Technology Seminar at USU

Utah State University will be hosting the 25Th annual Technology Seminar in February on the campus of USU. The university has posted a schedule of the events that will be taking place during the seminar. Also they have posted a list of the guest speakers that will be present at the seminar. The website is http://partners.usu.edu/htm/seminars/information-technology As part of my Writting for PR class, we were assigned to write a press release informing the media of the Tech Seminar. This is my press release. (1st attempt) (Quotations in release are not real) (Mock Press Release)

Utah State University will be hosting the 25th Annual Information and Technology Seminar on February 25-26 on the campus of USU. Among the guest speakers at the seminar will be Kent Erickson, Vice President and General Manager of Workgroup Solutions Business Unit, Novell Inc, and Richard Walje, President of Rocky Mountain Power. Most speakers will focus on the new evolving field of technology and its profound effect on business operations.
Worldwide economic conditions are putting new pressures on information technology managers to seek new ways to use technology to help their companies cut costs. In hosting this seminar, USU Partners in Business hope to provide the information during the two-day seminar.
The seminar explores the latest advances in technology and how to utilize the advances to produce business solutions. This year’s seminar will address topics such as technology trends Software and Hardware, Software Development Methodology, Information Technology project management, and Lean IT.
After graduating with a degree in economics from Brigham Young University, Mr. Erickson joined Novell in 1991, has served in a number of key engineering and business unit leadership roles, and is a member of the Novell Worldwide Management Committee. His topic at the seminar will be about the importance of creativity now in business. “Business is not like a math problem with only one solution to the problem,” Erickson said. “Business comes with many solutions and craves creativity.”
As president of Rocky Mountain Power, Walje will be expounding on the companies innovative ways to create a “greener” IT world. Richard Walje has worked in the electric utility industry since 1972, starting as a journeyman lineman and later working as an electrical engineer. Since joining Rocky Mountain Power’s predecessor company, Utah Power & Light, in 1984, he has held senior management positions in transmission and distribution network operations, community relations, customer services and information technology. Walje was appointed president of Rocky Mountain Power in 2006 and has been striving to find ways to improve the IT world ever since.
The seminar will last two days, with an array of guest speakers. These guest speakers will cover topics from Data Warehousing in Healthcare to changing the face of technology. All speakers come from different companies ranging in positions from CEO to vice-president and director of strategic planning. Each speaker comes to the seminar very well recommended by their own individual companies. “We have searched for many months for the right speakers to come to the seminar,” Masil Estevez said, Information Technology Seminar Coordinator.
Day one of the seminar will be targeted towards powering IT, data quality and using project management to bridge the gaps in the IT world of business. Among other activities during the first day, there will be a special networking luncheon where participants will be taught the advantages of networking and how important it is in business.
Day two will focus on the future of information technology and the new and upcoming ideas that are available to businesses and consumers around the world. Will West, chief executive officer of Control4, will be speaking about the changing face of technology. West has raised over $300 million in private capital to start his last three companies.
The Technology Seminar promises to be filled with the latest and most innovative ways and trends of business in the tech world today. Participants are sure to leave the seminar with great ideas and a new sense of the IT world we live in today.

NAPA Award for Staker Parson

Staker & Parson Companies Earns Diamond Achievement Commendation

by Brian Burr

Lanham, MD -- The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) announced that Brigham Plant, Staker & Parson Companies, Brigham City, UT has earned NAPA’s Diamond Achievement Commendation for Excellence in Hot-Mix Asphalt Plant/Site Operations.The Diamond Achievement Commendation is a unique and respected self-assessment program that encourages and recognizes responsible hot-mix asphalt (HMA) operation practices and cultivates good community relations. As NAPA’s Chairman Mac Badgett noted, “The Diamond Achievement Commendation is an honor in which a company and community can take great pride. It clearly demonstrates a corporate commitment to excellence with a community focus.”NAPA developed this successful program in 1999. The self-assessment process addresses six essential facets of the HMA plant/site: appearance, operations, environmental practices, safety, permitting and regulatory compliance and community relations. Earning the Commendation exemplifies the commitment to excellence in all aspects of HMA facilities, and symbolizes continuous improvement in operations and community relations.Brigham Plant, Staker & Parson Companies has joined the elite ranks of the HMA industry by earning the coveted Diamond Achievement Commendation. All HMA plants/sites are eligible to earn the commendation. The standard of excellence is challenging, but can be accomplished with genuine dedication to responsible practices and continuous improvement.

I found this press release on the Staker Parson website. It was really well written and gave the reader a lot of good information about the reward that was given out to Staker. The Brigham plant is very well managed and a lot of production comes out of it. Staker also has plants in Salt Lake City, Payson and Draper Utah.

Local Tidbits

Last weekend after the USU Aggie basketball game, I was at the local dessert chain known as Coldstone. As it so happened i was talking to my friend about PR and what I wanted to do in that profession. I looked up and on the counter above the ice cream was a newspaper called the Local Tidbits. I picked it up and started to read it and I discovered that it was one of the very best PR tools I have read in a long time. It talked about local restaurants, sporting events and news in Cache Valley. I have never heard about some of these places and events, and now I do. It was cool to see PR in work late on a Saturday night. They have a sweet website that has all the local resources in Logan. It is at www.logan.biz.com

Staker Parson Company Press Release

As a former employee of Staker Parson, I was curious to see what kind of press releases the company puts out and what kind of material is in them. Well I found some answers on their official website. Here is a link that shows a press release from July 2008.

http://www.stakerparson.com/news/news.cfm?id=123 This release is very well put together and gives the reader a very distinct description of what the company has done and will continue to do in on SR 30 in Utah. Check it out!!!!

This is the DREAM

I am the biggest Florida Gator fan. Working PR for the University of Florida Athletic Dept would be a dream come true.

First Post

Hey there, my name is Casey Petersen and this is my very first blog entry. I am really excited for this blog. I am currently a junior at Utah State University majoring in Public Relations. I've got to be honest with you, I am not quite sure what I want to do exactly with my degree but if I had to decide right now, I would have to say that I would want to work with sports teams and their public relations department.