“Social Business Video” Highlights BAF Technologies’ CNG Conversions For Corporate/Government Vehicles

DALLAS, April 6, 2011 – BAF Technologies has already converted more than 12,000 vehicles from gasoline to compressed natural gas (CNG). Yet more corporations and governmental entities may be in BAF’s pipeline thanks in part to its special relationship with one of the world’s top automakers, and this potential for new business is the subject of the latest spark360 “Social Business Video” profile, now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

BAF Technologies, based in Dallas, began operations in 1992 in response to the Clean Air Act and quickly became one of the top providers of natural gas vehicles, converting fleets for Fortune 500 companies such as Verizon and AT&T. The company designs the CNG systems, installs them in 12 locations across the United States, and provides nationwide service and support. And BAF is the only company in its industry that has approval from the Ford Motor Company for natural gas, having acquired QVM (Qualified Vehicle Modifier) status from the automaker.

“It’s a strategic relationship with Ford that allows us to submit to Ford our systems for approval by them,” BAF Technologies president John Bacon tells spark360 host/managing editor Renay San Miguel. “By them approving it, then they cover the entire warranty on any vehicle that we convert to compressed natural gas.”

Bacon lists the benefits of natural gas for cars: CNG is about a dollar a gallon cheaper than gasoline, it’s cleaner-burning and safe. Bacon also argues that CNG helps address national security concerns: “We don’t have to go outside the United States for the fuel. We have over 200 years of natural gas in the United States right now. So by staying here, we keep our dollars at home, we don’t do business with people that don’t like us a whole lot, and we keep our country safe.”

The spark360 cameras capture the “upfit” process in BAF’s Dallas plant as workers remove gasoline tanks from corporate vehicles, install new CNG tanks and systems, and then inspect them to make sure they comply with Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resource Board (CARB) guidelines. Bacon adds that BAF Technologies not only easily meets those guidelines, it’s also the only company in its industry to perform crash-testing on its vehicles.

The cameras also go inside the company’s research and development division as application engineers draw up systems designs on computers. The spark360 profile includes comments about Ford Motor Company’s interest in natural gas for cars from Dick Cupka, sustainability program manager for the automaker.

“There’s increased interest in natural gas right now, due to the effort to reduce dependence on foreign energy sources. It’s growing very quickly,” Cupka said. “Ford Motor Company is wanting to be part of that. We’re partnering with groups like BAF to make product available to the customers.”

“John Bacon and BAF Technologies make a good case for natural gas for cars,” said San Miguel. “It’s a detailed behind-the-scenes look at a company providing a technology for alternative fuels, and it’s also an examination of the business partnerships that can develop in order to succeed in the clean energy fuels industry.”

About spark360

spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet. spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media

Splash Media LP, based in Addison, Texas, is one of the largest agencies in the Southwest providing internet marketing, social media marketing and strategic video solutions. Splash offers a unique mix of services that blends interactive digital marketing with Emmy Award-winning video production.

Companies looking to outsource their social media marketing contact Splash Media for expertise in creating online communities, social media monitoring/interaction and content marketing. And since 2004, Splash has delivered web-enabled, custom strategic video solutions for training and communications.

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

“Social Business Video” Shows Company’s Mix of Technology and Craftsmanship in Water Control

DALLAS, March 17 – Thanks to its innovative methods of draining water away from residential and commercial building foundations, Dallas Drain Company has also built its own solid foundation: a successful business model that’s a combination of old-school craftsmanship and investments in high-tech research. Splash Media’s spark360 puts that ingenuity and hard work on display in its new “Social Business Video” profile, now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

Dallas Drain Company, in business since 1984, specializes in installation of drainage systems using the French Angled Slotted Pipe (FASP). The pipe’s self-cleaning design does away with the need for filter cloths that can clog up with dirt, which necessitates digging up the systems for replacement. But Dallas Drain’s FASP systems are good for the life of the house and come with a 10-year warranty.

FASP helped fast-track the company’s success, but Dallas Drain – led by president and CEO Kevin Travis – has also designed new ways of protecting other areas such as sports complexes, golf courses and roads. The company takes in-house research and development seriously; it’s won patents or has patents pending for products that clean downspouts and monitor basement sumps. Dallas Drain has put cameras in experimental pipe systems underground to check fluid flows and has even built a golf sand trap on company grounds for testing drainage methods.

The spark360 cameras take viewers behind the scenes as Dallas Drain Company workers install a new residential drainage system and show the company’s monitoring and control systems for its research projects. Examples of the company’s work in “rain harvesting” are shown, and speeded-up photography is used to show the sand trap testing area draining off water from a simulated downpour in 8.5 minutes.

Travis also appears on the spark360 virtual set for an interview with host Renay San Miguel, and talks about why architects and engineers should work with Dallas Drain Company before they begin drawing up their blueprints. “Usually what happens is, we get the call to look at the plans and we see immediately ways that we can better the design upfront,” Travis said. “If they got us in on the design process, we can make it easier on them and we can make it easier on all the (construction) trades involved.”

“At first glance, Dallas Drain Company might look like another plumbing-type firm,” said San Miguel. “But there’s more engineering and technological innovation going on at Travis’ company. It’s one of the few drainage-only companies in the U.S., but it’s carved a very successful niche for itself, and that’s the kind of entrepreneurship we like to highlight on spark360.”

About spark360

spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet. spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media

Splash Media LP, based in Addison, Texas, is one of the largest agencies in the Southwest providing internet marketing, social media marketing and strategic video solutions. Splash offers a unique mix of services that blends interactive digital marketing with Emmy Award-winning video production.

Companies looking to outsource their social media marketing contact Splash Media for expertise in creating online communities, social media monitoring/interaction and content marketing. And since 2004, Splash has delivered web-enabled, custom strategic video solutions for training and communications.

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

spark360 Continues Its Look At Company’s HVAC Innovations, Including Ductless Air Conditioning

DALLAS, January 18, 2011 – Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating Solutions’ innovative technology breakthroughs – such as ductless air conditioning and individual climate control for rooms – are already helping companies and governments save money and energy around the world. But the same features are also available for U.S. homeowners, and those consumer options are the focus of the new spark360 “Social Business Video” profile, now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

The news-style story is the second to highlight Mitsubishi Electric’s products and services; a previous spark360 feature that aired in late November profiled what the company offers its professional customers – architects, engineers, contractors and commercial building owners. That story can be found at http://www.spark360.tv/2010/ductless-air-conditioning-just-one-mitsubishi-electric-cool-idea/.

Now the spark360 spotlight is on offerings that allow homeowners to cut down on energy costs, keep pollutants and allergens away from loved ones and help the environment, all thanks to Mitsubishi Electric technologies. The spark360 team traveled to the company’s U.S. headquarters in Suwanee, Georgia, and toured the cavernous warehouse area loaded with boxed products ready for shipping to distributors. spark360 audiences will also go inside the company’s training and demonstration facility, where Mitsubishi Electric’s specialists show off tech advances like:

* INVERTER compressor technology that enables compressors to use only the amount of energy needed to cool or heat a specific area, which saves money on monthly electricity bills and is environmentally “green;”

* Ductless air conditioning and heating systems that cut down on airborne pollutants and allergens, a concern among many families. The elimination of ductwork also allows the homeowner to cool and heat those areas that are either too hot or too cold.

In addition, Mitsubishi Electric consumer products are environmentally-friendly; they meet ENERGY STAR® standards, the components in the company’s air conditioners are designed to be nearly 90 percent recyclable, and the refrigerant used offers zero ozone depletion potential (ODP).

Bill Rau, senior vice president and general manager of Mitsubishi Electric, tells spark360 host Renay San Miguel that while his company first introduced many of its breakthroughs three decades ago, “it’s a different concept than what United States contractors are familiar with. We have an answer that doesn’t rely upon that old technology. We can put cooling or heating exactly in the space where you as a homeowner want to have it.”

“This is the first time that most Americans are going to realize that they have a choice,” adds Meredith Emmerich, Mitsubishi Electric’s director of application support. “They don’t have to settle for what goes in their home, what keeps their families healthy, their kids safe and comfortable.”

“Our spark360 audiences learned a lot about the revolutionary technologies pioneered by Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating Solutions during our first story on their professional products,” San Miguel said. “But now they can get an inside look at how those same technologies can make their homes more energy-efficient and the air inside those homes healthier for their families.”

About spark360

spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet. spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media

Splash Media LP, based in Addison, Texas, is one of the largest agencies in the Southwest providing internet marketing, social media marketing and strategic video solutions. Splash offers a unique mix of services that blends interactive digital marketing with Emmy Award-winning video production.

Companies looking to outsource their social media marketing contact Splash Media for expertise in creating online communities, social media monitoring/interaction and content marketing. And since 2004, Splash has delivered web-enabled, custom strategic video solutions for training and communications.

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

Fort Worth Intellectual Property/Patent Infringement Lawyers’ “Noble Cause” Profiled In New spark360 Story

FORT WORTH, January 13, 2011 – You’ve come up with a killer idea for the next Killer App. You’ve persuaded the U.S. government to grant you a patent for it. Now what? How do you turn technological inspiration into business reality? And how can you protect your million-dollar idea from plunder by intellectual property pirates?

The partners of Friedman, Suder & Cooke, a Fort Worth law firm, have spent the last 17 years successfully providing answers for engineers, inventors and small-to-medium businesses entangled in intellectual property litigation. The firm’s unique method of sharing the risks and rewards with its clients is the subject of the new spark360 “Social Business Video” profile, now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

“We represent people who own the patent, the inventors of the patents,” firm shareholder Mike Cooke tells spark360 host Renay San Miguel. “It’s a situation where it’s economically not feasible for this individual to be able to enforce his property right, this patent that he holds, against other companies. He doesn’t have the assets to try to monetize it, to try and make a business of it, much less incur years of litigation trying to enforce that and try to have other people respect his rights. So what we do is jump in the same boat with the inventor.”

The firm does that by being one of the few to work on a contingency basis – that way, individuals and small companies can hire experienced attorneys to go up against giant corporations with deep pockets and teams of lawyers. “And that’s one of the most rewarding things about this – to get to know these people who are very creative, who are innovators in our society, work with them and help them realize the value, the benefits of their dream, their idea, their invention,” Cooke said.

Friedman, Suder and Cooke has a track record of success, winning several high-profile judgments that have drawn the attention of publications like the Wall Street Journal, the National Law Journal and Texas Lawyer. The partners’ passion for finding justice for their clients is evident as the spark360 cameras go behind-the-scenes at a strategy session at the Fort Worth law office led by firm shareholder Jon Suder, who was recognized by Texas Monthly Magazine in 2003 as a “Texas Super Lawyer.”

San Miguel interviews Suder on the spark360 virtual set and asks about the firm’s motivation for focusing on the arcane, technical maze that is intellectual property/patent infringement litigation, which can require time, financial resources and endurance to go up against teams of lawyers hired by big corporations. “We’re there to operate a business and be successful, but there’s a noble cause to representing inventors and enforcing patents that the government has determined are worthy of protection, something that an inventor may not fully appreciate what he has or what he can do with it,” the Fort Worth lawyer said.

Suder also provides a history lesson for spark360 viewers: the ideas behind patents and IP rights were deemed worthy enough by founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin – both prolific inventors – that they wanted them enshrined in the Constitution. “They recognized that the patent system was important to get our country up and running as a great industrialized nation. Innovators needed business partners to take it (an idea) and show it and teach people how to do it, so that they can then move the ball forward and say, ‘All right, I can’t do that, but let me see if I did it this way.’ And that’s what made us a great country.”

San Miguel also gets Suder’s take on so-called “patent trolls,” or non-producing entities. “I had done a little bit of reporting in the past on patent trolls and their role in several high-profile technology-based lawsuits,” San Miguel said. “Suder says they actually have some value in the patent law process. There is a business side to patents and intellectual property litigation that can be overshadowed by the gee-whiz technology aspects and it’s been educational to work on this spark360 story to help dig that up through the work done by Friedman, Suder & Cooke.”

About spark360
spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet.spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media
Splash Media L.P., based in Addison, Texas, creates and develops custom web-based communications and training solutions that are powered by video. We specialize in developing video communications strategies and video delivery platforms that drive our customer’s bottom line. Splash Media is a leader in the Enterprise Video Communications industry and has been delivering Internet enabled strategic video solutions since 2004. http://www.splashmedia.com <http://www.splashmedia.com/>

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

Honda Cars of Katy’s Customer Service Strategy Is Focus of “Social Business Video” Profile

KATY, TX., Dec. 21 – It’s hard to tell which shines brighter at Honda Cars of Katy: any new Honda car – or the dealership itself. Barely three years old, the 50,000 square-foot facility just off Interstate 10 in this Houston suburb has the latest design touches and amenities to attract customers.

But as the new spark360 “Social Business Video” profile shows, the building is only half the story. People buy cars from people, not dealerships, and the highly-trained sales associates at Honda Cars of Katy do their part to win over customers. Their work at providing what its executives call the best Honda service Houston has to offer – along with a close-up look at the dealership’s features – are found in the profile now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

Honda Cars of Katy general manager Chris Morrison likens his facility to a Neiman Marcus department store, and works to duplicate that kind of high-end customer experience to stand out in the competitive Houston-area auto dealer market. “When we built the facility we knew how nice it was going to be. Therefore we knew that we were going to be held to a higher standard to take care of the customer,” Morrison tells host Renay San Miguel during an interview on the spark360 virtual set. But Morrison adds that the luxurious surroundings won’t mean customers can’t find an affordable new Honda car here. “We do have a Neiman-Marcus facility but not at Neiman Marcus prices.”

The spark360 cameras show off design features such as a large glassed-in children’s play area with games and movies, and the Odyssey Cafe, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for customers and employees. The video tour includes the 40-bay service department, where a typical Honda Accord oil change turns into a speedy NASCAR-style “pit stop” thanks to crews working  above and below cars. Honda Cars of Katy also attracts top-quality technicians thanks to air-conditioning that helps ward off Houston’s notorious summer heat and humidity.

“I love our technicians,” says Honda Cars of Katy service advisor Maxine Vanderwall. “They’re quite thorough and honest. They’re certified Honda technicians. You just can’t get any better. The honesty is what I really like, and the customer service levels. We strive constantly to raise the bar with our customer service.”

Taking care of service department employees emphasizes another crucial aspect of Morrison’s business model: training. “My number one goal is employee satisfaction,” he says. “If I take care of the associates, they’ll take care of the customers. With that in mind, we train every day at 8:30 a.m. We give them the proper knowledge to be able to present our product to the customers in a world-class experience.”

When it comes to helping customers drive off the lot with a new Honda car, “We want to make it right,” says sales associate Javier Balderas. “We want to do it right the first time because if we do it right the first time, you’re going to come back, you’re going to send us your brothers and sisters, you’re going to send us people that you know and you love and you trust.”

“There’s a nice mix of high-end design and down-home customer service taking place at Honda Cars of Katy,” says San Miguel. “Our spark360 story really shows how some car dealerships are really working hard to stand out from the pack in a major market like Houston. Chris Morrison has hit on the ‘wow’ factor with a shiny new dealership, but he’s not forgetting the human factor when it comes to his sales associates taking care of those looking to buy a new Honda car.”

About spark360

spark360 is a Web-based business video program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution Social Media Platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet.

spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media

Splash Media LP, based in Addison, Texas, is one of the largest agencies in the Southwest providing internet marketing, social media marketing and strategic video solutions. Splash offers a unique mix of services that blends interactive digital marketing with Emmy Award-winning video production.

Splash Media’s team of social media and web marketing experts design custom-built strategies including search engine marketing/optimization, website design and social video publishing strategies.

Companies looking to outsource their social media marketing contact Splash Media for expertise in creating online communities, social media monitoring/interaction and content marketing. And since 2004, Splash has delivered web-enabled, custom strategic video solutions for training and communications.

For media inquiries about Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

DALLAS, Dec. 9 – When somebody decides to sue for wrongful death or injury caused by negligence, the resulting legal battle can often put one person versus an entire company, its team of lawyers and its unlimited resources. How the Dallas-based personal injury claim lawyers at Frenkel & Frenkel help balance the scales of justice for those individuals is the subject of the new spark360 “Social Business Video” profile, now available for viewing on www.spark360.tv.

The firm’s co-founders, brothers Mark and Scott Frenkel, have some formidable weapons in their legal arsenal. Frenkel & Frenkel have access to the latest 3D imaging and computer animation technologies, and the brothers both used to work on the defense side of a courtroom representing doctors, hospitals and large corporations before starting their own firm in 1994. One of the firm’s attorneys is even an M.D., so Frenkel & Frenkel have unique advantages that they can leverage for clients.

But as Mark Frenkel tells host Renay San Miguel during an interview on the spark360 virtual set, his firm never forgets the “personal” in personal injury cases.

“You cannot divorce yourself emotionally from your case,” Frenkel said. “That’s what these cases are about, and there may be a tendency after doing this almost 20 years to become hardened. But we don’t, and we draw on our own personal lives, things that have happened to us. When we are attending a client’s funeral, when we’re representing a family that’s lost a loved one, when we’re visiting them in the hospital, all along the way, we’re there for the family both as counselors and as attorneys.”

The spark360 cameras visit the personal injury claim lawyers’ North Dallas offices as Mark and Scott Frenkel demonstrate techniques they use in courtrooms to reconstruct accident scenes for juries, and show their use of various compelling audio/visual aids. Scott Frenkel said the technical tools are vital in leveling the playing field for clients who may be taking on big corporations when they sue for damages due to such issues as DUI injuries, industrial accidents, defective auto parts, physician malpractice lawsuits, pharmaceutical mistakes and nursing home abuse lawsuits.

“One of the things that we wanted to do -  and I know it sounds cliché – but we wanted to fight for, quote, ‘the little guy’ because it takes a lot of resources to go up against these companies, these doctors, these hospitals, these nursing homes and their attorneys,” Frenkel said. “It’s almost impossible for someone to bring about a medical malpractice case by themselves. There are a litany of procedural traps.”

“We’re taking on billion-dollar corporations, Ivy League lawyers, stables-full of lawyers with unlimited funds,” Mark Frenkel added. “We’ve got to match them financially, and then we have to match them technically, and then we have to match them with our manpower, and we can do all that.”

The personal injury claim lawyers’ success has resulted in recognition from peers and established journalists. The Frenkel brothers have been listed in D Magazine’s “Best of” issue, and Mark Frenkel is a frequent speaker at Texas Trial Lawyers Association events. Frenkel & Frenkel is basking in the success of a $1.7 million verdict won for a client, a case that was featured by investigative reporter Brian Ross during a recent episode of “Nightline.”

“It’s easy to see why the Frenkel brothers have enjoyed such success in the courtroom. The passion they exhibit in fighting for their clients is on display during our interviews with Mark and Scott,” San Miguel said. “I think our audience will also come to understand how Frenkel & Frenkel fight off negative stereotypes about personal injury attorneys by focusing on their professionalism, the formidable resources they bring to bear against well-funded legal opposition, and how they never forget that their clients are human beings looking for some sense of justice for what has happened to them.”

About spark360

spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet.spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media
Splash Media L.P., based in Addison, Texas, creates and develops custom web-based communications and training solutions that are powered by video. We specialize in developing video communications strategies and video delivery platforms that drive our customer’s bottom line. Splash Media is a leader in the Enterprise Video Communications industry and has been delivering Internet enabled strategic video solutions since 2004. http://www.splashmedia.com <http://www.splashmedia.com/>

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

Most Innovative Electronics Company Chooses “Social Business Video” To Spotlight Innovative Heating/Cooling Solutions for Professional Customers

DALLAS, Nov. 18 – Mitsubishi Electric, a pioneer in innovative cooling and heating solutions for homes and offices for more than three decades, is facing a perfect storm of opportunities for its climate control products: they’re healthier, more cost-effective and easier on the environment. Those are three key qualities now in demand in the marketplace and that technological prowess from the most innovative electronics company is the subject of two new spark360 business video profiles, the first of which is now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

The first spark360 profile on Mitsubishi Electric focuses on its solutions for professional customers; architects, engineers, contractors and building owners. The story shows how the company’s products and services are having an impact on how large commercial buildings are designed and built for education, healthcare, the hospitality industry, government, the military and utility companies.

The second profile highlighting the company’s residential offerings for homeowners will air soon at www.spark360.tv.

The spark360 cameras travel to the Atlanta, Georgia headquarters of Mitsubishi Electric’s Cooling and Heating Solutions division, where research, design, sales management, contractor training and final warehouse packaging and shipment takes place.  spark360 host/managing editor Renay San Miguel conducted several on-location interviews with the division’s top executives, including senior vice president/general manager Bill Rau, vice president of sales Bud Nardello and senior applications specialist Joe Bush.

The executives tell San Miguel how Mitsubishi Electric has led the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) U.S. market for 30 years thanks to innovative technology breakthroughs:

* Ductless air conditioning/heating systems which reduce allergens and pollutants;

* INVERTER-driven technology that varies a compressor’s speed so it doesn’t have to run at 100 percent all the time, thereby becoming more energy efficient and saving money;

* The patented CITY MULTI R2 series, a two-pipe heat recovery system that simultaneously cools and heats;

* Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) zoning technology that allows users more control – one area of a building can be heated while another can be spot-cooled.

Those revolutionary advances have made Mitsubishi Electric the primary source of heating and cooling in Europe, China and Japan and helped establish its marketplace strength in the U.S. Still, Rau says his company is just getting started.

“Our mission is to transform the HVAC industry in the United States,” Rau tells San Miguel. “Because of the green aspects of the product, the efficiency – particularly in commercial applications – it gives us a leg up over some other, more typical kinds of things that people are used to seeing, whether they be rooftop units or in applications where you use chillers and boilers. We offer a very, very viable alternative. We have a lot of flexibility that you just don’t see in those kinds of commercial applications.”

That flexibility is a quality much desired by architects, engineers and construction executives. They can now work Mitsubishi Electric’s products, such as their ductless air conditioning systems, into their designs for large buildings such as schools, hospitals and office complexes. “When you talk lifecycle costs with our product and you’re going out 20 years, you know that’s a big factor, especially with big commercial projects,” says commercial sales manager Dennis Cobb. “They (professional customers) don’t like to see a 10-year turnaround on products. So we’re talking 20-year lifespans on our product lines and we can keep that efficiency up for that period of time as well, and those are key factors that end users and architects are looking for in their designs.”

Nardello makes a vivid point in discussing Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating Solutions’ advantage over what’s been available in the U.S. market for so long. “For fifty years they’ve used the same technology in heating and cooling buildings. You can imagine if you had a computer that was fifty years old. It’s not something that you can look at and say, ‘well, I’m going to use the same technology that I did fifty years ago – I’m going to use the same rooftop unit, I’m going to use that same window unit.’ That isn’t real. The technology is here for you to take advantage of.”

“I think our spark360 audience will learn a lot going behind the scenes at Mitsubishi Electric’s Atlanta division,” San Miguel said. “They’ll see the technology on display during a contractor training session, and they’ll see the passion in the interviews with executives who truly believe they’ve got products that will mean greener, more cost-efficient commercial buildings and more comfortable, healthier, productive people who work in those offices.”

About spark360

spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet.spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media
Splash Media L.P., based in Addison, Texas, creates and develops custom web-based communications and training solutions that are powered by video. We specialize in developing video communications strategies and video delivery platforms that drive our customer’s bottom line. Splash Media is a leader in the Enterprise Video Communications industry and has been delivering Internet enabled strategic video solutions since 2004. http://www.splashmedia.com <http://www.splashmedia.com/>

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

“Social Business Video” Cameras Capture Toyota of Lewisville’s Preparations for Annual Toyotathon

DALLAS, Nov. 16 – It’s not just the major sales event for all Toyota dealers nationwide. The end-of-the-year Toyotathon also gives one of Texas’ highest-volume car dealerships, Toyota of Lewisville, a chance to reintroduce itself to its community. Owner Rene“ Isip lets viewers take an under-the-hood peek at his business and its preparations for Toyotathon in the new spark360 business profile, now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

The spark360 cameras go behind the scenes at one of the largest DFW Toyota dealerships. Included in the profile are interviews with sales and service managers as they get their staffs ready for the six-week sales event, and a video tour of the spacious, 80,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility and all its customer amenities.

The spark360 profile also shows off a new development in the business’ six-year relationship with the Lewisville community: the Toyota of Lewisville Railroad Park, a nearby 294-acres sports complex with baseball, football and soccer fields, a skate park, dog parks, walking paths and three lakes. Isip acquired the naming rights to the park as “a way for me to tie Toyota of Lewisville into the community and to the city of Lewisville. And Toyotathon, it’s a yearly event, a celebration for us and our community and so that’s really the value we try to bring to our customers.”

Host Renay San Miguel interviews Isip in the spark360 virtual studio and asks about the importance of Toyotathon, now in its 32nd year, and asks how it impacts one of the busiest Toyota dealers in Dallas.  “It’s a way for us to end the year with a big celebration. We’re just looking at taking care of our customers, making sure they’re getting the best deal – better deals than what Toyota’s offering out there – and just bringing our community together.”

Sales manager Chris George echoes that sentiment: Toyotathon is when the auto company unveils new sales incentives and rebates as well as car models that the public hasn’t seen before. “There’s balloons all over the showroom, there’s a general excitement around the dealership,” George says. “The customers love it. I’ve had people tell us months prior that they’re literally going to wait until Toyotathon hits before they buy a car. It’s just an exciting time to be in the car business, an exciting time to buy a car.”

And a busy time for Toyota of Lewisville; service manager Rich Hoch says he may work for one of the major Toyota dealerships in Dallas, Texas, but Toyotathon serves as a way to remind area customers of how the dealership takes care of them while they’re waiting on their cars to be repaired – the full-service Avalon Cafe; free WiFi with a separate wireless internet room for business users; a children’s play area, and a TV viewing area. Isip adds that his Toyota parts and service area is one of the few in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with separate tire alignment machines for cars and trucks, and a standalone four-bay oil change area that can get that particular aspect of auto maintenance done for customers in less than 20 minutes.

Isip believes all these factors, plus the level of training he provides for his sales team, lifts Toyota of Lewisville high above other DFW Toyota dealerships. “The biggest thing about our sales associates is that they will always follow up and check up with you to make sure everything’s okay, so you’re tied in hopefully to Toyota of Lewisville for life,” he says.

“Investing in the Toyota of Lewisville Railroad Park is an innovative way for a business to put down roots in its community,” San Miguel said. “Auto dealerships have to do all they can in this economy, and in this particular highly-competitive market, to stand out from the crowd. This spark360 profile will show why Rene` Isip has built his business into one of the largest DFW Toyota dealerships.”

About spark360
spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet.spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media
Splash Media L.P., based in Addison, Texas, creates and develops custom web-based communications and training solutions that are powered by video. We specialize in developing video communications strategies and video delivery platforms that drive our customer’s bottom line. Splash Media is a leader in the Enterprise Video Communications industry and has been delivering Internet enabled strategic video solutions since 2004. http://www.splashmedia.com <http://www.splashmedia.com/>

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

New spark360 “Social Business Video” Profile Highlights The CEO Institute’s Divine Mission For Execs

DALLAS, Oct. 28th – When Lane Kramer founded The CEO Institute in 1990, its mission was more secular: help companies boost profits by helping their executives with professional development and resources. But a personal spiritual awakening in 2001 put Kramer on a new, higher path – executive coaching so business leaders could grow their companies with better management practices along with Christian faith integration.

That focus, along with the Institute’s impact on two Dallas-area companies whose presidents are members of the Christian peer CEO group, is the subject of the new spark360 “Social Business Video” profile, now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

“The main reason the members come to the table is they want help in growing their companies and being more successful,” Kramer tells spark360 host/managing editor Renay San Miguel. “But the secondary purpose of The CEO Institute is to help them infuse Biblical principles in the way they lead and manage their companies, and in so doing, enhance the ministry that’s going on within their own business.”

The CEO Institute provides that service for its members (senior executives of companies valued anywhere from $1 million-$25 million) with monthly “Faith and Business Forums” featuring guest speakers from a variety of industries; regular peer group reviews and counseling sessions dealing with members’ business issues and problems; individual meetings between Kramer and members; and providing resources and networking which could result in new employees, investors and business partners.

The spark360 cameras go on location at two companies affected by The CEO Institute’s divinely-inspired take on business coaching/executive training: The Expo Group, which makes, stores and ships exhibition materials used at conventions and trade shows, and Standard Controls, a maker of technology hardware that goes into automated systems solutions.

“You come to those meetings and you’re talking about those issues you’re going through at your company, maybe even personally, and you can share that very openly,” says Ray Pekowsi, The Expo Group’s president who founded his company in 1991. “It’s great to get together, sit down together, pray together. It’s the fellowship – the fellowship that you have in meeting with people with like-minded beliefs.”

“I figure that God is in the people business, so I should be in the people business too,” says Standard Controls president Jon Loshinsky. “It’s more than just making a product or selling something or making a profit. It’s about the people. It’s really added great value to what we do here.”

In describing how The CEO Institute helps its members and their companies, Kramer makes clear what his group is not: “Number one – it’s not a business card exchange. The reason people come to The CEO Institute is not to swap cards for business leads. Number two – it’s not a Bible study, even though it has a Christian underpinning to it. And number three – it’s not the good-old-boy (network) where people come together to sit around the table to tell jokes and make each other feel good about each other.”

Kramer says The CEO Institute makes no promises that its executive coaching methods highlighting Biblical values will automatically lead to better bottom lines on the balance sheet. But weaving those values into management techniques will result in employees being valued and treated better, and that may well lead to increased productivity and higher returns on investment. And the CEOs can focus on business excellence through advice that comes for their peers.

“CEO’s are human beings first, so we give people permission to be human in the meetings,” Kramer said. “And by allowing them to candidly talk about what’s happening in their life, professionally and personally, and get counsel in a non-judgmental way, it allows them to open up with each other and get the help they really need.”

“It’s very tempting to use the cliché ‘practice what you preach’ when describing Lane Kramer and The CEO Institute,” said San Miguel. “But there’s no real preaching going on with Kramer and his Christian executive coaching group, and that’s refreshing. He’s blowing away a lot of stereotypes about faith in the workplace, and that’s a unique story we’re only too happy to tell here at spark360.”

About spark360
spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet.spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media
Splash Media L.P., based in Addison, Texas, creates and develops custom web-based communications and training solutions that are powered by video. We specialize in developing video communications strategies and video delivery platforms that drive our customer’s bottom line. Splash Media is a leader in the Enterprise Video Communications industry and has been delivering Internet enabled strategic video solutions since 2004. http://www.splashmedia.com <http://www.splashmedia.com/>

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com

Friendly Chevrolet’s Customer-Centric Business Model is Focus of New spark360 Profile

DALLAS, Oct. 21 – Many car dealers will throw you the keys to your new auto and point out that your owner’s manual is in the glove compartment. At Friendly Chevrolet, they assign you “delivery coordinator” Chris Malone, a petite, attractive mother of two with dark brown eyes and fashionably-spiky white hair who provides new owners with a personal orientation on everything from warranties, license plate registration and service information to how to set up the OnStar account and program the radio.

And how do pleasantly-surprised customers show their gratitude to Chris? “A lot of times they’ll bring me back Starbucks coffee or bring me lunch, or I’ve had a lot of offers to use their box seats for the football game,” Malone laughs. “Most of them are just so excited or happy that there was someone to guide them through all of it.”

That commitment to customer service has been Friendly’s chief selling point for decades – one that has repeatedly drawn the attention of automaker General Motors for everything from its sales methods to its building design. The Dallas Chevrolet dealership’s unique take on selling cars is the focus of the new spark360 “Social Business Video” profile, now available for viewing at www.spark360.tv.

Friendly Chevrolet, located on busy Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, is one of the few dealerships in the country that is housed in a four-story building, says owner/CEO Mark Eddins. The spark360 cameras travel throughout the dealership, capturing footage in the sales, service, auto parts and delivery departments. The cameras also stop at the Corvette Cafe, Friendly’s buffet-style restaurant that Eddins says has food good enough to attract nearby office workers who aren’t necessarily in the market to for a new Dallas Chevrolet.

spark360 host Renay San Miguel interviews Eddins, Malone and service director Louis LaBarbera, who describes the Friendly method of making sure that those who have to get their Dallas Chevrolet Camaros, Corvettes, Aveos, Avalanches, Suburbans and Silverados serviced spend the least amount of time waiting for their cars. The dealership uses web-based service check-ins, and customers can also use the internet to check repair status. Brand-new loaner cars are provided, and Friendly offers an express pickup and delivery service. Getting Dallas Chevrolet parts is also less of a hassle than at other dealers; Friendly offers an easy-to-find auto parts section within the building.

All of this attention to customer service has drawn repeated visits from GM executives, says Eddins. “They have had people down here several times asking about how we do business, looking into different parts of our organization, how we actually execute things, our culture that we have here, the actual facilities – we’ve had them take our floor plans of our facility and use it in some of their design specs,” Eddins tells San Miguel. “So we’re pretty proud to be a part of that network and evidently General Motors feels like we’re doing okay.” The Dallas Chevrolet dealership was also featured in a recent cable network’s documentary detailing GM’s business turnaround.

Friendly has enjoyed tremendous growth since Eddins’ father, who had already built a successful Dodge dealership, purchased the Friendly name from a competitor in 1970. But the ultra-competitive Dallas-Fort Worth automobile sales market requires something special for dealers to stand out from the crowd. Eddins, a student of companies like Disney that make customer service a priority, decided that was the way to differentiate from the competition when he took over the franchise from his father in 1984.

“My father taught me many, many, many years ago that it’s very simple - treating a customer the right way is really born in the golden rule,” Eddins tells San Miguel. “We want to treat people like we want to be treated. I believe that we sincerely care about our customers and we are different from the other dealers in the marketplace in that we believe we really go beyond what the customer’s initial expectations are of anything – whether it’s service, whether it’s a sale, whether it’s buying parts, whether it’s in our collision and repair center.”

“Eddins and the Friendly executive team have seen a lot of dealerships come and go in Dallas throughout the years,” says San Miguel. “You have to offer some innovative qualities to not only survive but thrive in such a competitive landscape. Friendly’s commitment to customer service, best exemplified by Chris Malone and her winning smile, offers a lot of value to its customers and a great example to the auto sales industry.”

About spark360
spark360 is a Web-based business television program that celebrates the spark of entrepreneurship in America by featuring the unique stories of small and middle-market businesses.

spark360 also provides a credible and relevant outlet to get your story to a global marketplace through our exclusive 360 Distribution social media platform. spark360 delivers broadcast-quality, network news-style programs via a comprehensive SEO-optimized “full circle” distribution strategy that reaches every corner of the Internet.spark360 is a division of Splash Media, L.P. http://www.spark360.tv <http://www.spark360.tv/>

For media inquiries for spark360, please contact: Steven Swaim sswaim(at)spark360(dot)tv

About Splash Media
Splash Media L.P., based in Addison, Texas, creates and develops custom web-based communications and training solutions that are powered by video. We specialize in developing video communications strategies and video delivery platforms that drive our customer’s bottom line. Splash Media is a leader in the Enterprise Video Communications industry and has been delivering Internet enabled strategic video solutions since 2004. http://www.splashmedia.com <http://www.splashmedia.com/>

For media inquiries for Splash Media, please contact: Chris Kraft ckraft(at)splashmedia(dot)com