Near Denver in Colorado Springs, we provide communication consulting, facilitation, feedback, business interview coaching, presentation skills, DISC personality styles training, professional public keynote speaker services in team and interpersonal communication skills.
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Laura Benjamin's Pinehurst Press Ltd. Interpersonal Communication Strategies in Times of Change |
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Communication: it's never 'just' business - it's always personal! |
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Laura Benjamin's Resume
President, Pinehurst Press Ltd. Communication & Career Strategies
A personable, determined professional with over 20 years tested experience in written and web-based communication, sales and service, human resources, public speaking and training. She has managed teams of up to 100 frontline staff and is known for creating positive, motivational work environments. Combined with strong interpersonal skills, she is a creative thinker, adept at promoting and advancing key concepts, initiatives, organizations, individuals and ideas. Possessing a results-oriented, problem solving approach to team dynamics, Laura consistently promotes a “work around the obstacles” mindset that leads to innovative solutions.
SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Media, Communications, Publishing:
- Experienced radio and television guest expert, including repeat invitations to guest host a two-hour, drive-time radio talk show. Reliable media resource for newspaper and magazine interviews, quotes and articles. Developed and hosts a weekly online radio show featuring guest experts on interpersonal communication strategies.
- Self-published a 100-page handbook on a proprietary communication and decision-making model, promoted and distributed using online, back-of-the-room and word-of-mouth marketing methods.
- Recorded and edited over 100 public presentations, testimonials and guest expert interviews for CD and web-based distribution.
- Created, edited and published a Dreamweaver based website which attracts approximately 10,000 visits/month, holds first page Google rank for multiple keyword phrases and offers regularly enhanced print and audio content.
- Created, edited and published three Wordpress blogs which attract approximately 200 visits/day and over 1400 email subscribers.
- Since 2000, wrote and published an email newsletter attracting thousands of subscribers through word of mouth recommendations and back-of-the-room training program and keynote speech signups.
Public Presentations, Coaching and Training:
- Presented to over half a million audience attendees through workshops, keynotes and seminars to military, civil service, commercial, Fortune 100 and non-profit organizations throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany.
- Coached small business owners, authors, actors and singers on business and time management, marketing, publicity, search engine optimization and online communication
- Coached hundreds of executives, frontline managers, team leads and supervisors on leadership and management skills, change, career development and interpersonal communication in healthcare, government, financial services, construction, military and civil service sectors.
- Facilitated a 3-month executive teambuilding and quality team feedback training for formal and informal leaders of a 600-person U.S. Army Morale, Welfare & Recreation Directorate.
- Trained 200+ unionized Federal Aviation Administration employees on telephone switch system upgrades at Flight Service Stations in Louisiana , California , Arizona , Idaho and Kansas .
- Managed a three-year customer service improvement initiative and mystery shopping project serving a 10-site, statewide banking organization
- Trained Call Center Managers on 40+ call tracking and performance report variations for each system cut-over.
- Developed and conducted upsell and cross-sell training for 400 sales and service call center agents, which contributed to record-breaking sales within less than one year.
Marketing, Sales and Service:
- Founded and grew a small consulting and training business approximately 10% each year from start-up sole proprietorship to incorporated status.
- Increased revenue of a 400-person call center sales initiative from approximately $200,000 to $927,000 within 18 months.
- Developed and piloted sales incentive and employee recognition programs at a cost of less than 1% of revenue generated. Created a manual tracking process in the absence of automated systems, addressed employee conflicts and motivated agents to apply innovative measures to achieve and exceed performance goals.
- Identified and leveraged upsell opportunities through sales, service, inquiry, billing and inbound customer complaint calls.
- Account manager for three national B2B accounts, including Kaman Sciences and an Autocad firm. Facilitated lead generation efforts in partnership with corporate marketing managers and sales teams through customer relationship management systems and call center support.
Human Resources and Employee Benefits:
- Created, promoted and managed organization-wide, multi-day Employee Benefits Health Fairs featuring five healthcare providers, dental, flexible spending account and retirement/investment plan providers (Fidelity Investments and TIAA/CREF)
- Communicated complex, irrevocable benefit choices to deaf and hearing-impaired staff through live interpreter and TDD telecommunication methods
- Designed employee benefit promotional materials for international recruiting efforts to attract university scientists, faculty and executive level administrators
- Increased retirement/investment plan participation over 20% through promotions and outreach
- Administered and communicated employee benefits to 2500 faculty and staff to include health, dental, life, disability, retirement and 403(b) investment plans
- Hired, coached, evaluated and managed over 100 seasonal and regular sales and service representatives in a manufacturing and call center environment
- Managed annual health, dental and flexible spending account open enrollment process for 5 health plans impacting 2500 employees
- Conducted safety and accident investigations, documented disciplinary actions including termination, and coached over 1000 employees on performance improvement strategies
- Cafeteria Benefits Feasibility Study team member for focus group selection and results analysis
- Outplacement team counselor during unprecedented downsizings affecting 250+ employees
- Negotiated with Third Party Administrators for claims review and settlement for a 2500 employee organization
- Counseled surviving spouses on irrevocable survivor benefit decisions, including life insurance, retirement annuities and health benefit continuance
- Career marketing outplacement consultant to over 100 executive level, scientific, technical and frontline management clients, 90% of whom found employment in less than 6 months
Operations:
- Managed call center day shift operations, team leads and 100+ sales and service agents to a $6M budget
- Saved $13,000 in hourly production costs by eliminating a labor intensive order review process
- Identified $30,000+ a year in lost-in-house billing revenue
- Increased agent productivity 20% by identifying lost production time, self-management goals, performance coaching and consistent reporting
- Facilitated customer satisfaction efforts affecting 15,000 out of stock problem orders
- Identified high error rate affecting approximately 300,000 orders yearly and coordinated cooperative problem-solving between disparate business units
Work History:
- President, Pinehurst Press Ltd. Communication & Career Strategies, a consulting, coaching, professional speaking, meeting facilitation and publishing company (1997-present; formerly Laura Benjamin International Inc.)
- Guest Lecturer and Part-time Instructor, Pikes Peak Community College Learning Enterprises Division, Customer Service/Help Desk Workforce Development Partnership, Colorado Springs CO
- Sales and Service Team Manager, Current Inc., Colorado Springs CO (1994-1997)
- Career Marketing and Outplacement Consultant, Colorado Springs and Denver CO (1993-1994)
- Senior Human Resources & Employee Benefits Specialist, Rochester Institute of Technology & National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester NY (1988-1992)
- United States Air Force, Legal Services Specialist, E-5, Honorable Discharge
Education and Professional Development:
- Graduate level coursework, University of Colorado , Colorado Springs and Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY
- Bachelor of Arts, Humanities, California State University (1988)
- United States Air Force Leadership and Management Development Center , Tort, Claims and Litigation School , Maxwell AFB Alabama
- United States Air Force Non-commissioned Officer's Leadership School , Barksdale AFB Louisiana
- Dale Carnegie Human Relations Program, Colorado Springs CO
- Certified in Situational Leadership®, Center for Leadership Studies (2007)
- Certified in the ConflictLens® Conflict Management Assessment Tool from Creative Metrics
- Certified in Leadership Culturelink® by Corporate Development Group, Denver CO
- Authorized Inscape Publishing Distributor proficient in the DiSC® Behavioral Assessment, Team Dimensions, Personal Listening and Workplace Expectations profiles. Familiar with MBTI and other social styles assessments like Colors and Shapes.
- Member, International Association of Facilitators (IAF) since 2007
Community and Volunteer Service:
- Member, Experience Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Member, Artemis Women, a professional education and networking group in Colorado Springs , Colorado
- Board Member, Pikes Peak Partnership of Colorado Springs CO
- Past-president, Society for Human Resources Management Colorado Springs Chapter, a 200 member association of human resource professionals and industry affiliates (2001)
- Vice-President of Programs and Board Member, Society for Human Resources Management Colorado Springs Chapter (2000)
- Board Member, National Speakers Association Colorado Chapter
- Board Member, Boy Scouts of America Pikes Peak Council, Colorado Springs CO
- Volunteer, Junior Achievement, Michael's Gate Youth Leadership Program Carousel Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center , Young Women of the West Youth Leadership and the Colorado Division of Wildlife
Awards and Commendations:
- Superior Merit Award Chapter designation from the Society for Human Resources Management while serving as President of the Colorado Springs Chapter (2001)
- Twice designated a Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Platinum Speaker
- United States Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, Air Force Longevity Ribbon, Honorable Discharge, member K.I. Sawyer AFB Michigan Honor Guard Team
Publications:
- Columnist, Southside Business News, Colorado Springs CO
- Author, The CARLA Concept™: How to Raise an Issue, Prove Your Point and Communicate with Confidence & Clarity , 2005 (self published)
- Contributing Author, Safety, Health and Asset Protection Management Essentials, Richard W. Lack, Editor, Lewis Publishers, 2002 (textbook)
- Published articles on marketing, communication, management and leadership, change, interpersonal skills have appeared in Airline Pilot Careers Magazine , HRM Review , Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University Books and a variety of online magazines and websites including www.BlueSuitMom.com .
- Writer and editor of three blogs, including www.laurabenjaminsblog.com , www.coloradocareercoach.com and www.cardinalmooneyhighschoolblog.com
Copyright © 2001-2008 by Laura Benjamin and Pinehurst Press Ltd. All rights reserved.