"Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.
A person
fashions one's consequences as surely as one fashions one's goods or dwelling.
Nothing that one says, thinks or does is without consequences."
Norman Cousins
GETTING TO TODAY
HERE'S THE VISION. -- HERE'S THE FUTURE.
Here's my proposal... Here's my FREE offer.
Here's why!
There are many ways to grow a community; high/bio tech, advanced manufacturing, education, tourism, culture,
retail, medical, and more. Each provides opportunities.
However, most all require infrastructure -- much of it new... therefore, some require a major
capital investment... some are cyclical / seasonal / or short-lived... some add burden to the city's with indefinite return.
Then of course, there are the jobs. Some require degrees -- often advanced... some require levels
of security... or some require non-sensical barriers such as one's last pay-stub (The latter makes
no sense since people who want to have more, may have been under-appreciated, blocked by a boss, in a poor paying company, etc...
or such as a credit rating, which may be wrong... in dispute... or negatively affected by health -- theirs
or a family members, or a death in the family.)
Seemingly, none of the above address the famous quote of President Teddy Roosevelt:
"Do what you can do with what you've got"
Here's what we've "got" in Pittsfield without a dollar more to be spent;
the ability to become a viable marketing center for the entire country.
BACKGROUND IN REMOTE
"One can hunt from the lodge."
My career is in sales and marketing. In the mid-70's, I pioneered remote selling for big-ticket computer
hardware and software. Since the Greek word for remote is "tele," let's call it tele marketing, but not in the
current sense which has caused the creation of "Do Not Call."
In 1977, I employed a UNIVAC mainframe in NYC to perform database marketing by Telex/TWX machines that had
speeds so slow that they are incomprehensible by todays standards... 10 and 30 characters per second. BUT IT WORKED. (For
younger people: The TWX, or telegraph, machine was a clunking machine that looked like a typewriter which you see and
hear in vintage movies with newsroom scenes that had a "Contol G" function which rang the machine's bell to alert the
newsroom that thhere was "breaking news.")
I'd like to tell you that it was "genius" that drove my career in this direction, but in fact it was "hate!"
I hated driving hours in traffic... arriving dishevelled... wearing out suit pant thus rendering the jacket worthless...
playing on the buyer's turf, so to speak... not having immediate access to in-office staff and resources to answer
a buyer's question, and the list continues all the way down to waiting like a dog for a cup of coffee while my borish prospect
sipped his or hers.
GEE,.. CAN ANYONE PLEASE GET ME A COFFEE!
I just travelled over an hour, paid $30 to park,
and walked three blocks in the rain to get here.
At the same time, through thousands of TELE phone calls, I received feedback that my accent
sounded as if I were from the mid-west. (Pittsfield does not have have a Boston or New York accent).
This was a great thing! Back then, the "perfect" speech was theoretically one promulgated by NBC for its news anchors. Its
was basically a mid-western accent and there I was making a living with that natural accent. Cool!
Fast forward: In 1983 I formed a direct marketing agency. No surprise, telephones --
inbound and out -- were a significant part of the business. Often, clients would command that they did
not want a person with a Boston accent on the phone. More often, I would receive compliments that the people did
not have one.
Remarkable! Despite the moaning about the Mass Pike bypassing Pittsfield back in the
in the early '60s, I realized that PITTSFIELD'S ISOLATION (other people's words not mine -- 20 mnutes to the Pike is
nothing compared to hours wasted on highways in Metro Boston & NY) had a significant advantage to my tele-approach
to sales and marketing.
Back in the mid 80s, I had this epiphany... you know, add the easer to pencil moment.
"Isolation" plus remote sales/marketing = advantage to Pittsfield.
Pittsfield has the ability to be significant player in direct sales and the vast marketing arena which include
big league advertising Over the years, such companies have thrived in and around the city; however, "the city" never really
exploited this fact into a community mission.
When I returned to Pittsfield a few years ago, many things had changed -- ah but the moaning about the Mass
Pike induced isolation had not.... despite USPS /UP / FED EX and big box store travelling to this "remote outpost" daily.
Two of the most notably changes are
1) "New Yorkers," however defined, who one were once tourists to the Berkshire were now owners in the Berkshires.
2) There are slick, award-winning marketing companies / subsidiaries / departments / individuals
(for ease I'll use "marketing" as the broader term for the inclusive advertising, promotions... the works... specialties)
knocking down significant accounts through their excellent work.
3) Despite these current and past success, the idea that Pittsfield and area can be the hub of marketing
and the resort office just up the street from Madison Avenue has not sunken in. Instead, Pittsfield
Think about it. Really think about it from all perspectives:
1) Every business has to go to market. In Pittsfield and the surrounds, there already exist
excellent independents and agencies which both validate the promise of the the industr'y possibilities and will benefit
from such a concentration through an improved talent pool.
1) All the infrastructure which needs to exist to make this a reality is in place. Even the
colleges currently offer the requistie courses for specific and interdiscilinary study.
2) The city and region desires creative people; the region is liked by creative people.
Layout an ad... Block a stage... Design an interior all require people having visual accuity and talent. Pitch
an idea... Pitch a political platform... Pitch a proposal requires the salesperson / pitcher to pull all the
same triggers.
3) Many visitors to Pittsfield and the Berkshires are upscale... desire to vacation here... might love to
find a reason to open a legitimate office here and just need to see the possibilities if overtures were made. Agencies
and specific areas in marketing department are easily "remoted."
4) It's figuratively equidistant from NYC -- the bastion of advertising -- and Boston which has many powerful
agencies with major accounts. It is even a shorter distance or Albany / Capital District, Harford, Springfield
5) Having watch high tech shift (the total disapperarance of computer manufacturing and marketing in Boston
during the 70s)...with regions shifts as well, I experienced the one absolute truth in business...
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A NEED TO MARKET A "THEN CURRENT"
PRODUCT, SERVICE, NON-PROFIT,
or OFFERING, BUT THERE IS
NO-TO-LITTLE ASSURANCE THAT THE "THEN CURRENT"
WILL LAST
BUT A FEW YEARS.
6) Kings 'n' Queens come and go, but king/queen-makers
always live another day. With extremely few exceptions, it is impossible to stay atop a high-tech or innovative bubble. Often,
this reflects little on the company, but the never-ending on-rush of new products, changing laws, war, peace, interest rates,
attitudes and an unlimited number of unanticipated change-agents-of-the-times.
Anthony W. Sottile Sr., my father, had one favorite expression regarding his role as a dad:
"To improve the breed."
Hold on! It wasn't a supremist statement. It was one just this simple: He and my
mother wanted more for us than he had.
His father and mother immigrated from Italy at the turn of the last century. His father worked
at Wyndott Mills (upper North Sreet); his mother died; some part of the family had to temporaliy disperse to an orphanage
and a relative as far as West VA while his father worked for back then there was a line of replacement workers eager
to take his job.
Eventually, my father went to Bentley Business School (2-year Back-Bay Boston school back then
now a remarkable university in Waltham MA).
He along with my mother wanted more for my brother and me -- with honestly nothing in return. They sacrificed to make it happen. Their's was the American Dream. I've been fortunate to live that dream
-- with footnotes of course! ;-)
It is time to pay-forward their investment.
Therefore, this FREE EDUCATION, with no strings attached, is for all Pittsfield residents who
are seriously interested in bettering themselves.
I have not created a school, as defined by law, and this is not an accredited degree program... it is career
skills program to help lead toward income so that should you desire a degree program you will have the income to
pay for it NOW rather than be burdened by college debt LATER.
Uncertain? You need not be certain to drop me an email. It may not be for you -- any part
of it... sales or marketing. BETTER THAT YOU KNOW THIS IN ADVANCE OF EXPENDING TIME AND MONEY FOR COLLEGE COURSE/S.
A Tortuous (Sometimes Torturous)
Background
It's imperative that I tell you of my once deep suspicions
about selling, and how I ultimately came to embrace the sales and marketing professions.
Graduating from high school, I was accepted by Dartmouth
College, an Ivy League School. Trust me, no one goes to the Ivy League to become a foot-soldier salesperson upon graduation.
Nonetheless I attended and graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH.
Graduated, engaged-to-be-married, and jobless, I reluctantly
accepted a sales position. But having been raised in an environment of professionals, who had professionals as friends,
I hated every minute of selling.
Though I did well, I frankly perceived selling
below the dignity of man, or woman... and clearly never expected my success to come from it.
But, as I sold and studied the art over the years, I
came to understand and appreciate the opposite:
Selling is the very dignity of men and women, for in
a free society, mental persuasion is a quality unique to humans. Affecting the perceptions of another's mind and persuading
that person to act in a manner prescribed by you is the most powerful capacity that a person can develop. Except for
the uncontrollable events of nature, nothing in this world ever happens until someone has been sold... even if it is a person
selling him or herself on an idea!
Out of this tortuous (sometimes torturous) background,
and honed by rugged years in sales and marketing, I continually look for new and challenging ways to expand my craft.
Good sales people make very good money; excellent sales people make
excellent money. This is true because salepeople are literally worth there weight in sterling silver, if not
gold. There are several reason for this:
In corporate speak there are two broad functions: "line" and "staff." Line functions
are responsible for REVENUE which is the life-blood of any company. Staff people administer and/or support the
line function. Perhaps it is easier to comprehend in military terms, which is actually where this distinction was drawn:
There are troops who fight such as infantry, armor, combat pilots etc. They carry the war to the enemy; a line
function, Then there . troops who support the warfighters. They may be cooks, quartermaster, motor pool
mechanics etc. they provide their services and support to the warfighter. It's general held that for every combat
troop there ar 7 support troops. Clearly, their function is important. The expression that an army fights on it
somach is true in not just a food sense but a broader senses. Line and staff are a team.
Notwithstanding, line carries the burden and risk of achieving sales quotas (winning the war) which
are basis for budgets. Selling is the first level line function.
Line positions dominate over staff. People in line positions normally earn more income or
at least have the opportunity to earn more at quota achievement than staff. And, when expenses need to be cut,
it is normally staff positions which are discontiued.
There are two schools of though regarding company organizations: Some companies have a
Sr VPof Sale and a Sr VP of Marketing. Others have a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) a name which takes its
root from the emrgence of the Chief Executuve Office (CEO).
Do you possess a line or staff personality? Ah, that's an important question to
ask oneself if interested in "sales/marleting/bizdevelopment: It is a very complex answer. Some people are challenged
by the "open-end" income potential of sales... and the growth up the line. Other people rather know -- or
need to know for their personal or family budget -- what they are guaranteed to earn, assuming that they perform their
job as described.
To further confuse the issue... not all selling positions are the same... and not all staff position
in support of selling are the same. More importantly is one's personality and passion An excellent person selling
books may not thrieve selling professional book series. A great staff writer for fashion may have no enthusiasm for
a topic less "glamourous."
OF COURSE... THEN THERE IS ULTIMATE WHERE ONE TAKES THE STAFF FUNCTION THAT THEY ENJOY AND FOR WHICH THEY
HAVE BEEN EDUCATED AND TURNS IT INTO A COMPANY THAT NEEDS TO SELL IT PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. Advertising / PR / graphic
artists / newsletter companies / tracking services/ customer service and help desk software companies... and hundreds more.
Naturally, the reverse is possible as well. ONE SALESPERSON, as an independent representative,
picks up one item... builds a product line from there... needs to add staff functions to support the sales (a day suffling
papers is a day away from selling)... then decides to make his/her own items... discontinues repping other people's products
and has a ROCKIN' FIRM.
Regardless the aproach to selling, for people who diligently learn and successfully apply interdisciplinary
selling skills, THERE IS A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES WAITING FOR A TOP PRODUCER. Not all opportunities are equal; however,
with each success, new and better opportunities arise. C
Look, here's the real scoop. When you are a top performer, you can write your ticket, or create a
new one yourself. You can write your own ticket becasue whether you are a salaried sales person, one with salary
plus commission and or bonus or both, YOU WILL ALWAYS BRING IN MORE MONEY TO THE COMPANY THAN YOUR COST. This is NOT
TRUE for staff positions.
Which person is you? What do you want to do? What do you need to get started?
The first two questions are yours to answer.
The last one is mine: Send me an email. Tell me a little about yourself... your goals... and your
availability. There is not obligation and the the info stops at my desk. Groups will be organized.
This means that as opposed to staff people who support in say a newsletter, the sales
person faces the customer (In direct marketing -- which is distingquished by a "call to action" by the consumers as opposed
to seeing a heartfelt Budwiser ad with a puppy and the horse that just leaves you feeling good about the compnay. Think
infomercial. For now just leave this topic.)
"The ability to connect with people and sell them successfully usually isn't something you can learn at college. It's something
you're born with and hone with lots of real-world practice.
Obviously the exact duties of a sales representative will depend on the industry in which they work, but salespeople must
stay positive, energetic and friendly all while being aggressive enough to close the deal. Workers in sales are judged almost
exclusively on results, making it a high-risk, high-reward profession that often values street smarts and people skills over
knowledge gained in the classroom"
The Big Bear bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, have been nesting in Big Bear Valley since 2013, This is the first time
in three years that they have successfully hatched eaglets. In 2019, they had two chicks; and in 2022, they had one. This
year they had three eaglets, but one of the three eaglets that hatched in early March did not survive a storm. It passed
away on March 13, 2025.
NAMING CONTEST
The "Friends of Big Bear Valley" (FOBBV) are hosting a naming contest for the two surviving eaglets.
The Friends are inviting the public to submit name suggestions until March 28, 2025.
The FOBBV is asking for gender-neutral name suggestions and is accepting donations of $5 for one entry, $10 for three entries,
or $25 for 10 entries. The final names will be chosen by Big Bear Valley elementary school students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th
grades. The winners will be announced on April 1, 2025.
EAGLE CAM
The FOBBV operates a 24/7 live webcam of Jackie and Shadow's nest, which has drawn thousands of viewers worldwide.
The organization relies on donations to maintain the livestream, which is free from advertisements. Donations are appreciated!
The Bald Eagle is a large, powerful bird that has been the national symbol of the United States since 1782. It is a member
of the Accipitridae family and is found near large bodies of water throughout North America. Here are some key facts about
the Bald Eagle:
EAGLE BEHAVIOR & HABITAT
SIZE: 3 feet in length, 6-7 feet in wingspan, and 10-14 pounds in weight.
HABITAT: Found near large bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, and coastlines.
DIET: Primarily feeds on fish, but also eats other small animals and carrion.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Listed as a species of Low Concern, but was once endangered due to habitat destruction, hunting, and
pesticide use.
INTERESTING BEHAVIORS
Bald Eagles are known for their impressive eyesight, which allows them to spot fish up to a
mile away. They are also skilled thieves, and have been known to steal food from other birds.
NESTING: Bald Eagles build large nests, called eyries, which can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and measure 10 feet wide and 6 feet
deep. These nests are often used for many years and may be added to over time.
MATING: Bald Eagles form long-term monogamous relationships, with some pairs staying together for up to 20 years.
BREEDING: Bald Eagles typically breed between March and May, with the female laying 1-4 eggs per clutch.
HUNTING: Bald Eagles are skilled hunters, using their sharp talons and strong wings to swoop down on their prey. They can
also steal food from other birds, such as osprey and hawks.
MIGRATION: While some Bald Eagles are migratory, others are resident birds that stay in their year-round territories.
Some Bald Eagles migrate from Canada and Alaska to the contiguous United States each winter, while others remain in their
year-round territories. Those that migrate typically travel in large groups, often with other species such as osprey and hawks.
HUNTING TECHNIQUES: Bald Eagles are skilled hunters, using a variety of techniques to catch their prey. Some of their methods
include:
DIVING: Bald Eagles will swoop down from high altitudes, using their sharp talons to snatch fish right out of the water.
PERCHING: Bald Eagles will perch above a body of water, scanning for fish and other prey below.
STEALING: Bald Eagles will steal food from other birds, such as osprey and hawks.
PREY: Bald Eagles primarily feed on fish, but will also eat other small animals such as; rabbits, squirrels, mice, and
carrion.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and The Migratory Bird Treaty Act Overview
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) and The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) are two federal laws of the United
States that protect birds, including eagles. Here's a brief overview of each act:
BALD EAGLE CONSERVATION STATUS
The Bald Eagle is no longer considered an endangered species in the United States. In 2007, the federal government removed
the Bald Eagle from its endangered species list, and in 2024, New Jersey removed the Bald Eagle from its endangered species
list, citing a remarkable comeback for the species.
Regardless, the Bald Eagle's status remains of "special concern" in New Jersey, and the species is still protected under The
Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Additionally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has
proposed listing three subspecies of the Bald Eagle as endangered and two species as threatened under The Endangered Species
Act.
It's worth noting that while the Bald Eagle is no longer considered endangered, conservation efforts are still necessary to
protect the species and its habitats. Ongoing monitoring, habitat preservation, and public education are key to ensuring the
species' continued success.
THE PROTECION LAWS: Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA):
was enacted in 1940 to protect Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles
The Law prohibits the taking, possession, sale, purchase, barter, transportation, and exportation of bald and golden eagles,
including their parts, nests, and eggs
The Law allows for certain exceptions, such as: •
Permits for scientific research, education, and conservation
• Permits for Native American tribes for cultural and spiritual purposes • Permits for the use of eagle parts
in traditional crafts and ceremonies
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA):
was enacted in 1918 to implement international treaties with Canada, Mexico, and Japan to protect migratory birds
The Law prohibits the taking, possession, sale, purchase, barter, transportation, and exportation of migratory birds, including
their parts, nests, and eggs
Covers over 800 species of birds, including waterfowl, songbirds, raptors, and game birds
The Law allows for certain exceptions, such as: • Permits for hunting and trapping under specific regulations •
Permits for scientific research, education, and conservation • Permits for the use of bird parts in traditional crafts
and ceremonies
KEY PROVISIONS & PENALTIES
Both acts have similar provisions and penalties for violating the laws. Some key points include:
Penalties: Up to $100,000 in fines and/or up to one year in prison for individuals, and up to $200,000 in fines for organizations
Permits: Required for activities such as hunting, trapping, and possession of bird parts
Reporting: Required for the sale, purchase, and transportation of bird parts
Import and Export: Prohibited without a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service
Sottile Park Online Worldwide (SPOW) is a virtual cybercast park, offering users the ability to explore various locations
around the world through established web links. The cyber portal is named after Anthony W. Sottile, civic leader & family
man from The Heart of The Berkshires of New England. Virtually located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, SPOW! allows users to
"travel around the world in one day" or "visit the world in 80 seconds." The website provides media links, add-ons, and promotional
tools for users to enhance their knowledge and experience, online.
Copyright 2010 to Present JDS / John David Sottile
