Category archives for: News

Several years ago I became acquainted with the Providence Family Support Center on the North Side of Pittsburgh, established by the Sisters of Divine Providence. It provides family support programs such as childcare for infants, preschool, before and after school programs, etc. The Center truly cares about the welfare of children. For example, it is open for teacher in-service days so parents (usually living below the poverty line) can go to work and know their children are safe and supervised.

It is a special place in our area, a small community/family based organization serving needy families within our community. It is not a well-known center but its services are critical and desperately needed to support about 300 families. In this economy with funding cutbacks, finding financial support for their work is becoming harder and harder.

This year I have agreed to chair their major fundraiser, “The Backyard Barbeque,” on June 15, 2012 at the John Heinz History Center. Since I am overseeing the event this year, I would like make sure they maximize the return on this fundraiser so all the children and their families may be covered. Therefore, I am reaching out to all of my contacts.

There are several ways to participate and possibly one or more options will work for you:

For more information please call 412-766-3860 or visit Providence Connections online.

Thanks for taking the time to read this note and hopefully together we can help make a difference in the lives of these families.

Sincerely,
Ken Cuccinelli, Chairman, CEO
Quest Fore Inc.
www.questfore.com

Other links:

Providence Connections BYBBQ Raffle – $5/ticket or 5 tickets for $20
First Prize: A pair of tickets to 5 Pittsburgh “Super” Steeler home games
Second Prize: Summer shopping spree valued at $350
Third Prize: $200 cash
All proceeds benefit the Ministries of Providence Connections
Drawing Takes Place at the Backyard BBQ, winner need not be present.

Learn more about Sponsorship Programs or Program Ads.

Quest Fore recently played host to students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). The group of 10 PRSSA members — ranging from first-year students to graduating seniors — received a tour of the facility, got a first-hand glimpse of the creative process, and asked plenty of questions along the way. “It was nice to give them some insight into what we do here,” said Scott Witalis, senior vice president of account services at Quest Fore, who is also an IUP alumnus. “We love to see young people who are eager and excited to get into the industry, and we want to promote that as much as we can.”

Quest Fore frequently partners with Del Monte Foodservice to create trade advertisements featured in a variety of industry publications. One of these publications, FoodService Director, polls their readers to for feedback on ads that standout and make a big impact. Quest Fore’s ad, which featured Del Monte’s Squeezable Fruit(TM) product, for a recent issue of the magazine was selected as a top-five ad in the publication.

Being one of the few recognitions that is determined by the purchasing decision makers, the FoodService Director’s readers’ poll is a coveted award for manufacturers and marketers in the industry. FoodService Director is a go-to resource for ideas and innovation in foodservice; it is read monthly by more than 40,000 professionals working in educational and healthcare settings throughout the U.S.

You thought we were just into design – graphic, Web, identity, video – all kinds of design. But the truth is that Quest Fore is a full-service marketing agency. We provide many services, just like the blurb at the bottom of our e-mails tells you, and market research is one of them.

Tucked away in southern North Carolina is a little known office of Quest Fore. From there we manage a project known as GOAL (Gas Overall Awareness Level). Back in 2006, the federal Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) published regulations that require gas utilities to develop and follow written Public Awareness Plans regarding safety and the safe use of gas. One of the requirements is that each utility must periodically assess the effectiveness of its efforts to inform customers and non-customers close to its lines about safety and the safe use of gas. The uniqueness of these new regulations results from the fact that not only are utilities required to communicate with their customers, as well as nearby non-customers, regarding safety – all gas utilities now are required to measure whether their messages are being received and show improvement year-to-year in the awareness and understanding of key safety messages, including reporting leaks, “call before you dig,” etc. – on a regular basis. This is where we come in.

The GOAL program, affiliated with the American Public Gas Association (APGA), makes it possible for gas utilities around the country to contact up to 100% of those within their service area in order to gain insight and knowledge that can help them manage and grow their utility’s business, while fulfilling the OPS regulations. We work with a company that utilizes a state-of-the-art, computerized voice recognition telephone-calling component to contact as many of the utilities’ customers and non-customers living near their pipelines as possible, polling them to determine their gas safety knowledge. In year one, a baseline study is conducted; then, a follow up in at least one of the next four years and at least every four years after that. Many utilities choose to conduct their surveys annually.

Keeps us busy!

We have over 200 utilities involved in the GOAL program, from Washington to Florida, California to Pennsylvania. So if you ever get a phone call survey from your local gas utility, please answer it and participate, safe in the knowledge that Quest Fore is behind it!

Pittsburgh, PA – This month, Ken Cuccinelli – owner, chairman and CEO of Quest Fore, Inc. – was featured in Smart Business Magazine. The article, “Ken Cuccinelli is taking Quest Fore Inc. to the next level,” outlines the importance of developing, analyzing, and maintaining a strategic plan to achieve both internal goals and successfully serve clients and/or customers.

Cuccinelli purchased Quest Fore in 1999. Having been a former client of the Pittsburgh-based marketing firm, he knew the value of Quest Fore’s people and the quality of work they produced. “What they needed was better processes and financial controls,” he mentions in the article, and his first step toward achieving this was to implement long-term strategic initiatives.

Much of the article focuses on Cuiccinelli’s approach to success: (1) Develop a strategy; (2) Measure your plan; (3) Know your value. He stresses the importance of creating a big-picture strategic plan and remaining committed to the assessment of that plan. And since his purchase of the company in 1999, his strategy, although regularly evolving, is working: Quest Fore continues to grow both internally and with respect to their client list.

The article appears in the magazine’s March 2012 edition as well as online in the “Inside Smart Business” feature. Smart Business is a national network of magazines focusing on providing high-quality content, insight, advice and strategy to help executives of middle-market and large companies grow. Smart Business Pittsburgh reaches thousands of regional professionals each month.

You can view the original article here: Smart Business Magazine

Quest Fore yesterday received a prestigious Marketer of the Year Award from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). The South Side-based marketing firm was recognized in the category of public relations and advertising firms.

All winners, including Quest Fore, were honored at the Marketer of the Year Awards Ceremony at LeMont Restaurant on Mount Washington. The region’s top creative firms and marketing departments were represented at the event.

“We are proud and honored to receive this award from the AMA,” said Ken Cuccinelli, President and CEO of Quest Fore. “We have to be able to deliver on our promise of providing the absolute best strategic marketing support there is, and, in addition to producing great work every day, this helps us do that.”

The prestige of the recognition is unique: The Marketer of the Year Awards are the region’s only results-based marketing competition. Thus, Quest Fore was chosen as the winner for its measurable successes in executing several self-promotional initiatives, including the redesign of questfore.com; the implementation of new sales strategies and tactics; establishing a trade show presence at conferences like this year’s Energy, Inc.; developing new promotional materials, marketing collateral and advertising; and building an increasingly dynamic social media presence, including holding a Facebook contest offering marketing support to startup companies.

In addition to client expansion, improved sales lead generation and increased website traffic, the Marketer of the Year win is supported by Quest Fore’s internal growth over the past year. Since the beginning of 2011 – a time when cutbacks and layoffs have plagued the marketing industry – Quest Fore has nearly doubled its staff. “In spite of the economy,” said Cuccinelli, “by being aggressive when opportunities arose and patient at times when it was necessary, we’ve been able to create jobs at Quest Fore, and most importantly, help our clients grow and prosper, too.”

On Thursday, October 6th, Quest Fore participated in the Energy Inc. Conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. An annual conference and tradeshow bringing together companies and individuals with a stake in regional energy development, Energy Inc. attracted a record number of attendees in 2011.

From energy providers to engineering firms and marketing experts like Quest Fore, nearly every interest within the energy industry was represented. Quest Fore met with guests to discuss the significant opportunities and unique marketing challenges in a marketplace that is currently thriving in Western Pennsylvania.

The Quest Fore booth was a popular stop for attendees, offering an Iron City/I.C. Light Happy Hour and providing visitors the opportunity to win tickets to an upcoming Steelers game. Quest Fore’s guests also had a unique interactive experience: By filling out a simple form on iPads provided at the booth, each individual received a personalized URL with information about Quest Fore’s past projects and experiences in their industry or area of interest.

If you’re attending the Energy Inc. Conference and Tradeshow at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Thursday, October 6, please make plans to join us for our Oktoberfest Happy Hour from 3-4 p.m. in Booth #124.

We’ll be serving free IC Light® and Iron City Beer®, compliments of Pittsburgh Brewing Company, and we’ll be offering free insight into how you can energize your business marketing efforts.

We know energy. We know marketing.

With clients such as Peoples Natural Gas, Dominion Resources, CNG and T.W. Phillips, we have the experience to enable success in the energy industry and we know what it takes to help your company stand out in this field.

Quest Fore has been a strategic and creative marketing partner for a broad range of regional, national and international clients for more than 35 years, and our full-service marketing resources include everything from strategic marketing planning and corporate branding to online interactive videos and automated phone education and survey services.

Please join us for our Oktoberfest Happy Hour to learn more about how we can put our extensive energy and marketing expertise to work for your benefit.

PITTSBURGH — Technology Transfer Luncheon

On September 22, 2011 Quest Fore hosted, “When and where do I have to be multilingual?” – a Technology Transfer Luncheon presented by Charles Kostecki, President of Multilingual Communications.

The presentation covered important and useful information about translation services including why and when to translate, what not to do, and the process to follow. New technologies, approaches, and advancements in translation services were also discussed.

If you couldn’t make the presentation, or if you’d simply like to see the content again, we’ve posted the slides below. Please feel free to use them as a reference for your future multilingual projects. And be sure to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Download

PITTSBURGH — Today Quest Fox Interactive announced the hiring of five new employees: Tim Friez, IT Director; Malissa Ito, Interactive Developer; Will Kunz, Interactive Developer; Mike Neilson, Manager of Client Services; and Phil Schulte, Manager of Client Services.

“We’ve been very fortunate to experience significant growth in our business recently,” said Cj Patrick, CEO of Quest Fox Interactive. “The addition of these new employees will boost our capacity to meet our current client’s needs as well as foster the opportunity to gain more business by offering an even deeper pool of technical resources.”

Tim Friez, IT Director, brings 9 years of IT expertise to Quest Fox Interactive. Mr. Friez’s knowledge base includes multiple platforms of operating systems and servers, allowing him to manage and keep Quest Fox Interactive’s internal systems running smoothly every day. He holds numerous Microsoft, Cisco, and Comptia certifications Mr. Friez came to Quest Fox Interactive from Brady Communications.

Mallisa Ito, Interactive Developer, has six years of experience in web development; she has worked for Brady Communications, Brunner, and Clairton Slag. Her expertise is in maintaining web content, trouble-shooting, and bug-fixing. Ms. Ito holds an associates degree in both Information Technology and Accounting.

Will Kunz, Interactive Developer, has six years of experience in front end development. He brings CSS, JavaScript, mobile, and flash expertise to Quest Fox Interactive and holds a bachelor’s degree in Interactive Media and Design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Mike Neilson, Manager of Client Services, brings over seven years of technical writing, software design, product, and management experience to Quest Fox Interactive. Mr. Neilson came to Quest Fox Interactive from Brady Communications. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University.

Phil Schulte, Manager of Client Services, will be responsible for complete project management on a variety of Quest Fox Interactive’s accounts. Prior to joining Quest Fox Interactive, Phil was an Accounts Director at CBCInnovis and an Accounting Associate at ING Financial Partners. Phil graduated from Robert Morris University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.