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BERNIE SIBEN, from page 3 fancy as a potential “random thought,” I add it to the list. I also keep a list of useful quotes that I find in a variety of books and websites. Sometimes the quote merely supports or enhances a post; sometimes the quote is the subject and main message of a post. MY RESULTS. New clients don’t always tell me why they select- ed my company to assist them with their strategic or writ- ing needs, and “why me?” always sounds gratuitous. But I know that I have worked with three new clients in the last three years who, in our first conversation, mentioned my blog – whether one specific post, a few posts, or they were dedicated readers. And those three new clients have result- ed in eight new assignments over that same time period. ADDITIONAL RESULTS FROM REPURPOSING. In late 2012, my brother suggested that I collect my published articles and blog posts into a book. Early in 2013, I asked Matt Handal to look at the book. He suggested that I make a book of just my Go/No-go writings, because he hadn’t seen very much on the subject and felt it would be valuable. In the late summer of 2013, I published Go/No Go – the hardest decision of all . I used the book as a give-away when I gave presentations. As of writing this, I’ve published a half- dozen more e-books that cover subjects like differentiation, mentoring, planning, proposing, leadership, and success in A/E and related discipline marketing. I make all these e-books available for free. I periodically offer them, along with other products, through SMPS groups on LinkedIn and on my company Facebook page. I have also announced their availability as my holiday gift, through mailings to my client list. To date, almost 150 people have requested my e-books. BUSINESS NEWS U.S. AIR FORCE AWARDS TETRA TECH $500 MILLION A/E SERVICES CONTRACT Tetra Tech Inc. (Pasadena, CA) announced today it was awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract by the U.S. Air Force for architectural-engineering services worldwide (A-E13 Environmental Ser- vices). This multiple-award contract ceiling is $500 million. Tetra Tech will support the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s environmental pro- gram at various government installations in the United States and other worldwide locations. Tetra Tech will provide technical services for restoration, pollution pre- vention, and compliance for environmental projects. Work may include all aspects of remediation systems design, advanced planning, investi- gations, geospatial data analysis, conceptual design, value engineering, monitoring, and optimization of environmental treatment or control sys- tems. The base contract period is five years with two additional option years. EFI GLOBAL PARTNERS WITH LIGHTHOUSE CONSULTING AND RESTORATION SERVICES EFI Global (Houston, TX) – a Cunningham Lindsey Company and a provider of forensic engineering, fire investigation, environmen- tal, and laboratory testing services – announced its partnership with industrial production machinery and equipment rehabilitation experts Lighthouse Consulting and Restoration Services and its subsidiary company Industrial Loss Consultants to provide loss, repair and re- placement analysis for industrial machinery and equipment.

Some people request one or two; some request all seven. While I can’t say that any new assignments came to me because of these e-books, several speaking opportunities have come to me by that route. In addition, I have repurposed a few posts for secondary platforms, and more than one organization has asked me for permission to reprint a post on their own blog or in their newsletter, which has helped me grow my business network. “I started emailing a notice every month to the more than 900 AEC and related contacts in my address book. Each notice provides a quick message and links to the previous month’s posts, along with an “opt-out” statement. To date, fewer than 10 people have opted out of these notices.” MY BOTTOM LINE. I definitely think creating and maintaining my blog has been a good investment of my time. In addi- tion to the projects and speaking opportunities that have come my way, and the new people added to my network, the blog affords me the ongoing opportunity for one of my greatest professional joys – the sharing of what I have learned in my three decades as an AEC industry marketer. BERNIE SIBEN, CPSM, is owner/principal consultant of The Siben Consult LLC , in Austin, TX. Contact him at 559-901-9596 or bernie@ sibenconsult.com. EFI’s partnership with Lighthouse and ILC will provide clients with a depth of expertise in the industrial production machinery arena that significantly increases the range of rehabilitation and repair options that were previ- ously unavailable in the property and casualty insurance market. In loss- es involving industrial machinery or heavy equipment, EFI mechanical engineers determine the cause of the loss or failure, and once identified, Lighthouse provides the hands-on, technical evaluations to determine if and how the insured assets can be restored to pre-loss condition. Work- ing together, EFI and Lighthouse will enhance the range of claim resolu- tion solutions for clients dealing with heavy equipment losses. “We’re thrilled to have a valued partner like Lighthouse supporting our growth and ongoing commitment to strengthen the expertise available to insurers of industrial machinery,” said Jeremy Mele, President of EFI Global. “By providing insurers with quality engineering evaluations and validated repair methodologies, we enable a realistic avenue for insureds to minimize business interruption and to experience creative solutions for repair and replacement.” “This partnership with EFI is ultimately a major money saving win for insurers and the insured,” said Scott Kiley, Chairman and CEO of Light- house Consulting and Restoration Services and ILC. “When machinery and equipment is restorable, Lighthouse provides warrantied solutions that minimize business interruption, and in many cases, eliminate total loss. It is our warranty that allows the carrier to settle the claim and avoid writing the big check for new equipment replacement.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 14, 2015, ISSUE 1131

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