QRCA VIEWS Podcast

Mary Ellen Bates is both the beauty and brains behind Bates Information Services, where she provides strategic business research for business professionals and knowledge workers. Before launching her business in 1991, she worked for many years as a corporate librarian. She never developed the quiet Librarian Voice, however.

Mary Ellen offers strategic business coaching to new and long-time info-entrepreneurs, and is the author of six books, including Building & Running a Successful Research Business (Information Today, 2nd edition, 2010). She is also a frequent keynote speaker. She, her partner, her dogs and (soon) her bees live in the boondocks of Colorado. You can reach her at 303 772 7095 or through her many virtual existences.
email: mbates@batesinfo.com

web: BatesInfo.com
blog: LibrarianOfFortune.com
Twitter: mebs
LinkedIn: maryellenbates
Facebook: maryellenbates

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Andrew Ballenthin is a marketing consultant and president of Sol Solutions with 18 years experience in this field. Having worked with corporations like Harley Davidson, Labatt, Quebecor, Volvo Group, Sharp Electronics, UPS and Texaco Andrew enjoys the challenges of complex growth plans. His 10+ years in digital marketing and work with small businesses have enabled him to apply flexible branding, integrated marketing and growth programs in this space too.

Over the past two years Andrew has spent over 2,500 hours working with social media from a marketing and business perspective. One of Andrew’s key insights in this field is that the biggest hindrance to success in social media for businesses is the failure to apply good marketing and peer networking practices. He is interviewed here by QRCA VIEWS Business Matters Editor, Kay Corry Aubrey.

Follow Andrew on Twitter – www.twitter.com/solsolutions
Andrew’s Latest News – www.communitymarketing.typepad.com
Andrew’s International Network – www.linkedin.com/in/andrewballenthin
New! Andrew’s Facebook – http://groups.to/socialmediamonetization

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

John Arnold is a leading marketing speaker and author specializing in marketing advice for small businesses. He is the author of “E-Mail Marketing for Dummies” co-author of “Web Marketing All-In-One for Dummies”, the forthcoming “Mobile Marketing for Dummies, and a regular contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine.

As Director of Constant Contact University John speaks, trains, and advises small business. He is a sought-after marketing speaker and small business marketing consultant. During John’s tenure, Constant Contact(r) was named #166 on Inc. 500′s list of the fastest growing private companies and later completed a successful Initial Public Offering. He is interviewed here by QRCA VIEWS Business Matters Editor, Kay Corry Aubrey.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jean D. Sifleet, Esq., CPA is the head of the Business Practice Group law firm.  With her extensive business background, Jean provides practical, outcome-focused advice to business owners.  Jean is the author of numerous articles and several books, including: “Beyond 401(k)s for Small Business Owners” (Wiley 2004) and “Advantage IP – Profit from Your Great Ideas” (Infinity 2006).  By working with Jean and her colleagues, owners of privately held companies receive a broad range of services – from business formation through ownership transition – with an emphasis on implementing smart business practices to avoid problems, and using legal strategies to protect their interests.  Jean has extensive experience with corporate, contract, intellectual property (including copyrights, trademarks, and licensing), employment and business succession (exit) planning.  She is interviewed here by QRCA VIEWS Business Matters Editor, Kay Corry Aubrey.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Rick Weitzer is a longtime QRCA member and principal partner of the Prell Organization, received his MS in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University and a BA in Psychology from Case Western Reserve University.

In addition to his duties at Prell over the past 20+ years, Mr. Weitzer was also Director of Research at Kerlick Switzer Johnson Advertising, conducted surveys and performed on-air analysis for KMOV-TV, the CBS-affiliate in St. Louis, taught marketing research at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, was on the staff of Congressman Richard Gephardt and directed polling for St. Louis Mayor Vincent Schoemehl.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

J. Robert (“J.R.”) Harris, President of JRH Marketing Services, has over 40 years of diverse marketing and research experience, including media, packaged goods, international, and ethnic marketing and research assignments from major corporations, agencies, organizations and government ministries. He is also an experienced qualitative research consultant who has moderated thousands of focus groups. He is a Founding Member and past President of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA). For more than 20 years he chaired the organization’s Bylaws Committee and he continues to be active in QRCA as Chair of the Professionalism Committee. Harris is an elected member of the Market Research Council honorary society, and is a past Chairman of the Research Industry Coalition (RIC).

When not at his desk, J.R. pursues his avocation as an adventurer and explorer. His resume includes more than 40 wilderness expeditions over the past 30 years to remote places such as Alaska, Tasmania, Iceland, Patagonia, Lapland, the Australian Outback, Greenland and Tanzania. Many of these treks were solo. In recognition of his experience, he was elected into the Explorers Club in 1993.

Mr. Harris has written a number of articles and stories about his exploits and experiences, and he uses these topics as a motivational speaker at inner-city high schools in New York City. He is interviewed here by QRCA VIEWS managing editor, Dr. Sharon Livingston.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Dave Siegel is the founder and “Big Daddy” of WonderGroup, the largest independent U.S. agency specializing in marketing and advertising to today’s moms and their kids.  After serving as the President of WonderGroup for the past ten years, Dave has moved over to take the Presidential reigns of WonderGroup’s Launchforce Division—a premier innovation consultancy whose clients include:  Kellogg’s, Purina, Sara-Lee, Nestle’s, ConAgra, Tate & Lyle, Anheuser Busch and others.  Dave has spent the past 30 years immersed in youth marketing and new product development, advising some of the country’s top corporations in the fields of:  Food & Beverage, Household Cleaning Products, Health and Beauty Aids, Toys, Entertainment, Clothing, Retailing, Technology and others.
Dave has also spoken at or chaired dozens of conferences throughout the world on youth marketing, marketing to moms and new products marketing. He served as an Associate Professor and Lecturer at: University of N. Kentucky, Thomas More College, Ohio State University and currently, Xavier University (where he is also on the Advisory Board to the Business School).  Dave. Siegel is the author of several books.  His latest is Innovation Myths and Mythstakes (Paramount Market Publishing) which he has co-authored with Tim Coffey and Mark Smith.  He’ also written The Great Tween Buying Machine (Deerborn Publishing), Marketing to the New SuperConsumer—Mom & Kid (Paramount Publishing) and the soon to be released Market Smart Design (Crescent Hill Books).  He is interviewed here by QRCA VIEWS managing editor,  Dr. Sharon Livingston.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Kenneth W. Gronbach is a gifted public speaker and a nationally recognized expert in the field of Demography and Generational Marketing. An accomplished President and CEO, himself, Ken has proven success in creating value, leading companies and planning for the future with uncanny accuracy.  Ken entertains his audiences with his own special brand of wit, humor and clear communication. He makes the science of shifting demography come alive with real life examples that make it relevant to today’s culture, business climate and economy. Ken is a marketing guru who regularly provides counsel to Fortune 500 companies as well as large and small privately held businesses across the United States. In his new 2008 book  Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm, published by The American Management Association, Ken takes you through a fascinating common sense understanding of shifting demography and the related opportunities and challenges.  The demographic landscape in the United States is made up a series of waves that are about twenty years in duration. It would follow that business will rise and fall according to the critical mass of customers heading toward it. He is interviewed here by QRCA member and VIEWS book reviewer, Tom Lutz.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Andrew Kent is a researcher turned fiction writer, living in central Massachusetts, with his wife, children, and dogs. His first novel, “Spam & Eggs: A Johnny Denovo Mystery,” was published in February 2009. It introduces the character of Johnny Denovo, a detective who uses metaphor to solve cases. Kent has been described as “a new author whose originality explodes from these pages,” and the book has been hailed as “a masterpiece of deductive challenge, engrossing reading, and engaging entertainment” and “a book that in fact puts the writing of a lot of very seasoned and famous mystery writers to shame.” You can follow him at www.johnnydenovo.com.  He is interviewed here by QRCA VIEWS managing editor, Dr. Sharon Livingston.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

He has over 25 years of marketing research experience among clients in the United States, US Hispanic and Latin American market segments. He was born and raised in Mexico and is completely bilingual and bicultural. As a strategic planner, he is adept in transferring key insights and hot buttons generated from qualitative research into actionable copy points in the development of creative execution working closely with both clients and advertising agencies. He is interviewed here by QRCA member, Maureen Quinn Olsen.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download