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LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Dear Catapult Community, Happy New Year! Hope your 2010 is off to a great start! A new year, new decade, with new beginnings and new lessons to learn is upon us. They say with each passing year we grow older and wiser. Have you thought about your personal and professional experiences from 2009? What opportunities did you seize along your path and which ones did you miss? It is always worthwhile to pause and extrapolate the lessons learned from your experiences and figure out how you got where you are today. In 2010 Catapult will be launching a Business Speaker Series where members can learn life lessons from those who have blazed a successful path before us. We will be conducting an intimate Q&A with some very successful Seacoast professionals who have, over the years, transformed their lives from ordinary to extraordinary. We will listen to their journeys and extract some key lessons learned for each of us to consider in our own path towards greatness. Please join us in March when we welcome our first speaker, Paul Holloway. Once again, cheers to 2010; may it be a prosperous, healthy and joyful year for us all. May we remain vigilant throughout the year so we gain wisdom from each and every moment encountered. Warm regards, Helen Donington, Chair and Co-Founder  UPCOMING CATAPULT EVENTS Catapult Bowling to Network Event Calling all Kingpins — Let the good times roll! Date: Thursday, February 11th Time: 6:00-8:00pm Location: Dover Bowl 887 B Central Ave Dover, NH - View map Cost: Admission - $17 online or $20 at the door. Catapult continues the fun at Dover Bowl on Thursday, February 11th at 6pm. Working with our partner Dower Bowl; we are able to bring you everything you need for a great night of bowling, networking & fun. Two drinks (beer, wine, single liquor cocktails), arcade game tokens, and appetizers will be included for the low price of $17 online, $20 at the door. Everyone had a great time at the last event, come be a part of it! Reserve your spot today! Register now. White Russians and tacky bowling shirts optional. Launch Yourself Into Investing & Home Ownership Catapult thinks you're money, baby! Date: Wednesday, February 24th Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Location: Hilton Garden Inn — 100 High Street, Portsmouth, NH Cost: $5 online, $10 at the door Note: Cash Bar & Light Appetizers will be served. Catapult hosts a fun and informative evening with local professionals in the fields of Mortgage Financing, Financial Planning, Real Estate, and Title Services. Get answers to your financial questions;
Catapult Presents Its New BUSINESS SPEAKER SERIES Catapult is launching a new speaker series for 2010! In our mission to bridge the gap between young professionals and seasoned executives and entrepreneurs, we are providing an intimate and exclusive setting where members can gain personal insight from each speaker with a moderated discussion. We are also happy to announce that JBC Communications has partnered with us to film this series and Lightfin Studios will help with branding. Participation will be limited. Stay tuned for more details on how you can participate As our first speaker, Paul Holloway, of the Holloway Automotive Group, invites Catapult members to join him at the 100 Club, Wednesday, March 24th. Date: Wedneday, March 24th Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Location: One Hundred Club — 100 Market Street, Suite 500, Portsmouth, NH Light appetizers and beverages will be available WHAT'S NEW? CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE DESIGN WWW.CATAPULTSEACOAST.ORG New Intern, Greg Wall Please help us in welcoming Greg Wall as our board liaison for the Spring 2010 semester! Greg is a senior at the University of New Hampshire working to complete a major in Communications and a minor in Business. He joins us with experience in marketing and communications, including international business, having completed an internship this past year where he assisted Vice President Al Gore at the World Business Summit/Copenhagen Climate Control Council. We are eager for Greg to contribute to our team by working in all areas of the Catapult organization: helping to develop 2010 events and philanthropy efforts; working on print, web and social media communications; aiding in community relations and fundraising efforts; and finally, working to cement Catapult's relationship with UNH undergraduate students. Please be sure to say hello to Greg at our next event! Congratulations to Craig Davis, recipient of Catapult's annual J.T. O'Donnell Award  At each anniversary celebration, Catapult awards one person for their support of the organization's mission and vision, and honors their commitment to helping us reach our goals and objectives over the course of the year. Craig has been an active events team volunteer since 2007. We are so very appreciative of Craig's contribution of ideas and event coordination.Congratulations and many thanks, Craig! Craig is the owner and operator of Tranquility Wellness Solutions [hyperlink] where he provides massage therapy as well as consultations to businesses looking to bring health and wellness into their office culture. SEACOAST BUSINESS BRIEFS
MEMBER OF THE MONTH Congratulations to Member of the Month  Jared is the Marketing Director for the Systems Division at Enablence Techonologies located in Portsmouth. He has been a committed volunteer and donated creative services to Catapult for over 3 years. Jared graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the Whittemore School of Business at the University of New Hampshire in 2000. Since then, he has advanced his career by creating and executing integrated marketing campaigns for a variety of hi-tech companies from across the country. He is an advocate of efficiency and is strategic in his approach to marketing communications and measurement.Jared enjoys snowboarding, golfing, motorcycling, and traveling. He's a long-time native to the Seacoast and maintains a work hard — play hard attitude. Each month, we'd like to highlight an achievement, entrepreneurial endeavor, volunteerism effort or general good news for a Catapult member. If you have a nominee in mind, please send a brief paragraph about their story to launch@catapultseacoast.org. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Thank you to the following sponsor(s) who have made our events possible.  Portsmouth Museum of Fine ArtThe mission of the Portsmouth Museum Of Fine Art is to provide education and leadership in the fine arts, literary arts, art history, design, and art education through excellence in teaching, museum quality exhibits, literary readings, film screening and more. Learn More Location: One Harbor Place, Suite 275, — Portsmouth, NH  Dover BowlFamily Fun Center www.doverbowl.com BECOME A SPONSOR Wondering how your business can reach the over 1400 young professionals that make up Catapult? Become a sponsor today! Catapult offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities to local businesses who want to become part of one of the most successful networking groups of young professionals in the Seacoast. For more information, please contact sponsorships@catapultseacoast.org. ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVICE FROM 
Brent is the founder of Slim Famous (S.F.), a business specializing in product, brand and business development. Since it was founded in 1999, Slim Famous Original products have captured the attention of national media and retail executives including those at Warner Bros./Disney. Brent also provides clients with holistic, strategic marketing plans that are creative, penetrating, effective, unique and with proven results.- brentbeckett@gmail.com Business: It's An Experience! "Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand." - Chinese Philosophy I curiously watched a commercial recently, demonstrate how a phone user can talk about, research, photograph, email and buy something all at the same time. "It's the ultimate phone experience" was the final, but lasting message. Despite being in my thirties I remember the ultimate phone experience being able to successfully dial all the numbers on a rotary phone without having to start over and actually getting the person I want to answer. The explosion of technology during the past twenty years has created the expectation that consumers can have anything at any time. Our ability to browse the Internet and find an incredibly specific product or service has created the same demand from traditional business. Simple buy and sell transactions are no longer enough for the American consumer. It is no longer satisfying to just talk on the phone; we now need to take a picture and email it to the person we are talking to while we are talking to them. Research suggests that our attention spans are getting shorter because of all of the technology and tremendous amount of information, imagery and options available to us. Therefore this creates a challenge for businesses to retain consumer enthusiasm and do so through more information, imagery and available options that provide the best consumer experience. The word "experience" is aligned with a lot of new products and services. Cars are a driving experience; restaurants offer dining experiences; a massage is a spa experience; a store is a shopping experience; movies are viewing experiences. In a book titled The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater & Every Business a Stage, Joseph Pine and James Gilmore make the compelling case that for a business to avoid the fate of becoming irrelevant in today's economy, they must learn to stage a rich and compelling experience. Disney World and Las Vegas are extreme examples of brand development through experience-based products and services. However, consider how Starbucks introduced their brand as a coffee experience. Baristas, grande' sizes, earth tone decor and living room furniture redefined the traditional elements of a coffee shop. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to matter that a cup of coffee tripled in price. Consumers are willing to pay for the experience associated with their product and service. It is why eating a lobster dockside with an ocean view costs $40 and only $10 at Red Lobster landlocked in a strip mall. The idea of experiencing a product before buying it is not entirely new, as we have always tried on shoes and walked around the store before buying them, just as we test drive cars and ride a bike around the lot. What is changing is the platform of how products and services are sold. Stores give us spectacular showcases that capture our attention and captivate our imagination. Offices have become playgrounds, bookstores rival the best libraries and even churches feature rock and roll, big screen monitors and cafe's. All of the successful places we go and shop are as Pine and Gilmore say: "Theaters and Stages" and those that are not, risk becoming irrelevant in the changing landscape of our experience based economy. The movement has shifted from traditional businesses with lifeless shelves and drone sales people to modern "experiences" featuring highly interactive product displays- and this isn't a fad or passing trend. In fact, technology will continue to create more ways to impress customers and involve them in the buying process. Movies like Avatar will become more common and trips to outer space more affordable. Here's the point: whatever business you are in, start thinking how to make it more exciting and inclusive for the customer. Think about your business more like a theater and create a production that includes your customers, not as spectators, but as part of the cast. Involving your customers in the process will make them feel more invested in your company and less likely to do business somewhere else. Until next time - Brent CAREERALISM WITH J.T. O'DONNELL What's Motivating You to Consider a Career Change? January 6, 2009 by sparktalk By CAREEREALSM-Approved Expert, Kris Parfitt 
A large pile of laundry can be such a daunting task that we put it off as long as we can before we run low on under garments. However, instead of buying more skivvies every week, wouldn't it make more sense (and be cheaper) to just sort the piles and do our laundry?This daunting feeling is similar to what we experience when we consider a career change, pursue a promotion, or when looking for employment. The questions loom, consume and balloon into such beasts of burden that we keep putting it off until our vitality is sapped and we are truly out of underwear. Where to begin? Find out |
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IN THIS ISSUE:  Letter from the ChairUpcoming Catapult EventsWhat's New?Seacoast Business BriefsMember of the MonthIn Case You Missed ItSponsor SpotlightEntrepreneurial Advicefrom Brent Beckett Careeralism with J.T. O'Donnell CATAPULT RECOMMENDS
 CONNECT, GROW, IMPACT
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
FRIENDS OF CATAPULT  Support the initiative, share ideas on the blog and take part in a state-wide, collective -effort to attract and retain a young workforce. Learn More  Congratulations to our friends at JBC Communications for their documentary receiving exposure at the 2008 NH Film Festival! Learn about the "Graying of NH" and form your own opinions on the need for affordable housing in NH. Learn More  Networking doesn't stop at Catapult events. Get even more connected by becoming active in the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. For nearly a century, the GPCC has been helping business leaders and citizens get connected. The Chamber's goals are to support and promote local business, influence public policy, develop tourism and improve the quality of life in the Seacoast. Learn More  JBC Communications Director Jay Childs is an award-winning producer who brings to clients over 20 years of experience in many facets of communications consulting and production. "JBC Communications' vision is actually quite simple. To tell our clients' stories in an impactful way so that their strategic goals are achieved. Learn More  Learn how Leadership Seacoast has educated and inspired over 500 people in the Seacoast community over the last 20 years. Leadership Seacoast positively impacts the communities of the Seacoast area by developing a base of effective, knowledgeable, and engaged leaders through exploration of community issues, effective leadership practices, and opportunities for personal involvement. Learn More  Lightfin Studios is an award-winning interactive agency focused on creating custom solutions for your unique brand. By providing end-to-end solutions we ensure that your brand and message are properly communicated while giving you the tools that you need to reach your audience. Learn More  The LFDA provides a comprehensive, interactive and nonpartisan venue to inform New Hampshire citizens and to stimulate their interest and engagement in the issues facing our state and communities. The Alliance encourages a civil exchange of information, ideas, and trust to forge a new relationship between New Hampshire citizens and their government. Learn More  NHBSR aims to build and support a network of businesses committed to adopting socially responsible business practices, recognizing that people, principles and profits are inseparably linked. Learn More  Catapult endorses NH Businesses for Transportation and Infrastructure's initiative to bring rail to NH. Learn More  The goal of Stay, Work, Play NH is to expose more young people to the advantages of remaining in or returning to New Hampshire. Learn More  The UNH Advising and Career center offers academic advising, career and internship advising, and employer services to UNH students and Alumni. Learn More  Are you a UNH Alumni living in the Seacoast? Visit the UNH Alumni site and sign on to Wildcat World. Create your own virtue yearbook page, search for friends, post a class note and learn about future events! Learn More  Catapult has partnered with the United Way of the Greater Seacoast in an effort to bring the community together to identify issues that pertain to the Greater Seacoast region and work together to determine the most efficient solutions. Learn More  Special Thanks to All Catapult Sponsors Your sponsorship and encouragement allows Catapult to continue working toward making a positive impact on the Seacoast by providing unique and valuable opportunities to enhance personal and professional development for our next generation of business and community leaders. We sincerely appreciate your continued support. Thank you. - Catapult Board Live in the Seacoast but work in another area of NH? Connect with other YP groups around the State: NASHUA www.iugonashua.com MANCHESTER www.mypn.org CONCORD www.concordypn.org KEENE www.keeneypn.org MOUNT WASHINGTON VALLEY www.mwvyp.org Catapult Wants to Hear from You! Interested in volunteering your time to help Catapult in 2010? Click Here. We welcome your input! Share ideas on what you would like to see from Catapult in 2010. Click Here. Have a great testimonial of how Catapult events have benefited you or your business? We want to hear it! Click Here. Would you like greater visibility for your business while helping to support Seacoast young professionals? Click Here. Found an article you think a friend ought to read? Send him or her to the online version of today's issue of catapult eNews.   Catapult eNews February 9, 2010 Volume 4, Issue 1 We hope you enjoyed reading today's issue of Catapult eNews. Written and designed by Catapult in Portsmouth, Catapult eNews is a free email publication. Event dates are subject to change. |
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