CHAPTER NEWS
New Austin Chapter Grows Membership
Through Local Events
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By Crystal Pieschel
Sales Manager Director of Competitive Research
Market Awareness
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The newly formed SCIP Austin, Texas Chapter is experiencing rapid growth, facilitated by their second event held on October 20, 2011. The Austin Chapter teamed up with the University of Texas and the Austin Technology Incubator Program (ATI) to bring attendees exciting presentations and networking opportunities. The event began with a social hour where over 80 local professionals were able to network and get to know others working in the field of Strategic and Competitive Intelligence. Following the networking hour, participants enjoyed informative presentations in ATI’s auditorium.
The evening began with Mitch Jacobson, a director at ATI, who spoke to the group about the exciting work his team is doing to significantly grow Austin’s business community. From a field of 100-150 technology companies, ATI selects five to ten each year and identifies funding sources while providing operational guidance to help incubate each into a high-growth company. Next, we heard from Steve Barcik, founder and CEO of Firefly LED, maker of environmentally-friendly LED lighting systems that use less electricity, reduce temperature and increase thermal conductivity compared to traditional lighting solutions. Barcik shared the common yet often under-acknowledged competitive factors that need to be researched when launching a company, including the competitive landscape and market for his specific industry and product. Finally, Austin Chapter Chair Glen Brynteson, CEO of Market Awareness, took the stage. He talked to the group about the decisions executives face every day, and how his related experience as CEO of another firm led to the creation of Market Awareness—a company that provides its clients with the unbiased, actionable intelligence they need to make more informed strategic decisions and win more business.
The steering committee received great feedback on the presentations. “This being only the second meeting of the SCIP Austin chapter, I was really excited that we were able to offer three dynamic speakers and utilize resources from the University of Texas for the event. The number of CI professionals who attended from both Austin and San Antonio confirms that there is a real need for local professional development and networking within our specialty” commented Jeff Chiesa with KCI.
Mike Nugent from Market Awareness added, “The variety of interesting speakers really got the audience thinking and excited about all of the various facets of competitive intelligence. The group had some very interesting questions for the speakers, and following the presentations we continued with another 30 minutes of networking time to allow for more intimate discussions.”
The socializing didn’t stop when the event ended. Afterwards, several executives from companies including Cisco, Dell and Market Awareness had dinner together to continue their CI conversations.
The SCIP Austin Chapter continues to encourage networking with other firms in the Austin community and across corporate functions to increase the value it provides for everyone impacted by competitive intelligence. To get involved with the new Austin Chapter email
crystalp@market-awareness.com, join the
SCIP Austin Texas Chapter - LinkedIn Group or call Crystal Pieschel at 1-800-452-1041.
About the author
When she’s not volunteering her time as the coordinator of the newly formed SCIP Austin Texas Chapter, Crystal Pieschel
is a Sales Manager at Market Awareness, providing analysis and feedback
on client products, sales processes and targeted marketing efforts as
well as helping clients to understand their competitive standing.
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Share your professional views and experience in the field of
Competitive Intelligence. See upcoming themes slated for the
monthly SCIP Insight eBulletin below; choose a topic and
submit an article: |
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Dec |
End of Year Recap |
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Jan |
A Look Ahead |
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The Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals
(SCIP) merged with the non-profit Frost & Sullivan Institute
in 2009. The partnership between Frost & Sullivan Institute
and SCIP provides a powerful opportunity to enhance the
benefits SCIP offers its members.
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Share your professional views and experience in the field of
Competitive Intelligence. See upcoming themes slated for the
monthly SCIP Insight eBulletin below; choose a topic and
submit an article: |
|
|
Dec |
End of Year Recap |
|
Jan |
A Look Ahead |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals
(SCIP) merged with the non-profit Frost & Sullivan Institute
in 2009. The partnership between Frost & Sullivan Institute
and SCIP provides a powerful opportunity to enhance the
benefits SCIP offers its members. |
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