Midsummer Night’s Dream set to take The Pearl by storm in July

The annual A Midsummer Night’s Dream charity benefit, organized by the Home Builders Association, has kicked off the NW Natural Street of Dreams with style and class for the last 25 years. And the 2009 rendition, which takes place July 30, promises to impress like never before as it takes guests on a unique journey through Portland’s beautiful Pearl District.

This year’s first ever urban edition of the event, themed Treasures in the Pearl, offers attendees a sneak peek at the nine condominium homes featured in the show while raising money for local charities. Since its inception in 1983, this benefit has provided more than $1.2 million for 72 local charities.

Special features of the 2009 event include:

• Five parties in one: Delicious cuisine, wine, beer and live entertainment will greet guests at the event’s headquarters, Portland Center Stage, along with at each of the four highlighted buildings: 937, Block 90, Encore and Waterfront Pearl.
• A uniquely Portland culinary experience: Bay 13, Henry’s 12th Street Tavern, Palamino Restaurant Rotisseria & Bar, Paragon Restaurant & Bar, and PF Chang’s China Bistro will provide the evening’s delicious local delicacies.
• Limousines shuttles: Guests will travel in luxury as they are shuttled from location to location by JMI Limousines. (Contact JMI for evening deals.)
• Live music and dance performances: Body Vox and a number of local musical performers will get the party started with unique live entertainment. Performers will also whimsically dance attendees to the event’s closer condo locations.

“This one-of-a-kind event is packed full of fun and surprises,” said Jennifer Wessling, the MSND coordinator. “There is no better opportunity for people to come experience the beauty that is the Pearl District while joining together for a good cause.”

Tickets are now on sale at www.streetofdreamspdx.com and can be purchased at the HBA office. Tickets are $100 and as an additional bonus, each MSND ticket may be exchanged at the end of the event for a ticket to the 2009 NW Natural Street of Dreams (a $15 value). Ticket sales from this year’s event benefit three local charities known for their dedication to creating a better environment and better future for those in need in the Portland area.

HBA Golf Classic

Nearly 150 golfers hit the links at Stone Creek Golf Club today for the annual HBA Golf Classic. Many thanks to our generous sponsors for making this event successful…

Breakfast Sponsor:  W.B. Wells
Beverage Sponsor: Lakeside Lumber
Golf Cart Sponsor: Sherwin Williams
Hole Sponsors: Aflac, Alpine Mortgage, Apollo Pools, Art4orm, Gary’s Vacuflo, HBW 2-10, Home Builders Foundation, Newberg Ford, NW Natural, Pacific Lumber, PARR Lumber, Pro Build, Rodda Paint, The Saunders Company, ServePro of Tigard/Tualatin and Sterling Savings Bank

Fist Place Team

2nd Place Team

3rd Place Team

Social Media: Facebook and LinkedIn

By Kevin Curry, Command Consulting part 3 of a 3 part series.  Also see Twitter and Blogging.

Online social networking is not just “social” anymore. It has become an integral part of business networking as well. In our final segment, here’s a look at two of the internet’s biggest, Facebook and LinkedIn, and how they can be used for business networking.

Originally started as a social networking site for Harvard University students, Facebook has exploded far beyond its original scope. It grew slowly at first, allowing other Ivy League students on board, then expanding to all college students, and finally to anyone age 13 and over. In fact, ask anyone in their early 20’s about Facebook and you just might get a disgruntled reply that “my parents and grandparents are taking over Facebook!”

Users create Facebook pages which allow them to link to Facebook networks, organizations and causes. People can search for other Facebook users by identifiers like high school, college, and other shared organizations. Users extend a Friend Request to people they would like to follow and have access to their personal pages. This is different from Twitter where people can just follow you and do not have to have an approved request. Your Facebook page can include personal info, photos, links to stories, and numerous time wasting games and diversions. The explosion in usage for those over 25 can be linked primarily to using Facebook to reconnect with old friends and with family.

LinkedIn is a business-oriented site that focuses on professional networking. Similar to Facebook, you set up a page and people request to be linked to your professional network. Far different than Facebook, however, is LinkedIn’s primary goal of professional networking.

So, how can Facebook and LinkedIn be used to promote your business? Your Facebook friends are a great audience to tell about your business, your accomplishments and your expertise. After all, word of mouth is one of the best ways to get referrals, so keeping you and your business top of mind with others is vitally important. And LinkedIn can help establish you and your company as experts in your field and communicate that message to an audience far beyond your immediate contacts.

Setting up a specific business page in Facebook is also effective. Kevin York with Art4orm did that recently for the new home sale his company promoted for two Portland-area builders. “We just launched our new Facebook page for NewHomeSale.org,” York said, with the goal being “to not only give them information about this large builder sale but to also educate them about the home buying process.”

Angela Todd of Angela Todd Designs uses her Facebook page as another landing spot for her blog posts, utilizing an RSS feed to take the info from her regular blog and post it to her Facebook page. She also uses the Facebook Status Updates to post thoughts, comments and tips on interior design.

Online social media and the tools used to implement them are a new and fast growing part of business marketing and communication. If you feel left behind, don’t, because most are just learning about it and figuring it out. But it can be an important part of every businesse’s coordinated communication plan. So, wade into the social media pool, test out the waters a little. Soon you’ll be swimming right along with everyone else.

Kevin Curry is a partner in Command Consulting. You can follow his online social media in these places:
Company Blog: www.CommandConsulting.com
Personal Blog: www.ThinCurrent.com
Twitter: twitter.com/KevinCurry
Facebook and LinkedIn

FACEBOOK/LINKEDIN TIPS

How do you navigate these growing new medias successfully? Todd and York offer some thoughts:

- Todd: Give credit to the source when you use photos or concepts that aren’t your own. Link to them if it is listed online.
- York: Keep in mind it’s in real time and live to the world. Make sure that you post is clear and concise. Don’t leave anything open for assumption.
- Todd: When you finish a satisfying project, are acknowledged by your peers, win or are nominated for an award, teach a class, make an appearance, or do a non-profit project for goodwill, let your network know. They want to see you successful and they will remember you as a subject matter expert in your field.
- York: Don’t over think it and have fun. Building your network of friends or fans should be exciting.

June PRO Luncheon

Thank you to The Closet Factory for sponsoring our luncheon today and thank you to our speaker Kris Sleeman of Element Design and Strategy.

King of the Grill: Evo flattop appliance

I recently stopped by the Ferguson’s showroom on NW 18th in Portland (which is awsome you should totally check it out) and saw a cooking demonstration of the Evo cooktop.  With summer upon us this would be a great alternative to the traditional outdoor grill for outdoor living spaces.  Plus, they have indoor and tabletop versions so the good times can last all year long.  Read the excerpt below then jump over to their website or walk into Ferguson, BASCO or the NW Natural Appliance Center to learn more.

From Evo Website:

Certain cooking styles (more than others) reveal the wonderful flavor potential of foods- particularly steak, seafood, and vegetables. With Evo’s circular flattop cooking surface you have the ability to sear, sauté, braise, boil, roast, steam, stir-fry, bake, poach, toast, fry and grill. Similar to traditional cast-iron pan cooking techniques, Evo’s large and versatile cooking surface lets you cook foods while highlighting the natural wonderful caramelized flavors of food.

Evo’s cook surface gives you ample room to cook whole pieces of meat or fish. Professional chefs know that sear cooking with high heat caramelizes the natural carbohydrates of food, turning them into flavorful, natural sugars. The contrast in taste between the seared outside crust and the interior makes food more interesting and fun to eat.

Evo’s cook surface also protects food from the negative effects of charring, which is a familiar problem with open-flame barbeque grills. Burning and charring of food is not the same as searing and caramelization. With an open-flame grill, the leaping flames and pulsating heat cause proteins to repetitively contract and relax, expelling natural, flavorful juices. Cooking foods on Evo’s solid plate cooking surface eliminates any chance of food coming into contact with a direct open flame, so you can cook moist, tender meats and poultry without the burn and char.

Additionally, the design of Evo’s cooking surface has a slightly crowned shape that allows cooking juices and liquids to flow from the center to the outside edge and into the drip tray below. This allows you to keep foods separated across the cook surface, and if you’re cooking several things at one time, it also allows you maintain the distinct flavor of each item being cooked. Unlike open-flame grated grills that allow cooking juices to smolder and smoke everything with a universal charred taste, Evo lets food cook in its own juices and provides wonderful natural aroma that enhances the taste experience.

Workers Compensation Insurance Discount

SAIF Corporation has announced that the new discount for HBA members insured in the HBA group program, for the year beginning July 1, 2009, would be 9%.  This is a significant increase from the 5% discount offered last year, and will save HBA members many thousands of dollars on workers compensation insurance with SAIF.

The discount offered to HBA members insured with SAIF is calculated annually by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI).  The calculation determines, based on previous years’ data, an estimate of how much safer companies who join the HBA are expected to be.

The use of discount plans for groups like the HBA was approved by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) in 1993.  The process links group discounts to the actual performance of the group.  The DCBS reviewed NCCI’s calculations of the HBA discount and approved the new 9% discount in May, 2009.

Oregon insurance rules require that policyholders be members of the HBA to receive the discount.  If membership in the HBA lapses, SAIF must remove the group discount immediately.  The rules also only permit the discount to be added at policy inception.  So companies removed from the discount program can only become re-eligible at the next SAIF policy renewal.

In addition to HBA membership, there are other requirements to qualify for the group discount, including a minimum premium size and a record of safety. 

HBA members, working together, and working safely, have earned a significant discount for the coming year.  For questions about the SAIF Oregon Group Supplemental Experience Rating Plan (OGSERP) for HBA members, contact Jeff DeHaan, President of Montgomery & Graham Property & Casualty—a Benefits Partner of the HBA of Metropolitan Portland at jdehaan(at)mg-pc(dot)com or at 971-327-5793.

National News: Practical Stategies for Green Marketing

Leading a seminar at the NAHB National Green Building Conference earlier this month in Dallas on “Practical Strategies for Green Marketing,” Jim Groff, president of the York, Pa. firm Baublitz Advertising, offered some ideas on how green builders and remodelers can become a dominant force in their marketplace.

1. Know your stuff, he said. “Confused people don’t buy,” Groff said, and successful green builders and remodelers cut through that confusion by positioning themselves as a source of knowledge. That doesn’t mean that every builder must be an expert in all aspects of green design and construction, any more than a successful Little League coach must be an expert on the rules of baseball. “You don’t need to know everything. You just need to know more than the kids,” he said. That said, builders should know where to get the information they need – and start with NAHB. “Be a good student to be a good teacher,” Groff said.
2. Make sure that you have a written communications plan for your company that includes an assessment of the overall market, target audience, the effect of trends, what media to use, a message and a timeline. “You can’t be all things to all people,” Groff said.  A written plan also ensures that expectations are clear and that the builder can gauge whether the plan is achieving its goal. “What is your objective? Do you want people to visit your Web site, or attend a seminar?” he asked. When hiring an outside firm, expect to pay between 2% and 5% of total sales on marketing and media, he said. “Every expenditure is like tuition. You learn from your mistakes,” Groff said.
3. Make sure the message you choose differentiates your business from the competition. The message, Groff said, “has to be more than about quality or green. It has to be unique, meaningful and credible. If it doesn’t mean anything to your target market, it doesn’t mean anything.” One good selling point is value, he said. Builders cannot promise energy savings but they can talk about features that can help achieve it. “Even smart people often need you to connect the dots,” he said.
4. Make sure your customers understand the importance of your credentials and certifications, including the Certified Green Professional designation, an NAHBGreen-certified home or a Green Approved building product. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it, Groff said. Even if it’s true that in 10 years everyone will be green, it’s still an advantage for now. “Use it for the next 10 years,” he advised.
5. “Fish where the fish are,” said Groff. So-called “dark green” home buyers still trend toward being affluent, well-educated, married and 40-ish. “Medium green” buyers are looking for hope, convenience and prevention of possible health issues or high energy prices. “Light green” buyers are driven mostly by self-expression and status, he said. “Qualify your prospects. Listen more than you tell,” he added. “You don’t know what their hot buttons are if you are doing all the talking.”
6. Choose tactics that are right for your target audience – and also your budget. First, all corporate identity materials – truck logos, uniforms, the Web site – should be “professional and consistent,” he said. Beyond that, take advantage of public speaking engagements, social networks such as Facebook, home parade and expo participation, e-newsletters and other means “as frequently as you can give folks meaningful information,” and establish yourself as the expert they seek.
7. If you decide to hire an advertising or public relations agency, shop around, Groff said. Make sure that work samples are the product of people who are currently on staff; also, share your budget and discuss expected results. “Look for compatibility, clear dialogue; find someone you trust, and take their advice,” he said.
8. Don’t overpromise. “Speak the truth” about energy-efficiency claims or possible health benefits, Groff said. “Never greenwash, because all of us will lose.” All builders and remodelers who are going green are “growing” the category – but early adaptors will get the earliest benefit. Once the market returns, “growth will benefit the category leaders,” and that’s likely to be green builders, Groff said.

June New Members of PRO

Welcome new members of PRO:

• Ken Millard, Aries Engineering
• Larry Bentley, American Elevator Corp.
• Carol O’Quinn, Eastbank Interiors Inc.
• Tracey Carsner, Night & Day Blinds