Articles by Nick

I went to the open house on Sunday for new facilities at Bethany Village (a division of Graceworks Lutheran Services, one of our clients), and I was amazed at how well-planned and beautifully constructed it was. They had a great turnout even though the warm weather could have tempted many to stay outdoors. Graceworks staff were scattered throughout the new facility to explain features and guide visitors, and they were very helpful.

Residents enjoy visiting in the new bistro.

The goal of the new space was to connect residents and provide more gathering areas. They definitely accomplished that, by creating an interior walkway from one end of campus to the other. Along the way, they have incorporated educational and exercise facilities, a bistro, shopping, and other spaces designed to draw people together into the Village Center.

I was particularly taken by another area of the new construction – the Memory Support Center. Designed for residents with Alzheimer’s disease, there are four ‘neighborhoods’ that offer experiences to stimulate recognition and safe interaction both indoors and out.

More information is on Graceworks.org, and also in the latest annual report that we worked on for them. Take a look at our case study.

This has been a tough and emotional week for everyone at Bing. Like many businesses, we have been impacted by the downturn in the economy and I had to make the difficult decision to lay off two exceptional members of our staff. We’ll greatly miss them, and wish them the best of luck.

In addition, we have restructured our creative department and are now offering some of our higher level strategic thinking through a contractor arrangement with Todd who had been on staff as creative director. This restructuring will allow both of us to focus more tightly on our core competencies, while continuing to collaborate on key projects.

This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make as the owner of Bing, but I believe it is the right decision for the company to remain healthy and productive in order to serve our clients. We have a solid team in place and the unifying factor is that we all believe in putting the customer first while continuing to provide our clients with excellent service.

If you have comments, questions or thoughts, please feel free to contact me.

The Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) got a significant booster shot to their Student Research Program this week. The Air Force announced an $8.5 million award which will be used to provide internships and build the area’s tech talent pool in our colleges and universities. The ultimate goal, of course, is to keep these stars around after they graduate so they can continue to strengthen our innovative region.

According to Marcia Hutcheson, the program’s director, “We are thrilled for all the current students in the program, as well the government’s confidence in SOCHE to create new opportunities for students.”

With SOCHE as one of our clients, Bing applauds and appreciates how the 40-year-old organization makes meaningful and lasting connections between southwestern Ohio’s higher ed institutions and the region’s science and technology businesses. Not an easy task to undertake. Please join us in congratulating them on their latest win.

Read the full article in the Dayton Daily News.

At an International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) meeting, I was listening to a presenter develop his concept around Knowledge Management. I started thinking, we’ve all heard “knowledge is power.” If you’ve spent any time at all on the web, you probably get the picture that business culture is adapting that idea more into “sharing knowledge is power.” Essentially adding the fifth P of marketing – participation – to the original marketing mix: product, price, place, and promotion.

This is most visibly relevant to organizations externally with new technologies and communication channels like this blog. But it’s also important internally – how to communicate strategy, important project details, employee benefits, schedules, etc.

We’ve been discussing this here at Bing quite a bit lately. What are the appropriate avenues for each type of information so people can easily stay in the loop, and ultimately become more productive, efficient, and profitable?

Knowledge Management isn’t just a tech concept, it’s a business philosophy. It is an evolving set of principles, processes, and organizational structures that help people share and leverage knowledge and ideas to meet business objectives. But even in this age of web 2.0 and sharing, it’s ironically not an easy philosophy for everyone to grasp.

For example, you may be thinking, “why should I share my ideas?” You aren’t alone. Many people hold back because they:

• are insecure about their knowledge.
• don’t trust others with the value of information.
• are afraid of negative consequences/feedback.
• believe knowledge is their competitive advantage.

By sharing knowledge, you gain more than you lose. Sharing knowledge creates synergy. If I share an idea, just creating the dialogue with other associates helps me shape and improve the idea, thus benefiting from their unique insights and knowledge. So, participate! You’ll quickly sense the benefits of collaborative effort.

Passing this along from Cheryl Spillman, a long-time friend of Bing Design…

The Family Resource Center is a key resource for patients and their families at Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. Operated on monetary and in-kind donations, the FRC contains a library of books, DVDs, CDs, and video games that patient families can check out during their stay. Most of the time, folks remember to return the items, but sometimes they do not. So there is always a need to restock.

During the holidays, as you buy new items for your family and friends and perhaps store away gently used items, please consider donating these items to the FRC. Of course, you are certainly welcome to donate new items as well. The FRC is always in need of the latest and greatest items that interest children – from toddlers to teens.

Suggestions for new items to donate:

• Children’s books: baby board books, picture books, chapter books, bath books, sticker, coloring, maze, marker, activity, and Spanish language books
• Parenting books: books on child health, safety and parenting concerns
• Movies: DVDs rated G, PG or PG-13 only. Christmas theme movies and Spanish language movies accepted.
• Playstation 1 or 2 games: rated E for everyone, EC for Early Childhood, KA for Kids to Adults, E10+ for Everyone 10 and older. No teen or mature rated games, please.

Guidelines for donations of used items:

• hard plastic toys that are easy to disinfect, toy cell phones, musical toys, and wooden blocks are acceptable
• books (for kids and parents), VHS/DVDs, and Playstation games (see ratings above) are acceptable
• No used board games or puzzles (usually pieces are missing and impossible to disinfect)
• No used stuffed animals or dolls

Send your donation to:
The Family Resource Center, 1 Children’s Plaza, Dayton, OH 45404-1815.  ATTN: Teresa Giehl

Include your name and complete mailing address so a tax receipt can be issued. Please note donations cannot be picked up or delivered.

If you have questions, contact Teresa Giehl at 937-641-3700 or giehlt@childrensdayton.org.