Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Early Stage Business Funding Panel at Entrepreneurial Thursdays

LIVE RHYTHM, JAZZ & BLUES
Musical Networking Happy Hour
EVERY THURSDAY!!!
5:30 PM - 8 PM
Firewater's Grill,
120 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Across from PNC Park

Hosted by Jazz/R&B Vocalist - Jessica Lee

Cover Charge: Only $10.00!
Hors d'oeuvres included

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The "ENTREPRENEURIAL THURSDAYS" Happy Hour Show
Live Music by City's Great Jazz/R&B Artists!
Interviews @ Musical Break with City's Leading Entrepreneurs/Innovators!
Great Business & Professional Networking!
November 13, 2008
"Funding Early Stage Companies"

Featuring Inte
Mel Pirchesky, President - Eagle Ventures Inc. (www.EagleVentures.biz)


Frank Demmler, Director, Entrepreneurial Services Team - Innovation Works (www.innovationworks.org)
Shawn Pleska, Founder and Interim CEO - Commerce-Web International, Inc
David Vitrant, Executive Director - FundScience, Inc

www.jessicaleesong.com
"Entrepreneurial Thursdays" Partners
Gold Sponsors
Pittsburgh Gateways
ABG Capital

Marketing PartnersMarketing Partners

AFTRA
BarSmart
BIOSAFE, Inc.
Chrysler Corp. (SBDC) Duquesne University
Eagle Ventures Inc.
George Mendel Photography
HDJ Assoc., Inc.
Help Startups
Human Connections
Latin American Cultural Union
MAKK Strategies
MIT Enterprise Forum
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Pittsburgh Technology Council
Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP)
Pittsburgh Young Professionals
Positively Pittsburgh Live
Sales Star Enterprise
Seton Hill University's E-Magnify®
Sigma Pi Consulting
STAAR Funds
Technical Products & Supply
TiePGH-Pittsburgh Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs
Vistage
Women's Independent Press

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Positively Pittsburgh Live, Pittsburgh Economy, Strenght and Viability

Interview Date: October 20, 2008

Viability of Pittsburgh in Economic Downturn
By Gary A. Storie, CFP®
724.933.4528
gstorie@fcbanking.com

First Commonwealth Financial Advisors

Interview Talking Points


1. What indicators in your position leads you to believe Pittsburgh is postured to impacted less than most other cities in the United States?
a. Personal experience, having lived in a variety of locations during my tenure with the military:
i. Elected to move to Pittsburgh in 1995 while still an active duty Air Force pilot.
ii. Previously lived in cities such as: Denver, San Antonio, TX, Phoenix, AZ, Montgomery Alabama, and Columbus, Mississippi.
b. At my retirement from the Air Force in 1998 when given the choice of where to live, my wife and I chose to stay in Pittsburgh. (I could have moved my family anywhere in the United States—free. Also, I’m originally from Wyoming and lived in Colorado many years growing up). Reasons why we stayed:
i. Great Public School systems in Southwestern PA – they were both well-prepared for college — and both went on to be graduates of Penn State.
ii. Both my wife and I enjoy the suburban setting in Peters Township, but also like the many benefits Pittsburgh offers—
1. Weather and strategic location of Pittsburgh
2. Best Places to Live Awards that Pittsburgh has received – we agree!


2. Those are social and personal reasons why you think Pittsburgh is a great place to live, but what makes Pittsburgh unique from other cities during an economic downturn?
a. Pittsburgh has consistently been a leader in developing and capitalizing on new industries.
b. Despite the loss of 150,000 manufacturing jobs in the 1980’s, Pittsburgh has reestablished itself as a leader in technological innovation.
c. Pittsburgh has evolved into a diverse economy consisting of high technology, finance, healthcare, retail, law, and education sectors.
d. Pittsburgh’s economy is fueled in great part by information technology and biotechnology firms that grew out of the regions strong universities.

3. A common misperception is that people flee Pittsburgh in droves—when in fact Pittsburgh has one of the lowest rates of domestic out-migration of any major metro in the country. Can you expound on this?
a. Pittsburgh has been one of the least successful major regions in attracting international migrants. In fact, only Cincinnati has a smaller percentage of population comprised of international migrants. The other major reason for Pittsburgh's population decline is that deaths have outnumbered births for about 15 years. This is a hangover affect from the 80s, when a huge proportion of 20-somethings left the Pittsburgh region. Steel mills shuttered and the region lost 150,000 jobs. Young adults had to seek work elsewhere in the country. This is the main demographic that would have been having children throughout the 90s until today. Pittsburgh experienced a catastrophic net domestic migration loss of 50,000 for several years in the 80s.
b. Due to the economic downturn, you may find many families returning to this area to be closer to families and find jobs.
c. A more favorable corporate tax policy at the state and local levels would go a long way to attract new businesses to the area and people will follow.
d. I believe an aggressive marketing and advertising campaign would also attract new jobs and people to the area.

4. What has been the impact of the financial crisis on First Commonwealth (and other regional banks/financial organizations)?
a. First Commonwealth (and many regional banks) are well capitalized and have a strong balance sheet with room to grow.
b. First Commonwealth was NEVER in the sub-prime mortgage business that has crippled other banks.
c. First Commonwealth is growing core deposits; we are making loans and adding customer relationships; we are opening several new branch offices this year; we are hiring new employees to staff our many job openings.

5. What about the stock market? As a financial advisor – what are you telling clients right now?
a. Buying opportunity – stocks are on sale
b. Stay calm
c. It’s a great time to work with an advisor (for those who have procrastinated or put the idea on the back burner)
d. This type of market is not for the do-it –yourselfer
e. Many people spent more time picking out their last TV or refrigerator than they spent working on a financial plan


Additional Guests: Jo Ann Forrester, SI Business Associates
Faye Ritter, Allegehny Group

Thursday, October 30, 2008

3rd Annual Pennsylvania Technology Conference at Duquesne University

3rd Annual Pennsylvania
Business Technology Conference
November 13th, 2008


Breakout Session I: 10:05 AM to 11:20 AM

Boosting Your Business With a Blog: How To Get Started & Get Noticed

A Behind the Scenes Look at Site Optimization: What You Need to Do for Higher Search Engine Rankings (SEM Part I)

When You Need It, When You Don’t: Evaluating the Value, Cost & Usability of New Business Technologies

Websites That Work: Tips for Turning Your Site Into a Lead Generating Machine
________________________________________
Breakout Session II: 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM

Search Engine Marketing: How to Use Pay-Per-Click SEM to Outrank Your Competitors (SEM Part II)

Making e-Connections: How To Engage Your Prospects, Employees & Customers with Real-Time Voice and Web Conferencing

E-Commerce Websites for Small Business: Pitfalls, Possibilities & Profitability

Using Social Media and Viral Marketing To Increase Brand Awareness & Sales
________________________________________
Breakout Session III: 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM

Master of Multitasking: Killer Tools For Organizing Your Business, Boosting Your Productivity & Saving Time

Your Employees and The Internet: Is Your Company and Bottom Line At Risk?

Never Lose A Lead: Top Sales & Lead Management Solutions For Optimizing Opportunities

The ABCs of e-Mail Marketing: The Latest Trends, Best Practices & Fundamentals to Maximize Your Online Opportunities
________________________________________
Full-day registration includes:
Tradeshow, Lunch, Roundtable Discussions
www.conference.duq.edu

Thursday, October 16, 2008

PosPittLive Host and others at Entrepreneurial Thursday, Social Media Entrepreneurs

Firewater's Grill, 412.323.4688

LIVE RHYTHM, JAZZ & BLUES
Musical Networking Happy Hour
EVERY THURSDAY!!!
5:30 PM - 8 PM
Firewater's Grill,
120 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Across from PNC Park

Hosted by Jazz/R&B Vocalist - Jessica Lee

Cover Charge: Only $10.00!
Hors d'oeuvres included

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The "ENTREPRENEURIAL THURSDAYS" Happy Hour Show
Live Music by City's Great Jazz/R&B Artists!
Interviews @ Musical Break with City's Leading Entrepreneurs/Innovators!
Great Business & Professional Networking!
November 6, 2008
"Social media Entrepreneurs"

Featuring Interviews with:
Joanne Quinn-Smith, CEO - Dreamweaver Marketing Associates & Publisher - Positively Pittsburgh Live Magazine (www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com)
Bill Weil, LovePong International, LLC
(www.LovePong.com)
Jill Kummer, President - Blacktie-Pittsburgh
(www.blacktie-pittsburgh.com)
Donna Baxter, Founder & Web Mistress - The Soul Pitt (www.thesoulpitt.com)
Dave Nelson, Founder and CEO - TalkShoe (www.talkshoe.com)

www.jessicaleesong.com
"Entrepreneurial Thursdays" Partners
Gold Sponsors
Pittsburgh Gateways
ABG Capital

Marketing PartnersMarketing Partners

AFTRA
BarSmart
BIOSAFE, Inc.
Chrysler Corp. (SBDC) Duquesne University
Eagle Ventures Inc.
George Mendel Photography
HDJ Assoc., Inc.
Help Startups
Human Connections
Latin American Cultural Union
MAKK Strategies
MIT Enterprise Forum
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Pittsburgh Technology Council
Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP)
Pittsburgh Young Professionals
Positively Pittsburgh Live
Sales Star Enterprise
Seton Hill University's E-Magnify®
Sigma Pi Consulting
STAAR Funds
Technical Products & Supply
TiePGH-Pittsburgh Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs
Vistage
Women's