Advancing Excellence

With much focus on workforce development over the past years, we wanted to put a spotlight on a very successful program developed by leaders in the concrete industry. The program is called the Concrete Industry Management program or CIM for short.  Join Janice Clines, marketing manager for AOE on the podcast with Amy Numbers, VP of operations and marketing services for AOE. As she discusses a recent blog she wrote that covers the CIM program, who are also a client of AOE.

The rise of digital platforms has paved the way for innovative approaches to media outreach and content creation. As journalists and news outlets dwindle, brands, organizations, and agencies are turning to digital platforms for media outreach and content creation. Among these emerging channels, podcasts are gaining significant traction as a powerful tool for effective communication strategies.

To kick off AOE's weekly podcast we cover why your organization should embrace the podcast wave.

Be sure to read our blog that is mentioned in our podcast here: https://www.aoeteam.com/post/embracing-the-podcast-wave.

As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown over the past year, you may be asking yourself if you should have Chat GPT or other generative AI tools generate your press releases. Before you take that plunge, be sure to listen to this fireside chat. Although AI has proven to help in various stages of press content development, there are many concerns to consider ranging from confidentiality to bias. In this quick fireside chat, AOE’s AI certified marketing consultant Elec Izenson sits down with AOE president Kimberly Kayler and Kristen Dispenza, leader of AOE’s PR practice group, to discuss the use of generative AI and public relations. AOE's expertise in public relations, social media, branding and communications is proven, learn more here: https://www.aoeteam.com/marketing-and-public-relations Read the blog here https://www.aoeteam.com/post/ai-and-its-role-in-press-releases-a-fireside-chat-discussion

The digital landscape is undergoing rapid evolution, and at the forefront of this transformation is the growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) among marketers. AI's ability to analyze vast amounts of data, predict consumer behavior, and deliver personalized content has made it an indispensable tool for modern marketing strategies. In this quick fireside chat AOE marketing manager Janice Clines sits down with AOE’s Elec Izenson, Marketing Assistant, and Laura Merritt, Senior Account Manager, to discuss how marketers can leverage AI-driven insights to craft targeted campaigns, optimize ad spending and enhance customer experiences.

Online learning has become increasingly popular in recent years, offering an alternative to traditional classroom education. In this quick 10 minute fireside chat, AOE Marketing Manager Janice Clines and Marketing Assistant Elec Izenson sat down with Amy Numbers, VP of operations and Kimberly Kayler, AOE president to discuss the many benefits that an online learning program can bring to your organization.

In this episode of the podcast we discuss sustainable initiatives. The concrete industry has a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.  In response to this goal, many industry organizations are tasked with getting their message related to decarbonization and sustainability to their customers, specifiers, and employees.  Transparency and recognition of goals and achievements are vital.  Kimberly Kayler, CPSM of AOE, discusses a variety of methods and materials that should be used to effectively communicate progress.  Kimberly also shares how to identify key ways to communicate the steps your organization is taking, whether that be in the form of a new product or innovative process, that will help your organization reach your sustainability goals.

On July 5th, Meta Platforms launched Threads, a social media app built by Meta’s Instagram team. Within 24 hours, more than 30 million people and organizations had signed up and were posting (or “threading”), including celebrities, name brands, media outlets and businesses. In this quick 15-min webinar Senior Account Manager Laura Merritt and Social Media Task Group Leader Vikki Sicaras sit down to discuss Threads – the new kid in social media.

Public relations is an ever-evolving industry. Having started in 2001 as a public relations firm, AOE’s roots in PR are extensive.  We work hard to stay ahead of changes and develop relationships with editors that lead to high quality content published in respected industry publications. Join Janice Clines, marketing manager for AOE, as she sits down with Kristin Dispenza, Senior Account Manager and AOE’s Media Relations Practice Group Leader, and Jessica Porter, Account Manager for AOE, who recently came to AOE after serving for years as an editor and writer for various construction industry trade publications and has extensive knowledge and experience with PR. This quick 15-minute episode provides insight on how you can construct a PR campaign that will appeal to both print and digital editors.

Join AOE President Kimberly Kayler as she sits down with Kevin McMullen, Vice President of the Wisconsin Concrete Pavement Association to discuss how he planned and executed his very own succession plan for his impending retirement. Kevin walks us through the process and action plan that was put in place to make sure his successor was not only set up for success but also the right candidate for the position. 

Kevin McMullen’s Bio: Kevin is in his 28th year with WCPA, the last 26 years as President. Kevin graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1986. Prior to WCPA, he worked for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in the Construction and Materials Office’s Pavement Engineering Section in the Central Office in Madison.  For five years he was the supervisor for all pavement design engineering activities for the Department. Kevin currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Wisconsin Highway Research Program, the national committee on concrete pavement construction of the Transportation Research Board in Washington DC, sits on the Strategic Board of Advisors for the American Concrete Pavement Association and the Board of Directors of the National Center for Concrete Pavement Technology.  He is also a founding member of the FHWA sponsored National Concrete Consortium that is now being managed by the National Center for Concrete Pavement Technology at Iowa State University.

The link between mindfulness and employee happiness has been proven time and time again. With most technical, scientific and engineering communities struggling to keep and retain talent, the link between workforce development and corporate mindfulness is huge. AOE President Kimberly Kayler recently was a guest on Workforce Waves, a podcast that explores strategic and unique solutions to meet workforce needs. The topic was corporate mindfulness. 

Succession planning is typically thought of as a strategy for substitute planning or training someone as a replacement. However, succession planning is best accomplished when it links the needs of the organization, both today and tomorrow, as well as identification of the roles needed to meet those strategic objectives. In this quick fireside chat, AOE Marketing Manager Janice Clines sits down with AOE’s President, Kimberly Kayler, to discuss why succession planning is essential for every organization.

Created by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an advanced AI language model that burst onto the scene November 2022. The AI tool uses natural language processing algorithms and GPT-3 technology to create large amounts of content at a fraction of the cost and time it would take a human. In this AOE Digital University Podcast series, Janice Clines, AOE Marketing Manager sits down with Vikki Sicaras, AOE Account Manager and AOE clients Brian Gallagher, Vice President of Corporate Development at Graycor, and John Glumb, Senior Managing Director of Operations at American Concrete Institute, to discuss chatbot technology, specifically ChatGPT, and how they are using it. 

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Digital analytics help us understand how our digital marketing efforts are performing and enabling us to pivot as needed. One popular tool in particular is Google Analytics. Amy Numbers, VP of Operations and Marketing Services for AOE, sits down with Janice Clines, Marketing Manager for AOE, to discuss GA4 and why it's important to make the switch now.

In this AOE Digital University series we will be discussing the pros and cons of TikTok. AOE Marketing Manager Janice Clines sits down with AOE Account Manager Vikki Sicaras, who is certified in social media marketing and leads our Social Media Practice Group, to discuss some of the pros and cons of TikTok.

In this quick five minute podcast Janice Clines, AOE marketing manager sits down with Vikki Sicaras, who is certified in social media marketing and leads our Social Media Practice Group, to answer questions that some of our clients are asking related to Twitter use.

Cyber security and public relations go hand in hand. The need for a crisis plan is essential for today’s cyber security teams.  Recognizing the growing frequency of data breaches and other cyber security issues that quickly escalate to the crisis level, Kimberly Kayler, AOE President and Crisis Communication Practice Group Leader, recently sat down with Jenna Fullenkamp, Account Executive with GuidePoint Security, to discuss this important topic.

Is your content making its way through the clutter in this digital-first era? With all the marketing challenges including evolving media platforms, competition and challenges with determining the right content, AOE understands that it’s harder than ever to put out the right messages. With 2023 fast approaching, AOE has the top 5 marketing trends to help you maximize your messages for the upcoming year.

What does equity have to do with sustainability? Is equity an essential component of sustainability? In this quick service spotlight, AOE President Kimberly Kayler highlights what trends we are seeing in how equity plays a vital role in sustainability and how your organization can meet your needs without compromising future generations. Check it out!

AOE President Kimberly Kayler sits down with Customer Success Manager Kyle Hubby from Feathr to go over all the latest trends for digital marketing. Everything from influencer marketing, engaging new audiences and budgeting for a successful marketing plan.

There is much talk about wellness and how it fits into an organization’s culture and offering to employees these days. AOE President Kimberly Kayler sat down with Olympic athlete turned business coach for the University of Arizona, Lacey Nymeyer-John, to explore the popular topic. In this quick 15-minute interview Lacey and Kimberly discuss how to integrate health and wellness with organizational culture and creating positive workplace environments.

During the last few years, event planners have had to switch from in-person to virtual and now are often tasked with creating hybrid events. How do you know what will work best for your organization? In this quick podcast, AOE event planner Bryce Barker covers everything you need to know to balance what will work best for your event and audience.

Customer/client segmentation is a process by which you organize your clients with regards to their needs and your services. The process allows a company to select and de-select clients to service, prioritize clients, define and deliver tailored value propositions for client segments, as well as develop and manage effective channels for serving these clients. It is a proven method in the automotive, aerospace and many retail sectors, and it can be incredibly effective in our industry too! In this podcast, AOE President Kimberly Kayler discusses why client segmentation is important and how it can be the key to success in today’s competitive market.

What does accessibility mean and why does it matter? In the context of design, accessibility means that everyone, regardless of ability, can experience and enjoy the print and digital content you put out there. In this podcast, AOE Director of Design Lindsay Chelf goes over why accessibility is important, designing with disabilities in mind and how to create accessible content for your marketing communications.

ESG reporting has ramped up in all areas of concrete construction, even in the past few months. Join Kim Spahn from the American Concrete Pipe Association, Brian Gallagher from Graycor and Chris Mason from Votorantim Cimentos for an informational chat on the challenges they are seeing in data collection and recommendations on the best methods to convey the results.

Join Laura Merritt and Janice Clines from AOE in this podcast for an overview of PR Trends for 2022, including opportunities and challenges.

Webinars provide a great format for showcasing your organization’s expertise as well as focusing on a specific topic or industry trend. In this short information video, Amy Numbers, AOE’s Vice President of Operations discusses 8 steps to hosting a successful webinar as well as highlights some 2022 webinar trends.

Ashley Kizzire, AOE's VP of Marketing shares the Top 10 Business, Marketing and Social Media trends for 2022 and how to implement them into your marketing strategy.

Does your organization have a succession plan in place? Succession planning is having a strategic, systematic and deliberate plan in place to ensure an organization’s future capability to fill vacancies consistent with the merit principles. This quick podcast covers everything you need to know to help.

AOE President Kimberly Kayler and Account Manager Laura Merritt sit down and answer informative questions on crisis management and why more organizations are putting an emphasis on creating a crisis plan.

Employee burnout, retention and stress are key topics in today’s business circles. While our pandemic world certainly is a major factor in these organizational challenges, how leaders respond to today’s unique dynamics can make or break its success. So what is the role of leadership in today’s organization? A recent Harvard Business Review article noted that when we trust our workplace leadership, we experience 74 percent less stress, 106 percent more energy at work, are 50 percent more productive and experience 40 percent less burnout.  

With a mission of Advancing Organizational Excellence, AOE is committed to sharing ideas on how leadership plays a role in meeting the needs of today’s workforce. AOE President Kimberly Kayler sat down for an information conversation with John M. Collins, founder of Critical Victories talk about tips on how to evaluate leadership competencies, how high-stress environments impact teams, and how we can all become better leaders.

As we enter the fall season, many of us move into strategic planning and budgeting time! Since we get many questions during this timeframe related to what is trending in marketing, AOE has assembled a quick top 10 list to help guide your efforts!

Many have put off the strategic planning process because of the Work from Home scenario. However, it may be wise to consider how you can tackle a strategy session, even if virtually, in the near future. One key benefit of tackling a strategic plan is to provide definition not only to what you should do, but also what you shouldn’t do. Join AOE’s President Kimberly Kayler, for this quick demo on things you need to know to go virtual!  The session will showcase lessons learned, successes and next steps for virtual strategy sessions held during the pandemic. Learn how to pivot your process and move forward with your strategy plan.

Learn why podcasts have taken off even more during the pandemic and how you can easily become part of the movement. We will guide you through what to do and not to do, who should deliver podcasts in your company, and what you need to do to get started. Join Kimberly Kayler from AOE for this quick 15 minute podcast!

Project Management Essentials with Tricia G. Ladely Assistant Director for the ACI Foundation. In this webinar Tricia goes over all the fundamentals needed to be a successful and productive project manager. She highlights initiating a project, managing stakeholders and everything you need for effective communication.

AOE President Kimberly Kayler taught a 90-minute in-person workshop at World of Concrete on Crisis Management and Communication. Because 90 minutes is a long time to be on Zoom, she has condensed the presentation and exercises to 60 minutes! If you didn’t make it to World of Concrete and would like to get a crash course in all things crisis, then you will want to listen to this presentation. It includes some crisis simulation activities you can bring back to your organization!

AOE President Kimberly Kayler sat down with Russell Kofford, founder of TRD, to discuss business development, sales and other topics. Russell is a Marketing and Business Development consultant with a mission to help redirect professional services back to a client-centric service based model. Building off of his 20 years’ of industry experience, his expertise ranges from coaching, strategic planning and organizational development to marketing, graphic design, and business development. Russell believes we should all strive to “Do More Good” meaning that we aren’t going to be perfect and we aren’t always going to make the right choice but striving to keep our actions and the consequences of those actions to the positive side of good. It is a vital part of why he created TRD and he works with clients who are compatible with that ideal.

Did you hear ? AOE has launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Practice Group! Created in response to industry need, AOE’s service offering includes the industry’s first online Benchmarking Assessment Tool, customized plans, training and more!  

AOE DEI Practice Group Leader Kimberly Kayler sits down with Brett Walsh, Executive Vice President of Resources for Graycor and Tom Merritt, Regional Managing Director for Anser Advisory, both long-time AOE clients and leaders in their industries. The conversation reviews the importance and benefits of diversity, challenges to developing a DEI culture, tips for engagement with employees and other members of your design-build team, and more.

Research has found that the average employee in corporate America today is stressed and is pre-conditioned to multi-tasking, which has significant drawbacks to productivity despite our society’s obsession with the ability to multi-task. However, those with a “mindfulness focus” tend to be more creative and focused. In this webinar, listeners will learn why many organizations have integrated mindfulness training into their organizations. This podcasts is key for helping professionals in the design and construction industry be more productive and happier.

Those of us working for non-profits or serving in leadership roles for our industry associations are familiar with the importance of antitrust laws and best practices. However, could you use a tune-up? Have the statutes, designed to protect consumers from predatory business practices and ensure fair competition, changed in recent years?

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Andrew Klevorn, an experienced antitrust attorney and counselor, will help you brush-up on your antitrust knowledge. He will provide a quick overview of how the laws are applied to a wide range of questionable business activities, including market allocation, bid rigging, price fixing, and monopolies.