Comcast, Bloomberg TV Bring Small Business Expert Jim Blasingame to Seattle

Small Business Seminar Presented Nov. 11 by Bloomberg TV & Comcast

 Jim Blasingame will talk about small business success

Comcast and Bloomberg TV are offering first-come, first-served seating for a free workshop and lunch with keynote speaker Jim Blasingame, an expert on small business and entrepreneurship.

Blasingame talks to small business audiences about how to compete in the 21^st century global marketplace. This is a chance to hear from one of the best about how to help your small business succeed.

His specific topic in Seattle will be: “The Age of the Customer” His talk is all about how connecting with customers today and in the future has changed. The subtitle is “The customer is now in control ” and how you can embrace that.

 The workshop will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010, at the Crowne Plaza Seattle Hotel’s Evergreen Ballroom, 1113 Sixth Avenue Seattle, WA 98101

 Blasingame has hosted a nationally syndicated radio program about business,  The Small Business Advocate^® Show, since 1997.  The show, with more than 2,500 interviews a year, is available online as his site and several others including Forbes.

He is a syndicated columnist and the author of two books, Small Business Is Like a Bunch of Bananas and Three Minutes to Success.  

Fortune Small Business magazine calls him one of the 30 most influential people in America representing small business interests.

Comcast is offering the workshop to its rapidly growing list of business customers, but the workshop is open to the public as long as seats remain. To reserve your seat, go to http://www.comcastblasingame.com/

A New Day Dawns for Dads with Xfinity TV

Overworked and underappreciated Dads everywhere should celebrate today’s launch of Xfinity TV as a national holiday. I’m serious.

For the first time in years, we are finally able to reclaim what is rightfully ours—the Comcast digital video recorder.

Before I go further, let me, ahem, pause live action and give you a little background on my personal DVR story.

When Comcast introduced the DVR a few years ago, I cried tears of joy. Not only could I record every stage of the Tour de France, but I could replay favorite movie and television scenes to the amusement of friends and family. I could record every episode of Mad Men.  I felt all powerful, like I could part the technological red sea with the touch of a button.

However, the fun was fleeting. My wife and teenage daughter quickly discovered the convenience of watching their favorite programs on their own time. While I worked or was on business trips, they were pushing the record button.

My daughter was notorious for hitting the “record series” function. Do you know how many times That 70′s Show runs in a given week? I do. It’s a lot.

In a matter of weeks, the memory of our DVR was packed with episodes of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, General Hospital, The Hills and Oprah. My wife even saved The Notebook in high definition, no less. It sat there on the DVR for more than two years, a constant reminder that even though I was the King, I had no control over my castle.

Fast forward to today’s announcement: with the launch of Xfinity TV, I don’t have to be home to record my favorite programs. The “My TV” function allows me to control my DVR remotely.

I can sit at the office and cancel the “series record” feature for That 70s Show. I can sit at an airport with my lap top and tell Oprah and Dr. Phil “bye bye” and use the space they’ve left behind to record The Seahawks game in HD.  I can even make recording changes while watching my daughter’s soccer games, using my iPhone.

It’s a a new day in the Kipp household—long live the King!

Of course, my wife may change the locks on our house, after I delete The Notebook. But at least I will be able to watch Mad Men on my lap top from my motel room with Xfinity TV.

A Friend and Co-Worker’s Memory Lives On

Cindy Gallanger

The clock says it’s  time to share something beyond press releases. Asleep at midnight, awake at 3:30. I can only conclude my body wants me to post on this topic about a dearly departed friend and coworker before it will let me go back to sleep. Fair enough. She earned that and more. So here goes.

A few hours ago, I had the pleasure of sitting in the Lynnwood Convention Center and watching a tribute

to Cindy Gallanger. The Snohomish Big Brothers Big Sisters at their annual Dream Builders Auction honored her for service. Cindy passed away in March after a couple of long bouts with cancer. Cindy was a hero to her colleagues and friends, as you’ll read in a moment.

I’m no top executive at Comcast, but whenever I approached Cindy with a customer concern or issue, I felt like the center of her world as she relentlessly drilled down to what was going on. Cindy was the vice president in charge of the three Washingon state call centers, which take and initiate thousands of calls every day. She had a relentless drive for better customer service, which is a challenge when you supervise 1,000 people of different levels of experience, and factor in everchanging technology and offerings, 1.1 million customers who live in homes each of which is a little bit different, and complex customer questions and concerns. Whatever the challenge, she called people to the highest standard, and always with a smile. She was the voice of the customer. Cindy’s a big chunk of the reason why when Comcast measures customer satisfaction, the state of Washington does pretty darn well.

Anyway … she was also on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters. They decided to name an award after her. It was nice to see them talk about this with her husband Mike in the room, and many coworkers. This is what Molly Ringo, board chair, had to say. I found it fascinating that if you substitute the concept of customer service for Big Brothers Big Sisters in the following remarks, you get the same sense of what Cindy did at Comcast. Molly’s words pretty much sums up what we’d all say about Cindy here at Comcast too, except for the unspoken words said by the heart:

“This year we dedicate our 2010 Dream Builders Auction to our beloved board member and hero Cindy Gallanger, who lost her battle with breast cancer earlier this year.

“An Everett native, Cindy joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters board in 2005 and immediately plunged into fundraising for the agency, strengthening the parnership betwee BBBS and her employer, Comcast. Cindy’s vivacious personality was infectious. There was ALWAYS a smile on her face. Her enthusiasm for mentoring and BBBS motivated others to increase their level of involvement and giving.

“You could not say no to Cindy.

“Whatever the event – the Dream Builders Auction, Bowl for Kids Sake or the Invest in Youth Campaign – Cindy made sure that BBBS was well-supported by herself and by Comcast. She took a leadership role in the auction, often serving as chair of the committee.

“She made organization out of chaos, kept everyone on task, and boosted our confidence even in the face of impossible deadlines.

“She was our hero.

“Cindy believed mentoring works. She knew that sometimes it does take a village to raise a child and she did everything she could to make sure that there would be Bigs waiting for Littles (Walter note – that last phrase means “that there would be enough adults to mentor children.” There are more than 100 kids in Snohomish County on the waiting list for mentors and friends)

“Cindy’s involvement and presence on the board is missed. In recognition of Cindy’s passion and commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters she is being recognized in two ways today.

“First, a flag has been flown today over the US Capitol in Washington DC in Cindy’s honor, and that flag will be presented to Mike Gallanger and members of their family.

“And secondly, to carry on her legacy, we have renamed our Auction Award in her honor. The award recognizes the individual who is the greatest contributor to the Dream Builders Auction.”

It’s very heartwarming that as the years pass, Big Brothers Big Sisters will remind everyone of the memory of Cindy Gallanger. Those who knew her at the company won’t forget her either.