B E L L S & W H I S T L E S
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES FOR SELECTED PROJECTS
IFSI Annual Fire College
Every June, the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) hosts its Annual Fire College that attracts more than 800 firefighters to travel to Champaign-Urbana to receive hands-on training.
Some project management details:- Develop marketing mailer that includes a colorful brochure and registration form distributed in an envelope that attracts the attention of Fire Department Training Officers, Fire Chiefs, field staff & other stakeholders.
- Coordinate use of marketing brochure by more than 400 field instructors and provide instructions on how they can serve as "marketers".
- Assure marketing materials are available in a number of venues, including mobile training trailers and field instructor kits.
- Distribute news releases to national publications and assure that Fire College is placed on national and regional calendars.
- Distribute news releases and media alerts to Champaign-Urbana media just prior to Fire College, then follow up to assure that broadcast and print media attend to cover the hands-on training.
- Accompany all media throughout the four-day event to assure that they receive correct and positive information about Fire College and IFSI.
- Produce pocket program that is distributed to every attendee.
- Monitor registrations and identify opportunities for additional marketing strategies throughout the 60-day registration period.
Biodiesel promotions
Since 1990, I have been involved in promoting the use of biodiesel, including conception and development of an award winning outdoor campaign in 2007. The campaign, which included roadside signs and billboards, received First Place in the Region IV Best of NAMA (National Agri-Marketing Association) for outdoor advertising. Over the last 18 years, I have managed biodiesel promotional projects that ranged from overseeing ten mass transit districts field testing the fuel to promoting biodiesel to the trucking industry.
Some project management details:
- Creative strategy and slogan development that included Burma shave-type signs along Illinois highways.
- Oversaw and solicited placement of signs by landowners with property along heavily-traveled roads.
- Developed outdoor advertising campaign. Developed materials for use in truck stops to help cashiers answer questions about biodiesel. Materials include brochures and laminated fact sheets for use near cash registers.
- Developed pump toppers for retail stations carrying biodiesel. Promoted the materials and oversaw distribution.
Global Soy Forum (August, 1997 through September, 1999)
Global Soy Forum took place in Chicago in August1999 with a budget of $1.3 million. As the director for the conference, I was instrumental in raising nearly $1 million for the conference. The fundraising efforts took me to Asia, where I met and made presentations to the Korean Feed Manufacturers Association, several Japanese food manufacturers and the American Soybean Association's Asian staff. In Europe, I made presentations to raise funds and heighten awareness of Global Soy Forum to oilseed associations in Brussels and Paris. In the United States, I traveled the Midwest to raise funds from producer organizations and corporations such as ADM, Monsanto and Novartis.
Working closely with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Soybean Research and Development Council, I planned Global Soy Forum details, including conference schedule and on-site logistics. My project responsibilities involved working closely with committees that met regularly in the two-year planning period. I oversaw and coordinated all marketing strategies and materials, which included solicitation of research-project abstracts, development of the Forum's corporate image, and production of extensive advertising and direct-mail materials. I set up and participated in numerous radio and print interviews to promote the conference.
Global Soy Forum exceeded all expectations, attracting more than 1800 registrants from 63 countries. It included a trade show, a program with more than 170 presenters and a multimedia welcome ceremony. Distinguished speakers included Dr. Bob Arnot, network health correspondent, and John Stossel, correspondent for ABC news and 20/20 News Magazine.
Some project management details:- Raised corporate and commodity funds to meet budget.
- Marketed conference to numerous audiences, including the food manufacturing industry, the animal feed industry and researchers, both international and domestic.
- Organized conference presenters and schedule.
- Managed all organizational details of conference, including meal selection, on-site logistics and coordination of various components.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (September 1995 through April 1996)
The U.S. Department of the Interior is responsible for overseeing the Central Valley Project Implementation Act, which addresses federal water supplies in California. Because of my agricultural background, I was hired to develop a strategic plan to address farmers' concerns about impacted water supplies from the upper stem of the San Joaquin River. The Act called for reasonable and prudent restoration of wildlife, most notably salmon, in areas impacted by the federal dam project in California.
Some project management details:- Interviewed farmer groups throughout the Central Valley of California to assess farmers' concerns.
- Facilitated programs throughout California that engaged the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to hear all stakeholders' concerns about impacted water supplies.
- Developed a strategic plan than included a press-release campaign and an MOU from the District Manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to instill confidence in government's role in restoring wildlife habitat.
- Developed display materials for use by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to defend their position on Auburn Dam to Bruce Babbitt, then U.S. Secretary of the Interior.