NEOSA "Connecting Business and Technology"

One of the questions NEOSA gets many times is, "How much should I pay my people in NE Ohio?"

Well, NEOSA may soon be able to help you answer that question. NEOSA, CRITA and Mercer, the HR professionals, have teamed up to make a salary survey available to NEOSA members. It's for a most reasonable price of $75 if you are a NEOSA member (a $150 savings).

To get the survey, first you must take it. Go here to take the survey online. Deadline is April 16.

UPDATE APRIL 14: Deadline for taking the survey has been extended to April 30.

Here is an update on the "Best of All Worlds" event. This is the first of several events which we will be holding in the Akron/Canton area in partnership with other business organizations.

"Best of all Worlds" is a networking event being put on by the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. NEOSA is a partner organization for this event.

This event is unique because it is bringing together several different technology sectors (polymers, biotech and IT) and the business users of technology from the Akron area to meet and network.

It will feature company executives from sectors such as retail & distribution, business services, manufacturing, information technology, biotech, polymers -- all talking about key issues and trends affecting their businesses right now. They will be speaking in small, informal group settings, giving you an excellent opportunity for dialogue and to make lasting connections.

It will be held on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 from 5:25 - 7:30 pm. Locale is the Holiday Inn Akron/Fairlawn (I-77 and Rt. 18 area).

Sponsors include Bright.net and DreamRiver Group.

This event should be an excellent way for NEOSA and NEOSA members to reach out to the general business community in the Akron area. Other technology organizations partnering on this event include NEOBio and OH!Polymer.

There will be hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Be sure to pencil it in on your calendar for May 25th.

UPDATE April 5: Go here to register for this great event.

Excellent event today at the Futures Forum. The Futures Forum was a joint event by REI@Weatherhead and NEOSA.

Chris Seper in his Chat Room Live blog wrote a crisp summary.

I also blogged about an interesting RFID factoid that was revealed in the Forum.

UPDATE March 29: Tom Jackson, the technology reporter for Crain's, also wrote about the Futures Forum in this neat article about nanotechnology in Northeast Ohio.

UPDATE March 30: Dan Hanson blogged about the Futures Forum over at his blog, stating that he thought the speakers panel was exceptional, but was a bit depressed by the view of the future. Via Brewed Fresh Daily. I've also added Dan Hanson the Entreprenerd's weblog to the blogroll on the right sidebar.

2nd UPDATE March 30: Bill Callahan also blogged about the Futures Forum -- where the nanotechnology predictions really captured his imagination. Via Chris Seper's Chat Room Live, where Chris points out the jobs created by nanotechnology in NEOhio. I've added Bill Callahan's weblog to the blogroll on the right sidebar.


Please let me know of any other blogging or media reports so I can link to them. I've gotten some excellent feedback about collecting these post-event reports. As long as I keep getting positive feedback, I will keep posting them.

Lots of people issue an occasional press release. But did you know there are many ways to make that medium work overtime to promote your business? In the 20-plus years I've been marketing. I came up with a pretty solid list of steps you can take. So if you're free and interested, join me at the National Association of Women Business Owners lunch on April 1.

I'll talk about the hows and whys of news releases (which used to be called press releases newspapers and magazines were the only way to publish information). This is basically what I'll cover:

• The 4 reasons you should be using news releases regularly
• The 7 elements of a good news release
• The 9 types of topics that tend to get picked up
• The 5 groups of people you must send your release to
• The 4 OTHER things you should do with it

For location etc., see the whole press release here.

The Futures Forum this Wednesday, March 24, looks like it is going to be really interesting. It is a joint event between NEOSA and REI@Weatherhead. The subject is technology trends and how they play into the future of Northeast Ohio. Once again, Jim Cookinham and REI have assembled a world-class panel:

Moderated by:
Dr Luis Proenza, President, The University of Akron

Panelists:
Manuel Glynias - Founder, NetGenics, Inc
Lev Gonick - CIO, Case Western Reserve University
Scott Rickert - President, Nanofilm Ltd
John Soat - Executive Editor, InformationWeek

Sponsor:
Britton-Gallagher & Associates

We're really fortunate to have outstanding people like these here in Northeast Ohio. For instance, did you know Nanofilm was named one of the Top Ten nanotechnology products by Forbes Magazine?

The event's going to be at the Peter B. Lewis Building at Case Western. I just got off the phone a few minutes ago with Mike Gesing (Smartcoast.com) who told me he was attending and said "the building alone is worth the trip." So if you haven't seen it, this is your chance.

Register here. I'm going!

Save the date! JumpStart, Inc. is hosting an entrepreneurial networking event on Thursday, April 29, 2004, at Jillian's Akron. The event starts at 5:30 pm.

The JumpStart Exchange will give entrepreneurs the opportunity to expose their businesses to Corporate leaders and other entrepreneurs.

I'm excited about it because you'll get a chance to "speed network." Speed networking is where you meet quickly for just a few minutes each with a succession of other businesspeople. You can meet with up to 15 people in the space of 45 minutes. It's great if you want to network quickly and efficiently.

And you will still have time left over for traditional networking.

You'll also get a chance to hear from JumpStart CEO Ray Leach and others about what JumpStart has to offer entrepreneurs in the way of funding, business support programs, etc.

UPDATE March 29: Click here for event details.

Even though the following is not NEOSA specific, I thought it might be of interest to NEOSA members.

It's nomination time for the Nortech Innovation Awards. If you are an innovator and want to be recognized, read on.

The NorTech Innovation Awards program honors individuals, companies, and nonprofit organizations in Northeast Ohio for creating, developing, and successfully implementing their ideas. The judging criteria includes:

• Innovative - something home-grown, something created internally, something brand new, not an iteration but really ground-breaking.



• Material Effect - sales, commitments, orders, third party approval...traction in the marketplace.

Nominations are due by April 2, 2004. The awards ceremony will be held on June 8, 2004. Visit the website for more information. Or simply download the application form.