| X-CUBE 110901 v.2.i.10
X-CUBE is a free E-zine, produced by Out of the Box Marketing Strategies,
Inc., to provide small, minority and women-owned firms in the A/E/C industry
with helpful marketing and business information.
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Sponsor:
—X—
Use Kinetic Media Inc. for all your 3D Rendering, CADD and multimedia
needs. From the A/E/C community, to Real Estate Developers, to the
manufacturing and entertainment industries, we will help you visually
communicate your ideas. Kinetic Media Inc. — Virtually Building Your Ideas.
www.kineticm.com
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This issue includes:
* Marketing Know How: Marketing in the Holiday Season
* Resurrection NYC
* Out and About – What’s Buzzing with A/E/C
* Diversity News
* Cyber scene – Events and Factoids for the Digitally Inclined
* X-Squared – Technology Know How for Small Biz Folk
* Industry Events
* Non-Industry Events
* Featured Article: A Write up of The “New” New York City Skyline
Event
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Marketing Know How: Marketing in the Holiday Season
—X—
The holidays are coming and in every office you can see the Principals
rolling their eyes and rubbing their temples. They are bracing themselves
for the Big Holiday Card Mailing. Here are some creative ways to wish your
clients, staff and colleagues a happy holiday season:
1. Snail mail is passé — Send an e-mail holiday greeting with great
graphics
2. In your holiday greeting, announce that your firm has made a donation
to a favorite charity in honor of the holidays
3. Don’t just send a card, send something that can be interacted with —
maybe a folding ornament.
4. Share company news in your holiday greeting.
5. Send goodies! In the words of Elizabeth Cummings, Managing Editor of
Crain’s New York Business, «All journalists love candy.»
6. Allay anthrax fears: use a clear or vellum envelope (or do a postcard)
7. Have the images demonstrate your work…but with a holiday theme —
one of your buildings covered in fresh snow, a steel structure with a
wreath, a lighting scheme designed for a holiday party, etc.
8. Our favorite! Have a party and let your invite be your holiday
greeting. Three rules for parties: only live music; gifts! (preferably
bonuses); and invite the clients (this will force you to give a better
party).
Best wishes and happy holidays!!!
Elizabeth Geary-Archer
President
Out of the Box Marketing Strategies, Inc.
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Resurrection NYC: Stepping Up to the Plate
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The Downtown Alliance sent out an email, informing us of public
transportation updates, events in Lower Manhattan and programs they’re
busy working on to support small businesses and others affected by the
September 11th attacks. They promise more updates as time goes by. To sign
up for the updates and for more details, send an email to : ContactUs@DowntownNY.com
—X—
The “New” New York City Skyline, a Panel Discussion – On Monday,
October 29th, 2001, numerous New York city museums and civic organizations
presented a forum featuring prominent architects, developers, educators,
journalists and historians who reflected on the New York City skyline –
past, present, and future – in light of the tragic events of September 11th.
Christina Gilson of Vina Design has provided X-CUBE with an article about
the event. The article is featured in this issue as our featured article
(the last section).
—X—
The Museum of American Financial History and the Smithsonian Institution
will host the first public forum in lower Manhattan to address the future of
New York City’s Financial District in the historical context of the hopeful,
resilient, forward-looking culture of Wall Street. «Always Another
Trading Day, Endurance and Optimism in the Culture of Wall Street» —
Moderated by Myron Kandel CNN; Thursday, November 15, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm; at
the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian; George Gustav Heye
Center Auditorium One Bowling Green; NMAI: 212 668-6624; MAFH: 212 908-4110;
subway: N/R – Whitehall St;
4/5 – Bowling Green
—X—
SCORE Launches Online Disaster Assistance – Information on disaster
assistance for small business owners is now available at http://www.score.org.
The new section features how-to articles on disaster preparedness and
recovery, helpful tips to keep your business afloat and important disaster
assistance links for small businesses. Learn more by visiting, http://www.score.org/disasterassist/
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Out and About – What’s Buzzing with A/E/C …and New Media!
—X—
Out of the Box Marketing Strategies was present at the annual AIA
Heritage Ball thanks to our client, EMTEC Engineers. We have never seen so
many architects in tuxedos in one place before! Quite the regal scene!
Honorees included Senator Daniel Patrick Monyihan, Robert A.M. Stern (who
gave a very moving speech), and Norbert Young Jr. with The McGraw-Hill
Construction Information Group. We spoke with several architects who all
seem to be doing very well despite «changing times». Our favorite
is Jonathan Marvel who has volunteered to mentor young architects who are
just starting their businesses — so if you’re interested, give us a call
and we’ll make that connection!
—X—
Bovis Lend Lease held an event on November 7th for W/MBE subconsultant
firms to get the 411 on opportunities at the new AOL/Time Warner complex
currently being erected on Columbus Circle. For information call Andrea
Minto, Senior Project Administrator. 212.592.6868
—X—
PWC held their annual Trade Fair on November 1st – While you have to wade
your way through the free pens, chocolates and stress balls being given away
by the exhibitors, it really is a great place to catch up with government
agency representatives and large construction firm compliance directors.
—X—
Score with SCORE – Emerging Business magazine is an excellent resource
for small business owners, self-employed individuals and other
entrepreneurs. In the latest issue, articles cover finding and keeping
customers, the future of small biz technology, venture capital for women
business owners, getting the best deal from suppliers, small biz retirement
plans, insurance basics for
business owners, computer networking and payroll outsourcing. Emerging
Magazine is now available at your local SCORE Chapter or by calling
1-800/634-0245. http://www.score.org/findscore
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Diversity News
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Agency Nugget: The MTA Office of Civil Rights Outreach Program – (212)
878-7217. We search for qualified DBE or M/WBE firms at trade shows,
industry meetings, job fairs, and trade association gatherings. We also
educate and inform the contracting community through Preparing for Profit
(PREP) seminars that teach firms how to bid on MTA contracts and help them
develop effective business practices. Contact us for more information about
these outreach efforts.
—X—
E-Commerce Tutorials for Small and Minority Businesses – Small and
minority business owners can get free information about how to start or
improve their e-commerce presence at www.e-mbe.net. The site has been
recognized on PBS, CBS radio, and in Minority Business News magazine.
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Cyber scene: Events and Factoids for the Digitally Inclined…
New .Biz Domain Debuts This Month – Finding an original web site address
for your new business web site can be difficult. This will change, however,
as the organization responsible for administering Internet names introduces
several top level domain names
(TLDs) to the Internet, including .biz. Starting this month, business
owners will have a better chance of securing a short, memorable domain name
for their company. In addition, using the .biz domain communicates to online
users that the site is a business site. To register for a new .biz domain
visit, http://www.nic.biz/
—X—
These events were emailed to us from the NYC Economic Development
Corporation:
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DIGITAL NYC: B2B Trade Show & Tech Seminar -DATE: Wednesday, November
14, TIME: 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., LOCATION: Terrace On the Park, Flushing
Meadows Corona Park, 111th St and 52nd Ave. CyberCity@LIC, the rapidly
growing Digital NYC (sm) High Tech District in Long Island City, Queens,
presents its annual trade show, featuring tech seminars, a luncheon keynote
and networking opportunities with providers of financing, packaging, solid
waste management, transportation, HVAC, printing, telecommunications, Web
site design and networks. Seminar topics include «Getting Connected:
Understanding the Technology Needed to Grow Your Business» and
«Accessing the Web: Bricks to Clicks, Leveraging Greater
Competitiveness in a B2B and B2C Context.» Luncheon keynote: Lisa
Weber, senior executive VP of MetLife, Inc., which has just relocated to
Digital NYC (sm) space in Long Island City. For directions or to RSVP, call
(718) 786-5300, ext. 27.
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INTERNET WORLD FALL 2001 – CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION: DATE: December
10-13, LOCATION: Javits Convention Center, New York City. Don’t miss the
world’s largest e-business and Internet technology event. Visit ttp://www.internetworld.com/events/fall2001/index.php
for more information. Stop by booth #1247 to speak with EDC representatives.
EDC will give away a limited number of free passes to the exhibit hall. For
a free pass (first come, first served!) send an email to info@newyorkbiz.com
with «Internet World free pass» in the subject line. Include your
full name, company, address, and phone number.
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You can learn more about EDC’s programs and services online at http://newyorkbiz.com.
If you have an inquiry about a specific need or program, contact EDC by
e-mail at info@newyorkbiz.com or by phone at (888) NYC-0100.
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X-Squared – Technology Know How for Small Biz Folk
By Lena L. West
PLANNED CONTROL
by Lena L. West
—X—
We’ve all learned numerous lessons from the events of September 11th,
and for each person they have been different lessons. But, I think two of
the lessons that we’ve all learned is how important it is to a) have a
up-to-date, viable, disaster recovery plan in place and, b) do off-site data
back-ups. One of our core competencies is developing disaster recovery plans
and helping clients’ to set-up remote back-up solutions. We’ve stressed
these critical components and sadly, only now are our clients starting to
see how these services apply to them.
—X—
Data back-ups are a necessary evil in that, the need always eclipses
capacity – or, more aptly put – the capacity that you can afford. And data
back-ups are tricky, how do you know what you need? Do you know what you
would do if you lost your office tomorrow? What would you do if you lost
access to all your data? If your answer is not: go to an alternate location
and pull out a loose-leaf binder that contains a step-by-step recovery plan,
then start with the steps below and then send for our free white-paper on
creating a disaster recovery plan.
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Keep a list of the software and hardware that you have in your office.
Keep these lists updated and off-site. It won’t help you if you have all
this wonderful information saved to your hard drive that just crashed.
x
Back up all critical data daily. Make a list of all the data that is
mission critical to your operations. Make sure that that data, in
particular, is backed-up, off-site every day.
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Choose a back-up system that is going to be there when you need it. There
are all sorts of solutions: CD-RW, DAT (tape), NAS, Ultrium, etc. For our
smaller clients, we recommend backing-up to the Internet. For larger
clients, we prefer redundant, off-site solutions.
x
Make sure the back-up is easy for people to do. The more complicated a
process is, the more likely it is that the process will be done either
incorrectly or not at all.
x
Ensure that the back-up process is being done. Periodically, check the
back-ups to make sure that recent data is present.
—X—
It may take some time to implement these procedures – after all change is
a scary thing for most. However, being able to sleep soundly at night
knowing that your data is safe, secure, accessible and in tact makes it all
worth it. You can’t control events that happen in life but you CAN control
how you react to those events. Take control.
—X—
Lena L. West is the Founder & CEO of xynoMedia Development, an
information technology consulting company. Email her at LWest@xynoMedia.com
to request a free white paper on which back-up system we recommend and how
to create a disaster recovery plan that works.
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Industry Events
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AREW Event on December 3 , 2001: Plans and Progress : Hudson River Park –
SPEAKER: Alex Dudley, Vice President of Communications and Corporate
Affairs, Hudson River Park Trust. FEE: Paid AREW Members: No Charge,
Non-members: $75. For program information visit: <http://www.arew.org/assets/edit-new/calenderevents/HudsonRiverPark.html>
To register visit the web site at www.nyarew.org <http://www.nyarew.org>
or email nyarew@aol.com <mailto:nyarew@aol.com>.
—X—
SMPS – «What’s Happening in Rail Transportation?» – Wednesday,
November 28, 2001, 8:00-10:00am, The Williams Club, A panel of clients from
NY City Transit, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Port
Authority of NY/NJ and the NYC Economic Development Corporation will discuss
how plans for rail transit projects have been affected since the events of
September 11th. For any firm involved or interested in transportation
projects of any kind, this event is a must! E-mail: register@smpsny.org
—X—
Professional Women in Construction – HOLIDAY DINNER DANCE – Friday,
November 30 – 7:00 pm to midnight
(black tie) The Yale Club, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, NYC, $275 per person
includes cocktails, dinner, open bar & The Stan Rubin Orchestra – Chair
of event is Turner Construction Co., RESERVATIONS: Fax (212) 486-0228 or
email: pwcusa1@aol.com <mailto:pwcusa1@aol.com> . Call (212) 486-7745
for information.
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Non-Industry Events:
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Again, Alex Henke of the NY Downtown Alliance has sent us an awesome list
of events. Her email is ahenke@DowntownNY.com:
Bits, Bytes & Bar – November 13 – Join t/bex and the Downtown
Alliance for our monthly technology networking party, hosted and sponsored
by KickStart (www.kickstartusa.com). We’ll connect with each other, have a
few cocktails, nosh on some h’ors doeuvres, and celebrate the rebuilding of
Downtown and our tech community. Tuesday, November 13, Open Bar 6-8pm, Free
admission KickStart 1 West Street, Suite 100 (also 17 Battery Place) take
the 4/5 to Bowling Green, walk south to Battery Place and west to West
Street. To RSVP, visit: <<http://www.ersvp.com/reply/event8503>>
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Year-end Tax Planning and the Impact of the New Bush Tax Act on
Technology Companies – November 12 – Monday, November 12, 2001, 5:00 – 7:45
PM – The Australian Consulate General – 150 East 42nd Street, NYC – Join the
professionals of PricewaterhouseCoopers in addressing the key issues of
year-end tax planning strategies that may be of importance to you and your
technology business. The complexities that comprise the tax issues facing
technology companies as a result of the changing economic environment can
result in significant opportunity. Followed by Australian wine tasting. Who
Should Attend? Technology company shareholders and senior executives.
Depending on the company, this may include the President, Chief Financial
Officer, Controller, Tax Director, In-house Legal Counsel or Business
Development Director. To register, contact Sonia Ayala at 646.394.5939 or at
Sonia.Ayala@us.pwcglobal.com. Space is limited, so please RSVP by Nov 7,
2001.
<http://www.pwcglobal.com/tax/images/australia_tax_seminar_bushtaxplan/tax_seminar_cb.html>
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Grow Your Business and Make New Contacts – November 13 – Presented By
David Reid Interactive and Manhattan Networking Group Sponsored By
IntuitEmployeeMatters (www.employeematters.com <http://www.employeematters.com>)
– Join business owners and professionals at our «business networking
made easy» monthly event. The Manhattan Networking Group offers an
alternative concept from other networking groups to grow your business and
make new contacts. No hype, no expensive dues, no hard sell – just a monthly
get together of business people networking in a relaxed environment. Come by
and visit one of Manhattan’s faster growing networking events. Tuesday,
November 13, 6-8 PM, Hard Rock Café, 221 West 57th Street b/t 7th Ave &
Broadway; Cash Bar. Corporate and Passport Members $5, Non-Members $10.
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The “New” New York City Skyline, a Panel Discussion
By Christina Gilson
—X—
On Monday, October 29th, 2001, numerous New York city museums and civic
organizations presented a forum featuring prominent architects, developers,
educators, journalists and historians who reflected on the New York City
skyline – past, present, and future – in light of the tragic events of
September 11th.
—X—
Presented by The Gotham Center, CUNY, the evening, billed as the first in
a planned series of “town meetings” on the topic, opened with welcoming
remarks by Mike Wallace, Director of The Gotham Center and Doris Holz, Vice
President of Major Gifts, United Way of New York City. Ric Burns then
introduced a segment from “New York: A Documentary Film” which
chronicled the concurrent building of the Chrysler Building and One Wall
Street, and the competition as each builder changed his plans
mid-construction to build higher than the other. The stealthy addition of a
final flourish to the Chrysler’s top sealed its victory as the taller
building, and was emblematic of Mid-town’s victory over downtown as the
city’s premier office district.
—X—
Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for The New Yorker, followed with a
moving account of his unexpected fondness for the World Trade Towers, their
symbolism of an unprecedented time of optimism and faith in technology, and
called for the building of a structure whose only function would be
symbolic: a tower. . Similar to towers found in Seattle, Las Vegas, and
other cities this proposed memorial tower would rise as high as the twin
towers once did.
—X—
The distinguished panel then provided short reflections and musing about
the towers, the tragedy, and the future, followed by a moderated discussion.
The panel included: Ralph Appelbaum, President, Ralph Appelbaum Associates;
David Childs, FAIA, Partner, SOM; Jean Gardner, Senior Faculty, Department
of Architecture, Parsons, School of Design; Hugh Hardy, FAIA, Founding
Partner, HHPA; Billie Tsien and Tod Williams, AIA, Architects, TWBTA; Carl
Weisbrod, President,, Alliance for Downtown New York; and Carol Willis,
Director, The Skyscraper Museum.
—X—
A few highlights of the panelists’ comments: (The evening’s
proceedings will be broadcast on MetroTV, check the Center’s website,
www.gothamcenter.org for a notice of the as-yet unscheduled broadcast).
Ralph Appelbaum spoke of retaining some of the fragments of the towers, as
in European cities in which ruins coexist with modernity, a compelling
testament to loss and renewal. In addition, he suggested that some of the
burden of remembrance could be shifted to the repository of the sites’
debris, the temporarily re-opened Fresh Kills landfill. David Childs, the
architect charged with the responsibility of rebuilding the site, indicated
that the lease owner of the site, Joel Silverstein did not want to rebuild
the towers as-is, and spoke of opportunities for improving the
infrastructure of the site. Jean Gardner spoke about the powerful kinetic
forces released by the felling of the buildings, and how one could see the
tragedy symbolically as the hubris of man felled by forces of nature
(gravity and fire), similar to man’s mythological punishment by the gods
for the thefts of fire and flight. Hugh Hardy spoke about the difficult
reconciliation between the desire to immediately rebuild, which can result
in ill-considered buildings, such as the structures now being torn down that
here thrown up after London’s Blitz, and the desire to thoughtfully
consider all the needs and desires of the entities with an interest in the
site.
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Many of the speakers emphasized the need to move forward in a timely
fashion with the meaningful involvement of many different interest groups.
(On November 4, 2001 Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Guiliani announced an
agreement to create a city-state authority to begin rebuilding lower
Manhattan. Called The Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corporation, the
governor will have control and the city will have a significant voice, the
structure is similar to entities the state has used successfully on earlier
projects such as the revitalization of Times Square.)
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Carl Weisbrod spoke of the need for a quick clean-up of the site to
improve the quality of life for the downtown community. He also suggested
that the site have a use that would provide a desirable cultural amenity so
the site could be a place not only for mourning or working but a destination
that could be a celebration of the joys of life, a cultural / entertainment
complex of some sort. Carol Willis, drawing from her research and
preparation for a history of the World Trade Center that The Skyscraper
Museum had long planned on presenting this year (which will be mounted at
New York Historical Society in February 2002, spoke about the sheer size of
the buildings and suggested that future development on the site learn from
the successes and failures of the previous development. She and many of the
panelists spoke of the opportunities presented by the current situation such
as re-introducing the street grid to the WTC site, providing a greater
connection between downtown and Battery Park and the waterfront, improving
the site’s regional transportation connections and below-ground
infrastructure, providing a desirable open space or park, in addition to the
agreed-upon memorial aspect of the site.
—X—
Different perspectives and a grounding in a historical understanding of
the significance and development of the site engendered an compelling
conversation about the rebuilding of Ground Zero and downtown Manhattan. The
evening’s unspoken theme was that the passion, ambition, and determination
of New Yorkers that brought us and keeps us here will fuel the daunting and
complex task of creatively rebuilding Ground Zero and renewing downtown in a
very changed social and physical environment.
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Note: Grid Magazine currently features a conversation with many of the
evening’s participants which can be read online at: http://www.gridsite.com/oct2001-zero.html.
The Gotham Center’s website is: www.gothamcenter.org. The Skyscraper
Museum (with some very interesting interactive features) is found at
www.skyscraper.org.
—X—
Christina Gilson, VinaDesign, is a FileMaker database developer,
professional services marketing consultant, and architectural bon vivant.
She can be reached via email at christina@vinadesign.com.
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If you have any comments, suggestions, or if you have an event that you
would like us to include in X-CUBE, please email Elizabeth Geary-Archer at
ega@outoftheboxmarketing.net
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