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Building marketplace understanding through strategic use of speaking engagements and bylined articles
Stern Stewart & Co.
Goal:
To educate key stakeholder groups on the differentiators between Stern Stewart & Co.'s financial performance measures and others in the marketplace and to position Stern Stewart executive management as thought leaders.
Approach:
Stern Stewart & Co. (SSC) is a global consulting firm that specializes in helping client companies measure and create shareholder wealth. It pioneered the Economic Value Added® (EVA) performance measurement framework which provides organizations with a consistent methodology for determining the economic profit of an enterprise. In many ways, EVA turns conventional accounting on its head.
In order to generate industry buy-in to the EVA concept, SSC needed to educate the marketplace. They knew that PR would be an effective tool in this education process, but they needed a PR firm staffed by professionals who could understand the subtleties of corporate accounting practices and explain the SSC value proposition to the media and conference organizers. Stephenson Group (SG) wrote articles and speaking proposals on behalf of (SSC) executives that were effective in generating media coverage and getting (SSC) executives on the podium at important industry events.
Because SG writers, media relations managers, and speakers bureau experts were well-versed in finance and financial services, SG was able to develop the articles and proposals with minimal input from SSC's busy executive team. SSC executives were able to spend their time building relationships with potential customers, not educating their PR firm.
Results:
More than 300 companies and numerous brokerage houses use SSC's EVA methodology. Importantly, EVA is widely recognized as an effective performance measurement tool by media and analysts covering corporate accounting and finance.
Following is a sample of published articles and presentations SG secured for SSC:
Bylined Articles:
- Michael Beckerman, Keith Donohue, and Andre Shih, "Measuring Performance and Creating Value in Mortgage Banking," Secondary Marketing Executive, April, 2002
- Andre Shih, John Kapitan, Keith Huebsch, and Michael Beckerman, "Creating Shareholder Wealth at Financial Institutions: Governance and Management for Higher Market Valuations," Bank Accounting & Finance, Fall, 2001
- Andre Shih, John Kapitan, and Keith Huebsch, "Management Accountability: the Key to Success in Bank Acquisitions," American Banker, December 1, 2000
- Andre Shih, John Kapitan, and Bokyan Lo, "Value Creation in the Credit Union Industry," Credit Union Times, August 9, 2000
Speaking Engagements:
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John Kapitan, "Achieving a Profitable Asset Liability Balance: Marquette Bank's Experience with EVA," Bank Administration Institute, Asset/Liability Management for Community Banks Symposium, San Antonio, Texas, March 19, 2002
- John Kapitan, "Economic Value Added: Successful Management Strategies for the Insurance Industry in a Volatile World," Strategic Research Institute, Insurance Technology Symposium, Scottsdale, Arizona, February 3, 2002
- John Kapitan "Executive Compensation and Performance Issues," Credit Union Executives Society, Directors Conference, San Diego, California, December 3, 2001
- Andre Shih, "Economic Value Added," Credit Union Executives Society, CUES Symposium: CEO/Chairman Exchange, St. Thomas, January 30-February 1, 2001
- Andre Shih, "The Board of Directors and Investor Relations," America's Community Bankers, Board Members Conference, Seattle, Washington, October 29, 2000
- Andre Shih, "Governing with EVA," North Carolina Bankers Association, CFO Symposium, Greensboro, North Carolina, August 22, 2000
- John Kapitan, "Corporate Governance and Mergers & Acquisitions," America's Community Bankers, Spring Management Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, April 18, 2000
- John Kapitan, "EVA Practices within Banking," Bank Administration Institute, Profitability and Performance Measurement Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, March 21, 2000
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