From my profile of McWaters Office Environment Solutions.  The full profile is available at Midlands Biz.

Stepping into the expansive showroom of McWaters on Shop Road, it's quickly apparent that we're not talking about your father's cubicle. Far from being "trapped in their cubes," today's office workers are constantly on the move, both in and out of the office. As a supplier for Steelcase, McWaters designs, sells and installs office environments to encourage mobility and accommodate the kind of collaboration that is vital in the 21st Century economy.

"It's not uncommon today to have 'satellite employees' who are only in the office a few days a month. They need a place to spread out for a few hours, hook up a laptop and recharge their cell phone or PDA," says Ned Little, McWaters general manager.

Last evening I attended the kickoff meeting of the S.C. Interactive Marketers Association , a group founded to bring marketers and business owners together to discuss ideal practices, victories and lessons learned.

Lauro Otero of the The Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism made a great presentation on creating interactive conversations and began to lead us into an exploration of Web 2.0 and its implications, opportunities and pitfalls for marketers.

I look forward to becoming more involved with this group, and if you have an interest in marketing (and why else would you be here if you didn't?), I hope you'll join us at the next meeting.

From my recent profile of Continental American Insurance Company.  Visit MidlandsBiz for more.

From his office window overlooking Devine Street, Christian Goodall has a perfect view of "the prettiest spring in Columbia."

Goodall, chairman and CEO of Continental American Insurance Company, also has his eye on the many changes in the business world. While many employers have reduced their own spending on employee benefits, they've also greatly expanded the choices for insurance coverage and other financial planning available to their employees through payroll deduction.

An excerpt from my recent profile of Alliance Consulting Engineers.  The full version is available at MidlandsBiz.

"Every child is born an engineer," says Deepal Eliatamby. "Before most of us can even walk, our parents are buying us blocks and tinker toys that we're using to build things."

Eliatamby, president of Alliance Consulting Engineers, has never lost that fascination with or passion for building. But beyond the infrastructure such as water systems, wastewater systems, stormwater systems, solid waste management systems and roads, his company works on, Eliatamby believes his work is really about building something bigger: a brighter, more prosperous future for the Palmetto State.

Earlier today, we released the results on the Republican candidates in the brand study I'm participating in with Chernoff Newman and MarketSearch.  I'll post some more analysis later, but here are some of the conclusions we reached:

Click thumbnail for full-size imageRudy Giuliani

Giuliani is likable,  interesting and inspiring.  While he lacks experience in national affairs, the reputation he earned while dealing with 9/11 leaves him in good stead with Republican voters.

If Giuliani were a car, we think of him as a Toyota RAV4 – a crossover vehicle with a different kind of appeal in a Republican field.

As an insurance company, Giuliani is a bit like Allstate – “You’re in good hands.”

If he were a pair of jeans, we see Giuliani as a new pair of Levi’s – it’s an All-American brand, but you still need some time to make them real comfortable.

McCain Brand AttributesJohn McCain 

John McCain has the experience and preparation to lead America in dangerous times – and because of this, his perceived lack of warmth and personal charm could actually be a strength, or brand builder.

As an automobile, what else could McCain be other than a pickup truck that’s “Built Ford Tough.”

In the same way, McCain is Wrangler when it comes to jeans – rugged and durable.

Finally, McCain is a Timex – he takes a licking, but keeps on ticking.

Romney Brand AttributesMitt Romney

Mitt Romney looks and talks like a president – even though voters don’t know a whole lot about him yet.

Romney is a Dodge Viper – it looks like it’s built for speed, but is too unfamiliar to the average driver to know for sure.

No jeans for this guy. He’s high thread-count, plain-front, no-pleats chinos from Brooks Brothers.

Romney is Starbucks, where the atmosphere is nearly as important as the coffee.