Host: CentreSource Interactive Agency (Hey! That’s us!)
What: February 2010 Interactive Mixer
When: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Where:
CentreSource’s North Fourth Office
1313 4th Ave N
Nashville,TN 37208

To RSVP, visit mixer.centresource.com.

January’s mixer proved to be a great success with over 100 attendees from various competing and complimentary firms, independent graphic designers and developers, and local tech enthusiasts. So successful, in fact, that we simply could not get people to leave! The centre{source} office, alone, proved to be a warm and inviting atmosphere for the event, and the added incentive of a networking competition for the Golden Kraut and Sivlery Beans Awards created an energy for the event that fueled repeat attendance for months to come.

For the past few months, we have seen many regulars showing up to partake in complimentary kegs of Yazoo, wine, gourmet cupcakes and munchies, and invaluable networking opportunities. Beyond the “repeat offenders,” we have welcomed many new faces from the local neighborhoods of Germantown, Salemtown, and Hope Gardens; newly unemployed job seekers coming out to share calling cards; friends and family members of c{s} employees; satisfied c{s} clients; and even a rare guest appearance from the newest member to our team, Brayden Holland, born to Nick and Brandi in February.

Each mixer has incorporated traditional interactive activities of hands-on competition through trivia, meet and greet score sheets, and coin hunts in competition for the coveted Golden Kraut and Silvery Beans Awards. Additionally, more “techie” interactive features have been utilized like wirelessly networked music throughout the house and live updating Twitter feeds using the #csmixer hashtag showing on big screens. More recently, the newly launched iPhone/iTouch application GPSAssassin has been a big hit, where people attempt to assassinate one another through GPS location used in the game.

With the advent of Spring and Summer weather, these mixers are sure to continue to grow in attendance, further solidifying the event as a staple of the local Interactive Community providing valuable networking opportunities and general camaraderie for anyone wishing to partake.

We hope to see you out at the next mixer! Bring a friend.

Shaun is a long-time friend of the firm — several of us have known Shaun for a while and respected his leadership skills and passion for interactive. Shaun actually comes to us from the other side: he’s been a client of CentreSource many times over as the Director of Online Marketing for Word Entertainment. He has the unique perspective of knowing our processes from the other side.

Five days in and Shaun is settling into the Account Manager role with ease — we’re more than confident that clients are going to appreciate his expertise, organization skills, and deadline-focused mindset.

Welcome Shaun to c{s} team by sending him a message at www.twitter.com/globalblitz.

1) csDoctrineActAsAttachablePlugin – associates various uploads with multiple models, and includes an AJAX uploading client interface.

2) csDoctrineActAsCategorizablePlugin – associates models into nestable categories and category groups.

3) csDoctrineActAsGeolocatablePlugin – integrate your model with the Google Maps API to pull in geocodes based on record fields.  Supports radius and proximity searches.

4) csDoctrineActAsSortablePlugin – adds a sortable behavior to your models

5) csDoctrineSlideshowPlugin – add and configure slideshows in your project.

6) csFormTransformPlugin -  give your forms a web 2.0 look within a few easy steps.

7) csGlossaryPlugin – group your models alphabetically in glossary/directory format

8) csSEOToolkitPlugin – A toolkit to improve your website’s search engine optimization.

9) sfSympalSlideshowPlugin – An advanced slideshow used for the Sympal Content Management Framework.

You can check out my plugin list here.  If you are interested in using these plugins, or have any suggestions for addition useful symfony plugins, please contact me or any of the developers here at CentreSource.

“em are the best tools I ever did see for op-mazaytin’ a website I ever did see, ahtayuWUT!” sez Kerry to Hannah.

“Organizations that recognize the Internet as a strategic asset rely on us to help formulate and execute their strategy,” said Nicholas Holland, CEO / President of centre{source} Inc. “Industry leaders such as Vanderbilt, HCA, Gaylord Entertainment, and Trevecca Nazarene University have turned to centre{source} for our Interactive services. We provide our clients with their interactive strategy along with the necessary web infrastructure and services required to ensure their online initiatives deliver results.”

“Our new Nashville office in the historic Germantown Neighborhood will enable us to better respond to the needs of our clients. We will be able to support additional growth in all of our client facing units, including defining and executive interactive strategies, usability, web design and development, e-commerce, and on-going management.”

The company’s new address is 1313 4th Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee, 37208. An example of a Romanesque Revival style town house in the historic Germantown Neighborhood, the house was built in 1890. Architectural highlights include a unique corner turret with its steep conical roof along with its heavy stone trim.

The company’s staff, which has grown from 4 employees at the beginning of 2005, is expected to reach more than 20 by the first quarter of 2008.

centre{source} was recognized by Nashville Business Journal as the winner of its Emerging Business Category in 2005, acknowledging the firm as one of the fastest growing companies in Nashville. For more information regarding the “Best In Business Awards,” which spotlights dynamic and fast growing companies, see nashville.bizjournals.com.

The main phone number remains 615-313-7679, and the fax number is 206-350-4307.

centre{source} is a full-service Interactive Strategy firm, delivering results in strategy, planning, and execution of internet-related initiatives. With clients worldwide and centrally located in Nashville, Tennessee, centre{source} provides a wealth of expertise and web design solutions to strategically harness the power of today’s online opportunities.

More about the firm can be found on its Web site: www.centresource.com

Nicholas Holland, our CEO and President of CentreSource spoke to Jeff’s class and offered up words of wisdom. They include the proper time to start up a business and focusing on a proper sales strategy.

In a recent article about smartRay Network Inc. published in Fast Company, author Keith Hammonds beautifully describes the personal sacrifices that are required to build a company. We get to see the entrepreneurship spirit lived out here at CentreSource on a daily basis amongst our team.

In its essence, entrepreneurship in the dotcom age remains what it always has been. That is, entrepreneurship is about passion. Entrepreneurship is about malleability, about adapting to change without compromising your core vision. Entrepreneurship is about staying cool under fire. It is also about being an outsider. Entrepreneurs must think differently — not just from their competitors but from their partners and employees as well.

Most of all, entrepreneurship is about risk. Entrepreneurs must be willing to make decisions that will threaten their wealth and their reputations. They must be willing, as [Troy] Tyler is fond of saying, to burn their ships on the shore, as Hernan Cortes and his crew did — to leave everything behind in dedication to the quest.

Visit Jeff Cornwall’s blog – The Entrepreneurial Mind for further Words of Wisdom.

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the 20/20 Leadership Alliance hosted the Inaugural Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards (NELAs) Ceremony at Vanderbilt University’s Student Life Center September 6, 2007. The NELAs recognizes young professionals in 12 industry classifications who are excelling in their careers and making a difference in the Nashville community.

Twelve winners from a field of thirty-six local young professionals in a dozen fields were chosen based on their professional accomplishments, strong leadership and community service.

“Winning this award means a lot to me,” said Nicholas Holland. “So many people devoted their time to making the NELA’s a wonderful event and a significant award. I’ve been told that each industry team put a lot of thought into evaluating each candidate. To be selected as the winner in Technology is a great honor and I’m proud that our city recognizes young leaders. Everyone who put the NELAs together deserves recognition for starting something great!”

CentreSource extends congratulations to all of the finalists and winners in the respective fields for their professional accomplishments and community service.

The finalists and winners (*) included:

Architecture and Engineering:
* Hunter Gee Director of Community Planning with Looney Ricks Kiss.
Holly Calhoun of General Motors
Sheila Dial of Everton Oglesby Architects

Arts, Entertainment and Music:
* Lori Badgett Vice President of SunTrust Bank
Lindsey Clark of Deaton Flanigen Productions
Martha Irwin of Elevation Music Publishing

Business and Entrepreneurship:
* Mark Blaze Managing Partner of DEX Imaging
Holly Grenvicz of Fresh Dirt Marketing LLC
Everton Heron of Care Alternatives

Community Services and NonProfit:
* Laurel Creech Director of Team Green
Michele Johnson of the Tennessee Justice Center
Stacy Nunnally of the Margaret Cunninggim Women’s Center at Vanderbilt University

Financial Services:
* Nicole Dunigan Vice President of Business Development and Relocation, First Tennessee Bank
Tatia Cummings of SunTrust Bank
Brock Kidd of Pinnacle Financial Partners

Government:
* Meredith Sullivan Assistant Commissioner, Division of Regulatory Boards, Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance
Christina Coleman of the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions
Darin Gordon of TennCare

Hospitality and Tourism:
* Lisa Garramone District Manager, Starbucks Coffee Company
Jan Freitag of Smith Travel Research Inc.
Ben Goldberg of Bar Twenty3

Law:
* James Crumlin of Bone McAllester Norton
Jonathan Cole of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz
Tonya Grindon of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz

Medicine and Health Care:
* Rob Pittman Owner of Superior Orthotics and Prosthetics
Daniel Hogan of Doctor’s Associates Home Health and At Home Diabetic
Justin Turner of Meharry Medical College

Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing:
* Shelby White Senior Account Supervisor, Seigenthaler Public Relations
Michael Drescher of the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Policy
Andrew Maraniss of McNeely Pigott & Fox

Real Estate:
* Alice Walker Affiliate Broker, The Wilson Group Real Estate Services
Ironelly Mora of Realty Executives Fine Homes
Amy Poley of Healthcare Realty Trust

Technology:
* Nicholas Holland President and CEO, CentreSource Inc.
Kevin O’Hara of HealthStream Inc.
Brian Shore of Cisco Systems

About The 20/20 Leadership Alliance
The 20/20 Leadership Alliance is an alliance of young professional organizations working to engage, connect and empower young professionals under the age of 40 to actively shape the future of the Nashville region. The 20/20 Alliance is comprised of The Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce, Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID, and Urban League Young Professionals.

The NELA was sponsored by Cricket Communications, GNAR (Greater Nashville Association of Realtors), Kraft CPAs, The Tennessean, and Vanderbilt University.

About CentreSource
CentreSource is a full-service provider of custom web design, development, and digital marketing services. With clients worldwide and centrally located in Nashville, Tennessee, CentreSource provides a wealth of expertise and web design solutions to strategically harness the power of today’s online opportunities.

More about the firm can be found on its Web site: www.centresource.com

“We are very happy to have Kerry join our family,” said Nicholas Holland, CEO / President of CentreSource Inc. “His experience in print and online marketing, paired with his reputation for relationship management, is a welcomed resource to our firm. Our expansion of Search Engine Optimization and Marketing allows us to deliver not only pleasing, but profitable web design solutions for our enterprise clients.”

“It’s gratifying to be a surrounded by a talented team,” said Kerry. “CentreSource has a passion to deliver web solutions and design with excellence, and I am pleased to be a part of the firm’s mission.”

Before joining CentreSource, Kerry worked worldwide with software developers and mobile carriers for Voice It Technologies and PalmGear.com developing online marketing initiatives for the Palm OS smartphone market.

In his spare time, Kerry reviews gadgets for www.GearDiary.com, enjoys photography, carpentry, and time with his wife Becky, family and two dogs.

“We are very happy to have Jim join our growing team,” said Nicholas Holland, CEO / President of CentreSource Inc. “His experience in print media and web design, combined with his reputation for customer service, is a welcomed resource to our firm. Our wide range of in house capabilities allows us to provide web design and back end solutions for our enterprise clients.”

“It’s exciting to be a part of such an incredibly talented team,” said Jim. “CentreSource understands a client’s need for web solutions and great design, and I am pleased to be a part of the firm’s rapid growth.”

Before joining CentreSource, Jim was freelancing at SouthSide Media Print and Web Design for the last 7 years, and served as Art Director for Tour Guide Magazine, the largest live event production industry magazine.

His wealth of skill sets include expertise in PHP, XHTML, MySQL, CSS, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, and ActionScript.

In his down time, Jim can be found on a nearby lake on a sailboat or at home playing guitar.