On Saturday, May 11, 2013 it was a pleasure to walk, support and sponsor Tunch and Wolf’s Walk for the Homeless at Heinz Field. After the walk, Tunch and Wolf announced they raised over $109,000, for Light of Life Mission, on Pittsburgh’s North Side. It was an honor to be a part of such a great cause and we are looking forward to next year’s Walk for the Homeless.

Marketing Support Network has been selected as a finalist for the 2013 Best in Class Call Center Award (under 200 staff) as a part of the Call Center Excellence Awards sponsored by IQPC. We are very honored to be a finalist and look forward to the ceremony at the Call Center Week Expo in June.

Check back for details and pictures from the event.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Marketing Support Network!

We had a blast celebrating our 30th Christmas together at our annual Christmas Party at Nevillewood! We enjoyed a delicious meal together, along with drawings for gift cards and staff recognitions. In honor of our 30th anniversary, we rented a photo booth for our staff, and that really stole the show!

We have so much to be grateful for this year, and would like to extend our warmest wishes to all of our clients, partners, and staff. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It is because of YOU that we are blessed to celebrate our 30th Christmas together!

1. Going local allows you to build a true relationship, and partner on a variety of levels, which gives you more opportunities for engagement and benefits the charity on a deeper level
2. Linking to charities through financial support and community service builds camaraderie among staff as they serve and support an organization together
3. Research shows that community service and investment increases wellness, employee satisfaction, presenteeism, and performance. *1*2
4. Partnering with a charity can help you to fulfill a part of your mission as a business especially if you partner with a charity that shares similar values.*3
5. Partnering with a local charity provides opportunities for marketing and branding, and assists in building a solid community reputation. True goodwill is a great advertisement.
6. Our employees live in neighborhoods not in offices, and charities and non-profits make life better for our staff and those that they care about
7. Engaging in community service allows your employees to gain perspective and for your organization corporately and as individuals to remember what really matters and think with clarity

Marketing Support Network supports several local charities that share our core values. Around the Christmas season every year we support Circle C Youth and Family Services to provide Christmas gifts to children in foster care. We partner with Circle C because of their reputation in our community and because of how they share some of our core values including the of the dignity and worth of individuals and the provision of supportive opportunities for growth and development. Circle C allows us no to connect with individual children and provide them with something that they really desire for Christmas not just a random gift. This connection is also more meaningful and rewarding for our staff. Often times we think of how much we are doing for a charity when we volunteer or support financially, but often it’s just as much about what that relationship or opportunity ends up doing for us, even as a business.

*1 Luks, Allan., Payne, Peggy. (2001). The Healing Power of Doing Good.   San Jose: iUniverse.com. p. 48.

*2 http://www.serviceleader.org

*3 http://www.realizedworth.com/

Come join us today and tomorrow at the COSE Small Business Convention at the Kalahari Resort & Conference Center in Sandusky, Ohio. We are exhibiting at Booth #40 and would love to talk with you to learn more about your needs and how we can help! We look forward to seeing you there!

- Reba Schenk & Beth Larkin

For more information on this event visit smallbizconvention.com

The Pittsburgh Business Times and The Philadelphia Business Journal conducted a poll among Pennsylvania businesspeople, with the results printed in today’s Oct. 19th edition. Here is Mr. Cook’s reply to the poll quesion asked, “What is your biggest economic issue in this presidential election?“

To me the biggest economic issue is balancing the budget and eliminating wasteful spending while trying not to increase taxes. We can’t really afford huge new government initiatives. To raise taxes, the government would have to earn people’s trust as to how the money would be spent in a responsible fashion, not in throw-aways like the stimulus and corporate giveaways like Solyndra or GM, or huge new programs like health care reform that was pushed through without broad-based support or adequate funding. I support Romney. I was once hopeful for Obama, but he has been a disappointment on the items I mentioned in the first point. I also like Romney’s focus on people striving to achieve and creating jobs, as opposed to a government entitlement and dependency mentality being expanded in the current administration. Obama’s economic plans and job creation attempts appear to have pretty much been unsuccessful. Time to give someone else a chance.”

– Lin Cook, CEO, Marketing Support Network

To read more about the poll results and various viewpoints from businesspeople across Pennsylvania, read the full article HERE, written by PBT Web Producer Paul J. Gough.

I was very happy to go to the Beach Boys 50th anniversary tour not once, but twice.  I went once in Atlanta on a business trip with old friends Ron and Pete, and once to Blossom Music Festival in Ohio with my wife.  The pictures are from Blossom.  Saw the Boys once on Labor Day weekend, and that’s the kind of event that makes the summer end in a special way.  Make sure you find a special way this weekend to end your summer.  I will see you at PNC Park on Monday!

This blog post offers the first employee, vendor, current or former client, or friend of MSN (we have to know who you are) two tickets for the Tuesday, September 4th Pirates game at 7:05 against the Houston Astros!

Please call the office and ask for Julie Pennington x173 to claim your prize.  First call from someone in those categories here in Pittsburgh gets the tickets!

Many Americans work hard all year, and Labor Day is a celebration of the work ethic of America.  Marketing Support Network is a labor of love for most of the staff here, and clients and prospects that visit see a difference in the positive attitude here described as quite different compared to what they see in other similar companies they have visited or used.

This post is a Happy Labor Day to our staff and all those who enjoy their work.  Our staff has some of the hardest working, nicest, friendliest, most caring folks out there, who take excellent care of our clients in a very special way!  Have a great time on your boat (hoist up the John B’s sails!), or at your family picnic, rib fest, outdoor concert or sporting event!  Here in Pittsburgh we have the Heinz Field and South Park rib fests, Pitt & Steelers football, and playoff seeking Pirates baseball.  Let’s go Bucs!  Happy Labor Day!

All photos taken by: Lin Cook

 American Flag Image Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Marketing Support Network is honored to be a part of the Pittsburgh Business Times Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies again in 2012! We are looking forward to celebrating this exciting event with all of the Top 100 winners on August 23rd at the Pittsburgh Duquesne Club.

Check back for details and pictures from the event!

 At Marketing Support Network, we look forward to the Christmas season and celebrate with every bell and whistle! Every year, MSN celebrates our own “Spirit of Christmas” by serving our clients, our community, and each other. And of course, we enjoy a few meals and Christmas cookies along the way!

This year, we participated with Secon Corporation’s Toys for Tots program and also partnered with a local family services agency for a second year. Circle C Youth & Family Services is a Pittsburgh agency that serves children in need of foster care and group home programs. This year, MSN provided 20 gifts and 10 stuffed stockings to teens in the program. The requests ranged from lip gloss and nail polish to black rain boots to a box of junk food (which Mary Beth made sure to use the biggest box possible!) The kids were so grateful, and we are so grateful for the tremendous work Circle C does to enrich their lives. To find out how you can help these children, visit www.circlec.net to donate to their organization and register for their 7th annual fundraiser, the “Pittsburrrrgh Drowned Hogs Swim” taking place on Saturday, January 28th.

This year’s highly anticipated Christmas Party was filled with wonderful music performed by our own staff, delicious food, generous gifts, and most importantly, it was a time for all of us to enjoy each other’s company and be thankful for our tremendous blessings. We also enjoyed our annual MSN Christmas Potluck which did not disappoint! It was so good that we even saw a few employee’s spouses take their lunch break to come over and grab a plate! Some of the staff and management also attended a beautiful Christmas lunch hosted by the South West Communities’ Chamber of Commerce where we enjoyed an excellent food and entertainment by the Chartiers Valley 8th Grade Band. A few of us were lucky enough to win door prizes and centerpieces as well!

During Christmas and always, we want to share our joy and thankfulness for all of our blessings. We greatly appreciate our clients and the wonderful partnerships with them, as well as our staff for always giving 100%.

From all of us at Marketing Support Network, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and may God bless your new year in 2012!

Darlene Slifco Turkeys

Here we are already at Thanksgiving.  Everyone has their favorite foods, and there are just some amazing holiday treats out there.  The Cooks are having over 30 people for turkey day, and lots of special favorites are being presented.  Mother in law Nancy will be bringing her special cranberry sauce, father in law Jim and son in law Travis are the turkey masters.  Wife Anne is making maple pie, discovered last year on a trip to Quebec.  This year’s special turkey event was a wonderful candy turkey presented during a wonderful dessert spread at friend Darlene Slifco’s house last Sunday night.  This is one of the most creative things I have seen in recent years, and seemed somewhat easy to make.  Another couple there last Sunday night is in Chicago for the weekend, and just bought the ingredients to make these.  Drop us a comment and let us know your favorite Thanksgiving food!

And, don’t forget to be thankful to God for what you have, the important things like family, friends, and a great country in which to enjoy them!