Newsletter - July 2008
OI Partners at SHRM
July 17, 2008 - Tim Schoonover
The SHRM Conference was huge! OI Partners was right there in the middle of the action, with a newly refurbished booth which was located on a main walkway. HR professionals from all over the country stopped by to complete our coaching survey—a way for us to see how some organizations view and have implemented business coaching—and talk to us about their leadership development, coaching and outplacement and career transition challenges.
It was a busy show for OI Partners. On Monday, we announced our new coaching management platform, OI SolutionsSM eDevelopment Center. Many attendees expressed an interest in how this new tool can help them manage all their coaching assignments as well as track the progress of each coaching client, collect aggregate data to better align talent management strategies to corporate strategy and determine overall return on investment.
On Monday evening, we hosted a wine tasting event at The Metropolitan Club in the Sears Tower. Our guests dined on fine wine and hors d’oeuvres and sampled various wine and food pairings throughout the evening. Sommelier Marcus Will described how to pair wines with food and how to order wines during business events. Each guest received a Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) as a gift for attending the event.
In between, we were busy talking with attendees, exploring the show floor and visiting with colleagues. We enjoyed our time once again being reminded of the vast opportunity that exists for HR professionals and the value that HR brings to the marketplace. It is HR that carries the torch for developing individual people in an effective manner that ensures dignity. People are the force that make companies work—HR professionals make it happen!
From all of us in the booth—Patty, Ned, Joe, Jeff, Robert, Sharon, Jill and myself, I say thank you for a great show and the interest you showed in OI Partners!
Tim Schoonover is managing partner of OI Partners - The Promark Co. (Cincinnati, OH). He has extensive experience in individual counseling, career transition management and executive coaching. Tim was the first president of The Association of Career Professionals International and currently serves as vice chairman of NPI. He can be reached at (513) 768-6500 or tschoonover@oipartners.net.