Technology Has Stolen My Patience… And I Need It Back to Deal With Technology
I am writing this at 6 a.m. sitting on a bar stool at the Empire Tavern at LaGuardia Airport’s terminal C. I am gearing up for a full day of travel out to the Pacific Northwest. I will be there all week and will land in NYC (JFK airport — flying out of LaGuardia and […]
Makerspace: A New Campus Community Hub of Innovation AV Should Be Prepared For
This was originally posted on FSR’s education website, fsr.education, here. The last time you visited your library, what were you there to do? It may have been to hear a professional development speaker, participate in a book club, bring your child to a “mommy/ daddy and me” group. I was recently reading an article focused […]
Snow Day: Considering E-Learning in Your Schools?
Following a disruptive snow storm in the North East this week, students across the region (especially Long Island and New England) are home sledding, playing video games, drinking hot chocolate and doing everything but thinking about school. Many schools, however, are implementing continuity of learning plans that may require students to “attend class” during snow/ […]
How Important is “Being Green” In the Classroom Technology Decision Making Process?
The honest answer is “not exceptionally important.” The reason, however, may surprise you. Many schools have sustainability initiatives in place that cover a wide variety of campus life processes from printing and food services to facilities and grounds keeping. While technology is an obvious environmental concern, that concern is usually a result of the amount […]
Breaking Down Barriers
I recently wrote an article for EdTech Digest called “Keys to Engagement: Connectivity Challenges in a Technology-Rich Classroom.” In it, I outlined some challenges and solutions common to modern learning spaces, but which are often not at the top of mind when designing or installing room equipment. One of the ideas I brought up was […]
What’s Your Swoosh?
All these articles about AV news, new product announcements and acquisitions in the AV industry being released before InfoComm got me to thinking about company recognition. Then at a meeting the other day, one of our reps stood up and told us a story about his contact in a K-12 school who went up to […]
With Sincerity and Gratitude
New year, new company, new blog post…wow, I am on a roll. It has been a while since I have submitted a blog for rAVe. The past three months have been a crazy ride. I probably should have written about the feeling of leaving a company I have been at for nine years — more […]
Creating Balance… and Still Learning
In two of my previous posts (here and here), I had discussed my position of combining Sales & Marketing into a cohesive group through consistent detailed communication and collaboration. After discovering that sales people are consistently poor intra-company communicators and marketing people can be annoyingly persistent (LOVE both my sales and marketing roles at RelampIt), […]
Convince Me: Should My Boy Have A Cell Phone?
My son is 12 years old (to be fair, he will be 13 in November, but I will keep him out of the teenage realm as long as I possibly can) and will be heading into 8th grade come September. He wants a cell phone. And not just any old free from AT&T cell phone, […]
From the Confines of a Manufacturer’s Tradeshow Booth
A lot of people have an InfoComm 2013 recap. Most are written by AV professionals who were able to spend a lot of time walking the show floor. Those recaps are generally insightful, especially for those of us who weren’t able to spend a lot of time traversing the expansive Orange County Convention Center. I […]
A Short Pre-InfoComm Note from ME
Last month, my company sent out its quarterly newsletter. Once in a while I get a moment to sit down and write a personal letter to our subscribers, clients and friends. Our spring newsletter is my favorite time to do this because I am in renewal mode. I hate winter — absolutely HATE winter. Once […]
Networks and Referral Webs
GinaMichelle: Gemini To The Extreme
So my sister and I are twins with very different personalities. I wouldn’t even say that we have two different personalities. It’s probably more like four different types of personalities between the two of us (we are, in fact, Geminis.) We worked as a team one minute — when we were two, I used to push […]
From the Periphery of the AV Industry
Most of those who know me, know me as having one of two identities in this industry: Green lady or lamp lady. I don’t prefer one identity over the other. I love both sides of what I do and am just as comfortable with either one. Today, I have decided, I will be the lamp lady. Manufacturing, selling, […]
I Have To Hire A New Sales Person
I have to hire a new sales person. I feel like I am always hiring new sales people. But this is the truth of running a small business — or any type of business, I suppose. There should always be new recruits coming in. New blood, as they say. I have found that one of […]
Try It – Quality Personified
Quality – the word many companies use to define the value of a product or service. Quality – the necessary stamp of the marketing department. Quality – the long lasting buzz-word. Is it so over-used that it has become a red flag for clients or consumers? If a business touts quality as the value proposition […]
2012: A Year To Be Proud Of
This year my company, RelampIt, celebrates its 5th year in business. SWEET! Let me take a step back,RelampIt began in late 2005 as a department within an R&D company that focused on various optics-related projects. We spun off into an independent business in 2007- 5 years ago. Considering this, we have beenrelamping for over 7 years- but my lovely […]
Celebrating the Millionth Time I Have Been Asked This Question
A quick post, from the heart, in CELEBRATION of the millionth time I have been asked this question: One of the things that I am often asked by clients and industry colleagues when talking about my RelampIt business is how we are able to keep our manufacturing in the US — New York no less, with some […]
GinaMichelle: Single Word, No Spaces, One Breath
I haven’t written in a while, mostly because we have been undergoing a really big and successful internal change that we initiated last year. Our language has changed, our policies have been prioritized, our priorities have been clarified and our team is ready for the next stage in RelampIt growth. We no longer consider ourselves as a […]
92 Years and Counting
My grandmother, Nonna, is 92 years old and one of the strongest and spunkiest people I know. She’s been through a lot; more than most. Despite years of hardships, accidents, death, cancer, etc, she has remained optimistic, faithful and kind. No bitterness remains. In fact, I don’t think it was ever there to begin with. But […]
