It is not too often a self-published book is featured for an entire hour on 33 radio stations, covering a state. Yet that is what PilmerPR was able to achieve for Green Spin, a new tech-thriller novel by John Pilmer.
Tom Williams, host of Utah Public Radio’s “Access Utah,” received a copy of the book, and decided to devote the entire hour-long program to its content.
The program covered many fascinating aspects of public relations that run throughout the book, including Greenwashing, real-world PR blunders, the ever-condensing news-cycle, and potential communication technology in 2016, among others. The PilmerPR CEO touched on his years of experience in Green PR and corporate social responsibility. He also outlined the background and inspiration of his new novel, and some parallels to his own life.
The air was electric at the Grand America ballroom filled wall-to-wall with around 300 well-dressed attendees at the 2nd annual Utah Student 25 Awards Gala in Salt Lake City this week. Utah Student 25 founding educator, entrepreneur, and angel investor thanks the growing list of sponsors jumping on the accelerating train that is Utah Student 25.
As a matter of fact, if it were a train, this awards train would likely be compared to a bullet train. Last year winners FuneralRecording.com, Launch Sales & Marketing, Worldwide Book Drive, and 2009 #1 Meter Solutions spoke of their fabulous successes since winning this award last year. These companies founders, some still in college, reported major investor partnerships, $millions in revenur, international expansion, national press exposure, much of which they created to the Utah Student 25 recognition from last year.
Virtually every major Utah college/university had a student owned business in the hunt this year, demonstrating growing enthsusiasm for this program that brings to the surface, one of Utah’s major reasons for its ongoing #1 status among other states.
#1 student owned busines in this year’s Utah Student 25 is Stubtopia.com. This new, rapidly growing serice promises to help customers “Grab tickets your friends will be jealous of!” and to provide “the best experience-for-your-money.” Founder Darren Allred shared with the crowd the value of mentors and methodical growth as keys to the company’s success.
The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) will induct Hal Wing of Little Giant Ladder into its UVEF Hall of Fame tonight at the Provo Novell Campus. Inductees represent individuals and organizations with an enduring legacy of entrepreneurial excellence.
Hal Wing, a Utah native, is known globally as the founder of Wing Enterprises, creator of “The Little Giant Ladder System.” Wing’s entrepreneurship was inspired by a German ladder prototype in the 1970s. He brought the idea back to the United States, patented it, and began Wing Enterprises in his garage. Within the first year, he sold more than
a half-million dollars’ worth of ladders. Today, he is listed in the Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in the West, Who’s Who in Finance and Industry, and Men of Achievement. Wing was also named the 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
“Hal Wing’s story captures the essence of entrepreneurism,” said UVEF chairman John Pilmer. “He took a simple idea, very little capital, a lot of passion, and turned it into a thriving multi-million dollar business.”
No wonder Forbesjust named Utah #1 state for business! Utah Entrepreneurs & Inventors Rock the nation!
Nate Alder of explosive startup Klymitwas voted #1 Best Invention by more than 100 attendees at today’s UVEF hosted “Invented in Utah” event held at Noah’s in South Jordan. The company’s newest invention, the super light weight, compact Inertia-X-Frame impressed voters & judges as a must have outdoor next generation air matress. Out of more than 80 original contestants, today’s event showcased the top 5 as decided over recent weeks in preliminary judging of entrants. With multiple media in tow, this event is surely a great Public Relationswin for these inventors.
Taking the #2 slot today was TykeToter, demonstrated by Jess Colton and his able assistant and very
Jess Colton & daughter demo TykeToter
cute daughter. TykeToter offers an “aha” moment for avid cyclists with young children. Different from previous rear mounted child carriers, the TykeToter places the child in front of the adult cyclist. Of course this gives the young rider a better view, but also allows the adult to better shield & protect the child in case of a spill. The quick release, affordable add-on works on any standard bicyle.
Winners join Michael Horrito of Rocketship at Invented in Utah
#3 in today’s voting was Nature Organics, demonstrated by it’s inventor Cal Van Dyke. This new organic plant supplement increases nutritional value of food and produces healthier ornamental plants. I was especially excited to receive samples of this product to try on my roses, grass, and vegetable garden at home.
Nasal Irrigation Device by Mark Carpenter and LAY-RIGHT Side-Sleep Pillow System by Vaughn North were also demonstrated today and deserve honorable mention for their innovation. My co-judge, Tom Dickson or BlendTec “Will It Blend” fame really liked the potential mass appeal of Mark Carpenter’s invention so I will be watching the progress of this along with the other great finalists.
Congrats to Rocketship, UVEF, and the other great event sponsors for this great annual showcase of the brilliant creativity in Utah.
Allan Grafman of All Media Ventureswas the featured speaker at today’s joint event sponsored by Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF); Wayne Brown Institute; Utah Technology Council (UTC), and Mountain West Capital Network (MWCN). Held in the Garden Room at Thanksgiving Point, 200+ entrepreneurs and business leaders paid close attention as our skilled presenter spoke on the elusive subject of “Exits, Monetizations & New Media.”
In preface to Allan’s remarks I was able to put in a plug for UVEF to the group. I mentioned that despite our economy, it’s a great time for entrepreneurs. I referenced Hewlett Packard, Howard Johnson, and Boeing as entrepreneurial startups during the Great Depression. I expressed my enthusiasm for today’s speaker as our Public Relations businessand all services carrying the “message” to target markets must master social media as yet another terrrific tool for getting the word out and engaging with target audiences.
Allan spoke candidly about the negative ROI being experienced by most investors in 2010. He also pointed to Online Gaming, Virtual Goods, Advertising, and Content providers as near term winners in monetization of social media. He cautioned startups against slowing their time to market to “get it perfect,” saying that an early beta launch can build viral support while gleaning invaluable feedback from which to improve the offering.
One key point that resonated with PilmerPR’s client counsel in the new “PR 2010″ is that EVERY company is now a media company. Those companies which offer the best and fastest content stack the deck in their favor.
Matt Dorey, 25, envisioned Curve Dental as a teenager.
Utah ranks high on list after list of economic indicators, including best places to start and grow a business. The state is the envy of others with an unemployment rate almost three percent lower than the national average. Why? To start with, according to Forbes, Utah is a “hotbed for entrepreneurs.” I would add that the state is also a hotbed for “whiz kid” entrepreneurs. Perhaps this is due in part to Utah public schools teaching entrepreneurism starting in the 4th grade.
We have heard a lot about two college students, Josh James and John Pestana, who started a little technology company that grew into the largest tech acquisition in state history – Omniture. But, they are just the start. Many know that Paul Allen dropped out of school to run his startup, Infobases. Later, he started MyFamily.com, which grew into the present mega-family history service, Ancestry.com. Novell, WordPerfect, the list goes on of legacy companies led by Utah’s whiz kids.
Today, a new crop of young people are farming for fame and fortune in new entrepreneurial startups. Utah Student 25 recently recognized 25 new startups that created more than 100 jobs and $3.9 million in revenue in 2009.
Matt Dorey began the research and development phase for Utah-basedCurve Dental five years ago as a teenager with a vision for a simpler web application designed to bring the dental industry into the computing “cloud.” After securing $9 million in funding, Curve Dental released Curve Hero earlier this year. Still too young to rent his own car at 24, this young executive was recently named among the top five “People to Watch” among industry pundits.
Entrepreneurship is risky by definition. Success demands confidence in the face of challenges. An entrepreneur must believe in his/her product or service, or no one else will.
But when does healthy assurance become dangerous arrogance?
A few months ago, Forbes Magazine published the article (and accompanying slide-show), 10 Arrogance Traps For Entrepreneurs. The warnings are sound, and some go counter to conventional wisdom.
In Part 6 of 10 of PilmerPR’s “PR 101″ webinar, John Pilmer discusses five traps from the list we feel are most common and dangerous to entrepreneurs.
Many revolutionary ideas come into the market, and then die from “lack of demand.” The problem is not a bad idea, nor that demand does not exist. Too often, the problem is a failure to reach the audience that demands it.
The Internet is making it easier than ever to find your market, but harder to compete. When consumers are flooded with many companies vying for their attention, repetition is key. A good company must reach those customers through web development, search engine optimization, a strong social media presence, news articles, and more.
In Part 5 of 10 of PilmerPR’s “PR 101″ webinar, John Pilmer discusses how small businesses can find the lucrative “watering holes” and reach their target markets on multiple fronts.
To learn how PilmerPR can help your business reach audiences and increase sales, visit our contact page.
If a bomb went off in your backyard, would you know it? How about if that bomb was an explosion that took place on the internet and the wider it spread the more damage it did to your business and your brand. When would you hear about it?
Organizations of all types and sizes are finding they have to monitor their online reputation closer than ever before. If you don’t manage your brand and listen to your customers, you could be inadvertently losing leads, revenue and destroying your brand.
United Airlines learned the hard way about monitoring their brand and the difference that one person can make. You might remember Dave Carroll, a talented musician, on a flight to Chicago who, from his window seat, watched his guitars get thrown and broken. Carroll wrote a song about United breaking his guitars and within a few days, the video was featured on CNN, the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Rolling Stone Magazine & the BBC to name a few. Although United apologized, they cannot replace the now 8.5+ million views of the YouTube video that humorously demeans United’s reputation.
You’ve spent time and money planning a public relations campaign, with press releases and social media involvement, and now you need a way to measure its effectiveness. The problem is compounded when you notice there’s little money left for high-budget tools like surveys and ad-equivalency evaluations.
Does this sound familiar?
In Part 4 of 10 of PilmerPR’s “PR 101″ webinar, John Pilmer lists the simple (often free) ways budget-conscious small businesses can evaluate their PR results. To learn how PilmerPR can help achieve cost-effective campaigns with measurable results, visit our contact page.
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