Continuing efforts to build stronger communities, Smith-Dahmer Associates has ramped up its support of the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor. Last month SDA joined Whirlpool Corporation in sponsoring a record-breaking golf tournament/fundraiser.

Joan explains, “This year we’ve decided to focus our giving. The Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor serves some of the most vulnerable kids by providing positive experiences and relationships when they need it most. We’re really happy to support a cause like this.”

In their book, Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton call for a Strengths Revolution, in which organizations shift their energy away from battling weaknesses and instead focus on strengths. It’s a scenario where an employee’s biggest area for growth isn’t their greatest weakness; it’s their greatest talent. This is an idea that has always made sense to us at Smith-Dahmer. Our office is like a variety show and we pride ourselves on an incredibly diverse mix of skills and talents.

In this year’s presidential primary contest, candidates have been clamoring for the attention of Hispanics like never before. Wielding $800 billion in spending power, this rapidly growing demographic is one marketers have been targeting for years. And as the Hispanic population in the US continues to soar, understanding their needs and attitudes will be increasingly important.

A question that commonly plagues holiday shoppers is, “what do you get for that person who has everything?” Most of us know at least one person like this (after all, someone is fueling the demand for things out of the SkyMall catalogue, right?).

But for every one of these people who seems to have everything, there are hundreds of families with virtually nothing.

Positioning brands that elicit strong emotions is something Smith-Dahmer Associates specializes in. But in a recent project for Hospice at Home, we saw emotional connections with a brand taken to a new level. In the words of Angela Malik, a researcher at Smith-Dahmer,

Living out a workplace fantasy and supporting a good cause

Each spring, Smith-Dahmer Associates gathers in St. Joseph, Michigan for an all-day, off-site meeting. We go over financials, look at last year’s goals relative to this year’s progress and highlight any milestones. Then we get to work.

When Smith-Dahmer Associates was named one of Michigan’s Top 50 Companies to Watch in 2007, we did what any group of hard working people would do: we threw a party.