SUBJECT: “How Small Businesses Can Use Information Technology to Improve their Performance”
GUEST SPEAKER: Joe Vangsness Principal, Vangsness Consulting, Inc.
WHEN: 6:00 PM Wednesday, November 29 2006 (4TH Wednesday)
WHERE:
Our NEW Central Loop Meeting Place:
National Lewis University
122 S.
Michigan Avenue
Rooms
5012 A&B (fifth floor)
Chicago
ABOUT OUR NEW MEETING PLACE
We are pleased to announce that our Downtown Chapter of the Chicago Computer Society, which has met jointly for a period of years with the Downtown Internet SIG of CCS, has very happily found a new home and location in the Central Loop for our monthly meetings.
Henceforth we
will be meeting at 122 S. Michigan Avenue, Rooms 5012 A&B (fifth
floor).
This accomplishment is in no small measure due to the
tireless efforts of our own member and regular meeting attendee, Ellie Hall, who
acted as voluntary finder and matchmaker. All honor and thanks to you, Ellie. We
owe you a big debt of gratitude! Thanks are also in order to our other members
who spent many valuable hours in searching for a new home for us.
We will be
leasing our new space from the National Louis University. Their downtown campus
serves 6000 full time students and is one of their 5 Chicago-land area campuses.
We hope in future emails to tell you more about our very attractive meeting
rooms, as well as all the facilities the University provides. We also hope to
share with you some information on some of the other prestigious tenants the
building houses.
By way of advance notice, the board of CCS has asked all chapters to change their names from chapters to computer clubs. Therefore, our next meeting notice will use the name of "Downtown Computer Club" of CCS, instead of Chapter or SIG.
ABOUT OUR PROGRAM
This month's meeting will focus on how small businesses, non-profits and professionals can overcome the challenges of using information technology.
Lack of resources, time and expertise are just some of the obstacles they face. Our speaker, Joe Vangsness, will present useful and practical ways to overcome these obstacles.
His presentation will include the following:
- How to focus on benefits first
- How to select and use the proper software
and hardware
- How to find and use the
right technology solution providers
-
How to meet the challenges of data security, viruses and spyware
- Options for data backup and business
continuity planning
- Some successful
approaches to effective internet use
-
Information resources for small business
- Success stories
Joe has provided consulting services to small business since 1990 and worked with a wide variety of enterprises. Come to the first meeting in our new home and benefit from Joe's vast experience and expertise!
Mr. Vangsness has been among our most successful presenters. It is only fitting he inaugurate our monthly lectures in our new location.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Our speaker for this month, Joe Vangsness, was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin and at the age of six, he moved with his family to Springfield, Illinois.
In Springfield, he attended elementary school, and then when on to high school and college in Champaign.
Joe is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Management.
While at the University of Illinois he worked for the school's administration as a computer operator and programmer. He has the distinction of being the first student programmer to be employed at the University of Illinois.
Following college, Joe moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked for a affiliate of United States Steel.
In August 1967, he relocated to the Chicago area, working for Union Carbide as a Programmer and Systems Analyst.
In 1990, he began his own consulting firm which came to be known as Vangsness Consulting, Inc., a firm specializing in helping small to medium size businesses use information technology to improve their performance.
Joe has taught information technology courses at DePaul University's, graduate and undergraduate business schools. He has also taught small business computer systems at Triton College.
He is an occasional guest lecturer at DePaul University Graduate Business School, and he also speaks regularly to professional and trade associations on using IT to make businesses more productive.
Joe has been a director of strategic planning and director of information systems of the Board of Trade Clearing Corporation, and a manager of marketing and manufacturing systems at United States Gypsum Co. Joe has also done graduate work at University of Pittsburgh and University of Chicago graduate business schools.
Joe has been a member of Chicago Computer Society since 1990 and is a regular attendee of our downtown Chapter and Internet SIG.
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For more information, specifically about our November meeting or our CCS group in general, please feel free to contact our coordinator:
Norbert Rosenthal - fireisland777@aol.com, (312) 861-3600
Once again please note our new Central Loop meeting place: 122 S. Michigan Avenue, Rooms 5012 A&B (fifth floor), Chicago. Our starting time (6 PM) will allow our members and friends to utilize free on-the-street parking, where currently permitted.
Please let us know in advance when you change or are about to change your respective email addresses!
WE, THEREFORE, LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THIS COMING WEDNESDAY EVENING AT OUR November 29th MEETING!