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A year in review with the best yet to come
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By Dave Bassett, RPCN President
As
we begin to wind down the 2014–15 program year, this seems to be a good
time for reflection on what we’ve accomplished this year. We entered
our 25th year with several strategic objectives that were chosen with
significant input from the membership.
- Provide programs to members to help them run a business, acquire clients and produce results.
- Develop a powerful RPCN brand.
- Develop and maintain strategic alliances with other organizations.
- Create opportunities for members to build professional relationships.
- Showcase member talent and success.
- Expand the geographic reach of RPCN (‐> IPCN)
- Continue to link businesses and community organizations with skilled consultants to contribute to economic growth.
Throughout this past year, we have made significant progress toward these strategic objectives.
Provide programs to members to help them run a business, acquire clients and produce results.
We met this objective by continuing our Friday morning programs (the
Tech Forum, the Business Forum, and our talks and presentations covering
various topics), holding the third Consultants Boot Camp, and holding
the Small Business Success Conference.
Develop a powerful RPCN brand. We met this objective by maintaining the high quality of our presenters and internationally renowned
speakers such as the keynote speaker at our Small Business Success
Conference, Dr. Bruce Katcher, and the keynote speaker at our 25th
Anniversary Gala Awards Dinner, General John Batiste. We also expanded
the awards that we give out for entrepreneurship and consulting, and got
many local and statewide politicians to recognize and honor our award
winners. We scored a coup by having Channel 8’s Rachel Barnhart as the
emcee of our first annual dinner. Our marketing team greatly expanded
our reach – by getting dignitaries to attend our events, we have upped
the prestige of this organization.
Develop and maintain strategic alliances with other organizations.
We have maintained and expanded our ties with, among others, MCC, HTR,
PTAC, TEN, SCORE, TAG, SBDC, SEAP, IEEE, AIIP and ASQ. We have
participated in conferences and training sessions with these groups and
have cross-marketed ourselves when possible.
Create opportunities for members to build professional relationships.
We have accomplished this through our regular meetings, website,
conference, boot camp and evening meetings, including the Surprise
Thursdays; 25th Anniversary Gala Awards Dinner; and events such as an
evening presentation by “Absolutely Abby” and our Holiday Party.
Showcase member talent and success.
We have done this through several avenues, including awards, such as
those presented at the awards dinner; a member showcase each month in
the newsletter and on the website; and having members included amongst
the presenters at our boot camp, conference and Friday morning meetings.
Members also get to show off their creativity and understanding of
issues when they participate in our Tech and Business forums.
Expand geographic reach of RPCN (> IPCN).
While this objective was not pursued as aggressively as the others
(there’s only so much time in the day), we did make strides toward this
goal. We’ve investigated alternative meeting locations and hosted events
more central to our primarily Monroe County-based membership, rather
than simply always using the traditionally eastern side of town for our
Friday morning meetings. We’ve brought in speakers from outside
Rochester, including Dr. Katcher and Abby Kohut. We’ve also made inroads
on completely revamping the website, including improvements that allow
for greater outreach to people and groups outside our Rochester-centric
location while laying the groundwork for the overhaul. We’ve added
features such as the member profiles to the website and a Meetup group.
And we didn’t overlook the other objective: Continue to link businesses and community organizations with skilled consultants to contribute to economic growth.
All of the activities and programs I’ve listed have been geared toward
this goal. We have a vested interest in seeing our members and our
community flourish. By creating networking opportunities and channels to
meet people whom you can help and who can help you, we make our
organization, our members and our community flourish.
We’ve had a lot of people make this happen. To
keep this growing and to keep it relevant, we’ll need your support. As
we transition to my very impressive successor, David Powe,
heading up this group, I hope you will help him and the board he’ll be
installing next month continue to grow our reach, profile and
professionalism.
Our 25th anniversary year isn’t done yet and, in our next 25 years, the best is yet to come.
Gen. Batiste speaking at the 25th Anniversary Gala (photo by Bill Vallee). View more photos from the Gala on the RPCN Facebook page.
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Vote now for RPCN vice president
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The RPCN Board of Directors is pleased to announce its nominations for vice president: Laurie Enos and Bob Manard.
Each year, RPCN members elect a vice president who serves for three
years: the first year as vice president; second year as president; third
year as immediate past president.
 To view each candidate’s description of how they view RPCN, along with their thoughts about improving our organization, click here. Polling ends on Wednesday, June 3.
Your participation in this vital process
enables RPCN to continue its valued work in support of consultants and
their clients. Please encourage other RPCN members to vote their choice
for vice president.
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RPCN Board Member Honored
At the Wilmot Cancer Institute’s Discovery Ball on Friday, May 29, RPCN Board Member Sandra Glanton
and her teammates at the Pancreatic Cancer Association of Western NY
(PCAWNY) were honored with the Inspiration Award, in recognition of the
group’s dedication and support for the institute’s research program.
This is the first time the Inspiration Award has been given to a group
rather than an individual.
SBIR STTR Workshop
High Tech Rochester presents a free workshop on
how you can apply for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants to fund your research
and new product development. Learn how entrepreneurs, small businesses
and academic researchers can tap into these funds; how to search for
grant opportunities that fit your areas of interest; and the process for
connecting to government contracting possibilities for your small
business. Thursday,
June 11, 2015; morning session 9:00 AM - noon, afternoon session 1:00 -
3:00 PM; High Tech Rochester Lennox Tech Enterprise Center, West
Henrietta. For more information, click here.
Ad Council of Rochester’s 21st Annual Golf & Games Tournament
This fundraising tournament brings in 200
attendees from the marketing, advertising and nonprofit community in the
Greater Rochester area. Join a diverse and fun group of people as a
networking opportunity, or just an excuse to get out of the office for
some beer and a good cause! Tuesday, June 16; registration for golfers
begins at 11:00 AM, games registration begins at 2:30 PM, and Happy Hour
and raffles begin at 5:30 PM; Ravenwood Golf Club, Victor, NY. For more
information, click here.
The Failure Sessions #2
Witness storytelling from entrepreneurs who have
lived through startup failure. Alone on stage, these brave individuals
will reveal true accounts of standing face-to-face with failure, and
coming out on the other side. And, in most cases, they’ve gone on to try
another startup. Find out what we can learn from their mistakes, and
what we can all do better next time. Presented by Digital Rochester’s
Entrepreneurial SIG. Tuesday, June 23; 6:00 PM networking, storytelling
begins at 7:00 PM; The Penthouse at One East Avenue, Rochester. For more
information, click here.
Communication Central Conference
Registration is open and RPCN members are eligible for a colleague’s discount for “Be a Better Freelancer™ – Take it to the 10th!,”
the 10th annual Communication Central conference for freelance writers,
editors, proofreaders, indexers, abstractors, graphic artists,
photographers and any other professionals in the editorial/publishing
community. This year’s conference features presenters offering important
tips on building a successful freelance business in terms of both
skills and concepts. Accompanying the conference is an Editorial
Bootcamp on September 27 at the same location, offering intensive
copyediting training, with a separate registration fee and a discount
for conference attendees. Conference: Friday, September 25–Saturday,
September 26; Bootcamp: Sunday, September 27; Hyatt Regency Rochester,
125 East Main Street. For details of presenters, topics and
registration, click here.
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25 years ago ...
In 1990, RPCN had its first meeting as an organization of consultants, and the cost of a gallon of gas was $1.34.
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We want you!
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The
RPCN newsletter welcomes news, success stories, tips, resources, events
and other items that would be of broad interest to consultants. Submit a
newsletter item by email to the Communication Committee. RPCN members also may write articles for our website; submit articles here. In the newsletter, we’ll highlight submitted articles aimed at helping consultants make their businesses better.
If you have newsletter questions or
suggestions, or ideas for how RPCN could improve communications, contact
the Newsletter Committee:
Janice Hanson, chair
Barbara Moore
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal
Sheryl Rhodes
Please send articles for the July newsletter by June 15. Please note: Ruth Thaler-Carter is recovering from an injury. The member profile feature will return in July.
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Upcoming events
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Technical Forum
Facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, June 5, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library
An
informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of any technical issues
that consultants encounter in running their businesses, including
computers, the Internet and phones. Wondering what kind of questions
people are asking? For a list from recent forums, click here.
Health Insurance Options Available Through the Individual and Small Group Marketplace
Presented by Mark Shannon of Bond Financial Network, Inc.
Friday, June 12, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
Through the ever-changing health insurance
landscape and the creation of the New York State of Health marketplace,
there are new, affordable options available for individuals, their
families and small business owners. Many individuals and their families
may be eligible for a tax subsidy that can be applied to the monthly
premium for a policy through the marketplace. Get an overview of your
options for health insurance, new ways you can save money and a resource
to confirm that you have the most affordable rates.
Business Forum
Facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, June 19, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
* Note change in location *
An
informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding
starting or running a consulting business. Wondering what kind of
questions people are asking? For a list from recent forums, click here.
RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, June 19, 2015
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
* Note change in location *
RPCN’s
monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM, after the
Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members
may vote.
Running Effective Meetings
Presented by Sandra Glanton
Friday, June 26, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
We have all
attended ineffective meetings in our lifetime. How drained and
unproductive we feel after attending a meeting that was a waste of time!
Don’t
you feel a sense of accomplishment, a new focus and a drive to
accomplish new tasks after an effective meeting? Sandra Glanton will
help you conduct more-effective meetings so you and your participants
feel that it is time well-spent, rather than time wasted. Here is a video introduction to her presentation:
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Making your business better
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“Culture is the foundation of a successful organization, and leaders must not leave it to chance,” writes Bob Lurz in his Democrat and Chronicle Nextpert article, “Building Business Culture.”
In a keynote address at RPCN’s 25th anniversary gala on April 4,
General John Batiste listed his trademarked “Big Six Leadership
Principles” as building blocks to change an organization's culture. Click here to read the full story.
“The more you know about body language, the better you will be able to understand people,” says Bob Whipple,
“The Trust Ambassador.” A good way to ensure you are getting an
accurate picture is to pay attention to the five Cs: Context, Clusters,
Congruence, Consistency and Culture. Read more on his blog, “Your Body Language Gives Away Intent.”
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RPCN welcomes the following new members. Click on the link below to view their profiles.
John Batiste
Robert Mixon
Not an RPCN member? You can join RPCN now to
receive great benefits, including free admission to RPCN presentations
at Brighton Town Hall, a listing in the RPCN Member Directory, and
discounts to RPCN events such as the conference and TrendTalk. Click here for more information on joining RPCN.
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