Tortus Newsletter April 2010

April 14, 2010

A Man Named Pearl

This is an awe-inspiring story about a man named Pearl: a person with vision, heart, determination, and clarity of purpose who continues to make a difference. Pearl's most powerful and influential tool? A hedge trimmer.

In the early 1980s, a man named Pearl Fryar had his eye on a little ranch house on a few acres of land in a nice neighborhood in his town. Fryar, a college graduate, had been transferred by his job from Long Island to the sleepy town of Bishopville, S.C. (pop. 3,670) and was ready to settle down with his wife in a starter home. It all looked good to go when his real estate agent told him there was only one problem: a neighbor didn't want an African American couple moving in because they believed that the yard wouldn't be kept up. Many would have allowed this experience to fuel their anger. Pearl, who always sees the glass as half full, did not. He took the high road instead.

Fryar, the son of a tobacco sharecropper father with a third-grade education, had already proven that he was not a quitter in the face of challenges. He went to college. He joined the civil rights movement. He served in the Army. He moved to New York for a job. And so he took his neighbor's prejudice not as a reason to despair or hate, but as another challenge to meet with grace.

Pearl Fryar bought the house, moved into the neighborhood, and began working toward a new goal: to win the "Yard of the Month" award from the Bishopville Iris Garden Club. Never mind that he had no gardening experience or spare cash to spend on supplies. Never mind that he had to garden at night under floodlights, often until 1 a.m., after a full workday of manual labor at his job at a cannery. Never mind that his first plants were salvaged from the garbage pile of a local nursery. And never mind that no African American had ever won the award. Pearl had a goal and, as he said, "There's always gonna be obstacles. The thing is, you don't let those obstacles determine where you go."  Continue reading...

Tortus Talk

ValleyStone Credit Union Has a New Look

ValleyStone Credit Union serves members who live or work in Hampshire, Hampden, or Franklin counties. Visit their new site to find out about their exceptional products and services!

Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts Annual Golf Tournament

Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts and the Title Sponsor Northwestern Mutual Financial Network will hold the Junior Achievement Golf Tournament, "The Finest Golf Event in the Valley!" The event will be held on June 21, 2010 at the Ranch Golf Club in Southwick, Mass. Sign up now!

Upcoming Seminars

When Two Martinis Are Not Enough

Thursday, May 13, 2010, 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Join us to learn how to utilize B2B applications with emerging technologies as a source of lead generation. Special Projects Manager Demma Rodriguez will explore:

• How the balance between business relationships versus technical knowledge has shifted
• How to differentiate when technology is innovative or disruptive
• How to utilize your established business intelligence to inform which technologies you use and which you do not
• Lead generation during a recession: the importance of who you know versus what you know
• The referral, and why solid business networks are more than just the two-martini lunch

Communicating Efficiently: What You Need to Know About Project Management Software

Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Project management software is an effective and efficient tool for collaborating on, managing, and tracking your organization's work. During this seminar, we’ll show you the ins and outs of project management software and look at the different models available, including  Tortus' own web-based version.

You'll learn about your options, how to get started with project management software, and how to implement and train both clients and employees in its use. If you want to learn how to use technology to get your business organized, this is the seminar for you!

 Tortus seminars are held at the offices of Tortus Technologies in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Seating is limited (15 per seminar) and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Email us today to sign up.

Are You Smarter Than Tortus?

What part of a dog's brain is 40 times larger than the same part in the human brain? Hint: this month's question also has something to do with bacon! Find out the answer here!