The Latest SCKoop

On March 2nd, SCK President Barb Cagley will be giving a presentation on social media at MAGNET's monthly breakfast series. Come learn how to use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and various other social media tools to build your brand while capitalizing on all they can deliver.

Burton Carol Management LLC, formerly Consolidated Management, Inc (CMI), has just lauched their new identity and website. SCK has been working with Burton Carol for several months and is proud to have built a brand to reflect the people of Burton Carol. Joy Anzalone, Burton Carol COO writes "You [SCK] each do an awesome job at what you do and I truly plan on working hard to refer business your way to those in need of your services. You have exceptionally talented people and beyond that you are all so helpful and accommodating in every way. It has been a real pleasure to work with you and I look forward to all the remaining items that we will work on together." To see for yourself check out their new website.

SCK's own Patricia Ross and Jill Timieski will be presenting at the November 2009 Web Development SIG - Website Accessibility event at the Cleveland Sight Center on November 21, 2009. The event is free and open to the public! We hope to see you there! For more information, visit http://www.gcpcug.org/

Improve your bottom line by improving your website. Join SCK for the Fall 2009 Ask the Experts seminar series where you will benefit from one-on-one discussions about your website with experts in the field. This is not another panel discussion or presenter talking generalities. There will be an engaging and interactive small group session on a specific topic followed by personalized one-on-one Ask the Experts sessions. Topics include Analytics, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media. Sign Up Now!

SCK Design and Radcom Inc. have been awarded the APEX 2009 Award of Excellence in Technical Writing for their work on the SCK WebWorks content management system training and reference guide. The APEX awards are based on excellence in graphic design, quality of editorial content, and the success of the entry in conveying the message and achieving overall communications effectiveness. These two greater Cleveland, Ohio consulting firms have supported and complemented each other’s services for over ten years.

SCK has teamed up with Cleveland Clinic Pharmacy once again to design and develop the Pharmacy’s new Intranet website using Microsoft SharePoint. SCK has been developing custom designed software applications for the Pharmacy since 2001. SCK introduced SharePoint as the perfect tool to streamline internal processes and organize and deliver old and new information. The new site incorporates a highly usable design that delivers a large amount of information in a simple and clear fashion. The site will be an integral part in future software development. Check out the case study here.

The new site, designed and developed by SCK, showcases the Re-Imagine a Classic campaign focusing on the re-development of the Historic Hanna Theater. The theater renovation will cost $19.2M and will become the new home of Great Lakes Theater Festival. To help achieve their goal, Tom Hanks signed on as Honorary Chair of the campaign, lending his name, face, and voice to help raise the remainder of the money. For the first time, the SCK annual play event will be held in the brand new Hanna Theater. Keep an eye out for your invitation.

Barb Cagley, owner of SCK Design, Inc., has been honored as a 2008 Rainmaker by Northern Ohio Live Magazine. The annual Rainmaker recognition honors area businesswomen who are influential in areas such as Communications, Healthcare, Non-Profit, Education and Entrepreneurship. Barb will be honored at the 2008 Rainmaker Breakfast at the Intercontinental Hotel and Conference Center. All proceeds from the breakfast are used to fund the Rainmaker of Tomorrow Scholarships. Make sure to look for Barb in this November’s issue of Northern Ohio Live!

Holiday Bowl 2008 SCK team celebrated the holidays throwing balls, some of them even hit a couple of pins.

Barb Cagley is a 2008 Enterprising Women of the Year finalist for Enterprising Women magazine. This national magazine is a monthly publication focusing on the women business owner. The award ceremony was at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

SCK cleaned house at the 2007 Graphic Design USA / American Graphic Design Awards taking home 11 awards across numerous categories. The 11 winning entries, selected from over 10,000 submitted nationwide, were:

• Floor Trader University Logo
• Cleveland Marshall Recruitment Campaign
• Xpedx Fall Paper Show Invite
• Herschman Architects Website
• SCK Play eInvite
• TMConsulting Website
• Xpedx Matrix Paper Promotion Brochure
• Community West Foundation 2006 Report to the Community
• UniFirst Annual Report 2006
• Sisters of Charity Folder
• University Hospitals Digital Cafeteria Menu System

On Friday, May 18, 2007, SCK received recognition from AIGA-Cleveland in the 2007 Cleveland Design Competition. The award was given for SCK’s work on a 10th anniversary video for BrownFlynn Communications, a Cleveland consulting firm specializing in corporate responsibility and sustainability. SCK hosted the judging in our Cleveland, Ohio office. Over 200 entries from local talent were submitted. The project was one of 32 chosen during the judging.

Barb Cagley, President, was chosen to judge the 5th annual Click! High School Web Competition presented by Cuyahoga Community College’s Visual Communication and Design department on May 5th, 2007.

“I appreciated the opportunity to judge and encourage these talented high school students who participated,” said Barb. “It is great to be a part of competitions like this where students have an outlet to be creative and improve their skills.”

An annual competition since 2002, Click! was created to encourage the web design creativity of high school students from throughout Northeast Ohio. Students could design a website on their own or as a class project. Their work was then reviewed by a panel of professional web designers who judged on design, content and technical functionality.

Winners received an Apple IPod Nano and individual winners will get a personalized tour and/or job shadowing experience at one of Cleveland’s web firms. The winner of the Personal website category will spend a day at SCK. In addition, the professional evaluations of the judges are given to every participant.

The competition was sponsored by American Greetings and the Web Association.

Synapse Biomedical Inc. (SBI), a company whose mission is to develop and market life-changing, minimally invasive neurostimulation devices used in the diagnosis and treatment of persons with neurological impairment, went live with their new website designed by SCK, Inc. on Friday, May 4, 2007.

Initially developed at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Health System, the patented technology stimulates the diaphragm through electrodes, strengthening the muscle and gradually weening patients off ventilators. Through a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure, their product provides a low-risk, low-cost alternative to a very expensive and invasive procedure.

“SCK wanted to design a friendly and educational website that serves as an information center to the user,” said Dan Collins, Art Director. “The site not only promotes SBI’s products and technologies, but also includes a great deal of information and articles about spinal cord injuries, ALS and other conditions that SBI’s neurostimulation devices can assist with.”

The site was designed to speak to patients, their families, caregivers, and those who are looking for more information to help themselves or their loved ones. It also includes useful information for doctors searching for the latest news, updates and information.

SBI’s website can be found at www.synapsebiomedical.com.

SCK recently hired Larry Norton and Jill Timieski to enrich SCK’s web development team.

Larry Norton, Senior Software Architect, designs software solutions for clients and sets design patterns and coding standards for developers to use. With a strong background in content management, web design, database administration and publishing, he also oversees other developers. He has done extensive research on emerging technologies and coding best-practices and has many years of experience as a consultant. Larry has experience with ASP, .Net, .Net 2.0, .Net 3.0, Web Service, AJAX, .Net Remoting, SQL Server and SQL Server 2005. He received his B.A in English from Kent State University.

Jill Timieski, HTML/ CSS Developer, creates websites using a variety of technologies such as HTML, XHTML, SQL, CSS, Javascript, ASP.net, VB.net and ActionScript. Jill also manages the traffic of HTML and web update requests from internal and external clients. She received her B.A. in Art History from the University of Texas and her AS from Cuyahoga Community College in Web Design and Development.

Patricia Ross, Vice President, was recently chosen by the Cobalt Group Inc. of Cleveland to participate in a Neighborhood Leadership Development pilot program sponsored by the Mandel Foundation.

The vision of the Neighborhood Leadership Development Program is to equip leaders of Cleveland to address the short and long term issues of the region and to provide new opportunities for leadership.

The curriculum includes five half-day sessions for this pilot project. Spread over a six-month period, the students will engage in individual learning, coaching and interactions with their peers and other leaders.

For more information on this program, please visit www.cobaltgroupinc.com.

Promoting education….Vikki will also be speaking at noon on April 5 at the CSU Focus Center on the opportunities for art majors. The Focus Center “provides academic support workshops and resources that assist Cleveland State University students with reaching their academic and career goals, and preparing for life after graduation.”

SCK, Inc. has recently been chosen as a 2007 NEO Success Award Winner by Inside Business Magazine for helping to foster growth and jobs in Northeast Ohio.

Initiated in 1994, the NEO Success Awards “recognize the region’s to Public, Private, and Emerging companies by revenue and employment. The Success Award winners represent the breadth and depth of business in Northeast Ohio.”

SCK was recognized at an awards luncheon on Thursday, March 22, 2007, at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven.

Encouraging future professionals….On Thursday, March 1, Lori Scheid and Victoria Pickett, Graphic Designers, spoke at a design class at Cleveland State University. Taking place from 8:00-10:00, they presented their portfolios and discussed how design education relates to the real world. The two took Q&A on the technical processes of the job. Vikki is also a CSU alumnus and spoke about how her CSU education laid the foundation for her career.

Contributing to success….KS Associates’ new corporate brochure, designed by Dan Collins, Art Director, has won the bronze award in the 2006 Print Excellence Awards, an annual competition of the Print Industry Association, Inc. This is the third award that this brochure has received. KS Associates is a civil engineering and land surveying firm that caters to both public and private-sector clients. The brochure was printed by Great Lakes Integrated.

Barb Cagley joined two other prominent women entrepreneurs for a panel lunch discussion on how to run a successful business on Wednesday, November 29. Hosted by the YWCA, the event was part of a Women’s Leadership Initiative Workshop series. The event took place at the YWCA Women’s Center, 4019 Prospect Avenue, from 11:30 pm to 1:00 pm. The YWCA provides many outlets of support to women, including job training and career counseling. For more information, visit www.ywca.org/cleveland/

Vikki Pickett, one of SCK’s Graphic Designers, completed the 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 22.

Vikki, who has been with SCK since March, has been training for this race since July. This was her first marathon. Vikki has participated in several smaller road races and decided to run a marathon for the challenge.

From the first race in 1977 with 4,200 registered participants, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon has grown to reach its cap number of 40,000 runners representing all 50 states and more than 122 countries. Last year, the race drew 1.5 million spectators and generated more than $6.3 million for charities.

For more information on the race, visit www.chicagomarathon.com.

Dan Collins, Art Director for SCK, recently received a 2006 American Graphic Design Award from the publication, Graphic Design USA, for work on The MetroHealth Foundation Senior Health and Wellness Center brochure.

His work will be published in the December 2006 issue of Graphic Design USA.

The 2006 Graphic Design Awards, sponsored by Adobe Systems Incorporated, “honors outstanding new work of all kinds: print, packaging, point-of-purchase, internet, interactive and motion graphics.”

Collins, who has been with SCK since 2004, is responsible for planning, developing concepts, coordinating and supervising projects in print, web and other media for SCK.

Dan Collins, SCK Art Director, will be traveling to New Smyrna Beach, Florida as the xpedex contest winner. Dan’s winning order was the largest order of paper from qualified contestants. He will be spending seven days in the sun with his wife Angela. Have a great time you lucky guy!

SCK is the design sponsor of the American Heart Association's Cleveland and Chicago Heart Walks by donating all the event marketing materials. Our Chicago and Cleveland staff have joined together and formed a team to participate as walkers and we are looking for team supporters.

SCK has been retained by Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law to develop and design the new communications strategy for the school. SCK, working with the communications departments of the law school and the university, will examine and position the strengths of the law school to deliver a clear message that speaks to prospective students and faculty. As part of the process, the current admissions materials, as well as other communication pieces, will be re-designed to reflect the new message.

While law schools around the country are experiencing a decline in admissions, Cleveland- Marshall’s Dean Geoffrey S. Mearns is being proactive in trying to hold onto and grow the law school’s share of the most qualified applicants by actively communicating the value of a Cleveland-Marshall education.

SCK looks forward to working hand-in-hand with Dean Mearns in this endeavor and is honored that we were chosen for such an exciting project.

SCK’s Graphic Design Department welcomes designer Victoria Pickett to the team.

Mark your calendars for February 14, 2006. Barb Cagley, of SCK, will be one of three panelists presenting on “Integrating your Marketing Message Across Multi-Media Marketing Channels.” This presentation is part of the Noon@Nance series presented by Cleveland State University Nance College of Business Administration. The seminar is Free and open to the public - no pre-registration necessary.
Registration and Networking 11:30-Noon
Panel Presentation Noon - 1:00pm

Cleveland State University
Monte Ahuja Hall, Rm. 460
1860 East 18th Street

SCK is proud to have been chosen as winner of HealthSpace Cleveland's inaugural class of Healthy 50 Award winners. This honor identifies SCK as one of Northern Ohio’s 50 healthiest employers. HealthSpace Cleveland's "Healthy 50" project identifies several companies, organizations and institutions based on an extensive nomination process and criteria established by a panel of local and national experts to honor forward thinking companies and to promote health and wellness in the workplace.

As a small company, SCK has to be creative in promoting a healthy and progressive workplace as small companies generally do not have the budgets that the larger corporations have. Some of what SCK does includes offering nutritious foods including fruit and whole grains at staff meetings; organizing a weekly walking group, paid time-off for doctor and dentist visits, a low-stress work environment including low lighting, and a flexible work environment. SCK also has an employee-run committee which arranges for company team building activities, company-wide lunches and social activities, book clubs, and outings.

Congratulations to Re$tore Tremont and SCK’s own Barb Cagley and Patricia Ross who were the recipients of Northern Ohio Live’s Awards of Achievement for Neighborhood Revitalization along with Tremont West Development Corporation. Barb and Patricia are the chairs of “Re$tore” which began in 2003 as a comprehensive revitalization program to strengthen neighborhood retail districts and is responsible for such events as Taste of Tremont. This award acknowledges their dedication to Re$tore Tremont and their commitment to the Tremont neighborhood where SCK is located.

SCK would also like to extend congratulations to our clients Great Lakes Theater Festival and Case/Race at Case who also received this prestigious award for their contributions to theater and community events respectfully.

SCK is happy to announce a new addition to their growing client list. Bedford Laboratories, a division of Ben Venue Laboratories, Inc. a Boehringer Ingelheim Company based in Germany, develops, manufactures and distributes multisource injectable pharmaceuticals. SCK has been retained to design and develop their website which will include a complete product line. We look forward to the future with Bedford Labs.

The 3rd Annual Taste of Tremont Festival was held on July 17, 2005 and SCK was once again a proud sponsor and participant. With over 10,000 in attendance, not even the rain could dampen the mood of the many visitors who enjoyed the food, art and attractions that Tremont has to offer. SCK’s booth, designed with a dog house theme; helped to raise money for Cleveland’s first dog park located here in Tremont. We collected donations and gave away treats for dogs and humans alike. The donations will go towards producing dog park signage whose design will be donated by SCK... we will keep you posted as this exciting project progresses.

SCK is looking forward to working with KS Associates‚ Inc., a civil engineering and land surveying firm in Elyria. We have been chosen to design and develop their new identity system and marketing materials, including logo update and corporate and business group brochures. Be sure to visit their website to learn more about this rapidly growing firm, winner of the 2004 Weatherhead 100.

SCK is proud to announce that they have been chosen to design the new identity and marketing materials for the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce. The project includes designing the logo, letterhead, print marketing materials and website. SCK looks forward to working hand-in-hand with the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce in this endeavor and is honored that they were chosen for such an exciting project. Look for the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce’s new identity in the months ahead.