White House Business Council

COMPANY NEWS, POLITICAL

Decibel Management was invited to attend the White House Business Council meetings and briefing in early March. We had the opportunity to meet with administration officials to discuss strengthening the economic competitiveness of America s small businesses. This half-day meeting was held in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It was a great event to attend, and we loved getting to know and openly discuss issues that small businesses face and how the administration can become more involved.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 17, 2014


Local Business Leaders Discuss Priorities with White House Officials

Senior Obama Administration Officials Heard From Business Leaders on a Variety of Issues

 

Washington, D.C.  Small business leaders from across the country gathered at the White House yesterday to brief Senior Administration officials on their priorities, including creating a business environment conducive to job creation.

Administration officials gave an update on the economy and job creation. They also outlined several programs that encourage hiring and improve access to capital for small businesses. These programs include Small Business Administration loans and assistance from the International Trade Administration in helping small businesses sell their goods and services to new foreign customers.

Business leaders spoke about recent successes they ve experienced, but also highlighted the need for immigration reform, increased workforce development programs, and more awareness of programs that provide support for small businesses.

Business leaders bring a results-oriented approach to Washington that stands out, Jim Doyle, Business Forward president said. They don t agree with each other or the Administration on every point, but they expect solutions that create jobs and grow the economy.

Senior White House officials who participated in the briefing included:

Dr. Mark Doms, Undersecretary of Economic Affairs, U.S. Department of Commerce
Ann Marie Mehlum, Associate Administrator for Capital Access, U.S. Small Business Administration

Fred Baldassaro, Assistant Administrator for Communications, U.S. Small Business Administration
Peter Davidson, Executive Director of the Loan Program Office, U.S. Department of Energy
Michael Masserman, Executive Director for Export Policy, Promotion, & Strategy, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Americo Mack Tadeu, Deputy Director, Advocacy Center, International Trade Association, U.S. Department of Commerce
Diana Doukas, White House Liaison, U.S. Small Business Administration
Sam Brown, Director, White House Business Council

Business leaders had the following to say about the briefing:

Roz Lewis, President & CEO of the Greater Women s Business Council, located in Atlanta, Georgia said,  The women businesses in my organization are interested in access to capital and procurement opportunities. It was great to hear of all of the financial products that the Small Business Administration has to offer our constituency at the Greater Women s Business Council. More importantly, the briefing was proof of the White House Business Council s commitment to the growth and sustainability of small businesses.

Sean Cochrane, President of Super Green Solutions, located in West Palm Beach, Florida said,  I was extremely impressed by all the speakers at the White House Business Council meeting. I found the meeting enlightening particularly in the focus on job creation, export dollars, and the efforts to bring energy efficiency to other countries. I was particularly impressed with the discussion of promoting USA Export trade with Sub Saharan Africa. We have seen a keen interest in this region for SuperGreen Solutions franchises as energy stability, rising energy costs, demand side management, load shedding, and carbon emissions are affecting the lives of people in Sub Saharan Africa.

Joe Mechlinski, President & CEO of entreQuest, located in Baltimore, Maryland said,  It was an honor to participate in the White House Business Council s meeting focused on helping small businesses to grow and strengthen the economy. We wrote the #1 best selling book in the world on how to Grow Regardless and the discussion was perfectly aligned with our mission and purpose as a company. The meeting affirmed that there are tremendous bright spots with job growth, but there is still much more to do to support small business growth in our country.

My recommendations were basic: change the paradigm for small business from risk, regulation to risk, and reward and instead find opportunities to incentivize, not penalize, companies to hire people in all ways. I look forward to my continued participation with the Business Council and this conversation.

Mike Sawyers, President & CEO of 7Delta, located in Columbia, Maryland said,  As a small business primarily doing federal contracting, the gridlock in Congress has been very frustrating and has made planning for growth extremely challenging.

I attended the White House business meeting to hear about what this Administration is doing to support small businesses with and without the help of Congress. I was impressed with the number of programs available through the SBA, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Energy to financially assist small businesses to start and grow as well as efforts to expand small business exports. I also enjoyed the opportunity to network and share experiences with fellow business owners.

Dr. Sherri Henderson, President & Senior Consultant, Global Business Development Firm, located in Lansing, Michigan said,  To achieve economic development for small businesses, entrepreneurs must remain competitive and utilize local, national and international resources to build their brand, strategically plan and be prepared to present their products and services to a global market.

Susan Jones, Founder & Publisher of Impact Detroit Magazine, located in Detroit, Michigan said,  As a female business owner, the knowledge I gained through my participation in the White House Business Council briefing is an added value and very relevant, too. It s not business as usual here in Detroit, so I ll be paying it forward, sharing the wealth of knowledge I gained with my colleagues and readers of Impact Detroit Magazine.

Charles L. Moore, CPA, President of C. L. Moore & Associates, located in Lansing, Michigan said,  There was a strong delegation of small business owners from around the country that listened to President Obama s senior level cabinet members discuss programs tailored to strengthening the economy for small businesses. They gave us an opportunity to give feedback on their programs. This feedback was received well and the lines of communication were opened for more dialogue in the future.

I gave recommendations on how to get small businesses more capital and what I see as current pitfalls in the lending program. The prospective was from me, a former Bank Regulator and current CPA that works with small businesses. The Small Business Administration officials were happy to get the feedback and wanted to continue to discuss possible changes to the SBA lending policies to get more loans to those small business owners that need them. It felt good to be heard!

Ada Nicole Smith, Principal Consultant at JAS Events, located in Detroit, Michigan said,  The early start up costs and lack of strategic planning skills can be discouraging to anyone looking to own a small business. As a young entrepreneur, it was encouraging to hear that the SBA offers mentoring, coaching and classes to entrepreneurs to help close the gaps. Additionally, I am excited about the new approach to partner with local colleges and universities to give young people an earlier start on their entrepreneurial aspirations.

Mary Castro, Executive Board Member of the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce located in Warrensburg, Missouri said,  Attending the White House Business Council briefing was an amazing opportunity for me. I was impressed with the expert panel of speakers and the eloquence and passion of the attendees. I learned there are resources in place to assist the small business owners, which are accessible and sincere. The White House reached out to us, that is something to take note of and appreciate.

Tammy Long, President of the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce, located in Warrensburg, Missouri said,  I am so honored to have had the opportunity to attend the White House Business Council forum and to learn of new programs which will assist in the expansion of small business in Warrensburg and Johnson County, Missouri. The speakers were factual, informative and sincere in their updates on programs. The Veterans and Community Advantage are two programs in particular which could have a positive impact on our local economy. Business Forward should be commended for their leadership in the promotion of business expansion!

Pamela Cager, Owner of For All Occasions Catering & Vice President of the Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce, both located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina said,  As the owner of a small business, and the Vice President of the Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce, it was a great opportunity to be able to address issues that affect all small businesses and to be given the platform for our issues to be heard by the administration. It was encouraging to see the administration soliciting ideas on small business creation and sustainability. The briefing was very informative and full of useful information.

Greg Gentner, COO of rFactrlocated in Charlotte, North Carolina said,  The rFactr Executive Team was honored to be invited to participate in the conversation with Senior Administration officials at the White House. As a global Social Sales Software company, we feel it is very important to establish an economic environment in the United States that helps entrepreneurial technology companies grow efficiently, empower advantages in technology, and create innovative solutions that provide value. It was great to be a part of the discussion about the challenges we continue to face as we grow our businesses.

Sandra Miller Jones, Founder & CEO of Segmented Marketing Services, Inc., located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina said,  We were extremely pleased to participate in the White House Business Council s briefing yesterday. Our primary reason for attending was to help find ways to reach and secure health insurance for as many people as possible in these final days of Affordable Care Act enrollment. But we also learned a great deal about the outstanding work that the Obama administration is doing to assist small businesses across the nation. This was a worthwhile, action-oriented effort.

Carl Terrell, Founder & CEO of EcoCitement, located in Charlotte, North Carolina said,  I was surprised and pleased by the amount of grassroots input the Obama Administration sought from the small business community at large. As a service provider of solid waste management solutions, I was particularly pleased to learn about service exporting opportunities and the support and advocacy of the U.S. Government for U.S. business interests. In addition to receiving information, I shared my thoughts on the need to preserve net neutrality, which if replaced by a premium tiered service model, will increase small business operating expenses and decrease our ability to compete with large companies on the Internet.

Kellam Warren, Managing Member of Mainsail Lawyers, located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina said,  I m tired of gridlock in Washington. Mainsail Lawyers was started with a Small Business Administration loan and it was nice to talk directly with Senior White House Advisors, so that I could offer a few specific suggestions for improving the SBA loan program and for accelerating the number of jobs small businesses add to the economy. I came to Washington with the benefit of perspective gained from my own start up experience, and from my representation of entrepreneurs and businesses of all kinds in North Carolina s Research Triangle.

While politicians in Washington continue fighting about how to improve the economy, I thought it important that the President s Senior Advisors hear from someone who has actually created jobs in this economy, and used a SBA loan to start a business. I was pleasantly surprised, to find a receptive audience too.

Ad LawalPresident & Owner of Express Employment Professionals of Philadelphialocated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania said, I found the White House Business Council briefing extremely valuable. Since my company provides temporary and permanent staffing services, finding jobs for people is essentially our business. Our business volume is an indication of the direction of the economy and we have noticed an upward trend as the government s initiatives to create jobs have paid off. At the briefing, I learned about a number of resources available through the SBA that could further our success as a company and help put more people to work in Philadelphia.

Wadria Taylor, Founder, Style & Steel located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania said,  The White House Business Council Meeting reinforced that small businesses are the mitochondria of the U.S economy. Small businesses can do more and employ more people with access to capital. For many small business owners who fall short of meeting lending criteria for loans, their growth is stifled. My recommendation is for the SBA and the government to adjust the lending criteria and/or implement programs to help small business owners gain access to capital. As a business owner who is also a woman of color, having a seat at the table where I could exercise my voice and recommend solutions is priceless. 

Tony Goodesmith, Founder & President of Standard Medical Services located in Arlington, Virginia said, We are very appreciative of the opportunity to brief the White House Business Council on some of the challenges we face on a daily basis while operating Standard Medical Systems. We are a serviced-disabled, veteran-owned small business seeking to compete on a level playing field when it comes to providing medical devices, equipment, and supplies. Often times we find ourselves competing against our own distribution partners for the same services solicited by VA medical centers. Additionally, we re concerned that the medical device tax will negatively impact small independent firms like ours as we work to compete with some of the largest medical device companies in the world.

Dave Sonntag, President of Decibel Management, located in Alexandria, Virginia said,  With Decibel Management, I have planned events all over the country including the White House. I m honored I was invited for the first time as a guest to provide the Administration with feedback from small businesses. The discussion with the Small Business Administration was paramount for us, including the information on capital access and lending to grow our business. Additionally, gaining knowledge about the Department of Commerce s Advocacy Center and offering services overseas will help us expand into new markets.

About Business Forward
With the help of more than 50 of the world s most respected companies, Business Forward is making it easier for tens of thousands of business leaders from across America to advise Washington on how to create jobs and accelerate our economic recovery. Together, we have organized hundreds of local briefings with more than 450 senior Administration officials, Members of Congress, mayors and governors.

To date, we have also brought more than 3,000 business leaders to the White House to brief the President s economic advisors. Business leaders who have participated in our briefings have seen their suggestions implemented in the Affordable Care Act, the Jobs Act, three trade agreements and every one of the President s budgets. Many have also shared their recommendations with their representatives in Congress and through op-eds and interviews with local media. Ninety-eight out of 100 business leaders who have participated in a Business Forward briefing would be interested in participating in another one.

For more information please visit www.businessfwd.org or contact kayish@businessfwd.org.

Look Behind You, Mr. President: 5 Examples of Political Campaign Event Backdrops

CAMPAIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, POLITICAL

Political Campaign Stage Design: Democratic National Convention

2012 Democratic National Convention

Campaign and Convention event production in American presidential races revolves around key themes that nobody ever strays too far from. In terms of substance, candidates may be far apart, but for style- flag and country are mainstays on both sides.

Let s take a look at the set design of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. This is actually a nifty piece of political event management. When the cameras are zeroed in on speakers, the backdrop of American flags is all the cameras will pick up. However, when zoomed out, the Obama campaign logo is placed at the center of an array of American icons such as the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore. The presence of the Washington Monument may not have helped the Democrats shake their inside-the-Beltway reputation, but all in all, a very solid piece from the team at Tribe, Inc. They are a mainstay for the DNC production design, as well as a ton of top tier concert and event design (SuperBowl, Ultra Music Fest, Etc).

Event Organizers Blog: Campaign Set Design and Audio

2012 Republican National Convention

Another example of political campaign production gone right. The message here could initially seem far more direct. An American flag takes up the entirety of screens that make up the set, reinforcing the GOP s patriotic credo. But look closer and you will see the entryway beneath which speakers enter and exit. The entire ensemble has the air of a modern-day Roman archway, adding a subdued but powerful Hail to the Chief touch. This set was developed by the design team at Jack Morton, and was a great pairing of warm wood material and cutting edge video production.

Campaign Stage Set Design

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Campaign Event

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is in a tough spot as she runs for re-election. She first won by riding on the coattails of former President Lula, who stepped down with 80{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} approval ratings. Dilma has not maintained these levels of support, with accusations of corruption culminating in nationwide protests earlier this summer. But her political campaign this year has seen her reinvent herself in just the right way. By holding this sort of street campaign event, she maintains a leadership image while rebranding herself as regular folks . The use of just her first name and her face are enough to draw a connection to voters in Brazil who like to feel their leaders are not above them.

Event Organizers Blog: Political Campaign Management

China s Politburo Standing Committee

How aptly named is the Standing Committee? This was how the Communist Party of China chose to introduce 1.4 billion people to their new leaders. While the CPC has never been known for its sense of political flair, this was actually a very finely crafted performance. It showed the world a unity of leadership and promised a continuation of political strategic planning, warning reformers that a break with traditions of the past was not on the cards. And get a load of that traditional Chinese art on the backdrop: a majestic touch of cultural heritage.

Event Planner Blog: French Political Set Backdrop

Marine Le Pen, Front National Campaign Event

A simple political message is easy to reinforce with a simple political image. While the policies of Marine Le Pen, leader of the French extreme right Front National, may seem repugnant, her populist image and firebrand rhetoric have galvanized millions. A campaign event backdrop of French flags and the Eiffel Tower rising into the sky are all she needs to hammer home the anchor of her political campaign image: she is Marianne 2.0, the revolutionary emblem of France reborn.

Virtual Democratic National Convention

EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, LIVE EVENTS, POLITICAL

FINALLY. It s political convention season. Doesn t it seem like this campaign has been going on for our entire lives? 

But seeing as the United States remains in the throes of COVID s first wave, how will the conventions function? What will happen to all the red, white, and blue paraphernalia of past events? The cutting-edge staging setups with pyrotechnics? Or Lenny Kravitz? How will we get a repeat of this moment from 2016 when it appears the retirement-age Clintons just discovered balloons for the very first time?

BALLOONS!!!?

Think of the memes democrats!

Due to COVID, it seems this year each party is forced to hold a more subdued virtual convention focused on things like the formal delegate voting process to confirm a presidential candidate, updating party platforms to reflect current political realities, and hosting speeches from notable rising party leaders to introduce ambitious new goals to the national public. You know, the important stuff. It ll be a throwback to the Eisenhower era when smallpox was a hoax and the president often expressed a fondness for his good friend Khrushchev in the Kremlin.

Now, you may have noticed I just said BOTH parties. Portions of the Republican convention were moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida last month. While the actual party convention functions like writing an updated party platform will still be held by party leadership in Charlotte, the super-sweet-sixteen-everyone-pay-attention-to-me-its-my-special-day portion  will be held in Jacksonville

These plans may once again change due to Florida s new outbreak. Florida s current daily case numbers have been higher than the total daily case count in all of Europe for the past week, a development surprising to literally no one outside of Florida.  Governor DeSantis has mandated masks be worn indoors and gatherings allow a maximum 50 people, throwing the key goals of the convention into disarray.  Will it be cancelled?  Will it be virtual?  We ll be back with a part 2 once the RNC comes to a consensus on how to move forward with their planned festivities.

So right now, we can really only explore the current plans for the virtual Democratic National Convention.

Democratic National Convention Logo

The Democratic Convention will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from August 17th to 20th, but what does this really mean if the convention is largely virtual?

Some portions of the event will be held in Milwaukee s Wisconsin Center. The anchor location of the event was moved from Fiserv Forum at the end of June to accommodate extensive public health requirements. Presumptive nominee Biden s official acceptance speech will take place in-person at the center, but it remains to be seen how many, if any, spectators will be invited for a live viewing. There is no word yet whether or not the to-be-announced vice-presidential nominee will be joining him.

Put this one in the perk column. As a Chicagoan, I d like to say one of the best things about this virtual convention is that you no longer have to go to Milwaukee. When God closes a door, He opens a window.

The convention initially had 1,500 total events on the books. These additional speeches and satellite events that would normally be attended by up to 50,000 total people will not be taking place in Milwaukee or have been cancelled all together. Instead, socially distanced events and speeches from party leaders will be held at locations and landmarks across the country, with the actual convention center in Milwaukee acting as an anchor point from which these virtual events can be emceed and various live feeds can be managed. 

The virtual event will be produced by Ricky Kirshner who has been producing the Democratic Convention since 1992.  Kirshner has also done the Tony s, the Super Bowl, and he actually has 9 Emmy s.  You read that right.  He didn t produce the Emmy s 9 times. He s won 9 Emmy s for his production work. Respect.

And finally, as we said above one of the key purposes of party conventions is for state delegates to cast votes for their chosen candidates and officially confirm the party s presidential nominee. Several states are still in the process of selecting their delegates to send to the national convention due to COVID-related delays. The Delaware DNC, for example, are expected to virtually cast their votes to choose state delegates using Google forms this month. 

The DNC has specifically relaxed it rules for state delegates to cast their votes virtually. We re still waiting to see how the DNC plans to collect votes at the convention but Delaware s straightforward voting strategy leaves us with some confidence that lessons were learned from Iowa s Caucus App debacle. Keep track of our Instagram for updates as we learn them!

Are you a member of the RNC looking to take your convention virtual? We can handle that!

An Event Planner s Worst Nightmare: Inaugural Edition

BACKSTAGE, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVERYTHING ELSE, LIVE EVENTS, LOL, POLITICAL

5 Times Throughout History the Presidential Inauguration Didn t Go Quite According to Plan

The 2021 Inauguration is here. A day that changes history and this year certainly is a big one. While everyone has their eyes on Capitol Hill, our event planner vision has us peeking behind the curtain.

It takes a lot to plan a presidential inauguration, and as every event producer knows, events of this scale don t always go according to plan. We decided to take a fun look back at the epic fails (do people still say that?) from inaugural s past, complete with some of our own experiences sprinkled in.

#5 1865: Andrew Johnson was Hammered at the Inauguration

???????? 1865. At the second inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, Vice President-elect Andrew Johnson had the bright idea to manage a bout of typhoid fever with a giant jug of whiskey. He ended up absolutely hammered before the inauguration and was booted off the dais. (Sidebar: bummer social media wasn t around back then, after leaving office, he d have scored a sponsorship with EmergenC.) 

Decibel has produced hundreds of events over the years, and we have thankfully only encountered this scenario a handful of times. Most memorably at an award ceremony for a government agency helmed by a Cabinet-Level appointee.

One of the winners came in hot + over-served, and when it was time to accept their award, they hip-checked the Secretary and commandeered the mic to give an acceptance speech even though no speeches were planned. ????

We needed to manage the situation with the least amount of disturbance. We queued up loud award music with our audio engineer, and ballyhoo with our lighting tech, and when the drunk awardee took a pause in remarks, we hit the cue, cut the mic, played the music, moved the lights, and our awesome ASM came out with the proverbial Vaudeville Hook maneuver to walk them offstage.

End result? Looked like it was planned. Yeah, we can handle that.

#4 1961: JFKs Lectern Catches Fire

???????? 1961: The inauguration of JFK. As the cardinal was mid-invocation, the podium caught fire. Turns out the electric motor used to adjust the podium s height shorted out.

The fire was quickly extinguished by Secret Service, and the inauguration continued without further incident, but srsly, can you imagine that After Action report?!

Rest assured, when we say Decibel s events are ????, we mean metaphorical fire never, ever literal.

#3 1873: The Champagne & Canaries Froze

???????? 1873: This is a sad one. It was so damn cold at Ulysses S. Grant s 2nd presidential inauguration in 1873, that the celebratory canaries (yes, that was a thing), froze to death. ???? 

The 16 degree windy weather had the same impact on the celebratory champagne. History books don t attribute Grant s frigid inaugural to the invention of fros , but that s a leap we re willing to take. 

We ve encountered our share of adverse weather, from the double hurricane that hit while we were managing a bus tour in Florida, to the time torrential storms in DC dumped so much rain that we had to slice the roofs off a few tents to avoid collapse under the weight. 

Decibel never compromises on safety, #period. We have developed a long-standing relationship with #WeatherDecisionTechnologies and have come to depend on their trusted, hyper-specific forecasting services. Through their team, we are assigned a dedicated meteorologist to stay on top of the situation for the total duration of our outdoor events.

Because if your event isn t a success, neither are we. So yeah, we can handle that.

#2 1973: Nixon s Bird Shit Remediation Greatly Backfires

???????? 1973: Understatement: Richard Nixon didn t care for bird ????. So much so, that he asked the route be sprayed with chemical repellent. Reader: that was not the move. 

The poisonous chemicals resulted in a path covered with dead birds. (What is with dead birds & inaugurals??) 

Let s be clear Decibel Events is highly environmentally conscious, and we love birds and animals of all kinds. We haven t nor would we ever use dangerous chemicals at our events, however, we have some experience with shit the discourse kind.

One of our recent large-scale virtual events was free and open to the public, so our client understandably, wanted a profanity filter in place. We worked with their internal counsel and social team to develop a comprehensive list of profane words. 

The list not only included standard profanities, but also social media work-arounds (shit vs s h i t with spaces). Turns out that when we imported the CSV, it uploaded each individually spaced letter as a curse word. In other words, every word that contained an s was blocked. ????

It took our team nearly 24 hours to trace back why we were blocking so many non-profane words, right in time for the event to go off without a hitch. So yeah, we can f****ng handle that.

#1 2021: Due to the Global Pandemic We Are (Mainly) Virtual Again

????????2021: Yup, we re going virtual. Joe Biden s parade will be the first ever virtual presidential inauguration parade, due to COVID-19. 

Inaugural planners say they re going to celebrate America s heroes, highlight Americans from all walks of life, and reflect the country s diversity, heritage and resilience. 

We know first-hand that switching to virtual can create a new host of problems, but  know  that the Presidential Inaugural Committee shares in our yeah, we can handle that attitude. 

Our advice to #prfirms #adagencies & #eventprofs: Tune in. Take notes. Democracy doesn t wait, and we don t either.

Bonus: Forklifts for Dead Horses

????????Bonus: This one is more of an urban legend, shared among #eventprofs in hushed tones . 

Horses are a crowd favorite during the before-times presidential parade. But if one happened to pass away en route, everything could literally stop in its tracks. 

Event planners prepare for this heartbreaking scenario with two forklifts on standby, and the fervent wish they re never needed. This is hardly a fun fact, and absolutely our worst nightmare, but yeah, we can handle it.

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