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.

What lobbying activities are you involved in? Are you registered as a lobbyist? Could your activities trigger registration and reporting? What doesn’t require reporting in one state or municipality could easily require it in another and failure to do so could cause major problems for you and your company.

Come have lunch on us and sit down with State and Federal Communications before the start of the PAC National Conference to discuss government compliance and more.

As a special thank you, all attendees will receive a Starbucks gift card.

Check out our video for luncheon details and R.S.V.P. here!

Happy Valentine’s Day from State and Federal Communications!

January brought about the first recognition of 2015’s staff anniversaries. Ken Kelewae (middle) celebrates six years on staff in the I.T. Department maintaining all office hardware. David Jones, our I.T. Intern, celebrates his third year on staff as he attends Stark State University.

Congratulations to both of these dedicated computer specialists. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

What grassroots activities are you involved in? Are you registered as a lobbyist? Could your activities trigger registration and reporting? What doesn’t require reporting in one state or municipality could easily require it in another and failure to do so could cause major problems for you and your company.

Don’t get caught with your head in the sand! Come have lunch on us and sit down with State and Federal Communications before the start of the PAC Grassroots Conference to discuss government compliance and more.

As a special thank you, all attendees will receive a Starbucks gift card.

Check out our video for luncheon details and R.S.V.P. here!

State and Federal Communications is excited to be attending the 2015 National Grassroots Conference on February 3-6. Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of the company, and a team of three of the staff, will be heading to Key West to participate in the program.

We  believe in the great value of this gathering and so we are proud to be the sponsor of the Live Twitter Board at the conference. You can follow the conversations on Twitter @PACouncil #GRC15.

Professor Wilson Huhn [kneeling on the right] from the University of Akron School of Law presented a one hour CLE about Abraham Lincoln’s influence on the interpretation of the Constitution.

State and Federal Communications had a team of 10 attending the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) 36th Annual Conference. It was held from December 7-10 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the beautiful OMNI William Penn Hotel. COGEL always offers great sessions concerning lobbying, campaign finance, governmental ethics, and election laws and best practices. It was good to see many familiar faces and meet new members.

In December we gathered together at Flemings in Akron for our annual holiday party. We had a relaxing night with good food and time to talk to each other. The staff presented Elizabeth with their gift to her – a pair of tickets to see Jay Leno and dinner beforehand at District. Elizabeth also presented the winner of the door decorating contest and gave each employee Akron’s famous TEMOs chocolate tree to enjoy.