Lonestar Chapter News

February 17, 2010 Chapter Meeting

Click here to view the February chapter meeting invitation. February 2010 Chapter Meeting Invitation

The Lone Star APMP Chapter thanks Mark Johnson for speaking about The Finer Points of Gathering Competitive Intelligence. The presentation materials can be found here: Competitive Intelligence Presentation

Mark Johnson is the Principal of Vector Group Services, a consultancy offering custom Competitive Intelligence, CI Training and marketing analysis solutions. Mark received his Bachelor's and Master's of Economics from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, with post-graduate studies in economics at St. Louis University.

Mark has developed competitive analysis, forecasting, and marketing analysis for a variety of industries. He has been involved in competitive intelligence for over ten years with a wide variety of companies, including Southwestern Bell Telephone (now AT&T), MetaSolv Software, Blockbuster, TXU Energy, and Flowserve Corporation. He has been the Chairman of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals for several years.

His presentation topics included:
  • What is needed? When? Why?
  • Where is that info kept?
  • How can I get it? Who can tell me?
  • What tools can help me?
  • Is this legal or ethical?
Information on the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals can be found here: www.scip.org.

Welcome to Lonestar 2010

2009 was a big year for our chapter and members. We gained 22 new members, had great speakers at our chapter meetings, valuable Shipley Associates training, and had several members achieve APMP certification. Congratulations go out to the following members:

Esther Mooring – Professional Level
Pete Forman – Practitioner Level
Jeff Gardner – Foundation Level
JoAnna Howell – Foundation Level
Jan Skinner – Foundation Level
Robert Goransson – Foundation Level

A special thanks to Esther Mooring for mentoring and training members of Lonestar and other chapters throughout the country helping them achieve their APMP certifications. Everyone appreciates your guidance and dedication.

We look forward to another year of learning and growing together through chapter meetings, training, and the Texas Conference.

Strategic Proposals Foundation Level Workshop

The APMP Lone Star Chapter is offering an APMP Foundation Level Accreditation Exam Preparation Workshop on March 3rd, 2010 in Plano, Texas..

Date: March 3, 2010

Time: 8:00am - 5:15pm

Location: Acision, Inc., 6404 International Parkway, Suite 2048, Plano, Texas 75093

Confirm your proposal skills and knowledge - Demonstrate your commitment to your chosen profession.

APMP accreditation is increasingly a pre-requisite for proposal positions. Foundation Level accreditation is the first level on the APMP accreditation scheme.

This one-day workshop will help you prepare for the exam and to build their confidence in proposal 'best practices'. The workshop will cover the APMP syllabus, explore key concepts and information covered by the exam. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will take the exam. Results will be given individually and in private immediately following the exam.

The session will be presented by BJ Lownie and Jon Williams, two highly acclaimed proposal trainers - themselves both accredited Proposal Professionals. BJ and Jon are the principal directors of Strategic Proposals, an APMP Approved Training Organization.

The fee for the event, including the exam fee of $400, all materials, lunch and breaks is $725. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for all attendees.

For more details on the workshop, please go to www.apmpaccreditation.com/dallas. You may pay on line [credit card] or by check.

For information on APMP accreditation and the Foundation Level Exam, please visit www.apmp.org/ca-16.aspx

APMP 2010 Texas Symposium

The first tri-chapter conference is around the corner. The 2010 Texas Symposium will be held on Friday, March 5th with additional training available on Thursday, March 4th (separate fee and registration required). If you plan on attending register prior to February 8th for a discounted rate. Also keep in mind that All APMP members who attend this full-day APMP symposium are eligible to earn 10 CEUs. For more information visit www.apmptexas.org

APMP 2010 National Conference Professional Accreditation Interviews

Calling all APMP Practitioners Seeking Professional Accreditation this Year!

Face-to-face interviews for Professional Level Accreditation are being offered in conjunction with this year's APMP annual conference in Orlando, FL. To register your interest, please contact Cathy Day, PPF.APMP, APMP Chief Examiner, by March 19, 2010. The number of interviews will be limited so contact Cathy as soon as possible to increase your chance of scheduling one.

Interviews will be scheduled over a three-day period: Tuesday, June 1; Wednesday, June 2; and Thursday, June 3, 2010. The APMP interviewers will be Cathy Day and Charlie Divine, PPF.APMP. To serve as many interview applicants as possible, two more APMP accredited interviewers will be available: Tony Birch, PPF.APMP, and Jon Williams, PPF.APMP.

To guarantee your interview place and ensure the assessment process can be completed before the interview, formally register and pay for your Professional Level application by May 1, 2010.

Also by May 1, 2010, submit your Proposal Profession Impact Paper (PPIP), a PowerPoint presentation, to Cathy. This will ensure that your assessment has been carried out and that the competency questions, which you will be required to answer during your interview, can be developed and sent to you in advance.

For more information about Professional Level Accreditation, including registration, payment, and preparation, see Professional Level Accreditation Information.