Events, News, & Ideas

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.”

~Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

Leading up to SCIP's 25th anniversary conference there was clearly some uncertainty about how this SCIP conference would be different from everyone's expectations, particularly given the integration of the Frost & Sullivan Institute. Based on my team's experiences in DC the week of March 8th, I offer up congratulations to SCIP's staff, F&S Institute, all the sponsors and exhibitors, speakers, volunteers, and others that brought to bear one of the most well-run SCIP conferences in memory.

The reality of successfully pulling off a conference like this, in what are still challenging economic times, requires the commitment of many individuals that think and act as a collective team. A special thanks should go out to August Jackson (Program Chair), Ken Garrison (SCIP), and Brian Fitzpatrick (F&S Institute) for developing and moderating a truly valuable intelligence conference. You and your teams should be very proud!

As a SCIP sponsor, our team always has many objectives to reach during SCIP week. From preparing to meet with new prospects, to meeting with clients and industry friends, to trying to bring something new to the event every year that people will enjoy, our team spends two to three months preparing for SCIP. Outside of thanking my colleagues for all of their hard work in the lead up phase, I wanted to briefly reflect on a few aspects of our team’s presence at SCIP that left a lasting impression on me, including:

1. A moment of recognition for Arik Johnson. I may be slightly biased since Arik is also my brother, but he has done a lot for the SCIP community in way of advancing the Intelligence field. As such, I presented him with an award that was captured by video for those that weren’t there live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvJiNUN0EHU. . Arik looks forward to his new role as Chairman and continuing to work on industry problems that do not have a clear-cut solution.

2. Void Where Prohibited (VWP) set a new standard. We had Atlanta-based VWP with us on Thursday, March 11th to celebrate Aurora’s 15th Anniversary playing a mix of rock 'n roll, oldies, and new wave music, and I believe most in attendance that evening really enjoyed themselves. If you want to request a song for SCIP's Orlando conference in 2011, get your requests in early.
3. Aurora Sports had a very successful second year. We know what it’s like to attend a conference, engaged with sessions by day and our real work by night, and still want to fit in a good daily workout. For that reason, we debuted Aurora Sports at Chicago’s ’09 conference and built on that momentum in DC, where we as a team coordinate different daily workouts. Whether you’re into running, walking, or a gym workout, conference attendees always know they have someone they could workout with if they choose to at SCIP. It’s been fun meeting some new exercise friends over these past two years and a special thanks to Greg Ervin, our Director of Technology, for guiding this program.
4. And finally, we know when to rally around one another. I’ve seen many examples of our team rallying around a specific project, but for the first time at this SCIP I saw how our team was able to support one of our colleagues who is going through a tough time. While at the conference, this person was able to open up to others about some of the challenges faced in their personal life, and it showed a side of our team, this individual, and a few of the conference attendees that I will never forget. Today’s demanding business climate does not see this occur as much anymore, but I’m reminded that when times are difficult, good people still respond with compassion for others.

SCIP's conference setting is such an exciting time of year for our team, where we can gather with clients and industry practitioners to hear about the challenges they continue to face in various aspects of their work. While it is difficult to characterize every organization, on the whole we found people at this conference rejuvenated with growing management support for exciting, new intelligence responsibilities being chartered. This list is not at all inclusive of the topics our team discussed with practitioners, but it does cover many of the key areas of interest that we were repeatedly hearing in DC:

• Companies are seeking guidance on enhancing their program structure, capabilities, and reach within the organization. We find this so energizing because, as Michael Treacy shared with us at SCIP Chicago, “a 5% improvement in the same direction, period over period, is when real impact occurs.” We believe that applies to the role of intelligence as well, where incremental progress toward building internal networks, enhancing deliverables, and creating a stronger intelligence culture can have a real impact and draw attention to your program.
• It's all about Sales. If you cater to only one set of internal stakeholders, the Sales team in most companies will be CI’s strongest advocates if you can give them intelligence on how to pursue and close a deal, how to grow more relevant in client relationships, and preempt competitive strikes before it’s too late with insights and implications on how and what Sales needs to do to be successful.
• Product Intelligence is needed more now than ever before. Many conversations were based on how certain industries took a break from major product introductions during the past 18-24 months, and many we spoke with were eager to launch programs supporting their product/service strategy once again.
• Ensuring against security leaks is a growing concern. Many call this counter-intelligence and usually aligns with the maturity of an intelligence program, but a little training can often go a long way in this area… especially if you’re planning product introductions designed to surprise customers with your value proposition.
• M&A Due Diligence seems to be back on everyone’s radar. Despite the pause during the recent credit crisis, we’ve gotten used to consolidation in our industries and a lot people are expecting those trends to continue. The age-old question of “how can I get good information on privately-held competitors" came up and we had discussions about ways to monitor social media and other research avenues to stay more aware of those privately-held organizations.
• Global, Global, Global! I’ve noticed a trend over the past two to three SCIP conferences that more people these days are be concerned with collecting good intelligence overseas than they are in North America. Or, it might be that the people I’m talking to have North America figured out and they’re finally able to attack more global competitive priorities. Whatever the reality, it’s always energizing to network with our international peers at SCIP and use that time to discuss ways to develop global programs.

Once again, this list is not anywhere near exhaustive of all the ideas brought to the SCIP table, but they do represent many of the major themes we talked about with participants. The exchange of ideas is SCIP’s #1 value proposition; it’s exciting to see so many professionals come to the conference ready to share, mentor, and create business friendships for the long term.

First of all, we’ve had many people ask if Aurora is going to bring Void Where Prohibited to Orlando 2011 – the answer is YES! Thank you for your positive feedback on this new idea and we’re excited to have this connection with VWP to allow it to happen, but we’ll still have a surprise or two as we normally do. Once again, great job to the conference organizers for their terrific work in DC… and for shifting to Orlando next spring.

Next, for those of you who have followed our company newsletter, I am excited to unveil a few new aspects to it in the coming months. Many of our upcoming editions are going to address specific challenges that intelligence practitioners are sharing with us and I invite you to submit your questions to our expert team. Our greatest value is added in our ability to respond to your intelligence problems and help you apply ethical, creative solutions. Many times that does not require us to be any more involved than to offer some free advice, but we’re also here if it becomes a task that you cannot do yourselves.

Finally, let me reflect for a moment on the quote that started out this edition ("The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me" by Ayn Rand). In our day and age as Intelligence practitioners, I believe we stand at the cusp of a resurging industry. If SCIP’s conference attendance and participant attitudes are any indication, I hope you view your involvement and connection to this industry as a blessing in your personal and professional lives. Sure, bringing great Intelligence results to your organizations requires a lot of hard work and an ability to spot certain competitive, industry, and market issues ahead of the next person. We at Aurora hope, during your time in this industry, you will take it upon yourselves to challenge the assumptions that have molded your work in the past, and work diligently to carve out new ways of applying time-tested and innovative Intelligence techniques to support your organization's ongoing priorities.

My team and I hope to have the opportunity to talk with you as you reflect on your accomplishments and challenges. As always we welcome your comments and feedback regarding our newsletter and what you're seeing in your industry. Please feel free to reach me directly via email or phone at 608.850.4869.

Best Regards,

Derek L. Johnson, CFA
CEO

On Monday, March 1st, 2010 we welcomed the dawn of a new era at Aurora WDC. Derek Johnson, Aurora's Chief Operating Officer and Director of Research for the past seven years, was promoted to Chief Executive Officer while I stepped into the new role of Chairman, after having served as CEO myself since founding the company in our hometown of Chetek, Wisconsin in 1995.

Derek and I began planning for him to take the management reins of the company in the latter half of 2009 and timed the official hand off to coincide with Derek's seventh anniversary at the firm. Derek joined Aurora on March 1st, 2003 after beginning his career in the investment management business, where he earned both an executive MBA and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation among his other credentials. In fact, I had been actively recruiting Derek for several years before he finally agreed to come to Aurora. Derek's strengths in business and as a manager were so complimentary to my own it furnished us the opportunity to grow the company in new ways that I could never have managed alone.

As some of you may know, Derek and I are brothers and, right behind his eminent professional qualifications in my calculus of recruiting him, our relationship of deep mutual trust and admiration which began in childhood meant we might be able to accomplish things others could only dream of. Growing up as tight-knit brothers in a rural Midwestern community, Derek and I came to rely on one another's advice and friendship long before we ever took an interest in one another's career. We helped each other through our parents' passing and our closest friends became one another's over the years.

What this all meant for me was, there was nobody else in the world as qualified for the job as Derek was when we discussed his coming aboard in 2003 to take over my original role of running the research business of the company as I turned my attention toward expanding into new lines of business. Around the same time, my wife Tina and I started having children and Derek was once again called upon to step to the plate and take over day-to-day management, not only of research, but of company operations as a whole in my absence. This was the start of another critical transition for Aurora as the crucible of running all of the internal operations for the company (which, by then, had grown substantially from its one-man origins) became only the latest challenge Derek tackled.

Today, Derek's ready to lead Aurora into its next 15 years and we believe the benefits to the company, its people, business partners and, most importantly, to Aurora's clients, will bring a new level of passion, intellectual engagement and creativity to Aurora's offerings. Another happy, if ironic, side-effect is that Derek and I will also have the chance to work more closely together, which has been another goal of ours for a while now.

In response to some of the more frequently asked questions we've been hearing over the past few weeks in notifying and seeking advice from Aurora's “extended family” about the change, we thought it would be helpful to write a short FAQ to guide you as well. It's also been helpful for us to define the benefits for Aurora's team, for our many valued clients and friends and for one another more explicitly; but if you have additional questions that you don't see on our list, please reach out anytime to Derek or me and we'll be happy to answer them for you.

On behalf of everyone at Aurora WDC, we thank you once again for your trust and confidence these past 15 years and we look forward to celebrating with you in person at the SCIP 2010 conference next week in Washington DC or whenever we're able to see each other again in person.

Best wishes,

Arik Johnson
Founder & Chairman

Chippewa Falls, WI - March 1, 2010 - Aurora WDC, a longtime leader in global competitive and market intelligence, announced today that Derek Johnson has been named Chief Executive Officer while founder Arik Johnson has become Chairman of the fast-growing professional services firm. 

"Derek's guidance as Director of Research and COO has been critical in building Aurora's presence as a trusted advisor to top managers. I'm thrilled to announce Derek's new leadership of the firm to our clients and partners around the world," said Arik. "When Derek joined the firm seven years ago I knew our clients would benefit from the discipline, focus and managerial excellence he brings to every project he's involved with and that has enabled Aurora to grow at a sustainable pace. This change will also enable us to work more closely together across lines of business." 

"While I will continue to be deeply engaged with all of Aurora's research teams and their day-to-day operations, I am proud to have added several key, senior people to our research team over the past few years," Derek said. "Aurora's gifted research managers are the main reason I've had the flexibility to work on developing new capabilities for our clients and feel confident accepting this new responsibility. I look forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder with clients and Aurora's team alike just as I have always done, while also having a stronger role in guiding the overall strategy of Aurora as a company and the value more integrated solutions can provide clients in the future." 

Meanwhile, in his first initiative as chairman, Arik is launching Aurora's new R&D lab focused on solving the most persistent, widespread intelligence problems with new and novel methods to reduce risk and exploit growth opportunities. 

The company will be celebrating its 15^th Anniversary at a special event to be held the evening of Thursday March 11^th in Washington DC at the 2010 Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals 25^th Annual International Conference. 

About Aurora WDC: 

Founded in 1995, Aurora offers clients of every kind global primary research, competitive and market analysis, monitoring and training services, software and systems consulting, counter-intelligence, integrated program development and a network of third-party solution partners to intelligence teams and their clients worldwide. For more information visit www.AuroraWDC.com or call 800-924-4249. 

Media Contact:

Zach Steltenpohl

Aurora WDC

715-340-6607

Zach.Steltenpohl@AuroraWDC.com