Northeast Ohio News

Marketing Specialist Chris Brown Presents Marketing Workshop Designed to help Business Owners Capitalize on Social Media Marketing Tools

CLEVELAND, OHIO (August 25, 2010) –  Marketing consultant Chris Brown will present a marketing workshop to small business owners at the 2010 Profit Factor conference on September 23, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Cleveland.

This program will help small business owners more effectively market their business using some of the new social media and social networking tools available.  The business owners need to be able to make sense out of the social networking sites and wisely use them to promote their products and services.

Social networking offers new ways to network, collaborate, and grow a business. Participants will learn how to make the most of it, while minimizing their time and learning curve.  The workshop will focus on blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

The marketing workshop is one of seven seminars presented business owners at the 2010 Profit Factor, an annual conference presented by the BlackPagesOhio organization.  It is sponsored by WEWS 5 ABC, Huntington Bank, PNC, Fifth Third Bank, Key Bank, American Family Insurance, Nationwide, Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Department of Administrative Services, State of Ohio Department of Transportation among others, as well as several higher education facilities including The University of Akron, Kent State University, Cuyahoga Community College and Youngstown State University.

Those interested can register by calling 1-800-900-7735 for more information.

The keynote speaker, Christine Brown, is president of Marketing Resources & Results, a full service, outsourced marketing firm that helps companies profitably build their brands, launch new products and services to increase their sales revenues.  Her full service marketing firm works for companies in Cleveland, Akron, Canton as well as nationwide and is located in Hudson, Ohio.  For additional information, visit the company web site at www.resources-results.com, or the award-winning Branding & Marketing blog at www.BrandAndMarket.com.

CANTON, OH (August 10, 2010) — At the recent annual convention for Maid Brigade franchise locations, owners Margie and Ray Toombs of Canton, Ohio were awarded the Top Performance Award for their sales category.

“We are thrilled,” said Margie Toombs. “We have been focusing our efforts on reaching out to the community and creating awareness of our professional cleaning services online as well as within the community and it is working!”

Ray and Margie opened their business in 2003 and this past year began serving Medina County as well as Stark and Summit Counties. The key to their success? Building customer relationships.

“We make it a priority to understand our customers and their specific needs and tailor our services to meet those needs,” said Ray Toombs, co-owner of the winning franchise. “Additionally, we became Green Clean Certified and qualified to provide the new patented technology VapurClean service to our customers so that we can offer state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly cleaning solutions.”

Award recipients were selected based on a combination of key performance indicators including their levels of customer retention, customer service results based on quality scores, testimonials, surveys and mystery shop results, sales growth and community involvement.

Maid Brigade has over 450 franchise locations worldwide. The annual conference took place from July 15-20 and was held in Atlanta, GA. There were three different sales volume categories that were awarded top honors and the Canton/Akron branch received the highest award for their sales volume category. For more information about Maid Brigade of Northeast Ohio, visit http://neohio.maidbrigade.com or call 330-453-6000.

About Maid Brigade of Northeast Ohio
Ray and Margie Toombs are long time residents in the Akron/Canton area and have been proud local business owners since 2003. Margie is the former head of quality advancement for the Precision Steel Components business of the Timken Company, and Ray is a retired U.S. Army Officer. Maid Brigade provides quality GREEN cleaning with trained, bonded associates. Providing cleaning services for both residential and commercial properties, Maid Brigade is available for regular on-going cleaning or a one time service. Call Today for a free estimate: 330-453-6000

About Maid Brigade
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Maid Brigade is a global residential cleaning service with more than 420 locations in the United States and Canada. Established in 1979, it has grown its market share every year since its inception, with system-wide sales over $70 million in 2008. Unique to Maid Brigade is its Green Clean Certified® cleaning system, the only house cleaning system that uses green cleaning solutions certified by Green Seal. State of the art technology, training and ongoing support also set apart the franchisor, which helped it earn several franchising accolades, including rankings in Entrepreneur and Success magazines and awards from Franchise Research Institute, The Franchise Ratings Guide, and FranNet. For more information, visit www.maidbrigade.com or call 888-79-GREEN.

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TLC Pet Lodge Receiving Phone Calls from Confused Pet Owners when Company with Similar Name Posts a Going Out of Business Advertisement

MENTOR, OHIO (August 4, 2010) – TLC Pet Lodge, a pet lodging and grooming facility located in Mentor, is reassuring pet owners that they will remain open for business for pet owners who want a safe and professional facility to care for their pets.

“We have had so many calls from pet owners who were upset that we might be the company that was closing its doors,” explained Marj Green-Beyer, Manager of TLC Pet Lodge. “Our customers love us and were worried. People should not confuse TLC Pet Lodge with the company that has a similar name called T.L.C. Boarding Kennel in Madison, Ohio.”

The T.L.C. Boarding Kennels placed an advertisement in a local newspaper that said the Madison based company will close its facility in January 2011. This was confusing to area pet owners.

“With both businesses located in Northeast Ohio, in towns east of Cleveland that start with the letter M, and with the same letters TLC at the beginning of their names and in the same industry, there was bound to be some confusion,” said Green-Beyer. “But there are many points of difference between the two companies.”

Just a few of the unique differences include:
• TLC Pet Lodge has received the highest level of accreditation by the Pet Care Services Association and is the first company in Ohio to do so.
• TLC Pet Lodge does not use kennels or crates for pets
• TLC Pet Lodge has enclosures and suites that give the pets more room to move and exercise.
• TLC Pet Lodge is located in Mentor, Ohio

“I want to reassure our pet owners that we are here to stay, and plan on celebrating our 20th Anniversary in December. We look forward to taking care of your pets for another 20 years,” said Green-Beyer.

ABOUT TLC PET LODGE
Established in 1990, TLC Pet Lodge is a full-service pet lodging facility for dogs and cats located in Mentor, Ohio. The company does not use crates or cages. The pet friendly environment has suites and enclosures that can accommodate multiple family pets. In addition to being the only facility in Ohio to achieve the Pet Care Services Association Gold Ribbon Certificate of Accreditation, the family owned and operated TLC Pet Lodge has a long list of impressive credentials including Certified Advanced Pet Care Technicians and a Best Groomed Dog Award Winner on staff. For more information, visit www.tlcpetlodge.com or call 440-951-4TLC (4852).

AKRON, OH (August 3, 2010) – GMP Friction Products, one of the leading manufacturers of powdered metal friction products for clutch plates and brake pads, will have an exhibit booth at the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Enterprise Supplier Conference & Exhibition, where they will showcase their capabilities in the field of sintered metallic friction materials engineering.

“We currently supply the parking brake for the HUMVEE’s,” said Jerry Lynch, president and COO of GMP Friction Products.  “And we recently were selected by one of the largest producers of military vehicles in the country to conduct an improvement analysis study on brake and rotor wear.  We have a lot to offer and we’re looking forward to strengthening and further developing our relationships with military organizations.”

In addition to supplying brake components for the High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV), GMP Friction Products produces sintered friction products for transmissions, PTO applications, and wet or dry braking applications.  The company also specifically engineers products for high energy needs.

This year’s “Globally Responsive Forward Support” theme for the DLA show focuses on   providing logistic support around the world and the need for leadership to support the global supply chain.  The event will feature speakers from the Military Services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and exhibits from companies in the private sector such as GMP Friction Products.  The event will be held in Columbus, Ohio on August 23-25, 2010.

Since 1929, GMP Friction Products has designed and manufactured brake pads and clutch plates for use in a variety of industrial and automotive applications. They provide friction material products to non-automotive industrial manufacturers such as off-road vehicles, construction, industrial equipment, aerospace, heavy truck, and other specialty markets. GMP Friction Products is a privately-held woman-owned small business.  As a world leader in sintered metallic friction materials, they specialize in working with clients to engineer and create customized parts in a range of materials for controlling, stopping, or transmitting power. For more information, call 330-633-1226 or visit their website at www.gmpfriction.com.

AKRON, OH (August 3, 2010) – GMP Friction Products, a leading manufacturer of powdered metal friction products for clutch plates and brake pads, recently hired Dr.Vladimir Klotchikhine as Director of R&D Engineering. Klotchikhine brings more than 15 years of research and development experience in friction and anti-friction materials.

“His credentials and expertise in R&D and Engineering in the field of tribology make him a valuable asset to our company, helping us move forward into new areas of engineering,” said Jerry Lynch, President and COO of GMP Friction Products. “I believe our company and our customers will benefit from Vladimir’s extensive engineering and product development experience.”

Klotchikhine earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering from the Blagonravov Institute of Mechanical Engineering, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. He is a member of numerous professional organizations as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE.) Tribology is the science of the mechanisms of friction, lubrication, and wear of interacting surfaces that are in relative motion.

In his new position, Klotchikhine will oversee the R&D Engineering department, working with material development, prototype development and internal lab technicians. His job responsibilities include developing a plan to improve and maintain lab effectiveness, directing the status of current projects, reviewing current sintered metals formulations pallet and researching the availability of state-of-the-art materials in the friction and anti-friction industry.

Currently, Klotchikhine is working with cutting edge materials for several new projects. Prior to joining GMP Friction Products, he worked as a contract project engineer with the mining industry, held a position as a friction systems engineer managing R&D projects for an international automotive manufacturer of clutch and transmission systems, torque converters and dampers, and while in Moscow, conducted applied and fundamental investigations relating to wear resistance and reliability of plain bearings, solid lubricating coatings, ceramics, polymers and greases operated under extreme conditions in Moscow.

Since 1929, GMP Friction Products has designed and manufactured brake pads and clutch plates for use in a variety of industrial and automotive applications. They provide friction material products to non-automotive industrial manufacturers such as off-road vehicles, construction, industrial equipment, aerospace, heavy truck, and other specialty markets. As a world leader in sintered metallic friction materials, they specialize in working with clients to engineer and create customized parts in a range of materials for controlling, stopping, or transmitting power. For more information, call 330-633-1226 or visit their website at www.gmpfriction.com.

HUDSON, OHIO (July 21, 2010) – Laura Shrieve, client services liaison at Marketing Resources & Results, Inc., was honored with one of the Women of Professional Excellence Awards at the Women’s Network of Northeast Ohio Women of Achievement Awards ceremony on June 17 during their annual luncheon.

“Laura’s creativity, diplomacy and professionalism are just some of the qualities that explain why she has been honored with this recognition,” said Chris Brown owner of Marketing Resources & Results, Inc. “Her dedication to providing the best marketing services to our clients, combined with her ability to understand and communicate the diverse, technical aspects and products of our clients, make her an outstanding marketing professional. It’s wonderful to see her honored with this award.”

Laura Shrieve, honored with , and Chris Brown at the Women's Network of Northeast Ohio Women of Achievement Awards

Women’s Network of Northeast Ohio had its annual Women of Achievement Awards at the Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio. The awards were established to increase community awareness, understanding and appreciation of women and the doors they open for future generations.

Laura has worked producing advertising, sales promotions, marketing programs and corporate communications for over 20 years. She spent all of her professional career working in the marketing departments of major corporations or with advertising agencies. Prior to joining Marketing Resources & Results, she served 8 years as a manager in the Creative Department at Matrix Essentials, learning the rigors of the cosmetic industry, product branding and promotion. During her 3 years at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Ohio, she managed advertising and sales promotion programs to meet state-wide sales and marketing goals.

Laura has experience as a copywriter, product manager, sales promotion specialist and print production manager. She has knowledge of business-to-business, not-for-profit, corporate and educational marketing needs. She graduated from John Carroll University in Cleveland with a degree in Communications and English and completed her Masters in Business Administration at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea. Laura currently serves on the committee for Go Red for Women for the Akron chapter of the American Heart Association.

About Marketing Resources & Results
Marketing Resources & Results helps companies build a strong brand name, find new customers, and profitably promote their products and services. Marketing Resources & Results develops and executes strategic marketing plans for small and medium-sized businesses and other organizations. Chris Brown also offers custom marketing workshops and seminars for business organizations and companies. For more information, call 330-656-9793, or visit www.resources-results.com.

Pet Lodging Facility near Cleveland Joins Matter of Trust to Create Booms to Absorb Oil Spills

MENTOR, OHIO (July 19, 2010) – TLC Pet Lodge, a leading pet lodging and grooming facility in Northeast Ohio, has recently joined with Matter of Trust to use animal fur and hair to soak up oil spills.

“When we heard about Matter of Trust, we felt like we could really make a difference,” said Marj Green-Beyer, CKO of TLC Pet Lodge. “We groom numerous dogs and typically throw away large quantities of pet hair every day.  Now, we can turn the hair into a valuable resource to help soak up the oil spill in the gulf with the help of Matter of Trust.”

Matter of Trust is an innovative, non-profit organization that uses donated hair, fur, feathers, fleece and nylons to help with the cleanup of thousands of oil spills every year. Fur and hair are naturally very efficient at gathering oils, part of the reason we need to clean and groom our pets so often.   Since 1998 the organization has used donations of human hair and pet fur to make naturally absorbent booms and large woven mats that can be placed in the water to soak up oil.

Despite some confusion with BP’s press release, stating they already had booms they considered more sorbent, the Matter of Trust organization is still collecting hair and getting booms ready for major state cleanup efforts in areas affected by the recent spill in the Gulf. All of the clippings will be shipped by TLC Pet Lodge, at their expense, to facilities in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana to be made into booms by volunteers.

“It is just one way that we all can do our part to help in this time of environmental crisis,” said Green-Beyer. “The booms made by Matter of Trust are environmentally safe, made from renewable resources, and have already proven to be helpful in the cleanup effort of many spills over the years.”

About TLC Pet Lodge
Established in 1990, TLC Pet Lodge is a full-service pet lodging facility for dogs and cats located in Mentor, Ohio. The company does not use crates or cages. The pet friendly environment has suites and enclosures that can accommodate multiple family pets. In addition to being the only facility in Ohio to achieve the Pet Care Services Association Gold Ribbon Certificate of Accreditation, the family-owned and operated TLC Pet Lodge has a long list of impressive credentials including Certified Advanced Pet Care Technicians and a Best Groomed Dog Award Winner on staff. For more information, visit www.tlcpetlodge.com or call 440-951-4TLC (4852).