Category archives for: News

One of Celebrity Cruises’ most popular (and most unique) onboard restaurants, Qsine, features more than whimsical main courses and Avant-garde plating. It also boasts a “uniquely extraordinary” menu-browsing experience: an iPad app designed and developed by Quest Fore.

The app has been wowing guests for several years, but recently, it was also featured on an episode of the hit culinary reality show, Top Chef. In the episode, the final five “Chef’testants” board the Celebrity Millennium, headed for Alaska, to complete their elimination challenge – taking over the Qsine kitchen.

In some way — perhaps small, perhaps life changing — most of us have felt the effects of several years in a struggling economy. And it’s this time of year (maybe to a fault) that we are especially mindful of the unfortunate circumstances of so many people in our communities across the country and all over the world. We see heartwarming holiday specials, amplified news coverage of good deeds and selfless acts, and we spend more time than usual thinking of others.

And while the holidays are always a time of giving and togetherness, we may still be unaware of the growing need for basic sustenance: Hunger in America exists for over 50 million people; that’s one in six among the U.S. population, including more than one in five children.* The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, is on a mission to end this widespread hunger, and in light of another positive year, Quest Fore is making significant holiday donation to the GPCFB.

The GPCFB collects and distributes food through a 380+ member network in 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania. They work closely with soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, after school programs, senior high rises, MH-MR drop-in centers, neighborhood food assistance agencies, emergency or disaster-related feeding sites, regional food banks, Meals on Wheels, community centers and many other special programs — distributing around 21 million pounds of food per year.

We expect that our donation will enable the GPCFB to do even more of this important work, helping to provide approximately 1,000 additional meals in the coming year. If you’re interested in learning more about the Campaign to End Hunger, making a monetary or food donation, or offering your time, visit www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/campaign/.

From all of us at Quest Fore, we wish you a joyous holiday and a happy, healthy 2013!

*Hunger statistics from feedingamerica.org

Ken Cuccinelli, Chairman and CEO of Quest Fore, is part of the newly appointed steering committee for the state chapter of Fix the Debt, a nationwide grassroots campaign. Fix the Debt calls on policymakers to address the impending “fiscal cliff” and steer the national debt toward long-term sustainability. The national effort is lead by a bipartisan group of over 288,000 business leaders, former elected officials, thought leaders and concerned citizens, banding together to urge lawmakers to set politics aside and formulate practical solutions to our nation’s debt problems. Such proposed measures include increasing tax revenues and spending cuts.

Cuccinelli, who also serves as a board member for the Economic Club of Pittsburgh, has joined the committee along with Mark Schweiker, former Pennsylvania Governor; several CEOs and former senators; and a diverse group of businesspersons from all around the state. As a small business owner, Cuccinelli takes serious his position on the committee: “We are feeling the pinch and need politicians to get the debt monkey off our backs. In our opinion, unless we create a groundswell of support, it won’t happen. That is why I agreed to help.”

Fix the Debt Pennsylvania has planned a luncheon, which will serve as the official launch of this statewide chapter, on Wednesday, October 24th. For more information about the luncheon, download the press release. And to learn more about Fix the Debt’s nationwide efforts, visit http://www.fixthedebt.org

In the September 7th issue of the Pittsburgh Business Times, Quest Fore was listed among the top advertising and public relations firms in the Pittsburgh area. The two lists, based on 2011 local office billings from advertising and PR business, are comprised of the area’s biggest players in marketing, advertising and PR. Quest Fore came in at number 12 on the advertising list, supported by major clients like Valspar, Metso, Highmark, Pittsburgh Brewing Company, Del Monte and StarKist. And in the category of public relations, Quest Fore is 13th largest in the region.

Last week, Quest Fore was recognized by the Pittsburgh Business Times as our region’s fourth fastest-growing company in the category of marketing/advertising/publishing. “The Pittsburgh 100,” as the annual list is known, is based on sales growth between 2009 and 2011. Overall, Quest Fore ranked 33rd on the list — with an 89.66 percent growth in revenue.

Much of Quest Fore’s growth over the last two years is attributed to new client acquisitions, as well as the expansion of the company’s Web/interactive department.

In 2009, CJ Patrick (now Quest Fore’s chief technical officer) and his Web development company, Blue Fox Development, entered into a partnership with Quest Fore. The companies merged, significantly growing Quest Fore’s Web and interactive capabilities. “We are a full-service communications firm, and that means we have to offer the most robust capabilities when it comes to onlinemarketing tools and strategy,” said CJ. “And over the past few years, we have grown immensely in that regard.”

Another expansion took place in 2010, when a competing Pittsburgh firm suddenly closed its doors. Quest Fore saw the opportunity to hire key creative and client relations personnel, and in the months that followed, gained several major accounts. “In spite of the economy,” said Ken Cuccinelli, chairman and CEO of Quest Fore, “we’ve been aggressive when opportunities have presented themselves. And as a result, we’ve been able to create jobs. Now, we’re better equipped to help our clients grow and prosper.”

For this prestigious list, the Pittsburgh Business Times considers all private, for-profit companies based in western Pennsylvania. Although the 100 winners were originally published in an early August edition of the newspaper, the official rankings were announced at a dinner and awards ceremony on August 23rd at the Duquesne Club in downtown Pittsburgh. For more information on the Pittsburgh 100, visit http://www2.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/events/2012/pittsburgh_100/.

As part of its Tech Transfer Series, Quest Fore recently held a seminar on leadership communication. The luncheon event, led by former Quest Fore employee Tim Hayes (who now owns his own leadership consulting business), gave the group an opportunity to see the positive effects of an organization led by powerful thinking, decisive action and clear communication. The event was well attended and received favorably by a group of about 20 clients and local business leaders — all who took valuable, practical leadership lessons back to their organizations.

To learn more about Tim’s strategies for success, preview his book, Jackass in a Hailstorm: Adventures in Leadership Communication, available at amazon.com.

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.

The 48th annual Golden Quill Awards, sponsored by The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, announced that the Quest Fore is a finalist for designing the Western Pennsylvania History Magazine Cover. The winning design featured Ben Franklin on the cover.

The Golden Quills competition recognizes professional excellence in written, photographic, broadcast and online journalism and design in Western Pennsylvania.