My name is Cameron Qamar and I am the Columbus office Business Development Intern for the summer. I will be periodically updating this blog over the next few months with interesting and timely articles.

Today’s Blog covers two interesting but completely different topics. Mike Otto discusses the tech blast off of 1968 and Angela Mazzi states her views on fear in architecture.

1968 Revisited: Tech Blasts Off

Mike Otto from FRCH wrote an article all about the key technological developments of 1968, many of which are still relevant today. Airbags, ATMs and the 911 system are just a few of the innovations Otto discusses. Click the link to read more.

http://creativefuel.frch.com/2013/04/11/1968-revisited-tech-blasts-off/

Avoiding the Architecture of Fear

Angela Mazzi wrote an interesting post regarding the presence of fear in the world of architecture. She states that “playing it safe” and trying not to “rock the boat” cause firms to produce inferior results. She hopes to convince architects to stop fearing great design and instead seek and embrace it. Follow the link below for a facinating read:

http://thepatronsaintofarchitecture.blogspot.com/2013/05/avoiding-architecture-of-fear.html?

OptiVia named as a Fast 55 nominee by Business Courier,
ranked among fastest growing companies in Cincinnati

Cincinnati-May 10, 2013-The Cincinnati Business Courier recently released its 2013 Fast 55 annual award recipients list, recognizing OptiVia among one of the fastest growing private companies in Greater Cincinnati. Fast 55 nominees were selected based on several key qualification requirements which included at least $1 million in average revenue over three years. In three short years, OptiVia has grown 477%, more than tripling our staff and establishing a nationwide footprint.  Our purpose is clear: save our customers money, thereby increasing profitability.

“OptiVia’s success is measured by the success of our customers.  We take great pride in our approach in helping our customers build a significant competitive advantage through unsurpassed logistics and financial-institution expertise. We are honored by the Business Courier’s Fast 55 recognition as we continue our growth here in the Tri-State and across the nation,” says Mike LaCalameto, General Manager, OptiVia Logistics.

OptiVia is made up of two divisions – Logistics and Banking Equipment.

OptiVia Logistics is a third-party logistics company providing best-in-class solutions for transportation management, warehousing, inventory control and project management. In addition, our transportation management software is designed to reduce overall transportation expense. For more information, visit:  www.OptiVialogistics.com

OptiVia’s Banking Equipment Services offers turnkey project management solutions to financial institutions across the country. This division provides a single-source solution, eliminating the need for multiple vendor coordination – saving time and money.  OptiVia acts as the general contractor on a project including obtaining any required permits, performing site construction, running electric and low-voltage cabling, and installing all the products at a branch.  OptiVia is also a dealer for banking equipment such as ATMs, signage, security products, and more. For more information, visit: www.OptiViabankequip.com

Join OptiVia at Business Courier’s Fast 55 2013 luncheon event this June 6^th at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati.

• When: Thursday, June 6, 2013, 11:30am-1:30pm
• Where: Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, 151 W. Fifth Street Cincinnati OH 45202
• To Register, Click Here: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/event/73301

From the article:

“The first ergonomic chairs rolled into offices in the 1970s. Since then, chairs have become ever more accommodating to workers’ peculiarities. One can adjust everything from the height of the seat to a chair’s ‘tilt limiter’ and ‘tilt tension.’ Recent research on the perils of sitting have brought calls for even healthier chairs.

“Steelcase studied the effect of new gadgets (such as iPads and iPhones) on 2,000 sitters in 11 countries. These devices encouraged sitters to squirm a lot, says Mr. [James] Ludwig, Steelcase’s vice-president of global design.

“The company identified nine new postures, including ‘the Swipe,’ with a worker bent over a tablet, and ‘the Take it In,’ a reclined posture for reading or, one assumes, taking a nap. Steelcase’s new $700-880 Gesture chair moves with a sitter in his various poses.”

Read article

TEDMED is a multi-disciplinary community of innovators and leaders who share a common determination to create a better future in health and medicine. So many of our great challenges in health and medicine are rooted in social and commercial causes as much as medical. We need everybody at the table for an inclusive conversation about how to get the future in health and medicine we all want.

Once a year at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, TEDMED curates an unusual and provocative program. TEDMED believes that the future of health and medicine will be shaped by vital input from leading medical colleges, teaching hospitals, government agencies, and non-profit institutions around the world.

Seven Rules for Managing Creative People

Daniel Pink’s book Drive suggests people perform best when rewards are unexpected and not tied to accomplishing tasks, whereas the article “Seven Rules for Managing Creative People” by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, proposes underpaying those who hold creative-based positions.  The idea of paying people in creative jobs less is a terrible suggestion, as innovation is spawned through creativity, and without innovation a business can quickly become stagnant in today’s ultra-competitive business climate. The article however does go on to provide some great recommendations on managing and capitalizing a company’s creative talent. 

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/04/seven_rules_for_managing_creat.html

You’re Distracted.  This Professor Can Help.

Mark Perry has a phenomenal article in the Chronicle of Higher Education site on helping people focus in todays digital age.  He advocates meditation and other techniques to help better manage one’s time/attention in the class “Information and Contemplation”.  See a link to the full story below…

http://chronicle.com/article/Youre-Distracted-This/138079/

8 Rules to Make Telecommuting Work

Policies designed to promote collaboration like the “Thou shall work in the office” memo from Yahoo!’s Marissa Mayer are often well-intentioned and rooted in driving innovation but often times have un-intended consequences. 

The article from Blinds.com CEO Jay Steinfeld talks about their work from home philosphy and how it provides flexibility to attract the best talent from a broader geography.  The article also suggests some guidelines for employees working from home that we thought were worth sharing.

 http://www.inc.com/jay-steinfeld/8-rules-to-make-telecommuting-work.html

The Best (and Worst) days, times to Send Press Releases

Ever feel like your press releases go into a black hole?  It seems the ubiquitousness of access through life’s “webification” has changed the rules of how to best publicize your information. 

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and faxes were the primary tool to communicate to Press Rooms the sure fire recipe for success was to schedule something after a sporting event  or major government press conference in the same region so you could catch a TV crew or newspaper reporter on their way back from one of these larger events. 

In todays e-mail and social media centered world where we have access to information on our hip this article offers some nice insights into what may work better for your organization.

http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/46212.aspx#

Tracking Sensors Invade the Workplace

Many of  you saw last weeks Wall Street  Journal article regarding workplace sensors and design changes to increase workplace productivity.  The article is packed with so many thought provoking ideas here that we thought it was worth sharing again in case you missed it.  Great implications for intelligent workflow planning and real estate utilization as well as some insights from Dave Lathrop, the Director of Workplace futures at Steelcase.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324034804578344303429080678.html

Technology is the single greatest force driving the changes in the way we work, live and behave. The new, multiple devices we deploy throughout our work day allow us to flow between tasks, fluidly, and frequently. Gesture is the first chair designed to support our interactions with today’s technologies. It was inspired by the movement of the human body and created for the way we work today.

Link here for more info.