Issue 44

2001 NYC FIRE COMMISSIONER
Thomas Von Essen

An exclusive interview on his experiences
at the World Trade Center on 9/11
Inside:
Building Bridges
One organizations vision to
promote worldwide peace
A Missing Link
The connection between
Ground Zero exposure
and cancer
Bursting the Bubble
A growing threat to the
internets limitless potential
commemorative issue
i
m
a
g
e

c
r
e
d
i
t
s
:

a
s
s
o
c
i
a
t
e
d

p
r
e
s
s

/

d
o
u
g

m
i
l
l
s
L
a decade of
remembrance
Issue 44 Sept. 2011
Streamlining supply chains throughout the automotive, retail,
pharmaceutical, pulp & paper, logistic, and food industries.
STILL PUZZLED
... by your supply chain solution?
Contact Meade Willis today for a free consultation regarding your e-commerce,
EDI, supply-chain requirements: (866) 369-1146 | www.meadewillis.com
www.meadewillis.com
Publisher
Erwin E. Kantor
Editor-in-Chief
Jacey Fortin
Managing Editor
Michael Gordon
Editorial
Robert Jordan
Maria De Luca
Lauren Herde
Jacqueline Hart
Bobby Smith
Kristen Grant
Staf Writers
L. A. Rivera
Becky Woolverton
Alaina Love McConnell
Mitch Ligon
Wendy Connick
Andrea Lehner
Almatese Osborne
Creative Director
Christopher DeBellis
Illustrators
Shafali R. Anand
Doryan De Angel
David Cohen
Marketing Dept.
Monica Link
Christopher DeBellis
For subscription details, contact:
info@thesuitonline.org
For advertising inquiries, contact:
creative@thesuitmagazine.com
PUBLISHERS NOTE
issue 44 | sept 2011
T
en years ago on 9/11, I was
in my office on Wall Street
when the news broke that an
airplane had plunged into one of the
World Trade Center towers.
It wasnt until the second airplane
crashed that the reality of the situ-
ation hit home. By the time we re-
ceived orders to evacuate, the view
from our ninth story window had
clouded over with ash and dust. I
used my undershirt as a mask and
walked into the chaos.
It was bedlam out there. Cars were
abandoned, debris was in the air
and nobody knew which way to go.
I eventually found my way to the
Brooklyn Bridge and walked across
the river. Behind me, the towers had
collapsed and a cloud of black smoke
obscured lower Manhattan.
A decade later, the 9/11 anniver-
sary is still important to me. Weve
dedicated this special edition of The
Suit to the brave people who worked
in rescue and recovery on that morn-
ing. Inside youll find our exclusive
interview with former FDNY Com-
missioner Thomas Von Essen, who
shared his experiences at the site of
disaster (p. 10). We also cover recent
legislation regarding healthcare cov-
erage for residents and responders
who suffer from debris-related ail-
ments (p. 5). And we were inspired
by the story of one organizations
dedication to enabling volunteerism
around the globe, which could be
part of a long-term solution to end
the prejudices that lead to violence
(p. 13).
As in every issue, were also
highlighting innovative think-
ers and business leaders. Former
MoveOn director Eli Pariser alerts
us to the dangers of internet per-
sonalization (p. 6), an investment
professional talks about what it
takes to see profits in a time of de-
cline (p. 14), and one green busi-
ness owner explains how a better
infrastructure could help us to re-
cycle more and waste less (p. 34).
Though were left with indelible
memories of tragedy, these suc-
cess stories show that we need to
look to the future. We must con-
front the next ten years with deter-
mined optimism and faith, taking
the helm to lead this country into a
new era of peace and prosperity.

Looking Forward,
Erwin Kantor
Publisher
A Decade to
Refect and the
Spirit of America
THE SUIT MAGAZINE - SEPT 2011
E
rw
in Kantor
Tribute In Light, New York City
features
CONTENTS
SEPT 2011
10
Ten Years Later
For this commemorative special edition of The Suit, we recognize the
sacrifces made by the victims, survivors and rescue workers of 9/11.
For an intimate perspective on the events that transpired on that
historical day, our reporters spoke with the 2001 New York City Fire
Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, EMT & frst responder Benjamin
Badillo, and New York City resident Danielle Aqaviva.
features
5
In Search of a Missing Link
New research on a possible link between can-
cer and 9/11 raises concerns over emergency
workers healthcare coverage
6
Bursting the Bubble
Technology guru Eli Pariser shows us just
what were missing in the changing world of
cyberspace
12
Commemorative Poetry
A 9/11 tribute by Esther Louise chroni-
cling a terrible moment of impact
13
Building Bridges
Connecting cultures now through volun-
teerism has great potential to help fght vio-
lence and terrorism in the long run.
20
Watching the Horizon
The team at Dawnbreakers works with
businesses and the government to com-
mercialize Americas best big ideas
5 6
14
Consistent Success
Achieving investment success
during tough times
16
Trusted Funds
Leave it to small investment
frms to ofer objective fnancial
advice
19
Skys the Limit
A marketing frm whose big
ideas really fy
23
Of the Presses
One printing business thrives in
a world gone digital
17
Enhanced Products
Insurance isnt just for homes
and health anymore
18
Working Networks
CraigMichaels gets big names
together and keeps them talking
24 Outside the Box
MrBoxOnline expands far be-
yond packaging and shipping
finance
Prime Properties
22
Cornering the housing market
in one of Americas most ideal
locations
25
A Clear Broadcast
A full suite of services keeps
Videoscope at the forefront
26
The Strategist
At HSM of America, its about
more than a great product
Up to the Challenge
A Florida law frm lends clarity
the bankruptcy process
27
health
28
The Insider
Meniscus Limited
enables beter healthcare
transparency
15
All Accounted For
Taking bookkeeping into the
21st century
22
Making Moves
One realtor responds to a
demand for beter real estate
education
marketing
business
business
THE SUIT MAGAZINE p.3
business health
30
Pharmas One-Stop Shop
The Access Group aids medical develop-
ment from start to fnish
35
The Big Picture
A beautifully designed product is
only the beginning
38
Cool Running
A family business goes green
and keeps things fresh
39
Down to The Roots
Hydrograss Technologies responds
to disasters and prevents new ones
technology
40
Enabling Productivity
Business applications training for
big clients around the world
31
Healthy Communication
When things get complicated, JB Ashtin
keeps everyone connected
32
Trouble Sleeping
Addressing wellness beyond
our waking hours
33
A New Kind of Rx
A new pharmacy model with game-
changing potential
36
Modernization of
Public Safety
Taking public security to the cloud
41
A Lovely Shot
Making the most complicated
photos look simple
42
Media on a Mission
Addessing important issues by
the book
life & style
43
Royal Gatherings
For this party-planning queen, its
all about the details
44
Business of Good Taste
The favorful enterprise behind
your favorite dessert
34
A Recycling
Revolution
The beter way to reuse waste
and cut costs
41
The Career Coach
Interview skills: the college
course we should have taken
by andrea lehner
J
ust ten days before Americans turned their
atention to the memory of fateful events that
took so many lives and changed the course
of our nation a decade ago, The Lancet released
a long-awaited report acknowledging a connec-
tion between cancer and exposure to the toxic el-
ements found at the World Trade Center site fol-
lowing the September 11 terrorist atacks.
This fnding comes on the heels of a July report
issued by National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), which did not fnd
sufcient evidence to indicate a cancer connec-
tion. NIOSH has been appointed by Congress to
monitor cancer for potential inclusion as a cov-
ered condition under the James Zadroga 9/11
Health and Compensation Act of 2010.
In accordance with the Zadroga Act, Congress
has set aside $4.3 billion to cover healthcare ex-
penses for ailments with a proven link to Ground
Zero exposure. The fund also compensates survi-
vors for economic losses incurred by the death of
family members who became ill afer the original
Victim Compensation Fund, established in 2001,
closed in 2003.
"There are specifc health conditions that are
covered," explained NIOSH Public Afairs Of-
cer Fred Blosser. "Congress said that cancer was
not included in those conditions, but that NIOSH
should review the scientifc and medical evi-
dence related to the question of cancer and WTC
exposures."
While NIOSH's frst periodic review could not
fnd enough peer-reviewed evidence to establish
a cancer link at the time, Blosser added, "We also
pointed out that the current absence of published
scientifc and medical fndings did not indicate
evidence of an absence of an association between
In Search of

a Missing Link
the WTC exposures and the occurrence of can-
cer."
The Lancet report, whose senior author is Dr.
David Prezant, a professor at the Albert Ein-
stein College of Medicine, revealed the fndings
of a comprehensive seven-year study of nearly
9,853 New York frefghters, including some who
were exposed to the toxic debris and others who
weren't. The results showed a 19 percent increase
in the probability that WTC rescue workers would
develop cancer, as compared to non-exposed col-
leagues. Furthermore, study participants showed
a 10 percent greater risk for developing cancers
than the general population.
In a press release, Dr. Prezant noted the results
"support the need to continue monitoring fre-
fghters and others who responded to the World
Trade Center disaster or participated in the re-
covery and cleanup at the site. This monitoring
should include cancer screening and eforts to
prevent cancer from developing in exposed indi-
viduals."
"We will do a second review," Blosser said. "We
expect that to be done in early- to mid-2012. In
that review, we will incorporate any new peer-
reviewed evidence, and that includes the papers
published in The Lancet."
According to the Congressional Research Ser-
vice summary memorandum issued in January
2011, the Zadroga Act grants the appointed ad-
ministrator, Sheila Birnbaum, authorization to
add cancer via regulation if NIOSH presents suf-
fcient evidence supporting a correlation.
Michael Barasch, the atorney who represented
James Zadroga himself and was instrumental in
advocating for the resultant healthcare act, spec-
ulated about likely next steps. "The New York
Will the U.S. government cover cancer treatments for Ground Zero frst
responders? It all comes down to questions of time, funding and evidence.
Fire Department believes the risk of geting cer-
tain cancers was caused by exposure, he said.
Ms. Birnbaum is waiting for NIOSH to decide
which, in their opinion, are related. I have a feel-
ing they're going to go along with the fre depart-
ment [and The Lancet reports fndings], because
they have the statistical data. At the end of the
day, you have to have the statistical evidence that
your illness is related."
At the time the bill was passed, the anticipation
was that a cancer link would eventually be prov-
en. But since conclusive evidence was not yet
availableand rather than walking the ethically
vague line of allowing members of Congress to
answer scientifc medical questionsthe bill was
drafed with internal mechanisms allowing for
the eventual inclusion of cancer without further
Congressional approval.
However, the Act contains no provisions to in-
crease funding should coverage be expanded to
cancer-related treatments, losses, or death. The
high costs of treating cancer could have untold
impact on the availability of alloted funds.
"It sounds like a lot of money," Barasch cau-
tioned. "Nobody knows how many claims are
going to be made. And since Ms. Birnbaum ex-
panded the geographical boundaries to include
residents up until Canal St., what happens if peo-
ple on Canal St. start calling and claiming they
have asthma? She's going to have to take a very
hard look and see when they started developing
symptoms. If they say 2003, she's going to say,
'Show me the medical proof.' People are going to
have to prove it. Otherwise, you're going to have
50,000 residents making claims, and there's not
enough money for that."
For frst responders and fnancial district resi-
dents who have since sufered from debilitating
respiratory ailments and are now seeing a spike
in cancer diagnoses, The Lancets report could be
the frst step toward receiving desperately-need-
ed funding for cancer treatments.
In a 2007 report published by the American
Cancer Society, 37 percent of cancer-related
deaths could have been prevented with adequate
healthcare coverage. For those currently diag-
nosed but unable to aford treatment, waiting for
statistical evidence linking cancer to Ground Zero
exposure could prove life-threateninga sober-
ing reminder for all of us, as we watch footage
of the tragic day replay in tribute, that although
the site has been cleared, the devastating reality
continues to haunt the most heroic among us.
by l.a. rivera
I
n an exclusive interview with The Suit,
Pariser recalled the day he watched the live
television broadcast of a grisly black cloud
mushrooming over the World Trade Center tow-
ers before they fell to the ground. Stunned by
the tragedy, he quickly went to work on his com-
puter. I knew I wanted to do something socially
helpful, he said. A month afer the atacks, he
and a few friends posted a website calling for a
multilateral approach to fghting terrorism. And
I was shocked, he said, when 50,000 people
signed our litle petition.
That was only the beginning. Within a few
days, Pariser was receiving countless calls that
his site was crashing due to heavy trafc. Soon
he was returning calls to major media outlets.
The phone was ringing of the hook. When the
guy from the BBC called, I said it was me who
crashed the website, he said.
In November of 2001, Parisers website merged
with MoveOn.org, an American nonproft public
policy advocacy group that opposed the war in
Iraq and pushed for more progressive alterna-
tives. Their eforts caused quite a stir. They even-
tually garnered over $120 million in small dona-
tions for political candidates, helping Democrats
regain the House and Senate in 2006.
It would seem that the internet was fulflling
its promise as a true platform for the people, but
Pariser began to notice something hidden within
the interface.
I had always been excited about the promise
of the internet and new technology for making
democracy work beter, he said. But in 2008
when I stepped back from being the director of
MoveOn, I sort of looked around and saw that
it wasnt really turning out that way. Afer con-
ducting exhaustive research, he penned The
Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding from
You, exposing the hidden forces that flter our
quest for information.
The book defnes the flter bubble as a unique
universe of information for each of us that fun-
damentally alters the way we encounter ideas
and information. These bubbles are works of
algorithmic art: functions of coding that enable
search engines and web sites to track our clicks
via cookies, eventually forming a digitized idea
Shortly afer September 11, 2001, political activist Eli Pariser used the World Wide
Web to send a message to anyone who would listen. The responses he received
were rapid and overwhelming, atesting to the amazing connective capabilities of
technology. But over the last ten years, Pariser has noticed some worrisome new
trends. Now hes issuing a warning: if were not careful, the internet may fall short
of its once-great potential to enhance public interaction.
Technology expert and political activist Eli Pariser
sheds light on new trends in internet personalization.
Bursting

the Bubble
I had always been excited about
the promise of the internet and new
technology for making democracy
work beter... but I sort of looked
around and saw that it wasnt really
turning out that way.
about who we are and what were looking for.
They use that information to present us with rel-
evant results, not to mention well-targeted adver-
tisements.
Personalization is already much more a part
of our daily experience than many of us realize,
Pariser said. He frst noticed the adverse efects
of personalization on Facebook, where his a news
feeda collection of friends most recent interac-
tions and updatesskewed towards coverage of
those whose views were similar to his own. Had
his other acquaintances deleted their accounts, or
did they simply post less frequently? Neither, as
it turned out. Instead, Facebook algorithms had
noticed that Pariser clicked on like-minded peo-
ple more ofen, and sofware codes responded by
silencing the dissenting voices within his bubble.
If a functioning democracy depends on an ex-
change of diferent ideas, hyper-personalization
may threaten progress. The long term result is
not just that were surrounded with ideas that
confrm what we already believe, but that were
increasingly unable to see what ideas we're miss-
ing, said Pariser. It gets harder and harder to
get outside your point of view when all of these
websites are feeding it back to you.
So who benefts most from personalization?
For users, an efective flter can certainly be con-
venient; it helps you fnd just what youre looking
for in what might otherwise be a dizzyingly ex-
pansive cyberspace. But it pays of for advertisers
too, allowing them to target their marketing with
unprecedented accuracy.
The Suit spoke with Martin Feuz of Goldsmiths
University of London and Felix Stalder of the In-
stitute for New Culture Technologies in Vienna,
two authors of the frst peer-reviewed study di-
agnosing the mechanisms of personalization
within the domain of universal Web search.
Their 2011 report, called Personal Web search-
ing in the age of semantic capitalism, is based
on a study in which they created digital identities
for three philosophers: Immanuel Kant, Friedrich
Nietzsche and Michel Foucault. Afer surfng the
web for months to establish a thoroughly person-
alized cookie for each of these three identities, the
researchers than monitored how frequentlyand
how wellGoogle tailored their search results.
In the studys conclusion, they wrote: This
research has indicated that personalization is a
far from unambiguous process simply deliver-
ing beter results to the user. At the moment per-
sonalization is both taking place to a surprising
extent, but with relatively trivial results. Each
of the three philosophers were eventually pre-
sented with a unique version of the internet, but
those versions did not seem to refect their sup-
posed interests.
In The Filter Bubble, Pariser suggests that
the user is content. In other words, end users
are not the main benefciaries of digital fltering
technology. Instead weor rather, aggregations
of our web history data, which may or may not
refect actual preferencesare the product being
sold.
Stalder explained the concept. Advertisers
clearly beneft from having their ads displayed
to a 'personalized' and thus more relevant audi-
The long term
result is not
just that were
surrounded with
ideas that confrm
what we already
believe, but that
we are increasingly
unable to see
what ideas were
missing.
Above: Eli Pariser,
former executive
director of MoveOn
Researchers Martin Feuz and Felix Stalder
emphasized the importance of user aware-
ness.
From our research it became quite clear
that users of Google Search are not made
aware that personalization of search results
is happening, they said. But this could
easily be achieved by Google by indicating,
for example, which of the 10 search results
on a page are personalized and on what ba-
sis such personalization is happening.
With a litle efort, we can fnd out for
ourselves who Google thinks we are.
They recommended the following link to
Google Ad Preferences, which will show
you what sorts of advertisements are cur-
rently being routed to your browser:
htp://t.co/MxuWeFf
Readers can fnd their entire study pub-
lished online at htp://frstmonday.org/ht-
bin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/
view/3344/2766.
An excerpt from their report:
As the range of information, context and users
of Internet searches has grown, the relationship
between the search query, search interest and
user has become more tenuous. Not all users are
seeking the same information, even if they use
the same query term. Thus, the quality of search
results has, at least potentially, been decreasing.
Search engines have begun to respond to this
problem by trying to personalise search in order
to deliver more relevant results to the users. A
query is now evaluated in the context of a users
search history and other data compiled into a
personal profle and associated with statistical
groups. This, at least, is the promise stated by
the search engines themselves.
ence and advertising is Google's core business.
Given the lack of clear qualitative improvement
of the search results from the point of view of the
users, it seems a credible assumption that at least
some of the pay-of of personalization accrues
elsewhere, that is, on the side of the advertisers.
Here privacy becomes a concern. Although
many search enginesGoogle includedprom-
ise never to sell the information they collect,
plenty of websites make a proft this way. Pariser
notes, for instance, that if you visit a discount
travel website, a major airline may catch wind
of your interests. Suddenly youll be seeing their
ads for low airfare alongside your favorite blog.
In that scenario, how does this major airline
gain access to your data? Pariser points to a new
marketing middleman: data collecting compa-
nies that auction information of to the highest
bidder. He reports that these proftable business-
esthe two most prominent now are Acxiom
and BlueKaihave accumulated profles on 96
percent of the American public.
On Acxioms website, anyone interested in
behavioral marketing can search a database to
fnd receptive targets for ads and products. The
potential specifcity is astounding. It costs $60,
for instance, for names and addresses of the 367
women who live in Oregon, are college educated,
own a motorcycle and enjoy hunting. Informa-
tion like this is incredibly useful for the many
businesses that make up Acxioms clients, but
its important for end users and consumers to be
aware of their existence.
Transparency is key. Companies that are col-
lecting data have to make clear that theyre doing
it, Pariser insisted, so that you can see when
youre geting hyper-tailored results. Citizens
need more control over personalization, he ar-
gued, before market forces push businesses to
use our data in more insidious ways.
Feuz and Stalder agree, proposing a similar so-
lution for Google and other search engines: They
could easily allow their users to swifly select be-
tween a personalized and non-personalized view
of their results.
In the end, the onus of resisting an increasingly
fltered future rests on the public itself. Pariser
warns us to be wary of the invisible revolution,
raising the Orwellian specter of personalization
that threatens the privacy of our citizenry. It is in
our collective interest to ensure that the Internet
lives up to its potential as a revolutionary con-
nective medium, he said. This wont happen if
were all sealed of in our own personalized on-
line world.
Reported by Monica Link and Jacey Fortin
Thomas Von Essen
was the New York
City Fire Commis-
sioner from 1996 to
2002. He now works
as a consultant and
spokesperson for companies engi-
neering new technologies for public
safety workers.
THE SUIT (TS): What do you re-
member about 9/11, 2001?
Thomas Von Essen (TVE): I think
everybody remembers that it was a
beautiful day. I was on the East River
Drive on the way to my ofce, and I
got a call that a small plane had hit the
north tower. I got there very quickly,
responding probably with many of
the frst few units. And you could see
right away that it was a big problem,
because all of the windows in the frst
foor of the lobby were blown out. As
I walked in through one of the win-
dows, very close to me, about 15 feet
away, a person fell. I could feel the
impact of it; it was enormous. It felt
like a car had hit the ground. So you
immediately get the sense of this be-
ing a very, very difcult project that
the fre department was trying to
mitigate.
The Suit Magazine spoke
with three New Yorkers
who were there to witness
the tragic events that
changed the course of
history a decade ago. Here
a civilian, a frst responder,
and the 2001 FDNY
Commissioner discuss
what they remember, how
things have changed, and
what we can do to move
forward.
The chiefs had already decided
they couldnt put the fre out; some
of the frst units that got up before
the elevators were totally out of ser-
vice had told them that there were
no water lines up there because they
had been severed in the impact. Not
long afer that, the second plane hit
the south tower. And when that hap-
pened, everybody immediately re-
alized, if they hadnt already, that it
was not an accident. The chiefs, prob-
ably the best fre chiefs you could
fnd anywhere, immediately split up
the top commanders and sent half to
the south tower and started calling
in more unitsan enormous amount
of people. So that added a lot to the
confusion because so many people
were coming in from places that had
never responded to the World Trade
Center before. And the day just cas-
caded from there. The mayor was try-
ing to get a hold of me right from the
beginning, but I was kind of delaying
leaving. The chiefs are in charge of a
fre like that, but the commissioner is
ofen there to try to add support and
get them additional units or addition-
al tools that they might need.
TS: How did the New York City Fire
Department recover and rebuild in
the afermath?

TVE: Hiring people is the easy part,
but unfortunately you cant replace
experience that you lose, and you
special report REMEMBERING 9/11
Ten Years Later
i
m
a
g
e

c
r
e
d
i
t
s
:

a
s
s
o
c
i
a
t
e
d

p
r
e
s
s

/

d
o
u
g

m
i
l
l
s
cant fgure out ways that the surviv-
ing frefghters and ofcers and ev-
erybody are going to deal with their
grief. You really cant fx it; you just do
the best you can. I gave more than 60
eulogies during the period afer Sep-
tember 11th, so that I think that was
the hardest part: dealing with fami-
lies, dealing with their pain, which
was almost impossible for them to
overcome. And a lot of frefghters
were depressed. A lot of people felt
guilty they had survived, and a lot of
people were just overwhelmed by the
loss of men that they cared so much
about.
TS: What were some of the most ex-
traordinary examples of bravery you
witnessed on that day?
TVE: I could give you a dozens of
examples of people who were told
to evacuate but didnt because theyd
goten maydays, or civilians were
trapped, or frefghters had been hurt
on higher foors. And they continued
to try and go afer them.
For me the losses are just too devas-
tating to equate any kind of good that
came out of it. One of the things thats
happened since then is that frefght-
ers around the world have goten a
tremendous amount of additional
respect and admiration and empathy,
because of the sacrifces that our guys
made on that day.
Benjamin Badil-
lo, 35, was a frst
responder during
the atacks. He
was an EMT with
the New York City Fire Department
(FDNY) in the Bronx.
TS: What happened from the mo-
ment you got the call to respond to
the atacks in Manhatan?
Benjamin Badillo (BB): We were fn-
ishing up a call in the Bronx, and it
was about 8:30 when we got the call.
Driving on the FDR Drive, we could
see the towers burning from uptown.
We saw a very chaotic scene with
citizens and cops running all over the
place, and fre trucks. I was the driver
that day, so I had to stay with the ve-
hicle.
My partner got out and walked
around the corner. The next thing I
knew, we heard a rumble and the frst
tower came down. Everyone started
running. I joined a group of citizens
in the lobby of a nearby building. The
lights went out. My lungs were full
of the dust from the debris. I couldn't
breathe for about 30 seconds, which
seemed like forever, but eventually I
was able to catch my breath.
I didn't know where my partner
was at the time. I wasn't sure what
happened to him. I found him in
New Jersey about three days later.
It was so dark in the area, it seemed
like nightime. As we got away from
the area, I helped a few people with
broken arms and legs. We saw dead
bodies lying in the street. Debris was
everywhere. I got home at about mid-
night. My girlfriend at the time gave
me a hug, and then I took a shower
and went to bed. The next day I woke
up angry and emotional about what
happened. I was angry about it for a
while.
I tried to go to work, but I ended
up staying home for a couple weeks. I
couldn't bring myself to get back into
the truck. Finally one of my supervi-
sors called me and told me I didn't
have to get back into the truck right
away. So I went back to work in the
ofce for a while.
TS: Looking back, were there any
particular actions stand out in your
mind for their bravery?
BB: There was a freman who worked
with us in the Bronx. He was an EMT
until about a year or so before Sep-
tember 11. He was a great person.
He died in the towers that day. There
were a lot of brave people that day
who did what they could to help ev-
eryone.
TS: Have you noticed any health
problems as a result of your service?
BB: I haven't had any health prob-
lems from being there that day. Im-
mediately aferwards, I did have
a cough that lasted for about two
months, and then I was back to nor-
mal. I think more should be done to
help people that were exposed or in-
jured. I heard a lot of negative things
about paperwork fling problems and
meeting deadlines. I knew someone
who died two years later as a result of
respiratory problems from inhaling
smoke and debris. I think he should
have goten more help for his medical
issues. I think more should be done
to help people, and that help should
last a lifetime.

Danielle Aqaviva,
37, was a civilian
headed to work near
the World Trade
Center at the mo-
ment of the atacks.
TS: Can you describe the events of
September 11th as you remember
them?
Danielle Aqaviva (DA): I came out
of the subway at about 8:50 a.m. from
the downtown 5 train, about a block
and a half from the World Trade Cen-
ter. I worked a couple blocks away
on Maiden Lane, at the Metropolitan
Council on Jewish Poverty. I remem-
ber thinking how absolutely gorgeous
the day was. I wished my roommate
and I had called in sick and gone to
the beach.
I was completely at peace, listen-
ing to the new Alicia Keys CD on my
Discman, and the next thing I knew,
I entered complete pandemonium. I
heard screaming and frantic yelling.
The entire top of one of the World
Trade Center towers was on fre, just
engulfed in fames.
I turned to walk to my ofce, anx-
ious to get out of the street and away
from the horrible scene. I never got the
chance to complete my turn because
just then, the shadow of a large plane
appeared, dark and ominous, on the
side of the tower that was on fre, and
then the plane came into view, turned
upward, and headed straight into the
other tower. It was completely unreal.
The sound was like a thousand nails
on a thousand chalkboards.
continued on next page
nine eleven
by esther louise

today is a barrier,
a sawhorse
with yellow tape
between then and now.
yesterday is always
today serving up
the same dated image
of chilled goose bumps
running amok hairs
along my nape.
my hands, airborne
and still fapping.
I watched this image
through lenses
and glass,
in real-time.
frst, a report of accident.
then a not-so-sure what.
televisions, radios and
telephones not answered.
all stopped cold, shaking
from the planes fying so low.
low enough to torch the sky
low enough to catch on flm
low enough to image everywhere,
in homes, hospitals, schools
anywhere a broadcast
could be caught before
the second plane of certainty
few round the tower to sink its nose into
concrete skin,
making a wound still showing
afer the plane disappeared.
i stand with students
watching same image.
we hear some jumped
and others stayed put.
we see the towers fall,
south, north, seven, gone.
we see the people powdered up.

we hear the start of wail.
we join the chorus.
we cry for unknowns.
we cry knowing
one certainty:
all freedoms of yesterday
fell with those towers.
all tomorrows are
today, a net of security
holding memories
of what we lost.
continued from previous page
I saw people running, smoke, de-
bris and human bodies falling from
the sky. I looked up, and saw what
is by far the most horrifying thing I
will ever see. I saw people on the top
foors of the burning towers jump-
ing. The mix of sensory hell would
be a part of my world for the next
few hours that day, and a part of my
memory for the past 10 years.
Danielle fnally made it to work
on the 21st foor of her ofce around
the corner for help. Shortly afer she
reached her coworkers, the frst tower
collapsed. She was later taken to a
local hospital by her boss and helped
by rescue workers when the hospital
was evacuated.
I was out of work for two months
while my injuries healed. I sufered
fve broken ribs, a dislocated wrist
and a concussion. I have developed
asthma from breathing in the debris
that day, as well as from the several
months afer I went back to work and
walked through the Ground Zero
area every day. It did bring my fam-
ily closer, as coming close to losing a
family member ofen does.

TS: Where are you today? Are you
still afected by what happened?
DA: I am now living in Queens. De-
spite what happened, I still love New
York City and always will. I honestly
do not see myself living anyplace
else. I am still tremendously afected
by what happened. I have asthma at-
tacks and have to use two diferent
types of asthma control medicine ev-
ery day. I had nightmares regularly in
the beginning, and still do now and
then, but far less ofen. I still have
panic atacks any time I am in a situ-
ation where there are many fre en-
gines or ambulances. I have to pull
over if I encounter a bad accident
when I am driving. I still cry when I
see or hear stories about 9/11, no mat-
ter how hard I try to keep it together.
What still amazes me is the sameness
of the experiences of those that were
there, bonded forever by the horror of
it all.
THE SUIT MAGAZINE p.13 THE SUIT MAGAZINE p.13
BY JACEY FORTIN
Building Bridges
2 Clinton Place | New Rochelle, NY 10801
Tel: 1-800-380-4777 | crossculturalsolutions.org
W
hen four planes were hi-
jacked ten years ago, the
damage was global. Terror
has led to war, and fear has efected
intolerance. The atacks became a de-
fning moment in a growing schism
between two cultures, and bridging
the gap is a mater of shared human
interest.
Steven Rosenthal believes that this
clash of civilizations is reconcilable,
and his mission is to give civilians a
role in the push for peace. By encour-
aging healthy interactions across bor-
ders, we could prevent some of the
intercultural animosities that so eas-
ily lead to violence. It is clear from
events of the last decade that events
on the other side of the
planet really afect us back
home, he told The Suit.
Never before has it been
more important to build
bridges of understanding
across cultures.
Rosenthal is the execu-
tive director of Cross Cul-
tural Solutions, a non-proft organi-
zation that organizes volunteerism
around the world. CCS has arranged
programs in 12 countries and four
continents, where volunteers work
to improve medical care, strengthen
educational systems and encourage
community sustainability.
Rosenthal founded CCS afer an
overseas experience changed his
life. A friend had invited him to help
build a medical dispensary in rural
Kenya. It was such a beautiful com-
munity, he said. The people were
so kind and gracious. Even though
they had very litle, they shared ev-
erything with us. It was eye-opening,
and I wanted to structure a way for
other people to have the same experi-
ence.
CCS got
of to a slow
start afer
its incep-
tion in 1995.
By the end
of the frst
year, just
one volunteer had been placed.
But with hard work and an out-
pouring of support from home
and abroad, CCS has expanded
exponentially. Today, 16 years
since its founding, over 25,000
volunteers have served in coun-
tries all over the world.
The ability to organize people
on such a large scale became
immediately useful in Septem-
ber of 2001, when the CCS team
responded quickly to national
tragedy. Afer the dust of 9/11
had setled, electricity was still
down and roads were closed.
Yet there were thousands of vol-
unteers who ventured down-
town to lend a hand, and Rosen-
thal was among them.
Afer the atacks I went down to
Ground Zero to see if I could help,
and it was complete chaos down
there, he said. I saw the need for us
to help coordinate the spontaneous
volunteers who were showing up.
So CCS worked with the American
Red Cross, providing over 6,500 vol-
unteers to assist in the relief and re-
covery eforts at the site of the World
Trade Center.
Ofering direct response in a time
of crisis is part of a much larger pic-
ture for CCS. Rosenthal hopes that by
enabling an increase in volunteerism
around the world, the organization
can mitigate the conficts that lead to
violence in the frst place. We want
people geting out and traveling,
meeting other people and breaking
down stereotypes and misunder-
standings, he said. Its important to
our security back home, as well as to
our place in the world.
i
m
a
g
e

c
r
e
d
i
t
s
:

c
r
o
s
s
-
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l

s
o
l
u
t
i
o
n
s
left: One CCS volunteer shares a
cultural experience with a woman in
New Delhi.
BY WENDY CONNICK
Consistent Success
Temuri Nanikashvili has achieved the
impossible in todays economic envi-
ronment.

D
iversification is the number one rule
for safe investing. Even if some of the in-
vestments in a well-varied portfolio fail,
others are likely to survive or even thrive. By
spreading his purchases, an investor can protect
his money even during serious economic crises.
Temuri Nanikashvili, CEO of London-based
Worldwide Investments, has kept his clients'
portfolios healthy by puting their funds into a
wide range of carefully selected investments.
Most of our investors have seen an upward
trend, which is rare in this economic downturn,
he said. The recession has afected some of our
centers, but we're well diversifed. All our inves-
tors are very satisfed with our returns. Its our
goal to make them satisfed, no mater what the
cost.
Nanikashvili has been
working in the fnan-
cial sector since he was
18. He started at the
Dime Savings Bank of
New York working for
Richard Parsons, who
went on to become the
CEO of Time Warner
and is now the chair-
man of Citigroup.
Of the thousands of
employees there, Nanikashvili soon
became the top producer. It was a great experi-
ence; it led me to believe that a long-term vision
with integrity would take you very far in life.
He started his own company in 1990, and he has
since matured Worldwide Investments into an
enterprise with global clientele and investments
in almost 100 anchored shopping centers.
And its not just investing; Nanikashvili knows
the value of branching out. Our business is so
lucrative because were very diversifed, he said.
One stream of revenue comes from name-brand
product buyouts, made proftable by economies
of scale. We buy various products from major
manufacturers at bulk priceshundreds of thou-
sands at a timeand then we sell them in large
quantities to major organizations, he explained.
Innovative ideas like this keep the company
lucrative, but profts are not the only priority.
Nanikashvili, a Georgian Jew whose parents im-
migrated to the United States, is very involved
in philanthropy. He supports a number of non-
profts: some in his home state of New York, oth-
ers down south in Florida, and even some as far
away as England and Israel.
Nanikashvili believes that his achievements
are related directly to his insistence on providing
absolutely reliable service to his clients. We're
always there when we say we are. There's a no-
excuse rule in my company, he said. We've
kept our word, and now our word has helped us
thrive.
But thats not Nanikashvilis only secret to suc-
cess. He gives credit to his family for their sup-
port as he worked to get his business of the
ground. My wife Maya has always been so help-
ful to me, he said, recalling how she traveled
with him on business trips around the world. To-
day, exploring foreign countries has become their
shared hobby. She and my daughters, Juliete
and Tifany, make the all the hard work worth-
while.
Mr. and Mrs. Nanikashvili celebrating their success.
Worldwide Investments
Temuri Nanikashvili
President, CEO
P.: (516) 551-2479
Temuri@optonline.net
T
hese days, many businesses are
more concerned with their cash
fow than catering to their cli-
entele. Michael Murray, owner of Your
Virtual Bookkeepers, Inc., does the exact
opposite. He strives for a fun, fulflling
business atmosphere while providing
the best customer service possible.
Your Virtual Bookkeepers, which Mur-
ray founded in 1988, is an accounting
and bookkeeping frm with well-devel-
oped online capabilities. They have three
main niches: multi-level marketing busi-
nesses, restaurants and small start-ups.
The two main services they provide to
these clients are tax planning and vir-
tual bookkeeping. What were trying to
do to is keep their tax plans up-to-date
while making sure that we maximize the
dollars that they keep in their pockets,
he said. Were trying to give our clients
that litle edge.
Focusing on customer satisfaction
rather than proft margins is a surprising
vision, particularly since the company
has faced recent client losses in the real
estate and mortgage industries. Growth
in general has hit a plateau due to the
economic downturn. But business is still
steady enough, and Murray stands by
his principles. We think weve done as
well as we have because we rely on tech-
nology, and because we listen to our cli-
ents, he said. Were still not happy that
we arent growing like were used to, but
were working on that.
Murrays commitment to great service
has gained him loyal customers who
keep his business afoat. One of Murrays
clients, for instance, is thriving despite
tough times. And when that customer
decided to expand the business, he invit-
ed Your Virtual Bookkeepers to get more
involved and keep track of all fnancial
records.
We stepped up and supported him
with increased bookkeeping services and
tax planning support, and were now
handling 100 percent of his accounting,
from billing his customers to paying his
vendors. Our relationship has become
extraordinarily strong, said Murray.
The relationship has grown so well,
in fact, that the client has referred Your
Virtual Bookkeepers to other businesses.
That, says Murray, is what makes his
work worthwhile.
You feel good about it. Youve got a
client whos happy. That makes
it fun to come into the ofce. It
makes the staf feel good, it makes
me feel good, and you know you
did something well.
Looking forward, Murray is
sticking to what works. As al-
ways, our number one goal is to
have fun. We work hard, but we
want to have fun doing it, he said.
Our number two goal is make a
good living and not to be greedy.
Our number three goal is to sup-
port our community.
Faster growth would be nice, but
Murray insists that this is not the
most important thing for the mo-
ment. Business is reliable, employ-
ees are happy, and clients more
than satisfed. For the team at Your
Virtual Bookkeepers, thats the real
botom line.
all
Accounted
for
by altamese osborne
Your Virtual Bookkeepers, Inc.
1641 N Milwaukee Ave.
Libertyille, IL 60048
T: 847.932.4400
yourvirtualbookkeepers.com
Trusted Funds
When big frms fail, a small team of investment
professionals can deliver reliable results.
by alaina love mcconnell
I
n the aftermath of the economic
recession, corporations such as
Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley,
and other Wall Street giants may
soon need replacing. Investors across
the country are increasingly knocking
on the doors of independent full-service
brokerage frms that ofer similar, more
dependable services, such as the World
Equity Group of Arlington Heights, Ill.
The fnancial advisors at World Equity
Group provide objective, independent
advice primarily to corporate executives,
professionals and retirees across the na-
tion. The company ofers a wide variety
of products and services, ranging from
mutual funds to private placements, to
provide clients with efective solutions
tailored to their professional needs.
Specifcally, advisors and clients work
together to assess relevant fnancial his-
tory, identify problem areas, and deter-
mine a personalized wealth management
plan that has advisees interests at heart.
Company CEO and co-owner Richard
Babjak said one-on-one atention and
personal interactions between clients
and team members make all the difer-
ence when it comes to fnancial planning.
We truly believe having individual re-
lationships with our clients diferentiates
us from our competition, he said.
This dedication to customer service is
refected in various aspects of World Eq-
uity Groups professional practice. Bab-
jaks role as both company owner and
active fnancial advisor, for example, al-
lows him to make corporate decisions
that beneft the customer. Being a fnan-
cial advisor with a client base and also
having the ability to run a frm gives us
a diferent perspective than what most
frms have, he said. Because of that
frontline experience, my partner Robert
Yarosz and I are beter equipped to de-
velop the right platforms for our advi-
sors and representatives.
This unique perspective and a top-
notch team of advisors and representa-
tives are just some of the ways that World
Equity Group keeps ahead of the curve.
Efcient, easy-to-use technology helps
clients manage online accounts and re-
porting while external corporate part-
ners give clients the fexibility and sup-
port needed when dealing with fnancial
planning. Babjak said that working with
the right technology and partnering with
afliates such as Pershing LLC and RBC
Capital Markets LLC are essential for
company growth and maintain-
ing high levels of customer service.
With a growth rate of about 20
percent per year, we can maintain
our service level and make sure
our infrastructure keeps pace with
our growth, he said.
Since 1997, World Equity Group
has handled fnancial planning for
clients across the country. Cur-
rently, with over two billion dol-
lars in client assets, this small, in-
dependent brokerage frm ofers a
reliable alternative to the big-name
fnancial institutions. We dont
necessarily need to be the biggest
guy on the street, Babjak said.
Rather, we want to be that bou-
tique frm that can maintain solid
relationships. Thats what is impor-
tant to us, and thats what is impor-
tant to our representatives.
World Equity Group
1650 N. Arlington Heights Rd.
Suite 100
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Toll Free: 800-765-5004
www. worldequitygroup.com
E
very once in awhile, an en-
trepreneur is so innovative
that he changes the game en-
tirely. Curt VandeVorde, president
and CEO of cynoSure Financial, Inc.,
is one of those mavericks. He created
an entirely new insurance product
that has redefned the way both new
and established companies ofer their
wares.
"There isn't another company in
the industry like ours because we are
so unique when it comes to product
enhancement," VandeVorde tells The
Suit. "cynoSure is a company that
doesn't do standard property, life and
health insurance. We place insurance
behind programs that companies use
to enhance the value of their products."
VandeVorde started cynoSure by de-
veloping an unemployment protection
product. His initial market consisted of
homebuilders who wanted to encour-
age sales by ofering mortgage protec-
tion to potential buyers. If a buyer lost
thier job during the frst two years of
ownership, thier mortgage payments
would be covered. Similar job-loss
protection programs have since been
designed for automotive loans and
college tuition payments.
As the recession took its toll, cy-
noSure was called on to create more
products for the struggling automo-
tive and fnancial sectors. "Everyone
is looking for ways to help their prod-
uct sell," VandeVorde says. Working
collectively with his staf, clients and
various insurance companies, he was
able to develop benefts like trade-in
protection, price protection, 60-day
buyback guarantees, auction fraud
protection and warranty extensions
for everything from checking accounts
to vehicles, homes and appliances.
VandeVorde even put together a cavi-
ty protection package for a toothbrush
manufacturer.
One of VandeVorde's most notable
accomplishments was helping a Sili-
con Valley startupan online auction
businessdevelop a fraud protection
program. "They wanted to protect
the people who traded on their site,"
VandeVorde says. Today that company
enjoys worldwide recognition as the
bidding-based powerhouse eBay. "We
brainstormed and developed a fraud
protection program that allowed eBay
buyers assurance that they would get
the item they intended to buy, or be
able to receive their money back." This
critical component for eBay's success
had never been seen before, but its suc-
cess launched cynoSure into new con-
tracts across multiple industries.
VandeVorde got his start in banking
before transitioning to insurance; he
branched out on his own in 1994. "The
business has grown because we have
new and unique ideas," he says. "For
eBay, we took something that had nev-
er been done before, and we were able
to put it together in a relatively short
period of time."
In good times and bad, cynoSure
helps companies put together pack-
ages that appeal to consumers. "When
the economy is bad, companies may
be struggling to sell their product on a
limited budget," VandeVorde explains.
"We help them by geting a program
together quickly that makes a big
statement and helps increase sales im-
mediately. Then when the economy is
good, clients come to us because they
want to diferentiate themselves from
their competition."
Product Enhancement
cynoSure Financial takes insurance in a whole new direction.
by andrea lehner
Qubein.
Past years
events have included
politicians and dignitaries like
President Bill Clinton, Mike
Huckabee, and Al Gore.
Whether addressing issues
like healthcare, the environment,
new technologies or market
fuctuations, the value of face-
to-face interaction cannot be
understated. When executives
come together to share ideas,
listen to industry experts and
engage in open discussions, a
dynamic for shaping growth and
fostering relationships develops
that simply couldnt happen in
front of a computer screen.
by andrea lehner
Working the Network
CraigMichaels Inc,
15 Maiden Lane, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10038
Phone: 212-232-8700
www.craigmichaelsinc.com
Sanyo,
B o s e
and more
have atended.
In addition, they ofer
specially customized leadership
programs for organizations
because, as Lehmann notes,
what goes on within a company
sets the foundation for broader
networking. His own business
is no exception. Youve got
to practice what you preach,
Lehmann says. We have great
employees who work together
well to get things done. Were all a
family here.
Because of the exclusive nature of
their eventsall are by invitation-
only and cater to the highest
executives in an organization or
industry CraigMichaels strives
to ensure that every executive in
atendance is challenged with new
insights and forward-thinking
ideas. To accomplish this, the
team invites only the most well-
respected speakers to deliver
keynote addresses and lead
roundtable discussions.
This years keynote speakers
have included Capt. Mark Kelly,
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Cameron
Sinclair, Aaron Ralston, and Nido
W
eve all heard that
networking is the key
to success, but bringing
large groups of industry leaders
together at the same place and
time is no easy endeavor. With
busy schedules, tight budgets
and the non-stop demands of
running a successful business, the
feat might seem insurmountable
to somebut not to the team at
CraigMichaels Incorporated.
With president and CEO
Craig Lehmann at the helm,
CraigMichaels has become a
leading organizer of executive
level forums and industry
summits. Just ten years afer
opening, CraigMichaels has been
recognized as one of the fastest
growing companies in the United
States.
Its about more than just throwing
a great event; each summit must
engender interactions that cause
real change, and each industry has
its diferent priorities. The team
at CraigMichaels produces events
to cater to felds as diverse as
healthcare, education, technology
and more. Flexibility is key, and
the company has proven its ability
to respond to every need. What
sets us apart is a great record of
customer satisfaction. Its about
how we interact with our clients;
we care about the outcomes,
Lehmann says.
In October, CraigMichaels is
launching a one-of-a-kind summit
for the restaurant industry,
headlined by former NFL coach
and restaurateur Don Shula. In
October, theyll host their annual
Healthcare Facilities Summit,
where hospital executives from
across the country can share ideas
about managing care in an era of
changing legislation. Theres a
retail summit each year as well,
where this July, atendees were
treated to a live show by famed
magician David Blaine. To date,
CraigMichaels has successfully
organized events where companies
like Verizon, LG, Sprint, Philips,
A leading producer of executive business events for senior-level decision makers,
CraigMichaels enables clients to achieve operational effciencies, increase their
proftability and maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Redefning
the concept of
conferences,
trade shows
and expos into
more effective
and rewarding
Executive
Summits and
Forums.
W
hen it comes to creating and marketing brand
images, theres no use playing it safe. The for-
ward-thinking team of Hunter Hamersmith
Advertising stays far away from conventionalism, and
for two decades, the award-winning agency has helped
propel its clients from obscurity to widespread recogni-
tion.
Executive Vice President Tracy Hunter explains the
philosophical cornerstone that has made Hunter Ham-
ersmith a success. What this agency is really all about
is creativity. We dont ever follow what anyone else is
doing. We always start our own course.
The agency, founded in 1987 by Hunter and long-
time friend Cheryl Hamersmith, specialized in aggres-
sive innovation from the beginning. For one of their
frst clients, a high-end real estate brokerage frm, they
engineered a re-conceptualization of the traditional in-
fomercial. Turning away from the prevalent formata
hard-sell of inexpensive gadgetrythey created an en-
tertaining travelogue-style profle instead.
Their vision not only catapulted their client to suc-
cess, but also earned Hunter Hamersmith an Emmy,
opening the door for them to become leaders in travel
and tourism marketing. They have since won numerous
awards, including the distinction of being the frst re-
cipient of Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association
Internationals Platinum Award.
Hunter Hamersmith has provided cuting-edge im-
aging for landmark hotels, spas, airlines, and the luxury
all-inclusive resort conglomerate of Sandals and Beach-
es. When they acquired the account, Hunter, recalls, the
image of all-inclusives was more about parties and less
about luxury. Her campaign set out to change that.
Afer a few years, we decided to brand into luxury,
because the market was becoming more sophisticated,
Hunter explains. In 2007, we branded it as Luxury
Included. That changed the face of all-inclusives, and
it changed the product of Sandals. Thats been a big,
big thing, and Sandals is still growing. We also handle
Beaches, which is the family end of Sandals.
Hunter Hamersmiths most recent achievement was
the revitalization of Air Jamaica afer it privatized. Air
Jamaica had been a government airline that was so
completely worn down that no Americans would have
wanted to fy on it, Hunter says. We advised them to
rebrand themselves completely. Its not that we knew
anything about the airline industry, but we immediate-
ly immerse ourselves into whatever the product is. We
take the best atributes of whatever that brand is, and
we make it diferent. We give it a new identity.
Today the colorful planes of Air Jamaica fll the skies,
sporting a new brand image in line with a new slogan:
Vacation Begins the Moment You Board. Hunter ex-
plains that the idea was to create a complete package
built around an experience. We designed the inside of
the plane, we designed the outside of the plane and we
did all of the branding. The entire thing is like a vaca-
tion, including the bright colors of the plane, the fight
atendants and an onboard chef. It is fantastic!
The partners dont reserve their creative ingenuity
just for their clients; theyve recently launched their
own line of fashion-forward footwear. Their FlipOut
Sandals combine the traditional casual fip-fop with
interchangeable jewelry, ofering a new alternative for
beach fashion. We combined shoes and jewelry, the
two things women love the most, Hunter said with a
smile.
When asked the secret to success, Hunter is quick to
respond, If you do what you love, and it feels right, its
going to be right. Always keep it fresh and fun.
Hunter Hamersmith keeps a bright outlook for the
future. From day one theyve operated under the prin-
ciple of staying lean and keeping their team members
happy. Even with the economy, whichever way it goes,
the best thing this agency has done is that weve always
been lean. We didnt have to lay of one person, Hunter
said.
Success for the agency ultimately means success for
the client, and Hunter Hamersmith continues to break
creative ground with every new project.
www.hhadvertising.net
Skys the Limit

by the suit staff
by the suit staff
A
s congress battles budgets
and debates the next steps to
create jobs, taxpayers need to
know if their hard-earned tax dollars
are being put to good use. Jenny Ser-
vo, founder of Dawnbreaker, created
her business to help taxpayer-funded
research projects find their way into
the marketplace.
Dawnbreaker specializes in com-
mercialization, or the process of turn-
ing a concept into a marketable prod-
uct, Servo says. We fill a unique
niche as we work with advanced tech-
nology firms that receive research and
development (R&D) funding through
the governments Small Business In-
novation Research (SBIR) program.
Dawnbreakers customer base con-
sists primarily of federal agencies
that fund R&D, including the U.S.
Navy, the National Science Founda-
tion and the U.S. Special Operations
Command.
The agencies we work with fund
the R&D of small businesses around
the country, Servo explains. They
hire Dawnbreaker to help these firms
commercialize their innovations. We
assist with strategic planning, mar-
ket research, marketing, and securing
additional funding. In this way, the
taxpayer money that funds R&D will
generate products that create jobs
and have a positive socio-economic
impact. We have worked with over
Above: The USS New York (LPD 21)
contains 7.5 tons of the steel from the
rubble of the World Trade Center.
Dawnbreaker has grown from a one-woman operation
into a respected enterprise, helping government agencies
commercialize the most promising innovations
4,500 SBIR projects, which have gen-
erated over $2.5 billion in total.
Dawnbreaker works with approxi-
mately 500 small businesses annu-
ally in a variety of industries, includ-
ing defense, energy and space. These
small businesses drive the creation of
jobs and infuse innovations into the
U.S. economy. With the Department
of Defense, Servo notes, you will find
components developed by small busi-
nesses in aircraft, ships, tanks and
many other platforms.
Dawnbreaker is about to release
a new collection of market research
products called the Critical Technol-
ogy Series. These reports are related
to emerging technologies identified
by the Department of Energy, such
as advanced vehicle technology, solar
energy and biomass. When it comes
to alternative energy, all federal agen-
cies are looking to increase their use
of technologies that utilize renewable
energy and increase energy efficiency.
Dawnbreaker has
also expanded into the
medical industry. I
have an excellent per-
son on my team, a for-
mer vice president with
Bausch & Lomb, Servo
says. Hes been the
one driving our growth
in the medical industry.
We are crossing over
between medical and
defense. When people
come back from Iraq
and Afghanistan they
may have many differ-
ent types of severe inju-
ries, such as traumatic
brain injury. Our team
works with companies
and scientists to assure
that their solutions be-
come known to the De-
partment of Defense.
Dawnbreaker is ex-
pecting $7 million in
revenue this year, a
far cry from its earliest
days. Servo once ran
the business alone, si-
multaneously working
elsewhere as Dawn-
breaker got its financial
footing. Like most small start-ups, I
didnt have much money at all. I self-
funded initially by doing many odd
jobs until I received grants from the
government. It was several years be-
fore I, or anyone else, became a full
time employee with the company,
Servo recalls.
About 10 years ago we secured
placement on a government sched-
ulea contracting vehicle that makes
it easier for the government to buy
from pre-qualified suppliers. The
SBIR legislation also changed and
increased its emphasis on commer-
cialization. That made things easier,
and we started adding customers and
employees, Servo explains. I now
have a team of business coaches and
have added market research, graph-
ics, investor relations and software
development departments. Most of
that growth has occurred in the last
10 years. Dawnbreaker currently
employs over 60 people.
Today Servo sees many entre-
preneurs looking to start small ad-
vanced technology businesses. My
advice to them is to be persistent,
be willing to put in a lot of time, be
willing to fail and then be sure to
learn from those failures. Seek good
advisors who are willing to give ad-
vice and counsel others.
Servo has some advice for the
government, too. The government
has to be concerned about how the
discontinuation of their initiatives,
such as the SBIR program, adversely
affects small business. When they
threaten to shut down these pro-
grams, it affects the very market they
are trying to nurture, said Servo.
Working directly with thousands of
small businesses around the coun-
try, she has seen the strain that even
the threat of federal budget cuts can
put on research and technology de-
velopment.
Looking forward, Servo wants to
diversify Dawnbreakers customer
base. The stage is certainly set for
growth; Servo has proven her abil-
ity to take and expand a service into
a thriving business that helps excit-
ing and new innovative technologies
come to fruition across several key
industries.
In this way, the taxpayer money
that funds R&D will generate
products that create jobs and have
a positive socio-economic impact.
- Jenny Servo
President, Dawnbreaker
B
ud Farris is not your everyday re-
altor. Besides leading Connecticuts
Century 21 regional ofce, his own
Appraisal and Real Estate School of Con-
necticut flls a new niche by teaching as-
piring realtors how to succeed in a shaky
market.
His entrepreneurial journey began while he was work-
ing with CENTURY 21 A&B Realty, a company that was
faltering under the weight of its own bureaucracy. See-
ing a need for change, Farris joined with eight other of-
fce owners in Rhode Island and Connecticut and formed
CENTURY 21 Access America, a new 11-ofce frm. It was
a big merger, involving plenty of tough decisions. We
had to cut expenses and let some staf go, said Farris.
Downsizing costs led to an upsize in gains. When we
frst formed, we had about 2000 transactions in one year,
and we grew to 4500 transactions a year.
A strong web presence was the key to their success.
Weve always been a heavy user of technology. In fact,
in the last six years weve set up a web development com-
pany, said Farris. About 80 percent of people thinking
about real estate will spend months on the web before
they ever talk to an agent. If you dont have internet vis-
ibility, youre dead.
Realizing the value of the tough lessons hed learned,
Farris decided to spread the word; he opened a school
for future agents. The Appraisal and Real Estate School
of Connecticut ofers licensing courses, basic appraisal
classes and continuing education.
And Farris is still making moves. In June, he withdrew
from Access America to form a new business: CENTURY
21 Connect. This companys local structure allows him
to focus on even beter customer service. And Farris is
proud to report that his son Christopher is now a member
of the organization, making the new venture two genera-
tions strong.
Prime Properties
by alaina love mcconnell
P
otomac, Md. is home to some of Washington
D.C.s most celebrated business executives, politi-
cal fgures and social entrepreneurs.
In 2009, CNN Money Magazine recognized it as the
fourth most afuent area in the country for its combina-
tion of elite residents, exceptional lifestyle and selection
of upscale homes. But a changing economy has present-
ed unexpected challenges to securing a home in this ideal
location.
Optima Properties, Inc. ofers knowledgeable, reli-
able real estate service to homeowners and builders in
the greater Potomac area. A small but dedicated team
of agents and planners works closely with clients to help
them navigate the housing market while also providing
full planning, development, and decorating services.
Company founder and President Audrie Gue said that
unlike competing area real estate companies, Optima
Properties supports its clients every step of the way, from
securing the site to deciding on decorative details. Were
the only ones who do what we do, she said. We put the
whole package together for our clients.
For over 25 years, the stafs dedication to customer sat-
isfaction and knowledge of the luxury housing industry
has led the company from one project to another, atract-
ing an elite clientele of both local and international celeb-
rities along the way. Most of our design work is word
of mouth, Gue said. People see something that we do,
and they want something similar.
business briefs
MAKING MOVES
by altamese osborne
Bud Farris
Regional President
CENTURY 21 Access America
P.: (203) 326-3315
www.ctreschool.com.
O
n the date of its incep-
tion in an old barbershop,
Henry Schieles printing
company had two small presses, a
desk and a single phone. That was
in 1948.
Since then, things have changed.
The original entrepreneur passed
his business along to the next
generation; today his son, John
Schiele, presides over a major op-
eration.
Schiele manages the three inte-
grated companies that now make
up the Schiele Group: Schiele
Graphics, the sheet-fed division;
Repro Graphics, the web division;
and Johnson Printers. The com-
pany has become one of the most
sought-afer suppliers of graphic
arts in its home base of Chicago
Much has changed since the
1940s. I try not to get
bogged down in the
day-to-day activities,
Schiele told The Suit.
My dad was a huge
micro-manager, and ev-
ery time he walked in
the room, you could tell
people got tense, said
Schiele. Im the exact
opposite. I rely on my
employees; they know
their job beter than I do.
I spend most of my day think-
ing about our business plan and
working on opportunities as they
come in. I do research on the in-
ternet and talk to people about
whats going on in the industry.
With an eye to market demands,
the Schiele Group has expanded
into multi-plant enterprise that
produces business cards, bro-
chures, digital designs, coupons
and more. Still, Schiele stays loyal
to the basic, important things he
learned from his father customer
service and dedication to quality.
We listen to our customers and
ask what their needs are and what
else they are buying. Then we
mold ourselves to their needs,
Schiele said. I know it sounds
like a clich, but I believe in stay-
ing focused on the customers and
servicing the heck out of them.
Off the Presses
Printing isnt the end of a projects story.
Helping businesses
communicate with
clients, employees,
stockholders, or
vendors
The Schiele Group
1880 Busse Road
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
P.: (847) 434-5455
www.schielegroup.com
I rely on my employees; they
know their job beter than I do. I
spend most of my day thinking
about our business plan and
working on opportunities.
by mitch ligon
W
hat do you get
when you intro-
duce a 34-year-
old family-owned pack-
aging company to the
limitless potential of the
World Wide Web? MrBox-
Onlinea one-stop, all-in-
clusive packaging material
distributor that has become
a fast and convenient solu-
tion for wholesalers and
shippers across the country.
David Perlman, President
of A&M Tape & Packaging,
tells The Suit how he capital-
ized on Internet technology
by starting MrBoxOnline 10
years ago to help his com-
pany expand nationally.
We wanted a stron-
ger brand, Perlman says.
MrBoxOnline was the ve-
hicle to brand our product
throughout the Unit-
ed States. We
hired a sales
staf and
introduced
some new
products with
competitive pric-
ing and a lot of
mar ke t i ng.
A&M remains
an active local-
ly-focused compa-
ny in South Florida,
and has been since its
1977 inception.
Perlman explained
his business model as
a one-stop source with
customization capabilities;
they manufacture cartons
within their facility. We
sell shipping supplies, but
in general were really the
backroom guys, he says.
Well sell the cardboard
box, the bubble wrap and the
labels to our customers, but
these are people working
in the back room, so well
sell them everything else
they needthings for their
break room for instance, or
cleaning suppliesbecause
the truck is going there
anyway. We want to be a
single source supplier.
MrBoxOnline ofers over
1,000 stock shipping car-
tons, packaging and jani-
torial sup-
plies. Perlmans
subsidiary Tyler Tape and
Label, started in 1994, in-
cludes seven printing press-
es that produce printed box
sealing tape sold nation-
ally through distribution.
And thats not all. Re-
cently we have goten
into two new product
lines where business is re-
ally picking up. The frst
is insulated foam coolers
for the food and medi-
cal industries. We stock 23
sizes in our 90,000-square-
foot warehouse, and
our prices are very com-
petitive, Perlman says.
Weve also delved into
the wine industry, and now
we distribute molded pulp
shippers for wine botles.
This product is made with
99 percent post-consumer
waste. We sell to wineries
and wine dealers. We dis-
tribute the Vintners Choice
brand based in Corvallis,
Oreg. The wine industry has
been on the upswing lately,
so weve jumped on board.
Perlman adds that both
MrBoxOnline and A&M
share a strong commitment
to providing eco-friendly
products and recycling so-
lutionsincluding a pro-
gram for collection of
common workplace
corrosives like light
bulbs and bateries
and to retaining an
emphasis on domes-
tic manufacturing.
They carefully se-
lect U.S.-based sup-
pliers in order to
support American
jobs and economic
growth. Perlman
didnt want to be
a part of fueling the exo-
dus of our jobs overseas.
Perlman and MrBoxOn-
line set the standard for the
American ideal of customer
service. By making shipping
easier, MrBoxOnline helps
manufacturers and whole-
salers get their product
into the marketplace safely
and cost-efectively.
Outside the Box
David Perlman used technology to vastly expand the scope
of his operations beyond his native Florida.
by the suit staff
David Perlman / MrBoxOnline
5201 Nob Hill Road
Sunrise, FL U.S.A. 33351
(954) 572-2500
www.MrBoxOnline.com
by altamese osborne
A Clear Broadcast
even your phones can film in
high quality.
But Eric Vidal has over-
come plenty of challenges
and seized many opportuni-
ties throughout his business
ownership career. He abides
by three standards of quality.
First, were fully staffed, he
said. Videoscope has 25 fully
capable employees in fully ca-
pable departments, each run-
ning at 100 percent efficiency.
Furthermore, says Vidal,
Weve been established for a
long time. Unlike like other
fly-by-night companies, Vid-
eoscopes 14 years of service
to the broadcasting industry
have proven their reliability,
even while the broadcast in-
dustry changes to accommo-
date digital technologies. Fi-
nally, Videoscope provides
a full service for our custom-
ers. Great service is a high
priority for Vidal and his team,
and they have the capacity to
fulfill the needs of even the
most demand-
ing clients.
A
s the president of
Videoscope, it is
Eric Vidals job to
make sure that the
Miami-based distributor of
broadcast audio and video
equipment stays up-to-date.
He founded the business in
1997, selling just one line of
broadcast parts from his ga-
rage. Since then, Videoscope
has evolved into a multimil-
lion-dollar operation, becom-
ing the number one distribu-
tor in South Florida of Sony
and Panasonic Professional
Broadcast Equipment.
Despite Videoscopes suc-
cessful rise through the broad-
cast manufacturing industry,
the company has not been
without its challenges. Were
entering our digital era, and
tapes are things of the past,
Vidal said. The advent of per-
sonal audio and video appli-
ances means that many people
are becoming their own vid-
eographers, making it harder
to distribute broadcast mate-
rial. Before it was Sony and
Panasonic; now in the future, I
dont know, said Vidal. Now
Videoscope stocks more than
3,000 products, has access to
an additional 1 million parts
and products, and has rela-
tionships with over 150 manu-
facturers, such as AJA, Data-
video, Sennheiser, Manfrotto,
Roland, Sound Devices and
others. The companys success
is a direct result of such com-
prehensive service and capa-
bilities.
It is certain that with Vidals
careful leadership, Video-
scope will continue its impres-
sive record of growth far into
the future. We plan to stay
here for a very long time, he
said.
Videoscope maintains one of the largest inventories of broadcast and
professional equipment south of New York City.
Videoscope Inc.
7711 NW 46 Street Doral
Florida 33166
P.: (305) 438-3742
www.videoscopeusa.com
VIDEOSCOPE INC.
Eric Vidal / President, Videoscope Inc.
by sara solano
A
s president of HSM of
America, a company special-
izing in destruction prod-
ucts for ofce product resellers and
wholesale/industrial distributors,
Robert Ouellete emphasizes the
importance of leverage and strong
business relationships.
His words of wisdom for those
running a small business are sim-
ple: Minimize your risk, maximize
whatever you have, leverage any
and all relationships and control
what youre doing that allows you to
continue to expand and grow.
With 24 years in the contracted of-
fce products marketplace and the
manufacturing industry, Ouellete
joined HSM in 2006 with the goal of
The Strategist
DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGICALLY INNOVATIVE
PRODUCTS AND EFFICIENT MEANS OF DISTRIBUTION
using his experiences to help busi-
nesses evolve from a convoluted
mass of inefective distribution mod-
els to strategic, well-oiled machines.
Once he took full responsibility of
the North American branch in 2009,
Ouellete realized that the tactical
model small businesses were func-
tioning on was becoming obsolete.
Now the German-owned company
runs on a strategic distribution mod-
el focusing on assigning employees
to the right jobs including trim-
ming 13 positions that were deemed
unnecessary and analyzing multi-
ple perspectives, including fnancial,
customer, employee and the overall
process.
We are able to make strategic
decisions based on those outputs of
measures and methods of analysis as
opposed to a gut reaction, he said.
Ouellete has reduced operation
costs by 40 percent and tripled busi-
ness in less than fve years, even dur-
ing what he called a very difcult
time in 2009 in the wake of the eco-
nomic downturn. During this rough
patch, Ouellete further embraced
the core ideals of his strategic busi-
ness model, including one addition:
asking how the company can create
an exceptional customer experience.
According to Ouellete, this idea
has been the foundation for the
development of all the companys
programs and added value beyond
the product itself. Our product be-
came a vehicle to address an inher-
ent defciency in the business needs
of our reseller community, he said.
And by doing that, we were able to
add value to those relationships that
transcends just the product.
In the future, the company will
continue working within existing
distribution channels with even
more innovative products and ser-
vices available. Leveraging envi-
ronmental technology has been a
particular interest of Ouelletes as
conservation awareness has become
much more relevant in the United
States in recent years.
He advises that other businesses
embrace this new American ideal
and view it as a valuable tool for
earnings. At the end of the day
when this is all done, you have a
commodity thats worth something
in the market and youve added ad-
ditional revenue to your business,
he said.
The new Securio P36s Strip-Cut
Paper Shredder is one of several
top-quality products at HSM.
HSM GmbH + Co. KG
Austrasse 1-9
88699 Frickingen / GM
+49 (0) 75 54 / 2100-0
www.hsm.eu
WHEN CLIENTS ARE IN DIRE STRAITS, THE TEAM AT GAMBERG &
ABRAMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE TO HELP THEM PULL THROUGH.
UP TO THE CHALLENGE
by the suit staff
Gamberg & Abrams
4000 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 350N
Hollywood, FL 33021
Phone: 954-981-4411
gambergandabrams.com
E
ver since the recession hit,
bankruptcy has weighed heav-
ily on the minds of many indi-
viduals and business across the United
States. Some citizens simply have litle
other recourse when facing debts and
mortgages they can no longer handle.
And its not just the litle guys; com-
panies as big as the Lehman Brothers,
Washington Mutual and General Mo-
tors have all fled within the last few
years.
And new laws continue to make
bankruptcies even more complicated.
Jay Gamberg, founder of Gamberg &
Abrams, a Florida-based frm special-
izing in bankruptcy law, knows how
to navigate the issues. There are three
common bankruptcy options: chapter
7, chapter 11 and chapter 13. Chapter
7 bankruptcies can provide immediate
relief for debtors, while chapter 11 and
13 bankruptcies require a repayment
plan.
These facts and fgures can be tough
to follow; as Gamberg notes, his clients
ofen feel overwhelmed by the regula-
tions. That puts him in the perfect po-
sition to provide expert guidance to
those who need it most. Since he began
practicing bankruptcy law in New York
City 37 years ago, hes worked with
various clientsboth businesses and
individualsto help them face their
debts head-on and eventually achieve
solvency.
In cases like these, bankruptcy is not
the only option. Sometimes the frms
clients just need some know-how to
manage their fnances, and Gamberg
& Abrams can provide guidance in the
areas of reorganization, litigation and
liquidation whenever bankruptcy can
be avoided.
The years of experience behind every
atorney at the frm make it easy for
them to deliver impeccable service to
every client. Every lawyer is licensed
and insured, and they belong to a range
of organizations including the Florida
and New York Bar Associations, the
American Bankruptcy Institute and the
National Consumer Bankruptcy Asso-
ciation. For Gamberg, who has himself
been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell,
its all about fnding the solution that
works best for each scenario.
Whether serving a family or a corpo-
ration, ofering advice or representa-
tion, negotiating a tough bankruptcy or
a complicated liquidation, Gamberg &
Abrams has built a sterling reputation
in the feld of fnance law. Whether the
economy is due for a recovery or not,
Gamberg plans to continue the patern
of lending a much-needed hand to cli-
ents in dire circumstances.
I
f this years complicated healthcare
system overhaul was any indication,
medicine is a complex industry. The
United States is in need of greater transparency,
simpler guidelines and cleaner lines of commu-
nication. But the government cannot be the only
catalyst; its also up to major players in the pri-
vate sector to help cut costs and deliver patient
care more efciently.
Meniscus Limited may be part of the solu-
tion. Founded in 1982 by Lois Trench-Hines, the
company helps establish efective communica-
tion between its scientists, clinicians and front-
line nurses and doctors. Trench-Hines chose the
name 'Meniscus,' the Greek word for interface,
to refect her companys role in facilitating com-
munication between its clients and their custom-
ers in the health care community. These eforts
help keep the clinical educational process mov-
ing forward.
In many cases, communication withand
withinbig pharmaceutical companies is lim-
ited by legal and compliance issues. The rules
are intricate and, according to Trench-Hines, of-
ten confounding. In marketing an agent, for in-
stance, you cannot say anything that is not in the
package insertthats the thin piece of paper in
the box, which reads like a legal document, she
said. In this situation, practitioners cannot pro-
vide the best information to treat the patient. If it
is not in the package insert, then the pharmaceu-
tical lawyers insist, No, you cannot say that.
The companys reach has grown over the years
to address just these sorts of problems; today Me-
The
Insider
Clinical oncology is a complicated feld, but Lois Trench-Hines is
well-equipped to address its biggest inefciencies.
by the suit staff
niscus Limited owns two subsidiary companies.
The Meniscus Educational Institute provides ac-
credited education for physicians, nurses and
pharmacists. I found out a year or two ago that
we were the very frst for-proft company that
was triple-accredited, reports Trench-Hines.
The second subsidiary, SciStrategy Communica-
tions, prepares white papers on oncology-related
topics. And Meniscus Limited itself helps market
and commercialize approved agents. Menis-
cus Limiteds core competency is oncology. This
means is that our primary clients are pharmaceu-
tical frms: large ones, small ones, biotech frms,
Trench-Hines said.
Part of the reason for her companys success is
Trench-Hines personal familiarity with the med-
ical world. She realized long ago that many plans
and educational programs lef out a very impor-
tant piece of the puzzle: nurses.
When pharmaceutical companies conduct
clinical trials for new drugs, its the nurses job to
educate patients and help them manage any side
efects. If nurses dont get the information they
need, they wont be able to work efectively with
their patients to help them stay on therapy.
In an earlier position as a clinical research as-
sociate for ICI America (now AstraZeneca),
Trench-Hines saw frst-hand the important role
that nurses play in clinical trials. Physicians
must make the therapeutic decisions, but its the
nurses who spend most of the time with the pa-
tients, she said. Originally, I did a lot of clinical
newsleters for nurses rather than physicians
and I have no regrets about that. The nurses
themselves have recognized Meniscus Limiteds
contributions over the decades. In fact, last year
I was named a lifetime member of the Oncology
Nursing Society. Thats a big deal!
Trench-Hines originally started Meniscus Lim-
ited with the help of two partners, but within
six weeks of founding the company she was on
her own. I continued with just one other person
afer my two initial partners decided we didnt
share the same goals, she said. But she hit the
ground running, learning lessons as she went
along. You need to partner with your clients;
you have to respond fexibly and instinctively.
More importantly you have to anticipate, to be
prepared to fulfll whatever needs your clients
present.
The part of her job she enjoys the most is pre-
senting her companys service capabilities to
prospective clients. I dont like to call it selling,
but thats my favorite part, she said. I look at
a potential client, look at the product and see
what theyre up against. Then I think: if I were in
that position as a product manager, what would
I do? And thats where the conversation starts.
Trench-Hines said that she gets the best results
when she keeps her presentation focused on the
client. People think that you should go in and
tell them all about your company, she said. But
they dont care about you! What they care about
is how you can help them achieve their goals.
They want you to cut to the chase.
Meniscus Limited recently launched a new
product a website called www.oncuview.tv
developed with the help of a partner and former
competitor, NorthStar Communications. I asked
myself, is there a one-stop resource for oncology
healthcare professionals? There wasnt, so we
made one. Trench-Hines added, This format
delivers the information more succinctly and
more quickly, and it sifs out what is important.
This website is excellent; its growing by leaps
and bounds.
If things are looking up for Meniscus Limited,
things must be looking up for the U.S. healthcare
system in general. The Suit asked Trench-Hines
about the secret to success in the industry. I think
its passion, she said. Its believing in what you
do and actually feeling good about it. Is every
day a good day? Absolutely not. But overall? Yes.
Were constantly developing new education and
communications. Were doing something impor-
tant.
by andrea lehner
T
he high cost of healthcare is
nothing to sneeze at. And with
the uncertain impact of up-
coming federal budget cuts, keeping
costs down is more important now
than ever. Innovative organizations
like The Access Group are making
their mark on the industry by pro-
viding comprehensive, consolidated
and cost-efcient services for the
pharmaceutical industry, from bio-
technology development to distribu-
tion.
Dave Gagliano, president of The
Access Group, explains the concept.
Our model is one of complete life-
cycle management, akin to one-stop
shopping. Through our independent
but interconnected subsidiary enti-
ties, we deliver complete product
lifecycle services support.
The Access Groups involvement
starts during mid-stage clinical trials
testing, and continues through prod-
uct launch and ultimately through
loss of exclusivity. Their indepen-
dent but integrated services ofer-
ings model adds value at each step
of a products lifecycle.
Invariably, many diferent service
providers play along that products
lifeline, Gagliano says. By being
able to utilize fewer providers, phar-
maceutical companies gain econo-
mies of scale. This is where The Ac-
cess Group maximizes its value to
the pharmaceutical manufacturer.
Promidian, the frms manage-
ment consulting line, is typically
the frst point of contact in the pre-
commercialization phase. Promid-
ian specializes in market assessment,
analytics and strategy development
in producing actionable market in-
sights, ensuring product launch
success and driving growth of in-
line products. Its managed care
acumen is complemented by three
agenciesAccess Communications,
Fusion and Catalystthat special-
ize in managed markets strategies
and tactical service oferings to as-
sist pharmaceutical companies in
launching their product to the payer
marketplace. At this stage, its most
important to assist with payer value
proposition. Gagliano explains, We
have to ask, What is the products
value diferentiation that will reso-
nate with payers in deciding on ac-
cess and reimbursement terms for its
product?
Moving beyond the payer seg-
ment, the MedAccess entity drives
brand promotion and medical edu-
cation initiatives in launching the
product to the physician and
consumer segments. Fi-
nally, S3 (Strategic
Selling Solutions)
addresses the im-
portant job of train-
ing the sales force, account managers
and brand team with consistent mes-
saging about the products efcacy,
access and reimbursement terms.
Ultimately, Promidian comes to the
forefront again to assist in loss of ex-
clusivity planning when the product
nears the end of its patent life.
Through the suite of oferings em-
bedded into each one of our entities
and our overall model, we feel we
can be that one-stop shop for phar-
maceutical manufacturers, which
should lead to cost-efciencies for
them and hopefully beter pricing
for the consumer, Gagliano adds.
The Suit asked what insights Ga-
gliano had to ofer regarding the
changing American healthcare sys-
tem. The healthcare industry repre-
sents roughly 17 percent of gross do-
mestic product and is critical to the
future success and solvency of our
country, he said. Unfortunately,
there remains a signifcant amount
of uncertainty about the future of
healthcare reform since the new leg-
islation passed in 2010. With ongoing
litigation in the judicial branch re-
garding the individual mandate, lob-
bying and budgetary crises plaguing
the legislative branch and a pivotal
2012 election in the executive branch,
we could theoretically see a dramati-
cally diferent healthcare landscape
moving into 2013. At The Access
Group, we have policy researchers
and advisors on staf and are well
positioned to assist our clients in
navigating whatever changes may
be coming. We will continue fnding
innovative ways to make pharma-
ceutical development as efcient as
possible.
by the suit staff
Pharmas One-Stop Shop
Dave Gagliano
President / CEO
The Access Group
400 Connell Drive, 2nd Floor
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
Phone: (908) 508-6700
www.theaccessgp.com
HealtHy CommuniCation
when federal regulations bog down the medical
industry, the team at JB Ashtin has the expertise to
get things running smoothly.
by the suit staff
I
n the near future, manufactur-
ers of pharmaceuticals, medical
devices and biologics will be re-
quired to begin tracking and record-
ing payments to physicians that are
worth more than $10. This mandate is
part of the Physicians Payments Sun-
shine Act, which goes into effect Jan-
uary 2012. The details for each pre-
scriber will be posted in a searchable
public database starting April 2013.
All pharmaceutical and biotech
companies will be required to report
their transfers of value to health care
prescribers, said Joan Bradley, presi-
dent and CEO of The JB Ashtin Group
in Plymouth, Mich. And what that
means is that spending per physician
has to be reported for every educa-
tional and promotional initiative that
the pharmaceutical industry under-
takes with them. Its a federal law.
The Sunshine Act represents both
a challenge and an opportunity for
Bradley, a pharmacist herself, whose
scientific communications agency
helps pharmaceutical and biotech
companies create awareness about
their products. The challenge is get-
ting our clients to understand how
stricter federal regulations are going
to impact their business, she said.
Industry professionals who are in-
volved in compliance issues under-
stand the tightened regulations, but
I dont believe that information has
filtered down to the people in the
trenchesespecially the promotional
brand teams and the sales force. They
may not yet truly understand how
The Sunshine Act will impact the way
they do business. Its more than just
reporting advisor fees for service.
As a health care communications
expert, Bradley is accustomed to dis-
seminating complicated information
to a range of audiences, including
heath care providers and the pub-
lic. Her firm is often hired to engage
global groups of physicians, research-
ers, allied health professionals and
other client partners to collaborate
on designing better clinical trials and
educational opportunities surround-
ing various disease states and inves-
tigational products or devices. It is
important for the pharma and biotech
industries to work closely with the
health care community to better un-
derstand how research and education
about new medications can improve
patient care, Bradley said. Most of
these types of engagements occur in
the form of advisory board and inves-
tigator meetings. Often times, mul-
tiple meetings are needed to engage
physicians in various national and
international regions.
But live pharma-sponsored meet-
ings are becoming less common. The
market downturn and increased reg-
ulatory scrutiny have forced many of
JB Ashtins clients to reduce the num-
ber of live meetings conducted with
health care providers. So she uses
technology to translate this market
downturn into a business opportu-
nity. We created some new partner-
ships with technology companies
that allow us to conduct interactive
meetings on a virtual platform, she
explained. By working with a plat-
form created by our technical partner,
Within3 of Cleveland, we are able to
generate discussion and gather the
required feedback from thought lead-
ers without the excess costs of travel,
lodging and meals. Costs are reduced
for the sponsoring pharmaceutical
company, health care providers have
more time in the office taking care of
patients and there are fewer transfers
of value that have to be reported.
The virtual approach to physician
interactions is just one more example
of how the team at JB Ashtin affects
fundamental change. By facilitating
the transparency and improving the
efficiency of interactions within the
pharmaceutical industry, Bradley is
ultimately making our health care
system more efficient for its end us-
ers: the American public.
The JB Ashtin Group, Inc.
47075 Five Mile Road
Plymouth, MI 48170-3589
P.: (734) 459-3144
www.jbashtin.com
S
noring is more than
an annoyance; it can be
a symptom of a serious
sleep or breathing disorder.
Dr. Hartmut Schneider, a
researcher at John Hopkins,
has devoted his life to fnd-
ing diagnostic tools and
treatments for sleep apnea.
The German-born scien-
tist frst entered the feld of
sleep medicine 25 years ago
as a medical student. Sleep
apnea was not questioned
or considered serious at
that time, Schneider says.
I was lucky my university
had the frst academic sleep
center in Germany. I was the
frst resident to walk in the
lab and ask about it.
That curiosity fueled a
passion to change internal
medicine by shining spot-
light on the darker side of
each days 24 hours. My
goal is to establish sleep
medicine as a major part of
general medical thinking,
Schneider says. Its not just
the awake person the doc-
tor should care about; they
should also know how the
patient might sleep, or how
sleep might afect the dis-
ease the patient has.
Schneider uses an exam-
ple to explain the correlation
between sleep apnea and
other medical conditions.
High blood pressure, he
says, is commonly treated
with beta blockers to inhibit
the nervous system from
elevating blood pressure.
With sleep apnea, the op-
posite is happening. Snoring
activates the nervous system
and counteracts the medica-
tion. Without knowing that,
the physician might think
the drug isnt working or the
patient is not using it.
Schneider has been in-
strumental in developing an
open-system nasal canella to
assist with sleep breathing.
The canella benefts are two-
fold: it delivers warm hu-
midifed air, which is good
for patients with Chronic
Obstructive Lung Disease,
and it can be used on chil-
dren.
Our invention of using
a nasal canella instead of a
mask to relieve snoring or
assist breathing is most ef-
fective in children who have
minor forms of snoring,
Schneider explains. Snor-
ing in children is always
something that needs to be
addressed. Snoring in adults
is ofen harmless, but in chil-
dren it can impact growth
development. From birth
through age 14, the brain is
growing. Even brief periods
of oxygen deprivation nega-
tively afect brain develop-
ment.
The nasal canella is FDA-
approved. But as with all
technology, Schneider says,
it takes time before the
insurance companies will
cover it. Still, the canella is
considered a medical break-
through and several compa-
nies are now replicating it.
Schneider is part of a small
community of research-
ers, limited to roughly 100
around the world, who spe-
cialize in sleep medicine.
Hes driven by an ambition
to help people on a larger
scale by promoting aware-
ness within the medical
community about the com-
plexities and impact of sleep
disorders on whole-body
health.
Trouble
Sleeping
Despite taking up a full third of our lives, sleeping hab-
its are largely neglected by medical practitioners. One
researcher thinks its high time for a wake-up call.
by the suit staff
As the average lifespan increases, a higher and
higher percentage of the population have begun
to encounter one or more of chronic diseases
during their lifetime. Type 2 diabetes, breathing
problems, osteoarthritis and cardiovascular dis-
ease are just a few examples of increasingly com-
mon conditions. In response, doctors and other
medical professionals have begun to focus more
of their atention on long-term, age-related dis-
eases. And now pharmacists like Barry Bryant,
CEO of Barney's Pharmacy, have goten into the
act as well.
We've gone afer the chronic care patients,
Bryant said. These are the folks that are coming
through my doors and the doors of pharmacies
that are geting, you know, fve, six, eight, ten
prescriptions flled every month. And, of course,
these are the diabetic patients, the cardiovascular
patients, the patients with COPD, asthma. His
goal is to transform his pharmacy into a wellness
center, where the pharmacy staf works with
patients over time to help them improve their
health.
In pursuit of this goal, Bryant and other phar-
macists have begun ofering free patient educa-
tion. What I've decided to do is to take the phar-
macists with all their clinical knowledge, which
has basically just been in a hospital seting, and
bring it to a retail seting, he said. We've actual-
ly taken a step into creating two web-based pro-
grams as well, to help people start doing a diabe-
tes class. One of these programs ofers resources
and a curriculum that other pharmacists can use
to craf their own diabetes classes.
Bryant feels that pharmacists can help pick up
the slack when increasingly overwhelmed doctors
simply don't have the time or resources to give
patients the education they need. Physicians
ofces are having to use mid-levelsphysicians'
assistants or nurse practitionersto handle the
volume they need to be proftable, he said. For
the diabetic patient, we ofer the educational
classes once a month at no charge. Now we're
developing a heart class for
our cardiovascular patients.
I think this is the future of
pharmacy.
Barney's Pharmacy took things a step further
four years ago by establishing a family practice
clinic. We started out with just a PA, and now
four years later we have two full-time physicians,
a full-time PA and a part-time PA, and we're fx-
ing to bring on a full time nurse practitioner. We
see probably 50 or 60 patients a day in our clinic,
Bryant said. Also, I'm bringing on two pharmacy
residents that will be working with us for a year,
developing new programs, building on what
we've already done by reaching out into the com-
munity and using their clinical skills in the retail
seting.
This growth is indicative of an increasing pub-
lic need for these types of services. It may be that
the Barneys Pharmacy model for patient care
could be an important key in U.S. eforts to make
its healthcare system efcient, economical and ef-
fective.
A New Kind of
Barneys Pharmacy
2604 Peach Orchard Rd.
Augusta, GA 30906
P.: (706) 798-5645
www.barneysrx.com
by wendy connick
by sara solano
P
lastic Revolutions owner John
Hagan abides by the advice
of his business manager: Its
grow or go.
But he told The Suit that growth in the
recycling industry isnt easy, because re-
cycling is not as simple or economical as
it should be in some areas. The commu-
nity has not been educated properly, and
obviously some of the younger teenagers
and elementary kids are, but the adults
arent.
With this in mind, Plastic Revolutions
expands on the notion of single-stream
recycling puting waste in bins to be
sent to a sorting facility by investing in
up-to-date equipment and ofering free
consultations and waste analysis for pro-
duction plants. Waste purchased or do-
nated from other companies is ground
up, washed and re-melted to be made
into a variety of products including cor-
rugated pipe, dumpster lids and cable
jacketing. According to Hagan, the com-
pany is now certifed to sell processed
plastic to auto companies and will be fo-
cusing more on that new area of revenue.
Many recyclers only take one item, but
Plastic Revolutions will take any ma-
terial for which there is a market, and
they make a point to let other companies
know what kind of waste their plants are
producing. Having that trust and ac-
countability has goten us a lot of busi-
ness, Hagan said. Today the company
processes more than 36 million pounds
of plastic scrap annually to be made into
new products, and they plan on dou-
bling their capacity this year.
Using his experience as a general con-
tractor, Hagan purchased his own grind-
ers and shredders and hired employees.
Afer expanding from 10 employees
running fve days a week to 70 employ-
ees running 24 hours a day seven days
a week, the company has managed to
carve a stable niche within the market.
As of now, they are trying to cut expens-
es as best they can and put a North Caro-
lina Energy Department grant to use by
reducing utility costs and keeping prices
lower for customers.
They have a warehouse large enough
to stockpile plastic while prices are low,
enabling them to keep their prices com-
petitive for customers. The company
strives to be as competitive as possible
and remains poised for continued suc-
cess when the market improves, Hagan
said.
One of his biggest accomplishments in
the business has been running the com-
pany without a single lay-of in spite of
the recession. I cant tell you how many
employees have come up to me and re-
ally just thanked me for allowing them
to work here, Hagan said. Its a great
feeling knowing youre providing jobs,
keeping people of the streets.
A Recycling
Revolution
The greenest intentions can
amount to nothing if our recy-
cling infrastrucure isnt up to
par. John Hagan has a solution.
John Hagan, President
Plastic Revolutions Inc.
Plastic Revolutions 300,000 sq. f. processing facility in Reidsville, North Carolina
Plastic Revolutions Inc.
1704 Barnes Street
Reidsville, NC 27320
P.: (888) 532-9274
plasticrevolutions.com
Its a great feeling knowing
youre providing jobs, keeping
people of the streets.
- John Hagan
R
obert Brady, CEO of Flor-
ida based frm ROBRADY,
does more than design in-
novative productshe's design-
ing entire businesses.
The 21-year-old frm is well-
known for its award-winning
product designs, but that's only
one of the three elements making
up the ROBRADY group. They
also ofer production and capital-
ization. Through these, the com-
pany helps underfunded startups
bring concepts to fruition.
Working with a vast array of
business models, from startups
to Fortune 10 companies, the RO-
BRADY team gained the insights
needed to add capitalization to
its services. "From a leadership
standpoint, having a front-row
seat with so many very visible
companies has given us an oppor-
tunity to see what to do and what
not to do. Now that we are help-
ing new startups, we really have a
great idea of how to go about it."
The capital element of RO-
BRADY already has a portfolio
of fve companies, including two
or three that are expected to gen-
erate revenue within the next six
months. And Brady is now devel-
oping that end of the business by
integrating external capital for the
frst time. ROBRADY capital is
now raising a $10 million invest-
ment round to further its activities
and invigorate the Sarasota start-
up scene.
The recession has played its part
in ROBRADY's diversifcation.
"Recession forces entrepreneurs
to be more creative and fexible
in puting together deals," Brady
says. "Most entrepreneurs are cre-
ative when it comes to the inno-
vations they bring to market, but
you can't stop there. Creativity has
to be in every business deal and
every diferent way to pay back
returns on investment."
Brady says they got hit hardest
in the summer of 2008. "We lost
about 85 percent of our business,
which should have knocked us
out. But we got together as a team
and put together the instruments
to communicate our brand. The
advent of social networking at
the same time was a godsend be-
cause the price is right. Through
social networking they were able
to connect with new markets and
entrepreneurs, and they continue
to utilize the benefts of social net-
working when creating images for
the startups they work with.
ROBRADY became known for
their work in transportation, de-
signing products like Segway,
Vectrix, boats, vehicles, and even
electric folding bicycles. In this
feld, Brady insists that electric
is the way of the future. "We just
don't have engines around any-
more. Everything we're doing has
an electric motor."
But today, medical design is
at the forefront of their business.
"We're experts in humanizing the
medical experience. Through er-
gonomics and aesthetics we're
able to optimize the human inter-
action with medical devices for
both operators and users." Brady
says.
The latest ROBRADY venture is
Ziivaa. "It's a non-invasive, drug-
free medical device that relieves
menstrual discomfort in minutes."
Brady says, adding that since
menstrual pain is one of the lead-
ing causes of missed school and
work, a product that can provide
all-day relief is a game-changer.
Whether in the feld of transpor-
tation, medicine or whatever the
next frontier may be, ROBRADY
design Inc. continues to perfect
their holistic approach to design.
"Our venture group looks at things
from a bigger picture," Brady says.
"We see that it's about more than
just an interesting product. Its
about the entire company."
the
Big Picture
by the suit staff
1040 Commerce Blvd N
Sarasota, FL 34243 USA
P.: (941) 359-6656
www.robrady.com
modernization of public safety
by wendy connick
C
loud technology represents
a global revolution in
computing. Instead of
installing sofware on a local
computer, users can log in via the
web to run programs or retrieve
information from remote servers. The
benefts to cloud computing include
improved security, economies of scale
and easy access from varied locations.
These benefts have led to more and
more cloud computing usage for both
businesses and individuals.
Joanne Taylor, CEO of Provista
Sofware International, recognized
the benefts of cloud technology long
before it became popular. I read
recently that there were 800 federal
data centers that were going to move
to the cloud, she said. We see
more and more of this happening at
all government levels. So one of the
ways it afects our clients, obviously,
is its driving them to think outside
of the box. Our products are already
cloud-enabled. We anticipated this,
and now were there.
Cloud technology can also reduce
costs because maintenance, upgrades
and day-to-day operations are
handled by the hosting company.
That makes it a particularly atractive
option for agencies that are forced to
cut spending. They need to be leaner
and smarter, explains Taylor, and
that is really infuencing industry
decisions right now.
Provista specializes in public safety
asset management. Taylor explained,
Weve introduced a suite of products
we call PR*VIDE to address the
challenge of managing evidence,
assets and inventory. Were focused
on two products. PR*VIDE manages
assets for frst responders: police,
sherifs, frefghters, marshalls,
paramedics or any of our domestic
war fghters. PR*VIDE EVIDENCE
manages evidence, and we all know
how important that is. If something
goes wrong with chain of custody
or if evidence is missing, it can mean
the diference between winning and
losing a trial.
Both of these public safety products
help government agencies to cut costs,
so its no surprise that their popularity
is rising steadily. These agencies
have vast amounts of assets that they
have to manage, ranging from bullets
and bulletproof vests and vehicles to
horse trailers and aircraf, she said.
Our product helps them manage the
assets, which extends the life of the
assets. If you can extend the life of
the assets, obviously you get beter
use of your investments. And if you
can beter use your investments, you
will put more feet on the street.
Provista is also an IBM Premier
Business Partner. One of the
advantages of this relationship is that
we have access to their labs, their
technologies, their experts and their
sofware, and that really gives us a
competitive advantage and allows
us to stay ahead of the technology
curve, Taylor said.
While helping their clients reduce
costs, Provista has also had to watch
its own spending in order to weather
the economic downturn. But Taylor
sees a silver lining. Maybe its a
positive because by learning how to
run leaner ourselves, we can bring
that knowledge into the products
we develop. I started the company
in 1985, so weve certainly seen both
ups and downs in the past, she said.
Taylor also believes that the need to
save money has led business and
government to become more creative.
Its driving governments to seek
cost efective alternatives rather than
continuing to do business as usual,
so its making people think a litle bit
outside of the box and fnd smarter
solutions, she said.
New technologies have great potential
to revolutionize American security.
Agencies have vast

amounts of assets that
they have to manage,
ranging from bullets
and bulletproof vests
and vehicles to horse
trailers and aircraf.
PROVISTA Sofware Intl, Inc
PO Box 3011
Fremont CA 94539
P.: (510) 794-1884
www.provista.com
Joanne Taylor / CEO Provista Sofware Intl
T
he almquist
family has
been at the
forefront of the
refrigeration in-
dustry ever since
William Almquist
and his friend William Coe founded the
Dallas-based Almcoe Refrigeration Com-
pany in 1960. More than 40 years later,
the legacy continues with Almquists son
Bill at the helm.
Almcoe Refrigeration ofers a range of
services, including food processing in-
dustrial storage facilities, refrigerant
conversions, HVAC helicopter sets and
food service equipment for large grocery
stores and restaurants. They work with
some big-name corporate clients like Tar-
get, Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Winn-Dixie
and Chick-Fil-A, ofering installation
services like ground-up construction, ice
machines and control systems.
Much of the companys success stems
from its reliability. They ofer services 24
hours a day and seven days a week, out
of a concern for customers individual
needs. Almcoes scheduled maintenance
program prevents problems before they
arise, and its controlled retrofts replace
obsolete controls with the newest mod-
els to maintain a high standard of energy
efciency. While excellent service and
products are vital to the companys suc-
cess, the cornerstone in helping the com-
pany achieve top status is a positive work
environment, which in turn improves its
customer service.
Our company culture has contributed
to our success, Bill Almquist said. Its
important to treat people they way youd
want to be treated. We try to empower
Cool Running
people to be at their best.
Afer studying music in college, the
younger Almquist took over the busi-
ness in 1989 and has since expanded
their 20-person staf to 85 employees. A
second Texas ofce opened up in the city
of Tyler in 2007, and more locations will
follow wherever
they see a demand.
Almquist also re-
ports that the com-
pany has 65 trucks
on the road.
In addition to
embracing growth,
Almquist is steer-
ing the company toward more environ-
mentally friendly business practices.
Were always trying to be more green,
to save energy and help save the ozone,
he said. The green movement is driving
a lot of new technology.
While Almquists aspirations for Alm-
coe Refrigeration are ambitious, his per-
sonal goals refect a genuine concern for
his team and his customers.
Id like to grow the company into a
$25 to $50 million business, he said. As
for my own career, my main goal is to be
known as a kind man. I want to take care
of our employees, and that way the com-
pany can take beter care of its clients.
Almcoe Refrigeration
4050 Cresthill Road
Dallas, TX 75227-4008
(214) 381-2113
www.almcoe.com
by sara solano
Its important to treat people

they way youd want to be treat-
ed. We try to empower people to
be at their best.
Sharing their hallmark of well-
planned and well-orchestrated
jobs done in a timely fashion.
Marketing by the book
S
oil erosion is a major problem from both agricul-
tural and environmental standpoints. The loss of
topsoil the most fertile part of the soil structure
can ruin farmland in just a few years. If the process
continues unchecked, disasters like the Dust Bowl of
the 1930s can eventually occur.
Robert Arello Jr., CEO of Hydrograss Technologies
Inc., deploys specifically engineered products that
stop soil erosion. We originally concentrated, as the
business name indicates, on technologies for the hy-
draulic application of turf seeds, but
as the business matured, we gravitat-
ed into the sciences of soils and storm
water management, he said in a re-
cent interview. And from that point
on, we have been branching out into
more and more specialty products
based on ingenuity and innovation,
made possible by relationships weve
forged with some prominent agricul-
tural chemical companies.
Many of Hydrograsss more recent
products use blends of negatively
charged polymers and specialized
crosslinking chemicals to hold soil
in place. These EPA-approved syn-
thetic organics take micron-size clay particulates and,
based on their electromagnetic chemical charge, cre-
ate a particle agglomeration that prevents them from
migrating off sites during heavy rain events, Arello
explained.
Businesses such as landfills, mines and construction
projects are particularly concerned with soil erosion
because they are required to comply with U.S. clean
water legislation. In the last 20 years, thats become
extremely important, Arello said. Any activity re-
lated to denuding soil or exposing ground where
the runoff of soils or glacial tills could possibly con-
taminate the environment downstream, needs to be
treated. Heavy metals like mercury or lead are eas-
ily transported because they are known to be piggy-
backed on soils. So, if you open up a site, whether its
half an acre or 20 acres, you need to protect it using
products and processes that are extremely effective.
A sampling of Hydrograsss projects in recent years
shows just how diverse their efforts are. Theyve used
helicopters for hydroseeding in Colorado, targeting
2000 acres damaged in the Hayman Fire, and theyve
Down to The Roots
engaged with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to
rejuvenate 480 acres of the Everglades in Florida.
Abroad, theyve tackled everything from the Fire Golf
Course in Dubai to toxic sludge runoff from tar ponds
in Nova Scotia.
above: Hydrograss used
helicopters to apply mulch,
seed and polymer stabi-
lizing agents during the
Hayman Fire Restoration in
Colorado.
The team at Hydrograss Technologies uses smart
chemistry to solve major problems.
Hydrograss Technologies Inc.
157 Southbridge Rd
North Oxford, MA 01537
P.: (508) 987-2221
www.hydrograsstech.com
by wendy connick
Bob Arello (left) / President & CEO - Hydrograss Technologies Inc.
Hydrograss has reacted to the economic downturn
by diversifying and aggressively pursuing opportu-
nities. Being proactive, marketing, and making sure
youre out front of people all the timethats very im-
portant, Arello said. With the economy so slow, you
get a lot of competition pursuing the same projects.
But he also believes that the recession has a positive
Darwinian effect on small businesses. When you get
these big buildups like weve seen through the early
2000s followed by a sudden colossal drop off, it weeds
out a lot of the companies that might not belong in
this business, he said. We know that everything you
do is significant when times get difficult. That means
the service has to be exceptionally impeccable, and
the product lines got to be outstanding.
J
an Konn, presi-
dent of teksof
ventures, inc.,
a business appli-
cations training
organization, is a
busy woman. I
work of a to-do list, she told The
Suit. Today I have three hours of
conference calls scheduled. I just got
back from the UK. Tonight Ill be fy-
ing to Atlanta to meet with one of the
Big Four consulting organizations.
To many people, such a packed
schedule would seem daunting.
But for Konn, squeezing in three-
hour phone calls between interna-
tional commutes is merely part of
her day-to-day routine. As the head
of teksof, she hires the people who
provide SAP training to some of the
largest corporations in the world, in-
cluding Deere and Company and K-
SWISS, Inc. And she does it all from
a virtual ofce. Simply put, Konn is a
woman on the move.
In 2001, teksof ventures was born
with Konn at the helm. We started
as a company of one, she said. We
were undercapitalized, and we just
grew it the old-fashioned way, which
was working hard and growing
slowly.
Since then, teksof has grown into
a multimillion-dollar company.
There are three reasons, says Konn,
why teksof is superior to others who
provide the same service. First of
all, we care. Because of their high
level of customer satisfaction, 74
percent of teksofs clientele is repeat
business.
Secondly, we have fun, added
Konn. Not only does the president
strive for a pleasurable working
environment with the clients, she
does the same for employees. Well
have contests to promote employee
participationa gif card, or a va-
cation. Theres a lot of recognition,
Enabling Productivity
she said. We set high expectations.
We want our folks to think through
situations, and if someone makes the
wrong decision we ask them what
they learned.
Finally, teksof is project-focused
and team-based. No one is bigger
than the teamnot even Konn.
It is that same team-centered
thinking that is seeing the compa-
ny through the recession. Whereas
other training companies are cuting
costs through outsourcing, teksof
uses a double-sided approach to re-
duce costs. The business ofers great
growth potential to young entry-
level employees and mentors these
go-geters, using their seasoned
consultants for knowledge transfer.
This provides teksof clients with
excellent customer service, without
requiring the company to manage
overseas resources. Konns team also
prides itself on deliverable-based
engagements, or leting the client
know what theyre geting before
they are issued a price.
The formula works. Besides train-
ing mid-market businesses in SAP
applications, teksof educates For-
tune 50 businesses like McKesson,
the largest pharmaceutical distribu-
tor in the world.
Even with all of this success,
Konn has even bigger goals for her
company. We just signed a contract
with an organization that I think is
going to double our revenues next
year, she said. We strive to be the
premiere education organization
for companies to enable their
productivity.
by altamese osborne
Since 2001, teksoft ventures has taken the mystery out of
SAP training applications for clients and their associates.
For more information please contact:
teksoft ventures
1415 West 22nd Street
Tower Floor
Oakbrook, IL 60523
P.: (708) 301-0003
www.teksoftventures.com
A Lovely Shot
by andrea lehner
F
or independent photographer jonathan pollock,
the mark of a true professional is the ability to
make complicated shots look simple.
The London-based artist has made a name for himself
in the niche of commercial still life, which encompasses
jewelry, food, beverages and more. Afer years of expe-
rience, Pollock knows how master the unique require-
ments of each project and produce the most striking im-
ages.
The idea is not to make it look complicated, Pol-
lock explains, but to make a lovely shot. Invariably, the
best shots are the ones that have the most time spent on
them.
Pollock got his start working as a photographers assis-
tant while building up his freelance portfolio. The key
to seting up on your own is understanding what you
want to do. There are many diferent areas that come un-
der the heading of photography, he explained. Choos-
ing his focus early was the key to his success.
Over the years, the photography industry has been
wholly trans-
formed by new
t echnol ogi es.
And unlike
some of his
peers, Pollock
embraced the
challenge. Its
really changed
the way we work. The only limit now is your imagina-
tion, he said. I think digital is fantastic because it en-
ables you to go one step beyond. I am privileged to have
come from the flm world, but Im very pleased to have
evolved in the digital world as well.
est include the right things to ask
employers, how to answer
the toughest questions
and ways to avoid
common mistakes.
The book shares in-
sider strategies that have
already helped many stu-
dents and grads land great
positions. She also ofers sup-
plementary coaching and support
in order to reach as many young professionals as possible.
Ive done a lot of interviewing and hiring over
the years, she said, and I know what people do
right and what people do wrong in an interview.
Its a rough economy, but jobs are out there. And
with the right coaching, you can get the position.
www.collegetocareercoaching.com | (845) 323-3835
Afer a diverse collection of accomplishments in the
felds of accounting, stafng, executive coaching and
manufacturing, Ellyn Enisman knows a lot about career
success. Now, shes passing that knowledge on to a new
generation of job seekers: college students and new grads.
She atained her skills early on. My management, op-
erations and hiring successes are atributable to the ex-
periences I had in my frst job at Accountants-On-Call,
said Enisman. We had one small ofce, but by the time
I moved on we had over 100 ofces, and I was driving a
$25 million operation within the company. Today, in
addition to helping new grads learn how to compete in
the job market, Enisman keeps her feet in industry as
the Vice President of Human Resources and Administra-
tion at Tek Wire and Cable, her familys business special-
izing in manufacturing wire and cable for golf course
irrigation, landscape lighting and utility tracer wire.
Enisman is also the founder and principal of EKS Consul-
tants Inc., a career coaching and consulting frm. Commit-
ted to helping young job seekers achieve their frst position
afer college, she recently published a book: Job Interview
Skills 101: The Course You Forgot to Take. Topics of inter-
THE CAREER COACH
For Ellyn Enisman, teaching efective interview skills is critical - by mitch ligon
life & style briefs
Jonathan Pollock Photography
P.: 020 8877 9493
www.jonathanpollock.com
For more information, readers are encouraged to visit:
by wendy connick
T
o make our world a bet-
ter place, the frst step
is planting the seeds.
For Shirley Weiss Wilton, this
means an early education in
environmental conservation.
Shirley is on a mission to teach
young children about global
issues, and with any luck that
seed of awareness will blossom
into action for future genera-
tions.
Wilton, a lifelong activist, has thrown her energies into
the creation of a script for a childrens TV series called
Noahs Lark, based on a book she published through
Random House under the same name in 1999. Im try-
ing to teach children that we have problems with our
environment, and there are things that we can do to help
our families to stop polluting so much, Wilton told The
Suit.
The message is an important one. The animals in No-
ahs Lark are spiritually in-tune, Wilton explained. Not
only with nature; they have human char-
acteristics that all of mankind can identify
with, from the old to the young. Our planet
will parish if we misuse the almighty dollar
bill to buy our way out of taking care of our
environment.
The main character in the series is a chee-
tah named Enoch, and his role is to sound
the alarm. Enoch takes children to a lake
and says to them, We have to do something.
It shows that animals are starving and there
are pop botles all over the place, and these
children dig in and help to save the water and
the planet. Every day theres a new problem
to solve.
Noahs Lark promises fun and accessible
entertainment for kids, but its aims go much
deeper. The children infuence the parents,
I believe, Wilton said. They are so brilliant,
and we just have to remember that these are
our youththe ones that are going to be formu-
lating the next governments and the new world.
This isnt the frst time Wilton has used her talents for
the greater good. She frst learned the ropes in the politi-
cal arena, doing media promotion for the Minister of the
Atorney General, and now frequently uses her skills
as a tool for activism. One of her recent endeavors was
a documentary about the plight of disabled Canadians
seeking housing.
The project was a resounding proof that well-pro-
duced media has great potential to make a diference
in the lives of others. I went to homes where people
wanted housing but couldnt aford to get out of the
ruts that they were in, she said. We were told that we
wouldnt get this project of the ground. Well, fve minis-
ters actually put the funding up to do this. We removed
45 people out of a veterans hospital who would have
basically been there for the rest of their lives.
Like many entrepreneurs, Wilton found that her work
was negatively impacted by the economic downturn.
The funding has dried up from a lot of resources, she
said. But she was persistent, and has big plans for her
Noahs Lark project. When the economy starts to pick
up, Id like to start a new company to produce animated
3-D flms about environmental is-
sues.
This will be one more in a lifetime
of projects that serve to educate the
public about issues that mater.
Media on a Mission
What does a talking cheetah have to do with environmental sustainability? For one
creative activist, its all part of a larger plan.
left: Shirley Weiss Wiltons book
Noahs Lark.
Paperback: 220 pages
Publisher: 1st Book Library
Language: English
Available at Amazon.com
Shirley Weiss Wilton
M
orEvents is an event plan-
ning business that spe-
cializes in the superlative.
As the Denver-based companys
website atests, We are always in-
venting something new! Its no
surprise that the company is so
innovative, with a president and
founder like Queen Betsy Morde-
cai at the helm. She prides herself
and her company for throwing one-
of-a-kind gatherings for corporations, organizations and
even government agencies.
Since the companys inception 15 years ago, Mordecai
and her business partner Gareth Heyman, dubbed the
Wizard of All Things, have made it their mission to
provide full-service experiences for some of the worlds
most lucrative businesses, including Merrill Lynch,
MasterCard International and Shell. Not only does
MorEvents plan parties, they also provide business
meetings, database development, transportation,
marketing, promotions, hospitality and more for their
high-profle client base.
Despite their lighthearted image, MorEvents is serious
about catering to their customers with remarkable
competence, resourcefulness and follow-through. They
start each event planning process with a client meeting
to get a handle on everyones expectations, and then
begin scouting locations and gathering resources before
walking the client through the entire process.
Accomplishing these major feats for clients
requires a lot of hard work. At MorEvents,
we can take the most complex problem
and make it look simple, they said.
With employee titles like Go-To Genie,
Mastermind and Dream Weaver, it
is apparent that at MorEvents, creating
upscale experiences is akin to performing
The Queen of a whimsical event planning frm has
mastered the fne art of creating unforgettable experiences.
ROYAL
magic spells.
Mordecai, a Denver native, UCLA graduate and natural
born planner, has grown her enterprise into a successful
brand by paying atention to the tiniest details of every
event. She is so commited to providing the best possible
experience, in fact, that she once spent a day changing
bed sheets at a hotel in France so that her Bausch & Lomb
guests would have a more comfortable stay. Even though
she has a keen organizational eye, keeping track of such
extensive projects sometimes gets hectic, and thats when
she relies on Heyman, whom she refers to as her calm in
the storm.
Still, Mordecai wouldnt be known as the
Queen if she didnt follow her own royal
code: Take nothing for granted and make
no assumptions.
GATHERI NGS
by wendy connick
3333 S. Bannock Street, Suite 790
Englewood, CO 80110
Telephone: 303.782.5000
www.morevents.com
Queen Betsy Mordecai
I
ce cream on a summers day is a simple pleasure, but
its creation is more complex than youd think. What
goes into a batch of cookie dough sof serve, a bowl of
strawberry shortcake frozen yogurt, or even a basic scoop
of vanilla?
George Armenta knows how it works. Its his business
to make sure ice cream retailers large and small can get
the favors they need at costs that makes sense. He is the
CEO of LILAR Corporation, which brings favoring in-
gredients from the manufacturer to the retailer.
LILAR follows a unique model to help products fnd
their way from large manufacturers to a diverse market,
partly inspired by Armentas three-year stint working in
Japan. There, they frst work on products to satisfy a cus-
tomer, he explained. Then they go back to work on a f-
nancial model and turn that into a business. In the United
States, we do it the other way. We produce a product, and
then look for customers to ft its fnancial parameters.
But LILAR uses both models, allowing it to link large
manufacturers to small retailers.
Armenta founded the company in 1986. Through an
exclusive arrangement with Sensient
Flavors, one of the most prestigious
manufacturers of ice cream favor in-
gredients in the United States, LILAR
created its very successful Dippin Fla-
vors Division. That put us in the ice cream
ingredient business on a national scale, he
said. Well continue to develop the busi-
ness were in, and then move outside the
ice cream business into other facets of food
service.
In the end, the biggest successes are per-
sonal. Ive been doing this long enough that I
have been able to see people retire from my company. Ive
been able to see people send their children to college. And
thats unbelievably satisfying, Armenta said.
To learn more, readers are encouraged to visit
www.lilar.com.
THE BUSINESS OF GOOD TASTE
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PRINT EDITION OF THE SUIT MAGAZINE!
A subscription to The Suit Magazine provides you with a complete package for all of
your business analysis, fnance news and current events. Stay up-to-date on key interna-
tional topics so youre always in the know.
www.thesuitmagazine.com/subscribe
by mitch ligon
Lall & Company Ltd
Quality service never goes out of style
Providing our customers with the peace of mind that comes with knowing their
clearance and shipping procedures are handled quickly and effciently
Handling of Project Cargo
Handling of General Cargo
Dry Docking
Crew Services
Immigration Consultancy
Stores & Medical Assistance
Bunkering
Commercial Fishing
Customs Brokerage Services
Freight Forwarding
Transport
(868) 623 8084
Call today to speak to one of our qualifed logistics specialists.
www.lallandcoltd.com
Preserve your wealth with CitiTrusts knowledge and
Financial Management Solutions
Belize | BVi | Malta | UK | SaMoa | BrUnei | BritiSh angUilla | CyprUS | giBraltar | iSle of Man | geneVa |
JerSey | lieChtenStein | lUxeMBoUrg | United araB eMirateS | China | Switzerland | MarShall iSlandS
i nt e r nat i onal i nc .
WWW.CITITRUST.BIZ

Issue 44

Încărcat de

Informații document

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Issue 44

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

2001 NYC FIRE COMMISSIONER

Thomas Von Essen

Skys the Limit

Agencies have vast

Its important to treat people

S-ar putea să vă placă și