What's in a name?

I've been having an ongoing debate about the importance of a name - to a product, a company, a service, or even to something like this blog.

Can you have a bad name and extraordinary brand? Does it all start with the name, or can you retro-fit a name to meet the new brand essence of a company?

Thoughts?

Climbing a mountain you can't see - that's inspirational!

I’m typically pretty quiet about all the ways Sage employees across North America and the world give back to the community, but this story is way too cool not to share.

Greg DePinto is part of the ACT! for Sage sales team, and an active member of The Foundation for Blind Children (FBC) - http://www.seeitourway.org/. FBC is the largest independent organization providing resources for blind students in North America. Founded in 1952, the organization has become a national model for agencies serving the blind. Since the number of blind babies born in Arizona and those referred for services has increased over 300% in the last 10 years, the number of children and adults served through FBC has grown to over 2,000 in just the last year.

About 11 months ago, FBC recruited/trained members of its volunteer organization – Greg included – to guide eight blind students on a hike to the top of Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro. All 25 members made it to the top on June 29, breaking two world records along the way: (1) the largest group of blind climbers to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro and (2) the youngest blind climber to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro at age 13!

Besides this amazing achievement, Team Kili has also raised enough money to provide services to 52 blind children next year – funding the state had cut.

News coverage of this amazing achievement can be found here:
http://www.azcentral.com/video/?type=mavenfull&id=news&videoID=1177280351

And to learn more about the climb, you can also visit http://www.seekiliourway.org/

Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your day to celebrate this amazing accomplishment! People like Greg are some of the main reasons why Sage is a great place to work. We might be a global company with primarily business-oriented solutions, but we all carry a charitable heart and passion for our communities and wonderful causes.

Back to School Shoppings = Money for Children's Literacy!

Did you know that since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. Appalling!

BookSpring the the home of Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Austin. I wouldn't be a good board president if I didn't promote this opportunity to raise money for children's literacy. And yes, we do receive money directly to support our local community from this national fundraiser!

So, this back to school season, stop by your local Macy's to support children's literacy and save money.

Dates: July 1, 2009 – August 31, 2009

Give $3 and get $10 OFF a $50 purchase or give $6 and get $20 off a $100 purchase…

Book A Brighter FutureTM is a national partnership between Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s oldest and largest children and families’ literacy organization, and Macy’s to raise awareness and support for children’s literacy. In 2008 over 1,000,000 Macy’s customers donated more than $3.1 million to support RIF programs and initiatives. This was the largest customer supported campaign in RIF’s 42 year history! The program will help RIF provide free books and literacy resources to children nationwide, and also expand its outreach to the many children who are at the greatest risk for reading difficulties.

Macy’s will donate 100% of every $3 to RIF. $1 will go to support a local RIF program, $1 will go to the Multicultural Literacy Campaign, and $1 will support reading resources for children nationwide.

Oh - and Mom, thanks for reading to me way before I was even in school. It's made all the difference.