Guest Profiles (September 2009)

September 4th Segment (The secrets to moving ahead in the business world?)

Roz Usheroff is President of The Usheroff Institute, an international communication and image consulting firm with over 15 years of experience.

She designs and delivers seminars and in-house programs to corporations, associations and individuals. She coaches men and women in the art of maximizing their personal presence by becoming more memorable and dynamic. Her techniques have proven equally valuable to successful entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 executives and employees at all levels in their companies.

Roz had extensive experience in sales training, consulting and retain management before opening a consulting business.

Roz delivers her message through national television, radio and print publications. She writes a magazine column and newsletter, “The Power of Image” and has published her first book.

Armed with a message critically important to career and personal success, Roz has become a popular speaker as well as consultant, delivering highly entertaining keynote addresses.

Link to Roz

September 8th Segment (The Presidential Dilemma: Leadership with a Price)

John Ullmen, Ph.D., lectures on leadership for the UCLA Anderson School of Management in the MBA, FEMBA and EMBA programs, and he delivers custom Executive Education programs as well. In addition to leadership, his areas of teaching and research interest include building professional relationships and networks, managing conflict, exercising influence, and team effectiveness.

Based on his ongoing research and practice, he has published numerous assessment instruments, articles and books, including:

Don’t Kill the Bosses: Escaping the Hierarchy Trap (coauthored with Sam Culbert)

Invisible Bridges: Building Professional Relationships for Results (coauthored with Melissa Karz)

Which Bird Gets Heard? How to Have Impact Even in a Flock (coauthored with Kathryn Stanley)

Who Wins? Handling Conflict Creatively (currently in publication)

As Managing Director of Ullmen Associates, LLC, an organizational effectiveness firm, John has extensive coaching and consulting experience at the senior management and CEO level. His clients span a wide range of Fortune 500 firms and industry leaders in technology, media/entertainment, consumer products, healthcare, finance, real estate, professional services, defense and government agencies.

John began his career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a lead systems engineer for a top-secret Joint Chiefs of Staff intelligence program. He holds a B.S. from the USAF Academy, a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from UCLA.

John is a frequent keynote speaker for organizations and business events. He also holds a patent in the field of travel commerce granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. John lives in Woodland Hills, CA.

Link to John

September 10th Segment (Can Twitter Make Money and Other Questions Regarding Social Media Revenue Models)

In his pending book “Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods,” Shel Israel who has been referred to by some as the “Godfather of Social Media” shares his unique insights on how the new medium is redefining global enterprise.

Since 2005, Israel has interviewed more than 350 people in 38 countries on social media’s impact on culture and business. In fact for “Twitterville” alone, he interviewed 125 people – 100 of whom will be cited in the book.  Revealing the diversity and reach of social media, the people with whom he’s connected have included business icons such as Dell Computer founder Michael Dell, and GM Vice Chairperson Bob Lutz to China’s first blogger Isaac Mao and Wael Abbas who posts hidden-video cameras of Egyptian Police brutality on YouTube.

A senior fellow in the Society for New Media Research (SNCR) a member of the Board of Advisors for the Social Media Club and Smartbrief on Social Media, Israel’s grasp and practical understanding of social media’s role in 21st century business in and of itself defines and shapes the very medium he writes and speaks about.

Link to Shel’s Latest Book, “Twitterville“

September 16th Segment (Why Advertising is Failing on the Internet: The Future of Social Media Revenue Models)

Writer-producer Philip Recchia has worked for such leading media organizations as NBC Television, News Corp., Reader’s Digest and Wenner Media.

At present, he is director of programming for Blog Talk Radio, the world’s leading online radio network, which boasts more than 4.5 million monthly listeners, and thousands of programs in categories ranging from entertainment to politics to sports to family to finance.

From 1994 to 1998, Recchia was director of special on-air projects, media relations and editorial services for NBC Cable Networks.  There, he created programming for historic milestones such as the 10th anniversary of the Stock Market Crash of 1987, and conceived the network’s first-ever documentary, “The Great Game: The Story of Wall Street.”

He also created and produced “CNBC Student Stock Tournament,” an educational program for grade school and high school students that yielded $3 million in sponsorship revenue in its second year, and won a Beacon Award from the Cable TV Public Affairs Association for Best Use of a Web Site in Cable Programming.

In 2000, Recchia co-created the on-line financial news network JAGfn.  Produced out of Manhattan’s Chelsea Studios and distributed via the American One Studios television network, JAGfn featured eight hours of original programming that was also streamed live on Lycos and more than 100 affiliate Web sites worldwide.

In 2004, he founded Above PAR Productions, which specializes in video production for individual clients.  A former writer/reporter for the New York Post and Us Weekly magazine, Recchia most recently worked on the development of News Corp.’s PageSix.com, the companion website to the world’s most popular gossip column.  He has also been a writing instructor at New York University since 2002.

Link to Philip

September 17th Segment (Celebritize Yourself: How To Stand Up and Stand Out)

She’s an entrepreneur who has run a successful business for close to 20 years. She’s a Public Relations professional with a reputation for expertise and integrity. She’s the author of “Celebritize Yourself: The Three Step Method to Increasing Your Profile and Exploding Your Business” which teaches people how to become the “go-to person” in their field.

She’s an advocate for children and families and not only hosts her own national radio show (The Family Roundtable), but also founded her own charity, Cherish the Children Foundation. Please come in and look around to find out more about Marsha, her work and her cause.

Link to Marsha

September 23rd Segment (You Unstuck: Self-Empowerment versus Self-Help!)

An entertainment industry veteran, Libby Gill spent fifteen years heading public relations and corporate communications at Universal Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting. She was also the branding brain behind the launch of the Dr. Phil Show.

Libby is now an internationally respected executive coach, speaker and bestselling author. She has shared her success strategies on the Today Show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, CNN, NPR, Oprah & Friends Radio Network, Fox News, CBS Early Show, and in Time Magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, O Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Self and many more.

Link to Libby

September 24th Segment (Spend Analysis versus Spend Intelligence: More Than a Semantical Difference)

Richard Palarea is the co-founder of PA & Associates and our previous Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Palarea was instrumental in the foundation of all facets of the business including RFP methodologies, business model, marketing, carrier relations, negotiations and analytics. Mr. Palarea is a seasoned negotiator, and parcel expert with 20 years of industry experience and acumen.

Before defining the logistics spend management industry, Mr. Palarea began his career as an entrepreneur in the real estate industry as the founder and owner of a real estate appraisal firm in Southern California. Richard Palarea & Associates Real Estate Appraisal Network specialized in residential and commercial real estate valuation for a number of institutional and non-institutional lenders nationwide. Mr. Palarea was also instrumental in the growth of Integrated Partnerships (later Directfit), a venture-backed technical staffing company in Irvine, CA, subsequently acquired by Aerotek (Allegis Group). As marketing director (and internet marketing director), Mr. Palarea set the tone for the company’s public and private face and brand. A hyper-growth organization, Directfit made the move to a web-centric staffing model through many innovations Mr. Palarea had assistance in crafting, further deepening his belief in the partnership of technology and analytics.. Mr. Palarea’s background of analytics, marketing, best practice consulting and the use of technology have all been integral leverage points that have built PA & Associates. Mr. Palarea developed the best-in-class offerings at PA & Associates through working with outstanding clients across the country and around the world.

Mr. Palarea is a member Gerson Lehrman Group’s Expert Network, a professional member of Beroe for best practice procurement matters, founding member of the Browning-Faraday Group for Small Business Advisory and serves as a board member for Business Opportunity Network, as well as his active involvement and leadership in Accelerent.

Link to Richard

With over 17 years of managing complex systems integration and software
development projects, Kevin Aguanno is known in the industry for his innovative approaches to solving common project management problems. He focuses on two project management specialty areas: agile project management and troubled project recovery.

As a well-known keynote speaker, trainer, and coach in agile management methods, Aguanno has taught thousands of people how to better manage high-change projects by using techniques from Scrum, Extreme Programming, Feature-Driven Development, and other agile methods. He is a frequent presenter at conferences and private corporate events where he delights audiences with practical advice peppered with fascinating stories from his own experiences in the trenches practicing agile project management.

He has taught for several years at the University of Toronto where he won the coveted Excellence in Teaching Award, and is a regular guest lecturer in software engineering and project management classes at several other universities.

Kevin Aguanno is the author of over one dozen books and audiobooks.

Link to Kevin

Jeffrey M. Tilton, CFE is the founder of JMT Consulting Solutions, LLC.  Jeffrey is a management consultant with expertise in Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance, Forensic Accounting, Fraud Prevention, Financial Statement Fraud, Segregation of Duties Evaluations, Litigation Support, Internal Audit Outsourcing and Due Diligence.

Prior to establishing his own firm, Jeffrey worked as a SOX consultant and Certified Fraud Examiner for consulting firms in the New York Metro area. Jeff has utilized his years of experience in finance at various types of organizations plus this past six years in the SOX arena to create a methodology that inspires Public Companies to establish a quality SOX program, by utilizing a best practices approach to Corporate Compliance and Internal Controls related to Financial Reporting.  This program utilizes a top down approach that relies heavily on Entity Level Controls and Financial Reporting Risk Assessments. This allows us to identify and test only the KEY
CONTROLS that make a SOX program viable and AFFORDABLE.  Jeffrey has worked for or been a consultant to publicly traded companies, hospitals, nursing homes, physician practices, home healthcare agencies, non-profit organizations, medical equipment manufacturers, physician management and diagnostic services, telecommunication equipment manufacturers, REITs, investment management companies, investment periodical and publication companies and marketing and promotion companies. Jeffrey was instrumental in reducing the monthly financial reporting cycle at a New York City Hospital from 30 to between 5-7 days.

Jeffrey is a member of the Gerson Lehrman Group’s Expert Network, a professional member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, The Institute of Internal Auditors, the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, the Health Care Compliance Association and the Organization for Entrepreneurial Development.

Link to Jeffrey

September 29th Segment (eWorld 2009 Live Event Feed)

eWorld Purchasing & Supply is the UK’s leading event focusing on the use of emerging technologies and techniques within the procurement & supply chain world. Since 2001, this acclaimed business forum has provided a unique insight into the latest developments in electronic commerce for senior purchasing, supply chain and finance executives.

With the reality of a challenging economy creating an even greater need for improved efficiency and increased savings, venues such as eWorld serve as a facilitator between vendors and the markets they serve.

Joining me today live from the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel in London is eWorld’s Rich Tribe, who will share a few of the highlights from this year’s conference.

Link to eWorld

September 29th Segment (The Emptoris Evolution: A Vision of Planned Continuity)

As Senior Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, at Emptoris, Inc., Kevin works closely with customers, industry leaders, and the business and technology press to share the company’s vision for how its innovation can accelerate profitable growth. Kevin has over 9 years of enterprise software marketing experience, including 7 years directly in the supply and contract management arena.

Prior to joining Emptoris, Kevin was the Director of Product Marketing at FairMarket, Inc., an e-commerce and auction software provider focused on retail solutions for the business-to-consumer segment. While at FairMarket, he led a cross functional team in architecting and championing the software product line representing 60% of the company’s revenues.

He routinely worked with executives from Wal-Mart, JC Penney, Dell Computer and W.W. Grainger to expand their sales presence online. During this period, FairMarket conducted a successful Initial Public Offering which raised over $100 million. Before joining FairMarket, Kevin worked with McKinsey & Company consulting in the petroleum, electric utility, banking, media and engineering and construction sectors, helping clients pursue product diversification and product line profitability strategies.

A graduate with distinction from the United States Naval Academy with a BS in Control Systems Engineering, Kevin served as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps. He is a decorated combat veteran of the first Gulf War, where he co-led a 225 Marine team during the assault on Kuwait. After leaving the military, Kevin earned his MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Link to Kevin

September 30th Segment (How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History’s Greatest Communicator)

John Coleman was named the nation’s top overall intercollegiate speech competitor in 2004. He’s published widely on a number of topics, including speech and communication. After two years at a top management consulting firm, Coleman is pursuing an MBA/MPA at Harvard University, where he serves as both a Zuckerman Fellow and a George Leadership Fellow.

Link to John

Joe Carter is the web editor for First Things and an adjunct professor of journalism at Patrick Henry College. A fifteen-year Marine Corps veteran, he previously served as the managing editor for The East Texas Tribune and the online magazine Culture11. Joe has also served as the Director of Research and Rapid Response for the Mike Huckabee for President Campaign and as a director of communications for both the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity and Family Research Council.

Link to Joe

September 30th Segment (Is the Canadian Government Bartering Away The Domestic SME Market?) 90-Minute Special Broadcast

Stockwell Day was born in Barrie, Ontario on August 16, 1950. He spent his early years in the Maritimes and his high school years in Ottawa and Montreal, where he graduated.  Stockwell has lived in most other regions of our nation including the Northwest Territories, the Arctic, Alberta, and British Columbia. He attended the University of Victoria.  He met and married his wife Valorie in Victoria. They raised their family in Alberta.

Stockwell has a strong background in business, community service and government. He has also worked in a leadership role with young people as a counselor and administrator at an independent school.

Link to Minister Day’s Complete Bio

Tim Cummins is CEO of The International Association for Contract & Commercial Management (www.iaccm.com).

Tim spent many years as a commercial manager and executive, working in the banking, automotive, aerospace and technology industries. His work has taken him to more than 40 countries and he has lived inthe UK, France and the United States. Tim’s career included a period on the Chairman’s staff at IBM Corporation, in a group studying the business impacts of globalization and options for corporate restructuring; he then led the reeingineering of IBM’s worldwide contracts and contracting organization. Tim was the founder of IACCM and has led its development since incorporation in 1999. In this role, he acts as an ambassador for change in the way that trading relationships are structured and managed, and provides advice to member companies and public sector agencies on how to improve contract and relationship outcomes.

Link to Tim

Andy Akrouche is a co-founder of SRS, with 20 years experience in the information technology field.

He has an outstanding track record in forming and managing strategic relationships between clients and major IT vendors. Andy pioneered the first evolution of the Strategic Relationship Model in 1994, and worked with clients and large outsourcing corporations to bring about a new framework for client/vendor relationships that is based on strategic fit, flexibility and sustained mutual benefit. Having held senior positions at major IT providers such as IBM, Digital Equipment Corporation and Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Andy has in-depth knowledge and a thorough understanding of IT Vendors Sourcing Models, Service Delivery capabilities, and contract management policies.

Link to Andy

Mike Bowes is Managing Director of Associated Manufacturing, a joint venture of several eastern Canadian metalworking firms, established to develop new markets and partnerships.

A Business Development professional with extensive experience in metal industries and export markets, he brings an innovative planning approach to the position. He has previous Operations, Marketing and Business Development experience in forestry, machining and industrial fabrication sectors. He is also an expert in coach training and athlete development as a Master Learning Facilitator and Project lead for Long Term Athlete Development with Baseball Canada. He is able to bring his coaching, facilitation, operations and networking skills to his current position. He was educated at Saint Lawrence College (Quebec City), McGill University (Montreal), and the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton).

Link to Mike

Bill Michels is Chief Executive Officer of ADR North America LLC, a specialty consulting firm that focuses on purchasing. Bill is also a partner of ADR International Purchasing Consultants, Ltd.

Well known in the purchasing and operations management community and the food and pharmaceutical industries, Bill is a sought-after speaker and writer with many publications, including co-authorship of the book Transform Your Supply Chain. He was recently honored for the third time in the Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s group of “Pros to Know.”

Bill earned a BS in Business Administration with honors from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College. He holds a lifetime C.P.M. from the Institute for Supply Management.

Link to Bill

A special thank you to both Corinne Pohlmann and Justin Sacks who were originally scheduled to be part of the guest panel but were not available for the rescheduled broadcast.

Corinne Pohlmann is Vice President, National Affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

The CFIB is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 105,000 small and medium-sized business members across Canada. Corinne is based in Ottawa and is responsible for managing CFIB’s strategic direction on national affairs, keeping track of emerging national business issues, and sensitizing the federal government to the needs of Canada’s independent businesses.

Since joining the Federation in 1998, Corinne first worked in research, where she authored several research reports on a variety of public policy and economic issues, then as the Manager of Member Services. In 2000, Corinne became CFIB’s Director of Provincial Affairs for Alberta/NWT based in Edmonton and spent almost six years representing the interests of Alberta and NWT members to all levels of government. In 2006 Corinne moved to Ottawa to pursue her current position.

Link to Corinne

Justin Sacks has been a champion and leader in public procurement and sustainable development for nearly a decade. He has authored three books, each sponsored by major national government organizations and cited in UK Government sustainable procurement policy guidance. He was recognized in 2008 as one of the EFuture 100 young ethical entrepreneurs in the UK for his work.

While this is Justin’s first appearance as a guest on the PI Window on Business Show, he was featured in the October 10th, 2008 Procurement insights post “Quantifying The Intangible: How LM3 Cuts Through The Haze Of Partisan Agendas.”

Link to Justin

Excerpt of Interview with The Honourable Stockwell Day(approx. 8 minutes)

Underneath the complexities of the Buy American debate is a simple question . . . now that Canada has closed the Congressional loophole that justified locking Canadian business out of the US market, will the US Congress yield to popular opinion and continue to keep its economic borders closed to its northern neighbor?

(Direct Link to Interview with Canada’s Trade Minister)

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