Even in a dark year …(with the smelter gearing down in Blount County, and  the ensuing layoffs)…the employees UPPED their participation in local service projects, benefiting more than a dozen nonprofits. In fact, overall local employee volunteer participation was up 59 percent.

In all…the collective 1,579 hours of local volunteer work they gave to the community is the equivalent of one person working 40 hours weekly for nearly a year. Those are very cool stats, released a few days ago as part of Alcoa’s report on their annual Worldwide Month of Service program.

Someone famous said it’s “hard to keep a good man down.” In Alcoa’s case, it seems they are determined to keep local spirits up…even in down times.

Kudos to them all.

A long-time leader in MGMA business (and a former MGMA local and state president), German now oversees the corporate investments & retirement plans of more than 22,000 MGMA members across the country. In these “challenging economic times”, it’s significant that German was chosen to “chart the course” of his fellow MGMA members’ investments.

East Tennesseans should be proud that one of our own is leading the financial interests of thousands of U.S. healthcare professionals. (And it’s no wonder that under German’s leadership, ETMG recently was recognized as the #1 healthcare facility in Blount County by the Daily Times’ Readers’ Choice Awards)!!!

For the last two evenings, I’ve been to a reception and a dinner hosted by Madison, president and CEO of the Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa in Asheville, N.C. He told a fascinating story of how he solved a marketing and business problem with cookies, candies and creativity.

Seventeen years ago, he was challenged to increase bookings at the historic mountain resort during the slower winter season. “And to be honest,” he told me, “we didn’t have much of a budget for holiday decorations either.”

Then he hit upon a winner of an idea: create a late autumn national Gingerbread House contest in which anyone could enter, from children to adults, and have them bring their entries to the resort for judging. Then, display the sugary creations throughout the resort as a holiday viewing opportunity for entrants’ families, locals and tourists… using those entries ALSO as the basis for (free) holiday decorations. Genius.

Nearly two decades of gingerbread house competitions later… the result is an almost cult-like devotion to the contest, with hundreds of entries around the country. It’s become a national contest featured yearly by Diane Sawyer on ABC News (check your local listings for when she’ll be doing the story around Christmas).

I’m here in Asheville at the Grove Park, where yesterday I was one of 10 national judges (I know, I know…me???) at the 17th Annual National Gingerbread House Competition. I was blown away by the entries’ high creativity and professionalism…from the children’s category ages 5-8, all the way up through the youth, teen and adult categories of ages 18 and up.

For seven intense hours, we methodically judged entries made completely of edible products, with the structures primarily made of gingerbread. We scrutinized, poked and debated the merits of buildings representing traditional gingerbread villages and Santa’s workshops, to entries representing Star Wars characters, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and even an interpretation of the classic TV cartoon Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (complete with the Burl Ives snowman).

Despite the I-40 state line rockslide that made travel to Asheville a tad more challenging, Tennessee was well represented, with several winners in the top 10 winners circle from Maryville, Greenback, and Burns. (Many of these folks compete yearly, placing high. Last year a first-place category winner and the overall grand prize winner both came from Tennessee.)

The houses will be on display beginning this Wednesday through January, and it’s worth the drive to see these true works of art. Hey, and to make up for the “rockslide pain”, Grove Park is offering a discounted Tennessee Friends package (go to their website at www.groveparkinn.com and pull up TN50) to view the lower room rates, gift cards, spa passes and other discounts.

The Volunteer State did us proud this year with our entrants’ and winners’ creativity and attention to detail. So take that drive to Asheville and check ‘em out! (and my thanks to the talented chefs and culinary experts who welcomed me into their judging fold!! That was tons of fun.)

Judging is certainly difficult with all the great entries. Watch this news story from WLOS-TV in Asheville to see me and the other judges hard at work.  Pass the gingerbread cookies, please!!!

Lisa confers with the other judges during the competition. (Photo from the Asheville Citizen-Times)

Darryl Woo, one of the partners at Fenwick & West LLP, (based in the Silicon Valley) gave a compelling overview regarding the current push-pull in many companies re: how Facebook, blogs, tweets, etc. can be viewed VERY differently by employees and employers.

That debate’s been happening for a while; no news there. And yet, the “horror stories of folks who tweet before they think” keep on a’comin. Darryl cited this exchange occurring several months ago.

The employee tweeted:
“Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”
(Okay, folks, we already know the outcome here…Cisco picked right up on that).

Cisco sent one back, reading “Who is the hiring manager(?) I’m sure they (sic) would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.”

You can’t help but chuckle…and wonder WHO that now-never-to-be-employed-by-Cisco person thought he/she was talking to. It gives us pause to remember that when we’re on the web, we’re not talking “in a bubble.” We’re potentially talking to the whole world.

In the marketing and PR world, we always tell our clients never to lose sight of their audience or stakeholders. Perhaps it’s time some of us take that advice ourselves?

Food for thought….(and by the way, coincidentally, Twitter, Facebook and Cisco are all Fenwick & West clients!)

Here’s an ABC News story from earlier this year detailing the Cisco job hunter and some helpful advice on mistakes to avoid for job seekers on Twitter.

With apologies to poet Robert Frost, my “Road Not Taken” last week was I-40 East over to Asheville. Last Sunday a huge rockslide closed both sides of I-40 around the N.C./Tennessee border. And, as luck would have it, I was due to travel to Asheville three days after the rockslide for some meetings…and starting to dread the longer roadtrip.

So early last week when I pondered my impending drive, I put out the call on Facebook re: folks’ favorite alternate routes across the mountains into N.C.

At least 10 friends (many of them current and former newsfolk) quickly weighed in with their opinions and best advice for the drive. It was invaluable for determining how to go and what to expect…and it all happened within a few hours of my question on Facebook.

Okay, this method of soliciting advice isn’t new for many of you out there….but it’s a real eye-opener to someone like me who’s been accustomed to contacting “organizations” like AAA, or TDOT, or even the various chambers of commerce, etc. On Facebook, I got informative “word of mouth” from my peers who knew me (not from faceless organizations who just needed to direct volumes of vehicles a certain way). Using Facebook circumvented my going to multiple websites, getting the “corporate line” or making any phone calls, etc. (although exploreasheville.com had some good routing info I saw a couple hours before leaving). My Facebook appeal was practically effortless (and fast!!)

The outcome? The trip from Knoxville to Asheville took exactly three hours late Wed. afternoon by going I-40 E to I-81 to I-26…(it should have been a half hour less, but rush hour confusion for the “detour drivers” really snarled up I-26 at the I-240 junctions). The Blue Ridge fall foliage was absolutely stunning in late afternoon (when the sun hit all the colorful mountainous peaks and valleys). And when I drove back the same route to Knoxville on Friday, it DID only take two and a half hours…traveling before rush hour began.

Ultimately, friends who advised me to take my time on 11E or go through Bulls Gap or the backroads of Cocke County were disappointed that I took the interstate. (Hey, I just wanted to quickly get from point A to point B.) Maybe I’ll be more creative next time…

And for those of you who said they were putting off a trip to North Carolina now….big mistake. Contrary to how we perceive it “over here”, the rockslide hasn’t closed down our access to western North Carolina. It’s just making us think a little more “out of the box.”

Asheville still sparkles like the gem it is….The Grove Park Inn is beautifully decked out in autumn decorations, the Biltmore still inspires awe with its majestic architecture,and the art and crafts scene in downtown Asheville is just as lively.

Asheville hasn’t changed…but we (over here) just have to adjust the way WE think about getting THERE!

Sam will be cooking several dishes with Martha and sharing about the farm’s offerings (including its great food, of course). I also caught Sam’s solid appearance on WBIR’s “Live at Five at Four” yesterday afternoon (making…yum…spoonbread) and am convinced he’s going to be a star on Martha’s stage!

Continuing my tradition of blogging across oceans…meetings over the last few days in a tropical locale have opened my eyes to the different ways various industries still view public relations, marketing and the still-emerging (and exciting!) uses of social media and marketing methods.

It’s been a learning experience to discuss people’s enthusiasm, some folk’s hesitancy, and yes, even their fears about “jumping into” this brave new world of connecting with others. I hope I’ve shown some of you that “you can teach an old dog new tricks” and that truly, there ARE “many ways to skin a cat” to acheive your marketing goals on a economy-sized budget, through a smart marketing mix including social media elements (apologies to my vet husband for using that “skin a cat” phrase!).

To the hotels and individuals who made my trip here possible, I raise my cold drink and salute you, and we’ll have some solid followup discussions in the weeks ahead.

For now, I’m going to enjoy the last cool drink here in my hand, with toes in the sand, watching the surf and thinking…what a cool and very connected business world it is, in which we now operate. Cheers!

The goal of the session was not a tutorial on how to “sidestep” a reporter’s questions…but rather, how to represent your business in a responsible way, while preserving your company’s brand equity AND while becoming a future trusted source to the reporters and editors.

That’s no small feat when you’re under pressure (and acutely aware of the media’s focus!). The folks at East Tennessee Medical News asked to publish excerpts of my speech in their August issue, and you can find it here.

While my session was aimed at medical professionals dealing with weighty issues such as malpractice, medical wrongdoing and even emergency situations, the summarized checklist has some general points that can be useful to most any profession as “things to remember to do and say while in the fray.”

Bottom line: few of us really know how we’ll perform when the negative spotlight is turned on us. But if you learn the basics of how to talk with the media and assist them in relaying a timely, accurate story to their public, you’ll gain their respect. And, maybe they’ll consider you as that solid, trusted source….or even a credible expert in your field!

Probably at one time or another, many of us (me included!) could answer “yes” to all of those questions. But, if these conditions are a constant problem, it’s best to get some professional help, according to Charlie Ashworth, director of the Center for Sleep Medicine, 710 Morganton Square Drive, Maryville.

Charlie spoke this morning at the Blount Chamber Business Snapshot event,  hosted at the Sleep Center.  A joint venture of Blount Memorial Hospital and our client East Tennessee Medical Group, the center was celebrating its 3rd anniversary in operation. It boasts experienced physicians and licensed sleep medicine professionals who diagnose and treat patients, giving them highly individualized treatment options.
Our chamber group toured the sleep center today, viewing  its six  private, soundproofed rooms (they look just like really nice hotel rooms), with big comfy beds, satellite TV, and adjoining bathrooms decked out in spa-like colors and fluffy towels. (Heck, if my office was near the place, I’d be tempted to drop in there for an occasional afternoon nap.)

During the tour, Charlie said most folks with sleep problems don’t realize anything is wrong or that treatment is available. They (or their significant others) just suffer through life until some “BIG EVENT” occurs (like falling asleep while driving, causing an accident).  But even if that “BIG EVENT” never happens, other problems DO. Lack of restful sleep can contribute to potentially dangerous health conditions like high blood pressure, obesity, depression, etc. etc. 

Yikes! I’m remembering last night when my hubbie was snoring blissfully in my ear and I was waking up at 2 a.m., 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. to give him “the elbow.”  I think I’m gonna give these folks a call for him (or maybe see if they offer some type of  “afternoon naptime hour” for ME!)

Steve and I attended an awesome fundraiser this weekend with the proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Held at the stunning Black Oak Ridge estate of opthamologist Dr. Eugene Price,  the evening featured great food, meaningful conversation and poignant music of the Cole Porter era beautifully performed by Madison Lyleroehr and Jackson Gainer.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

There are many worthy causes to support out there in the world, but this gathering “stood out” because so  many of the attendees were truly passionate about the ongoing research in Parkinson’s. We have friends, (as I’m sure many of you out there do), who have been diagnosed and are struggling with “what’s next.”

I was overcome by the grace, courage and hope displayed by our speakers as they briefly discussed their diagnoses and the role their medical conditions now played in their lives.

 And I wondered, are we luckiest when we celebrate each day that we are healthy, or are we luckiest when we can celebrate each day knowing that “a healthy tomorrow” isn’t necessarily a given?

There but for the grace of God….