Yes, I am playing catch up. Jeez, but I have gotten behind on these. But as I tell people all the time, patience is a cornerstone upon which FOCM was built. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

October 2, 2014 is a day which my co-workers Steve Begley and Jon Hunter will likely remember for a long time. After a customer meeting, they received their cards. Cindy Howry took the photographs.

On October 20, 2014 at a conference, Phil Woodson, a co-worker at the time and I wish was still working with me received his card. Vincent Puglia, also received his card but his employment contract does not allow for his photo or even an artist’s rendering of his image to be displayed.

And, fortune smiled on me when I ran into long-time FOCM member, Vicky Martin.

 

 

So I’m facilitating a workshop on Networking at the DIA annual convention in Washington, D.C. on June 16.  The DIA is an organization dedicated to supporting the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device clinical research industries.  This year, they gave the speakers the opportunity to record video to promote the sessions.

I gotta say, this is not the best video performance – you can see me reading my cue cards and close to a monotone delivery – but hey, it’s a first.  Click in the playlist below and Networking is the last of the videos.  I tried to post directly to it, but I can’t figure that out.

 

On August 18, an FOCM happy hour (er, I meant to say, “networking) event was held at San Jose’s Tacos & Tequila at 7961 Skyland Ridge Parkway in Raleigh, NC.  The reason: my friend Joanna Williams was in town on business.  Also present at this event were: Gail Fowler, Vince Hoefling and Bill Newcomb.

Gail and I first met in the late 1980’s – we were working at Burroughs Wellcome Co.  I believe we met at a business team meeting for the life-saving medication Digibind.  We later worked together again at Quintiles and then again at ICON.   Here’s the photo of the magic moment frozen in time.

On August 2, while I was up in the Cary, NC area (a place I’d lived for about 23 years), I stopped by Ashworth Drugs at 105 W Chatham St, Cary.  This pharmacy has been in downtown Cary, probably since the 1960’s.  Started by Ralph Ashworth and now run by his son Paul.

So why is this post in here?  I first met Paul in Los Angeles in the mid-1980’s.  I was working as a pharmaceutical salesman for Burroughs Wellcome Co.  Paul was hired in North Carolina where he’d been working as a pharmacist in his father’s store.  He requested a territory out west.  We were in the same sales district, district 79.

When I moved to Burroughs Wellcome’s HQ in RTP, NC in 1987, I went to meet his father at the pharmacy.  Several years later, Paul moved back to his hometown.  This is a photo from that day.  When in Cary, this is a place to stop in to see what used to be commonplace in pharmacies – a food counter, with about 8 stools and two booths, serving hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ sandwiches, sodas.

It was a typically beautiful September day in Yuma, Arizona. The sun was shining, as it does 300 days of the year. (Side note: why in the world is Yuma, AZ not the the solar energy capital of the world?!?)

Captured in the photo below is Yuma’s own: Bill “Willie” Moody receiving his FOCM Membership card. Yes, he received it in September, but one of the foundations of FOCM is patience. His patience was being tested and he has passed. He is now entitled to all the benefits therein. (As a dues paying member, he would have even more benefits, come on Bill, it’s only $20, well he did pay for my lunch so that kinda counts, well he also paid for my brother’s lunch, so that kinda counts.  Turns out my brother has developed quite the skill of having others pay for his lunch.) Bill owns and runs Robert J. Moody Appraisers, doing real estate appraisal services.  I have known Bill for probably 45 years.  We first met at First Presbyterian Church Sunday School in Yuma, AZ.

This event took place at Burgers and Beer located at: 321 W 20th St, Yuma, AZ. Many members of the A.T. Pancrazi Real Estate Services Company were witnesses to the ceremony. A.T. Pancrazi Real Estate is the premier commercial real estate firm serving Yuma, Arizona and the desert southwest.

The previous post in “networking” was submitted by Bill Dupere.  Bill and I first met in 1987 when we worked together at BurroughsWellcome Co. in RTP, NC.  Here’s a picture of the two of us from June 2014 on our way out to breakfast.  The satchel he is carrying is actually a Left Ventricular Assist Device, which takes over some of the functioning of his weakened heart, caused by a heart attack.  Modern medicine is truly amazing.

We all know the degrees of separation phrase: 6 degrees of separation as described in Wikipedia as:
Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a chain of “a friend of a friend” statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy in 1929 and popularized by a 1990 play written by John Guare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation

In the pharmaceutical clinical research industry where I have spent the past 19 years, I think we’re all 2 degrees from each other.  The example below, if I’m counting correctly, is an example of a 4, maybe 5,  degrees of separation.  My friend, Bill Dupere recounted this story to me several months ago:

Two and half years ago Bill hired Heather Elser, PhD.  She later started dating, and then got married to Jason Smith, DVD in February 2014.  In late spring, Jason’s boss, Wally Diehl, retired from his veterinarian practice.  Wally sold the practice to a veterinary “roll-up” practice management company, VCA and Jason took over day-to-management of the practice.  Wally then turned around and contracted with VCA, Jason Smith, for part time veterinary services.

Wally moved to the coast, Surf City, NC where he has other business interests at the coast including, boat dock rentals and boat rentals.

Meanwhile, Bill suffered a heart attack and is unable to resume his responsibilities as COO with QOL Medical.  Dr. Heather Elser, who used to report to Bill assumes day-today responsibilities for Clinical Operations at QOL Medical.  Bill now supports Heather in these duties—in effect Bill now reports to Heather for certain projects.

Bill and his wife Elizabeth (Liz), own a waterfront townhome at the coast in Surf City, NC.  Bill’s neighbor, Greg Isenhour, is a serial entrepreneur and serves as General Contractor for the townhome development in which Bill and Liz’s own a townhome.  Greg is also into property management.  One of the properties that Greg manages is the building where Liz works at Builder’s Mutual Insurance Company (BMIC).  Greg also used to serve on the Board at BMIC.

So in effect, the Dupere’s live next door to the person who helped start Liz’s company, and who both serves as GC and property manager.  Greg does a great job tending to and looking after the properties he is responsible for.

Greg is in also business with Wally (retired veterinarian, see above) who is a principal in Topsail Island Boat rentals.  Greg leases Topsail Island Boat Rental boat slips in the Dupere’s townhome waterfront community, which is to the right side of their townhome complex and the boat storage facility is immediately adjacent on the left side of the townhome community.

One day, while Wally is walking down the dock, Bill and Liz are upstairs on the 4^th floor of their townhome on the deck overlooking the sound.

Bill yells down:  “Do you know Dr. Jason Smith?”
Wally stops dead in his tracks, chuckles, and says, “Do I know Jason Smith (in a rhetorical fashion and tone).  Of course, he is now my boss.”

Bill chuckles and yells down a second time, “Do you know Dr. Heather Elser?” to which Wally answers, “…of course, why do you ask.”
Bill replies, “she is now my boss”

Dan Schmitt, John Ketchum and I used to work together at Burroughs Wellcome Co.  In June 2014, we managed to get together for a dinner while John and I were attending ASCO at the McCormick Convention Center.  We had a great time, lots of laughs, re-telling old stories and creating new ones.  We haven’t changed a bit.  We did put in some gray hair coloring so those of you who used to work with us wouldn’t feel so bad, except Dan forgot to do so.

Good writing adds value. In clinical research, well-written proposal content demonstrates expertise, strengthens ties to the client and distinguishes the organization from competitors.

A proud, card-carrying member of FOCM with 16 years of clinical research industry experience is looking for new opportunities to write for clinical research service providers (CROs, technology vendors, SMOs, etc.).

Comprehensive writing experience includes: Proposals, articles, marketing, press releases, SOPs and RFIs.  Significant expertise building teams to create focused, relevant content.

To connect this individual whose talents I strongly endorse, contact FOCM leader at chris@focmnetworking.com

 

In early July 2014, while I was in San Francisco on a business and personal trip, a FOCM event was held at TasteVin Wine and Cheese in San Carlos, CA.  The owner of TasteVin is long-time FOCM member Sue Simpson.  Attending the event were: my daughter, Amy and Claudia Kunzler.  Amy was living in the area at the time and we had gone to a San Francisco Giants baseball game and as you can see, I did not put on sunscreen.

Julie Hammack received her FOCM card that night.  Julie’s excitement at this surprise induction is quite evident in the first picture.  The photo was snapped just as she was informed that she would be receiving her card that very night.