Groundhogs, innovation, and the end of summer

I'm back at work, although when you work at home, you never truly leave it.

There were two keynotes during the summer, including for the Destination Marketing Association International association, and the National Association of College Stores, as well as a private management get together with a major commercial/industrial construction company. The plan was to take the summer slow, recharge, and gear up for what looks like a busy fall.

One of the highlights of the summer involved the war with the groundhog who decided to take up space in our yard. I clearly lost -- he's back again today. I've tried everything, and even ended up writing an article for one of my regular columns about my efforts.

Aside from that, great feedback was had from the events I spoke at this summer : the NACS folks had this to say: "You were right about being highly energetic! You definitely did a great job in pepping the crowd up at Innovate 2007 in Tampa. The buzz in the hallway after your presentation was outstanding! Just thinking about the word "innovate" can be overwhelming. You did an excellent job in explaining the simple steps they need to take to incorporate innovation into their stores."

The new book is in final edit; we should be going to print within the month.