The first ‘Green City Web Portal’ rolls out with the City of Fort Lauderdale leading the way. The Community Greenhouse Foundation’s “Green Communities” program provides residents, organizations and businesses of the community a resource to discover, educate, promote and communicate the benefits of a “greener” community and life in South Florida.

With the goal of establishing fifteen green city web portals, we’re excited to announce a partnership with the City of Fort Lauderdale for the establishment of the first green city site, under our program.

GreenFtLauderdale.com provides a conduit to learn, educate, promote and communicate the benefits of a “greener” community. The goal of the site is to provide communities with the resources and information related to sustainable green living and a more sustainable future.

The site focuses on three main content channels: articles, directory and events. The articles section contains stories and profiles about people and organizations doing good things in the community. We promote the idea of being greener or living sustainably, by showing success stories–people making a difference. Articles are divided into major categories including, technology, sustainability, art, balance, ethics, faith, fitness, nature and teamwork– all which can influence the ability of a community to become more sustainable.

Our local directory provides a resource for the community to find organizations, city resources and businesses that differentiate themselves by being green and offering product and services that indeed make Ft Lauderdale a better place. The directory offers the opportunity for businesses to “Get Listed” and support the efforts of Community Greenhouse Foundation. Sponsoring the site is a tax deductible donation.

And the events section of the site will showcase great things and happenings that go on in the city and area throughout the year.

GreenFtLauderdale.com will be launched on April 26, 2008 at the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Green Living Expo celebrating Earth day and Arbor day. If you would like to find out more about the program, please visit www.greenftlauderdale.com Thank you in Advance for supporting and promoting the vision of a “Greener Ft. Lauderdale”

For more information, contact:
Richard Evans, CEO, Community Greenhouse Foundation
786.402.5155 tel or email revans@communitygreenhouse.org

The Community Greenhouse Foundation The Community Greenhouse Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, registered in the state of Florida. The foundation’s mission is to “facilitate a greener America, one community at a time.”

Tags Fort+Lauderdale, green, sustainability

Giant3 partners launch Get Green Directory, an online resource that connects people who care about what’s happening to the world they live in with businesses and organizations doing good things. Connected to the green building industry and the health and wellness world, Get Green Directory is built in sync with the Get Green Today Expo series.

How do you show that your business cares? How can you tell your story, spread the word, about the good work, products and services you deliver? Get Green Directory is a relevant, online resource that helps bring together people who are working for a cleaner, greener tomorrow.

There’s a green revolution happening out there. Rising energy costs, resource conservation and the current political hurricane that’s been whipping around since the 2000 US elections are bringing about a resurgence in the consumer marketplace. The greening of our country and world is too important to allow political divide. We just can’t afford to ignore energy and transportation crisis. We can no longer ignore health and wellness issues. Add the power of internet communications and the evolution of blogs and the citizen journalist-and you get an environment perfect for, and overly due, for positive change. Opportunity awaits the companies and the people who make it happen.

It’s in this climate that Joy Dupont of the Goddess Group, a team that’s been delivering expos and seminars for over a decade reached out to Eric Needle and Giant3 partners. With her connections to the health and wellness world and Giant3’s insight into things green and the sustainable development industry, a partnership was born. Working to promote Get Green Today Expo series, both groups announce the launch of Get Green Directory, a site that connects consumers with resources and people leading the green charge.

“We’ve built directories before.” Eric states. “A continual series of Expos to drive Get Green Directory creates real value and opportunity for exhibitors. Constant promotion gets us in front of customers and keeps us in the public eye. That’s how we raise awareness and promote life changing products and services.”

Other Giant ventures, GreenOrlando.com and GreenBrevard.com add to the internet buzz by blogging the events live and writing about exhibitors.

“Like spokes of a wheel, we’ve created a network of sites that cross promote and increase our communication relevancy, building more value to our advertisers,” Needle adds.

November hosts three expos in West Palm Beach, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. And Giant3’s central Florida base will see the launch of 4 expos in 2008, including Orlando, Melbourne, Tampa and Sarasota. The partners welcome others to help them offer more events.

Show off your green at Get Green Directory.

About Goddess Group
n 1995, the “Dynamic Duo” of Cynthia Owen and Joy Dupont began producing health-related expos, lectures, and events. These include New Medicine Expos, Forever Young Expos, The Gourmet Vegetarian Society, Healthfest, the Holistic Health Fair and Get Green Today Expos. Their efforts have educated thousands about natural health and wellness, nutrition, quality of life, healthy homes and living cleaner and greener.

About Longbow SG
Longbow is a “big picture” communications firm that helps clients better connect and reach out. From image and branding to public relations and outreach, they serve corporate and not for profit groups.
(www.Longbow.net)

About Giant3
Giant3 is a collaborate network of business owners who work together and leverage each others expertise resulting in improved quality, reduced cost and time to market. The key, shared trait in Giant3 is long term vision. Giant3 partner creates ventures that build community, raise awareness and outreach. These include internet offerings, publications, tools and directories; Relevant resources that connect audiences in niche markets.
(www.Giant3.com)

###

Contact

Eric Needle
President, Longbow SG
Principal Partner, Giant3
e@giant3.com

Joy Dupont
President, The Goddess Group
info@getgreentodayexpo.com
561.863.7884

Tags green, directory, get+green, technology, marketing, alternative+energy, sustainability

News is a very powerful medium. It can help tell your story and illustrate who you are, who you’ve worked with, and where you’re going. And yet, many organizations don’t effectively use public relations to communicate.

The press release is a simple tool that helps get the word out. Using news as a part of your marketing strategy has many benefits, yet it’s often hard to quantify them or get the bean counters to foot the bill. I tell you today, though, that I’ve found news to be much more effective than advertising.

Depending on your industry, there are armies of people who get paid to point out successes and failures in the business world. Each niche audience has spawned huge assortments of trade publications, newsletters, portals, directories and eZines to talk about trends. From local chambers of commerce to regional and state magazines to national cable news, everyone is hungry for information. In business, a little knowledge on trends, statistics — and what the other guy is doing — can make or break you.

Understanding that media exists, understanding your market and you place in it, how do you take advantage of all this? How can you rise above the static and get noticed?

One company, Amphion Innovations, has done an amazing job at using news to tell their story. Using a focused, hands-on company building approach, Amphion Innovations builds shareholder value in high growth companies in the medical and technology sectors. The people at Amphion “get it” when it comes to PR.

While the newsworthiness of any article or release is important, not every item is meant to get ink*. By reading through the News and articles on the Amphion site, we discover who they are. Like a timeline that shows all the people they’ve worked with, you get a glimpse into who they are–and why you would trust them or want to invest in their companies.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Charlie Morgan and the crew at Amphion since the late 1990’s. Entrusted with their website, we recently rebuilt the entire site and manage the way they present their news online.

To ignore News and Public relations is a missed opportunity. From writing press releases to archiving your history, trade show strategies to placing your news, we can help you promote your organization.

Contact Eric today at e@longbow.net

Visit the Amphion Innovation website here at www.AmphionPlc.com

Tags news, public+relations, internet, marketing

Creating a new identity for your organization is never taken lightly. When Jeanette Soucy of the Star Center came to us, we knew that an NPO that does so much for kids with Autism (and other learning disabilities) deserved a brand that helped them shine.

Not for profits–and especially a school for special needs–often make important decisions by consensus. And designing a logo, an identity, a brand, requires an inclusive process that allows a group of decision makers to take part in the creation. Longbow’s Eric Needle, has been doing this work since 1990; It’s their forte. Rather than have someone dictate or limit your options, we work with you to refine your image. Our inclusive process makes it easy to build a logo that everyone can be happy with.

Branding is centered on your identity. More than just making logos, we create the foundation upon which you can build each and every piece of collateral. Here are some recent projects we’ve done for the Star Center.

Tags teaching, education, marketing, branding

A picture is worth a thousand words. Often, tech companies have a hard time explaining what they do. One niche we often find ourselves filling is distilling or refining a complex message into visuals that wider audiences can understand. Engineers sometimes communicate what their companies do, rather than showing the need their products can fill. Illustration and animation tell the story.

DxTech has been busy inventing new diagnostic tools for the healthcare world. Just as diabetics now find it common place checking their own blood sugar levels, new products and systems promise to change the way we do lab work.

Sell sheets are quick, focused collateral that you can hand to a prospect at a trade show or after a sales pitch. Often product identity and marketing is the last thing we think about as we prepare for that big event. Here a little strategy goes along way.

Do’s and Dont’s
• It’s important to keep branding consistant. Your prospect needs to associate your product or service with your company, so be sure that all your materials reflect your corporate image.
• Keep it simple. White papers are the place to discuss all the technical intricacies that makes your product unique–this piece should be brief, focused, so a busy attendee will remember you.
• Show what you can do for a customer. Often, technical companies focus on specifications. With a sell sheet, the goal is to show people what your product can do for them. When you can turn the equation around and look at it from the customer’s perspective, you become customer-focused.

Here is a great piece we made for Solicor, a tech firm that makes thin, flexible, safe batteries that power smart cards and RFID items.

How do you prove the value of your business to the world? You consistently deliver quality, service and satisfaction. Giant3 has been working with AllStar Printing since 2000.

“No matter how many competitive bids we place, locally and nationaly, Matt Longmire and Jef Beeman have worked to deliver quality print to our clients and partners. With each and every job, they exceed the quality our customers demand and beat others’ prices. They work hard for our business.” Eric Needle, President of Longbow, the Space Coast’s premier marketing and communications firm relates.

Both All Star and Longbow also agree on the environmental side of the print business. In 2006, they created the Hopper Press Project, designed to promote awareness of greener, cleaner ways to print. Designers, printers and clients can dramatically reduce the impact that printing has on the environment. Smart design can reduce paper use and materials like recycled paper and less toxic inks all help ease the cost of print.

“Joining Giant3 is a natural progression for us. Working with Eric over the years has been a pleasure. Designers that understand the printing process and its limitations, make our job so much easier. Tapping into Longbow’s web experience and Giant3 is also a way to show off our work. It’s win-win for us,” says Matt Longmire, All Star’s VP of business development.

Visit All Star Printing • Visit Longbow • Visit Giant3

Visit the Connect page for more info.

Visit Hopper Press at hopperpress.com

Tags printing, green+printing

Many of our clients need illustration and more often and not, it’s in a rushed scenario. Though photoshop and raster image editors are great in a pinch, the power of vector drawing is worth the extra energy.

Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand and Corel Draw have long been valuable tools in the artist’s quiver. The value and reason for making vector art, though, is in the application.

To avoid technical art-geek speak, you can simply define graphic files as either being raster or vector. A raster file is made of lots of individual squares of color called pixels. Vector refers to a file composed of lines and points, curves and fills. The magic in vector is scalability. Raster is the format of choice for photos, while vector art can be scaled to fit on the side of a blimp, with zero loss of image quality.

When we work for you, we’re most efficient when we can create one creative body of work, and then apply it, in all media. Case in point, Solicor, maker of ultra-thin batteries used in ID, creditcards and other nifty products, needed to show just how tiny and flexible their product is. When working on sales sheets, we realised we had no art to draw upon.

Drawing their product shows prospects what their batteries can do–and helps others see possible uses. And creating it in Illustrator, allowed us to easily use the same graphics on their trade show booth. In a time crunch, having vector illustration also let us email a tiny file, as opposed to having to fed ex a monster raster version.

Another benefit of using this format is that every piece of these images can be moved and stretched, color change and given perspective. This kind of versatility allowed us to make several different versions quickly and simply. Using these files in Flash for some simple animations is also a snap. And because they are vector, they are perfect for anything Flash can deliver.

We’ve been using these apps since 1992… with over 2500 filght hours in Illustrator. Though not perfect for every use, vector is often the right tool for the right job.

Tags vector, illustration, rfid, marketing

Many organizations and businesses face great challenges when it comes to continually keeping their sites fresh. Community-based NPO’s and groups of faith are among those who need to keep its members up to date. Whether it’s big events or small group meets, the people who most need all this updating often just can’t justify the expense.

As a solution provider, we’ve been working for years to create internet sites that these organizations can use to easily edit their sites. When blogs started appearing on the scene, our lead developer Jefte Puente of Jefte.net dug right in and showed us the logic in building sites that others can easily edit. Other sites, powered by CSS (cascading style sheets), allowed us to put simple tools in the hands of many authors, yet kept a consistant style site-wide. As a brief primer, here’s our guide, helping you choose which is right for you.

Simple HTML

Simple html requires skill to edit. Macromedia gave us Dreamweaver (now an Adobe Product), and revolutionized the way we build sites, but using it requires considerable knowledge and skill, and a $400 investment. Training staff, often volunteers, can be a daunting task and the final result often was a site that quickly lost continuity and focus. When we design and work in simple html for a client who needs to make occasional edits, we realised we had to streamline and simplify. Today, we like to manage these kind of sites, as it saves considerable time and effort. A great example is the Tourette Society of Florida at www.tsa-fl.org

The CSS Powered Site

While we’ve been using css for years to create style sheets that set the look and feel, site-wide, it wasn’t until we focused on creating a site that others could manage that we made a breakthrough. For First United Methodist Church of Melbourne, we created a content sorting system that simply created page shells, which rarely changes, that then hold content areas. CSS still styles all our pages, but it also controls our page navigation and buttons, all fom one file. This kind of site lets users open a content file, edit it and select an “H” setting, H1, H2, H3, etc. and when they publish the area, all the styles take over.

Insite

For large organizations that need a member directory, calendar system or eCommerce hooks, we turned to long time partner Artemis. The Insite system is a platform that lets users create and edit pages. With an extensive ala carte bundling of modules, you choose which functions you need, and pay a monthly fee for the services you use. Visit the Melbourne - Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce for a good look.

The Power of Blogs

Our latest foray into the technology behind blogs has so taken us, that we’ve rebuilt all our own sites. First, we get the easiest content management system we’ve ever used. Write an article (or news release), select a category, add keywords and press publish. Syndication tools like Technorati project the piece out to anyone who cares about that subject. The net result is traffic–Search engines love the way we build these things. Visit the Longbow site for a quick view. This site, Giant3, is also built on our blog platform.

Managing your site requires effort and if you need to continually keep things fresh, it can be a real burden. From simple to blog-powered Wundersite, there’s hope out there, and it does not have to break your budget. For more info on how we can help you leverage the right platform for your organization, contact us.

So often, brochures and printed materials are made at great expense, but do not work towards your overall goals. Each document that comes from your organization are opportunities to reinforce your brand, your message and the vision of who you are.

With any new client, our job is to discover who you are and where you want to go. Defining your positioning is critical. Position describes your market, the segment you live in, and identifies not just you, but everyone else who occupies that space; Yes, the competition. Often we have preconceptions or misconceptions about our competition. Knowing your competition allows us to build upon your strengths and differentiate them. While some of this goes beyond the scope of a print project, it’s all relevant.

The next critical cog is understanding your audience. Again, a little research now pays off big, making your campaign, the reason for the brochure, that much more successful. Not knowing who we’re speaking to can negate all this work.

Your brochure speaks volumes about you, on many different levels. By tieing into your strengths and connecting to your audience, we increase it’s value; We make it worth the effort.

We recently designed this twelve page brochure for Consumer Bankers Association, based in Arlington, VA.

The word branding has become commonplace, yet few organizations really tap into the full potential of their brands. Branding is really a very simple practice. Ranchers of the American frontiers marked their cattle with a distinctive mark, a brand, to be able to tell them apart at a crowded marketplace. Today, your brand is no different.

We mark our company, our products and our services with a brand. We call these ideas about visual icons, logos, styles and cues–your identity.

Branding is the consistent application of your identity. And it can mean more just that mark, your logo. It can mean all your organization is, its mission, its goals and vision. Well crafted branding goes beyond the logo.

In the promotion of your business, your branding efforts really makes marketing and promotion a lot easier. Every document that leaves your office should bear the same mark, the same branding. From printed material to internet, from business cards to tradeshow campaign, from direct mail to presentations, they all need to project your image. When, in unison, all your departments speak the same message, the public hears an organized chorus. When everything is different, it’s a jumble, a din, and confusion sets in.

For NPC’s HealthePay, we created a strong identity, and then projected it across all their materials. In the crowded healthcare financial space, we clearly and concisely projected our brand. As added benefit, the work was built from one body of creative work, significantly lowering costs to produce.

Messaging quickly communicates, grabs and keeps your attention, and is a critical factor is the way to speak to your audiences. Headline news is the de-facto standard in our over-communicated society. To be seen, message needs to be concise, to the point, and simply worth reading.

Who is ATD? We began work with Automated Trading Desk, (ATD) with illustration that distilled down the technical process upon which their business is founded. How can you compress the intellectual property, genius, and thousands of man hours into one picture? It’s a daunting task, but one that proves the adage, a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s what ADT needed–a way to quickly communicate why they were so innovative. In addition, we helped wordsmith their content throughout the process, culminating in their tag line, “ATD is technology for smarter trading”.

As we worked on their corporate brochure, we built from this, and stating what differentiated ATD from competitors, built the piece on these lines: ” ATD is opportunity. ATD is expertise. ATD is experience. Leveraging technology for smarter trading.”

In relation to their identity, we simplified the existing logo, and applied it as seen in the brochure, and then extended this to their public internet site. We also visually created the rising stock ticks which carry through their pieces.

While we certainly can’t claim to be the reason for ATD’s rise to a $40m annual company, we’re proud to have been part of the equation.

Tags marketing, design, internet, creative, financial

How does an organization reach its base, project’s its message, build support and fulfill its mission? You do all this and more with communications. Communications means all the media we use. Using the Internet, communications can create, build and nurture community.

Not for profits face a different set of issues than business clients. A volunteer-based group has to continually keep it’s information flowing. Program info has to be accurate, timely and then sell the idea to staff, supporters and newcomers. NPOs require more communication management than corporate clients, often with little or no budget and strained staff. Events range from public affairs and fundraisers to seminars and workshops. Bingo night, the annual 5k walk, training session and small group classes all require communications to make them work.

How do you get the word out? For TSA, The Tourette’s Syndrome Association of Florida, we’ve begun by building a simple website. Often we work in stages to help get an NPO where it needs to be. Just gathering general info can be a huge task–keeping it current is an ongoing challenge.

Internet is a great place to begin, as costs to distribute are almost zero. The ease with which you can change information is also a huge factor–and why your site should take precedance over print and other media. Often with an NPO we’re doing all the work in one fell swoop. The net allows for changes, refinement and correction. Once we’ve built a firm foundation, then we can ellaborate, add features that increase outreach.

We’ve got a soft place in our heart for not for profits. Serving any NPO is a daunting task–the need never ends. Find someone who is willing to partner with you for the long term and is vested in your community. For us, we’ve found the experience challenging and rewarding… and in the end everyone wins.

Visit a few of the sites we’ve built for these NPOs.
> Tourette’s Syndrome Association of Florida
> United Way of Brevard
> 211Brevard
> Keep Brevard Beautiful

Mariann Yeager needed a strong brand for her consulting company; One that helped her stand out from the competition. To create a product line that conveys their expertise, we took a good look at the healthcare industry and the compliance issues it now faced due to ever-growing use of electronic transactions and information sharing.

Myhipaaco.com became Emerson Strategic Group, building identity, brand, and Internet presence. Over the next year, we helped ESG create the HIPAAWise product suite, transforming a one-product business into a serious player in the healthcare consulting space. The HIPAAWise brand projects Emerson’s credibility and its owl serves as sage and mascot, peering resolutely across a crowded convention floor.

“I know for a fact that ESG’s corporate identity and web presence contributed to the deal this week. They were so impressed by your work; It was a big success. ” Mariann Yeager relates.

“I always knew that corporate identity was important, but, I never realized how incredibly critical - MISSION CRITICAL it was! It makes a tremendous difference and demonstrates quality, credibility and longevity.”

EmersonSG was sold just this year. TruArx, a metro Detroit-based computer systems security services company, today announced the acquisition of Washington, D.C.-based Emerson Strategic Group. The acquisition gives TruArx additional expertise to further develop its health care practice and provides a presence on the East Coast, according to TruArx President Robert Capinjola.

The printing industry flys under the radar when you think about big business. Where do you think they rank?

Who is the bigger employer in the United States, the printing or the automotive industry? If you guessed printing, take a bow—an $83+ billion bow. Yes, believe it or not, in the US, printing isn’t just big business, it’s the biggest. Printers employ nearly 1 million people across the country, placing the meager 780,000 in the auto industry a distant second. Sounds pretty outrageous until you stop to think about it. In a society that’s constantly in search of access to information and literally obsessed with record-keeping, it stands to reason that printing is ubiquitous.

The ammount of print produced each year is staggering. Sheer volume demands we do all we can to make the most efficient use of materials. Cleaner printing, even simplest techniques, relates to a big difference.

The printing industry is incredibly diverse, and made up of mostly small businesses. This means that best practices and their implementation are almost impossible to gauge. Some say that only when customers demand cleaner, greener materials and a more eco-sensitive mind set, will we see change, but the opposite is true. Printers themselves and the suppliers and manufacturers that serve them see the need to better manage the process and products. A revolution is underway–and you can be a part of it.

Hopper Press is a new awareness project that targets the three audiences who most influence what gets printed: clients, designers and print shops. Some corporate clients are sensitive and aware of environmental concerns and care more about their image. By focusing on designers, we can directly connect with the creative source–and better create pieces that make most effective use of the medium. And printers can majorly influence projects by following cleaner procedures in their shop. Even changing their “house stock”, the main papers they provide as a standard, to post-consumer recycled content can have profound impact industry-wide.

For more info on how you can print greener and cleaner, visit HopperPress.com.

Also Visit p2pays.org for the entire report on the printing industry and pollution prevention material.

* Source: North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance (DPPEA).

WEDI, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange, came to us for an image update. Past experience in both the healthcare and data spaces dictated clean and concise design. Our inclusive design process and over fifteen years of working with logo and corporate identity, helped forge a versitile logotype that could easily translate to many diverse audiences.

WEDI is a national member-based heathcare organization focused on electronic records, their use and legislative compliance. Being so connected to national policy and the interworkings of the DC beltway, we focused on deep blue with a red accent. Any NPO or NGO needs to also make judicious use of the materials they produce and this 2 color design translates into any media and material. Simple and clean, the new WEDI logo defines the organization’s connections to the medical community, information industry and American legislative process.

WEDI is dedicated to improving healthcare through electronic commerce.

GreenBrevard is a good news publication, focusing on the positive contributions of people and organizations within the community. To that end, the magazine’s categories include art, balance, ethics, faith, fitness, nature, sustainability and teamwork. Each category includes original articles, interviews and spotlights, nearly all focused on Brevard persons, groups and events. The pre-launch version of the magazine, currently online, features spotlights on Leadership Brevard, United Way, 211 Brevard, and the Central Florida YMCA, among others.

[ we’re concerned about where our community is going and hope to positively contribute to our future ]

“`Green’ can mean many things,” say Needle and De Marco. “For us, it first defines the natural beauty of Brevard County and our desire to see it preserved. Beyond environmental issues, thinking `green’ encompasses many aspects of intentional living that keep us balanced, healthy and inspired.”

“GreenBrevard is not politically motivated. We hope to be a forum where issues are raised, as opposed to a mouthpiece for biases on one side of an issue. GreenBrevard, although story- and article-driven, is not traditional media. Rather, we’re concerned about where our community is going and hope to positively contribute to our future.” Needle notes.

The Web site also includes a professional services directory that gives groups and individuals the option for various levels of sponsorship and advertising.

The idea for the magazine was inspired by the emerging renaissance occurring in the world of building, planning and engineering. New technologies, attitudes and awareness are infusing traditional development with the desire of producing less impact on our environment, the co-founders assert.

“Called `sustainable development’ or `green building,’ this awakening is simply a long term approach to development that seeks to reduce energy use, water demand and overall environmental impact,” says Needle.

“The name GreenBrevard symbolizes a forward-looking focus, realizing that Brevard County, true to its high-tech roots, could be a model for the state and nation on how to grow, thrive and live with the land.”

De Marco adds, “We recognize that this paradigm shift in long-term thinking applies not just to growth, environmental and economic opportunities, but to the forward-thinking potential of the human mind and spirit. Hence, our approach discusses why it is important to be regularly inspired by art; to keep balance between work, family and recreation; to be ethical; to cultivate an active faith; to be mentally and physically fit; to be a wise steward of your time, talents and resources; to encourage sustainable development; and to be a team player.”

Needle serves as President of GreenBrevard, as well as Principal Partner of Giant3, a collaborative network of senior level creative strategists with expertise in marketing and advertising. De Marco serves as Editor and Vice President of the magazine; a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley, he also is President of John M. De Marco Communications and is a veteran speaker, trainer and writer. Art Director, Jefte Puente, rounds out the team.

GreenBrevard was built on the InSite platform, a modular Internet system created in partnership with Melbourne’s Artemis IT Solutions, also a Giant3 partner. InSite allows multiple authors to edit the site remotely, with no special tools. The system allowed for rapid deployment of GreenBrevard and its professional services directory.

Visit the site at www.GreenBrevard.com and pass your comments.

Contact

Eric Needle
President, GreenBrevard, Inc.
President, Longbow SG
Principal Partner, Giant3
e@giant3.com • 321-757-8909 x212

John M. De Marco,
Editor and VP, GreenBrevard, Inc.
President, John M. De Marco Communications
Partner, Giant3

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In winning this award, “the Board was recognized for developing a new web site with a high-tech design and low-tech ease in operation, a unique and innovative web-based, online orientation called Tour of Services-Getting the Most from Brevard Job Link, and a web-based Youth Scavenger Hunt contest aimed at educating area youth on how to prepare for the workforce.”

Artemis is proud to continue to have the opportunity to work with BWDB in all the areas mentioned for this award.The new Job Link website was the first of its kind to use Artemis’ new product, InSite, which makes it very simple to maintain and build a website, even one that holds as much content as the Job Link site does.

BWDB can easily assign different tasks to different users and makes the job of keeping the site fresh and relevant much easier. You can visit the Brevard Job Link website at www.brevardjoblink.org

InSite gives you control. For more information on InSite™, contact: 321.757.8909

About Artemis
Artemis IT Solutions, Inc is a leading provider of comprehensive technical support and solutions in the computer networking, information system, telephone, and Internet industries. Visit www.artemis-inc.com for more information.
(www.artemisit.com)

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.
(www.giant3.com)

###

Contact

Eric Needle
President, Longbow SG
Principal Partner, Giant3
e@giant3.com

Travis Proctor
President, Artemis IT Solutions, Inc.
Principal Partner, Giant3
proctor@artemisit.com

The InSite product is a website content management tool that allows users to dynamically manage their own web content without having to learn design code or hire a skilled webmaster.

It also gives the customer a totally custom-designed website, unlike many out-of-the box competitors out today. Custom graphic work was done by Artemis’ Giant3 partner Longbow SG.

Says Beau Richards, WA1A program director, “Artemis has done a great job; I can’t wait to move forward. This makes our site look great!”

Visit the site at www.WA1A.com

InSite, giving you control. For more information on InSite, contact: 321.757.8909

About Artemis
Artemis IT Solutions, Inc is a leading provider of comprehensive technical support and solutions in the computer networking, information system, telephone, and Internet industries. Visit www.artemis-inc.com for more information.
(www.artemisit.com)

About Longbow SG
Longbow Strategic Group, Inc. is a strategic communications firm that helps clients achieve their fullest potential by focusing their strengths and refining their message.
(www.longbow.net)

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.
(www.giant3.com)

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Contact

Eric Needle
President, Longbow SG
Principal Partner, Giant3
e@giant3.com

Travis Proctor
President, Artemis IT Solutions, Inc.
Principal Partner, Giant3
proctor@artemisit.com

JDC offers public and media relations services, with expertise in speaking, writing and training. John De Marco is a regular speaker to local organizations such as the Melbourne-Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce; Brevard Association of Human Services (BAHS), Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs; and The United Way. His motivational talks have evolved into a workshop/keynote called “The Intentional Life,” and the “Communicating Life” workshop offers tools and techniques for developing and veteran public speakers.

“JDC is an amazing fit for Giant3,” says Giant3 founder Eric Needle. “John De Marco has an extensive journalism and publicity background, working for a variety of local and national clients. The life experience, skill set and trust he brings to our group is amazing. Writer, speaker, volunteer, teacher and United Methodist pastor, John builds upon our founding principles of providing long-term focused service and value to our clients.”

De Marco’s influence already is evident in the group’s publishing ventures, such as Blue Earth Society, a fine artists’ association with an online gallery and community that is updated monthly. Another publication, GreenBrevard is scheduled to debut in January 2005, and will become a forum for discussing and improving the Space Coast’s unique quality of life.

Expect great things to come, as this new partnership serves Brevard and beyond!

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables it to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising and public relations agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, inconsistency and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.

Other Giant3 partners include Artemis IT Solutions, Brevard County’s premier technology provider; and Longbow Strategic Group, a big picture-focused branding and messaging firm.

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Contact

Eric Needle
President, Longbow SG
Principal Partner, Giant3
e@giant3.com

John M. De Marco
President, John M. De Marco Communications
Partner, Giant3
johnmdemarco@cfl.rr.com

Have you ever needed to immediately update your website? Most businesses and organizations continually have to– and until now it was out of their price reach or in-house skillset. To meet these needs, Giant3’s partners Artemis and LongbowSG have spent the past year developing a system that puts control in the hands of their clients. Built around a “content manager,” InSite allows site owners and managers to easily maintain their own web content. It allows multiple authors to edit individual sections, pages and groups on every page, securely and easily. It’s as easy as editing a Word document.

As well, InSite is an affordable platform providing high-end functionality for your website, at a fraction of the cost of developing or deploying these features alone. The system offers an entire suite of features, ala carte, depending on each client’s needs. Calendars and Events managers, Member directories, eCommerce, News and document managers, searching, are all available and easily integrated into your site.

From the Cocoa Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (www.cocoabeachchamber.com) to the Brevard Association of Human Services (www.bahsbuzz.org) to Brevard Job Link (www.brevardjoblink.org), our partners enjoy the advantages of a user-friendly website with many advanced features that they can edit themselves.

InSite gives you control. For more information on InSite™, contact: 321.757.8909

About Longbow SG

Longbow Strategic Group, Inc. is a strategic communications firm that helps clients achieve their fullest potential by focusing their strengths and refining their message.
(www.longbow.net)

About Artemis

Artemis IT Solutions, Inc is a leading provider of comprehensive technical support and solutions in the computer networking, information system, telephone, and Internet industries. Visit www.artemis-inc.com for more information.
(www.artemisit.com)

About Giant3

Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.
(www.giant3.com)

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Contact

Eric Needle
President, Longbow SG
Principal Partner, Giant3
e@giant3.com

Travis Proctor
President, Artemis IT Solutions, Inc.
Principal Partner, Giant3
proctor@artemisit.com

Both firms have been working together for over a year, culminating in this new offering. Artemis brings leading-edge web development and programming and the support of their 25+ person strong technical staff, as well as complimentary business divisions. Giant3 brings world-class design and strategic know-how with top-tier corporate clients as well as an intimate, overview understanding of how the web works and what clients need to use a website more effectively. Together they have created an Internet product that is without rival in Brevard County.

The Internet, historically, has been built by two distinct groups, artist/designers who graphically build and are more advertising/marketing focused, and developer/programmers who make the Internet work and provide functionality. This partnership between Artemis and Giant3 bridges both groups, creating the leading web-building group on the Space Coast.

The fruition of their work has resulted in a process and system called InSite™.

For the demanding corporate client and organization, InSite™ brings a suite of high-end tools and features to your website that make the web work for your business, at incredibly affordable pricing.

InSite™ is an affordable platform providing high-end functionality for your website, at a fraction of the cost of developing or deploying these features alone. The system componentizes several development pieces offering an entire suite of features, ala carte, depending on each client’s needs. Built around their Content Manager, this platform allows clients to edit their sites through their web browser, efficiently, easily, and professionally. It makes it easy for multiple authors and managers to edit your site, immediately, yet retains site-wide styles and visual integrity.

Component modules include:
• Security Services and Rights Manager • News/Press Manager
• Document Library Manager • eNewsletter System
• Calendar and Event Coordinator • eCommerce Integration
• Site Advertising Manager • Database Integration
…with more modules constantly in development and being improved upon.

For more information on InSite™, Artemis and Giant3, contact: 321.757.8909

About Artemis
Artemis International Inc is a leading provider of comprehensive technical support and solutions in the computer networking, information system, telephone, and Internet industries. Visit www.artemis-inc.com for more information.
(www.artemisit.com)

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.
(www.giant3.com)

###

Contact

Eric Needle
President, Longbow Strategic Group
Principal Partner, Giant3
e@giant3.com

Travis Proctor
President, Artemis International Inc.
Principal Partner, Giant3
proctor@artemisit.com

“We see green building as having one prominent issue - Awareness”, states Giant3’s founder Eric Needle. “If I can build or renovate, and lower operational costs simply by design and materials, why wouldn’t I?

Helping people jump to that conclusion is exactly what we’re doing with our virtual tours.”
Richard Evans, Community Greenhouse Foundation CEO sums up the relationship. “Giant3’s investor relations savvy, love for the environment and depth of talent upon which to draw, also made the foundation jump to the conclusion that they were a perfect fit.”

About Community Greenhouse Foundation
The Community Greenhouse Foundation exists to promote Green Building. We help pair forward-thinking organizations who understand the benefits of retrofitting existing or building new, with every single resource, compliancy, agency, funding source and manufacturer it takes to design and create your project in a green, sustainable manner.

The Community Greenhouse Foundation provides assistance and leadership to developers, builders, government and organizations in the construction of “Green” buildings and developments for residential, commercial, and industrial projects in both the public and private sectors. The benefits of green building are clear and profound.

Visit our new strategic partner at www.communitygreenhouse.org

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.
(www.giant3.com)

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Contact

Eric Needle
Giant3
321.693.6314
e@giant3.com

Richard Evans
Community Greenhouse Foundation
786.402.5155
revans@communitygreenhouse.org

This site will aid us in our effort to build strong relationships with donors by creating a sense of community that illustrates the extent of our outreach. Basically, we just wanted to show how many people we touch. Plus, the site is easier to navigate and packed with information for both donors and those in need. Special thanks to Giant3 and founder Eric Needle for the time they donated in building the web site. Without their help, this site would not be possible.

Giant3 is a partnership of creative strategists — designers, developers, and marketing professionals — whose expertise includes web design, corporate branding and identity, strategic positioning, media planning, public relations, advertising and marketing communicaitons. The result is a unique business model that draws upon the skills and talent of senior-level professionals. Giant3 delivers the creative power of a full service agency with virtually none of the overhead.

“Giant3 is honored to give back to Brevard by helping local organizations like United Way”, says Eric Needle

Business Newsmakers

United Way Staff Cited for Web Site

Source: FLORIDA TODAY, Tuesday, April 22, 2003

The United Way of Brevard’s communications department staff was honored as a finalist in United Way of America’s recently completed national communications competition in the category of online communications for its newly designed Web site.

This annual national competition contest is designed to promote communications best practices and recognize the people who bring them to life.

Contributors to the United Way of Brevard Web site included Eric Needle, principal with Giant3; Suzanne Sparling, vice president of communications, Caron Partridge, communications manager, and Janette Robinson, communications assistant.

About United Way of Brevard County, Florida
United Way of Brevard’s mission is to be Brevard’s leader in mobilizing the caring power of our community. United Way is about people helping people. We care deeply about our friends and neighbors in Brevard. That care is shown through a wide range of funded services that help make a difference in the lives of people like you and I each and every day - improving the quality of life here in our community.

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.

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Contact

Eric Needle
Giant3
321.693.6314
e@giant3.com

Suzanne Sparling
United Way of Brevard

Melbourne, FL - Giant3, a full service communications and advertising firm, wins several industry awards as Q1 2003 comes to a close. Principal Partner, Eric Needle, affirms that the groups dedication to client satifaction remains their only motivator.

“Our firm markets only by word of mouth. Making our clients happy is how we grow.” Needle states. “Winning awards are great, but making the people we work for look good, achieving their business goals… that is why we exist.”

March 3, 2003, Cocoa Beach, FL. - Lights! Camera! Addys! The Space Coast Ad Fed’s Award Gala. In it’s first entry into the Addys, Giant3 receives a Gold Addy and a Judges’ Choice Award for their work on the Space Coast Ad Fed’s own website. The Judges’ award was one of two given out at the Gala.

“We made the decision to devote energy to the Ad Fed club after we were won over by the work they perform in the community.” Needle notes. “Our ‘Buy our stuff, send a kid to college’ auction and numerous community service projects serve as an excellent example as way to give back to the Space Coast.”

Eric was voted onto the Board of Directors in 2002 and serves as Internet Chair for the SCAF.

Giant3 was also awarded a Silver Addy for their “Celebrate at the Zoo” campaign, for The Walk, a new church development in Viera. “We were very excited about this award for several reasons. We just love the people at the Walk and have been integral in creating their identity campaign and strategic marketing. We were stunned to win this award, as it was moved from public service category to commercial interactive media campaign. This was the only entry of faith to win an Addy this year.” Needle reports.

April 23, 2003, Melbourne, FL. - Giant3 and United Way were today awarded the Image Award and Judge’s Choice Award by the FPRA. The Florida Public Relations Association’s Space Coast Chapter sited United Way’s ability to do great work with minimal budget as the qualifier for the Judge’s Choice Award.

March 01, 2003, Cocoa, FL. - United Way of Brevard County was selected as a finalist for the United Way’s 2002 National Communications Competition for their website, designed and built with Giant3, a Brevard-based communications firm. The competition is designed to promote communications best practices and recognize the people who bring them to life.

“This year, our judges paid close attention to entries from local United Ways that have helped their communities create a community impact agenda and report success in key impact areas,” stated United Way of America president, Brian Gallagher. “Our judges reviewed an astounding 676 entries this year. Congratulations to our winners and finalists for a job well done!”

Communications staff at United Way of Brevard was thrilled to receive the recognition. Contributors to the website redesign included Eric Needle, principal with Giant 3, Suzanne Sparling, APR, vice president of Communications, Caron Partridge, communications manager, and Janette Robinson, communications assistant.
“We are extremely proud of our communications department,” commented Rob Rains, president of United Way of Brevard. “They are a small but mighty team who always exceed my expectations and continually strive to strengthen and protect our brand.”

Giant3 has been working with United Way of Brevard since 2001 on the design and maintenance of their public website along with it’s strategic usage and as a communications and design consultant for other projects.

About Space Coast Advertising Federation
The Space Coast Advertising Federation is a nonprofit professional trade association serving the local advertising community. The national American Advertising Awards honors creative excellence in advertising and is the final tier in a national competition sponsored by the American Advertising Federation. THe Addys are the industry’s largest and most representative creative competition. The Space Coast Ad Fed resides in the 4th District of the American Advertising Federation. The 4th District encompasses all of Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

About The Walk
The Walk is a new Presbyterian church (PCUSA) being started in Viera, Florida whose mission is to create an environment where people find themselves encountered by the Living God, come to know Jesus Christ in a personal way, continue in the lifelong journey of growing more deeply into this relationship, and take another step in discovering life that has real vitality, purpose and joy.

About United Way of Brevard County, Florida
United Way of Brevard’s mission is to be Brevard’s leader in mobilizing the caring power of our community. United Way is about people helping people. We care deeply about our friends and neighbors in Brevard. That care is shown through a wide range of funded services that help make a difference in the lives of people like you and I each and every day - improving the quality of life here in our community.

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.

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Contact

Eric Needle
Giant3
321.693.6314
e@giant3.com

Jacqueline Barker
Space Coast Advertising Federation

Elmarie Parker
The Walk

Suzanne Sparling
United Way of Brevard

Melbourne, FL - Congratulations to our 2002-2003 Officers and Board of Directors. During our May 8th annual meeting, Secretary Dawn Melcher introduced and members elected next year’s board. They are:

President: Jackie Barker, Media Ink
President Elect: Jenise Davis, Here There Design Direction
Treasurer: Terry Stone, Brevard Zoo
Secretary: Linda Herridge, InDyne, Inc. - KSC
Past President: Denise Bozeman, Photofire Studio
Director: Eric Needle, Giant3
Director: Russ Brown, Time Warner Communication
Director: Linda Bultema, Clear Channel Outdoor
Director: Nancy Kopp, Florida Today/Gannett
Director: Veronica Deboisbriand, R&J Advertising

With the passing of our new Constitution and Bylaws at our June meeting, the board will vote on three additional board of directors: Director: Caron Partridge, United Way of Brevard County Director: Kim Grooms, VIACOM Outdoor Director: Carole Drain, Keiser College

Eric has been named SCAF’s 2002 Internet chair and his firm Giant3 is taking over operations of SCAF’s website and emarketing efforts; Look for a new site in late September. Giant3 is also finalizing a new identity campaign for the chapter, focused on the region’s hi-technology heritage associated with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

About Space Coast Advertising Federation
The Space Coast Advertising Federation (SCAF), is based in Melbourne, FL. SCAF is a nonprofit professional trade association serving the local advertising community. The national American Advertising Awards honors creative excellence in advertising and is the final tier in a national competition sponsored by the American Advertising Federation. THe Addys are the industry’s largest and most representative creative competition. The Space Coast Ad Fed resides in the 4th District of the American Advertising Federation. The 4th District encompasses all of Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.

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Contact

Eric Needle
Giant3
321.693.6314
e@giant3.com

Jacqueline Barker
Space Coast Advertising Federation

“In working with Giant3 on the redesign of our web site, they demonstrated the strategic mindset needed to understand our branding goals and the creative talent needed to produce marketing and advertising that impacts our target audience while staying true to our identity,” said Mariann Yeager, President and CEO, ESG.

“Communicating an accurate corporate identity is mission-critical to our success. It makes a tremendous difference and demonstrates quality, credibility, and longevity,” Yeager reiterated.

Although Giant3 operates in the ad agency “space” they refer to themselves as a Business Network. Eric Needle, a principal with Giant3, explains the distinction.

“Giant3 has the ability to adjust its level of service in real-time. In the early stages, a company might have a limited marketing budget. Many agencies won’t even consider a company under a certain annual billing amount. This usually leaves the company out in the cold, having to settle for less experienced talent and an unacceptable outcome. Giant3 doesn’t operate under the same restrictions as an agency. We are able to deliver quality at any volume-be it handling a single product rollout or delivering a total corporate branding solution.”

“Our flexible business model, as well as our exceptionally strong background in working with startup and pre-IPO companies makes us a perfect fit for ESG,” added Needle.

About Emerson Strategic Group
Emerson Strategic Group is a healthcare consulting firm specializing in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other healthcare legislation and regulations, offering HIPAA education, assessment, and tools. Emerson’s industry leaders have been actively involved at the national level with HIPAA and related industry initiatives since 1997 - providing expertise to healthcare organizations, providers, payers, as well as technology and security vendors. www.emersonsg.com

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.

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Contact

Eric Needle
Giant3
321.693.6314
e@giant3.com

Mariann Yeager
Emerson SG
703.519.0817

“All our talent is senior level”, Needle adds. “At agencies, you often pay full price and get the B team.”

With proven expertise in corporate advertising, marketing and communications, the senior talent that make up Giant3 has many years logged in the technology sector. Other industries of expertise include childrens’ education and entertainment.

Giant 3 is dedicated and focused on the client. With Giant 3, you only pay for the talent you tap into, not the overhead of the entire organization. World-class talent without the overhead.”
Based in Central Florida area, Giant 3 creates amazing competitive advantage with big agency talent and expertise and small town customer service. Founding partner companies include EricArt, Flashaus, HerbieMartin, Net Dot Stuff, Howiecat, KLGrant, SiG and Red82.

About Giant3
Giant3 is a business network of senior-level creative strategists with complementary expertise in a variety of specialty fields within marketing and advertising. Giant3’s breakthrough collaborative business model enables them to offer all of the creative, technical, and strategic services supplied by full-service advertising agencies, while eliminating the overhead costs, quality inconsistency, and operating inefficiencies associated with the traditional agency model.

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Eric Needle
Giant3
321.693.6314
e@giant3.com