July 16th PDMA Pittsburgh Event to Showcase How Startup Accelerators Will Change the Local and National Innovation Landscape

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Industry experts will discuss the state of the accelerator movement and
how established companies in the Pittsburgh area can benefit.

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – July 7, 2014 – The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) will host “What Are Startup Accelerators and Why Established Companies Should Care” on July 16th at AlphaLab Gear in East Liberty.
Startup accelerators cover a wide spectrum of industries, from robotics to food products. They hope to attract talent and technology-based startups to the region, creating a stronger local ecosystem. This event will unveil how startup accelerators will change the innovation landscape, both nationally and in the Pittsburgh area.

Dr. Susan Cohen, co-author of “Accelerating Startups: The Seed Accelerator Phenomenon” will present the keynote address during the July 16th event where she will discuss the state of the accelerator movement across the United States.

Kit Needham, CMU Entrepreneur in Residence at Project Olympus, will add to the presentation by discussing local innovation ecosystem, and where and how accelerators fit. A panel of representatives from established companies who have worked with or mentored startup companies will also discuss their experiences.

"We are privileged to have Dr. Cohen and Ms. Needham share their expertise on startup accelerators at our July event," said Randy Rossi, PDMA Chapter President. "The startup community represents some of the best opportunities for innovation and economic growth in recent years. Making this connection between startups and the broader product development community is central to our Chapter mission."

Doors will open at 4:00 p.m. for registration check-in and networking. The Keynote Speaker will begin at 5:00 p.m., followed by accelerator discussions at 6:00 p.m. and a question and answer session at 7:00 p.m.

PDMA is dedicated to sharing knowledge and best practices through professional development, education, collaboration, and networking opportunities. Throughout the year, PDMA Pittsburgh sponsors educational and social events where individuals can develop new skills, learn best practices, and network with peers. Product development professionals, practitioners, academics, service providers, and students are encouraged to participate in PDMA events throughout the year. This results in professional growth for individuals, an innovation-related competitive advantage for their enterprises, and the continued economic growth of the Western Pennsylvania Region.

To learn more about “What Are Startup Accelerators and Why Established Companies Should Care” and other upcoming Pittsburgh Chapter events, log onto www.pdma.org

About PDMA Pittsburgh
The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) is a professional association dedicated to improving the effectiveness of individuals and organizations involved with product development, product management, and innovation. The association’s mission is to improve the effectiveness of individuals and organizations in product development and management by providing resources for professional development, information, collaboration and promotion of new product development and management. The Pittsburgh Chapter is dedicated to the continued to growth of a strong network of local product developers and managers while providing leadership to the next generation.

Media contact:
July 7, 2014 Andi Durkota
pghpdma@pdma.org

June 3 Innovation Forum Event: "The Power of Adjacency: Growth Strategies In Your Backyard"

The Power of Adjacency: Growth Strategies In Your Backyard

Presented by: J. Mark Carr, Managing Partner, South Street Strategy Group
June 3, 2014
Shadyside Courtyard Marriott

* Register Early. Seating is Limited! * 

Identifying and exploiting new opportunities for growth is a constant point of tension for companies. Yet in this never ending quest for growth, many business strategists fail to see the opportunities that are right in their backyards – customer or capability adjacencies that are very natural extensions of their current strategies. An adjacency-based approach to growth has the benefit of leveraging business assets that already exist, but it does come with risks. For example, strategies that are too far afield from your core offerings – and thus with weak linkages – are likely to fail.

During this presentation, you will hear best practices in embedding an innovation culture into an organization through a structured approach of defining, scoping and exploiting adjacencies that can build a long-term pipeline of opportunities for growth. You will walk away from this session being able to:

• Apply several methods for leveraging adjacencies in your own organization
• Understand how to evaluate and prioritize the best adjacencies for growth
• Identify the key issues required to succeed with adjacencies and the risks to watch out for
• Learn from case studies that demonstrate how a successful adjacency strategy can be developed and implemented

Schedule of Events

4:00 - 5:00 p.m.     Registration Open and Networking
5:00 - 6:30 p.m.     Presentation and QA  

Registration Fees 

	Advanced Registration	On-Site Registration
Members	$25	$30
Non-members	$40	$45
Students	$10	$15

Parking 

Valet parking at Shadyside Courtyard Marriott is $7 (regularly $17)

Meter parking is also available on a nearby street

REGISTER TODAY

About the Speaker 

J. Mark Carr, Managing Partner, South Street Strategy Group

Mark works with clients to dramatically improve their business results through the development and implementation of innovative and effective business and marketing strategies. Mark’s specialty is helping companies develop go-to-market strategies for the launch of a new product, service or business unit as well as for entering new market segments. His recent project work has spanned the full spectrum of strategic business and marketing issues including brand activation, marketing performance improvement, and loyalty.

He has over 15 years of management and consulting experience in the high tech, wireless, consumer products and publishing industries, including work with large organizations such as XM Satellite Radio, Merck Medco, Nextel, Verisign, Marriott International, Nextel International, and Banknorth as well as a host of mid-sized and entrepreneurial ventures.

Mark has served on both sides of the management equation, working as a strategy consultant as well as a senior executive at a number of firms. Prior to joining South Street Strategy Group, Mark spent nine years as a partner at the marketing strategy firm CMG Partners. Positions prior to CMG included: President and CEO of WriteRead; Director of Business Development and Product Management at SilverPlatter Information; and Senior Consultant with Nextera Business Solutions, formerly Symmetrix.

His first career was as a business journalist and editor, and he continues to write and speak regularly on a variety of topics related to business and marketing strategy. He is currently an adjunct professor in Babson University’s MBA Program and Executive Program. Mark writes and speaks regularly on a variety of topics related to business and marketing strategy.

Mark’s bylines include articles in top business, marketing and trade publications including Marketing Management, Sales and Marketing Management, Marketing Magnified, MarketingProfs.com, Financial Times (of London), CFO Magazine, PR News, Management Consultant International and the Journal of Business Strategy.

He also speaks regularly on a variety of topics related to business and marketing strategy to groups such as the Marketing RoundTable (GSU), The Marketing Research Event (TMRE), Front End of Innovation, American Marketing Association, Business Marketing Association, and the Sales and Marketing Executives International.

Thompson Joins PDMA Corporate Board of Directors to Improve Member Experience

Congratulations to Jeff Thompson, Aesynt Director of Innovation Programs, who will serve on the PDMA Corporate Board of Directors as the Vice President of Member Experience.  Jeff has been extremely active with the Pittsburgh Chapter for the past four years, serving as Chapter President, Vice President of Programming, and Director of Marketing as well as a member of the Corporate Advisory Board.  In his new corporate role, Jeff's primary objective will be to strengthen and grow the organization's membership to enhance the impact within the product development community.  Jeff believes that bringing together academics, practicing professionals, and service providers is the best model to accelerate and improve innovation and product.  He also recognizes that the local chapters play a key role in the international organization and are an important part of the value delivery.

Learn more about the Corporate Board of Directors.

www.pdma.org > About > Board of Directors

Hybrid R&D - The Path to Breakthrough Innovation Webcast on May 1st

 Join the May 1st webcast and Innovation Management Ecosystem full-day workshop this Fall

The May 1st PDMA Webcast, Hybrid R&D - The Path to Breakthrough Innovation, is part of a innovation workshop that Mark Adkins, founder and president of Smart Hammer Innovation and Pittsburgh PDMA Board Member, has developed over the past several years. 

During this webcast, Mark will discuss the emerging organizational concept Hybrid R&D that shows how breakthrough innovation can be achieved by building an organization based on: 

• A mission to create entirely new product categories
• Restructuring a traditional R&D group to include the role of commercial managers
• A Stage Zero process which is critical to filter and promote breakthrough ideas 

If your idea-to-launch process is so refined that breakthrough innovation ideas may not be advanced, or if all available funding is committed to core products, this is a webcast you won't want to miss.

To learn more and to register for the May 1st webcast, visit smarthammerin.com or log onto the PDMA Website.  

Full-Day Innovation Management Ecosystem Workshop This Fall 

This coming Fall, Mark will be hosting a full-day workshop where he will cover the major components of an Innovation Management Ecosystem including the Portfolio Management, Idea-to-Launch, Ideation and Resource Planning processes. 

Watch your email, or find us on LinkedIn http://bit.ly/PDMAInnovate and Twitter @PDMApittsburgh for more details on the full-day workshop and other PDMA events.  

A Message from the PDMA Pittsburgh Chapter President - April 2014

We started our 2014 programming slate in January with a screening of the documentary Design and Thinking.  It was a great event, and it's a topic that really epitomizes the PDMA community.  We are a collection of practicing professionals, academic researchers and service providers who look to combine empathy, creativity and rationality to solve problems and drive innovation and strategy.  Our Chapter is a platform for connecting, sharing experiences and exploring new thinking, and we encourage individuals, teams and organizations to join PDMA to become a part of this knowledge base. 

As a member, you get discounts on all Chapter events, and we have some excellent Innovation Forums planned for the coming months.  Topics include hardware accelerators, the power of adjacency, additive manufacturing and hybrid R&D. Please check your email and our Chapter website for dates and times.  Our Programming Committee does an outstanding job of bringing relevant content and some of the most notable industry experts to our area, but much of what they do is guided by input from our Chapter Community. Every good product developer knows the value of lending an empathetic ear to the voice of our customers, so we want to hear from you! Next month you will receive a survey via email asking for feedback about our Chapter and the events we offer.  Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts.  What are some of the topics you are interested in?  How important is networking?  The results will help shape our events and other programs in the months ahead. 

As a volunteer-driven organization, we attribute our success to all the outstanding people who support our events and give of their time and talent to make our Chapter a valuable resource for product development and innovation management.  I am proud to part of such a great organization and offer my sincere thanks to our board, our members and our guests.  I look forward to seeing you at our June event. Until then stay connected through our website, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Also feel free to contact me directly at randyr@ballydesign.com to share any and all things Pittsburgh PDMA! 

   

Randy Rossi

President, PDMA Pittsburgh
President, Bally Design