November 2011 | Vol. 3 Issue 11               In Collaboration with the Frost & Sullivan Institute


CHAPTER NEWS

New Austin Chapter Grows Membership
Through Local Events

  By Crystal Pieschel
Sales Manager
Director of Competitive Research
Market Awareness

 


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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ROI - Before it's Too Late

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End of Year Gathering
December 10, 2011
SCIP Colorado Chapter
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to the User

December 15, 2011
SCIP Italia Chapter
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  Attending a live event? Reserve your complimentary customized session with a Growth Strategy Consultant today! Ask questions and brainstorm with experts to evaluate and enhance your growth strategy. For more information contact Megan Houliston at 1.877.GO.FROST or Megan.Houliston@frost.com.  
 
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
Email Jessica Gordon for more
information and to contribute.
Frost and Sullivan
Join SCIP
SCIP Blog
SCIP LinkedIn Group
CI News
Job Board
 
COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE MAGAZINE
 Highlights from past issues
 of SCIP's quarterly publication
Status of Enterprise Competitive Intelligence Practice in China (Hongyu & Zuozhi)
The Great European CI Summit Detour: Of Bears, Doughnuts and Chemistry (Thieme & Bernaiche)
CI in Asia: Scenario Planning (Rothwell)
 
Feedback
Subscribe
Advertise
Analyst Briefings
 
Frost and Sullivan
  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.  
 
Industry White Papers and eBroadcasts
 Now onDemand:
Using Competitive War-Gaming  to Improve New Product Launch
From Macro-to-Micro: Translating Mega Trends into Strategy
Using Early Warning Intelligence To Anticipate External Threats and Minimize Strategic Risk
Seven Secrets to Guarantee
CI Impact and Longevity eBroadcast
Staying Ahead of Information in a Digital Age eBroadcast
 
Frost and Sullivan
Event Calendar
Our Solutions
Growth Team Membership™
Chairman's Series On Growth
Growth Opportunity Newsletters
 

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