Here is our April-May calendar. State and Federal Communications will be attending these events. If you plan to be there as well, be sure to say hello!

April 13   WGR Toastmasters, Washington, DC

April 14   Ohio Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Legislative Reception, Columbus, Ohio

April 22-23   Public Affairs Council Spring Executive Meeting, Washington, DC

April 27   WGR Toastmasters, Washington, DC

April 30   DiversityBusiness.com Annual Program, New York City, NY

May 14-16   Women in Government – Western Regional Conference, Denver, Colorado

June 4-6   NCSL Executive Committee Spring Meeting, Denver, Colorado

Last month at the Public Affairs Council PAC Conference someone came up to me and was surprised our website could be viewed on an iPhone. Well, I guess we have not done a good job of getting the good word out.

In 2013, we updated our website and one of the fabulous benefits is the ability to view it on all devices…As pictured, I have it on my iPhone 6, iPhone 6+, iPad, and my new Surface. My Executive Director Ren Koozer has it on his Droid phone. You can bring it up everywhere you can bring up other websites.

There is nothing better than being able to answer someone’s questions wherever I am in the world … and I get a lot of questions everywhere. Now you do not need to know where I am as long as you have access to www.stateandfed.com and a subscription to our online guides on lobbying, campaign finance, and procurement.

We will continue to shout this from the rooftops because we know we have the #1 site to access the information you need to know for your government relations or procurement lobbying work.

You just cannot buy it at the iTunes store…But, you can contact us from your smart phone, and we can help set up your subscription. Well, I think I just gave you something other than Words with Friends to do on your phone!!

Until next month, stay connected with State and Federal Communications. We will always have the information you need, wherever you may be.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

Editors don’t have glamorous jobs. After all, how glamorous can you be with your fingers stained red by ink? But despite the lack of glitz, I am one of many editors lucky enough to work for a company that recognizes the important role I play in the organization.

Editors are vital to every company because we can be the last line of defense between an organization looking professional or becoming a late night joke. We work hard to make sure our company and colleagues look their best; thus, we continue to develop our skills and talents.

With these goals in mind, four of us attended the 19^th annual American Copy Editors Society conference at the end of March. We went to learn new tricks, brush up our skills, and discover new ways to help our company stay (grammar) compliant.

It was three days packed with grammar reviews, hints and tips on editing, and the ever important AP Style updated. It was also three days of meeting editors and talking shop between sessions. No one gets into a discussion about using a singular “they” and enjoys it as much as editors.

It was Comma-Con, as Katie Antonsson described in her ACES blog post. Pittsburgh was THE place to be for all those who love words and for whom editing is a calling, not just a job.

But, the fun hasn’t ended just because we are now back in Akron. Now we get to implement the ideas and techniques we learned about. I get to dig back into my stack of editing with renewed vigor. And I get to revel in a little bit of notoriety in the office as one of the copy editors featured in a little BuzzFeed piece called “30 Copy Editors Tell Us Their Pet Peeves.”

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, and Federal Compliance Associate Rebecca South are attending the Advocacy Leaders Network – Reaching Capitol Hill: The Class of 2015 event today in Washington, D.C.

As leaders in government relations compliance, we value the opportunity to attend this forum!

 

Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications offers her congratulations to Bob Kulinski, United Way of Summit County President and CEO as he wraps up 15 amazing years of service. Thank you, Bob for all you have done for Akron and Summit County!

For the second year in a row, State and Federal Communications is sending a team to the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) annual conference. This year the conference is being held March 26 – 28 in Pittsburgh. It is a great place for editors to brush up their skills and to keep up with changes in the field.

ACES annual conference also provides opportunities to learn new skills. There are sessions on the core editing skills, fact-checking, editing for social media, and getting the most out of style guides.

This conference is a great opportunity, as many of us put on the editor’s cap every day to ensure our information isn’t just factually correct, but also grammatically correct. We work to ensure everything is spelled and punctuated correctly because we agree with ACES President Teresa Schmedding: people care about good grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

And because we know you care, we are off to Pittsburgh to learn, to hone, and to ensure our skills are up to your standards.

To learn more about ACES and the important role of editors and copy editors, check out their website at www.copydesk.org.

State and Federal Communications is proud to be a sponsor of the SGAC 2015 National Summit Philanthropic Event. This year’s event was working with Outreach Inc. to pack meals for the needy. We are always looking for good ways to help!

Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications and Amber Fish Linke, Director of Client and Product Operations are attending the 2015 SGAC National Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s conference promises a great combination of expert sessions and networking. It runs from March 18-20.

Take a look at the amazing agenda here. You can follow the conversations on Twitter with the hashtags #SGACSummit15 and #SGAC40.

Akron, Ohio, 2015—For the seventh time, State and Federal Communications, Inc., under the leadership of President and CEO Elizabeth Z. Bartz, has been selected as one of the top 30 women-owned businesses in Ohio, and is the only company recognized in the city of Akron.

The “Top Businesses in America” program award from DiversityBusiness.com, a web-based publisher and business site, selected the Akron Company due to its overall leadership and economic achievements, ranking it as #17 in women-owned business and #37 in diversity-owned businesses in Ohio.

This is a considerable accomplishment given the current business climate in Ohio. The state currently ranks 46^th in the country in combined economic clout for women-owned companies – a measurement averaging the rankings in growth in number according to the State of Women-Owned Businesses report, sponsored by American Express OPEN.

Bartz recognizes the trend and sees this award as an opportunity. “As a successful small business owner and a woman, I believe it is important to be an example to other women, to demonstrate to the community what women can achieve and the impact we can have.”

Bartz says hard work in both business and community, is how rising above the trend is possible. She has witnessed disparity firsthand throughout her professional career, and uses these experiences as a motivator to grow not only her company and mentor her staff, but to also mentor other women and interns in the community. State and Federal Communications’ Intern Program is second to none in giving students experience working in the community, at the office, and providing solid compensation for the work performed.

Bartz believes the best advice she can give to other women is to encourage them to take on leadership roles and immerse themselves in the community. United Way of Summit County, Go Red for Women, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve, Susan G. Komen – Race for a Cure, the WKSU/Kent State University Foundation, and the Akron Urban League’s Speakers Series Platinum sponsorship only begin to chronicle the array of local organizations Bartz and her company support. She serves in a leadership role on multiple local and national boards, including Kent State University’s National Alumni Association Board, the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC), National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Foundation, Council of State Governments (CSG), Public Affairs Council, and the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL).

“Keep growing and keep leading. This is how we create a trend in Ohio,” said Bartz, who also encourages her staff to get involved. “My staff gets all the credit for our achievements, but their dedication to the company is surpassed by their dedication to the community.”

This month, State and Federal Communications will also receive the NEO Success Award. This program annually recognizes the top-performing companies in Northeast Ohio and reflects the determination to expand and revitalize its economic status. Bartz believes the demonstration of their core values sets the company apart from other similar small businesses and are the ingredients needed to shift the direction Ohio is heading with diversity in the workplace.

The “Top Businesses in America” program is sponsored by major brands, including Apple, AT&T, Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Office Depot, Toyota, Cisco, and Verizon. The program offers one of the nation’s most coveted awards. More than 3,000 award recipients have been honored since the program’s inception. Bartz and the company also won the award since 2007.

 

 

 

 

Here is our March – April calendar. If you are attending any of the coming events, please stop by and say hello!

March 4   Ohio Birthday Party, Washington, DC

March 9   WGR Toastmasters, Washington, DC

March 18-20   SGAC National Summit, Nashville, TN

March 23   WGR Toastmasters, Washington, D.C.

March 26-28   ACES National Conference, Pittsburgh, PA

March 29-31   NASPO How to Market to State Governments, Philadelphia, PA

April 9   WGR Politics, PACs and Grassroots Conference, Washington, D.C.

April 30   DiversityBusiness.com Annual Program, New York City

One of the best parts of being involved with State Government Affairs Council is its dedication to help others. In November at its Leaders Policy Conference, the group raised money for Tee It Up for the Troops with a golf tournament.

Problem is I don’t golf. I have tried. I don’t golf. I can drive the golf cart, but to go out on the course…I look like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack.

Thanks to SGAC and Tee It Up for the Troops we were able to help by bidding on a golf bag. In this case it was a bidding war with Chris Badgley from Daiichi Sankyo until the group offered to throw in another bag if I matched his bid. So, I now have a golf bag.

Tee It Up for the Troops was established in 2005 and has donated nearly $4 million to honor, remember, respect, and support veterans and their families. This past year the group has:

• Assisted more than 22,000 military families, saving families more than $35 million in lodging costs alone, plus food and transportation;
• Helped nearly 4,000 veterans to restore a sense of self, family, and hope;
• Served more than 1,500 of the most severely wounded service members with year-round programs in more than 30 different sports nationwide; and
• Reunited more than 50 wounded veterans who were separated due to battlefield injuries, changes in rehabilitation, or other reasons beyond their control.

State and Federal Communications knows when we team up with others we help make a difference. If you are so inclined, check out www.teeitupforthetroops.org to see how you can help.

Until next month, see what you can do to help others less fortunate.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Z. Bartz
President and CEO
@elizabethbartz

 

The states in which our presidents are historically attached aren’t necessarily the states where they were born. However, for this post, I wanted to review which states have produced a President of the United States by their home as an adult and where they ran for office.

In researching this subject, I found that some presidents are claimed by more than one state. Total number of states that can claim an elected president? Eighteen. FYI: All U.S. Presidents were born in America.

 

All information was found on History.com, Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.org, and Answers.com.