http://cig-pr.com/ee/index.php en liz@cig-pr.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-10T21:47:25+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/blog/the_pretty_woman_effect/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/the_pretty_woman_effect/#When:20:47:25Z My husband and I are remodeling our home which was built in 1916. This means we have to make a lot of decisions – from the color of the paint, to the accent tiles in the bathroom, to the lighting fixtures in the hallway. We have visited more home stores in the last three weeks than I even care to count, but what shocked me was what happened at almost every store. Before I go on, I want to make one clarifying note – my husband and I look like we’re 12 years old, and perhaps the salespeople just thought we were lost and looking for our parents. Either way, there is no excuse to completely ignore a customer. The truth is, we are some of the best customers they could have had. We’re DINKs (Double Income No Kids) looking to spend some money on random things for our house and we’re easily talked into something more expensive just because it looks “cool.” In the end, I didn’t end up buying anything at the stores where we were treated rudely, which only prolonged our search for the perfect vanity light. I’m sure the owners of the store don’t care that they missed out on our one sale but I feel better knowing that I refused to buy anything.  So the moral of the story is that you never know who your customer might be, therefore you should treat everyone with the upmost respect in case they end up being your client next week.  If you don’t follow this common sense rule-of-thumb, you could end up making a “big mistake, big…huge!” 2012-05-10T20:47:25+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/kaboom_names_commerce_city_among_213_playful_cities_usa/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/kaboom_names_commerce_city_among_213_playful_cities_usa/#When:20:57:13Z One of six Colorado communities recognized by national non-profit Washington, D.C. Today’s children spend less time playing outside than any previous generation, but 213 cities and towns, including Commerce City, earned recognition from national non-profit KaBOOM! as 2012 Playful City USA communities for their efforts to increase play opportunities for children. “The Commerce City community continues to demonstrate its commitment in creating play spaces as well as active living and healthy lifestyle opportunities whenever and wherever possible, for people of all ages. It takes a whole community to exemplify the true spirit of a playful city,” said Carolyn Keith, director of parks, recreation and golf. “We are proud to be recognized for the fourth consecutive year!” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is critical to healthy brain development. It allows children to use their creativity while simultaneously developing imagination, dexterity and physical, cognitive and emotional strength. Yet today’s children spend less time playing outside than any previous generation in part because only 1-in-5 live within walking distance of a park or playground. The resulting play deficit is having profound consequences for kids physically, socially and academically. Presented by The Humana Foundation, Playful City USA is a national program – now in its sixth year – advocating for local policies that increase play opportunities for children and is a key platform in combating the play deficit. KaBOOM!, the national non-profit organization dedicated to saving play, created Playful City USA in 2007 to help local governments address the play deficit and it is through mayors, city council members, parks and recreation departments, school districts and community leaders that the program succeeds in benefitting children. Hailing from 41 states, the 213 Playful City USA honorees range in size from six-time honorees such as Orlando to first-time recipient Independence, Oregon (population: 9,607). These Playful City USA communities are making a commitment to play and physical activity by developing unique local action plans to increase the quantity and quality of play in their community. “Some of the most innovative concepts and cost-effective programs are being developed in Playful City USA communities,” says Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBOOM! and author of The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play. “Cities like Commerce City are key allies in the fight to combat the play deficit and serve as outstanding role models for government and community leaders across the country.” Each of the 2012 Playful City USA communities demonstrated creative commitments to addressing the play deficit. Playful City USA celebrates and highlights these unique initiatives developed by communities across the country. KaBOOM! selected Commerce City for its outstanding dedication to play by providing opportunities for citizens to enjoy the city’s parks and all of its programs. The 213 Playful City USA communities are now eligible for $15,000, $20,000 and $30,000 grants via Let’s Play, a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, to get kids and families active nationwide. Grant recipients will be announced on June 4, 2012. More information is available at http://www.playfulcityusa.org. CIG Clients in the News 2012-05-04T20:57:13+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/blog/pin_this/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/pin_this/#When:18:12:23Z I am a very busy person. I work; I take care of three children, a dog, a husband and a home. I don’t have time for many excesses in my life, however I always seem to have time to check my Pinterest account and Pin all the fabulous ideas that one day I will finally have the time to execute! If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, or if you aren’t a Pinterest user, you might be in the minority. According to this Denver Post article, Pinterest use spiked 50 percent in January and February of this year, making it the third-most popular social media network in the United States, behind only Facebook and Twitter. So what is Pinterest? It is a social media website which acts as an online scrapbook where people can “pin” photos, sites and interests. That’s it. Don’t you wish you had thought of that? However, with more than 10.4 million registered users currently it has become a business’s (free) dream marketing tool. Here are some quick stats on who is using Pinterest: • 80 percent are female • 55 percent are between the ages of 25 and 44 • The highest share of visits come from people in the states of California and Texas • Many visitors spend time on house, garden, sports, fitness and family-oriented websites Pinterest is a great driver of traffic to a company’s website. Early research indicates Pinterest is more effective at driving traffic compared to other social media sites, even Facebook. Businesses can showcase their latest products in various ways. Both small, home-based businesses and big-name brands like Southern Living and West Elm are tapping into this growing audience by pinning on Pinterest. By posting recipes or a new table accessory, both brands will potentially be pinned by thousands, re-pinned by thousands more and perhaps with a click have their product purchased. I can’t stop pinning! After all, I am the demographic. Every meal that I am making for dinner this week came from Pinterest and the dress I am wearing today…yep I found it there, too. Don’t underestimate the Pinterest wave both personally and professionally.  2012-04-25T18:12:23+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/old_faces_new_places/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/old_faces_new_places/#When:20:54:34Z Evergreen, Colo. Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), LLC is proud to announce the hire of recent graduate of Metropolitan State College of Denver, Matthew Lindstrom, to join Casey Staggs as one of two public relations interns for the spring of 2012. Matthew has had the fortune of working with many of the members of CIG while performing another internship with the Regional Transportation District (RTD) Public Information team on the FasTracks program. “During my time working alongside CIG team members, I felt very privileged to have been engaged in the high-profile campaigns and events that CIG worked on,” said Matthew. “I was very sad when my time working with them was up, so imagine how excited I am to join the CIG team.” Matthew graduated in December 2011 from Metro State with a degree in Business Marketing.  During his days at Metro State, Matthew had the opportunity to work with many small businesses in the Denver metro area, helping them with a variety of things ranging from performing market research and developing and implementing marketing plans, to rewriting entire business plans for companies. In addition to working with many companies through Metro State, Matthew has also worked as a marketing intern with a local disaster restoration company, a marketing specialist for the Summit County Convention and Tourism Bureau, and he currently works as a part time public information intern for RTD FasTracks. In his current position at FasTracks, Matthew is highly involved in event planning, social media, developing website content, and writing copy for numerous internal and external publications. He also just recently had an article published on the Colorado Construction & Design Magazine. Matthew has time and time again shown the members of CIG that he can be a great asset to any team, bringing to the table a hard working attitude along with a great deal of innovative, creative and out-of-the box ideas. Matthew is very excited to be working for CIG, and CIG feels lucky to have him on the team. CIG News 2012-04-23T20:54:34+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/new_intern_ready_to_take_on_the_world_of_cig/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/new_intern_ready_to_take_on_the_world_of_cig/#When:15:29:50Z Evergreen, Colo. Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), LLC has selected University of Northern Colorado (UNC) undergraduate, Casey Staggs, as the firm’s public relations intern for the spring of 2012. As a CIG intern, Casey will gain invaluable experience working on a variety of assignments for several of the firm’s high-profile clients. He will also be responsible for revamping and administering the CIG initiated public service campaign Brake for Bela. Casey will graduate this May with a degree in journalism and mass communication with public relations and advertising media emphasis and a minor in sociology. While attending UNC, he has helped with the planning and implementation of public relations campaigns for several non-profit organizations in northern Colorado, including the Weld County Boys and Girls Club and Weld Food Bank. In addition to his academic background in public relations, he also worked as a social media intern for a Denver-based lift ticket retailer where he managed the organization’s social media outlets and gained beneficial experience in online marketing, graphic design and small business development. Casey has a proven track record of successfully completing tasks and meeting deadlines, and his inimitable array of talents is certain to be an asset to the firm. CIG is thrilled to have him on board until the end of June. Look for more from Casey in the coming months as he contributes to N.I.T. Picks and other CIG endeavors. CIG News 2012-04-23T15:29:50+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/statewide_effort_kicks_off_major_construction_for_one_of_nations_largest_br/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/statewide_effort_kicks_off_major_construction_for_one_of_nations_largest_br/#When:21:39:38Z Denver, Colo. Gov. John Hickenlooper, the EAGLE-Net Alliance and Anna Gomez of the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) today announced the official kickoff of a project that will, when completed in August 2013, create a 4,600 mile network providing access to high-speed broadband Internet access and transport services for schools, libraries, healthcare facilities and government offices statewide. While the broadband network will benefit government agencies, emergency services, libraries and healthcare facilities with enhanced data transfer capabilities, school districts might be the program’s greatest benefactor. “To be competitive with neighboring states and the nation, all of our communities need to have affordable access to the Internet. Our project will go a long way in making broadband accessible statewide,” said Randy Zila, EAGLE-Net CEO. Zila continued, “By the time we complete this project, we will have built a broadband infrastructure that can serve more than 170 communities across Colorado.” EAGLE-Net will soon start building the lateral connections linking community anchor institutions to the peering ring – the network’s central core being activated this week. Launching this ring, which loops around the state, makes it possible to connect the network’s fiber lines that branch out in all directions from the network’s central core to provide services statewide. Funding for network construction comes from a $100.6 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program infrastructure grant, plus over $30 million in matching funds and services from private and public entities throughout Colorado. Colorado’s grant is the fifth largest award of its kind nationally. Key Points: • Colorado schools average about 55 percent of the national average when it comes to Internet bandwidth per student, meaning less time online. • At the height of the construction season, there will be 25-35 crews in the field with at least 150-200 people working on the project. • EAGLE-Net is building what’s known as the middle mile, or the section of the EAGLE-Net network between the core and last mile connections provided by local and independent service providers. Middle mile facilities range from a few miles to a few hundred miles in length. • The EAGLE-Net network combines more than 1,600 miles of existing dark fiber infrastructure (fiber optic cable that’s already installed but not in use), new fiber optic cable, and wireless technology to carry broadband signals. For more information on this project, go to http://www.co-eaglenet.net. CIG Clients in the News 2012-04-16T21:39:38+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/cig_honored_with_two_prsa_gold_pick_awards/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/cig_honored_with_two_prsa_gold_pick_awards/#When:20:48:09Z Awards will be announced at ceremony on May 3 Evergreen, Colo. The Colorado Chapter of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) notified Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG) that they won two PRSA Gold Pick Awards. The Gold Pick Awards will be presented on Thursday, May 3, at the annual awards banquet. PRSA Colorado holds the Gold Pick awards annually to honor the most outstanding public relations work of Colorado and this is the first year that CIG has been nominated for the prestigious award. CIG’s winning submissions are the Brake for Bela Facebook page and a joint submittal with the City of Commerce City for their work on a Redefining Commerce brochure. The CIG-initiated safe driving awareness campaign, Brake for Bela, is being recognized for its successful social media campaign, which received more than 41,000 daily News Feed impressions and nearly 400 Facebook “likes” during its inaugural year in 2011. CIG’s contribution to the Redefining Commerce project is also being recognized. The brochure created for the Economic Development Division of Commerce City has been nominated for a component award. The awards are divided into two sub-categories, silver and gold. Stay tuned for more information and the results following the awards ceremony concludes on May 3. CIG News 2012-04-16T20:48:09+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/blog/theres_nothing_to_fear_but_fear_itself_and_perhaps_the_dentist/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/theres_nothing_to_fear_but_fear_itself_and_perhaps_the_dentist/#When:18:46:52Z “According to most studies, people’s No. 1 fear is public speaking. No. 2 is death. Death is No.2! Now, this means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” — Jerry Seinfeld We’ve all heard the statistic.  Public speaking ranks as people’s No. 1 fear – higher than death. In severe cases, glossophobia is its formal name. In today’s business world, most people have to speak in front of an audience at some point, and an overwhelming fear can have a negative effect on a career. I can’t necessarily relate to the “fear” of public speaking, though it’s not my favorite thing in the world to do, but I can relate to irrational fear. I know the feeling of having the overwhelming urge to flee a situation even though your rational mind tells you nothing really horrible is going to happen to you. The people in the audience aren’t going to throw actual daggers at you, right? I am very familiar with trembling hands, accelerated heart rate and the loss of control over your emotions. For me, it’s not speaking in front of people. It’s sitting in the dentist chair. Is it dental phobia? I don’t know. All I know is that when I finally get the courage to go (after rescheduling my appointment four times), I generally find myself on the verge of tears (or sometimes sobbing, let’s be honest) and white-knuckling the chair for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON. I think it’s safe to say that I have a greater fear of the dentist than death. Yes, I have had a bad situation or two with a dentist, which is where the fear started, but my rational mind knows that the twice-a-year cleaning is not a big deal and that my response to the situation is silly and downright embarrassing. Luckily, it seems that overcoming a fear of public speaking may be easier than dental phobia. If public speaking is your fear, there are thousands of resources to help you. Most include tips such as know your material, practice and arrive early to become familiar with your surroundings. Here is one list to get you started. I am still searching for tips on “how to not cry at the dentist.” http://money.howstuffworks.com/18-tips-for-public-speaking.htm 2012-04-16T18:46:52+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/news_item/zayo_adds_162_miles_of_fiber_to_eagle-nets_colorado_network_footprint/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/zayo_adds_162_miles_of_fiber_to_eagle-nets_colorado_network_footprint/#When:14:05:00Z solusns.com Zayo is putting more fiber in EAGLE-Net Alliance’s (Educational Access Gateway Learning Environment Network) diet as part of an effort to help the cooperative middle mile provider reach its network expansion goals in Colorado. Under the terms of the agreement, Zayo will add 162 miles of fiber connecting EAGLE-Net’s locations from Denver to Burlington in eastern Colorado. This fiber network extension complements the dark fiber connections Zayo already provides for EAGLE-Net’s sites in Cheyenne, Wyo. and Branson, Colo., near the New Mexico border. Randy Zila, CEO of EAGLE-Net, said that the new agreement will help it meet its broadband stimulus buildout deadline.  “This IRU will help us to fulfill part of the requirements set forth by the $100.6 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) infrastructure grant which mandates that the statewide EAGLE-Net network be complete by Aug. 31, 2013,” Zila said. Zayo was previously named as one of EAGLE-Net’s local network partners in its application for the $100.6 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant it won in September 2010. “By providing EAGLE-Net with additional dark fiber infrastructure, we are enabling them with scalable solutions to meet their growing bandwidth needs,” states John Real, Vice President for Zayo Central Region.  Zayo owns and operates 2,421 miles of dark and lit metro fiber throughout the Rocky Mountain region including Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. For more information on Zayo, visit http://www.zayo.com. Read more: Zayo Announces Agreement with EAGLE-Net Alliance for Colorado Network footprint CIG Clients in the News 2012-03-30T14:05:00+00:00 http://www.cig-pr.com/site/blog/the_few._the_proud._the_interns/ http://www.cig-pr.com/site/the_few._the_proud._the_interns/#When:18:08:18Z CIG is in the process of finding our next intern. As someone who is proud to have been offered 100 percent of the jobs for which I’ve interviewed, I thought I’d pass along a few notes on how to land a job – both generally and more specifically at CIG. The Cover Letter In many cases your cover letter is the first impression we will have of you, so make it count! You’re selling yourself, but you’re also showing that you’ve done your research. Express your interest in the position and bring up one or more news items or trends you’ve noticed as it relates to our clients. Tie it back to your experience – or even something you learned in class – and make the case that your interest and experience make you worthy of consideration for an interview. Keep it to a single page; often less is more. Finally, remember that typos ensure a quick trip to the recycle bin. The Résumé Sorry, but in today’s job market your standard résumé won’t suffice. Other candidates – your competition – will show their hunger by customizing their résumé to match the job description, so you should too. Every item referenced in the job description should have a corresponding item on your résumé. When we’re reading it, we should think, “WOW. This person is perfect for this position.” The Interview Whether by phone or in person, the key to your success lays in doing your homework beforehand. Read our website. Get to know our clients by reading theirs. Go beyond the call by reviewing recent news coverage they’ve either enjoyed or endured. Win the gold star if you notice and are able to articulate challenges and trends they are facing. Perhaps most of all, be able to tell us why we should hire you. Think about why we are hiring an intern and be able to tell us why you’ll be a valuable part of the team. Finally, just like if you were selling something, you have to ask for the business. Leave no doubt in our minds that you know what you’re getting into and you want to come aboard. The Follow-up Set yourself above the crowd by sending a hand-written thank-you note to those of us who sat in on your interview. This is your last opportunity to make a positive impression, so use this to drive home why you are the perfect candidate and thank us for our time. Will we share these with each other? Yes. Is it a good idea to not have them all read the same? Definitely. 2012-03-28T18:08:18+00:00