Jay Sachetti joined Jeff O’Brien, partner at Husch Blackwell and Dyanne Ross-Hanson, president of Exit Planning Strategies talked about the market for mergers and acquisitions, exit planning opportunities for companies that don’t end up for sale and how companies can maximize their eventual sale price during an early October panel at the first Upsize on Tap event at Summit Brewing Co. in St. Paul.
When the state Legislature passed a law requiring employers to provide paid leave and safe time for employees, Justin Bieganek started hearing differing details from friends, colleagues and peers.
BEST PRACTICES: COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
shout out
Finalists blend traditional, new tactics to tell their messages
FINALIST RUNDOWN
Jon Charles Salon, hair styling salon: offers free ?blow dry boot camps? as a business-to-business service, boosting awareness for services as the client group enjoys a team-building activity.
Jon Charles is founder and CEO: 612.724.2444; ma*****@*****st.net; www.joncharlessalon.net
Lommen Abdo, law firm: estate planning group of attorneys dubbed themselves ?The Planning Divas? and offer free seminars to grow their practice through branding.
Margie Bodas is vice president: 800.752.4297; ma****@****en.com; www.lommen.com
Marketing on the Playground, brainstorming advisory groups for women: created the trademarked ?Adventures in Brainstorming,? a new meeting format that allows for larger groups and enhanced revenue.
Beth Woodward is founder and Chief Executive Kid: 612.861.7519; be**@**********************nd.com; www.marketingontheplayground.com
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Ministries Foundation, social services foundation: launched communications plan to boost donations, including the Blogging Nun and Possumus magazine.
Sister Irene O?Neill is executive director: 651.690.7025; io*****@*******ul.org; www.csjministriesfoundation.org
Snap Fitness 24/7, fitness club franchisor: started Snap Shots newsletter for franchisees, to keep connected to and share information with franchisees in more than 45 states.
Bill Rodriguez is vice president of communications and marketing: ********@*********ss.com“>br********@*********ss.com; www.snapfitness.com
by Andrew Tellijohn
An organization can have the greatest product or service in the world but if it doesn?t get the word out to the public it will die. The finalists for Best Practices in Communications & Marketing have found traditional and nontraditional ways of communicating with employees, franchisees and customers about the services they offer.
?Boot camp? drives business
Jon Charles has bounced around during his 20-plus years in the hair care industry. He learned his craft working at Rocco Altobelli before moving on to Urban Retreat and Schmidty?s.
He then served as artistic director for the Best Buy Co. Inc. EQ Life Concept. ?During that time I learned the value of PR and advertising,? he says.
He?s put that to use in his latest venture, Minneapolis-based Jon Charles Salon, where every other Tuesday evening he invites potential customers and groups to the shop for a ?Blow Dry Boot Camp.?
As the name suggests, Owatonna-based Kamp Automation looks for customers with a process they’d like to automate. It could be a small, inconvenient, tiny part that people can’t assemble. It could be a high-volume product so needed that the customer can’t find enough labor to produce it in the necessary quantities. “We’ll work anywhere from medical device companies to the seed industry for corn and soybeans,” says Kent Patterson, co-founder, president and CEO. “We just jump all over wherever there is custom automation.” The company started in his garage. Patterson and his partners built a machine. The company started to grow to the point where now it has 48 employees — and had a bunch of people and stuff in different locations. “We went from a garage to a shop to a shop and just kept moving to new places and signing leases,” he says. “We got to a point where it’s like, OK, this is getting big enough and sustainable — we felt that we wanted to look for our own space.’”
