Hello EMP-37!

Nedda Glenn left The Thermos Company in June 2000 and is now working with a company that allows her to enjoy some independence from stifling corporate environments -- her own! Nedda says "I work more hours than I used to, for a new company that is poised for growth, marketing products I am familiar with. My charter is to help other companies get into the premium and incentive business and so far, I have had to turn other clients down because of the time and energy I want to devote to the company I am currently working with. It's a lot of fun with the right kind of challenge. I continue to stay active in the incentive industry and am on the Board of Directors of the Incentive Marketing Association." Nedda's new e-mail address is: ncentives@cs.com

Neil Pedersen writes that the GE acquisition of Honeywell is imminent. The Justice Department approved the deal in May. The only remaining hurdle is the EU decision due at the end of June. Neil says he may be one of the few in EMP-37 able to say they changed companies twice without cleaning out their desk. Neil is currently responsible for integrating the Honeywell (soon to be GE) Six Sigma philosophy at System Sensor. GE Black Belt candidates are selected from the top 20 percent of management to undergo training in Six Sigma analytical tools as well as team skills. Black Belts take on an 18-to 24-month full-time assignment to lead projects that in a year will bring a million dollars or more in savings to the bottom line. They become seasoned change agents who then move into new leadership roles within GE. "Six Sigma" is GE's leadership development model and a means to achieve ongoing revenue growth and productivity. Neil's new e-mail is: neilpedersen@hotmail.com and neil_pedersen@systemsensor.com (work).

Ted Lazakis informed me that he has been elected to serve as a Trustee for the Village of Long Grove, Ill., where he has resided for three years. In Ted's words: "I became involved in local politics when an inappropriate development was proposed across from the school my children attend. I attended many plan commission and village board meetings and joined forces with other concerned residents. As a group we were able to inform and mobilize other residents and ultimately defeat the proposal. We fielded a slate of candidates and ultimately swept the incumbents (including the president and three board members) out of office. Now the real work begins; we have created a new committee structure and are making plans to quickly improve the new development screening process and encourage earlier involvement by residents. I look forward to my four-year term, while also maintaining the balance with my family life and consulting practice." Ted's e-mail: iso9man@aol.com.

Catherine Conley sent the following message: "Thanks for all these notes. I really enjoyed the updates as I read Kellogg World. I was reading the last issue in O'Hare as I was getting ready for another trip to SE Asia. This trip included Bangkok and Singapore. It was a long trip. I left on the 1st and returned on the 18th. I'm heading back to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore soon."

Catherine also mentioned that her husband, Kevin has settled into a new job as vice president of operations for Advanced Technical Support, a technology recruiting firm in Palatine and Toronto. Catherine's e-mail: ConleyCmc@aol.com.

Clifford Sladnick was appointed vice president, acquisitions and business development of Brunswick Corporation. He wants to thank Kellogg Professor Roberson (Investment Banking) for his inspiration. I received a short update from

Tim Stevens saying he left GE Capital in July 2000 and is now head of worldwide sales at CapitalStream, a commercial finance software company. Tim's new e-mail is: tims@capitalstream.com.