LUCRUM in The News…
March 21, 2008
If 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.
Sphere: Related ContentLUCRUM: 15 Years and Counting…
February 16, 2008
Today’s the 15th anniversary of the founding of LUCRUM. Wow, that’s seems like a long time ago! At the same time, it also feels like yesterday! Our industry is a great industry because it never gets boring. The idea that we can problem solve in our customers’ business using some of the latest technology and techniques is still as rich in opportunity as the first day we were in business. I still remember that first day. I called about 20 different customer/prospects that I knew in the regional marketplace with the announcement that I had formed a new consulting company called, “Client Server Associates.” We were going to focus on the new paradigm of developing business software outside of the mainframe on PC’s and their network servers. It was a very “bleeding edge” concept at the time, and as you know, the rest is history.
It was also very “new” to think of business cycles lasting only a few years instead of the normal 7 year cycles. In fact, I was brash enough at the age of 33 to tell customers that the cycles were going to be “months-long” instead of years long. Boy, was I ever disruptive! In today’s economy, the switch from “build product and the market will come” to “mass customization of all products and services” has created such a huge market in business consulting and developing software solutions. I’ve skied out in Utah this season a few times and the ski “ticket” is now an RFID card that “swipes you” when you go through the turnstiles onto the ski lift! No more checking your ski tag! They also allow for you to go to their website and see how many ski runs you made and what the vertical feet added up to! Another benefit for the avid skier! Our whole world is going to change over the next five years in leveraging the RFID technology, mobile computing with Blackberries and other platforms, as well as the whole concept of “predicting” what the customer wants and suggestively selling or recommending your services in a way that you think they “really know you.” The fact is, they really do know you! “Predicting” needs and requirements is a big portion of the “data management” strategy of any company. They won’t be able to do this themselves in most situations since most companies don’t have an “inventive and build” culture. This is where LUCRUM is going to leverage our strengths and brain-power to provide these kind of services for the market. It’s going to be a very interesting “next 5 years!”
Happy Anniversary! JB
And We’re Off…TheFutureValueofBusiness.com
February 13, 2008
I am now mid way through my 3rd week here at LUCRUM, and it is amazing. I have spent the last 2 weeks getting to know my co-workers, developing an initial needs assessment, and working on putting my stamp on the company’s marketing efforts.
First and foremost has been the launch of this blog. Everyone I have spoken with is extremely excited about the project - though it represents a considerable shift in approach. It will be interesting to see this web log come to life. There should be no shortage of interesting content. I am just hoping that I can keep up.
One co-worker, Andy Erickson, got so excited about the project following a conversation we had on my first day, he launched his own blog to compliment this one. Already he has developed a following here in Cincinnati, and I look forward to having him contributing to the content of thefuturevalueofbusiness.com
It’s not just Andy. Seemingly everyone here at LUCRUM is excited about joining the blogosphere. From Sales to HR, Marketing to Finance, Developers, Coders, Project Managers, and more - people are really interested. My challenge will be turning that curiosity into action - i.e. content. I believe I am up to the challenge.
I am particularly interested in reading posts from the leader of LUCRUM, John Bostick. John is truly a renaissance man. He has started numerous successful companies, traveled the world, given lectures in China, and climbed Mt. Rainier. He even teaches classes in wine and gourmet cooking at Jungle Jim’s here in Cincinnati. He is extremely well read, very articulate, and a true man of vision. I am certain that he will author many interesting posts in the days ahead.
The best part is that it does not stop with John. There are so many people with so much to share. This is going to be fun. If you are interested in hearing our story, and telling us yours, I hope you will subscribe to the site either via RSS or email. Both are available on the home page and can be set up with just a few keystrokes.
My name is David, and I blog (among other things) for a living.
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