Business Monthly - May 2013

Published By Specht Newspapers, Inc The Heartbeat of Northwest Louisiana Growth May 2013

Courting TexasCampaign Takes Aim At Dallas-Ft. Worth

DELIVERED TO BUSINESS LEADERS THROUGHOUT SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER

2 | May 2013 | BUSINESS MONTHLY

When my Dad was first in thenewspaper advertising business,he witnessed a amazing lesson inperception.

The local radio stationwould give a free radio toeach advertiser whosigned a contract withthem. The salespersonwould bring the radio intothe business and actuallyplug it in and turn it on.

There was only onecatch — the radio onlypicked up that particularstation. It was a brilliantmove.

Dad later explained that whenthe advertiser would hear his adon the radio, he assumed every-one else heard it also.

This happens in other areas ofour lives as well.

Have you ever bought a newcar different from your currentmodel? As soon as you finish sign-ing the papers and drive it off thelot, you see car after car thatlooks just like it. Did everyonedecide to buy that model the sametime as you?

This brings up a valuable mar-keting lesson. Some people simplywon’t see (or hear) your messagetoday, but they might tomorrow.Whenever they are ready, theywill see (and respond) to yourmessage.

On the other side of the coin,just because you see (or hear)your message, doesn’t mean oth-ers do — at least not until theyare ready to receive it.

In this edition of BusinessMonthly, we highlight efforts bythe Shreveport-Bossier

Convention and Tourist Bureau toattract more visitors from ourwest.

This comprehensive plan

involves several different adver-tising media and is aimed atshowcasing the great things ourarea has to offer.

However, don’t expect an onl-sought of visitors within hours ofthe campaign going “live.” Itrarely works that way.

We are excited to see theresults of this campaign overtime. We are blessed to have suchan active tourist bureau.

When we stop for a momentand look at what our area has tooffer, we truly are a “tourist desti-nation.”

Telling others about this iswhat the Tourist Bureau is allabout.

Consistency is the key. Italways has been.

DAVID SPECHT JR. is President of SpechtNewspapers, Inc. Read his blog about leadershipat www.DavidASpecht.com He may be reachedvia email at [email protected].

DAVID SPECHT JR.

Opinion

Doesn’t EveryoneHear/See My Ad

When it Airs/Runs?

PERSPECTIVE THE FIRST WORD

BUSINESS MONTHLY| May 2013 | 3


ON THE COVER TOURISM

BRINGING THE VISITORS TO TOWN

FEATURES

5 To Dallas with LoveAdvertising Campaign Aimedat Attracting Texans

13 New Stuff to DoExplore Shreveport-Bossier’sNewest Attractions, Venues

3 The First WordDoesn’t Everyone See/Hear When My Ad Airs/Runs?

7 From the Bossier ChamberCasinos and Local Tourism

8 Marketing BS (Bossier-Shreveport)Pursuing the Big Elephant

14 UnCommonSense MarketingWhat WIll Tourists Learn About You Online?

18 Win-Win PowertoolsThe Little Things Make All the Difference

PERSPECTIVE

Volume 4, Number 2©Copyright 2013 by Specht Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. Business Monthly is published each month by Specht Newspapers, Inc. at 4250Viking Drive, Bossier City, LA 71111. Telephone (318) 747-7900. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable,but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.

What do you do when you are a ‘best kept secret?’ The Shreveport-BossierConvention and Tourist Bureau is making sure the “Secret is out” in Texas ...Starting on Page 5

CONTENTS

IT’S COMING...


FEATURE TOURISM

BY SEAN GREENTourism is vital to Shreveport-Bossier,

and in order to protect and promote the area,local businesses are putting their moneywhere their collective mouth is to make theS-BC a regional must-see.

The Shreveport-BossierConvention and TourismBureau is working witharea casinos, hotels, andother entertainmentproviders to blanket theDallas-Ft. Worth marketwith a message — visit andstay in Shreveport-Bossier.

“We want to increasethe awareness, visitations,and overnight stays,” saidBrandy Evans, vice president of communica-tions for the SBCTB.

The SBCTB has given the opportunity for

roughly 60 hotels, all casinos, the LouisianaBoardwalk, Downtown Development,Mudbug Madness, the Bossier Arts Council,and Let the Good Times Roll Festival amongothers to advertise themselves under a sin-gular marketing promotion in east Texas.

“We’ve gone to our media partners in thatarea and said, ‘Give us a price we can offer toour partners,’” said Evans. “Our partners cancome on and spend at whatever level theyfeel comfortable with.”

This replaces the old method of havingcasinos each contribute an equal amount ofdollars towards the overall marketing effort.

“More recently, casinos were getting hungup on equal amounts idea — for example,DiamondJacks doesn’t have the same num-ber of hotel rooms as Horseshoe — so thefeeling was it was less equal,” said Evans.“But we all felt strongly we needed to beadvertising in that region, so we decided togive our partners who bought in a really cut-

rate price to market themselves.”Evans said the more partners that buy in,

the more visibility and the bigger the cam-paign.

“It gives us a much larger presence in themarket. By the bureau underwriting the costand getting partners to come in, we can havea much larger presence in Dallas to driveovernight visitations.”

The SBCTB has designed their campaignaround digital billboards, radio, and websitebanner ads.

The billboards will cost $2,575 per monthfor six boards and run through July 4 to pushsummer events. The SBCTB picked hightraffic, high volume areas. For example, oneof the boards is just north of downtownDallas with weekly impressions of 653,221,one east of downtown Dallas is seen by726,094 people, and another northwest of

Advertising Campaign Aimed to Attract TexansTo Dallas with Love

See Advertising, Page 6


downtown Dallas has 743,697 eyeswho see it coming and going.

Radio advertising will run onKRNB FM and Clear Channel sta-tions in the classic rock, urbanadult contemporary, adult contem-porary, andmainstreamrock formatsfrom Maythrough Julyand again onSept. 23 tojust past theRed River Revel in October.

Online banner ads are pricedAT $2,500 for one million impres-sions, $5,000 for two millionimpressions, and $7,500 for threemillion impressions.These ads willbe targeted at Oklahoma City,Tulsa, Houston, Dallas-FW, andthe east Texas MSA.

“We want to drive wesbsite visi-tations to look at statistics andmeasure if the web banner pro-gram moved numbers for that mar-ket,” said Evans. “I want people tobe Googling Shreveport-Bossierand visiting our website.”

This specific area has been tar-geted because Indian casinos aresiphoning off visitors to theShreveport-Bossier market.

“Oklahoma casinos are spendingquite a bit of money in that mar-ket, so this is an attempt at aware-ness,” said Evans. “We’re hopingthis is a reminder, because whatseparates us from competitors iswe’re a destination — we have

other things to do besides casinos.”Evans said results won’t be

known for a little while, and theSBCTB is leaving the tracking ofthe marketing effort up to the part-ners.

“I’m hoping my partners whocome on board will track whocomes on their property,” she said.“I don’t get to count the visitors asthey’re coming in, but I can counthotel room occupancy.”

SEAN GREEN is managing editor of the BossierPress-Tribune and a contributor to BusinessMonthly. He may be reached via email [email protected]

Continued from Page 5

Advertising: New Campaignusing traditonal, digital options

FEATURE TOURISM


Shreveport/Bossier is the second-largest tourist destination in thestate of Louisiana, coming right inbehind New Orleans. What drawsvisitors to our area? We have cul-ture-rich festivals, shopping, incredi-ble dining and last but notleast, non-stop gaming. Thefive casino riverboats, soon-to-be six, and Harrah’s LouisianaDowns offer visitors a chanceto test Lady Luck on over7,000 slot machines and 200table games. They not onlyoffer gaming but dining andover 2,000 hotel rooms.

The casinos inShreveport/Bossier supply andrely on the tourism we seeeach year. They feed on the tourismcreated by festivals, sporting events,concerts, and more. They supply sup-port to the tourism economy throughtheir marketing programs withTexas residents as a major target.Billboards along major highways inTexas encourage visitors with eyecatching promotions. Direct mailefforts reach on average a 300 mileradius from our area to entice repeatvisits.

With that being said, the gamingrevenue as whole for this area isdown 3% year-over-year. The casi-nos in Oklahoma have had a signifi-cant impact as they offer the gam-blers of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro-politan area gaming avenues only 35minutes away versus 3 hours to us.Because of this the casinos have the

burden of coming up with the “game-changer.” How do we increase theadmissions? Entice people fromgoing to Oklahoma? In the last cou-ple of years we have seen the addi-tion of a world-renown poker tourna-

ment and bigger name entertain-ment visiting the casinos. We havealso seen new promotions that bringthe guests back daily.

Each casino fights for a bigger cutof market share, wanting to obvious-ly increase their own, but also rely-ing on each other. A significantnumber of casino visitors will spreadtheir play among the other casinos.The challenge is to gain their loyalty.With loyalty comes repeat visits andthis benefits not only the casino butlocal tourism.

ROD CENTERS, of Boomtown Casino and Hotel, isInvesttor Relations for the Bossier Chamber ofCommerce.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE BOSSIER CHAMBER

Casinos Rely Upon, DriveTourism in Local Area

ROD CENTERS

Opinion


As salespeople, we are all attunedto the “Big Elephant” (ie: thoseaccounts that we feel like we justhave to have in order for us to be con-sidered a success....those accountsthat we just know without a doubtcan help us to meet almost all of oursales goals and objectives...if wecould just sell this one account. If wecould just sell these people, then wecould just forget everything else. Thisis common place....it happens.

In sales, it is only natural to feelthis way and to get caught up in thistype of sales strategy. However, thisis not a recipe for long term success.As we have previously discussed, atotal focus and pursuit of only the“Big Elephant” accounts can be one ofthe top reasons for sales rep failure.We have often heard it said thatsomeone failed because they couldnot see the big picture. This is a trueand also very important factor to con-sider.

However, when our total focus isonly on the big picture, we are mostdefinitely overlooking many smallerthings that will help us to get furtherahead... to get to where we trulywant to be in the long run.....to meetour goals and objectives......and also

to meet the needs of our customers indoing the best possible job for themthat we possibly can do. Though weall need the “Big Elephant,” we alsoneed the smaller accounts and in thelong run, multiple smaller accountscan in fact be the ticket to our reallong term success.

We are all familiar with the80/20rule. This rule holds true inalmost any way and by any standardby which we choose to apply it. Assuch, 80% of your business will comefrom only 20% of your customers. So,the real fact is, we need the smallaccounts too....mixed in with the bigaccounts.

The big accounts are not easy toland. I did not say impossible... just

often not easy. It takes a lot oftime, persistence and effort inorder to land the big account.Something else to consider: howequipped are you to go after thebig account? Do you have theproper tools and training?

Pursuing the “BigAccount”...the “Heavy Hitter,”as my Dad always says, is likegoing hunting....are you pre-pared for the hunt? Do youhave the right ammunition tohit your target?

In pursuing the “Big Account” ....the “Big Elephant,” you also have tostrongly consider the loyalty factorthat comes into play. In this segmentof the market, these “Big Elephants”..... the “Heavy Hitters” are often verysensitive to pricing due to their largevolume of business and therefore, yourun the risk of being out the door justas soon as a competitor comes in witha lower price.

It is always important, of course,to build as great of a relationship aspossible with these “Big Accounts,”but a great relationship so

often may just not be good enoughin this segment of your customerbase. So, if all of your eggs are in this

one basket or a just a few “HeavyHitter” baskets (ie: big accounts),then your sales can take a cata-strophic hit in a negative direction ifthis possibility does in fact become areality.

If you are not constantly pursuingaccounts of all types... big andsmall...new leads.... new opportuni-ties...as opposed to just concentratingon only the “Big Elephants,” then youare not going to consistently meetyour sales targets/objectives in thelong run.

When the “Big Elephants” desertyou.....leave you “high and dry” (andthey will definitely come and go), youhave to have somewhere else togo......or else. These “Big Elephants”can not be your total focus....orelse.......don’t let this happen toyou.....

RANDY BROWN is Advertising Manager of the BossierPress-Tribune and an 11-year veteran of marketing andmedia in Northwest Louisiana. He may be reached viaemail at [email protected].

RANDY E. BROWN

Opinion

Pursuing the ‘Big Elephant’

PERSPECTIVE MARKETING B-S (BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT)






These days, taking that familyvacation or weekend getaway canput a strain on anyone’s pocket.Fortunately, Shreveport-Bossierresidents don’t have to travel farfor a variety of great attractions.Turn your vacation into a “stayca-tion,” become a tourist in your owntown and check out some of thenewest hot spots:

Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville The highly-anticipated casino

makes its debut in June, packing19 acres of thrilling entertainmentand fun with it. The Bossier Citygaming destination will feature a30,000 square foot, single-level casi-no with more than 1,300 slotmachines and 46 table games. Inaddition, Margaritaville will includea spacious 18-story, 396-room hotel,live entertainment, a man-madevolcano and more. The casino resortis conveniently located next to theLouisiana Boardwalk ShoppingCenter, the area’s largest outdoorshopping venue at 777Margaritaville Way.

Boom or Bust Byway For an off-the-beaten path

adventure, learn about the region’sagricultural past, oil and gas“boomtowns” and present-day recre-ational lakes and bayous with thisunique tour. The 130-mile routealong La. Hwy. 2 features interpre-tive kiosks with information panelsthat tell the stories of Vivian, PlainDealing, Sarepta and Homer. Juststop by the Shreveport-BossierConvention and Tourist Bureau’sdowntown office at 629 Spring St.in Shreveport to pick up a Boom orBust Byway Scenic GPS Ranger,available in English, Spanish and

French translations. Or search“N La Byways” to downloadthe app on your smartphoneand you’re good to go.

New restaurantsBossier City’s restaurant

scene is in full bloom with neweateries popping up every-where. Take a bite at TheGarden Grille and Bar, locatedinside of the Hilton GardenInn/Homewood Suites byHilton in Bossier at 2015 Old

Minden Road. The restaurant isalready a favorite spot for every-thing from downhome daily platelunch specials to sophisticated din-ner options. Meanwhile, beer loverswill want to stop by Daq’s Wingsand Grill where they can choosefrom 24 beers on tap and chowdown on southern favorites includ-ing po-boys, chicken and alligatordishes. The bar and grill is locatedat 1705 Old Minden Road.

Gators and FriendsGators and Friends is offering up

something special this summer, a

new zip line tour of their alligatorpark and exotic zoo, located at off ofU.S. Hwy. 80 in Greenwood. Thezip line tour will open mid-May,bringing a scenic view of theirunique park to those adventurousenough to try. For those who arenew to the concept, a zip line con-sists of a pulley suspended on acable, mounted on an incline, allow-ing the rider to cover a lot of groundin a short amount of time. The tourusually lasts about one and a halfhours and is usually operated ingroups of six to ten people. The costis $69.95 per person and includesthe full zip line tour and admissionto the park.

For more “staycation” ideas,check out the online 2013 VisitorsGuide at visitors-guide.shreveport-bossier.org. For monthly updates onarea attractions and events, sub-scribe to the Getaways e-newsletterat www.shreveport-bossier.org.

DONECIA PEA works with media relations at theShreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.

PERSPECTIVE TOURISM

Explore Shreveport-Bossier’s New AttractionsDONECIA PEA

Opinion

New Things to Do Locally


PERSPECTIVE UN-COMMON SENSE MARKETING

Imagine you are a tourist andhave just arrived in a new town.Where do you look to find out whatis going on? How do you find outabout the great local restaurants,bars, stores, spas or other enter-tainment venues?

You could check out the tradi-tional sources like the front desk ofyour hotel, a newspaper, localnews, possibly even a Chamberwebsite. Or maybe you are likemany these days and pull out yourcell phone. It’s quick and easy to goto one of the many websites or appsthat give local information andreviews. A visitor often makes theirdecision based on what they areseeing online. People are visitingyour business already and leavingcomments about their experience.You had better be paying attention!

If you own a local business,wouldn’t you like to capture someof the tourist traffic? Our areadraws in lots of visitors for themany festivals, concerts, parades,

casinos, and conferences. You needto make your presence known inthe online world in order to attractthe flocks of people visiting ourcommunity.

Here are a few things you cando.

Make sure your website is up todate with current information. Areyou having a special event? A bigsale? Showcase it there.

Jump into the world of socialmedia and create a great Facebookpage. Most people are on Facebookand will look for you there anyway.

Make sure your page hasexcellent photos and/or graph-ics, and that it takes advan-tage of the twelve custom appareas. Some popular localuses of Facebook apps arelinks to your website, a calen-dar of events, or displayingyour menu.

Of course the variety ofcontent you post is mostimportant. You don’t just getto ask everyone to shop with

you! Talk about things going on inthe community, and help promoteyour neighbor businesses. Includelots of pictures, videos, and otherengaging items.

Are you on Yelp or UrbanSpoon? Have you checked into theGoogle+ Local app? These are allexamples of location based apps,and visitors are leaving commentsand reading reviews there.

Start a blog. Not only is thisgreat “Google juice,” but it givesthe readers a chance to get to know

you better. Let them see thehuman side of your business.

Do you have an email newslet-ter? There are a lot of inexpensiveoptions for this. It’s a great way tokeep customers and returning visi-tors in the loop about what is hap-pening. You could include coupons,too. This keeps your business top ofmind and provides that “drip mar-keting” that is so important.

We have so much to be proud ofin Northwest Louisiana, and we allneed your business to be a part ofthat success. Take time to check offa few of these things and enjoyattracting more of the tourist mar-ket.

AMY KINNAIRD is the owner of Uncommon SenseMarketing. She is a self-proclaimed Social MediaEvangelist. You can reach Amy at [email protected].

What Will Tourists Learn About You Online?AMY KINNAIRD

Opinion

How do you talk about your com-munity to outsiders? When youmeet people that are unfamiliarwith Shreveport-Bossier, whetheryou meet them here or outside thearea, do you tell them why you loveliving here? If you are uncertainhow to tell a stranger or newcomerto the area why they shouldbe excited to visit or live here,considering spending sometime living at home like atourist.

It is our job at the NorthLouisiana EconomicPartnership to market NorthLouisiana communities toprospective companies, butbehind those company deci-sions are people. When con-sidering sites for starting anew business or building anew facility, a factor that ranksquite high in the decision makingprocess is the quality of life a partic-ular place offers. If a CEO will beasking valued employees to relocateto a new community, or performinga national or international search tofind the talent to run the operation,they want those existing or prospec-tive employees to feel comfortablemoving themselves and their fami-lies to the new location. The same iftrue for existing companies needingto recruit talent.

On more than one occasion,prospective employers consideringNorth Louisiana have come to thearea a few days in advance of ascheduled visit to have some time toexplore on their own and get toknow a community anonymously.Frequently, when they engage alocal in conversation and note thatthey are from elsewhere, theresponse is something along thelines of “why would you come here?”This is not a comforting message tosomeone making an important busi-ness decision.

Most people live where they livebecause they choose to be there. Ifyou have chosen to live inShreveport-Bossier, do the commu-nity and yourself a favor and learnhow to be an ambassador for it. Thefirst step is to identify the thingsthat you enjoy doing in your freetime and become a subject matterexpert. The second step is to livelike a tourist in your own hometown.

The Shreveport-Bossier area hasa tremendous asset in theShreveport-Bossier Convention andTourist Bureau. If you have never

been, or have not been recently, it islocated in a newly renovated build-ing next to Festival Plaza onCrockett Street in downtownShreveport. Go visit sometime.They have an abundance of market-ing resources to share that are freeof charge. A favorite is the “Locals

Eat Here” guide. You don’t have tovisit their physical site, though, tobecome an ambassador; start by vis-iting their website at www.shreve-port-bossier.org. They have a calen-dar of upcoming events, maps, andsample itineraries, among manyother resources.

Another way to practice being atourist is to stay up to date andwhat’s new and exciting in the area.Sign up for email newsletters fromthe Convention & Tourist Bureau,the Shreveport DowntownDevelopment Authority,ShreveportBossierFunGuide.com,and any other special communityresources that you really enjoy, likeartspace, the Robinson Film Center,or one of our many museums. Thereis a wonderful community blog man-aged by the Convention and TouristBureau that highlights a variety ofarts, culture and culinary newscalled 20x49.com. The DowntownDevelopment Authority is in theprocess of building a volunteer armyto help with a large number ofdowntown events that are plannedto take place over the next year; inthe process, they will teach you to bea downtown ambassador. Considersigning up. Learn more [email protected].

Doing these things will make youa better ambassador for your com-munity, and in the process you willprobably have a lot of fun too.

ANGIE WHITE is Vice President, Workforce Marketing forthe North Louisiana Economic Partnership and overseesits workforce marketing program NEON, the NorthLouisiana Employment Opportunities Network. Visitwww.workthisway.org.


PERSPECTIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

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If you look hard enough, youcan find many obscure holidays,but few of them can instantly cap-ture people’s interest as much asBe a Millionaire Day, which is“celebrated” on May 20.While amassing a milliondollars may not be as sig-nificant a milestone as itused to be, most of uswould still feel pleased ifwe could someday attain“millionaire” status.While there are no perfectformulas or guarantees,here are some steps toconsider when workingtoward any investmentgoal:

Put time on your side.The earlier you begin saving andinvesting, the better your chancesof reaching your financial goal.You can’t expect to “strike it rich”immediately with any singleinvestment, but by investing yearin and year out, and by choosingquality investment vehicles, youhave the opportunity to achievegrowth over time.

Pay yourself first. If you waituntil you “have a little extramoney lying around” before youinvest, you may well never invest.Instead, try to “pay yourself first.”Each month, move some moneyautomatically from a checking orsavings account into an invest-ment. When you’re first startingout in the working world, youmight not be able to afford much,but as you advance in your career,you can increase your contribu-tions.

Control your debts. It’s easiersaid than done, but if you cankeep a lid on your debt payments,you’ll have more money withwhich to invest.

Take advantage of tax deferral.When you invest in tax-deferredvehicles, such as a traditionalIndividual Retirement Account(IRA) and your 401(k) or similaremployer-sponsored retirementplan, your money has the opportu-nity to grow faster than it would ifplaced in an investment on whichyou paid taxes each year. Ofcourse, when you start takingwithdrawals, presumably atretirement, you’ll have to paytaxes, but by then, you may be ina lower tax bracket. And sinceyou’ll have some control over your

withdrawals, you can help controltaxes, too.

Build share ownership. As aninvestor, one of the best thingsyou can do to build your wealth is

to increase the number of sharesyou own in your investments. So,look for buying opportunities,such as when prices are low. Also,consider reinvesting any dividendsor distributions you may receivefrom your investments.

Don’t be overly cautious. Foryour money to grow, you need toput a portion of your investmentdollars in growth-oriented vehi-cles, such as stocks. It is certainlytrue that stock prices will alwaysfluctuate, sometimes quitesharply, and you may receivemore or less than your originalinvestment when sold. But if youavoid stocks entirely in favor ofmore stable vehicles, you run therisk of earning returns that maynot keep you ahead of inflation.As you approach retirement, andeven during retirement, your port-folio will probably still need somegrowth potential. Work with yourfinancial advisor to determine theappropriate approach for you.

Think long term. By creating along-term investment strategyand sticking to it, you’ll be lesslikely to take a “timeout” frominvesting in response to perceivednegative news, such as marketdownturns and political crises.

Following these suggestionsmay someday allow you to reachthe point when your financialgoals become a reality for you.

WIL ADAMS is a financial advisor with EdwardJones. He can be reached at (318) 549-9155.

PERSPECTIVE FINANCIAL FOCUS

WIL ADAMS

Opinion

Can You Turn ‘Be aMillionaire Day’ into Reality?

Live Like a Tourist in NWLA

ANGIE WHITE

Opinion


NEWS EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY

This summer the CyberInnovation Center (CIC) will contin-ue its efforts in the advancement ofscience, technology, engineering,and mathematics (STEM) educa-tion. Over the next few months, theCIC’s National Integrated CyberEducation Research Center(NICERC) will offer a variety ofcyber education programs, host theEducation Discovery Forum, andemploy a number of college-levelengineering education interns.

As part of its national rollout,NICERC will partner withLouisiana Tech University and theUniversity of Baltimore to host mul-tiple sessions of Cyber Discovery.While immersed in CyberDiscovery, high school teachers andstudents will gain experience inengineering and computer sciencethrough discussion sessions, hands-on labs, a cryptographic treasurehunt, creative story-telling, and afinal cyber challenge. Additionally,NICERC will host Junior Cyber

Discovery, a dynamic program formiddle school teachers and studentsbased on the Cyber Discoverymodel. At this week-long day camp,students will build and programrobots and also design key parts byutilizing three dimensional, com-puter aided design (CAD) software.Students can then produce the partsthey designed with a three dimen-sional printer and use them in thefinal cyber challenge.

“Through these innovative pro-grams, we hope to engage more stu-dents in STEM and provide teach-ers with the necessary hands-onsupport. Ultimately, our main goalis to work with teachers to drivemore students toward STEMcareers; creating a capable STEMworkforce is critical for the futuresuccess of our nation,” said PaulSpivey, NICERC’s Deputy Director

NICERC will also host the inau-gural Education Discovery Forum, aweek-long professional developmentexperience for K-12 teachers.

Educators interested in implement-ing innovative, project-driven cur-ricula will come together at onevenue to receive hands-on trainingfrom NICERC’s national subjectmatter experts.

“We developed the EducationDiscovery Forum to celebrate andempower teachers,” explained G.B.Cazes, Vice President of the CIC.“By creating a network of K-12teachers and building relationshipswith university faculty, we candevelop a systemic and sustainablechange in education.”

NICERC will welcome multiplecollege students representingRutgers University, SyracuseUniversity, Emory University, andGeorgia Institute of Technology fora ten week engineering educationinternship program this summer.During their internships, the stu-dents will work first-hand withmany of NICERC’s educational pro-grams and help design new curricu-la for K-12 grade levels.

Additionally, the interns will sup-port Cyber Discovery and theEducation Discovery Forum. Laterin the summer, they will travel withthe NICERC team to the AmericanSociety for Engineering Education(ASEE) Conference.

“NICERC’s engineering educa-tion internship program is a mean-ingful opportunity for undergradu-ate and graduate students to experi-ence national quality engineeringeducation in practice. The studentswill work with national subject mat-ter experts gaining valuable insightin the area of K-12 curriculumdesign and implementation,”explained Dr. Krystal Corbett,NICERC’s Director of Curriculum.

For more information aboutNICERC’s educational programsand curricula or if you are a K-12teacher interested in attending theEducation Discovery Forum, pleasevisit www.nicerc.org.

— BUSINESS MONTHLY

Cyber Innovation Center Prepares for Summer Programs


What is it about some cities thatinspire songs, engender loyalty, andmake people want to live there?What is that indefinable quality thatmakes you fall in love with a commu-nity? The concept of Quality of Place,the study of objective conditions ofthe surroundings, seeks to measurethe factors that draw people, especial-ly creative and technically skilledpeople, to some communities and notothers. As a regional economic devel-opment organization, NorthLouisiana Economic Partnershipfocuses a great deal of attention tothe location decisions of companies.But until recently, we as economicdevelopers had not paid as muchattention to how people make thosesame choices.

The term, Quality of Place, unlikethe traditional concept of Quality ofLife, covers the unique set of charac-teristics that define a place and makeit attractive. Why is this important?For city leaders, retaining andrecruiting residents means more taxrevenue and a more robust and thriv-ing community. For economic devel-opment, a quality place attracts askilled workforce and more con-sumers which in turn attract morecompanies to locate to your area.

A recent Gallup-KnightFoundation study of more than43,000 people in 26 cities discovered

some surprising findings about howQuality of Place can actually impacteconomic prosperity. The three-yearstudy shows that people’s love andpassion for their community may bea leading indicator for local economicgrowth. The 26 cities in the surveywith the highest levels of “residentattachment” also had the highestrates of GDP growth over time. Thestudy seems to indicate when a com-munity’s residents are highlyattached, they will spend more timethere, spend more money, and aremore productive. They also tend tobe more entrepreneurial.

The study also reveals the threebiggest drivers of resident attach-ment are not what you might think.Surprisingly, social offerings, open-ness and beauty are far more impor-

tant than peoples’ perceptionsof the economy, jobs or basicservices in creating a lastingemotional bond between peopleand their community.

Social offerings are places forpeople to meet and form connec-tions, which nurture the feelingthat people in the communitycare about each other. In thelast several years, Shreveport-Bossier has developed morespaces where people can con-nect, such as Artspace, theRobinson Film Center, andyouth sports facilities. These

social connections are vital in emo-tionally anchoring people to theircommunities.

Openness describes how welcom-ing the community is to differenttypes of people, including familieswith young children, minorities, andtalented college graduates. In thisarea, our natural southern hospitali-ty lends itself to a sense of openness.Strangers moving into a new neigh-borhood do not remain strangers verylong, as neighbors open their homesand hearts to newcomers. Here is anarea where any one of us can have animpact from inviting a new coworkerover to dinner to welcoming a newfamily into the neighborhood.

The aesthetics or physical beautyof the community includes the avail-

ability of parks and green spaces.Shreveport-Bossier has made greatstrides in the last several years inbeautifying its public spaces fromrevitalizing the downtown area toimproving parks and biking paths toredeveloping abandoned industrialspace into a thriving retail district.

An attractive place doesn’t have tobe a big city, but it does have to bevibrant—seething with the interplayof culture and ideas, where outsiderscan quickly become insiders and any-one can find a peer group to be com-fortable with and stimulated by.

Quality of place defines the verysoul of a successful community. Theattributes that contribute to creatinga quality place—social offerings,openness, aesthetics—add up to thethings that everyone wants in theircommunities. This is not to say thatjobs, schools, and safety do not alsomatter; of course they do. What theGallup-Knight study points out isthat other factors are equally asimportant, and regions had betterpay attention to these attributes ifthey want a strong economy.

SCOTT MARTINEZ is a certified economic developer andPresident of the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, apublic-private partnership dedicated to the economicdevelopment of North Louisiana. Send comments [email protected].

SCOTT MARTINEZ

Opinion

North Louisiana: A Quality PlacePERSPECTIVE ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FRONT


It‘s a big-box store where menlove to “shop”…Lowe’s. I foundthe item I wanted and hiked tothe check-out counter only to dis-cover the infamous barcode wasnot attached. I should know bet-ter. The check-out lady said shewould have to page someone toget the number. I knew the rou-tine and told her it would takeless time if I went back and gotone with the number attached. Shesmiled with mutual understanding.

Just then, a former co-workerwalked by. We began a “how are you”conversation. After 5 minutes, theLowe’s employee tapped me on theshoulder. “Here’s the bar-code numberand your item. You can checkoutwhenever you like.” She did it with asmile and appreciation for my $10purchase. Both I and my friend com-mented on the great service andagreed that is why we both keep com-ing back.

This isn’t just about Lowe’s. This isabout service creating customer loyal-ty. This big box store is only a hundredyards from another big-box with samemerchandise. It’s the little things thatbring me back to this one over thatone.

What are some little things you andyour sales team could offer me so Iwould want to come back to YOU?Sounds like a great sales meetingtopic and time for me to make anotherlist.

Smile (non verbal communication

is up to 55% of the communicationprocess)

Dress and groom yourself for thepart

If I’m calling, smile at the phone (Ican hear the smile)

Say “Hello / Good Morning” (soundlike you mean it and look me in theeyes)

Offer to help me find my itemLead (don’t direct) me to the item Thank me for shopping in your

storeKeep your store clean (especially

the restrooms)Invite me backListen to me (nod /smile and please

let me finish)Be knowledgeable about the prod-

uct or serviceLook for the opportunity to impress

meDo what is above and beyond my

expectationsUnder promise and over deliver

As far as I can tell, none of theseactions will cost you or your companyany extra except for the time to plan,prepare and practice. YES, you haveto train your team and let them knowwhat is expected.

When all is said and done, yourteam will look at your actions.Demonstrate what you expect. Lead!And don’t forget, they will “respect”the little things you “inspect”.

JERRY FRENTRESS — Speaker & Coach, Win-WinPower(ful) Tools for Sales, Service and EmployeeInterviewing. Website: www.WinWinPowerTools.com.

Business Facebook:www.Facebook.com/WinWinPowerTools . 453-6080/ Bossier City

PERSPECTIVE WIN WIN POWER TOOLS

JERRY FRENTRESS

Opinion

The Little Things Are Powerful in Sales



Documents

Business Monthly - May 2013