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Inforum Press Releases

Inforum Inner Circle to Honor Women of Achievement

An awards program with a twist: Honorees offer guidance, advice to promising women

Some of the most influential and successful business women in Michigan will be at the latest Inforum Inner Circle Awards event, to be held April 20 at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham.

The concept behind Inner Circle is simple: Inforum celebrates the achievements of our region’s top women executives, while also providing inspiration and advice to emerging women business leaders. The goal is also to spark meaningful conversations on matters related to women’s careers.

Each event honors accomplished women who then host a table discussion with a small group of participants, one of which is her invited guest. Table discussion questions are provided to get the conversation going, but the goal is to generate a free-wheeling, candid discussion which allows the participants to benefit from the experience and insight offered by the honoree. The concept of recognizing influential women and bringing them together with emerging women leaders was developed by Inforum in partner with Deloitte & Touche USA.

Honorees for this event will include:

Eileen Ashley, Senior Vice President and South Michigan Regional Managing Director Comerica Bank
Shari Burgess, Vice President & Treasurer Lear Corporation
Susie Ellwood, Chief Executive Officer Detroit Media Partnership
Michelle Goff, Senior Vice President and CFO, R. L. Polk & Co.
Colleen Haley, President, General Motors Business Unit, Yazaki
Mary Lehmann, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Treasurer, ArvinMeritor Corp.
Cynthia Pasky, president & CEO, Strategic Staffing Solutions
Vivian Pickard, President of the General Motors Foundation and Director, Corporate Relations for General Motors Co.
Nancy Rae, Executive Vice President Human Resources & Communications Chrysler LLC
Sharon Rothwell, Vice President Corporate Affairs Masco Corp.
Mary Zuckerman, Operating Officer, Detroit Medical Center

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Time: 5:30pm - 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Townsend Hotel, 100 Townsend St., Birmingham, MI 48009
Cost: Inforum members $60; non-members $75

To register online, click here.

The program is presented by Inforum, Michigan’s leading business forum for women with more than 1,800 members. The mission of the organization is to strengthen the business environment by creating opportunities for women to lead and succeed. Inforum provides opportunities for businesswomen to forge alliances, discuss vital civic and business issues and make connections that help accelerate careers. Founded as the Women's Economic Club in 1962 in Detroit, Inforum has affiliates in Grand Rapids and Lansing, Michigan. For more information, visit www.inforummichigan.org or call 877.633.3500.

NOTE TO EDITORS: One representative from each media outlet covering the event is welcome to attend the luncheon at no charge. To register for media credentials, contact James Melton, Inforum Communications Manager, W: 313.578.3244 C: 313.580.8423; Email: Jmelton@inforummichigan.org .

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Region: Southeast Michigan

For Release: March 30, 2010

The Body Language of Confidence

Learn How to Send the Right Signals and Make a Powerful First Impression

Calling all women looking to enhance their professional presence for career or business success! Learn how to master the art of confident body language by attending one of two special Inforum workshops – one in Grand Rapids and one in Troy – featuring Jocelyn Giangrande, Director, Workforce Diversity at Henry Ford Health System and president and founder at SASHE LLC.

When you enter a room, do you:
· Command respect?
· Engage others?
· Leave a lasting impression?
· Demonstrate confidence and power?

If you answered "no" to any of these, this workshop is for you. Learn to master the art of confident body language by attending this special workshop where you will learn how to:
· Assess your current skill level
· Make a powerful first impression
· Use various types of communication techniques effectively
· Leverage power moves
· Avoid common nonverbal communication pitfalls

Event Details

West Michigan
· Date: Tuesday, March 23
· Time: 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
· Location: The Eberhard Center- GVSU; 301 W Fulton, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
· Cost: Members $50; Non-Members $75. Click here to register.

Southeast Michigan
· Date: Wednesday, March 24
· Time: 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
· Location: Bank of America Private Wealth Management, 2600 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI 48084
· Cost: Members $50; Non-Members $75. Click here to register.

About Jocelyn Giangrande

Featured in SHRM’s HR Magazine, the Oakland Business Review and Crain’s Detroit Business, Jocelyn serves as the President and founder of SASHE, LLC, providing strategic career planning, development and coaching services to women looking to move forward. The strength of her expertise is based on more than 15 years of corporate experience with a professional career that spans several industries such as higher education, hospitality and healthcare. With over 10 years of mentoring and coaching professionals, she has earned a reputation of helping professionals discover their talents; leverage their potential and empowering them to reach their goals.

About Inforum

Inforum has nearly 1,800 members and is one of the largest and most prestigious business forums for women in the nation. Founded as the Women’s Economic Club in 1962 in Detroit, Inforum now has affiliates in Grand Rapids and Lansing, Mich. For more information, visit www.inforummichigan.org or call 616.336.5506.

NOTE TO EDITORS: One representative from each media outlet covering the event is welcome to attend at no charge. To register for media credentials for the Grand Rapids event, contact Judy Welch, Vice President West Michigan Region, 616.336.5506 or email jwelch@inforummichigan.org. To register for media credentials for the Troy event, contact James Melton, 313.578,3244 work, 313.580.8423 cell, jmelton@inforummichigan.org.

Region: Mid Michigan, Southeast Michigan, West Michigan

For Release: February 17, 2010

The Big Picture: Are You Ready for the New Consumer?

Leading Trend Spotter to Discuss How Your Company Can be a Cross-Generational Success

At a March 17 Inforum breakfast in Southfield, global trend specialist Susan Yashinsky will speak about how the consumer of today is changing – and how your company can understand and leverage that change to reach new levels of success.

Yashinsky, Macro Trend Forecaster at Waterford-based Sphere Trending, will reveal the key “touch points” that appeal to the needs and desires of Gen Now, Gen X, Zoomers and Prime Timers.

Yashinsky will share critical insights into how each segment lives and works that will help you successfully position your company for future growth. Yashinsky also will discuss how having different generations in the same workforce affects the way you do business, often in very positive ways.

Yashinsky has more than 30 years experience in corporate retail, with management expertise in market research, marketing and merchandising. Her executive merchandise experience includes product development, inventory management and brand development for Home Goods and this, combined with her managerial background in corporate marketing, has successfully positioned her to head the Macro Trends division within Sphere Trending.

Sphere Tending’s clients include Fortune 500 companies as well as other companies involved in the retailing and manufacturing of flooring, building materials, arts and crafts, tabletops, electronics, indoor and outdoor furniture, and other household consumables.

Event Details
Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Location: The Westin – Southfield, 1500 Town Center, Southfield, MI 48075 (See map: Google Maps)
Cost: $45 for Inforum members, $60 for others.

About Sphere Trending

Sphere Trending, based in Waterford, Mich. is a consulting & forecasting firm that specializes in trends affecting our environments, through a deep understanding of consumer needs and desires, societal changes, technological innovations and retail landscapes. Sphere Trending then combines these macro trends with design trends to bring innovative strategies to market. To learn more about Sphere Trending and its offerings, please visit www.spheretrending.com.

About Inforum

Unique in the U.S., and one of the largest and most prestigious business forums in the Midwest, Inforum has more than 2,000 members in its Southeast Michigan (Detroit), Mid-Michigan (Lansing) and West Michigan (Grand Rapids) affiliates. No other group brings together as many women to help each other lead and succeed. The mission of Inforum is to strengthen the business environment in Michigan by creating opportunities for women to lead and succeed. Our vision is to serve as the premier forum for a broad cross-section of business professionals to meet and forge alliances with women decision makers. For more information about Inforum, visit www.InforumMichigan.org, or call 313.578.3230.

Region:

For Release: February 17, 2010

New Website Boosts Value of Inforum Membership

New Site Features Searchable Database, Member Profiles and Improved Look and Feel

DETROIT -Inforum, Michigan’s largest network of professional women, has launched a new website designed to make Inforum membership even more valuable. The new site, at www.inforummichigan.org, is an online community that significantly enhances networking and information sharing opportunities among members, allows Inforum’s leadership to communicate more effectively and provides better access to news and information of interest to Michigan’s professional women.

The changes to Inforum’s online presence go far beyond the aesthetic,” said Terry Barclay, president and CEO of Inforum and Inforum Center for Leadership. “To be sure, our new website certainly has a significantly improved look and feel compared with the former site. However, the new functionality is what makes the change really exciting. This launch represents a new phase in the way Inforum communicates with its members and members communicate with each other.”

“This new website represents Inforum’s ongoing effort to be responsive to members’ needs and interests,” said Vivian Rogers Pickard, Chair of the Inforum Board of Directors, President of the General Motors Foundation and Director, Corporate Relations for General Motors Co. “The new site will add significant value to Inforum membership by making it a lot easier for members to interact online and build their personal brands. Our members said they wanted these kinds of tools and we are glad to deliver them.”

Among the features Inforum members will now enjoy are: -

Enhanced member profiles that will allow members to upload a photo and provide deeper, more meaningful information about their professional and personal lives, including privacy controls that allow different levels of access to various kinds of information.
A searchable database, allowing Inforum members to easily find each others' profiles on the website.
A new Chief Executive’s Blog intended to serve as a conduit for two-way communication between Inforum’s staff and its members. The blog will allow members to talk back to Inforum by posting comments.
An online video archive of Inforum events and a greatly improved photo gallery.
Direct access to the website for Inforum’s networking and affinity groups, allowing them to post up-to-date information and keep in touch with members via e-mail. - The ability to send and receive messages to and from other Inforum members.
Better access to information about Inforum activities and events, as well as other information of interest to Inforum members.

Some other improvements include changes that members will not see, but will boost the efficiency of Inforum’s member relations efforts, improve the event registration and member sign-up processes, and save hundreds of staff hours per year by making various administrative and bookkeeping tasks more automated. “

This new website does more than just make Inforum membership more valuable,” Barclay said. “In many ways, it will allow Inforum itself to be a better, more responsive membership.”

The new website was developed by Ann Arbor-based Ingenex Digital Marketing, which also is a platinum-level corporate investor in Inforum.

About Inforum

For more information about Inforum, visit www.inforummichigan.org or call 313.578.3230.

Region:

For Release: February 9, 2010

Time Inc. CEO to Speak at Inforum Gathering

DETROIT – Time Inc. made waves locally and nationally when it purchased a home in Detroit and announced plans to spend an entire year getting to know the city better. On Friday, Jan. 15 Inforum, Michigan’s largest and most prestigious forum for professional women, brings Time's CEO to town explain why the project was started, what Time hopes to learn from it, and why innovations like this are to be embraced, rather than feared, at a time of great change.

Ann Moore, Chairman and CEO of Time Inc. and one of America’s most influential women, will speak at an Inforum luncheon to be held at the Detroit Marriott. Moore will provide the “back story” of Assignment: Detroit and how the project fits into a culture of innovation and innovative leadership.

“Inforum is honored and thrilled to host Ann Moore’s speech in Detroit,” said Terry Barclay, CEO of Inforum and Inforum Center for Leadership. “Time Inc.’s Assignment Detroit project is a bold experiment in journalism that presents a great opportunity for Detroit and the Detroit region. Anybody who cares about the image of southeast Michigan should be very interested to hear what Moore has to say.”

Event Details:
Date: Friday, Jan. 15. 2010
Time: 11:30 a.m.-1: 30 p.m.
Location: Detroit Marriott, Renaissance Center
Cost: Inforum members, $50. Nonmembers, $65.

Register on the calendar at www.inforummichigan.org or call 313.578.3230.

The program is presented by Inforum which has more than 1,800 members and is one of the largest and most prestigious business forums for women in the nation. Inforum is headquartered in Detroit and has affiliates in Grand Rapids and Lansing. For more information, visit www.inforummichigan.org or call 877.633.3500.

NOTE TO EDITORS: One representative from each media outlet covering the event is welcome to attend the luncheon at no charge. To register for media credentials, contact James Melton, Inforum Communications Manager, W: 313.578.3244 C: 313.580.8423; Email: Jmelton@inforummichigan.org .