Monday, March 8, 2010

Martin A. Stein

Today we are deeply saddened by the loss of our CEO, beloved friend and mentor, Martin Stein. Martin was a wonderful man with an amazing spirit who will be missed dearly by all who knew him.

For more information, including Martin's biography, service announcements and a video tribute, please click here.

Contributions may be made to The Martin Stein Memorial Fund through the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

posted by becky terhaar at 3:32 PM   2 comments

RMI attends CAP Workfest

On March 3rd, Debbie and I were in Jackson County, Kentucky volunteering for Christian Appalachian Project’s Workfest, whose mission is to aid the poor in Appalachia. The job at hand was to replace a worn and leaky roof. Debbie worked with the crew whose responsibility was to rip off the old roof (7 tons and 3 layers worth of shingles) and lay down tar paper. I was in charge of cutting tin sheets to size to replace the discarded shingles. Though it was hard work, it was gratifying to be able to directly help out a needy family.

We took some other photos too, click on this link to see them.

Labels: client, employees

posted by Rich Leary at 8:42 AM   0 comments

Friday, March 5, 2010

RMI Flashback: Linda Weintraub

Linda worked with us at RMI for 20 years, retiring in 2007, and she made those years memorable. She is just one of those people that when you tell new employees about her time here (and you always do), you always find yourself saying "Gotta love Linda, she is a unique individual." Here is what Linda had to say about her start with RMI.

OK, Tally...here goes: once again please excuse my lack of formatting, one day I do plan to learn WORD... maybe... It was the Spring of 1987. I got a call from Martin Stein and John Forte, asking if I'd like to interview for a sales position at their 2 years young shop. I was no stranger to both owners, we had all worked together at Walter Karl and I was still there, going on my 4th year of employment. How thrilled I was to be sought after! My loyalty to WK was strong, although I did go on the interview, and John and Martin truly presented me with an offer which I could not refuse. No cliche, it was a boost to my ego!!! Yet I was terrified to take on the challenge. What if I was not what they both expected? Would I be able to hold onto my clients that I had worked so hard to obtain while at WK?? So I became the 10th employee to join the newly budding RMI. It was in the Chappaqua office, my desk right in front of the office copier, that I moved in with my antique china cup and saucer, lots of heart shaped picture frames, and the 15 pairs of high heeled shoes...

As time went by, it soon became clear to me that I had lots to learn about being a salesperson and about the business as a whole. Martin and John, with their individual styles and strengths (gently) whipped me into shape. Their knowledge, enthusiasm and faith in me became invaluable... They handed over 2 house accounts, which were huge mailers, (although RMI had a tiny piece of the "pie") and gave me the job to make them grow... And boy, did I :)

My 20 + year journey at RMI has been a wonderful experience, thru the many ups and downs, the many friends and collegues that I've made thru the years will be cherished always. A huge congratulations go out to the company founders and their long-term stellar staff for upholding 25 years of OUTSTANDING BUSINESS PRACTICES, with much integrity and finesse. BEST of luck in future endeavors.

Most sincerely and warmly, Lindamaxine Weintraub

Labels: 25 years

posted by Tally at 7:02 AM   0 comments

Friday, February 19, 2010

RMI Flashback: John Forte

For the second post of our series, RMI Flashback, celebrating RMI's 25 years in the industry, John Forte, co-founder of RMI and my old boss sent over this remembrance of the early days...

It’s hard to believe it was 25 years ago that Martin and I started RMI! I remember it as if it were yesterday. I think the seed for RMI was planted when Martin and I first met. We became friends instantly. Martin’s leadership, intelligence and charisma captained RMI to the respected firm it is today.

Our first office was my 10’ X 12’ foot “den” in my 900 square foot house. It was interesting squeezing everyone in. We had several smokers and it didn’t take long (I think one day) for us to decide that RMI would be a smoke free office.

Our very first employee was Dan Arnold – at that time a young, bright and eager broker. He is still bright and eager and does a fabulous job heading up RMI’s Brokerage division.

Debbie Mclain joined us just after Dan. We really needed Debbie – she did all the work! Debbie’s devotion, skills and stamina have been and continue to be one of RMI’s greatest assets. Every day is “We Love Debbie” day at RMI.

Tally joined RMI as a summer employee in our accounting department. She kept threatening to leave and return to school but, thankfully, never did. RMI would be lost without her.

I could go on and on but will conclude by congratulating RMI on their 25th Anniversary and join the multitude of clients and friends wishing them another 25 years of success.

John Forte
2-18-10

Labels: 25 years, RMI

posted by Tally at 6:34 AM   0 comments

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

RMI marks a major milestone!

2010 marks RMI’s 25th year in the Direct Marketing Industry; we have many fond memories of the past 25 years and the clients and friends that have been with us, many of them for over 20 years. To celebrate, I thought I'd ask some RMI employees to share some stories on the blog about their experiences at RMI. In this first edition, Dan Arnold gives us some insight on being RMI's first employee...

Reflecting back on my first years with RMI, there were some very rewarding and funny moments. In those days, we were operating out of John's house, and it happened to work out that on my first day on the job, Martin and John left for Los Angeles for a convention. So, I was left in John's home for a week to run the day to day business. To say I was slightly panicked is an understatement. Somehow we did not go out of business that first week with me at the helm. Our saving grace could have been the speed at which our technology worked though; our first fax machine was called a Qwip and took 20 minutes to send one page. It's hard to imagine now; our industry has changed so much but it has been a great ride so far and I am looking forward to many more years!

Check out a classic photo of Dan on Flickr!

Labels: 25 years, RMI

posted by becky terhaar at 1:29 PM   0 comments

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

A New Face for the DMA Nonprofit Federation

It looks like the DMA Nonprofit Federation has taken steps to show that they are really listening to their membership. They have recently launched a new more interactive web site. It can be found at www.nonprofitfederation.org.

Previously, you had to go through the main DMA site to get to it. The information was outdated and irrelevant in many cases. This new site looks more hip and it focused on delivery quality content, along with many more search capabilities.

In my mind it is of the utmost importance that a marketing organization keeps up on the latest formats and technologies available. Kudos to the leadership of the Federation for recognizing that as well.

Labels: DMA, DMA Nonprofit Federation

posted by Michael Kertelits at 7:20 AM   0 comments

Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Taste of a New Generation

Saw an article on the Yahoo web site about a new tactic that the beverage giant Pepsi is taking this year in regards to Super Bowl advertising. They are not going to do it. That’s right; they have decided it is in their best interest to allocate this money toward launching a $20 million grant campaign, which will be distributed through social media channels.

The grant money will go to projects that cover six categories: including health, arts, culture, the planet, education, food and shelter. People will go to http://www.refresheverything.com/ to vote on worthy appeals and suggest other projects that may deserve the money.

Folks from Pepsi are buying in hook, line and sinker that the use of social media will spark a long-term movement instead of a few days of buzz like they get over a commercial seen during the big game. Time will only tell whether they are getting a better bang for their buck, but Pepsi is really trying to tap into the “tastes” of today’s generation.

Labels: social media

posted by Michael Kertelits at 11:37 AM   0 comments