MAIN STREET IOWA and HILLTOP CAMPUS VILLAGE PRESENT NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED RETAIL DEVELOPMENT EXPERT

 

Ms. Hilary Greenberg will speak at a luncheon on Thursday August 23 at the Fellows Room in the Vickie Anne Palmer Hall, 115 West 7th Street in Davenport. Her presentation topic will be Powering Up Your Downtown Business Mix: Business Retention and Recruitment Strategies.

Ms Greenberg is the president of Greenberg Development Services (GDS), a Charlotte North Carolina-based planning and economic development consulting firm. Ms. Greenberg is nationally recognized as a downtown development expert in the area of retail leasing and business development training programs for community volunteers. Her specific fields of consultation include market analyses, downtown plans, retail leasing strategies and development plans for downtown or neighborhood commercial districts. She has worked with various state and local governments as well as both private and non-profit organizations. She has been a consultant to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center for over 20 years and has worked with over 30 State-affiliated Main Street programs.

"We are very fortunate to have a presenter of Ms. Greenberg's caliber to provide perspective and direction on this timely topic", acknowledged Hilltop Campus Village Board President Robert Lee. "With all the interest in downtown and commercial district activity we wanted to make this available to interested parties throughout the region."

Ms. Greenberg is a popular speaker on the topic of commercial redevelopment and has been the keynote speaker at conferences sponsored by the International Economic Development Council, the National League of Cities, the International Downtown Association and the National Main Street Center.

There is a $10.00 charge for each attendee to cover the cost of the lunch, and space is limited. People are asked to RSVP before August 21 by contacting the Hilltop Campus Village offices at 563-322-8293, or by emailing scott.tunnicliff@mchsi.com.

STORM LAKE, IA (08/13/2012)(readMedia)-- Buena Vista University (BVU) recently signed a cooperative agreement with the Iowa Community College Online Consortium (ICCOC) as a way to enhance degree completion opportunities for undergraduate students.

The ICCOC (www.iowacconline.org) is an online platform comprising seven Iowa community colleges that provide online educational opportunities and courses for students looking to earn associate's degrees. The community colleges include Eastern Iowa, Iowa Lakes, Iowa Western, Northwest Iowa, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western Iowa Tech.

The agreement between BVU and the ICCOC gives community college students the opportunity to transfer to BVU and pursue a bachelor's degree entirely online or through a BVU Graduate & Professional Studies (GPS) location.

As part of the consortium agreement, the ICCOC will post BVU transfer information and program offerings on its Web site. BVU will reciprocate by providing information on its Web site about the ICCOC.

Stacy Gibbs, the south regional director for BVU's GPS program, played an instrumental role in finalizing the agreement between BVU and ICCOC. Gibbs also worked closely with other BVU staff including Laura Newhouse, director of online programs, and Sibyl McIntire, GPS admissions counselor/recruiter, to cement the partnership.

"This is a marketing and growth opportunity for both BVU's online and GPS programs," says Gibbs. "The main advantage to the partnership is that the ICCOC will function as a gateway for students who are looking to advance their degrees. These students will be able to access our information and seamlessly transfer and obtain their bachelor's degree through BVU."

"I'm very excited about this partnership," says Dr. Suzi Kalsow, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of GPS at BVU. "It is a natural progression for students who have earned their associate's degree to go on and pursue a bachelor's degree. Having a connection with the ICCOC and being easily accessible through the consortium is the perfect next step for BVU's online and GPS programs."

Tech Experts Offer 4-Step 'Reputation Marketing' Solution

It happens all the time: The hard-working crew at a small business loses customers thanks to the sour grapes of one person.

It could be a disgruntled employee, an angry customer or even a competitor, says V. Michael Santoro, coauthor with John S. Rizzo of Niche Dominance: Creating Order Out of Your Digital Marketing Chaos (www.NicheDominance.com).

"Anyone can post a bad review online and hurt your business," says Santoro, who is a managing partner with Rizzo of Globe On-Demand, an internet technology company. "Unfortunately, most business owners are not even aware that these bad reviews are out there."

Seventy-two percent of buyers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, and 70 percent trust consumer opinions posted online, according to a recent Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey.

"A bad review published in a newspaper, or broadcast on radio or TV, is short-lived, but a bad review posted online can live indefinitely," says Rizzo. "With consumers now researching an average of 10 reviews before making a buying decision, and 70 percent trusting a business that has a minimum of six reviews posted, business owners need to be proactive in developing their online reputation. You need several positive reviews."

Online searches have been streamlined, combining reviews with maps, pay-per-click advertising, local business directories and Facebook Fan pages, Santoro says.  As damaging as bad reviews can be, positive reviews can be equally constructive, he says.

Rizzo and Santoro offer an Internet marketing strategy called "reputation marketing," described in the following steps:

• Develop a 5-Star Reputation: Begin by having your happy customers post great reviews about your business. Strive to have at least 10. Have each post to one of the following: Google Plus Local, Yelp, CitySearch, SuperPages, YP.com, your Facebook Fan page, etc. This needs to be a continuous process. Proactively ask your customers to post reviews.

• Market Your Reputation: Once reviews are posted, use a well-designed online marketing strategy to drive targeted traffic to your website. Ensure that your website can convert this traffic into customers. Additionally, showcase these third-party reviews on your website.

• Manage Your Reputation: Regularly check that the reviews being posted are positive. You can use Google Alerts for your business name; however, you will need to check the local directories, too, since they're not picked up by Google Alerts. By building up the positive reviews, you can counter a poor one by sheer volume. You should also quickly post a reply to a negative review if they occur. Always be professional and indicate what action you have taken to remedy the situation.

• Create a Reputation Marketing Culture: Train your staff to proactively ask customers for reviews and to deal immediately with any customer who appears unhappy. A positive culture will encourage customers to post positive reviews about your business.

About John S. Rizzo & V. Michael Santoro

John S. Rizzo obtained his bachelor's in business administration and spent three years as a consultant for Amazon.com's publishing group. He has assisted several businesses with digital marketing strategy and has served in leadership positions for multiple initiatives for the Charleston, S.C.-Area Chamber of Commerce.

V. Michael Santoro has more than 10 years in the digital marketing field. His prior experience includes international senior marketing positions in technology fields. He has a master's degree from Central Connecticut State University and an undergraduate degree from the University of New Haven. Santoro was an adjunct professor with the computer science department of Western Connecticut State University.

Mount Carroll. IL- Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP) closes its 2012 season with a stunning collection of compositions of songs from Rodgers & Hammerstein with the show, Some Enchanted Evening. The final production will feature favorite song selections that audiences will love from Oklahoma!, The King and I, The Sound of Music, South Pacific and many others.

Guest Artist Samantha Dubina returns to TLP to perform in this special production. Dubina has been seen in TLP productions for the last 5 years, including White Christmas, All Shook Up, Church Basement Ladies and The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee. She said she is excited to be a part of the upcoming production because "the music is beautiful and it's been such a long time since I've been in a show that's almost all choral singing." Dubina resides and in Chicago, performing with theatre companies such as Griffin Theatre, Bailiwick Rep, Northbrook Children's Theatre, Metropolis Performing Arts, Noble Fool Theatricals, and Bailiwick Chicago, where she serves as Casting Administrator. In the fall, Sam will be playing Rachel Jackson in the Midwest Premiere of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

Some Enchanted Evening will also feature newcomer Melissa Griffith from Oklahoma City. She recently received a Kennedy Center Commendation for Distinguished Achievements in Vocal Arrangements for Flipside: The Patti Page Story. Rounding out the small cast will also include TLP residents Henry McGinniss (Ren in Footloose), Dryden Meints (Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls), Analisha Santini (Bertha in Boeing Boeing) and Kyle Brazel (Willard Hewitt in Footloose) who performs and music directs the production.

Some Enchanted Evening performs August 16-26. Performances are at 7:30pm, Tuesday through Saturdays and there are 2pm matinees on Sunday and Wednesday. New this season, there is also a Saturday matinee performance on opening weekends at 2pm. Tickets are available through the box office during regular business hours, 11am - 6pm daily, at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org or 815-244-2035. Timber Lake Playhouse is located at 8215 Black Oak Road, Mount Carroll.

Timber Lake Playhouse, What's Your Story?

This program is partially supported by a grant for the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Production Sponsors are Kunes Country Auto Group and Compliance Signs.