18/2007 4:26 PM
Media Advisory
WORLDVIEW AND THE ECONOMIST PRESENT LIVE DEBATE ON CHINA’S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
CHICAGO'S HARRIS THEATER, OCTOBER 24, 7 PM
WHAT: LIVE DEBATE ON CHINA’S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
On Wednesday, October 24 at 7 pm, Chicago Public Radio’s weekday global affairs program Worldview and The Economist magazine will present a live, Oxford-style public debate at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park on the impact of China as a developing power on the environment. Audience members will cast their votes for the winner at the end of the debate.
Worldview host Jerome McDonnell will moderate the debate, featuring two teams arguing either side of the proposition statement, “China’s rise will lead to an environmental catastrophe.” Team members include Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global Correspondent for The Economist, Harvard's Kelly Sims Gallagher, the Asia Society's Orville Schell, and University of Illinois-Chicago's Barry Weisberg.
The debate will be recorded for broadcast on Tuesday, October 30 on Worldview at 12 noon and again at 9 pm on Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ 91.5 FM) and later at Economist.com ( http://www.economist.com/ ).
WHO: PRESENTED BY CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO AND THE ECONOMIST
Moderated by: Jerome McDonnell, Host, Worldview
Panelists:
Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Gobal Correspondent, The Economist, author, Zoom: The Global Race to Fuel the Car of the Future
Kelly Sims Gallagher, Director, Energy Technology Innovation Project, Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.- China Relations at the Asia Society, author of The China Reader: The Reform Era
Barry Weisberg, Executive Director of the Violence Prevention Peace Promotion Strategy, author of Beyond Repair: The Ecology of Capitalism
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2007, 7 – 8:30 pm | Doors 6:30 pm
WHERE: HARRIS THEATER FOR MUSIC AND DANCE, Millennium Park | 205 E. Randolph Dr. | Chicago, IL
PRICE: $15 GENERAL ADMISSION, $10 for The Economist subscribers, $10 for students using promo code FRIEND
Purchase tickets online: harristheaterchicago.org ( http://www.harristheaterchicago.org/ )| By phone: 312.334.7777
In person: Harris Theater Box Office, 205 E. Randolph Drive
Reporters who wish to attend should contact WBEZ's Cindy Hansen at 312.893.2950 or reply to this email.
###
Chicago Public Radio is a community-supported, non-commercial public service broadcasting institution,broadcasting throughout Chicago and surrounding regions. From news and public affairs to arts and culture, the station’s eclectic and distinctive selection of internationally, nationally and locally produced programs reflects the diversity of the community it serves. Chicago Public Radio programming is available at WBEZ 91.5 FM Chicago, WBEQ 90.7 FM Morris, W217BM Elgin and chicagopublicradio.org ( http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/ ). Vocalo is available at WBEW 89.5 FM Chesterton and vocalo.org ( http://www.vocalo.org/ ).
The Economist is a weekly magazine offering timely reporting, concise commentary and comprehensive analysis of global news. With objective authority, clarity and wit, The Economist presents the world's political, business, scientific, technological and cultural affairs and the connections between them. Because of its global editorial perspective, it is read by more of the world's political and business leaders than any other magazine. Edited in London since 1843, The Economist has a worldwide print circulation of 1.3 million and is online at www.economist.com.
Justin Hendrix
Brand and Public Relations Manager- Americas
The Economist
111 West 57th Street
New York NY 10019
phone 212.541.0540
mobile 646.251.4929
fax 212.445.0629
2007 National Magazine Awards Finalist- General Excellence
One of the 10 hottest magazines in America- Adweek
http://www.economist.com
http://economist.com/mediadirectory
http://ads.economist.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist
__________________________________________
Donna Conroy: H1-B myth is exposed by this columnist
From: Donna Conroy [dmconroy@sbcglobal.net]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: H1-B myth is exposed by this columnist
Sent: Fri 10/19/2007 3:51 PM
H1-B myth is exposed by this columnist
This editorial is quite insightful. What's amazing about this column is that he was able to glean this information from our web site. He got every point we were making. In contrast, some journalists are confused forever.
Thomas D. Elias saw how Brightfuturejobs.org is distinguishing itself. Here's a snippet:
Will H1-B immigration debacle be fixed?
By Thomas D. Elias, Highland Community News, Highland, CA
It's an open question now whether the egregious abuse of H-1B immigration visas by large corporations will ever be fixed.
That's because a small organization dedicated to helping American workers get jobs for which American companies are now importing foreign immigrants has uncovered a 2006 document demonstrating that letting foreigners take jobs Americans could fill is in fact the policy of the Bush Administration.
States the U.S. Department of Labor's Strategic Plan for the fiscal years 2006 to 2011, “H-1B workers may be hired even when a qualified U.S. worker wants the job, and a U.S. worker can be displaced from the job in favor of the foreign worker.” The Federal Register adds that “the statute does not require employers to demonstrate that there are no available U.S. workers or to test the labor market for U.S. workers as required under the permanent labor certification program.”
That damning language was uncovered by Donna Conroy of the organization Brightfuturejobs.org. More...
NOTE: I didn't uncover this document. Elisabeth, from Chicago, IL did. We have some talented people whom prefer to stay out of the limelight!
Upcoming Campaign
We will be introducing a resolution similar to the Cook County resolution soon. More details on that later. But please forward this to friends and family in New Hampshire and the surrounding areas now. Ask them to sign up so they will be "in the loop".
Soon, we will be able to put another public face on Brightfuturejobs.
Will you pitch in so that we can hire a very-part-time Internet Communications Director to keep you abreast of the issue? Donate here.
Every dollar we raise will keep you in the loop. And involved in this fight to restore the chance to apply for top, dollar white collar jobs. Donate here to save your job and your children's future opportunities.
Thanks for all that you do,
Donna Conroy
Director, Brightfuturejobs.org
dmconroy@sbcglobal.net
Chicago, IL
773-764-5865
__________________________________________
MySpace Hops on Facebook Bandwagon
From: Jayne Spottswood [jspottswood@empowerpr.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: MySpace Hops on Facebook Bandwagon
Sent: Fri 10/19/2007 2:21 PM
MySpace Hops on Facebook Bandwagon
Social Networking and IT expert Richard Lyons Discusses Why Facebook Model is Taking Over Cyberspace
Do you have Facebook and MySpace pages? We know you prefer one over the other. Recent reports show Facebook has 134 percent more users now than a year ago, while MySpace only has 12 percent more. MySpace still has more overall users, but Rupert Murdoch wants to raise its cachet by allowing outside software developers to write programs. Rich Lyons, President and Founder of Lyons Consulting Group in Chicago, has assisted in the development of social networking sites like Playboy U for countless organizations. Rich can explain why the Facebook model has more appeal than MySpace.
Topics to discuss:
How MySpace and Facebook have developed distinct systems and brand images.
Ways any business can improve their social networking site and reach consumers.
Other solutions for MySpace developers in re-branding their social networking system.
Rich Lyon’s expertise has been recently featured on ABC News and Crain’s Chicago Business.
*Media Inquiries:
Jayne Spottswood, Empower Public Relations
Office: 312.255.4014; Cell: 312.209.5046
JSpottswood@EmpowerPublicRelations.com
_______________________________________
Chicago’s Civic Leaders Identify Priorities for Ensuring the City’s Global Success
From: Bruce Montgomery [tatvshow@yahoo.com]
To: Ron May
Subject: Chicago’s Civic Leaders Identify Priorities for Ensuring the City’s Global Success
Sent: Thu 10/18/2007 10:01 PM
Chicago’s Civic Leaders Identify Priorities for Ensuring the City’s Global Success
October 17, 2007
Study Group Offers Comprehensive Agenda for Ensuring Chicago’s Economic Strength Beyond 2016 Olympics
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Laura Micheli
FD for Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Laura.micheli@fd.com
Tel: 312-861-4712
Download full report (pdf)
CHICAGO (Oct. 17, 2007) — The first comprehensive study of the challenges Chicago faces as a leading global city was released today by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The study, entitled The Global Edge: An Agenda for Chicago’s Future, recommends that Chicago’s leaders focus on the three key priorities of infrastructure, human capital, and global engagement in order to maintain Chicago’s status as a top-tier global city.
Authored by a study group of 40 prominent Chicago business and civic leaders, the study makes very specific recommendations for Chicago, including significantly increasing efforts to market the city as a global destination, expediting the expansion of O’Hare International Airport, reforming regional public transportation and improving education opportunities in the Chicagoland area.
The report said its recommendation dovetail with Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, by making the city a more attractive candidate for the Games while leaving it “a stronger, more vibrant city when the games are over.”
“The City has made great strides, but we can't rest on our laurels. Global competition is brutal and unforgiving,” said Adele Simmons, study group co-chair and vice chair of Chicago Metropolis 2020. “ Investing in our infrastructure, human capital and capacity to engage internationally is crucial to our future success and the welfare of all of our citizens. We can't pick and choose among these. We must invest in all three -- equally and wisely."
Formed by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Study Group on Chicago’s Global Future is led by Michael H. Moskow, former president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and now senior fellow for the global economy at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Henry H. Perritt, Jr., professor of law at the Chicago-Kent College of Law; and Adele Simmons, former president of the MacArthur Foundation and vice chair and senior executive at Chicago Metropolis 2020.
According to the Study Group’s report, Chicago has transitioned from an industrial powerhouse into a global leader and deserves the accolade, “A Success Story,” bestowed by The Economist magazine. Among its many strengths are its diverse economy, financial markets, and global business services; number of corporate headquarters; transport linkages; vibrant universities, superlative beauty, legacy of public-private partnerships, dynamic immigrant communities; and success in attracting the “creative class.”
But the group also acknowledges shortcomings and challenges that impede on Chicago’s ability to ensure a successful future including its public schools, traffic congestion, overloaded facilities at O’Hare Airport and in rail yards; CTA conditions for its aging facilities and lack of public funding; declining population; fragmented governance with no fewer than 1,200 separate units with taxing power; lack of affordable housing; lack of global banking leadership; and its ability to effectively project Chicago to the world. This report provides an agenda for taking Chicago and the region smartly into the future.
Recommendations - The Global Edge: An Agenda for Chicago’s Future
Overarching recommendation:
Everything that the Chicago region and its leaders do in the coming decades must be judged for how it contributes to economic vitality. Economic planning and investment, both public and private, must be organized around this mission. This will demand continued focus on improving transportation, building human capital and improving Chicago’s global engagement.
Improve transportation and infrastructure, including:
Expedite the expansion of O’Hare International Airport.
Reform the CTA and the RTA on a regional basis.
Reconfigure Chicago’s transport system to speed the movement of both people and goods.
Maintain the most modern digital communications system.
Manage the local effects of global climate change, with particular attention to infrastructure questions such as storm water management, rail, and roadways and the protection of vulnerable populations. Provide for the upkeep of the city’s water system, which is inadequate to meet the challenges of climate change.
Work with leaders in other states to speed ratification of the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact and to encourage steps to maintain water levels in the Great Lakes.
Build human capital, including:
Educate the Chicago region’s people at all levels, including early childhood education and, especially, expand successful experiments now taking place to the entire school system, enabling them to contribute to the economy of a global city and to make maximum use of the job opportunities that this new economy provides.
Embark on a thoughtful reform of Chicago’s City College system.
Make maximum use of Chicago’s fine universities.
Focus constantly on making Chicago an attractive city, both physically and in quality of life, to draw skilled and educated workers.
Support music, drama, filmmaking, art, and culture as a vital part of this attraction.
Continue efforts to integrate minorities, both African Americans and immigrants, into the economic, political, and social life of the region.
Work with Congress and the administration to support immigration policies that welcomed highly qualified immigrants, both workers and students.
Increase global engagement, including:
Support for the development of a Mayor’s Office of International Affairs to handle protocol, including the reception of visiting delegations and relations with the consular corps; oversee the Sister Cities program; and set priorities for and arrange overseas travel by the mayor and other officials.
Strengthen the mandate and resources for World Business Chicago to help increase the city’s efforts to attract global trade and development.
Dramatically increase the city’s tourism promotion budget, including advertising overseas, to enable the city to compete with other comparable destinations. Currently, Chicago spends one-tenth as much as Orlando, one-twentieth as much as Las Vegas and virtually nothing outside the Midwest.
Establish Chicago offices in key public cities to represent Chicago’s interests in promoting trade and investment.
Maintain a separate budget for foreign travel by the mayor and other city officials.
Sponsor trips to Chicago by foreign journalists.
####
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, founded in 1922 as The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, is a leading independent, nonpartisan organization committed to influencing the discourse on global issues through contributions to opinion and policy formation, leadership dialogue, and public learning.
Bruce Montgomery
Producer & Host
Technology Access TV
P.O. Box 10796
Chicago, IL 60610-0796
(773) 224-7898
(773) 410-0608 cell
(312) 575-8636 fax
tatvshow@yahoo.com
www.tatv.org
____________________________________________
Wednesday, Oct. 24th: India: The Emergence of an Innovation Economy
From: Bruce Montgomery [tatvshow@yahoo.com]
To: Ron May
Subject: India: The Emergence of an Innovation Economy
Sent: Thu 10/18/2007 10:09 PM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2007
India Roundtable, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Delhi Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program.
India: The Emergence of an Innovation Economy
with
The Honorable Dr. Sam Pitroda
Chairman, India’s National Knowledge Commission & Founder and CEO, C-SAM Inc.
In this era of a global economy driven by technology, everyone believes innovation means success. However, innovation is an elusive goal no one can quite define or have found it difficult to achieve. India, known as a tech-savvy country, understands this all too well. Leading multinational corporations, such as Microsoft, General Electric, Intel, Boeing, and Google, have already flocked to India to capitalize on the wealth of technical capbilities. However, India is not satisfied with just supplying outsourced services but wants to harness its human capital to become a world leader in innovation. Will India be able to catch this indefinable goal and transform itself into a driver of world-class innovation?
Dr. Sam Pitroda is an internationally respected development thinker, telecom inventor, and entrepreneur who has spent forty years in Information and Communications Technology, and related human and national developments. His experiences include working in the private and public sectors and with governments around the world. A reputation built from many years of work, Sam Pitroda brings enormous professional weight and credibility to his projects and operations.
Credited with having laid the foundation for and ushered India’s technology and telecommunications revolution in the 1980s, Dr. Pitroda has been a leading campaigner to help bridge the digital divide. During his tenure as advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi in the 1980s Mr. Pitroda headed six technology missions related to telecommunications, water, literacy, immunization, dairy and oil seeds, he was also the founder and first chairman of India’s Telecom Commission.
Currently, Dr. Pitroda is chairman of India’s National Knowledge Commission which reports directly to the Prime Minister. The commission’s mandate is to offer a series of recommendations to the government on access, concepts, creation, application and services related to knowledge to help build excellence in the education system to meet the challenges of the 21st century and increase India's competitive advantage.
Please note: New Location
The Chicago Club
81 East Van Buren Street
Chicago, IL 60605
Registration and Networking : 12:00 noon.
Luncheon and Address : 12:30 p.m.
Members $45
Nonmembers $55
Business attire required.
Register now
Click here to download a faxable registration form.
Not a member? To learn more about membership benefits or to join now, click here.
Bruce Montgomery
Producer & Host
Technology Access TV
P.O. Box 10796
Chicago, IL 60610-0796
(773) 224-7898
(773) 410-0608 cell
(312) 575-8636 fax
tatvshow@yahoo.com
www.tatv.org
__________________________________________
TechPresident.com in Association with the New York Times Editorial Board and MSNBC Launches 10Questions.com, a Presidential Video Forum
From: Chris Macowski [chris.macowski@morris-king.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: TechPresident.com in Association with the New York Times Editorial Board and MSNBC Launches 10Questions.com, a Presidential Video Forum
Sent: Mon 10/22/2007 10:58 AM
TECHPRESIDENT.COM IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES
EDITORIAL BOARD AND MSNBC
LAUNCHES 10QUESTIONS.COM, A PRESIDENTIAL VIDEO FORUM
NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2007 – TechPresident.com announced today that it launched 10Questions.com, a user-generated presidential video debate, in association with the editorial board of The New York Times and MSNBC, and the co-sponsorship of more than forty Web sites that span the political spectrum.
10Questions.com gives users the opportunity to submit online video questions addressed to the candidates through a variety of video platforms including YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo and Blip.tv by tagging their video with the word “10Questions.” The 10Questions site will then display those videos and enable the public to vote to determine the ten best submissions. At the end of four weeks, the top ten questions will be submitted to all the major candidates. The candidates will have four weeks to submit un-timed video responses to the questions. As those responses are posted, 10Question.com users will be given the opportunity to vote on whether the candidates have answered the questions to their satisfaction.
“The Internet offers our democracy the chance to end the era of sound bite TV politics,” said Andrew Rasiej, co-founder and publisher, techPresident. “10Questions.com will address the inherent time limitations of traditional television debates and provide voters with more information on each candidate and his or her issues at the start of the 2008 election cycle.”
Users can vote on as many videos as they like, but may only submit one video; user submissions are due by November 14. The entire project will be completed on December 31, 2007.
“The many media sites, online communities and blogs dedicated to promoting this project demonstrate how important this initiative is to facilitating responses from candidates about the major issues of the day across bi-partisan lines,” noted Micah L. Sifry, co-founder and editor, techPresident. “It’s user involvement in posting and filtering questions to the candidates and the candidates’ responses that make 10Questions the first truly people-powered online presidential forum.”
The New York Times editorial board will direct users to 10Questions.com through the online opinion section of NYTimes.com (www.nytimes.com/opinion).
Co-sponsors include:
Afro-Netizen
Air America
AirCongress
BlackProf
Blip.tv
Blogher
Buzzmachine
Care2
ColorofChange
Crooks&Liars
CultureKitchen
DailyKos
E-Democracy.org
FireDogLake
Free Press Action Fund
HotAir
Huffington Post
Hugh Hewitt
Instapundit
Latino Pundit
Media Bloggers Assoc.
Michelle Malkin
MSNBC.com
MyDD
New York Observer
Open Left
Page One Q
Pajamas Media
Pam's House Blend
Patrick Ruffini
Politico
Politics Online
PoliticsTV
PrezVid
Racialicious
RawStory
RedState
RightMarch
RightWingNews
Rocketboom
SmartMobs
Smirking Chimp
TalkingPointsMemo
techRepublican
The New Homemaker
The Truth Laid Bear
Townhall
Treehugger
Vivir Latino
About techPresident.com: techPresident.com is a group blog on how the presidential candidates are using the Web, and how the Web is using them. Written by a cross-partisan array of experienced online political organizers, activists and consultants, it recently won the prestigious Knight-Batten Award for Innovation in Journalism. It is a product of the Personal Democracy Forum, the country’s leading conference on how technology is changing politics.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrew Rasiej
Micah L. Sifry
Founder and CEO
Editor
917.359.2426
914.478.8308
Andrew@fon.com
MSifry@gmail.com
# # #
__________________________________________
1. READERS' COMMENTS AND RESPONSES
1a. Spencer Maus: Apologizes for not allowing audience to use the mic at the MIT-EF
From: Spencer Maus [jsmaus@jaseinc.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
CC: 'Bruce Montgomery'
Subject: Technology and Politics
Sent: Thu 10/18/2007 2:24 PM
Ron,
You are correct in your comment. Using index cards was a mistake. We should have passed microphones instead of the alternative. I regret the decision and take full responsibility for all aspects of the event. My guess is that you will not see index cards used at subsequent events.
Spencer Maus
_______________________________________
1b. Phil Rosenberg: Report on LinkedIN: Face-to-Face 10/19/07
From: Phil Rosenberg [phil.rainmakers@gmail.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Report on LinkedIN: Face-to-Face 10/19/07
Sent: Sat 10/20/2007 2:48 PM
Ron,
If you missed LinkedIN: Face-to-Face's networking event, you missed an excellent chance to meet some of Chicago's top networkers, and some genuinely nice people.
Over 50 people attended (we'll have final counts and pictures posted on Flicker this week), including some of Chicago's most innovative entrepreneurs, VCs, consultants, vendors....a wide cross-section of Chicago's Business and Technology professionals.
Thanks to all those who attended to make this evening a huge success, to Dragonfly Mandarin who gave such great personalized service and fantastic food. Special thanks go out to Sarah Chang of Dragonfly Mandarin, Marietta Baglieri (I spelled it right!) of Friedman & Wexler LLC, and to Rick Burgess of Capital Strategy Partners for organizing this great event.
Finally, thanks to you Ron for helping promote this event through The May Report.
I personally made some awesome contacts, and met some really nice and genuinely helpful people who "get it".
To those who couldn't attend, stay tuned for future events designed to leverage the power of LinkedIn with Face-to-Face networking events.
Phil Rosenberg
President, Rainmakers Global
773-817-0257
phil.linkedin@gmail.com
phil.rainmakers@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/philrosenberg
Rainmakers Global helps companies drastically accelerate sales, by implementing rapid sales team deployment - Locally, nationally, globally. How can we help your company ramp up FAST?
__________________________________________
1c. Joshua Gutstein: Stayclip
From: Joshua Gutstein [joshuag@stayclip.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Stayclip
Sent: Wed 10/17/2007 8:49 AM
Hi Ron,
I don’t know if you feature products as we get closer to the holidays, but I wanted to introduce you to the Stayclip, men’s collar stay organizer. Available with a variety of metal collar stays, the Stayclip can be found on www.stayclip.com. The set of the Stayclip organizer and 16 collar stays starts at $29.95 and is very popular among men who are forever looking for their collar stays or just looking for a great gift.
I think www.stayclip.com would interest the subscribers of The May report.
Thanks,
Josh Gutstein
__________________________________________
1d. Melissa Kauck: Just saying hi
From: Melissa Kauck [melissa.kauck@gmail.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Re: The May Report: 10/16/2007: Neutral Tandem IPO to raise $87MM; Applied Watch Tech. bought: $5MM; Can the University of Chicago and Kellogg play nice in the sandbox together in sharing Roger Myerson?
Sent: Tue 10/16/2007 5:03 PM
Hey Ron,
Nice running into you this weekend. Have fun at McCormick and MITEF tonight. I won't make it tonight. I'm having huge back problems. I threw my back out- it hurts to sit and I can barely walk right now. I'm sure you know how that goes :)
Anyways, thank you for respecting my privacy- you know what I mean ;)
Talk with you later.
-Melissa
_________________________________________
1e. Dan Ushman: Good having Ron at the data center
From: Dan Ushman [dushman@midphase.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Hope you had fun today, thanks for coming ;-)
Sent: Mon 10/15/2007 4:57 PM
Dan Ushman
Co-founder, VP marketing
midPhase Services, Inc.
223 W Jackson Blvd. #1014
Chicago, IL 60606
Cell: 1-847-530-2721
Direct Dial: 1-312-447-6817
General Office: 1-312-753-5650
Direct Fax: 1-773-305-1666
__________________________________________
1f. News: The Midwest, 2 Guys & The Dalai Lama?
From: darren@popculturepr.com
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: news: The Midwest, 2 Guys & The Dalai Lama?
Sent: Wed 10/17/2007 9:56 AM
Ronald ...I thought you might be interested in this regional story. You may be aware that the Dalai Lama is coming to Indiana next week, but you are probably not aware of what a couple of entrepreneurs are willing to do to get a 7 minute meeting with His Holiness (see below). Here's a more formal introduction but let me know if you would like to speak with these guys at some point.
Thanks, Darren.
Dalai Lama or Bust: Two Youths Walk 7 Days, 7 Nights in Hope of Biz Meeting
Beginning in Hope, Indiana October 17, two youths begin their 7 day and 7 night journey in hopes of a 7 minute meeting with the Dalai Lama for their fledgling inspirational text message service, "I Live Inspired."
Their route continues from Hope to Buddha (Indiana) end in Bloomington's Tibetan Cultural Center October 24, with hope of securing a seven minute meeting with the Dalai Lama.
The two youths created an inspirational text message service with daily messages inspiring recovery from cancer, becoming better parents, or reducing everyday stress. The start-up currently has 12 categories of daily text messages, including one category written by Washington Post syndicated columnist, Marguerite Kelly.
"We're hoping to create our next category--daily inspirational text messages from the Dalai Lama," said co-founder Rob Foster.
Co-founder Chris Deutsch added, "We have no money to speak of, but we do have a service that might change the world. We knew it would be tough for two guys nobody's heard of to meet with the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, so we just decided to walk. 7 Days, 7 Nights, and maybe he'll give us 7 minutes for a meeting."
In their hopeful meeting, Rob and Chris will propose 75 percent of the money from His Holiness' category in "I Live Inspired" go to a charity of the Dalai's choosing.
The two youths can be found en-route from Hope, Indiana to Buddha, Indiana to Bloomington, Indiana's Tibetan Cultural Center from October 17th to October 24th or can be found updating their 100 mile adventure daily at http://www.iliveinspired.com/blog/ or email them directly to their mobile devices from http://www.iliveinspired.com/contact.jsp
________________________________________
1g. Tom Williams: Introduces himself and his firm
From: Tom Williams [tom@ditley.com]
To: tom@ditley.com
Subject: Nice meeting you at the BNC Fall n-Counter...
Sent: Mon 10/15/2007 1:27 PM
Nice meeting you at the BNC Fall n-Counter...
Hello Folks,
It was a pleasure meeting all of you last month at the Fall n-Counter Event. What a great event full of talented individuals.
My name is Tom Williams, Vice President of Ditley.com Web Design LLC.
I am offering you my services with any help in respect to your Internet Marketing needs such as: Web Design, Programming, FLASH Animation, Graphic Design, Photo Galleries, Blogs and E-Commerce.
We will optimize your site for the Search Engines such as; Google, Yahoo and MSN to be able to find you and index your site in their engines. We can even manage your Pay per Click Search Engine Marketing Campaign for you.
We can provide business cards, postcards, displays, catalogs and even Infomercials! So let us know if we can help you grow your business and be able to market your ideas to a World Wide Audience!
I come to Ditley.com with 15+ years of experience in the Internet/Marketing field and hope to be a part of Ditley.com Web Design LLC for a long time. I have worked with small startups as well as Fortune 500 companies. I know what it takes to get the job done right and in a timely fashion.
I look forward to speaking and or meeting with you at your earliest convenience. Please contact me to confirm an appointment time to meet in our downtown Chicago, Illinois office on Michigan Avenue or at the very least discuss some things with you over the phone or via email in order to assess your needs at this point.
To see some of our most recent work check out: http://www.ditley.com/portfolio.html
To get a preview of our new re-branding process check out: www.ditley.com/test
Thanks,
Tom
From: Tom Williams, Vice President
Ditley.com Web Design LLC
155 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 734
Chicago, IL 60601
Office Phone: 312-729-5428 (9am - 5pm Central)
Cell Phone: 312-533-1069
Email: tom@ditley.com
_______________________________________
2. OTHER (Events)
2a. Wednesday, October 24: Real Estate Seminar: “Own Your Own Office Space”
From: Malone, Katrina L [katrina.l.malone@citi.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: RE: The May Report: 10/16/2007: Neutral Tandem IPO to raise $87MM; Applied Watch Tech. bought: $5MM; Can the University of Chicago and Kellogg play nice in the sandbox together in sharing Roger Myerson?
Sent: Wed 10/17/2007 1:09 PM
Real Estate Seminar: “Own Your Own Office Space”
Date: Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 / 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Appetizers will be served)
Where: 55 West Wacker Drive, Suite 450, Chicago, IL 60601
Host: Citibank
Speaker: Juan Deangulo of Capehorn Group
Presenting: “Own your own office.”
Speaker: Thomas J. Shannon, Senior Attorney of Shannon & Associates Ltd.
Presenting: “Corporations vs. Limited Liability Companies: Entity Selection Issues in Purchasing Commercial Real Estate”
Speaker: Michaeline Gordon of Shannon & Associates Ltd.
Presenting: “Asset Protection Issues in Purchasing Commercial Real Estate”
RSVP: Katrina Malone at 312-627-5165 or Katrina.l.malone@citi.com
Thanks,
Katrina Malone
Business Development Officer
Office: 312-627-5165
Cell: 312-218-7509
____________________________________________
2b. Thursday, Nov. 2: "Destination Growth" Conference, COD
From: William Price [wpriceiit@yahoo.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: "Destination Growth" Conference, COD
Sent: Wed 10/17/2007 4:41 PM
Ron:
We're cosponsoring a conference at COD November 2d,
with details as follows. Circulation to May Report
list members would be much appreciated.
Bill Price
William A. Price
Attorney at Law
www.growthlaw.com
Destination Growth
A Conference on Business Expansion and Innovation
Last Day for Registration is Friday October 19, 2007
at noon
Thursday November 2, 2007
8 am to 5 pm
Student Resource Center (SRC), Room 2800
College of DuPage
Keynote address by: Chris Lauzen
Illinois State Senator (R) 25th District
Chris Lauzen represents the 25th District – Kane,
Kendall and portion of LaSalle Counties – in the
Illinois Senate. Senator Lauzen is the Republican
Spokesperson for the Senate Revenue Committee and a
14 year member of the Appropriations I, II and III
Committees. He is also Co-Chairman of the Legislative
Audit Commission. Chris is a strong supporter for
more jobs that pay higher wages and cutting waste in
government spending.
Senator Lauzen is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
and former owner of Comprehensive Accounting Services
is Geneva. He served as president of Comprehensive
Accounting Corporation in Aurora and assistant to the
corporate president of Gould Corporation. Chris has a
B.S. in Management Science and English with honors
from Duke University and M.B.A. from Harvard Business.
Senator Lauzen is married to Sarah Longley. They,
along with their four sons, are life-long residents of
the Fox Valley.
7:45 to 8:30 a.m.
Registration, Exhibits, breakfast, networking
8:30 to 9 a.m.
Welcome and Introduction
9 to 10 a.m.
Session One Breakouts
Growing with Government Contracts
Learn how to increase your sales by selling to the
government. You will learn how the government buys,
who they buy from and how you can become a vendor to
the government. Join Rita Haake, Director of the
Homeland Security Procurement Technical Assistance
Center at College of DuPage for tips on selling to
the government.
Corporate Renaissance: Creating a Culture of
Innovation
Developing a Corporate Renaissance environment that
stimulates people to think creatively and innovate
effectively. Edison did say that invention was 1%
inspiration and 99% perspiration, but he also realized
that the 99% would have no where to go if the 1%
didn’t point the way, just as the 1% would achieve
little without the 99%. Creativity is
what we think; innovation is what we do. How do we
create a culture that gets people to do the thinking
and the doing that will lead companies to tomorrow’s
greatness. Join renowned international speaker
Michael Wynne of International Management Consultants
and learn how to create a culture of innovation.
Internal Controls and Processes as Your Business Grows
As your company grows, it is important to make sure
your internal accounting controls are in place to
ensure your company is running efficiently and you
mitigate the possibility of fraud. Learn about
controls and processes as well as some basic ratio and
analysis tips from the experts at Porte Brown LLC.
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Session Two Breakouts
The Power of E: Expanding your business in an
electronic world
Sales, marketing and customer service – all key
components of any successful business, but drop an "e"
in front of any one of them and it can be a whole new
business you're running. Join Danilo Celic, Senior
Software Engineer at WebAssist, in a session that
features strategies, tactics and tools that can help
you begin or expand your eBusiness.
The World is Flat and Small
You can put your head in the sand, you can complain
about the trade deficit all the while your competition
is charging past you into the global market. They
won’t stop just because you don’t like it! Learn how
to effectively work in a global market place, with the
right partners, it is easier than you think. Join
Cassandra Keener, Manager of the International Trade
Center at College of DuPage and learn what resources
are available to help you navigate the waters of
International trade.
Financing Growth: Panel Discussion (Part 1) – For
Companies under 5mm
This session features a wealth of information from
highly qualified panel members. This session will
cover options for growth financing. This session will
cover, Commercial Lending, SBA 504 and 7A, PO
Financing and Factoring. Join a panel of experts from
LaSalle Bank and learn some of the options available
to companies under 5 mm in sales.
1:15 to 2:15
Session Three Breakouts
Financing Growth: Panel Discussion (Part 2) – For
companies over 5mm
This session features a wealth of information from
highly qualified panel members. This session will
cover three options for growth financing, and
completes Part One offered in Session Two breakouts.
This session will cover, Managing Assets for Cash
Flow, IRB, Mezzanine and Equity Financing. This
session will be lead by a panel of highly qualified
individuals with expertise in these areas.
Companies that fail to plan, plan to fail (mergers, acquisitions, partners and exit) When starting a new company, the last thing we want to think about is a bad partner, a death in the family, divorce or other life changes that will affect our business. On the other hand we are often caught off guard when approached by a potential buyer. Join Bob Brackett and Bill Price to learn how to value your business, how to structure a deal, tax considerations and buy/sell agreements.
Find the Right Growth Strategy for your Business
Grow your sales and profits faster! Finding the right
growth strategy in times of rapid change can be
challenging – but, it’s not rocket science! Michael
Wynne will share the simple approaches that help
companies achieve sustainable growth and
profitability. Learn the Mechanics of Profitability,
the Four Avenues of Growth, the Power of Innovation,
and the Art of Team Leadership.
2:45 to 3:45 p.m.
Main Room
A Panel of your Peers
Learn from fellow entrepreneurs about how they
overcame obstacles to become a successful and thriving
company. Each speaker will give an 8 minute overview
of their company and the path they took to achieve
their success and deal with their pitfalls. The
remaining 20 minutes will be devoted to your questions
and the panelist’s frank answers.
1) John Schoeph (Invited)
2) Maureen O’Brien, O’Brien and Sons.
3) David A. Contomo, UBuildIT
4 to 5 p.m.
Exhibits and Networking
For more information, visit www.cod.edu/BPI/cept.htm
or call (630) 942-3775
Registration:
Conference Cost: $149
LaSalle Bank Entrepreneurial Expo
November 2, 2007
Reservations recommended by 10/19/2007
To Register for Destination Growth:
Call the College of DuPage Registration Department at
(630) 942-2377. This is an automated phone system, so
please press 4 to speak with a representative.
Information required by the Registration Department
includes the event Code #17385, registrant contact
information and social security number. Payment using credit/debit card can be made over the phone. For additional payment options, contact the Cashier at
(630) 942-2206.
_________________________________________
3. Special Reports and Features
3a. The rest of the Economic Club of Chicago attendee list for the Al Gore dinner on the 17th of October [These are the people in the Crystal Ball room. Gore spoke in both the Grand and the Crystal Ballroom. They had 2,500 people and were turning last minute hopefuls away. Wonder if they figured he would win the Nobel Prize in Peace when they booked him, probably about a year ago.]
Table 232
*Berg, Alicia
*Berg, Brian
*Carter, Laurel
Carter, Warrick L. Ph.D.
*Chiaravalle, Paul
*DeSalle, Jackie
*DeSalle, R. Michael
*Kelly, Mark
*Love, Louise
*Winston, Eric
Table 233
*Biggam, Megan
Daniel, Elnora Delores Belle
Dillon, Mark B.
Greco, Thomas A.
*Gupta, Ankur
*Hirshon, Teiva
Williams, Daniel T.
Table 234
*Curtin, Jim
*Curtin, Rita
*Killips, Cindy
*Killips, Kevin
*Moore, Annabel
Moore, Robert Joseph
*Rush, Deanna
*Rush, John
Weimer, Andrew B.
*Weimer, Kate
Table 235
*Batcha, Cathy
Brandt, Gene S.
*Holland, Elizabeth
*Jackson, Noel
Pollina, Lisa Anne
*Pollock, Michael
Zipple, Anthony M.
Table 236
Castro, Martin R.
*Clarke, Mike
*Duenas, Adriana
Mendonsa, Robert K. Jr.
*Potter, Don
*Schmude, Monica
*Smith, Liz
*Stacey, David
*Viteri, Jaime
*Wick, Scott
Table 237
Ballate, Melissa M.
Craven, George W.
*Currie, Barbara Flynn
*Hanahan, Mike
*Hummel, Jeff
Mekus, E. Spes
Table 238
Austriaco, Aurora A.
Barrow, Charles H.
*Benevides, John
*Hamilton, Howard
*Hamilton, Nathan
Hamilton, Sara
*Lohan, Catherine
Lohan, Dirk
Table 239
*Chun, Teresa
Collins, Michael William
*Duggan, Jim
*Knappenberger, Naomi
Knappenberger, Paul H. Jr.
Potts, Carol A.
*Smith, Jeri
Table 240
*Cole, Mariann
*Copeland, Melissa
*Fauerbach, Therese
*Hamilton, Amy
Hanold, Marion Downey
*Murray, Annie
Nikitas, Alexandra Goldblatt
Platner, Susan M.
Table 241
*Creyts, Jon
*Doyle, Katie
*Elmasry, Tarek
Holden, Betsy
*Jayaram, Kartik
*Klein, Holger
Livingston, H. John III
*Murray, Michael
*Patiath, Pradip
*Sanghvi, Sunil
*Schilling, John
The Economic Club of Chicago
2007-2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Brenda C. Barnes
Christopher B. Begley
James A. Bell
Howard B. Bernick
Norman R. Bobins
Charles K. Bobrinskoy
John A. Canning, Jr.
Gregory C. Case
Ellen M. Costello
Lester Crown
E. Ronald Culp
William M. Daley
Deborah L. DeHaas
Michael W. Ferro, Jr.
William C. Foote
Christopher B. Galvin
Roberto R. Herencia
Mary Jo Herseth
David D. Hiller
Mellody Hobson
Gary E. Holdren
Alan J. Lacy
Edward M. Liddy
Lyle Logan
Robert S. Murley
William A. Osborn
Penny Pritzker
J. Christopher Reyes
Desiree Rogers
Irene B. Rosenfeld
John W. Rowe
Manuel Sanchez
Samuel C. Scott III
James A. Skinner
Gary L. Slack
David B. Speer
Pamela B. Strobel
John A. Terlatio
Glenn F. Tilton
Byron D. Trott
Jonathan P. Ward
Patricia A. Woertz
Mike Zafirovski
Edward J. Zander
Donna Frett Zarcone
__________________________________________
END OF REPORT
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