There are various methods used to achieve research objectives. These methods include mail, fax and e-mail questionnaires, telephone interviews and focus groups, just to name some. The September meeting will focus on how market research can affect small businesses.

Laura Noll, co-owner of Noll Research, a full-service marketing research company that has extensive experience producing quantitative and qualitative business-to-business market research studies will be the speaker for the September luncheon meeting.

Noll has spent 20 years conducting these research studies in many business markets such

as transportation, warehousing and distribution, aviation, building materials, machine tools, chemical, HVAC and metals. Other areas that have been heavily researched include manufacturing value chains and e-commerce trends.

Laura is a University of Dayton graduate. Before founding Noll Research with her husband in 1999, she was with Leading Edge Reports (Cleveland Heights) and Penton Media. Laura is a Mentor resident.

Reservations are required by Friday, September 9th by calling Diana Lewis at 255-8932 or e-mail Shirley Wolfe at wolfeshirley@yahoo.com.

Each year, the Lake Communicators awards two $500 scholarships to graduating Lake County high school seniors planning to enter the fields of communications, marketing, public relations, broadcasting or other related fields. This year the winning students are April Prior of Mentor High School and Mark Nagy of Madison High School.

April Prior has been deeply involved in her community and school. She has participated in Student Council, the National Honors Society, yearbook, the Future Leaders, marching and concert band, and various sports teams. She also is a member of her church youth group. However, her favorite activity has been the Mentor High newspaper, The Inkwell, where she had worked her way from reporter to Editor-in-chief.

She plans to attend Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism and major in Mass Communications this fall. She is interested in becoming a news anchor after having been inspired by reporters during the September 11th attacks and realizing the important role reporters have in presenting and informing the public. "All of my life I have dreamed of a career that will have an impact on numerous people," Prior stated. "The media is the most influential and popular forum for American citizens to be informed about current events."

Go to www.lakecommunicators.com or contact Annemarie Donnelly at (440) 974-8695 or Annemarie_@ameritech.net for information and entry forms.

While your at it, save October 12th. Everyone is invited, both contest contenders and those who simply love the communications field, to this year's superhero-themed Apex Awards event at the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby. We promise the baddest bash this side of Krypton.

Wouldn't that Apex Award look nice sitting on your shelf?

[ top ]

resident of Northeast Ohio, Norton managed public relations at Cedar Point Amusement Park/Resort in Sandusky.

Norton holds a bachelor's degree in media and communications from Medaille College in Buffalo, NY. He also is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in the 2nd Infantry Division, South Korea. Stephen is married and has two children. He may be reached at (440) 392-7482 or Stephen_Norton@steris.com. 

seniors into the world of business. Students, grouped into companies, competed daily on topics such as financing, marketing, labor, operations and other business issues. Everyday during LAB week, students had the opportunity to meet and be coached by area business people. Decisions they made in their business went into a special software business program that tracked the results of their decisions. At the end of the week, the most profitable company won shares of stock in a real company! For more information about LAB or becoming a LAB mock press conference volunteer for next year, please call April Majni at the Marshfield Group, (440) 974-8448.