Brewed Fresh Daily

Last night I went the the John Carroll University Entrepreneurs Association dinner at Executive Caterers. If you're starting a company or trying to grow a small one, this is an excellent opportunity for you! Membership is open to the public and there are a wide variety of people that attend. Their next event is going to be Tuesday 10/3 from 7:30 am to 10:00 at the Manakiki Golf Course. The title is ''The New Economy in The Real Cleveland''.

The highlight of last night's dinner was definately Hal Becker. Hal is one of those hidden treasure of Cleveland that we desperately need to shed light on. Some bullet points from his website:

• Xerox's #1 salesperson among a national sales force of 11,000 at the young age of 22
• Founder and former CEO of Direct Opinions, one of America's largest customer service telemarketing firms
• Author of the national best seller "Can I Have 5 Minutes Of Your Time?" and "Lip Service"
• Received the Toastmasters International Communication and Leadership Award. He is one of only eight people in the world to be given this honor.
• Inc. Magazine voted Hal as one of the nation's top speakers in the areas of sales and customer service.
• Hal is a CSP - or Certified Speaking Professional - which is the highest earned Designation presented by the National Speakers Assocication.
• Devoted over 25 years to the science of sales and customer service
• Survived terminal cancer at 28 years old and now helps other patients and their families cope with their disease
• Founder of the Cancer Hotline of Cleveland and donates proceeds of his books to this cause

Two brief things that really impressed me. First, when Hal was at John Carroll, he was in a frat. Guess who the president of his frat was? None other that Tim Russert. Second, Hal said that one of the CEOs he knows personally has a favorite saying, "Culture will eat Strategy any day for breakfast".