Moore Research is selected as a 2009 Athena Powerlink recipient
Year of Free Professional Advice Awarded to Erie Women Business Owners
Erie, PA – March 31, 2009 – The Erie ATHENA PowerLink® Governing Body has selected Colleen Moore Mezler, Moore Research Services, Inc. and Joyce Miller, Ph.D., KeyStone Research Corporation (KSRC), to receive free business guidance as part of the ATHENA PowerLink program.
ATHENA PowerLink is designed to connect a woman business owner to a volunteer panel of advisors who provide free advice to grow the company and improve its business operations. In its nine year existence in Erie, ATHENA PowerLink has helped a dozen women business owners grow their sales and increase income. Nationally, the program has assisted businesses grow annual sales an average of 89 percent and increase income by an average of 38 percent. This year-long program was founded in Pittsburgh in 1992 and has since expanded to nearly 30 cities across the country.
“Our bank is committed to supporting the growth and vitality of women business owners in Erie County whether it be through lending, cash management or advice,” said Linda Stevenson, governing body chair and senior vice president for the Women’s Development Program of National City, now a part of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. “By bringing together women business owners and experts in specialized fields, our local business community can together provide a boost to these businesses and help stimulate the local economy.”
The advisory panel specifically designed for KSRC and Moore Research Services will be composed of area professionals who have volunteered their time to mentor Miller and Mezler. The Erie panel will be comprised of experts in marketing, communications, public relations, market research, sales, law, human resources, and banking.
“It is a great honor to have been selected into the ATHENAPowerLink Program and I look forward to the exceptional mentoring I will receive from some of the Erie's finest professionals,” says Mezler. “I am proud of the growth Moore Research has achieved in the past 40 years and look forward to reaching new heights under the guidance of the ATHENA program.”
Moore Research Services, Inc. is a nationally known full service market and opinion research company. Since 1969, their experience and dedication to quality research has helped clients make professional and reliable business decisions. Moore Research has helped both national companies and local businesses refine their products, their message and even their packaging by delivering rock-solid data on what consumers are really thinking.
“My overall goal is to build the business and to improve its sustainability, ensuring that it will remain viable and continue to exist upon my retirement,” says Miller, who decribes her company as being at a cross-roads with respect to establishing a new set of services and products for service organizations that will provide them with a knowledge base and set of tools to improve their overall performance. Miller expects her advisory panel to assist KSRC with guided expertise to determine the complement of services and products to offer as well as the appropriate marketing strategy. The panel will assist Miller in developing a succession plan for her company.
KeyStone Research Corporation (KSRC), incorporated in 1980, provides research, management consulting, training, and technical assistance to organizations, enabling them to create systems that are operationally streamlined, accountable for results, and sustainable over time. To that end, the company partners with public, private, and nonprofit organizations to increase their knowledge base, assist in program and policy development, evaluate their efficiency and effectiveness, determine strategies for quality improvements, and provide implementation expertise for planned improvements.
Two Erie County women business owners are selected for participation in the Athena PowerLink program annually with a deadline for application on January 1.
To be considered for ATHENA PowerLink, companies must:
* Be owned at least 51 percent by a woman;
* Have been in operation for at least two years;
* Have a minimum of two employees;
* Generate annual revenues of a least $250,000 if in manufacturing or retail, or $100,000 if in a service business;
* Have clearly defined company objectives/goals with explicit reasons for seeking assistance through the program.
To obtain more information or to apply for the ATHENA PowerLink program, please contact Linda Stevenson at 814-871-1225, HYPERLINK "mailto:linda.stevenson@nationalcity.com" linda.stevenson@nationalcity.com or visit The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership at www.eriechamber.com/athena.:"http://www.eriechamber.com/athena"
National City, Now a Part of The PNC Financial Services Group, The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, Gannon University Small Business Development Center and the DeMarco Wachter Firm are the primary program sponsors.
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Program Sponsors
National City, Now a Part of PNC Financial Services Group
The Erie Regional Chamber and
Growth Partnership
Resource Partner
Gannon University
Small Business Development Center
DeMarco Wachter Firm
Governing Body
Susan Breon
Sue Busse
Signature Mortgage Company, Inc
Philip Kerner
Small Business Alliance
James Dible
Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership.
Tina Donikowski
General Electric
Transportation Systems
Jill Slomski
Walker School of Business
Mercyhurst College
Debra Steiner
Gannon University
Small Business Development Center
Linda Stevenson
National City, Now a Part of PNC Financial Services Group
Richard Wachter, CPA
DeMarco Wachter & Co.
Alice Winkelman
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Career Development Center
Maryann Yochim
National Fuel
Rosanne Cheeseman
Times Publishing Co.