“Where Are They Now?” E-Newsletter to start publication April 17

ORLANDO, Fla. - April 5, 2013 - PRLog -- Over a 22 year career at Motorola, Ken Countess was typical of “Motorolans”, forming hundreds and hundreds of professional and personal relationships with colleagues.  The vast majority of these relationships have been sustained long after leaving the company more than 12 years ago.

Much like families do, Countess and other Motorola “alumni” have stayed in touch by way of email, social media and monthly or annual reunion events.  After leaving Motorola in early 2001, Countess and two other former colleagues, Lichuan Bai and Cody Lee, brainstormed the creation of an online group named “MotAlumniWorldwide” on Yahoo – perhaps one of the earliest forerunners of today’s immensely popular Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media.  The MotAlumniWorldwide group email “reflector” has enabled many ex-Motorola colleagues to stay in touch for over a decade, discussing company developments, retirement benefits, and life cycle events of former colleagues.  Over time, membership has grown to over 1,800 members.

Several months ago, Countess got the idea to begin publishing a monthly newsletter “of, for and about” the legion of over 150,000 people who were once part of the Motorola employee “family”.  With an enthusiastic response and support from his former colleagues, Countess, an accredited email marketing and social media marketing expert, will begin publishing “Where Are They Now?” on April 17, 2013.

“Working at Motorola was like having a second family for so many of us,” said Countess, managing director of The Countess Group, a marketing and communications consultancy now in its 13th year.  “The response to the idea of a monthly alumni publication has been overwhelming, with people around the world expressing interest in it.  I’m hoping we can keep the old Motorola spirit and culture alive with this newsletter.”

Former Motorolans are encouraged to contribute news, photos and information by sending an email to motorola-alumni-news@thecountessgroup.com.

Signing up for the monthly email may be done by going to: http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=cofqhsfab&p=oi&m=1105492186562

The sign-up link will enable subscribers to receive the monthly newsletter, and to opt-in to receive The Countess Group’s other newsletters and event invitations.

Advertisers are welcome, as are donations to sustain the publication on a monthly basis.  Interested parties should send an email to info@thecountessgroup.com to get more information about advertising rates and/or donations.

About Ken Countess

Ken Countess is managing director of The Countess Group. An award-winning marketer and a nationally recognized expert on Email Marketing and Social Media Marketing, Ken’s approach to educating audiences how to use email marketing and social media tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to build their business has earned him the respect of loyal followers around the country.

Ken has held executive management positions at several Fortune 100 companies and has been a senior partner at Ascend Marketing, a 35-person marketing firm.  While with such well-known companies as Marriott, Caremark and Motorola, Ken provided award-winning leadership for the fastest growing divisions of these industry leaders.  Over his 25+ year career, he has been responsible for creation and delivery of multiple successful sales growth strategies, strategic messaging and communications, and change management programs for worldwide markets.

Ken is an active public speaker on many topics and energetically participates in several professional organizations.  He currently serves on the Seminole County (FL) Public Schools (SCPS) Foundation's Development Committee, the SCPS Take Stock in Children Leadership Committee and is a past president of the International Association of Business Communicators Central Florida Chapter.  Ken has served on The Conference Board’s Council on Corporate Communication, the Executive Committee of the Motorola Public Relations Council, and the Board of Directors of the Texas Association of Business (Texas State Chamber of Commerce), along with several other organizations.  

A graduate of both Leadership Southlake (TX) and Leadership Boynton Beach (FL), Ken holds an M.B.A. in Marketing from Florida Atlantic University and a B.A. in Business Economics from the State University of New York.

About The Countess Group

The Countess Group (http://www.thecountessgroup.com/) (TCG) is a marketing and communications consultancy providing strategic vision and measurable results for clients since 2001. TCG continues to expand their client base by providing value-added services such as:

·         Strategic Marketing

·         Marketing Communications

·         Corporate Communications

·         Email Marketing

·         Social Media Marketing

·         Internet/Website Development and Optimization

·         Customer Acquisition/Retention/Engagement

·         Lead/Demand Generation

·         Customer Relationship Management

·         Sales Channel Development

·         Sales Training and Support

·         Trade Show Support

The Countess Group’s service offering includes training seminars on best practices in social media and online marketing, including workshops on email marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter.  Immensely popular, the workshops often fill venues with attendees who return again and again to learn the latest strategies.

Motorola, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Facebook, product names and other brand names mentioned herein may be trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

Media Contact:
Ken Countess

The Countess Group

407-242-4200

kc@thecountessgroup.com