Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

Pilgrim Talks: Greg Batten and Jim Caras

Greg Batten, Coach to CEOs in the Inland Empire

Many of the small businesses owners we speak to express this concern. The Corporate CEO has a board of directors, an executive leadership team, consultants, and managers to help them with strategies and business development. They also have teams and departments to execute key growth initiatives.

The small business owner does not have the time or resources to build a board of directors.

The CEO Club provides the kind of entrepreneurial environment that helps the small business owner to think, plan, and execute like a corporate CEO.

At Estrada Strategies, we have developed a business model to help every business owner build on the Core Disciplines of Business. These Core Disciplines, when implemented via our coaching, training,and monitoring processes, provide business owners a complete strategy for successful business management. We provide the support and tools you need to implement these strategies in your business.

There is no mystery to what we do. Our methods are simple and efficient and provide the foundation for successful business management, development and growth.

We have used our model of Coach, Train, Monitor successfully with the owners of hundreds of small to medium sized businesses nationwide.

To learn more about Greg Batten, go to estradastrategies.com/ontario

Jim Caras, CEO of Health Direct

Health Direct is a privately held, formulator and provider of premium quality, non-commodity, and innovative anti-aging nutritional supplements. Health Direct's products are distributed at over 4000 locations, including independent health food stores, VitaminShoppe and GNC.

Health Direct focuses on unique, innovative anti-aging nutritional supplements that arecondition-specific. The company also specializes in and is a leader in liquid nutrition.Health Direct's products include: stimulant-free weight loss, energy, joint support andpain-relief, digestive health, and skin repair and care.

The company's well known products are: AminoSculpt (the only patented liquid collagen protein), Sculpt n' Cleanse (weight loss colon cleansing), and Ready Fiber (the world's first liquid fiber). Also the company has just introduced the world's first SodiumBenzoate and Potassium Sorbate FREE (widely used preservatives) liquid multi vitamin,Nature's Optimal Nutrition, which is a major breakthrough in the nutrition industry.

After losing over 25 pounds and dramatically changing his body, Founder Jim Caras was urged by friends and family to make his personal health discoveries, formulas, and programs available to them and the public. In 1997, Jim published his best-selling book,How To Completely Reshape Your Body! and founded Health Direct. Since then, HealthDirect has helped improve the health and lives of over a million consumers.

Started with only a $1,500 loan and originally headquartered in a very modest 575 square foot office in Huntington Harbour, California, the company grew quickly and relocated in January of 2004 to Costa Mesa, and then again last year to Irvine, California. The current international headquarters houses all sales, customer service, administrative, marketing,product development, shipping and distribution operations.

To learn more about Health Direct, go to healthdirectusa.com

Pilgrim Talks: Cary Treff and Jim Obermayer

Cary Treff, President

For over 28 years, Keystone Pacific Property Management has been providing professional community association management services you can count on. Our technological resources and customer care programs enhance the quality of service offered to our homeowners, providing an enjoyable planned community living experience for them. The level of service provided to our valued clients is above industry standards. Our team cares about taking care of your community as if we live there too. Our trained, knowledgeable professionals go the extra mile to assist each of our clients. Why? Because we care about making your homeowners happy and most importantly, we care about improving the planned community living experience for your homeowners so that they can focus on maintaining and enhancing the value of their biggest investment – their homes.

Learn more about Keystone Pacific.

James Obermayer, CEO and Executive Director

The Sales Lead Management Association^SM has the mission of helping companies become more successful in the critical business process of managing sales leads. Everyone can become a member by registering and gaining access to the content on the site.

We have built an extensive library of articles, reports, and  information about inquiry management, sales leads, lead nurturing, lead qualification, ROI reporting, and lead distribution. Additional subjects include trade show sales lead acquisition, telemarketing, and inquiry and lead generation.

When you join, there will be no meetings or dues, only access to information and apanel of sales lead management experts who can help you solve difficult sales lead management issues you are facing.

• Want to learn more about sales lead management?  The sample"Resources" tab is the heart of the site with 2-3 new articles added each week.  Once you join you'll have access to all articles posted for our members.
• Need advice? Go to "Ask the Sales Lead Management Experts" to e-mail our industry experts with your questions.
• Want to contact someone on the Sales Lead Management Association Advisory Board? Go to the "About Us" section.
• Need a speaker, go to the "Speaker’s Directory".
• There is a Book Store, (with a discount for members),  and Book Reviews.
• The monthly Sales Lead Management Newsletter has in-depth articles from our contributors and the Sales Lead Management Association^SM Bloghas interesting entries from guest bloggers.
• Professional Development Courses?  Click on Professional Development and consider the professional courses for marketing management.

Pilgrim Talks: William DeBilzan and Guy Marsala (02/23/11)

William DeBilzan, CEO of DeBilzan Studios

William DeBilzan is an extremely innovative Abstract Expressionist whose presence creates waves in the art community. It is no mystery that the hardest challenge for any painter is the ability to connect with his or her audience. DeBilzan achieves this connection intuitively and with a rare mastery. People of all ages are at home in the presence of DeBilzan's color and mood. In a sense, those who are drawn into DeBilzan's work feel as if the painting was created solely for them, which often is the truth given the large number of commissions he receives. The unique style of William DeBilzan's paintings relies heavily on his thoughtful composition and masterful use of color. The compositions themselves, on their literal surface, are at first complex given the wide variety of rich textures. However, the juxtaposition of simplistic figurative elements serves to provide the viewer with an effortless, yet refined resolution. The straightforwardness used by DeBilzan in his compositions is even more apparent in his choice of color. His palette varies in its mood from warm, subtle distinctions to cool, higher contrast shades reminiscent of the Caribbean. The reds, yellows, greens and blues communicate a sense of innocence in purity while remaining bold and unashamed. The most distinguishing feature of DeBilzan's work is his figures. They stand tall and thin and speak to the viewer with a relief that is in stark contrast to their surrounding textures. Their presence in his paintings suggests the idea that life is far simpler than we make it. Alone or in groups, the anonymous individuals communicate a sense love, belonging or longing to belong. The ability for DeBilzan to connect with almost anybody through the use of an image is proof of his success. Accordingly, his work has been included in many popular television shows, such as Frasier, Just Shoot Me, and Spin City. He has been the obvious choice for such sitcoms because of his work's coherent ability to connect with any member of the audience in some way. DeBilzan's constant creative work ethic and his extremely attractive paintings and sculptures have made him one of the most sought out artists of our time.

To learn more about William DeBilzan, go to williamdebilzan.com

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Guy Marsala, CEO of EZLube

Founded in Orange County in 1988, EZ Lube is Southern California's only wholly owned and locally based quick lube retailer. Employing about 1,000 people with locations from Bakersfield to San Diego, EZ Lube services more than 1 million vehicles annually. EZ Lube is committed to helping Southern Californians take better care of their car, typically their second largest investment after their home. From regular oil changes, to preventative services like filter replacements, air conditioning and fuel system cleaning, EZ Lube can help customers get better mileage, reduce emissions and extend the life of their vehicles. CEO and President Guy Marsala joined EZ Lube in April 2010. He has extensive experience rebuilding value in underperforming businesses by building high performing teams and driving customer focus throughout the organization. EZ Lube Service Pledge At EZ Lube, we pledge to help you maintain your vehicle's health with economical, easy to follow, preventative maintenance and automotive service solutions.Our service team is here to support your automotive servicing needs through regular maintenance and service so you can continue to protect and enjoy the investment you have in your vehicle exactly the way you choose. EZ Lube Expertise At Your Service At EZ Lube, we offer our automotive expertise so that you can make informed decisions about your automotive service needs. From oil change services to more advanced automotive service and repair, EZ Lube uses your vehicle manufacturer's recommendations as the primary indicator in making preventative maintenance recommendations for your vehicle. Our automotive service technicians also look to fluid conditions as a secondary indicator useful in the absence of vehicle maintenance records or in the case of an apparent fluid issue. EZ Lube Stands Behind Our Quality Service Offerings EZ Lube stands behind our automotive service by offering you technical expertise, quality brands and excellent customer service so you can feel confident in the long-term reliability of your vehicle.

To learn more about EZLube, go to ezlube.com

Pilgrim Talks: Jim Banks and Paul Roberts (2/16/11)

Jim Banks, Founder and CEO

Improving Sales Performance with Increased Efficiency and Effectiveness

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Our Mission To help our customers achieve their sales objectives.

Our Purpose To make the complex job of qualifying a lead and selling over the phone easier and more productive.

Our Experience Our products are the result of decades of sales experience; groundbreaking research and thousands of consulting hours spent helping customers improve their sales organizations. Please ask us for a customer reference… they are our best salespeople. Our Market Our offerings are focused on helping sales professionals and sales management.  Our products and services establish successful, repeatable processes that can be measured and reported.  ShadeTree recognized an enormous void in solutions for improving sales conversations.  ShadeTree’s focus is unique and a key reason why you should talk to us.

Our Product Our breakthrough product, Incite2, is the world’s first comprehensive solution for improving telephone conversations and calling productivity for use with Salesforce.com.

See more about Incite2

Paul Roberts, Founder and Producer

The Most Powerful Social Medium Imaginable

OC Talk Radio was created by a group of traditional marketers who realized that marketing is no longer a one way street. You can't just put up a billboard and hope people buy anymore. The Internet has changed all that.  Just as highways long ago bypassed regular streets and opened up new arteries for commerce to flow, so too has the "information super highway" found a way to "cut thru the clutter" of traditional advertising and open up a direct dialog with your community.  Need to find someone who imports Indian beer?  No problem.  Go online and instantly see who sells Golden Eagle lager. The Internet is all about "target marketing". It's about finding your "niche" and telling people about it. Yet one of the best ways to carry on this conversation with your community of clients, customers, and potential prospects has yet to be fully explored: INTERNET RADIO. For while its adoption by the general public is growing by leas and bounds (SEE DEMOGRAPHICS) few people know how easy it is to actually host your own radio show on this revolutionary new "social medium" or what its benefits can be. But the Internet doesn't just connect people with information anymore. It can connect people to each other.  That's the promise of Social Media and the whole Web 2.0.  It allows you to carry on a direct conversation with your customers and community. But what do you say?  How do you create enough interesting content to fill up your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts on a weekly basis, to say nothing about your daily blogs and monthly newsletters?  That's where Internet Radio can help as well, for it gives you something new and interesting to say each week to your audience to capture their attention and hold their interest long enough to show them what you're offering and why it's so special. It also instantly sets you apart from the rest of your competitors, for who else hosts a radio show on your topic? You instantly become "the expert" in your area.  And by capturing each broadcast and recording them as "podcasts" for download later, you add valuable "rich media" to your site that brings traffic and raises you Search Engine rankings at the same time. It's all in what you make of it. You may find that no one is listening to your shows or your weekly message.  But the crazy thing is that it STILL may be worth your time and investment to keep broadcasting, for in addition to raising your rankings, emphasizng your "expertise" and enticing potential customers to carry on a conversation with you over the Internet, hosting your own Internet Radio show is probably the most powerful networking and prospecting tool you can ever imagine.  Want to meet someone but you can't get past the front door?  Try calling them up and asking them to be a guest on your radio show!  Who could refuse an invitation like that? Learn more about OCTalkRadio

Pilgrim Talks: Jay Adams and Frank Verrill

Jay Adams, Founder and CEO

MakesBridge Technology was founded in 2001 in a highly pragmatic post-dot-com business environment. The company was established and built upon a single-minded approach to what we wanted to provide our customers  - The absolute best combination of service, software, and partner-relationship atmosphere. Bar none. The lofty objective seems to have worked.

Now, thanks to customers we dearly appreciate, the sun does not set on our operation. MakesBridge Technology has employees around the world. We work hard and question ourselves around the clock about how we may deliver a better product for customers. We want to be perfect and will never be satisfied - and this fuels our culture of curiosity and creativity.

What We Do

We develop and publish a suite of online marketing and sales software products. We've been on the cloud since inception.

Our Values

We focus on quality, not quantity. Since we're privately held and profitable, we make decisions based on delivering  value to our customers.

We perceive our customers as investors who deserve a high return on the money and effort spent on our tools.

Show sincere respect for self, individuals, customers and competitors. Earn and expect the same.

"No Contracts, No High Price".  Allow customers to fire us at any time to maintain a healthy edge. Deliver results for a low cost.

To learn more about MakesBridge, go to MakesBridge.com

Frank Verrill, Founder and CEO

For the first time ever, you can send real mail in real time, from your desktop or mobile device via your CRM. Cloud2Mail is the patented new technology that sends high quality letters, greeting cards, brochures and more to anyone from anywhere, just one at a time!

We know mail. We mailed just under a billion pieces last year alone. In fact, we have the USPS within our facility. We're experienced direct marketers. Since the 1980's we have been providing powerful marketing programs and turnkey solutions for our clients.

Cloud2You can be implemented in a few ways: via Salesforce.com. via daily file transfer or via API interface.

Cloud2You is a free download on the Salesforce.com Appexchange.

To learn more about Cloud2You, go to Cloud2You.com

Pilgrim Talks: Kent Loven and Frank Jaksch

Ken Loven, Regional Sales Manager

AlphaBio, Inc., is a service and engineered product supplier to the biopharm and hygienic process industries. Having serviced this segment from its inception, we have developed a level of product and process expertise that is unmatched in the industry. Whether you are looking for innovative components or state of the art systems, Alpha can provide them. We supply cutting edge, high quality products to customers who appreciate the value of doing something right once and who value the input that an experienced group can bring. We constantly seek new ways to improve our equipment design. Our goal is to provide our customers with quick and accurate service on the often specialized products they require.

Kent Loven is the Regional Sales Manager. He has over 20 years of experience in fluid system sales in California, including involvement with ISA. Kent handles both large and small accounts throughout the state and will be a great addition to our team. You can reach him directly on his cellphone number: 949.795.3900

To learn more about AlphaBio, go to AlphaBio.com

Frank Jaksch, CEO

ChromaDex™ was established in 1999 to become the market leader in the creation and supply of botanical reference standards along with related phytochemical products and services. There is a rapidly growing awareness both at the consumer and government regulatory level of the need for reference standards and other quality assurance methods to identify active substances, drug/compound interactions, and the presence of toxic or adulterating materials.

ChromaDex™ provides the tools necessary to help with the quality and control of the market. ChromaDex's™ main thrust is to create industry accepted information, products, and services to every layer of the functional food, pharmaceutical, personal care, and dietary supplement markets.

In a consolidating industry, the Company has established itself by combining scientific rigor to its products and services along with a strong customer centric business model. ChromaDex™ is a Life Sciences business that is publicly traded. (OTC stock symbol CDXC.OB)

To learn more about Chromadex, go to chromadex.com

Pilgrim Talks: Dan Coffman

Dan Coffman, CEO

UPS Protection has been protecting systems in the US against brownouts, blackouts and poor power quality for over 25 years. We provide UPS systems and service for clients from coast to coast and specialize in solving all UPS needs. As a direct reseller of the best brands in the industry, we can solve all of your power protection needs -- whether it be a single pc, mission critical server banks, a call center, or other electronic devices. We offer both reconditioned and new products and will meet any budget. To learn more about UPS Protection, go to upsprotection.com

Pilgrim Talks: George Haggarty

George Haggarty, CEO

Main Graphics is committed to providing innovative communications to ENHANCE your competitive advantage. We utilize the latest technology to create intelligent marketing campaigns and smart inventory management systems. Our state-of-the-art print facility blends the newest online, digital, offset printing systems, and work-flows to assure an expedited and satisfying experience with your projects. We’re the experts you can rely on for custom direct mail, brochures, flyers, pocket folders, books, manuals, fine stationery items and all types of collateral print applications. We are leaders in eco-friendly print. Our experienced staff will help guide you to best looking, best functioning project, at a competitive price.

As a company, we know that our success is dependent on the strength and growth of our community. Main Graphics gives back to its community whenever possible. We take great pride in the important work these organizations provide to our Orange County youth, environment and culture.

• Orange County High School of the Arts
• Taller San Jose
• KidWorks
• Orange County Boy Scouts
• Orange Catholic Foundation
• CHOC Hospital
• St. Josephs Hospital
• Laguna Beach Annual Beach Clean-Up
• Boys and Girls Club of Tustin
• Mozart Classical Orchestra

To learn more about Main Graphics, go to maingraphics.net

Pilgrim Talks: The Pilgrim on the 405 (Will Crist)

Will Crist, Pilgrim on the 405

Will reflects on what he has been learning from CEOs in Southern California and CEOs of lead generation, lead management, and marketing automation companies around the country. Marketing and sales have changed dramatically. Companies that will thrive in this marketplace are taking advantage of the electronic tools available to small and medium sized businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies. To follow The Pilgrim on the 405, see his blog at pilgrimonthe405.com

Pilgrim Talks: Peter Hudson and James Baker

Peter Hudson, President of PH Advisory Group Headquartered in Southern California, The PH Advisory Group and its two former entities have been providing comprehensive turnkey sales generation services to more than 450 niche-oriented, business-to-business companies for over 40 years. The vast majority of those companies' sales organizations were successfully reorganized or re-energized resulting in their achieving stronger new sales growth and customer retention. For other companies including start ups, The PH Advisory Group designed and implemented the entire sales and marketing plan, including office acquisitions, personnel recruitment, packaging and more. Our expertise lies in strategically positioning companies for growth in core markets, as well as identifying new markets for future expansion. Neither an ad agency nor a traditional marketing firm, The PH Advisory Group uniquely functions as a company's "Outsourced Sales Generation and Marketing Division." The PH Advisory Group's approach is unique in that its program addresses all areas that affect a company's long-term sales success and profitability.

To learn more about PH Advisory Group, go to ph-sales.com

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James Baker, Author James J. Baker is a noted speaker, author, consultant and strategist on the public sector technology marketplace. He has spent the bulk of his career in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area consulting for technology companies that sell to government. Baker has worked with many technology companies, from Fortune 500's to small businesses, such as Western Blue, Adobe, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, VMware, McAfee, Intel, Verizon, Sybase, AT&T, and BDNA.  A graduate of the University of Maryland, Baker currently resides in Northern California with his wife and two sons.

To learn more about James Baker, go to jamesjbaker.com

Baker The US Federal Government is one of the largest purchasers of information technology in the world. In 2011 the Federal Government is budgets to spend over $78B in the purchase of information technology goods and services. The book, How to Win Business From the Government, will literally teach you a step-by-step approach to research the government, figure out where the funding for IT deals exist, and create an unforgettable presentation about your offering to the federal buyer. For a special offer of the book for listeners, go to:

http://bartlebythepublisher.com/pilgrimtalks.html

Pilgrim Talks: Tim Lester and Keith Pomerleau / Virginia Lorimor

Tim Lester and Keith Pomerleau, Managers AllBrightOC is a great example of a compay dedicated to the development of employees. As anyone can see from their website, AllBrightOC is a janitorial service with specialitizing in home cleaning, floor care, carpet care, air duct cleaning, water damage, and construction clean-up. The difference the company brings is in the management commitment to developing people and helping them to be the best they can be. Extensive training in both the technical aspects of cleaning and in human relationship skills help employees at AllBrightOC stand out in the world of service employees. In the conversation today, we will hear from managers committed to their people. The focus on development of employees has resulted in outstanding customer service. In business for less than two years, AllBrightOC has built a larger group of loyal customers in both residential and commercial owners. Listen in today to hear the difference customer support training can make in a business.

To learn more about the AllBrightOC, go to allbrightoc.com

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Virginia Lorimor, CEO WIN Business GermiNATION, Inc.^sm is a unique business concept that will change the way American's do business. WIN^sm is the brain child of founder and Chief Excellence Officer, Virginia Lorimor, a magna cum laud alumnus of USC and CPA with nearly 20 years of experience in accounting, finance and business management in Fortune 100 companies including PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Disney, KB Home, and Lennar Homes. We all know running an organization is no easy task, let alone starting one from scratch.  Business owners are working 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, and failing at a rate of 80%-90%. CPA run businesses however, succeed at rate of over 98%. Generally business owners neglect or put off performing certain critical functions due to time constraints, misinformation, or lack of expertise. Setting up accurate accounting records, creating business plans, obtaining proper insurances, setting up legal structure and protection...The novice owner thinks they can save money by Doing-It-Yourself and it ultimately costs them everything. WithWIN^sm we CYA - Cover Your Assets! To learn more about Win Germination, go to winopp.com

Pilgrim Talks: Ed Buckley and Michael Griffin

Ed Buckley, CEO Healthcare is rapidly evolving. Process delineation, payment systems, care protocols, clinical and documentation rules, evidence-based planning, and hundreds of other elements are impacting the way you do business. In order to maintain peak operational efficiency and profitability in the midst of these sweeping changes, providers must have access to the most up-to-date tools and processes. Clinical assessment and documentation does not have to be something you dread. Nor does the need to be compliant be a drain on your agency resources. With SmartScribe EMR™, the process of compliant documentation is easy and painless. Combined with YourChoice™ Cinical Data Capture System, improved outcomes are well within reach. Select Data has developed a new approach to capturing clinical information in the field. Our solution provides agencies choice, while assuring comprehensive and compliant data capture for Home Health patients. Select Data gives power back to the agency by providing a complete EMR and paperless chart on any platform. Caregivers now can choose from a variety of Point-of-Care tools. Whether it's laptops, notebooks, netbooks, iPads, or even SmartPaper, all tools populate the same patient EMR simultaneously, even within the same assessment simultaneously, regardless of the choice of tools used!

To learn more about the Select Data, go to selectdata.com

Michael Griffin, CEO

Organize and share everything you do online.

ClientLook organizes updates, files and emails into online projects. Share these projects with your team and clients for more effective communication. You'll spend more time on business and less time on clutter. Add updates to ClientLook with an Internet browser or through email. It's simple to use, and works for any type of client or property assignment.

Create ClientLook projects to manage and share all your digital business information in one place online. Perfect for team building and client collaboration on any deal. Keep your team and clients in the loop on completed calls, meetings and more in real-time. Log updates online or through your CRM software for more effective communication.

ClientLook makes it easy to share all types of files with everyone involved in an assignment. Reliable online backup ensures your data is available anytime, anywhere in the cloud. Maybe you send email from your computer, your phone and home. It doesn't matter. Attach business email from any source to your ClientLook projects. Find email in seconds.

To learn more about ClientLook, go to clientlook.com

Pilgrim Talks: Ron Viggiano and Ray Parsons

Ron Viggiano, President

Austin Taylor is a fine men's clothing store that specialized in custom wardrobe design. They work together with customers to design a wardrobe that fits their business culture and communicates the image they want to reflect. Austin Taylor's mission is to design and provide custom wardrobes for men n a unique, one on one consultative approach. Austin Taylor focuses on the client's business and causal lifestyle to formulate a complete wardrobe plan which will ensure that they are best dressed for every occasion. Ron Viggiano works with business leaders across Southern California. Because of his close relationships with business people, he often has his thumb on the pulse of the movement, moods, and beliefs of business leaders.

To learn more about the Austin Taylor, go to austintaylor.net

Ray Parsons, Founder and CEO

Ray Parsons is responsible for leading Transcepta's company strategy. He has led technology organizations for over 20 years including successfully building and selling a software company (Unisolve) to Microsoft. After selling Unisolve in 2001, Ray became the General Manager for Microsoft's worldwide Supply Chain Management initiative. Ray also served as the General Manager for the Microsoft Business Network, a research effort targeted at identifying ways that companies could simplify their electronic document exchange. Studies have shown that even the most automated Accounts Payable departments do not achieve maximum productivity if they are processing paper.

Imagine a hypothetical corporation, Johnson Company, which uses a scanning and OCR solution to process supplier invoices that are sent and received exclusively in paper. Johnson Company has invested in a leading A/P Automation system that automates routing, workflow, and approvals. Johnson Company will have better productivity than other firms in its industry because of its A/P automation investment.  However, if Johnson Company converts enough of its suppliers so that 50% of the invoices are sent and received electronically, Johnson Company's Accounts Payable department will increase productivity by nearly three times.

The key learning? Paper is the root of lower productivity! Companies must convert suppliers to send invoices electronically if they want to be productive. Learn how Transcepta helps you do it.

Pilgrim Talks: Matt Stowe and Steve Rabago (11/17/10)

Matt Stowe, Vice President

OctoClean, a privately held company, is one of Southern California's leading providers of janitorial and building maintenance services, with approximately $3.7 million in annual revenues. OctoClean provides a full range of service to a large number of industry types. Through an extensive network of expertly trained Franchise Owners, OctoClean has created a company that delivers relevant service to office, building and property managers. OctoClean is transforming the janitorial industry one customer at a time. With offices in Orange, San Diego and Riverside Counties, we are centrally located to you for convenience, unprecedented consistent quality services and response time to your needs and requests. We offer comprehensive cleaning services for all types of facilities and specialize in tailoring your need to programs. You talk and we listen. Together we can take any size or type of facility and create success. Our franchise owners are tediously selected, meticulously trained and constantly supported to ensure your satisfaction with the program that has been created for your facility. To learn more about OctoClean, go to octoclean.com

Steve Rabago, Founder and CEO

ZimpleMoney is a social finance community that connects people with common financial interests, and provides online tools for managing financial relationships in a socially networked environment. Zimply put, ZimpleMoney takes the headache out of tracking and monitoring private financial agreements- loan documents, payment processing, direct deposits, reminder emails, as well as gift and tax reporting—all in a social network so you can easily keep everyone up to date and informed. Benefits of ZimpleMoney:

• Convenient direct deposits to your bank account
• Connect with friends and family to borrow or lend money
• Easily track private and personal financial agreements
• Safely and securely have payments deposited into your account without the risk of mail box theft or worse - identity theft
• Automatically email bills and payment reminders
• Record payments and use to create gift and tax reports Low cost way to automate billing and collection of rental payments and settlements

To see more about ZimpleMoney go to zimplemoney.com

Pilgrim Talks: Reddy Marri and Cliff Vazquez (11/03/10)

Reddy Marri, President, and Clifford Vazquez, CTO

Axxera is uniquely positioned to safeguard the electronic presence of today's corporations. Axxera provides Predictive and Real-Time intelligence based protection for our customers, using global threat intelligence from our intelligence sensors across the internet. This reputation based service, continually updates customers backbone routers with a personalized global threat list to prevent inbound and outbound connections to malware sources and botnet armies. Axxera stops the most active botnets from spreading virus, spam, phishing, DDOS attacks and exploiting harvesting bots retroactively in your network. Intelligence based protection, and traffic redirection technologies help the proactive reaction to the cyber attack. Intelligence working together with software to protect your critical information assets. To learn more about Axxera, go to www.axxera.com

Pilgrim Talks: Hank Adamany

Hank Adamany, Partner

The Cervus Group & Fund was created to respond to the many middle-market companies that are unable to unlock their hidden value as a result of being under capitalized and/or lacking diversified executive experience.  Their focus is directed primarily toward companies that have been identified as the growth opportunity industries of the next decade -- technology, software, consumer products, and health and wellness.

The Cervus Group & Fund operates as a business development company specializing in middle-market companies.  In addition to assisting with private equity and venture capital investments, we provide managerial and strategic assistance to companies helping them right-size their cost structures, bolster their management teams, develop their marketing, operational and financial strategies, acquire other companies and provide a host of other services, all focused on maximizing enterprise value within an established timeline for a liquidity event.  They also work directly with private equity groups advising them on their portfolio investments.

Some recent examples of how the Cervus Group & Fund can bring the same success to your situation include:

For a publicly-held company that owns a unique technology and patents in the energy industry:

• Raised approximately $20 million in a series of private equity transactions
• Sold the company's largest subsidiary, a cash drain and a bad fit with it long-term strategy
• Gained sole ownership of the technology

As a result, in nine months the company experienced a stock price increase of 400% and obtained an additional $12 million raised through the exercise of in the money stock warrants and options.

For a well known publicly-held Southern California consumer products company:

• Refinanced debt at lower interest rate and secured additional facility to fund expansion
• Changed strategy and marketplace emphasis                                      

The result was a stock price increase of 50% in first six months earning recognition by Business Week as a top-performing, micro cap stock, and had its first profitable year since its IPO.

For a privately-held managed services company in the technology industry

• Commercialized the technology and
• Built a customer centric organization that was measured on its ability to meet customer expectations.

The valuation of the company increased 500% in less than nine months as a result of these activities.

To learn more about the Cervus Group & Fund, go to cervusgroup.com

Pilgrim Talks: Stephen Pixley (9/29/10)

Stephen Pixley, President of AUTOCRIB

In 1994, as President of an industrial distributor, Steve saw a need for manufacturing companies to control their indirect materials. In most cases, they had poor systems to track who was taking what. He also knew that a lot of time was spent looking for items that a worker needed to do his job. Steve set out to find a way to help companies control and deliver the tools and supplies that workers needed, where they were needed. He literally built the first industrial vending machines in his garage. Since then, AutoCrib, Inc. has provided over 5,000 automated inventory control systems for manufacturing companies worldwide. AutoCrib's mission is to help companies ensure secure access to the right item, ant the right places, at the right time while driving out waste and excess costs. Plants throughout the world have adopted AutoCrib systems as part of their best practices through "lean" and Six Sigma initiatives because of the significant cost savings and productivity improvements the systems consistently deliver. The product live has evolved from the basic concept of "tool vending" into a wide variety of systems that assist companies in controlling tooling, gauges, safety & MRO supplies as well as other "indirect materials". Thinking lean has helped AutoCrib be quick to develop the widest breadth of point-of-use dispensing technology designed specifically for industry as well as the finest tool crib & stores inventory management software available. To learn more about AUTOCRIB, go to www.autocrib.com.

Pilgrim Talks: Kristen McAlister and Paul Roberts (9/22/10)

Kristen McAlister, COO

Cerius Interim Executive Solutions is the leader in delivering interim executive management solutions with the innovation and speed that small to medium business needs to tackle their business opportunities or to mitigate risk. Cerius leverages the skill and experience of its deep pool of Interim Executives, who bring the broadest array of industry and functional experience, to deliver best-in-class leadership on-demand to our customers. To learn more about Cerius Interim Solutions, go to ceriusinterim.com

Paul Roberts, President

The Internet is all about "target marketing." It's finding your "niche" and telling people about it. Yet one of the best ways to carry on this conversation with your community of clients, customers, and potential prospects has yet to be fully explored: INTERNET RADIO. For while its adoption by the general public is growing by leaps and bounds, few people know how easy it is to actually host your own radio show on this revolutionary new "social medium" or what its benefits can be.

OC Talk Radio was created by a group of traditional marketers who realized that marketing is no longer a one way street. You can't just put up a billboard and hope people buy anymore. The Internet has changed all that.  Just as highways long ago bypassed regular streets and opened up new arteries for commerce to flow, so too has the "information super highway" found a way to "cut thru the clutter" of traditional advertising and open up a direct dialog with your community.  Need to find someone who imports Indian beer?  No problem.  Go online and instantly see who sells Golden Eagle lager.

To learn more about OC Talk Radio, go to octalkradio.net

Pilgrim Talks: Barri Carian and Will Crist (9/15/10)

Barri Carian, Carian Consulting

Over the past 30 years, Barri Carian has started up and led two successful entrepreneurial businesses and held executive positions in two Fortune 500 companies.  Barri has established herself as a skilled strategic and critical thinker.  She has expertise in all facets of operations and in building customer-focused and market-driven organizations.  Her extensive experience gives her the keen insight needed to grow revenues by increasing productivity, streamlining delivery systems and spearheading business development. Barri has been consulting with business owners since 1998, helping them achieve clarity with company issues and developing practical solutions for growth.  She built a successful practice; Insync Partnership Services that helps troubled partnerships get back on track.  Barri also chairs a local business owner/CEO group for TEC International, the largest CEO membership organization in the world. To learn more about Carian Consulting, go to www.carianconsulting.com

Will Crist, Pilgrim on the 405

The Pilgrim on the 405 has been watching businesses since he began working with his father at Valley Auto Supply in Edinburg, Texas when he was eight years old. His dad paid him 25¢ an hour to dust the shelves, and there were lots of shelves to be dusted. From the 405, one of the busiest freeways in the world, the pilgrim watches the many businesses in SoCal. During the past 30 years he has often been asked in to help business owners and professonals rediscover, clarify and build upon their values, hopes and dreams. Along his way, the pilgrim studied philosophy, theology, technical writing, business, motivation, sales processes, and Internet marketing. He is always surprised at how theological insights and business practices mesh to create stronger momentum. After seminary at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambrige, Massachusetts, the pilgrim was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church and worked in congregations in the Diocese of West Texas. If you want to see what the pilgrim has done and where he has been after his professional start in 1974, check out the Pilgrim's Trail.

Pilgrim Talks: Gary Kim and Bogdan Mosteanu & Bennie Lagos

Gary Kim, CEO of Codra Enterprises

Codra is made up of print experts. While companies are aware of cutting costs by printing overseas, the experience can often be perplexing and time-consuming. With over 24 years of experience in overseas printing, Codra leverages its long-standing relationships with global manufacturing partners to bring you premium products at competitive prices. They have often helped their clients get the seemingly impossible task accomplished: quicker production times, complex concepts developed into samples, cost savings solutions and so on. Codra goes to great lengths to provide clients with a positive, hassle-free experience. Their friendly, professional staff takes pride in serving clients attentively and thoroughly. Utilizing the team concept, they pool the strengths of their talented employees and collaborate to ensure that their client's many needs are covered. Their professionals are resourceful, are bilingual (Chinese and Korean), and have extensive technical knowledge of printing and product development. To learn more about Codra Enterprises, click here: www.codra.com

Bogdan Mosteanu, VP Business Development, Susteen

Bennie Lagos, CSO, Susteen

Founded in 1992 in Southern California, Susteen Inc., is an international design solution provider, specializing in the area of data communications and mobile computing. Susteen strives to enhance data communications through multi-level applications, and to develop products that provide convenience to the client through technological innovations. Susteen, Inc., is experiencing tremendous growth and expansion in various areas of research, development and engineering. From its birth, Susteen has forged an enviable record of successful product introductions in the fast paced disciplines of telecommunication, system design/integration, firmware, and software development for Windows and Mac operating systems. Over the years, Susteen has developed various software and hardware products in collaboration with numerous, world-renowned international corporations. Susteen has expanded its scope to the global arena and currently has several projects underway. These projects are either built upon strategic alliances with distinguished corporate partners, or through Susteen's internal product development. Susteen's core competencies consists in both hardware and software solutions for the wireless communication industry and consumer market, carefully designed, expanded and enhanced to provide excellent mobile experience to the end user. To learn more about Susteen and DATAPILOT go to: www.susteen.com

Pilgrim Talks: Mike Schmitt and Adam Beamish (9/1/10)

Mike Schmitt

Mike is currently working as an interim General Manager at several Southern California companies. We will be discussing what he sees the CEOs he is working with struggling to achieve on a day to day basis. He will talk about how he sees company leaders increasing revenue, reducing costs, retaining current clients, and developing their employees to meet the needs in the new marketplace. You can contact Mike at 714-834-0032.

Adam Beamish, CEO of Mark Beamish Waterproofing

Mark Beamish Waterproofing is a certified applicator of many of the systems belonging to the world's leading manufacturers in the trade. They offer competitive pricing and a large menu of services to the western United States, with locations in Anaheim, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego. Mark Beamish Waterproofing has become a leader in the industry by always keeping in mind that their pursuit goes beyond brick and mortar-to people with dreams of spectacular buildings. They have established a stellar reputation since our inception in 1981 by placing particular emphasis on creating truly satisfied customers. One of their mottoes from John W. Gardner is:  "Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well." The values in the company culture are:

Quality: Exceeding customer requirements. Integrity: Keeping our promises. Responsibility: Taking ownership for our decisions and behaviors. Teamwork: Respectfully working together to achieve goals.

To learn more about Mark Beamish Waterproofing, go to markbeamish.com

Pilgrim Talks: Jim Obermayer and Barret Weekes (8/25/10)

Jim Obermayer, Executive Director of the Sales Lead Management Association

The Sales Lead Management Association^SM has the mission of helping companies become more successful in the critical business process of managing sales leads. Everyone can become a member by registering and gaining access to the content on the site. We have built an extensive library of articles, reports, and  information about inquiry management, sales leads, lead nurturing, lead qualification, ROI reporting, and lead distribution. Additional subjects include trade show sales lead acquisition, telemarketing, and inquiry and lead generation. The Sales Lead Management Association hosts a live weekly radio program dedicated to the management of sales leads.  The show broadcasts recent news events and interviews with interesting industry leaders from B2B and B2C companies including CRM, Marketing Automation, Email Marketing Software, Inquiry Management Service Providers and lead management/generation experts.  SLMA Radio is a 50 minute internet radio show produced four times each month at 5 PM PST, in the United States from OC Talk Radio.

Barret Weekes, CEO of Laurel Electronics

Laurel Electronics, Inc. designs and manufactures highly capable electronic instruments for industrial measurement, control and networking. Their programmable digital panel meters, electronic counters, digital controllers, industrial timers, transmitters, and large-digit data displays set the standard of the industry with technical features and performance. Their newest products can be networked via RS485, USB or Ethernet using the Modbus protocol. They also continue to support RS232 and 4-20 mA current loops with new products such as our new serial-to-analog converter and our new isolating quad loop splitter. Most of their products are designed and manufactured in their headquarters facility, which is located adjacent to Orange County Airport in Southern California. To learn more about Laurel Electronics, go to www.laurels.com

Pilgrim Talks: Steve Brimmer (8/18/10)

Steve Brimmer, CEO of SunCore Corporation

Mr. Brimmer has over 25 years of experience as a senior executive. Receiving a BSEE in 1971, he launched his career in Network Television working for both NBC & Fox Television, followed by careers as an engineer in both the music recording and motion picture industries beginning at Warner Bros in 1974. His senior-level executive appointments included, Lions Gate, The Walt Disney Company, Meridian Studios, Olympic Studios and Big Apple Music. In 2000 Mr. Brimmer initiated a second career in technology as CEO of graphic software company Toolfarm.com. This position was followed by President of Orange County-based Metaport Corporation, a digital imager semiconductor company and COO/CFO for Silicon Valley Public Television. In 2004 as a co-founder, he launched SunCore, the world's first mobile solar power company. His ability to bridge across technology, finance and business disciplines has added significant value to the Company and it's global growth. Light-charging is a smart, affordable answer to future power needs.  SunCore's technology promises easier communication and reliable device operation from anywhere, easily and affordably. When powered by light, handheld devices are no longer burdened by power cords, power supplies, and cables. Light-charging is abundant, clean, and reliable, and helps users get the most benefit from current information technology investments. SunCore systems offers people real empowerment by bringing true mobility to mobile communications. To learn more about SunCore, go to www.suncoresolar.com

Pilgrim Talks: Susan Johnson and Kerry Johnson Anthony (8/11/10)

Susan Johnson, CEO, and Kerry Johnson Anthony, President, of Susan's Healthy Gourmet

A native of Houston, Texas, Susan Johnson moved to California in 1994. With their children grown, she and her husband John decided to start a business and settle here permanently. A family history of cancer and heart disease had made her very aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. When she discovered that there was no one service offering prepared healthy meals for the home throughout Southern California, she decided to fill the niche by providing an effortless way for others to achieve a healthy diet. After much research she determined that Orange County was the most strategic location to accomplish her dream of serving all of Southern California. She opened her headquarters in Irvine in January of 1996, with proven, tested recipes approved by a dietitian, and custom computer programs that not only analyze the nutritional content of each meal, but also track the needs of her customers. In January of 1998, Healthy Gourmet expanded to Los Angeles, and in May of 2000, Healthy Gourmet began service to San Diego. Susan's plan for Healthy Gourmet is to expand throughout the state of California, promoting good health to those whose goals include eating nutritious, great-tasting food. In the process, she's offering the convenience of eliminating the need for shopping, cooking, and clean up, thereby filling the need that's fueling today's trend toward home meal replacement. 2007 brought our Susan's Healthy Kids and Family meals leading us to 2008 where we added Senior, Diabetic and Anti-Aging/Purification packages; making Susan's Healthy Gourmet the most versatile of the fresh, home replacement meal services. Currently Healthy Gourmet employs a full-time kitchen staff of 20+ to produce over 250,000 meals a year, with each order customized for its clients. Future plans include expanding the service through shipping to those areas unable to be serviced locally. Susan's dream to be able to provide meals to everyone who wants to enjoy the benefits provided by eating healthy is moving forward just as planned! To learn more about Susan's Healthy Gourmet go to www.susanshealthygourmet.com

Pilgrim Talks: James Christiansen and Gary Crisp (8/4/10)

James Christiansen, CEO of Evantix

James is a global leader in information security, and has held senior positions for some of the world's largest companies. As the first information security officer at Visa, he created and implemented Visa's worldwide information security program. As the first CISO for General Motors, he was responsible for the worldwide operations of information security for all business units. Evantix Risk Reports provide companies concerned with protecting their data, customers, and reputation with an easy-to-use tool to quickly assess risk and manage compliance against a wide variety of risk frameworks. Whether you are interested in assessing compliance to HIPAA, Red Flags, BITS, ISO27001, PCI guidelines or in developing your own customized assessment framework, this on-demand, software-as-a-service solution delivers quick and accurate results. Evantix Risk Intelligence meets the risk and compliance management requirements of a full range of business services, while drastically reducing costs. Risk exposure is quantified and monitored. To learn more about Evantix go to www.evantix.com

Gary Crisp, CEO of C2 Reprographics

Prior to founding C2, Gary has been a top-performing marketing and sales executive with over 19 years with two fortune 100 companies. He is a graduate of California State University Long Beach in Liberal Studies and he earned an MA in Applied Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Gary is a member of the Legatus board of Catholic CEO's and the USC Athletic Board. He is quite active in Catholic Education in Southern California. C2 Reprographics is the largest independent reprographics firm in Southern California, serving the architecture, engineering and construction industries, as well as the general business community. Founded in 2002 by owners Gary and Julie Crisp and backed by a strong group of local business executives, the company now has locations in Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties. Among C2's ongoing charitable beneficiaries are Catholic and public educational institutions, the University of Southern California Athletic Board, Human Options, a battered women's shelter, Camp Pendleton-based members of the United States Marine Corps serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Uganda-based African Child Foundation, an independent non-governmental organization that helps educate disadvantaged and neglected children whose parents have died of HIV/AIDS. To learn more about C2 Reprographics, go to www.c2repro.com

Pilgrim Talks: Danny Counts and Lance Rubachko (7/28/10)

Danny Counts, CEO of U.S. CAD

U.S. CAD is the largest Autodesk Reseller in California and the Western US and currently employs a variety of employees to support their customers in their use of Autodesk technology. U.S. CAD has Technical Specialists plus Autodesk Consultants through their strategic partner K-TEK Solutions (only available to U.S. CAD customers), headquartered in Northern California. With this technical strength, U.S. CAD represents the strongest team in California. Their expertise is sought after by an impressive array of companies because of their unique mix of technology implementation, project assessment, process consulting, knowledge assessment, project mentoring, their flexible training options and expertise, and their technical support services. U.S. CAD has grown in part, due to their commitment to respect the needs of their business partners, their consistent honest communication of how complex technologies are successfully implemented, and because they deliver their solutions with the highest level of integrity. To learn more about U.S. CAD go to www.uscad.com

Lance Rubachko, Partner at Tax and Financial Group

Tax and Financial Group (TFG) is a leading financial services firm headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Established in 1970, TFG celebrates this year its 40th anniversary! And has expanded from Newport Beach to offices in: Honolulu, Hawaii, Colorado Springs, Colorado and San Antonio, Texas. TFG is comprised of over 120 individuals dedicated to assisting a successful clientele with the creation, management, and preservation of wealth. They bring expertise in: creating exit strategies, designing employee stock ownership plans, business transfers, employee retention programs, executive compensation strategies, strategic estate planning, and employee benefits. To learn more about the Tax and Financial Group, go to www.tfgroup.com

Pilgrim Talks: Daniel Hebert & Robert Miller (7/21/10)

Daniel Hebert, President of US CAD

US CAD maintains a culture based on its vision, mission, and values. Listen to Daniel discuss how US CAD is working to help its customers thrive.

Guiding Principle

Above all, Honesty and Integrity are the most important qualities to U.S. CAD and the practical application of these qualities in every aspect of our business. The management team at U.S. CAD believes that if we can maintain these two qualities, that our organization will achieve great things. It will be an organization that will achieve great success for many years to come.

Mission

Our Mission is to help our business partners realize great success with Computer Aided Design technology and services. We understand that by helping our customers with superior value and service, this will allow U.S. CAD to achieve its goals of indefinite growth while maintaining a quality organization.

Commitment to Customers

At U.S. CAD, our commitment is to always invest into knowledgeable personnel that have worked in the same industries as our customers. Our commitment is to invest in people that have the technical expertise that is important to our clients. Our commitment is to find people that put our customers needs, and needs of others first, before their own. We feel that we have an obligation to provide this level of expertise and experience for our customers.

Commitment to Staff

At U.S. CAD, our commitment to our staff is the constant pursuit of recognizing their achievements and ensuring that our ability to meet their needs should be on the same level as our commitment to our customers. U.S. CAD Management has an inherent desire to grow this company in a quality manner. We are extremely motivated and will be aggressive in the pursuit of generating business for this company and providing opportunity and options to our employees

Teamwork

We promote and support a diverse, yet unified, team; we work together to meet our common goals. We enjoy teaming with our clients as well by developing solid relationships so we can do our part to help their team succeed.

Innovation

We will be creative in delivering value to our customers and our community. We will continue to develop innovative ideas with our bright, energetic staff. We will continue to work extremely hard to understand our customers, understand the technology we represent, and the industries we serve. To learn more about US CAD go to www.uscad.com

Robert Miller, CEO of Lester Lithograph

Listen to Rob discuss how he is leading his company to become more stretegically aligned with the customers' marketing needs. Lester Lithograph occupies a 36,000 square foot, state of the art facility, which includes two six color presses, a four color press, a two color press, a complete pre-press department, and a bindery/finsihing department. Virtually all job requirements are fulfilled in-house, giving the company total control over quality and allowing strict adherence to Lester’s high quality standards throughout the process. The company became ISO 9002 certified in February 2000, (The International Organization of Standardization). Achievement of this certification requires a stringent approval process, which assures our clients the highest levels of quality, accountability, and performance. Today, Lester Litho maintains an ISO compliant, self-audited program to ensure its commitment to their customers' quality needs. To learn more about Lester Lithograph, go to www.lesterlitho.com

Pilgrim Talks: Eric Codorniz & Larry Gorum (7/14/10)

Eric Codorniz, CTO at Synoptek

Synoptek's knowledgeable, experienced, results-driven consultants provide a full spectrum of signature services. Specially designed programs analyze, manage and execute on program management, business processes and underlying IT infrastructure support. Listen to Eric discuss the role a strategic IT outsourcing company in helping CEOs reduce their costs and improve their IT deployment. To learn more about Synoptek go to synoptek.com

Larry Gorum, CEO of Medcom-Trainex

For over 30 years, Medcom-Trainex has been a leading producer and distributor of multi-media healthcare education--from print materials and award-winning videotapes to interactive CD-ROMs. Their products are produced for healthcare professionals, patients, and health-conscious people everywhere. They are the largest producer/distributor of nursing education video programs in North America, and their programs have won over 50 major awards for excellence, including the prestigious Emmy award. Listen to Larry discuss how he can help Orange County biotech and medical device companies introduce their products to the healthcare industry. To learn more about Medcom-Trainex, go to medcomrn.com

Pilgrim Talks: Matts Johanson & Dennis Pearson (7/07/10)

Matts Johanson, CEO of EON Reality

EON Reality, Inc. is the world's leading interactive 3D Virtual Meeting and Simulation-Based Learning Software provider for business and education based on Virtual Reality technology.  Its powerful break-through interactive 3D collaborative technology enables users to experience more by revolutionizing the way companies leverage their digital assets and communicate. Listen to Matts discuss the role of high definition 3D in training, visualization, and sales. To learn more about EON Reality go to eonreality.com

Dennis Pearson, CEO of Tempo Industries

Orange County is home to many innovators, inventors, world-class problem-solvers. Dennis Pearson, is one of those rare individuals who can invent and innovate and lead a strong viable company. Long-time innovator in the cinema lighting industry, Dennis has now developed LED lighting products to assist companies in reducing the amount of energy used, lengthening the bulb replacement cycle, and improving the quality of lighting for employees. Listen to Dennis discuss the role of innovation in Orange County and the future of lighting in a sustainable economy. To learn more about Tempo Industries, go to tempoindustries.com

Pilgrim Talks: Steve Ormonde & Ray Melissa (6/30/10)

Steve Ormonde, CEO

Thinking outside the circle.

You already know exactly what your project will look like. You can see it in your mind. It's our job to share your vision with the rest of the world. For the past 20 years, Focus 360 has been using the very latest technology to give form to ideas in innovative ways. We execute accurate renderings down to the smallest detail. We create elaborate, high-definition animated movies that incorporate real people, moving traffic and flowing waters. We create custom solutions that include everything from software creation to hardware installation. What are your goals? Our goal is to help you achieve yours through the right combination of advanced technology and creative thinking.

Completing the circle through creative collaboration.

As useful as all of Focus 360's technology and tools are, our most useful tool is the one that sits on top of our shoulders. Because we don't just roll out a cookie-cutter approach to visualizing your project. Our recommendations are based on thoughtful consideration of exactly what you want to achieve. Call us, and let's talk. The sooner we hear from you, the further outside the circle our thinking will be. And the more complete your solution will be. Companies expand and contract. Many CEOs have been on a roller coaster provided by the economy. Listen to Steve discuss the role of high definition animated video in marketing and hear him talk about how to keep focused when downsizing the company is the best strategic move. To learn more about Focus360 go to www.focus360.com

Ray Melissa, CEO

Melissa Data has a single-minded focus on providing the best data to its customers. Listen as Ray Melissa discusses how he started the company from a simple ideas and led the company one innovation at a time to its current industry-dominant position. To learn more about Melissa Data go to www.melissadata.com. There is a wealth of data available for FREE at Melissa Data's Free Lookup page. Look up ZIP Codes, verify addresses, get location geographics and demographics, view maps, and more.

Data Quality Tools
Data Enhancement Services
Mailing Lists
Mailing and Data Management Software

Pilgrim Talks: Chris Andreozzi (6/24/10)

Chris Andreozzi, CEO

KnowledgeCentrix, established in 2003, is a full-service information systems consulting firm. They specialize in providing Managed and Professional Services to businesses located in Southern California. They bring a passion for customer satisfaction to the particular needs of budget-conscious companies who need on-demand IT services. Their Mission: To create, sustainable business advantage for their clients, by providing cost effective and reliable technology solutions. Their Values: Quality – a work ethic of striving to be the best and do the best work Accountability – living by the adage, "the buck stops here" Integrity – you are who you say you are demonstrated by living your personal values Loyalty – going the extra mile for clients, employees and the company Balance – encouraging life outside of work, community and charitable endeavors KnowledgeCentrix has earned acclaim with both Microsoft and Cisco by repeatedly demonstrating a proven track record of successful projects and happy customers. To see more about KnowledgeCentrix, go to knowledgecentrix.com

Pilgrim Talks: Mark Babbitt and Bill Washburn (6/16/10)

Mark Babbitt, Founder, YouTern.com

For those entering the workforce, internships are no longer optional. In our “new” economy, 45% of young adults under 25 remain unemployed. And in 2010, 80% of graduates do not expect to have a job soon after graduation – up dramatically from just 49% the year before. Without jobs waiting for them, students must plan their career paths years in advance – a career-relevant internship is the key to success. And for good reason: 9 out of 10 direct-from-college jobs will go to students with experiential education on their resumes. At YouTern, we connect emerging talent to entrepreneurial driven companies through internships. With YouTern, intern candidates have a choice: the “coffee and copy” dash at large corporations... Or, the YouTern opportunity. To see more about YouTern, go to www.youtern.com.To see their initial launch press release, go to www.youtern.com/cm/press_release

Bill Washburn, Founder, Berkeley Mobile International Collaborative

The evolution of the mobile marketplace is transforming the mobile tech ecosystem around the globe. As we enter this new decade, what will follow is a period of unprecedented economic growth in mobile software. Because of these developments, a group at Berkeley started pursuing a vision of enabling universities and mobile telephony companies around the globe to collaborate on tapping into the energy and enthusiasm of students by encouraging them to become mobile applications entrepreneurs. Mobile applications are a global phenomenon and they offer clear, real world incentives for students. These young people are poised to become the next generation of entrepreneurs, developers, technology leaders and visionaries. To make mobile applications innovation and entrepreneurship happen, the mobile industry needs to collaborate with and support mobile technology entrepreneurship in the curriculum and extra-curriculum of all of the world’s major universities. By attracting and inspiring students, there is a significant opportunity for universities and mobile companies across the globe to collaborate through innovation. To see more about BMIC, go to www.bmic.org

Pilgrim Talks: Kristin Arnold and David Browning (6/09/10)

Kristin Arnold, Author, Speaker, President of QPC, Inc.

The first thing you notice about Kristin is that she is tall. 5′ 10″ to be precise.

You’ll also note her passion for helping others be more engaging and interactive in their presentations.  She’s a master facilitator as well as a professional speaker – and has done a ton of research about how to make a presentation more facilitative, engaging and interactive.

In her newest book, she shares over ninety different techniques you can use immediately in your next presentation.  These techniques will be your “springboard” for you to adapt the idea to your own presentation, rather than “adopt” the idea as your own.

For the last fifteen years, Kristin has been the President of QPC, Inc, focusing her energies on facilitating high stakes meetings, speaking to large groups about the power of teamwork, and training others to do what she does – building extraordinary teams at work. To learn more about Kristin and to see her book, Boring to Bravo, go to boringtobravo.com

David Browning, CEO

thinkASG grows your business through innovative IT strategy, implementation and support. But above all, our team is passionate about partnership. As a result, market-leaders in all areas of business have come to regard us as knowledgeable, dedicated and, ultimately, indispensable partners in growth. thinkASG provides the human drive to lead your next successful technology implementation. thinkASG’s IT strategy, Green IT implementation, and information technology support experts take the time to understand your unique business and architect solutions to optimize your competitive advantage. From consultation and strategy, to implementation, and support, we help our partners face diverse IT challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities. We solve problems. We invite you to explore our site and find out how we put The Human Drive to work for our customers. To learn more abou thinkASG, go to www.thinkasg.com

Pilgrim Talks: Keith Pinter (6/2/10)

Keith Pinter, Chairman

Core Development Services and its subsidiaries, Core Planning Services, Core Communication Services and Core Design Services, are highly experienced with regard to site acquisition, planning, and design. We’ve combined these services in order to provide a total solution that takes advantage of synergistic relationships, direct communication, and overall management of the project. In this way, we maintain total control and prevent any single aspect of the project from going over budget or running behind schedule. Our specialty includes California’s complex zoning, planning, and entitlement processes. With a thorough working knowledge of California’s policies, politics, and laws, we avoid unnecessary delays. By investing time and energy to establish working relationships with key people, we can also streamline the approval process. This is partly why we’ve been hired to do more work than any other development firm in California, successfully managing more than a thousand land acquisition, permitting, entitlement, and design projects. In the words of our clients - “Core delivers.” For more about Core Development Services, see core.us.com

Pilgrim Talks: Brad Caldwell (6/2/10)

Brad Caldwell, CEO

Founded in 1986, Integrate Media Systems has built its nationwide reputation on a foundation of creative collaboration and technical expertise. Collaboration that allows architects, engineers and our diverse field of customers to push technology to its limits. As a full service audiovisual design consulting company, IMS offers a full compliment of on site engineering and technical staff. State-of-the-art CAD systems to insure exacting system design and architectural renderings. With current offices in both Northern California (Hayward) and Southern California, IMS also employs a skilled group of senior account consultants who understand the demands of today’s complex multi-media environments. From project concept through design, installation, maintenance and service, IMS consultants play an integral role in the success of each client relationship. To see more about IMS, go to www.imsav.com

Pilgrim Talks: Joey Benadretti , Bob Juracka (5/26/10)

Joey Benadretti, CEO

Since its inception in 1978, SYSPRO has been delivering state-of-the-art business solutions to some of the world's leading companies. As a global leader in the production of world-class ERP software, the company now caters to the specialized needs of 14,000 licensed companies in more than 60 countries worldwide. SYSPRO is marketed globally through regional territory distribution centers and a global reseller network in the US, Canada, Africa, Asia Pacific, Australia and the UK. SYSPRO is a fully integrated business software solution that provides complete control over the planning and management of all facets of business including accounting, manufacturing and distribution operations in a variety of industries. For additional information on SYSPRO, call Stanley Goodrich at 714/437-1000 or go to www.syspro.com

Bob Juracka, President

XDimensional Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Brea, California, was founded in 1989 under the name of Fuher and Associates. Ever since, XDimensional Technologies has focused on providing products and consulting services that reduce friction and transaction costs associated with the distribution of insurance products. XDimensional Technologies began by providing automation consulting and systems integration solutions to independent insurance agencies. In response to customer needs, it expanded its services to provide a full range of insurance management and operations consulting. As XDimensional Technologies identified areas of specific need, the company began to develop and integrate technologies designed to automate and streamline insurance operations. Not only did this include development services for software integration, but also for web design and Internet-related services. Over the years, XDimensional Technologies' position as the premier insurance industry consultants has continued to expand as carriers, other intermediaries, and insurance industry associations have sought its expertise in resolving automation and operations issues common to all segments of the industry. For more information on XDimensional Technologies go to: http://www.xdimensional.com

Pilgrim Talks: Satnam Gambhir, Ken Burke (5/19/10)

Satnam Gambhir, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Design Officer

Satnam Gambhir is co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Design Officer of Envision Financial Systems. He is responsible for determining the strategic direction of the company and its products. Satnam has over two decades of experience in managing, designing and developing software applications. Prior to forming Envision, Satnam was Vice President of the Information Systems group for Analytic Investment Management. There he developed, implemented, and managed the transfer agent software used by four mutual funds. Previously, he designed and developed Computer Aided Design software for Advanced Micro Devices in Sunnyvale, CA. Envision Financial Systems, Inc is a privately held corporation with headquarters in Irvine, California. Envision has offices in Owings Mills, Maryland and Bangalore, India providing client support and software development respectively. Envision was incorporated in 1994. Envision provides real-time shareholder accounting and servicing technologies for mutual funds, asset managers, transfer agents and 529 program providers. Our products allow firms to increase efficiency and improve customer satisfaction, while enabling their emerging business needs. Using industry standard open technologies, along with a modular design, an intuitive interface and configurable rules, our clients are able to introduce new features, functions and product capabilities to the market faster, easier and more cost effectively. Envision is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including First Place for the mutual fund industries Best Post Trade Implementation, First Place for Innovations in the SourceMedia Fund Operations Award, the Deloitte Fast 50 and the Software 500. The company and its executives are featured regularly in industry media, including Ignites, Money Management Executive and the NICSA conferences. You can see more about Envision Financial Systems, Inc. at http://www.enfs.com

Ken Burke, Chief Executive Officer

Established in 1983, CMS Products, Inc. is a leading innovator in data backup, encryption and security technology for business users and consumers. Their flagship ABSplus automatic backup and restore disaster recovery solution, powered by their award-winning BounceBack software, is sold in more than 90 countries. In addition to their extensive line of laptop hard drive upgrades, CMS offers a full suite of data security products for business powered by their CE-Secure data encryption software. Their data security product line includes the innovative ABS Secure encrypted portable backup solution as well as the VaultOTG encrypted flash drive. By developing leading edge, easy-to-use products revolutionizing the notebook and desktop data backup/restore and storage industry, CMS Products has received global recognition because of its high quality, user-friendly product offerings. CMS Products offers its products through enterprise, government agency and educational institutions, as well as SOHO, consumers through national and international distributors and resellers. You can see more about CMS Products at: http://www.cmsproducts.com

Pilgrim Talks: Jim Skurzynski 5/11/10

James Skurzynski – President & Chief Executive Officer

Jim Skurzynski is one of the original founders of Digital Map Products. He has spent the majority of his career designing and managing the deployment of technology solutions in a variety of public and private sector environments. Over the past twenty years, he has held executive management positions in spatial technology companies in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Founded in 1997, Digital Map Products is a leading innovator of cloud-based spatial solutions that bring the power of spatial technology to everyday business, government and consumers. Digital Map Products’ mission is to take sophisticated spatial technology and make it easy to implement and use. Digital Map Products’ (DMP) solutions capitalize on the intersection of two influential, emerging technologies: Cloud Computing and Geospatial Technology. Through its spatial development platform, SpatialStreamTM, and embedded GIS industry applications, CityGISTM and LandVisionTM, Digital Map Products is a driving force behind the mainstreaming of spatial technology. DMP is an established leader in helping organizations turn data into visual insights with spatial technology. Digital Map Products is headquartered in Irvine, CA. Through its channel partner program, Digital Map Products helps make spatial technology and data more widely available, and provides additional revenue opportunities for GIS service organizations, data providers and map integrators. For additional information on Digital Maps, call Ann Schwab at 949.333.5149 (aschwab@digmap.com) or go to www.digitalmapproducts.com

Pilgrim Talks: Evolution of IT Management in the New Economy, Dave Cunningham, 5/5/2010

Dave Cunningham, CEO

Dave Cunningham, CEO, talks about the evolution of IT management, how sales processes will change in digitized Internet economy, and the path for small business who want to leverage others' expertise. In business since 1982, Dempsey Bluevar has been working with companies to integrate, manage, and protect their enterprise systems and information assets.  Beyond our expertise in strategic, technical, and project management, however, Dempsey Bluevar also brings a passion for extra-mile service to our clients.  As your technology partner, Dempsey Bluevar focuses on quality, efficiency and reduced cost of ownership to deliver the optimal technology platform for your organization. Our Team Is Your Team Dempsey Bluevar professionals go beyond expert problem solving and customer support to work as an extension of your IT Support Department.  Our problem-solving approach begins with understanding your business objectives, IT strategies and desired results and ends with scalable solutions that serve as a foundation for your future growth. To learn more about Dempsey Bluevar go to, www.dempseybluvar.com

See more about the future of IT Management: The Google-ization of Bechtel

Pilgrim Talks: Sean Burns (5/05/10)

Sean Burns, President of ForceNation

ForceNation is a premier professional services firm and consultancy committed to help you build your future. They can assist your organization maximize your CRM investment to capture insight and intelligence like never before. Drawing on their groundbreaking research, functional experience, and I.T. expertise, ForceNation delivers insights and puts them into action. They help inspire the people that drive companies to explore otherwise unseen opportunities. With their broad reach across industries, functions, and geographies, they speak their clients' language. They live where they live. They understand their customer's business. To see more about ForceNation, go to www.forcenation.com