Pumpkin Brownies

With the shorter days and cooler weather, I find myself staying indoors more and wanting to cook comfort food and bake things that fill the house with wonderful scents. A couple years ago I discovered this recipe for Pumpkin Brownies on Eating Is Art blog, and they have become a crowd favorite – perfect for this time of year!

Pumpkin Mixture
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin puree

Dry Ingredients
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2-1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (the only way to go!)
1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and dust with flour. With an electric mixer, or in your stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and well blended. Beat in the egg. Add the vanilla and the pumpkin puree and continue to beat until thoroughly mixed. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg and stir them into the pumpkin mixture to form a smooth batter. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

Refreshing

We’ve made a new lunch discovery here at Eire. (Always a reason to celebrate!) Our go-to corner deli for sandwiches, soups and salads has been serving Watermelon Gazpacho for the soup of the day, and it is delicious! A refreshing twist on the more common tomato gazpacho, it’s cool and sweet with a perfect little kick. I don’t have Brett’s recipe, but here’s one that is similar. (Brett’s has lots of jicama and some sort of a hot pepper diced in, too!) Get chopping and enjoy!

Ingredients

8 cups finely diced seedless watermelon, (about 6 pounds with the rind) (see Tip)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons minced shallot

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Mix watermelon, cucumber, bell pepper, basil, parsley, vinegar, shallot, oil and salt in a large bowl. Puree 3 cups of the mixture in a blender or food processor to the desired smoothness; transfer to another large bowl.  Stir in the remaining diced mixture. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Melon Tip: Melon selection & storage – Look for symmetrical unblemished melons, without flat sides, that have a creamy yellow spot on the bottom indicating ripeness. At 92% water, this fruit should feel heavy when you heft it. Precut melon flesh should be dense, firm and appear moist. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or keep in a cool, dark spot. Cover the cut surface of melon with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Nutrition – Per serving: 116 calories; 5 g fat ( 1 g sat , 4 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 296 mg sodium; 345 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (110% daily value), Vitamin A (45% dv).

Tradition

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. Not because I’m such a big patriot (although I certainly appreciate the benefits of being an American), but because it’s a chance for me to participate in some long-standing family traditions and catch up with family members – many of whom I don’t see the rest of the year.

I am blessed to come from a large extended family. With over 25 first cousins, almost all of whom have children (and grandchildren) of their own, family get-togethers can quickly become overwhelming. But every year around the 4th of July, we have a family reunion at the lake where my grandfather bought land and built a cabin over 60 years ago. The 4th of July reunion began 40 years ago and has continued with only a few alterations, to this day.  The day starts with games – musical chairs, cherry spitting, watermelon eating. Prizes are awarded for winners (this year the prizes were strings of brightly colored beads which I saw on kids the rest of the week!). A potluck dinner follows, which always includes the same standards: roast beef, twice baked cheesy potatoes, green salad, and fruit salad with cookies and brownies for dessert. The day of the celebrations, the kitchen in every house is busy chopping, sautéing, baking, mixing to prepare their portion of the meal.

Finally, there is the talent show. It’s usually about an hour long, not because we have so much talent in the family; but rather, because we “think” we have so much talent! There are toddlers shaking rattles, young boys swinging swords along to music, singing (usually the truly talented), playing of musical instruments, and even some tumbling and gymnastics. We’ve had magic shows, made up songs, and skits. It’s a lot of fun and one of the best parts of the day. My favorite act this year was a 2 ½ year old boy singing “This Land is Your Land” and strumming a full size guitar along to the beat.

The best part of the tradition, for me, is the comfort that comes with knowing exactly what to expect – the same games, same meal, even same songs at the talent show. Yet each year I also delight in the new things, like seeing my niece play musical chairs and almost win. Or having my son in the talent show for the first time ever. And throughout the entire weekend, I get the opportunity for conversations with some of the most amazing and interesting people I know. One of my cousins told me about work she’s involved in to bring basic medical care to remote villages throughout Africa. Another one spoke about her decision to maintain a gluten-free diet and how it’s positively impacting her health. With yet another relative, I talked about the state of the economy and the world of marketing agencies.

Coming back from this trip each year, I feel relaxed, refreshed, and ready to tackle my work and get back to the real world with a new perspective. I can’t wait for next year.

Around Here

Just a few of the projects we've worked on at Eire lately:

Architectural Contest Poster.

Angels Grace Hospice website.

Valpac, Valassis and Money Mailer inserts.

Full-court POP.

Top 10 Made in America Products.

TOP 10 Made in America Products:

I recently read an article by Alex Brokaw that appeared on my MSN Money page titled “10 Products America Makes Best." A very catchy title that caught my interest; before I read the article I ventured a guess as to the companies that I thought would be on the list. The following were my thoughts on the types of companies that came to mind. I initially thought of General Electric, Motorola, Nike, Microsoft, Apple, Ford, GM, Tiffany’s etc.  

I was quite surprised to see the list which is outlined below.

1. Harley Davidson Motorcycles – Made in Milwaukee Wisconsin since 1903.  
2. Blockbuster Movies – US remains the number one position in terms of box-office receipts. 87 of the top 100 grossing films of all time were made in the United States.   
3. Weapons – Really? Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman and Boeing are the top of a long list of companies making technology, weaponry and vehicles deployed by armed forces. 
4. Lighters – Zippo Lighters are still made in the United States and have been sold for over 70 years. On June 5th Zippo rolled out its 500 millionth lighter.
5. Luxury Kitchen Appliances – Viking Range and Sub Zero refrigerators are made in the US; Viking in Mississippi and Sub Zero in Madison, Wisconsin.  
6. Software – Seven of the top 10 highest grossing software and programming companies are found in the US. Oracle, Symantec, Adobe and Intuit lead the field.
7. Craft beers – US craft beer industry is booming. According to the Brewers Association there were 1,945 craft beer breweries operating in the US in 2011. The industry is currently growing at 15% per year.
8. Guitars and pianos – The US is the home to the manufacturers of some of the world’s best musical equipment. Gibson’s Guitars, Nashville, Tennessee and Steinway Pianos, New York, NY.  
9. Office Chairs – Aeron made by Herman Miller in Zeeland, Michigan is the only office chair brand people recognize by name.  They estimate that an Aeron chair is built every 17 seconds.  
10. Billionaires – The US is home to more billionaires than any other nation according to Forbes Magazine.  The US boasts more than 425 out of 1,226 around the world.

I was pleasantly surprised by the list and have to admit that I have never driven a Harley, made or been in a movie, fired a weapon, light a cigarette or cigar with a Zippo lighter, played a piano or guitar or met a billionaire. But, I do have a Sub Zero refrigerator, use adobe software, sit in an Aeron Chair and invest in a craft beer company (Mad Tree Brewery, Cincinnati, Ohio) so I am feeling a little better about made in the USA this 236th anniversary of the United States of America.  

Happy 4th of July!

Summer

I'm a Chicago girl through and through, and with that comes a real appreciation for summer.  Even this year, with our relatively mild winter, we've earned our summer, as always.  The Chicago lakefront. Light until almost 9pm. Dining al fresco, backyard BBQs, beaches, pools, and being barefoot. Reading outdoors. Riding a bike. Thinking about summer also got me thinking about summer music.  Here's Billboards list of summer's top 30 songs.  Whether it surprises or disappoints, it will get you thinking about your favorite summer music.

Bike to Work Week – June 9-15!

Eire will be celebrating Chicago’s annual Bike to Work Week by participating in Active Transportation Alliance’s Bike Commuter Challenge. This will be the 5th year we have participated. Oh wait we didn’t participate last year because I was on maternity leave and no one covered for me. I’m back! So let’s get excited and bike to work!

We challenge you to compete too.
The Bike Commuter Challenge is the best way to celebrate Chicago Bike to Work Week, June 9–15, 2012.

Just sign up your company and be a Team Leader or join an existing team and start logging your trips during Chicago Bike to Work Week. Any bike trip to work counts – even partway. You can bike to the train, bus, or carpool location and lock up there.

It’s easy, free, and most of all, fun! There is even help you get ready for the Challenge with tips and tricks on how to ride to work.

The Bike Commuter Challenge is brought to you by the Active Transportation Alliance. Active Trans is a non-profit advocacy organization that works throughout Chicagoland to improve conditions for bicycling, walking and transit while engaging people in healthy and active ways to get around.

What's new with the USPS?

Who finds new offerings from the United States Postal Service exciting? I do! And maybe you do too if you are reading this blog.

This past week I attended an Open House at one of our preferred vendors and went to a seminar given by Marcia Sapien, a 35 year veteran of the USPS. Not everyone finds mail as exciting as I do but maybe some of these new offerings will at least spark your interest or give you some ideas to enhance your next direct mail package.

USPS QR Code Promotion for Postage Savings
The USPS is running a special  promotion to entice mailers to test mobile barcodes on their direct mail. The ultimate goal is to build awareness of mobile technology and demonstrate to mailers how mobile barcodes can increase the value of mail. The program runs from July 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012 and is available for First Class, Standard and Non-Profit Mailers who incorporate a two-dimensional barcode either on the face or inside every piece in the mailing that is designed to direct the user to a promotional website. Mailers will receive an upfront 2% discount on postage for mailings that meet the program requirements. There is a possibility that this promotion will also run in November and December of this year. I will let you know if this promotion gets approved.

Every Door Direct Mail
With Every Door Direct Mail® service from the U.S. Postal Service®, you can reach the market that matters most to your business: nearby neighborhoods. Postage is as low as 14.5¢ per piece – and you don't even need to know names or street addresses. You simply identify the neighborhoods you want to target, and your printed piece is delivered with the day's mail to every address.

Picture Permit Imprint Indicia
Mailers are now able to use the indicia area of their mail pieces — prime real estate — to advertise their brands — thereby attracting more attention and potentially improving the reading rate of their mail pieces. USPS has established requirements for embedding logos, trademarks, pictures or other images into the indicia. Mailers will have to submit sample mail pieces for USPS review and approval before implementation.

All in a day...

Well, I attended a Webinar yesterday and it was somewhat interesting. The webinar, hosted by INEXPOLIVE, featured a guest speaker (Carman Tarren) who talked about Innovative Techniques for Multi Taskers. The subject seemed perfect for me. After all I consider myself an exceptional Multi Tasker, have been my whole life. Although some people have suggested I have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. I even took a 300 question test for it and I did not qualify (I think because I actually finished the test).

When I started the webinar I expected it to be live, but a still picture of the speaker came up on the screen. She was quite attractive and I wondered if this was planned. I thought INEXPOLIVE meant LIVE? After getting used to seeing Carman’s face (and realizing I’d just be staring at this for an hour), I noticed that people were chatting and answering questions on another screen. This was very distracting, but then again it was a seminar on MULTI TASKING. Maybe just like not being diagnosed with ADD I was not as proficient at Multi Tasking as I originally thought?

About 10 minutes into the presentation, while looking at Carman and reading the comments on the small screen, I decided to take some notes myself. Some of the more revealing stats that the lovely Carmen shared were:

• 294 Billion emails are sent a day
• 2 million blog posts are posted a day
• 35 million apps are opened a day
• 250 million photos are downloaded a day
• 200 million minutes a day are spent on Angry Birds
• The one that really blew me a way was…
• The average length of time that a person stays on a website is 8 seconds…

Sounds to me like all these Multi Taskers are wasting a lot of time not doing much.

All in a day…

If at first you don’t succeed…

My 10-month old son is learning how to do many things these days. He’s crawling like crazy, and now learning how to pull himself up to standing by holding on to a chair leg, the couch, a table, my leg. He’s listening hard to noises we make, and learning how to say them himself (they’re not complicated noises obviously… consonant noises like da-da and ga-ga and the ever-popular raspberry noise!). One day a couple weeks ago I watched him attempt to stand using the dining room table and chair. He worked on this for about 20 minutes before he got tired or distracted.  For every time he successfully stood up, he attempted and fell at least twice. The next day, he was at it again. Now, he’s a pro and can pull himself up using only one hand.

As I have been watching him, I’m amazed by his perseverance. Where does a tiny child get the urge and desire to try and try again? Of course, he gets frustrated. Of course, he falls and hits his head, or knee, or fingers. But after he cries for a minute, he usually gets right up and tries it again.

As adults, we tend to not be as resilient as children. While we’ve all heard the adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again”, how many of us have really done this lately? We tend to get complacent, expecting that things will go our way without much effort. If I run a meeting that doesn’t go well, present a plan that falls flat, or pitch our services to a new business prospect who chooses someone else, I’m disheartened and disappointed, and sometimes feel like I will never succeed.

Mostly, though, I’m thinking about the failure from every angle. What should I have done instead to achieve success?  Should I have prepared differently? Been more creative in my approach to the problem? Talked to others to get more information before beginning? How can I change my work so it’s better the next time?

And then, I pick myself up, dust myself off, and get ready to do it all over again the next time, learning from my son in the process.

VALUE: A term that expresses relative worth, merit or importance.

With the economic downturn over the past few years, providers of goods, services and products have seen the word “value” be transformed into the word “price.”  Value traditionally was defined as being able to deliver a quality product and results, all at a fair price.  This applies to virtually every business in the service category supplying goods or services to their clients and customers.  But lately, price seems to be the new definition of value.

 

You see it with retailers – people are accustomed to waiting for the final markdown because many consumers don’t want to pay full price.  Are the retailers marking down to their thinnest margin, or are the initial prices inflated to account for price-shoppers?  Consumers don’t always know that answer, but they have been trained to wait for the markdown.  Conversely, there are shoppers who consider their highest priority as quality.  They may even over pay for an item because they have been trained to believe that higher prices equate to better quality.  Neither scenario is completely right.  We need to go back to the basic definition of “value” – it’s a combination of quality and price – relative worth, merit or importance.

 

The same applies in the agency business.  If a client is focused on price, a freelancer will win the bid over a full-service agency.  And, if a client is focused on quality and results, they might not even include a qualified freelancer in the bidding process.  As with the retailers, neither scenario is completely right. 

 

It takes time and effort to define “value”, and it’s not always as simple as lowest price or highest quality.  We need to remember that relative worth is part of the definition too, and customers need to feel that they received a fair deal.  People want to deliver value – they want their customers to be satisfied and feel that they were treated fairly.  As consumers in our personal and professional lives, we need to remember that there is a person on the other end of all our transactions wanting to be treated fairly.  And, in return consumers should expect a quality, fairly priced product or service.

The Eire St. Patrick's Day Social

Last week was Eire’s 25th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Social.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Eire hosted its first party in their first year of business. This party has become an Eire tradition. Not only is it a celebration of Eire’s Irish roots, more importantly, it’s a reminder to our clients, vendors and associates that we appreciate everything they’ve done throughout the year to contribute to Eire’s success. It’s also a great opportunity to see a friendly face that you haven’t seen in a while or finally meet that person you’ve only talked to on the phone or communicated with through email.

So whether you’ve made it to one of our parties or haven’t had the chance, Eire would like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to each and every one of you. And be sure to join us next year. You won’t be disappointed.

“St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time – a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.”  – Adrienne Cook

The Right Combination

 

One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a designer is having the opportunity to create and work with different color palettes. The majority of our clients have style guides, with specific primary, secondary, and sometimes tertiary color schemes used in different combinations to reinforce their brand.

Occasionally we will have the welcome challenge of having to generate a color palette or scheme for a new branding or collateral project. I love working with color and I especially love finding different color combinations that compliant each other and might also be visually surprising when their unique relationship works.

Years ago I came across a website that created color palettes from an image uploaded to the system. I thought it was so cool to see what colors and accents the generator picked out of any given image. Whether you're designing marketing creative, or just trying to pick out some new accent pillows for your living room, playing around with a palette generator might be a unique and fun way to get some inspiration.

When I did a search to see if I could find the site again, I noticed there are many sites doing this now. There's also a website that will take the color codes from a palette generator and turn them into commercial paint color codes!

I used Color Explorer to create mine, but click here for a list of palette generators. Have fun exploring!

Um, seriously?

Here at Eire we don’t produce flashy, sexy TV spots.  (We actually don’t produce any TV spots!)  But that doesn’t mean I don’t like to critique the spots I see.  As a direct marketer, I always wonder how effective the ads I have seen are - general advertising can’t give you the quantitative results us DMers crave.  And I marvel at the ads I see that don’t actually feature the product they are selling.  One example is Walter E. Smithe, a Chicagoland furniture retailer.  This family owned business, run by three brothers who I believe come up with the commercial ideas themselves, are always producing spots that tie to current events in the Chicago area.  They are always entertaining, tend to feature someone or something recognizable, and RARELY feature the furniture.  Here are a couple of examples:





The lip sync spot brings to mind a recent Geiko spot.  I love the “popular  middle school girls” who follow this guy around to…  help him loose weight?  Again, I’m entertained but not sure how it ties to car insurance?  Sure the save message is there but:



I’m not saying that these ads aren’t effective.  In fact, they’ve clearly made an impression on me. I just wonder how we can get our clients to have a little fun like this! In the meantime, we’ll just keep doing what we do best, and let the flashy, sexy agencies sell their products without really selling them.

4-Color Digital Printing Just Took a Giant Leap Forward

Study after study shows that personalization and 4-color printing will improve quality and response of your print communications. In the “old days,” technology limited how cost-effective 4-color personalized printing could be for longer run applications like direct mail and other customized communications. Now things are a whole lot easier—and a whole lot more colorful.

With new roll-fed inkjet digital printers, high-run, complex, four-color variable printing is a very doable thing.

Multiple messaging. Tons of versions. Oodles of 4-color images, graphics and type. Different brands. Nothing is beyond the realm of possibility. Here are just a few ways the new capability will bring value to your organization:

• Increase response on direct mail by adding 4-color graphics/highlights
• Flexible graphics and message management
• Quicker time to market than traditional workflows
• No pre-printed web rolls to inventory and manage
• Co-mingle small runs with large runs for manufacturing and postage efficiencies – not to mention environmental friendliness

Whatever your area of focus, it can benefit from high-powered customized 4-color communications. For more information, check out the Canon Océ ColorStream 3500.

Pinterest Phenomenon

By now, most everyone has heard of Pinterest and the phrase “Oh, I found this on Pinterest” is becoming as popular as “I saw on Facebook…”. It’s hard to believe that Pinterest was actually launched almost two years ago, but it wasn’t until the last six months that it started getting noticed. According to an article on cnn.com, unique visitors to the site grew 400% from September to December 2011 (I was one of those unique visitors during that time, and have since turned many of my friends on to the site).

I will admit that at first, I didn’t understand the hype or the concept, but now, I love Pinterest. I wonder what I did with all of my time on the weekends before I was baking and crafting things that I’ve found on the site. Pinterest is an online network of virtual pinboards. Pinboards can be created by “pinning” images you’ve found on the web to your Pinterest account or by browsing other users’ pinboards and re-pinning items that are interesting to you.

At a New Year’s Eve party at my house, the food table was covered in multiple Pinterest recipes (brought by different guests), and my centerpiece on the table was designed from an idea I saw on Pinterest. I recently got engaged, and I’m not sure how people planned weddings before Pinterest. I visit the site at least once a day to get ideas on colors, flowers, bridesmaid dresses, menus – you name it, someone has pinned it.

I wonder how Pinterest will hold up in the future with so many social networking sites out there – will it become a Facebook with extreme staying power? Or will it be one of those sites that someone mentions in a few years that you think “oh yeah, I vaguely remember when that was popular”? For me, I hope it’s the later, because I just cannot get enough of it.

Multicultural Marketing

Multicultural marketing is becoming more, well, multicultural!! Most of my clients have become more interested in diversity over the years as multicultural marketing becomes status quo in marketing, rather than just a late, extra addition to a plan. Last week I was in a meeting where we were discussing nuances among distinct ethnic groups especially in Chicago. Here are some interesting facts I learned:

• The digital divide with African Americans is shrinking – not because more African Americans are getting home computers, but rather due to the growing popularity of smart phones.  
• Also due in part to smart phones, social media has become a major factor in how African Americans communicate and expect to receive information.  
• Latinos typically have more family members living in their home, which means they consume products differently – for example, they may have multiple refrigerators in their home.  
• Often Latino households have someone up all hours of the day and night due to alternate work schedules (shift work, etc.) so they consume more electricity than the typical household. 

But there is more to multi-cultural marketing than Latino and African American audiences. You may have seen, like I did recently, this interesting fact on Taxi TV. Chicago has the largest Polish-speaking community outside of Warsaw.  The Polish community also has its own characteristics. Because electricity is so costly in Eastern Europe, many Polish immigrants are already used to reducing their energy use, such as turning off the lights (and heat) in unused rooms or running the dishwasher or vacuum cleaner at night.

These are just a couple examples of cultural nuances seen within the diverse communities in Chicago. We are in an age where micro-marketing campaigns and localized, one-to-one communications have become standard components of any consumer marketing plan. Consumers have come to expect messages that are not tailored to their particular needs.  Not considering these variations may have an impact on the success of your consumer marketing initiatives.

The New/Old Media

I recently read a very informative article on “19 tips for Building an SEO Strategy for Ad Agency New Business" by Michael Gass, michaelgass@mailvresp.com.

As a veteran of the Direct Marketing business I have often thought of the similarities of the DM business and the Internet or Web-based businesses. They both speak directly to the consumer or selected audience based on the products and services that they want to market or sell to. The audience identification, which is the backbone of all successful marketing campaigns, is crucial in the Internet or Social Media world. Some other similarities that I noticed in this article by Michael Gass are outlined below. Using today’s terms I have highlighted related terms that apply to my business training.

Benchmark – Know what your current page rank is and continue to monitor it with tools such as Alexa and the Google Tool.
Corresponding DM Term – Control Package or Response Rate for the Control Package.

Blog Refer Log – Visitors to your site and where they are coming from.
Corresponding DM Term – Response Analysis.

Meaningful title and/or a descriptor statement. 
Corresponding DM Term – Teaser copy on an outer envelope.

Domain Name.
Corresponding DM Term – Product title or what your company does.

Fresh Content.
Corresponding DM Term – Interesting copy!

The more I learn from this new media the more it makes sense. It sinks in when I am able to relate it to what I already know – the trick is being open-minded enough to see the power of this new/old media. The one item that I am totally enamored with is the viral nature of this new media. I don’t ever recall a person sending along a direct mail letter or a free-standing insert to me.

New Year. New Energy.

Leo Burnett "When to take my name off the door" from Lobo on Vimeo.

I had read this speech a number of years ago, it is the speech Leo Burnett gave himself in December of 1967 announcing his retirement. Some pretty lofty goals and probably not even achievable today, but a great way to re-energize at the beginning of a new year. Oh, and the animation is pretty darn cute, too.

Officially Certified...

As a WBENC-Certified Women’s Business Enterprise! Maybe you thought the headline would lead into a different opening line, but this post is all about the good news that Eire Direct has received our certification as a diversity supplier.

Most business people already know how important diversity supplier relationships are to corporations and government agencies. The programs and policies of these certification groups are designed to expand opportunities and eliminate barriers in the workplace for women business owners, as well as to encourage companies to engage minority and diverse business partners. For Eire, the certification means that our current clients can obtain credit for the work they currently do with us and that new doors may be opened with potential clients seeking to expand their partner list with companies like ours.

We worked hard to get the certification – only those of you who have experienced the process know the amount of time it takes to gather necessary documents, complete forms, participate in site visits and explain your motivation to get certified. Through the process, I learned just how many certifying bodies there are and the types of contracts they cover. For anyone curious about applying, be sure to do your homework as to what certifications your clients or prospects even recognize before you start the process.

Now that we have the certificate (which we are going to proudly display in our office, on our website, our business cards and so on…), we need to get involved with the WBENC organization and its corporate members to put our certification to work as we expand Eire’s relationships in 2012.