Archive | December, 2009

Higher Education in 2009 Funny? “College Bound” Pokes Fun at the Lighter Side of Higher Education

23 Dec

Paskill Stapleton & Lord’s New Comic Strip Highlights the Painfully Funny About Life in Higher Education.

Glenside, PA – December 24, 2009 – Most would not see a connection between the terms “Higher Education” and “Humor,” until Paskill Stapleton & Lord partnered with Cartoonist Terry LaBan to publish “College Bound.” Focused on the funny side of life behind the scenes at our institutions of higher learning, the comic strip resonates with the faculty, staff and administrators of schools across the United States.

For the thousands of colleges and universities across America, 2009 was a roller coaster year. The recession took its toll on endowments and admissions. Colleges are readying for the shrinking high school application pool. There is humor, however, to be found within the changing landscape of higher education. In an effort to expose this humorous underbelly, Paskill Stapleton & Lord, the enrollment marketing and management firm for colleges and universities, introduced ‘College Bound’, a bi-weekly comic strip that highlights what is funny about the world of higher education.

Co-created by Paskill Stapleton & Lord and Terry LaBan, the author-illustrator of the nationally syndicated Edge City, the 4-6 panel ‘College Bound’ comic strip has tackled such topics as budget cuts, helicopter parents, social media, intransigent IT departments and college mascots.

Response has been good:

  • “Thank you very much for this comic stip. As a college president, I’m always on the lookout for new material. Hopefully you won’t mind if I use some of your material from time to time.” Mike Mace, President, Rocky Mountain College
  • “Love the cartoons…keep them coming. In these trying times we need all the humor we can get!” DeeDee Barnes Bruns, Assoc. VP for Enrollment Management , The University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • “I loved the College Bound comic!  Keep them coming.  I will share them with our staff.  We all need to take a break to smile once in a while.” Terry E. Stine, President, Boise Bible College

Paskill Stapleton & Lord sends the comic to recipients of its email list and publishes College Bound on the Paskill Stapleton & Lord blog.

About Paskill Stapleton & Lord

Paskill Stapleton & Lord is a marketing firm specializing in higher education marketing, recruiting and enrollment. The firm works with colleges and universities across America. Whether it is consulting on recruiting strategies, developing traditional recruitment publications, planning, creating and placing advertisement to attract adult students or developing web sites that engage the audience, there is always one goal; to recruit students that will graduate and value the experience enough to pay their fair share. For more information go to the website http://www.psandl.com.

About Terry LaBan

Terry LaBan has been a professional cartoonist since 1986, when he began his career freelancing political cartoons for the Ann Arbor News. In 2001, King Features Syndicate syndicated Edge City, a daily comic strip about modern family life drawn by Terry and co-written with his wife, Patty LaBan. It continues to run in papers throughout the country, and a paperback collection was published in 2007. He is creator of the comic book series Unsupervised Existence and Cud. His work has appeared in Blab, Mad Magazine, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Details, and he continues to work as a freelancer writer-illustrator for DC Comics and Disney. For more information go to his website: http://www.LaBanarama.com.

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KenCrest Announces Instructional Videos for People with Autism

22 Dec

Mi-Stories (TM) Will Help Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Videos Offer Guidance In Handling Everyday Situations

December 23, 2009, Plymouth Meeting, PA – Mi-Stories (TM) were created by Debbie Lord of Harleysville, Pa, a Speech Language Pathologist who directs Health, Clinical and program supports; and KenCrest Center and are designed as brief social scenarios that focus on everyday activities. The videos, ranging from 2 – 4 minutes in length, will target communication and social behavior in community settings. They can be viewed on an iPod to allow an adolescent or adult with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities to easily watch them and learn the appropriate social behavior in a variety of different situations. The stories can also show the viewer what to expect in certain situations.

Mi-Stories (TM) utilize modeling, social scripting, and visual strategies to help target appropriate communication, behavior and social skills. There are numerous stories available including going to the grocery store, going to a restaurant, calming, getting dresses, crossing the street, riding in the car, as well as a video on how to use the iPod and a parent training protocol. More stories will be available soon.

Mi-Stories (TM) came about as Debbie Lord was asked to develop social stories for individuals served by KenCrest’s transition age after-school program, EDUCARE. “We were developing stories to help these kids, many of who are kids with autism, understand the appropriate things to do and how to act in certain situations.” Lord said. KenCrest received several grants to help with this project.

The Mi-Stories (TM) work in numerous ways. People with disabilities are able to watch the stories and hear and see appropriate behavior and social interaction. They also hear a scripted social scenario that describes how to act and interact all while watching the story. Also, with the iPod, the story can be utilized right before or during the activity, if necessary.

Debbie Lord has made presentations on Mi-Stories (TM) at the American Speech Language and Hearing Association in 2008 and 2009 and the Council for Exceptional Children National and Sate conference in 2009 and will make numerous other presentations over the next year.

For those interested,  Mi-Stories (TM) can be purchased on the KenCrest’s Website

About KenCrest

Now in its 104th year, KenCrest was founded in Philadelphia in affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Today, KenCrest serves more than 7,800 children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities at 375 locations in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Philadelphia Business Journal named KenCrest a “Best Place to Work” for large companies for four straight years. KenCrest has pioneered community homes for people with developmental disabilities in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The agency now operates 100 community homes. For more information about KenCrest’s services, please call: (610) 825-9360, or visit www.kencrest.org

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Eastern University Website Earns a Superior Grade

22 Dec

The Pennsylvania Christian University Earned the Third Highest Score Given by EDU Checkup. Criteria Included Graphics and Imagery, Content and Navigability and Coding.

St. Davids, PA, December 23, 2009: The Eastern University Web site was one of 100 university/college sites reviewed by EDU Checkup in 2009 and achieved an overall 96-A rating. This was the third highest score given–just behind Ohio State, Maryland Institute College of Art, and tied with University of Alabama. Eastern’s Web site scored a 96 in graphics and imagery, a 96 in content and navigability, and another 96 in the behind-the-scenes coding.

EDU Checkup is the project of Nick DeNardis, the Associate Director of Web Communications at Wayne State University. He says, “One of my many tasks is to review and benchmark other university Web sites. I use EduStyle.net, a higher education Web site gallery, as a tool to find and score other university Web pages.” When asked about the Eastern University site, DeNardis said, “You guys should be proud! From a prospective student point of view, you have a pretty rock-solid understanding where they need to go and created a great experience for them.”

The website for this Philadelphia Christian University was completely redesigned about a year and a half ago by Eastern’s Web team and Communications Office working in conjunction with the firm of Wall to Wall Studios based in Pittsburgh, PA. Quincy Adam, Eastern’s Director of Multimedia Services, did most of the graphic design involved in moving content into the new templates created by Wall to Wall Studios. All of the technical transition was handled by Mark Hoffman and Vladimir Gordynskiy of the Administrative Computing department.

Rick Simmons of Dinkum Interactive has tracked how Eastern’s Web traffic has doubled over the past year. He says, “Our focus at Dinkum Interactive is to drive appropriate traffic to the Eastern University Web site. As with most Pennsylvania universities, the website is critical to the University’s success and we believe the analysis presented by EDU Checkup is well done.”

The Eastern University website review of can be found at: EDU Checkup’s Review of Eastern University

About Eastern University

Eastern is a Christian university that transforms its students’ lives. It prepares and inspires them to go out and make a difference in their communities and the world. All education at Eastern is rooted in its core values of faith, reason and justice. Students of all ages are encouraged to grow in their Christian faith, achieve their highest academic goals, and help bring justice to the poor, oppressed and marginalized. Thousands of Eastern University alumni are doing just that throughout the world. Visit http://www.eastern.edu.

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Marks, Sokolov & Burd Offer Insight Into The Pavlo Lazarenko Trial

20 Dec

International Lawyers Bruce Marks and Gene Burd Featured at Noviy Most Press Conference in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Expert Commentary Offered on the Pavlo Lazarenko case.

December 20, 2009, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine – Attorneys Bruce Marks and Gene Burd from the Philadelphia law firm of Marks, Sokolov and Burd were the guests at the IA New Bridge Press Center to discuss the status of the Pavlo Lazarenko case. Lazarenko was recently sentenced to a 97-month prison term and is expected to remain in custody until fall 2012. As a Ukrainian politician and former Prime Minister, Lazarenko was found guilty in the United States of money laundering, wire fraud and extortion in 2004.

Having begun his political career in Dnepropetrovsk, the Lazarenko case has been closely followed by American lawyers in Kyiv, Ukraine and the United States, as well as the general public. As a presidential representative of the Dnepropetrovsk region, Pavlo Lazarenko was a supporter of former President Kravchuk, but later formed ties with newly elected President Kuchma who initially appointed him to the Cabinet Ministers of Ukraine and later to Prime Minister. During his tenure as Prime Minister, Lazarenko reputedly looted in excess of $300M from the Ukrainian people.

Lazarenko’s resignation in 1997, his subsequent political activities and his later attempts to elude capture attracted the interest of many, including Marks, Sokolov & Burd, which maintains a Ukraine law office. As American lawyers familiar with the court proceedings, Bruce Marks and Gene Burd were invited to explain the developments in the case to the Ukrainian audience.

Basics of the Lazarenko Case

With their knowledge of American law, its interplay with the Ukrainian issues, as well as the underlying political circumstances, the Philadelphia attorneys reviewed the basic events of the case:

* February1999: Lazarenko Detained by US Immigration Authorities
* June 1999: Detention Status Changed to Criminal
* May 2000: Ukrainian Authorities Requested Extradition for Murder
* June 2003: Released to 63-Month House Arrest
* October 2008: Imprisoned Based on Conviction for Money Laundering, Wire Fraud and Extortion

Afterward, Marks and Burd, though primarily dealing with commercial disputes resolution, each offered insight based on their experience as an international litigator:

Lazarenko’s Prison Sentence

Bruce Marks used his experience as an international litigator, as well as a Philadelphia lawyer to address Lazarenko’s prison sentence. Initially, the former Ukranian Prime Minister was facing 108 months in prison, however some charges were dropped lowering potential prison time to 97 months. Having already served 50 months, Lazarenko’s sentence was could be further lowered for good behavior, which was discussed at length. Mr. Marks indicated that Pavlo Lazarenko will remain in prison for another 334-35 months which should place his release date sometime in October 2012.

Lazarenko’s Deportation Upon Release

Gene Burd discussed what would happen after Pavlo Lazarenko’s release, since the United States deports convicted criminals upon their release. With the numerous complications of the case, every citizen and the lawyers from Ukrainian law firms are interested in Lazarenko’s final destination. “Usually, the individual is either deported to the country from which they came; in this case Greece, or Ukraine – the country of citizenship” suggested Burd as Lazarenko had been originally detained when coming into the United States from Greece. “However, deportation to Greece would require its consent which would be a political issue; thus, the most likely alternative will be Ukraine” added Burd. “There are still other possibilities such as the agreement of a third country to accept him, or he can avoid deportation and move to a country of his choice if it accepts him.”

About Marks, Sokolov & Burd LLC

Marks, Sokolov & Burd is an international law firm with offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kyiv, Ukraine and Moscow, Russia. The firm provides a full range of international litigation and arbitration services to Ukrainian and Russian businesses and individuals in the United States. Marks, Sokolov & Burd is known for its extensive experience in handling international transactions between Western, Ukrainian and Russian businesses.

Keywords: lawyers kiyv, Ukraine law office, Philadelphia attorneys, international litigator, Philadelphia lawyer, Ukrainian law firm, Marks, Sokolov & Burd, Bruce Marks, Gene Burd

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Performance Food Centers Announces the Opening of Xanadu Health Club and Juice Bar

11 Dec

Nutrition takes Center Stage at Xanadu Health Club. Partnership with Performance Food Centers Seen as a Good Choice

Pottstown, PA December 11th, 2009 – Performance Food Centers congratulates sisters Simone Shepley and Samantha Zold-O’Halloran on the opening of Xanadu Health Club and Juice Bar. Located in Ontario, Canada, Xanadu is a 35,000 sq ft facility featuring all the amenities necessary for overall wellness.

The sisters’s idea of opening a health club and juice bar was formed over four years ago with the idea of starting a business. While there were many options discussed, a health club seemed like a natural choice. “Not a Gym, but a Club!” sisters Simone and Samantha agreed. “A place where all are welcome and where nutrition is taught up front.”

Simone and Samantha’s journey began when they approached their father, a former health club owner about a health club with a health juice bar. Surprised when he produced records from the gyms that he operated over 40 years ago, the sisters were taken aback when he asked “Do you know how much that costs?” After the initial discussion was somewhat discouraging, the two women where excited when their father called them the next day to say “Let’s talk.”

Once the decision was made to move forward, the sisters needed a name for their business: “Xanadu” was a natural choice. Suggested by their mother, Impressive Xanadu had been a wild stallion that the family kept as a pet. After being confronted with a serious illness, Xanadu overcame the challenge to become a blue-ribbon World Championship Quarter Horse. “This is what Xanadu is all about, doctoring people back to health, to be the best that they can be!”

A smoothie juice bar was considered a primary part of the health club concept. Having learned the importance of nutrition at an early age, the sisters felt that it had to be a center piece at the Xanadu Health Club and Juice Bar. It was imperative to find a juice bar supplier that carried the type of pure, all-natural products so important to the core concept of the club. Performance Food Centers proved to be the right choice for Xanadu.

“We were taught growing up to eat off the land and avoid preservatives; Performance Food Centers was the only company that thinks like us!” mentioned Simone. “The health club industry uses some unhealthy products; the so called “health” magazines are filled with ads for unhealthy things. Our search was difficult until we found PFC.” Simone continued “We tasted Performance Food’s line of products and not to our surprise they were wonderful.”

“Our experience with Performance Food Centers has been wonderful; everyone has been so accommodating and friendly” mentions co-owner Simone Shepley. “Our Sales Representative Andrea is incredibly friendly and she made starting a juice bar a breeze.” After Performance Food Centers Founder and CEO Dan Young came to Xanadu to perform some onsite training Simone mentions, “Months later, our staff is still talking about what Dan taught them. He truly is full of knowledge.”

Selecting Performance Food Centers to supply all the ingredients for Xanadu’s healthy fitness smoothies , juice drinks and snacks was considered a good decision. After being open for three months, Simone reflects “We now look back and see the decisions that we made and assess if they were the right or wrong ones. PFC was definitely one of the right ones. We are a new club with a growing membership and our penetration level of selling healthy shakes versus the amount of members walking through the club is huge already.”  Furthermore, as the owners continue to grow their business, the juice bar café will continue to be an excellent profit center.

About Xanadu Health Club

Xanadu Health Club is a 35,000 sq. ft. facility with outdoor training area, PGA approved golf green, private showers and relaxation area with innovative programs for seniors and couples, extensive women’s-only area, personal training…done right, independent yoga, spinning and aerobics rooms, world class saunas and steam rooms, lounge complete with cooking classes and an all-natural Juice Bar.   They are located at 446 Advance Blvd Lakeshore, Ontario and can be contacted at (519) 727-8822 or www.whatisxanadu.com

About Performance Food Centers

Performance Food Centers is an industry leader in the planning, design, operation and supply of juice bars across North America. Serving over 915 juice bars, fitness centers, schools and coffee shops, Performance Food Centers offers expertise in every facet of juice bar business.

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Member Retention: A Key to Health Club Profitability

8 Dec

Focused on the continual need to add more people to a health club’s membership, many managers fail to recognize that member retention is a key to health club profitability. Getting caught up in the high energy, “sell, sell, sell” mentality can be unhealthy for any business; managers must take a step back to fully consider the economics that make their businesses successful.

What Does It Cost to Make a Sale?

Every health club manager understands that the cost of enrolling a new member can be expensive. Marketing, advertising, public relations and paying sales staff are just a few expenses involved in recruiting new members. After all the expense and effort involved in enrolling a new member, too many sales-focused managers move on to the next challenge with little regard to ensuring that their newest member is happy.

This is a critical mistake that health clubs should correct and today’s difficult economy is proof that this is a poor strategy. What happens when the pool of prospects dries up due to a soft economy?

The Cost of Replacing a Health Club Member

A membership management strategy that is overly focused on generating new sales is a mistake waiting to happen. A successful, long term health club membership strategy should balance the generation of new members with the retention of existing members. After all, retaining existing members is much less expensive that finding new ones: it costs two-and-a-half times more to recruit a new member than retain an existing one.

Member Satisfaction Improves Profitability

Clubs that satisfy the needs of their membership increase profitability in several ways. First, clubs that retain existing members avoid the additional cost involved in replacing each member. Therefore if it costs $250 to obtain a new member, clubs can save $150 by keeping that member satisfied enough to renew his or her membership. Second, satisfied members will speak positively about a club, reducing new member acquisition cost further. Finally, members that achieve their goals become vocal brand ambassadors that will represent the health club well and essentially create “free” public relations.

How Do I Improve Member Satisfaction?

While there are a number of ways a club manager can improve member satisfaction, here are several suggestions:

  1. Promote Teamwork Among Staff to Assist Members in Reaching Goals
  2. Regularly Ask Members About Their Progress and Whether They Need Help
  3. Offer a Bonus to Staff to Improve the Retention Rate
  4. Train and Empower Staff to Help Solve Problems
  5. Offer Amenities Unavailable at Other Facilities

Many of these are general common sense, but standing out from the crowd is of great importance; many health clubs have found success by using an on-site juice bar as that differential advantage.

A Juice Bar Improves Satisfaction, Retention and Profitability

Health club managers interested in improving their facility’s performance should consider adding a juice bar. Some reasons to include opening a juice bar in a health club include:

  • A juice bar offers convenient, healthy meal alternatives
  • A juice bar is an additional source of revenue
  • A juice bar helps staff strengthen member relationships
  • A juice bar is an additional feature when selling memberships

Overall, health club juice bars are seen by members as a valuable amenity that contributes to increase satisfaction, retention and profitability.

In conclusion, health club managers should incorporate both new sales and membership retention their facility’s business development strategy. Improving member satisfaction is of key importance in raising retention rates and the installation of an on-site smoothie juice bar can be a key component in achieving that goal.

About the Author
Dan Young is President and CEO of Performance Food Centers, an industry leader in all facets of the juice bar and smoothie business. Serving over 910 juice bars, fitness centers and cafes, Performance Food Centers offers expertise in everything from the development of a smoothie store business plan to the design and development of a new juice bar.Whether interested in a juice bar franchise , looking to expand existing facilities, or shopping for juice bar supplies, Performance Food Centers has the expertise to ensure its success.

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How to Choose a Philadelphia Event Planner

4 Dec

An event planner is a professional who supervises and coordinates the strategic and operational logistics for events like festivals, ceremonies, competitions, parties or conventions, synchronizing and coordinating the most exacting details from theme or motif development to catering and cleanup.

Most people select a Philadelphia event planner, or event planning company, when their special occasion calls for quite a bit of coordination, like a corporate event.  And while it is true that Philadelphia event planners are an additional expense to your company’s bottom line, a good planner can help you create the perfect event with your specific budget in mind. It’s equally important to note that the best Philadelphia event planners have great connections with local and regional vendors and companies that can provide special deals which in turn could save you thousands of dollars over the retail price.

Here are just a few things to look for when selecting the right Philadelphia Event Planner:

Philadelphia Special Events Planning & Skill: Your Philadelphia event planner should not only help you interpret your vision into a memorable special event, they should also be able to infuse your vision with meticulous attention to detail and flawless execution. Event planning comes with a myriad of logistics and every facet should come wrapped in an ordered and detailed project plan for your event. Make sure that your event planning company has the experience to execute your vision, discuss how the project plan for your event will be communicated to you and how often. More importantly ask to see pictures of their past client events. Also review testimonials and ask to speak to previous clients of the event planning company you are planning to use. And when possible, get a least three competitive quotes from prospective Philadelphia event planning companies.

Access to the Best Event Entertainment: If your event has an entertainment requirement, it’s important to get an understanding of how well connected your Philadelphia event planning company actually is. Your event planning company should come ready with existing and direct relationships with vast entertainment options including, soloists, jazz, classical or dance bands, DJs, pop groups, comedians, nationally recognized celebrities and the like. Your Philadelphia event planner should also be able to help select the right entertainment option for your event.

Philadelphia Destination Management: Philadelphia is one of the most historical and beautiful cities in the nation. Your event planning company should really know Philadelphia and interweave all of what makes the city so special into your next event.

It’s true that creating an event can entail quite a bit of planning and coordination, but by choosing the best Philadelphia event planning company, you can be assured that from budgeting to execution your event is both memorable and flawless.

About Roberts Event Group

Roberts Event Group, Inc. is a leading provider of special events, meeting management, destination management, and event entertainment serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware since 1994. Located in Jenkintown, PA, Roberts Event Group intimately knows Philadelphia and Philadelphia destination management offering the knowledge experience and connections to make your event truly memorable for both you and your guests.

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