RPCN: Zooming to Success
2021 RPCN Accomplishments

Zooming

    Wow, what a year. Thanks to Zoom, RPCN has adapted to the virtual world, and it’s working well, both in Rochester and globally. We’ve had Zoom attendees and presenters from outside the Rochester Area: New York State (Albany, Horseheads, Syracuse), Massachusetts, Texas, even Germany. We’ve welcomed new Virtual RPCN Members, and plan to grow this number.

Member Value

    RPCN does a lot for its members and the community, but I didn’t realize just how many functions and projects we offer in one year.

    Here’s a listing of the types and numbers of our 2021 “public-facing” events and projects - the major vehicles by which RPCN provides value and fulfills its Mission (You can view event topics on the RPCN website). Critiques we’ve received are constructive and mainly positive, but we’re always working to improve our value to members and other RPCN “customers”.

2021 RPCN Public-Facing Events & Projects

  (All by Zoom unless noted).

• 25 Presentations and Workshops
• 23 Forums (12 Business, 11 Technical)
• 13 Enhancing Human Capital (Lunch & Learn)
• 1 Small Business Drop-In Clinic
• 4 “Socials”
• 1 Summer Networking Event (In-person)
• 1 RPCN Wall of Fame Gala Dinner (In-person)
• 1 Holiday Informal Dinner (In-person)
• 2 Speed Networking (1 Rochester Women’s Network, 1 Fairport Chamber)

         (Subtotal: Over 70 events and 1000 attendees).

Plus RPCN Alliance activities:

• Mentoring for University of Rochester Student Consulting Projects at UR “Simon Vision” Program (24 Student Consulting Projects, 100 Students, 15 Mentors from RPCN)
• Supporting Global Leadership Summit Conference.
• Posting articles on Eastman Business Park Blog.

             Plus Other:

• 12 Newsletters
• Social Media Posts
• Calendar & Ad Sheets
• E-mail notices
• RPCN Website, etc.

      (Sorry if I missed any public-facing events/activities)

Behind-the-Scenes Volunteering

    The outward-facing events and projects are supported behind the scenes by dedicated volunteers who make it all happen. Officers, Board members, committees, teams, and individuals lead, organize, and activate the efforts. We have many opportunities to volunteer and, in so doing, we gain the satisfaction of contributing and providing value while working alongside fellow professionals and friends.

More to come in 2022

    RPCN will continue to capitalize on the outreach and advantages of virtual Zoom activities. As COVID allows, we’re planning more in-person and new “hybrid” Zoom/In-person events. If you have suggestions about RPCN’s events and projects, go to the RPCN website ( www.rochesterconsultants.org ) under “About” and contact any Officer, Board member, or Committee Chair.   

Here’s wishing you and RPCN a Happy and Successful 2022.

—Bob Lurz

Update on RPCN’s 9th Semester Providing Mentors for Simon Vision Consulting Program’s Student Consulting Teams

The ninth semester of Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN) Consulting providing Mentors to the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business (Simon) Simon Vision Consulting Program (Simon Vision) is just getting underway.

If you are unfamiliar with Simon Vision, the program is an effort to increase experiential learning opportunities for Simon’s MBA and MS students. It is a student-run program that usually has 4-5 student members per team. Each team provides consulting to (typically) a local small business for 8 - 12 weeks, i.e. one semester. (In the semester that follows, Simon sometimes has another student consulting team take over another project for the same company.)

We expect to have at least 8 and up to 15 projects during the current spring semester.  Projects will start in early February and will be completed in April.

If you would like to become an RPCN member mentor, you are interested in having a Simon Vision Consulting Project Team perform work for you or a client of yours, or you would simply like more information about the program, please contact Dave Bassett at dbassett@basstat.com.

Did You Know? Reading RPCN Newsletters

So, you would like to read a current or past newsletter, but don’t know where to look…

You know that RPCN has a monthly newsletter. You find it in your email inbox every month. You really want to read it as soon as you see it. But what if it slips through the cracks into that lost place for emails you meant to read, but didn’t? What now?

Well, the newsletter can be found in several places besides your email inbox. The first place to look is on the Home Page of the RPCN website (rochesterconsultants.org). There is a conspicuous box that looks like this:

You will always find the most recent newsletter by clicking on this box. However, what if you missed last month’s newsletter or want to read an article from last month’s newsletter? That’s easy, too.

The most recent newsletter is also listed above the box directly under “Recent News.”

Also, on any page of the website, there is a menu across the top. Click on the “News” menu item. Hover over it. The first dropdown menu item is “Newsletters.” Hover over that. There you will find a list of previous newsletters from many months in the past. Choose any month and the newsletter will appear. Finding what you are looking for may be a kind of guessing game because the newsletters are not searchable with our current technology.

Because our newsletter team, Melanie Watson and Diana Robinson do such a great job of gathering information, editing, and publishing the newsletters, no matter which one you find yourself reading, it will always be informative and interesting to you as a consultant.

—Steve Royal

Enhancing Human Capital
Lunch & Learn Updates

On January 20, 2022, RPCN’s Enhancing Human Capital group participated in a discussion facilitated by Bob Lewis on workplace interruptions due to the pandemic. During this prolonged unemployment, many thought their jobs were unsatisfying and began to rethink why they were doing their current job, and consciously thinking of looking elsewhere. During this idle period, workers began to believe their values and work-life desires were not consistent with that job.

Information about their workplace environment began to change as stated by a professional workforce specialist: “They’re choosing based on flexibility, social responsibility, leadership and the company’s stance on controversial issues over the company’s success in the marketplace.”

This emerging mindset soon led to the major reluctance of workers to return to their former jobs and so to the “great quit.” With the increase of unfilled jobs that we are experiencing at the moment, workers have been able to demand higher compensation and better workplace practices that they hope will accommodate their emerging viewpoints.

Announcement of future “Lunch & Learn” Discussion on the Differences between Coaching and Mentoring

RPCN’s Enhancing Human Capital (EHC) Lunch-n-Learn – February 17, 2022– via Zoom

Both coaching and mentoring are about helping people to get where they want to go by leveraging the experience of the coach or mentor. For February’s Lunch-n-Learn (topic: Coaching & Mentoring), EHC will lead an interactive discussion where we will define a definition for each, examine the differences between the two, and discuss ways to strengthen your skills at each.

RPCN’s ‘Enhancing Human Capital’ team will be holding the February 2022 Lunch-n-Learn session on Thursday, Feb. 17th from 11:30 am to 1 pm EST. The session will be led by Devin K. Floyd, RPCN Past President and President of NYOCON. Click here to register.

RPCN Video

Watch the introductory video here.

Upcoming RPCN Events

Visit the RPCN website for a list of all upcoming events.

Request from the Editors

When submitting material to be included in the RPCN newsletter, please:
1. Send the submission TO newsletter@rochesterconsultants.org and not to individuals.
2. Include the words “For RPCN Newsletter” in the subject line. (Some people send articles to ALL RPCN members themselves, and it is often difficult to distinguish those that are being circulated independently from those intended for inclusion in the newsletter.)

From the Librarian,
Ruth Balkin

And now for something completely different, from KnowItAAL

Shakespeare First Folio Acquired by the University of British Columbia
Smithsonian Magazine / 1.14.2022
Introduction: A rare first edition of William Shakespeare's Comedies Histories and Tragedies, a volume containing 36 of Shakespeare’s 38 known plays is now in the collections of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Library. Known as the First Folio, the book will be on display at the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) through March 20. 

KnowItAALL is a daily newsletter published by the American Association of Law Libraries. I have been a member for years. There are other organizations, such as the Special Libraries Association, that I have joined over the years. As I go through my files to clean out my office, I am finding documents, publications, and articles, some of which I have written. It is very hard to part with these. I am surprised at how much stuff I actually wrote! How about you? What have you written and published? How many RPCN members are authors?

Membership Information

Not an RPCN member? You can join RPCN now to receive great benefits, including free admission to RPCN presentations, a listing in the RPCN Member Directory, and discounts to RPCN events. Click here for more information on joining RPCN.

Program Ad Sheets

At every RPCN meeting, and at our events and tradeshow booths, RPCN distributes the Program Ad sheets.

Ads are inexpensive and support RPCN. The cost for members to advertise is $20 for 2 months. For non-members, the cost is $40 for 2 months. The deadline to get your ad included in the March/April 2022 calendar ad sheet is February 15, 2021. Send questions and ad copy to Mary Sperr.

We want your news!