Hot Positions - Need to Fill Yesterday!!!!

November 14, 2008

The holidays are almost upon us!  If you are looking to make a career transition, NOW is the right time!  Please send me an email (luzzel@lucruminc.com) RIGHT AWAY!  Even if these opportunities don’t match what you are looking for, please email me.  We get new positions every single day and I truly look forward to finding the right opportunity for you!

PL/SQL Developer (Downtown Cincinnati, OH).  We are looking to hire someone on a permanent basis or on a long-term contract basis for this role.  This role is with an energy company looking to dramatically improve the way they bill their valued customers.  We are seeking technical, hands-on developers with experience in business process analysis and meeting facilitation.  This person must be a PL/SQL developer with experience with Oracle.  ASP.NET, Java and Lodestar experience are helpful. (JH)

Account Executive (Downtown Cincinnati, OH). LUCRUM is growing!  As a result of this growth, we need more Account Executives to join our Business Development Team.  This is a full-time position with a base salary plus commission.  We are looking for experienced sales people in the Cincinnati area.  Do you meet the criteria below?

1) You live in and have worked in the Cincinnati, OH area.

2) You have exprience selling IT consulting services.

3) You have an active roledex of clients. (DD)

Database Administrator (Blue Ash, OH). This is a one to three month contract assignment with right-to-hire.  This client is one of the largest retail companies in the Cincinnati Area.

This position is responsible for the day-to-day support and administration of a large, dynamic Data Warehouse environment. The applicant will work closely with users, applications, and technical staff. The client needs the following skills: Database administration experience (UDB EEE/DPF preferred), Bachelor of Science degree in a data processing related field or relevant job experience, familiarity with Fixpack installs and client connectivity, and experience with upgrades of UDB databases. (SL)

Software Quality Assurance (Columbus, OH). Our client is looking to bring the right candidate in on either a contract-to-hire or a permanent basis.  We need someone with quality assurance/software testing background - no specific automated QA tools necessary!  This client uses manual testing tools and wants someone with 3 to 5 years experience. (CR)

Application Security Developer (Downtown Cincinnati, OH). This is a 3 month right-to hire position.  This individual will be responsible for managing application security efforts as well as implementing, extending, and integrating application security middleware solutions. This includes managing work efforts involving JAVA development work utilizing the API’s of several security middleware tools such as SiteMinder, SoapStation, and RadiantOne. Additionally, this individual will be responsible for managing efforts with development teams on implementing secure coding practices, helping with vulnerability prevention/remediation, and giving security design and architecture consultation.  OUTSTANDING BENEFITS AND VACATION PACKAGE! (SL)

Enterprise Architect (Downtown Cincinnati, OH). This position is a three month contract-to-hire role.  This client has issues with a brittle data infrastructure and siloed IT group. This person will work on development of a data strategy to address these issues. This person will lead the initiative for both the production of the enterprise wide data strategy and its socialization and impact on existing strategies. Also, this role will involve working with the IT group to both produce the corporate level data strategy and to provide leadership and direction for the development of the master data management, metadata, business intelligence and database consolidation.  OUTSTANDING BENEFITS AND VACATION PACKAGE! (SL)

Data Modeling (Downtown Cincinnati, OH). We are seeking someone for a permanent placement or contract to hire role for this position.  The requirements are data modeling with a slant or experience in an SOA. Masterdata management is helpful. Industry knowledge is not needed!  OUTSTANDING BENEFITS AND VACATION PACKAGE! (SL)

Exstream Software Application Developer (downtown Cincinnati, OH). This is a 90 day contract-to-hire opportunity with one of the largest insurance companies in Cincinnati.  The top priority is Exstream Software’s Dialogue 3+ years experience. The following is the skill set required in Dialogue: strong understanding of dialogue concepts, XML, CSV and Columnar data files, Driver, Reference, Ini and report files, Sectioned data and Section documents, complex tables including section tables, functions, formulas and rules, Output and Output queues - PDF and PostScript, PDF pass thru, Tiff and JPG import.  The second priority is C# - 1 to 2 years experience.  The third priority is RDBMS(SQL server 2000/2005) - 1 to 2 years experience. (SL)

If you have an interest or know of anyone with an interest, please email me at luzzel@lucruminc.com.  Please attach a resume and let me know what position you are interested in by putting the title in the subject line.  Thank you very much!  I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Patrick Ryan Joins LUCRUM

October 7, 2008

LUCRUM is excited to announce that Patrick Ryan has joined the firm as a Senior Recruiter.  Patrick is a seasoned veteran of the staffing industry, and is a consumate professional.  Patrick will support and grow the staff supplementation arm of LUCRUM through the utilization of the vast network of Information Technology professionals he has come to know over the past 11 years.   Other responsibilities will include working with the sales staff and introducing them to connections he has made in the community throughout his career.

Patrick is a graduate of The Ohio State University, and an avid fan of the Buckeyes.  He is also very active in the local community.  He is a volunteer for the American Red Cross, Camping Director for the IHM Pack 694 Cub Scouts and consistently donates blood every 8 weeks through the Hoxworth Blood Center.   In addition, he belongs and has served as President to service organizations such as The Knights of Columbus and The Ancient Order of Hibernians.   Each group is responsible for community service projects, raising money for disaster relief and the Hibernians have a special interest in supporting Irish cultural activities here in Cincinnati.

This Ain’t No Party, This Ain’t No Disco, This Ain’t No Fooling Around

August 28, 2008

This morning I attended the Cincinnati AMA’s Digital Marketing Summit - entitled “Is Your Marketing Disco or Digital?”  The event focused on innovative ways to utilize “New Media” to improve your business - specifically as it pertains to Marketing.

There were a wide range of speakers present, and overall I was very pleased with my decision to attend the event.  Here are some of the highlights from my day:

  • Met Pete Blackshaw - This guy is a Rock Star in the world of modern marketing, yet he was as polite and friendly, if not more so, than anyone else I met at the event.  More later on Pete.
  • Made some new friends with interesting people like Brandon Ferris from zoneCG.
  • Saw old friends like Alan See from Seapine, and John Atkinson from PimpMyNews.com
  • Learned about some interesting  web 2.0 tools and ways to use them from Izea’s founder, Ted Murphy.
  • Watched a presentation by RIM on the marketing of Blackberry - past, present, and future.
  • Heard about some exciting new projects that Cincinnati Bell is developing.
  • Attended sessions led by John Atkinson from PimpMyNews and Chris Heile from hyperQUAKE
  • Closed the session with an outstanding keynote from Pete Blackshaw - which was outstanding.

My favorite part of the event was without a doubt Pete’s presentation entitled Consumers, Credibility, and Cincinnati.  His speech hit on many of the topics that he wrote about in his book,  Satisfied Customers Tell 3 Friends, Angry Ones Tell 3,000 .  If you haven’t picked up the book yet, it is a must read.  We have actually given it to several of our Clients as a gift.  It’s really that good.  Anyway…

In his presentation, Pete outlined 6 Drivers of Brand Credibility:

  • Trust
  • Authenticity
  • Transparency
  • Affirmation
  • Listening
  • Responsiveness

He then went on to explain the implications of these factors in the digital world in which we live and do business.  Bottom line - Do right by people or suffer the consequences.  The consumer is in charge, and you need to make sure that you are in touch with what is happening in the consumer marketplace relative to you, your brands, your products, and your reputation.  Word of Mouth is on steroids in the digital age, and negative word of mouth can be a company killer.

At the end of his presentation, Pete shifted gears and brought it back to Cincinnati.  He spoke of an idea he has formulated regarding the creation of an advertising museum in Cincinnati.  This would serve to re-establish Cincinnati as a central hub for advertising in the digital age by showcasing the immense heritage of the craft in the city, creating a connected community of current marketing professionals, and developing something uniquely aligned with the city and its business heritage.   I personally think the idea is great, and I hope that I can find some way to be a part of making it happen.

Overall the event was fun.  It could have been improved with some signage outside of Great American Ballpark to indicate where to go to get in. (I walked around that stadium twice this morning at 6:45 looking for the entrance to the Crossley Room.)  I was also slightly disappointed when they asked me to stop filming the event on my Flip cam 1/2 way through the 2nd speaker of the day.  I was informed that “there were arrangements made and I was not permitted to film at the event.”  I found it an odd policy for a summit focused on web 2.0, but complied none the less.   I managed to capture some great interview footage of people stating why they had come to the event - sort of a man on the street thing - that will sadly never make it to the web.  It is a shame because it would have been great to highlight my takes on the event, which I did enjoy.  I would have gladly posted the video on YouTube and other sites, providing free publicity to any and all included.  Alas, I know that some just are not ready for that yet.  In the grand scheme of things it’s not a big deal.

Thanks to all of the speakers, all the cool people I met, and the Cincinnati AMA for putting it all together.

Disco

Now I must get to work on implementing some of the great ideas I picked up today.

Is Your Marketing “Disco” or Digital? | AMA Cincinnati Chapter

Oatmeal, Twitter, Blogs, and Pimpin - Cincy Social Media Breakfast

August 12, 2008

This morning I joined 30 or so really cool people at the Cincy Social Media Breakfast, which was held at the FirstWatch in Rookwood Pavillion.  As I understand it, this was the 2nd gathering of the group, and it was the first I was fortunate enough to attend.  What an awesome event!

The breakfast was wonderful for a number of reasons.  First, it’s great to meet the people who you follow on blogs, twitter and the like in person - you know actual human interaction.   I saw some old friends like Debba Haupert and Criag Jolley, as well as made many new ones.  Everyone there was so friendly, and there was a nice community vibe to the event.   Everyone was there to make friends, learn, and share ideas.

The event was also very informative.  Kevin Dugan, one of the organizers of the event, opened by speaking about some of the interesting new trends in social media.  From Facebook applications to Flip Video, to making your next powerpoint presentation into a rock video, to the importance of writing “slippery” content, Kevin shared some great ideas.  He then opened the floor up to the crowd to share individual experiences and projects that people were involved with on the web.   So many ideas… So many cool people… Not enough time to pick everyone’s brains.

The featured speaker for the event was John Atkinson, Co-Founder and CEO of PimpMyNews.com.  PimpMyNews is a free, web based service that will convert RSS feeds into audio and then deliver them back to you either through their web stie or via podcast.  You visit their site, register for an account, pick from an extensive list of RSS feeds and you are set.  I was so impressed with John’s presentation (which was just him talking - no powerpoint) that after the meeting I immediately went to the Apple store and picked up a new shuffle just to use for listening to pimpmynews.  With a list of unread RSS feeds that grows daily and communte that puts me behind the wheel close to 2 hours a day, this was just a no brainer.  I downloaded my first podcast this afternoon, and I am now officially pimping my news. (Or having my news pimped? - Not sure which is correct)

The sponsor of the event was MarketWire, an innovative company that specializes in the distribution of press releases through both traditional channels and via new media outlets.  They offered a brief but very informative presentation about their services, and some of the things that separate them from others in the field.  Thanks to MarketWire for breakfast, which was delicious.

In summary, the event was a great way to start off the day.  I look forward to the next breakfast, which I am definitely going to try to attend.

Were you there this morning?  What did you think?  What was your favorite part of the meeting?  Who did you meet?  Will you go again?

Brian Krahenbuhl Takes Home Best of Software!

May 23, 2008

Over the last year I’ve had the privilege of working with many of the students and faculty of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Applied Sciences (CAS) IT Program. These kids have really made a difference with their contributions to the Information Technology space. In late 2007, I was really impressed with the work Brian Krahenbuhl, a CAS graduating senior, began with .NET 3.5 as he built a Pet Grooming business management package called GroomIx for his senior design project. A couple of months ago LUCRUM had the opportunity to bring Brian into the company.

Yesterday, CAS held its annual Tech Expo (and here) event to highlight the work that their seniors have accomplished. Hats-off to Brian as he took home the Best of Software award as well as the Kroger Award of Excellence for the best presentation!

Brian’s GroomIx

Stuff It!

Tech Expo

Kill The Messenger

- Andy

See What is Possible

April 21, 2008

Friday morning I had the opportunity to talk to Raveen Rajavarma, our new Collaboration Community Leader. Raveen was sharing with me the latest info on SharePoint 2007. I’m really excited by the untapped potential inside of SharePoint. Raveen has committed to get some demo sites out under our own internal SharePoint site so that everyone can see what’s possible. Additionally, he’ll be working with our team members to determine how many resources we need on staff to support our clients and how best to position all Collaboration tools.

I look forward to seeing great posts, great information, and a great community under Raveen’s leadership.

Welcome Christy

March 31, 2008

LUCRUM would like to announce the newest addition to the business development team, Christy Rollyson.
Christy has spent the last 14 years in sales; 7 of those in Information Technology Consulting Sales and the most recent 2 years focused on the Healthcare Market.
She grew up in Thomaston, Georgia about 90 minutes outside of Atlanta and attended the University of GA in Athens GA (GO DAWGS).
Christy has lived in the Cincinnati area for the last 12 years – most of that in the Loveland / Milford area.  She likes spending time with her son, going to sporting events and comedy clubs, reading a “brain vacation” mystery, and being with her friends.
Welcome to LUCRUM, Christy!

On Feedback

March 31, 2008

Recently I was confronted with a difficult decision regarding the comments section of this blog.  A very negative comment was placed for approval to be placed on the site.  It was written by “anonymous” and  went on to express some very negative opinions of LUCRUM.  At first, I approved the comment, and quickly posted my response - trying to be as diplomatic and objective as possible.  Then I changed my mind, and took both down.  Why?  “Isn’t blogging supposed to be about freedom of expression, taking the good with the bad, and engaging in meaningful dialog.”  Yes.  It is about that.  I believe that this site is absolutely about that.  Negativity and criticism can actually serve to make us stronger by opening our eyes to areas where improvement is required.  It is through these criticisms that we are able to learn and grow.  Without a voice of dissent, there is a danger of, as the author put it, sitting around singing Kum Ba Ya.  Criticism is welcome.

The reason for taking the post down had nothing to do with a criticism of LUCRUM, but rather the author’s use of specific client information and private information about former employees.  I am not alright with that type of content on the site.  Unless, that is, you can convince me otherwise.    I welcome comments.  I prefer when people own them by attaching their name, but anonymous is allowed.  Constructive criticism is welcome.  However, I ask that if you comment, please do so respectfully.  Thoughts?

LUCRUM in The News…

March 21, 2008

Free Image Hosting at allyoucanupload.comIf you happened to pick up the March 21st edition of the Cincinnati Business Courier, you might have read an article about LUCRUM. The article outlines some of the highs and lows that we experienced in 2007, and goes on to talk about some of our future plans for growth. The great thing about having a company blog is that I can immediately share my feedback on the article as part of our ongoing conversation - one that you are welcome to join by placing comments below.

There is only so much information that can be published in a 1/4 page article, so I will elaborate more on it here. LUCRUM is very excited about our partnership with Diane Egbers of Leadership Excelleration Inc (mentioned in the article). Diane has been working with the senior managemnt team to develop a 5 year strategy to address some of the shortcomings mentioned in the article. With her assistance, LUCRUM has made changes to both personnel and policies in an effort to become more nimble and better able to serve the emerging needs of our clients. This effort began in late 2007, and we are already seeing positive results. The Business Development Group has added 4 senior members in the last 4 months, and will be joined by another new member next week. We are not stopping there. Look for LUCRUM to add Business Development personnel in the coming weeks. Along with the new Business Development team members, comes new opportunites and clients. LUCRUM has engaged 10 new clients in the past several months, and is working on exciting data warehousing and business intelligence projects. In addition, we continue to leverage our partnership with Salesforce.com, as we are Cincinnati’s only certified Salesforce provider. The new marketing team led by David E. Bowman, is making great strides in changing our approach to Marketing. We are shifting from the traditional approach of marketing as a monologue to engaging the world in a dialog. My invitation above, seeking comments on this post, is a direct result of that shift in mindset. David is bringing in great young talent like Greg Levine, a recent Xavier graduate, to help further his efforts.

Not only are we investing heavily in restructuring our Business Development Team and Marketing Department, but our Delivery Organization, led by Jodie Heflin, is focusing on providing world class technical solutions for our clients. LUCRUM does not take client satisfaction lightly. In fact, we view it as the key to our future growth and success. Jodie and her team have worked hard to address the systemic problems that led to the issues listed in the Business Courier article. Since her tenure as leader of the Delivery Organization began in September 2007, LUCRUM has been delivering a level of service that is unmatched in the industry.

Ultimately, LUCRUM is a company that is about people. With Andy Erickson as the leader of our talent acquisition effort, LUCRUM is hiring the best and the brightest to join us in our goal of creating world class technical solutions. Be sure to check the People section in future editions of the Business Courier, as I plan on having new hires to LUCRUM making regular appearances there.

In summary, while not all of the information about LUCRUM in the article was positive, the negative information it contains is a part of our past. These problems have been dealt with. We have moved forward. And ultimately we are now a stronger company as a result. We have amazing people, a renewed sense of purpose, and a strategy for success. LUCRUM is focused on the future, and in the spirit of the 2008 theme for the Business Development kickoff meeting in Florida, “the future’s so bright we’ve gotta wear shades.”

Thanks to Laura Baverman for thinking enough of our company to write about us. I have attached a link to the article here. I hope you give it a look. Even more, I hope you will leave your thoughts on the article in the comments below.

LUCRUM Sets Restructuring

Excellence Without Exception - 2008 Heath Care Conference Recap

March 13, 2008

Last week I attended the Greater Cincinnati Health Council 12th Annual Health Conference & Expo, where LUCRUM was an exhibitor. The theme of the conference “SOLUTIONS 2008 EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCEPTION,” and the event was very well attended. This was LUCRUM’s 2nd year as an exhibitor, and my first year working the booth.

Attendance at our booth was GREAT the whole day! I spent the day meeting and speaking with a variety of healthcare personnel discussing Healthcare and IT. There was a lot of talk about the unique challenges that Health Care organizations face in implementing and capitalizing on Information Technology to reduce costs and improve the patient experience. This was a huge opportunity for LUCRUM to get recognized and educate attendees on our capabilities. We handed out dozens of invitations to our upcoming webinar - 5 Simple Steps to IT Health. I am looking forward to hearing my colleague, Marlene Schrand, give this presentation next week, as I know that she will deliver 30 minutes of insightful information.

As for the seminar, The LUCRUM Logo Triangle Highlighters and Globe Stress Balls were a hot item! Talk about getting your name out there where it hasn’t been before! LUCRUM Globe Stress Balls will be flying around Hospital ER’s, Conference Rooms and Nurses Stations for quite a while! Hopefully they don’t result in any new admissions or ER visits.

These regional industry conferences are a great way to make contact with a large number of prospective clients and re-enforce our commitment to current clients. I look forward to representing LUCRUM in future conferences. It is encouraging and exciting when I see our Sales, Delivery, and Marketing departments work so well together at these events.

To register for the March 20 webinar, simply visit the Contact LUCRUM page here on the site. I hope you will join us.

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