Lt.  General   Clarence McKnight,  U.S. Army (ret)  was inducted into the  Distinguished Alum Society at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, December 11. The award rendered to graduates of the War College for their work following military service, was for his work in civilian education centering on the use of computer technology in the classroom. General McKnight became a prominent leader in digitalization during his military service and carried that knowledge into education. His military career spanning the Korean Conflict to Desert Storm is chronicled in his forthcoming book From Pigeons to Tweets.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the University of Michign Graduate School of Engineering, Gen. McKnight is also a Distinguished Graduate of West Point who rose to command the Army's Signal Corps  and  introduced computer directed warfare during Desert Storm. He concluded his career as Director of Command, Control and Communications Systems for the Joint Chiefs of Staff  in Washington D.C.

He has been hailed for utilizing his highly developed military communication skills and channeling that information technology into improving the nation's learning process in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM..)

General McKnight is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and currently resides in the Capital District. His book From Pigeons to Tweets will be published by the History Publishing Company on January 14, 1213..

Contact: Don Bracken, History Publishing Company LLC, djb@historypublishingco.com,

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WHAT:  Old Creamery Theatre Company 2013 Auditions

WHEN: Saturday January 26, 2013, from 1pm - 5pm and Sunday January 27, 2013, from 2pm - 5pm

WHERE:  The Old Creamery Theatre Main Stage, 39 - 38th Ave. Amana, IA 52203

Audition by appointment. Appointment may be made beginning January 7, 2013 by calling The Old Creamery business office at (319) 622-6034. Actors should prepare two short contrasting monologues (max. 1 minute each). At least one monologue should be a comic piece (preferably contemporary). In addition to the short monologues, singers should prepare 16 to 32 bars of one (or two contrasting) song(s) sung a cappella or with recorded accompaniment. (A CD player will be available - no accompanist will be provided but there will be access to a piano). Please bring a current headshot and resume.

Seeking Equity and non-Equity adult performers of various ages (College age and up) to fill paid positions in The Old Creamery's 2013 Main Stage, Studio, and Old Creamery Theatre for Young Audiences seasons.

A limited number of performance internships are available. Internships typically involve onstage and backstage work on our Theatre for Young Audiences productions and/or Camp Creamery theatre workshops. Internships may or may not include performance opportunities providing EMC weeks. Membership and applicable weeks in Equity's EMC program are available for regular Main Stage productions only. (EMC is not available for Old Creamery Theatre for Young Audiences productions or Studio Stage productions).

One technical internship is also available for a candidate with lighting and sound experience.

Internships can begin as early as March, but typically have summer or fall start dates and most require fall availability. All internships include housing plus a $225 per week living stipend. Intern duties involve all aspects of theatre and may include but are not limited to: performing, costuming, set work, assistant stage management, house management, props, lighting, sound, promotions, assistant teaching, box office, and concessions assignments.

Information regarding the full 2013 season of plays is available on our website at www.oldcreamery.com .

If you are unable to attend these auditions, please send a headshot and resume to:
Sean McCall - Artistic Director
The Old Creamery Theatre Company
39 - 38th Ave.
Amana, IA. 52203

Or electronically to smccall@oldcreamery.com

December is National Write a Business Plan Month - so designated to encourage unhappy employees to become their own satisfied bosses. Whether your goal is to own your own business, become a consultant, a speaker or an author, you'll need to start with a business plan.

Even if you launched your business years ago, it's important to revisit and refresh your plan. In recent years, the economy, technology and consumer habits have changed rapidly and dramatically, affecting every aspect of your business. That makes it absolutely vital to re-evaluate your short- and long-term strategies.

One of the most critical elements of any business plan is your marketing strategy. Too often, people don't think through that all-important component with the same rigor they tackle aspects like projected cash flow and long-term goals.

Or, they do put thought and effort into planning for market research, promotion and positioning - and then never follow through on their great ideas.

One problem is that most entrepreneurs (or professionals or authors) don't have marketing experience. They may be skilled tradesmen, savvy financial advisers or talented writers - the expertise they plan to build their business around - but they're not marketers. Some don't realize that executing a solid marketing strategy is essential to any venture's success; others know it's important but don't know where to begin.

Here's why it's so important: You may have the book that changes the way business is done, or the product that solves a problem for lots of consumers, but if no one knows about it, they can't come looking for it. Marketing is the fundamental building block of any business; it's what drives the business, so it can't be an afterthought.

The marketing component of your business plan should include a budget for time (if you're going to tackle the job yourself) and/or money. You need a timetable and a professional website that attracts visitors and makes it easy for them to learn more about you, your product, book or service -- and equally easy to purchase what you're selling.

Here are some other points to consider as you're developing your marketing plan:

• What is my message? Your message needs to be more than "My product is great." What's the problem it solves? If you're a professional, what's the value you and your service offer? How are you different from your competition? As an example: At EMSI, we create visibility and credibility for our clients using a pay-for-performance model that guarantees media exposure and sets us apart from our peers.

• Who is my audience? Unless you have a niche product, consider your potential audience in terms of ever-expanding ripples. For instance, a collapsible coffeepot may be just the thing for a college student's tiny dorm room. That's your initial target audience. But his parents and grandparents, who are helping outfit that dorm room, might also be audiences. If they've downsized their living quarters, they might just want one for themselves, too. In fact, it could be great for campers, boaters - anyone living in a small space.

• Which are the appropriate media outlets for a PR campaign? Social media is great for niche products because online forums build communities around common interests. Daytime TV talk shows tend to have audiences with lots of women. Most newspaper readers are now 55 or older. Once you have decided who your audience is, figure out what they're watching, listening to, reading, and doing online, then customize your message for that medium and audience.

• What's your budget? When you've answered these questions, you should be able to determine how much marketing you can do yourself (if you'll be doing any at all) and how much you'll need help with. If you're handling it yourself, budget for the time it will take to do things like keeping your website active with fresh blog posts once or twice a week; posting content on social media; developing pitches to get print, radio or TV interested. If you plan to pay a professional for marketing services, use your marketing plan to explore the costs and timetable, and budget accordingly.

Whether you're launching a dream or strengthening your existing business, you need to lay a good foundation with a solid plan. If marketing isn't an important component of that plan, your rocket to the moon will likely fizzle and fade.

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself: The 3-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI's PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST.

Nimmers brings a variety of experience to the table. She interned with the Missouri House of Representatives for more than two years for two separate State Representatives; Steve Webb and Roman LeBlanc both of the Democratic Party. During this time she attended Black Caucus meetings, briefings, and also performed administrative duties. Nimmers also interned with JCTV, where she had the chance to actively work on her production skills, managed a number of news packages and even served as on-air talent. This experience allowed her to get an in-depth feeling on how the production of a program works, both in-front-of and behind the camera.

Nimmers began her journalism career as a student at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO, where she was a reporter for the student-run newspaper, The Clarion. During her time with The Clarion, she experienced the vibrant and challenging newsroom environment. This is where Nimmers experienced the news media scene firsthand, sharpened her writing, editing, and communication skills to give her the expertise and perspectives she now can offer her clients. Nimmers graduated from Lincoln University in the Spring of 2012 with a Bachelors degree in Journalism.

"I am so excited to be joining the Media Link team," said Nimmers. "This company is offering me a wonderful experience.  I can't wait to help contribute to their mission of helping clients achieve continuous success in their marketing efforts.

"Alexis is a vibrant and exciting addition to our team.  She's been one of our best interns.  So, we're excited to give her a chance to really thrive with this position," said Natalie Linville-Mass, President of Media Link, Inc.

Media Link is a full-service integrated marketing firm specializing in strategic media buying and placement. Media Link works with businesses in the Quad-Cities and around the country to develop and execute customized marketing strategies to help them more effectively reach their customers. Media Link recently developed and launched its own media buying software system.  This company is also one of the only marketing firms in the region to have obtained an 8(a) SDB certification, a designation of significance to clients who contract with the federal government.

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