Pirozzolo Company Public Relations

To Reach Next Level PR, Go Beyond News Writing Basics

This public relations how-to article explains how to push the limits of news.

In the rush to get out that next news release, blog post or tweet it’s easy to ignore the fundamentals of journalism.

That’s okay, but only if all you want are PRNewswire mentions, web content and, hopefully, some inbound links.

But if you aspire to Next Level PR—the kind of public relations that generates exposure in A-List traditional and online media, establishes your CEO as a thought leader, influences stakeholders, builds brand equity and generates qualified leads, then you must push the parameters of journalistic fundamentals to their limits.

MediaCollege.com lists the five basics of a news story to which Pirozzolo Company has added an additional five to help you get your client to Next Level PR. 

Let’s consider each one and how they can turn a ho-hum public relations campaign into a news-making powerhouse.

 Timing – people want to know what’s happening now as in “what’s new?”

As Media College states, “A story with only average interest needs to be told quickly.”

However, the enemy of corporate public relations timeliness is a multi-level review requirement for every routine release, tweet and blog post. It is far better to establish corporate guidelines for news releases as well as Social Media behavior, than having to review every bit of external communication. Sure mistakes will be made, but for the most part they can be corrected. Overall the campaign will be more effective if the C-Suite empowers employees serve as ambassadors of the brand and communicate with the best interests of their organization in mind.

Significance – A plane falls from the sky and everyone is killed; now that’s news. If everyone walks away, as they did in Miracle on the Hudson, that’s really big news. Walk away from a car crash in the Vons parking lot and it’s a snore.

Significance. though is in the eye of  the beholder. Let’s say you’re promoting a new app. Think about who the product matters to and focus on its significance for that audience. Too many news releases tout new technology as a state-of-the-art world-changer and a disrupter. Overreaching is counter productive, reduces creditability and will turn off editors and your target market.  

Dick Pirozzolo and Ted Kennedy, Jr. at American Polyfilm Grand Opening

Likewise, don’t think about significance only in terms of the market and investors. How does the new product impact employees and their families, does the new technology make the company a more progressive employer and thus more attractive to job seekers, does it open up opportunities for speaking engagements, how does the new product square with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility culture and goals?

In the case of American Polyfilm's grand opening of its new manufacturing facility in Branford, Connecticut we capitalized on the national effort to encourage "Made in America" and hit all the notes in terms of significance to the local community, market reliability, and underscored the company's commitment to being a good corporate citizen, thus epitomizing the future of American manufacturing. CEO Victor Cassella underscored the importance of government-business cooperation in his remarks at the event. 

Cassella told well-wishers, “We have received ongoing support from the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Community Investment Corporation as well as The Guilford Savings Bank.

"The cooperation we experienced between our business and government agencies, clearly demonstrates the role government can play by encouraging forward-looking, energy-efficient, clean industries that support well paying jobs to locate and expand in the U.S.”

Proximity – Proximity isn’t only geographic. Media College advises that proximity can also describe a cultural, historical or social bond. Australians care about events in Singapore, because of its geographic proximity and the UK because of its cultural and historical proximity. Similarly, an event occurring in Israel will have more of an impact on Americans than one in Iceland.

Prominence – Pirozzolo Company has represented clients that are international household names. We have also established our clients’ prominence within geographic proximity or a community of interest such as the financial services,  foreign exchange, cybersecurity, or medical electronics sectors. 

Human Interest ­– Human interest stories, says Media College, “… often disregard the rules of newsworthiness; for example, they don't date as quickly, they need not effect a large number of people, and it may not matter where the story takes
place…”

For example, when Boston business leader Jeffrey Ornstein, CEO of J/Brice Design, was about to lose a valued employee whose visa had run out, he  launched not only a legal battle, but retained Pirozzolo Company to fight her case in the court of public opinion. Ornstein won and the employee, a talented young designer, remained working in the US, thanks in-part to a number of media outlets that underscored her value to the American economy including Wicked Local.

In addition, to these news fundamentals, consider Pirozzolo Company’s Next Level PR Basics: Controversy, Humor, Story, Consistency and Simplicity.

Controversy –  More than anything, the media love controversy, something the President of the United States has mastered to control nearly every news cycle.

We constantly scan the media for current events and issues. More recently we capitalized on the controversy involving Russia hacking our elections and tied it to the Republican National Convention to generate coverage for Stealthcare, a cybersecurity consulting company. The firm's CEO appeared on CBS-TV Cleveland and other national business and professional media outlets where he commented on the foreign involvement. 

Humor – There are times when funny will get you a lot more positive exposure than deadpan.

Washington Post humorist and syndicated columnist Gene Weingarten once interviewed our client Hilla Ovil-Brenner, founder of WhiteSmoke, a turbocharged writing engine that includes advanced editing and spellchecking.  

Columnist Weingarten quipped that Ovil-Brenner probably didn’t like it when people learned to spell because it would hurt her business.

She quipped back, “If I sold plus-size fashions, that would not mean I want women to be fat, it means I want them to feel good, look good and be successful in their lives. Just like WhiteSmoke helps people with become more successful communicators….”

The WhiteSmoke-Weingarten interview was hilarious and got picked up by newspapers nationwide. Product sales soared. 

Story – Too often organizations forget that their CEO is a real life person whose heart, skills, challenges, obstacles and conflicts make for far more interesting reading than canned quotes about how, “Delighted we are to announce Rebecca as the new VP engineering at Techno Pants Corp.”

Stop sanitizing CEOs. Let them be human, let them talk about how they resolve conflicts with the board of directors, investors or the government and include information about their personal relationships and activities. Make them come alive. We love knowing about Ben and Jerry, Jobs and Wosniak, Bill and Melinda and Richard Branson because we see them as real people with exciting, committed lives. Few people know anything about the CEO of Dell or American Airlines and their PR suffers.

Consistency – While representing institutional investment managers, a journalist once mused, “How come 75% of all money managers are in the top quartile when it comes to their performance releases?” That’s because the poor performers hide in the weeds when their numbers are down and emerge only when their numbers are up.

Want to win the respect of journalists, build credibility and generate positive press over the long haul? Be accessible when the news is bad. Get it out, get it done and move on. When it’s time to deliver good news, you will be far more credible and will have a trusting relationship with the editors and reporters. They will credit your for your candor and their coverage will be more positive and prominent when the news is good.

Simplicity – Keep it simple. How many times do we use jargon like OEM, FX or Q4 without thinking that the journalist who makes the first cut on a news release might be new to manufacturing or finance to say nothing of the reader. Journalism critics note that The Wall Street Journal, whose readers are supposed to be mostly business types, does better job of explaining business and financial terms than a The New York Times, whose readership is more general.

Kim Wallace of the market research firm Wallace & Washburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and author of “Why People Don’t Buy Things,” puts it this way: “Liken new concepts to what we already know. If you want to reach customers who had never seen snow tires before and need to explain their benefit say: They are like snowshoes for your car. Everyone will understand the concept instantly." 

Try to incorporate these news-making criteria into your next public relations foray—if you want to establishes your company’s CEO as an influencer, maximizes awareness and build brand equity.

That’s Next Level PR!

Dick Pirozzolo is Managing Director of Pirozzolo Company Public Relations in Boston, whose PR campaigns have helped startups become publicly traded companies or be acquired by major public corporations. Dick lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Veterans Deliver Job Skills Employers Often Miss —Like Leadership, Commitment and Innovation

November 11. Veterans Day—A day set aside to honor those of us who served in the armed forces. There will be parades, flag waving, speeches, ceremonies dedicated to American military people and there’ll even be free pizza and coffee at chain restaurants.

 As well as the occasional: “Thank you for your service,” from fellow Americans.

I can't think of a better way to honor and thank our veterans, than to make sure they come home to a job that recognizes the skills they acquired in the military. Things have changed for the better. When Vietnam veterans returned, we met resistance from potential employers who wrongly claimed military people are too regimented, unfamiliar with latest civilian technology, and can’t think for themselves. Sometimes, opposition to the war resulted in opposition to veterans.

There were also creative ways of calling vets “losers” back then. In one case, a reporter for The Boston Herald wrote that she went to the Pine Street Inn – a Boston homeless shelter — to get “the veterans’ point of view.” Never mind that John Kerry and the CEO of State Street Bank were veterans, who were hardly residing at the Pine Street Inn.

During a job interview, a potential employer discounted my entire military experience by asking: “Don’t you feel your career doesn't really start until after the service?”

It was as if my four years in the U.S. Air Force didn’t exist. Fortunately, I learned my craft, public relations and journalism, in the Air Force through formal schooling, at the Defense Information Officers School (DINFOS), and on-the-job training. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette recognized my capability and hired me right away. A year later the late Jack Star, who headed up PR at Boston University, hired me for the international media relations skills I acquired as an Air Force press officer in Saigon.

In addition to specific job skills, Veterans come home with general leadership and management skills, and other qualities that are a huge benefit to civilian employers.

Leadership. Whether officer or enlisted, the military does not hold back when it comes to putting you in charge and, often in situations that are way above the job description. To be sure, I made plenty of mistakes when I was a second lieutenant, but the most valuable lessons I learned was to listen and learn from the enlisted folks who had years of experience and technical skills far superior to mine.

Military people take an oath. Most folks don’t go around thinking about the oath they took when the signed up, but it underscores commitment. In a nutshell, once a soldier signs up, he or she can’t say, “I quit” and walk out on the boss or colleagues.

Diversity and equal rights. The armed forces are not without problems when it comes to gender and race and, in most cases, commanders deal with sexual misconduct and discrimination quickly and definitively. Nevertheless, the military has been way out in front on race relations that began with the full integration of our armed forces after World War II and ongoing efforts since then that include the integration of the LGBT community into the military.

Simply put, rank matters. Race and sex do not. No one tells the female lieutenant to make coffee or the African-American captain to make photocopies!

The ability to improvise. When a four-man squad goes on patrol, there may be command and control from headquarters, but the squad leader, probably a young 20ish soldier, will make hundreds of life-and-death decisions to complete the mission and return everyone safely.

Completed staff work “Hey boss what do you want me to do now?” Putting the monkey on the boss’s back is no-no in the military as the armed forces adhere to the doctrine of completed staff work .

When a team has a job to do, the job is completed totally before presenting the results to the commander or superior who delegated the responsibility. Of course, not every project goes according to plan and obstacles come up. In those cases, the presentation has to be sufficiently complete so that, if more information is needed, all a supervisor has to do is sign a request.

One of the hard-and-fast rules team members learn is they cannot go directly to their supervisor to get partial approval, or to lobby for their own solution to the problem. This cuts down on a lot of office politicking and backbiting.

Chain of command. This might be anathema to a lot of current management thinking, but the principle avoids a lot of ill will. In the military trying to curry favor with one’s boss’s boss usually ends badly.

Likewise, the military insists that when you give an order it comes from you no matter where it originated. Military folks don’t give whinny orders like: “I wouldn’t make you do this, because I’m nice, and I want you to like me, but the big boss insists soooo ….”

Empathy. The military is often a matter of life and death and people can be together 24/7 where the division between work and off-duty life does not exist. I was always in awe of leaders who could navigate the murky waters of their people’s personal and family issues, while staying focused on the mission. It’s a complex skill that is well taught in the military and applicable to civilian employment.

The Marines often teach leadership through what are called sea stories that underscore the risky decisions and dilemmas one must face in combat such as: do you risk two Marines' lives to bring back few cases of cold Coke, that will improve everyone's morale, or do you not take the chance? The outcome is not nearly as important as opening debate on the leaders' dilemma.

Honesty “I will not lie cheat or steal or tolerate anyone among us who does.” We’ve all heard the mantra, but what it means is that military people learn to both delegate and trust the people who work for them without reservation. If someone says, “I counted all the M-16s and there are 46,” you can, without checking up, sign a document endorsing the count.

Learning in public. From basic to advanced training fellow students may compete for class rank, but they pull everyone up with them. Then the whole team wins.

Can-do spirit. Military folks believe they can achieve anything. After returning from Vietnam, I served with the 253 Combat Communication Group in Massachusetts. We could install all the navigation, air traffic control and communication needed for a temporary airport, while the Navy Seabees, built the runway and erected tents for the whole lot of us. Done quickly and as a matter of routine.

And consider Mike Cotton, who created a surf club at China Beach while serving in Vietnam so that airmen and soldiers could get a taste of home when they were off duty.

It would be great to hear from veterans about their job hunting experiences, how the military helped them with their careers and also from companies looking to hire smart, motivated veterans with a can-do attitude.

By Dick Pirozzolo, Managing Director of Pirozzolo Company Public Relations in Boston and coauthor of "Escape from Saigon" a novel, with Michael Morris.

 

 

Squatty Potty, Scrub Daddy, Amazon Launchpad, Stanley Black & Decker, Other US Innovators Back Invent-a-thon TV Series "Make48" to Spark American Ingenuity.

Some of the America's most innovative  brands like Amazon Launchpad, Squatty Potty, Scrub Daddy, Indiegogo and QVC, plus lead underwriter Stanley Black & Decker are backing Make48, a new invention competition series on Public Television aimed at sparking American ingenuity.

The eight-episode Make48 debuted this fall, has already begun production on Season Two, and is taking applicants for the Season Three competition.  The producers say they hope the show encourages entrepreneurship inspires more Made-in-America products.

In Make48, seventeen diverse teams are given 48 hours to come up with a new consumer product—going from idea to prototype in a televised invent-a-thon. Three winners, picked by judges from QVC, Indigogo, Pivot International and Handy Camel, will get to pitch their products to major retailers. The series is distributed nationwide by American Public Television, Boston, and underwritten by Stanley Black & Decker. Check local listings.

The teams are supported by tool technicians and industry mentors including some of America’s most successful product inventors. Once the top three winners are picked, professionals create prototypes, and produce marketing videos. The competition culminates in a crowdfunding campaign where the products are put before the public.

“Equipped with high-tech 3D printers, digital routers, hand tools, the internet, passion, inspiration, and lots of coffee, the inventor’s products coming out of Make48 might just make it into your home one day,” said Curt McMillan, co-founder of Make48, adding, “This is reality TV that works.”

 “Make48, dubbed, “reality TV that works”, fosters imagination, creativity, problem solving and the inventive spirit,” says Make48 CEO, Tom Gray adding, “Make48's educational product innovation series is more like swimming with a pod of dolphins rather than being thrown into a tank of sharks.”

Stanley Black & Decker is the Make48 exclusive production underwriter. “Both Stanley Black & Decker and Make48 know that the doers, the makers, and the inventors are our future,” says Tim Perra, Vice President, Public Affairs for Stanley Black & Decker, “This show is a reminder that everyone has great ideas. We hope Make48 inspires other individuals to see their ideas through to fruition.”

More than 207 public television stations are airing the show to reach over 90 million households including those in the three top US markets: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The series is produced by Outpost Worldwide, Kansas City and presented by KTWU Washburn University, Topeka, KS.

"We're confident that the Make48 series celebrating innovation and problem solving will resonate with a public television audience," said Christopher Funkhouser Vice President, American Public Television Exchange Programming and Multicast Services.

Supporters include Stanley Black & Decker, Amazon Launchpad, Squatty Potty, QVC, Duck Tape. Indiegogo, GoDaddy, ScrubDaddy, The Grommet, the Handy Camel, Wet & Forget, Ace Hardware, QVC, Pivot International. Complete list of sponsors at: Make48.com

Contact: Make48 LLC, Dick Pirozzolo, 617-959-4613, dick@pirozzolo.com

Can a Commodity Steel Producer in Vietnam Become a Global Brand? Can your B2B Company do the Same?

Intel, Stainmaster, Goretex prove the power of "ingredient" brands

By Dick Pirozzolo, Pirozzolo Company Public Relations

“Building a brand is a long term investment in the financial health of the company.” Prof. John A. Quelch 

Can Vietnam’s leading producer of sheet steel, pipes and girders establish a global brand since the products it manufactures are components that go unnoticed by consumers?

According to Prof. John A Quelch the answer is an unequivocal, "Yes."

Prof. Quelch recently addressed some 40 senior managers of Hoa Sen Group who were at Harvard University to study contemporary marketing strategies—including the latest global branding principles. Harvard Graduate School of Business Prof. Quelch has just been named vice-provost for Executive Education and Dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of Miami.

Sell the Experience

Prof. Quelch told the executives a brand is not merely a trademark or logo; it is an “experience consistent with a promise.” He explained that when Starbucks, which started out in Seattle selling coffee beans to brew at home, expanded to become a global icon, the company did not focus on the coffee but rather on “providing a safe place for women to gather. The coffee is good, but it was secondary to the Starbuck's experience that customers participated in creating.”

Before a brand can rise to the level of a Starbucks, GE, Toyota, Apple, Coca Cola, or American Express to name a few big world brands, it must evolve through three distinct levels. Explained Prof. Quelch, the company must first have a history and a reputation for quality before it can move up to creating user imagery followed by winning over customers so that they come to appreciate the company values and establish an emotional bond with the brand.

Even though Hoa Sen, produces only components for the finished product—ingredients as Prof. Quelch notes—it is still possible to establish a Hoa Sen as a world brand. He pointed out a number of famous ingredient brands that are respected worldwide and showcased as part of the finished product’s quality positioning— Gore-Tex, Shimano bicycle shifters, Dolby Sound, NutraSweet, Stain-Master and Intel are among the examples.

For example, explained Prof. Quelch, Intel, the maker of computer microprocessors, launched the “Intel Inside”campaign to
co-market this internal PC component or ingredient directly to the PC customer. “Intel Inside” became a catch phrase synonymous with speed and reliability.

The same goes for bicycle racers who are assured by Shimano components or homeowners who perceive value in buying a new

Hoa Sen Group at Harvard University

carpet treated with Stainmaster to repel dirt and spills. Even though these ingredients are not immediately obvious, these brands offer convenience, assurance, satisfaction, product differentiation and affiliation. Rather than Hoa Sen, being perceived as a supplier of commodity steel products, Prof. Quelch said the company needs to focus on branding the experience of dealing with the Hoa Sen and its people. “Brands have value especially if things go wrong. When the computer system crashes, and the IT manager can say ‘I chose IBM’ it gets him out of a jam because he chose a brand that everyone recognizes and trusts.”

A number of brands engage their customers emotionally by getting them to feel they are part of an exclusive “club” such as Harley Davidson and American Express. Their products bestow prestige upon their customers who become attached to a larger family. To underscore the point, a Hoa Sen manager at the seminar said he likes to use the American Express Card when he checks into a hotel because of its prestige, and the feeling he will be treated more respectfully. This prestige comes in several levels ranging from green, to gold, to platinum and black—all at escalating prices.

Prof. John A Quench at Harvard Faculty Club

Though GE produces locomotives, jet engines, wind turbines and even toasters, that single GE brand is successful across the entire spectrum of business and consumer markets. In the case of Toyota, however, the market would not accept the company as a maker of luxury cars until it created the Lexus brand, said Prof. Quelch.

For the most part, new markets will accept the brand as is. However, adaptation may be required to respond to local conditions. When Marlboro entered China it also acquired a less costly local brand to tap into a segment of the population that could not afford the pricier Marlboro brand. Likewise, toothpaste companies had to introduce new flavors such as green tea to appeal to Chinese tastes. “Do not adapt for the sake of adaptation," warned Prof. Quelch, "Adapt because you will sell more product at a higher margin.”

And don’t hold back. When HSBC acquired Great Britain’s venerable Midland Bank, it immediately replaced Midland with the HSBC brand “despite protestations from Midland employees who believed the customers would be put off by losing the old name so abruptly.”

In addition to commanding a higher a well-known brand’s price and sales volume will fall less in poor economic times and recover more quickly when good times return. Additionally, brands enhance employee retention, speed distribution and encourage shareholder loyalty. Added Prof. Quelch, consumers do expect companies behind their favorite brands to have active Corporate Social Responsibility programs to channel some of their profits from the higher prices into social good works.

The Seminar was organized Tuan Anh Nguyen, CEO Boston Global Forum a think tank dedicated to the promulgation of peaceful solutions to global tensions.

The biggest brands in the world are: Apple, Google, Coca Cola, Microsoft, IBM, Toyota, Samsung, GE, McDonalds and Amazon.

Dick Pirozzolo is managing director of Pirozzolo Company Public Relations in Boston, a corporate communication firm serving clients in the US, UK, EU, China, Japan and Vietnam. He is active in Vietnam-US business and cultural relations as a member of The Boston Global Forum Editorial Board and coauthor of "Escape from Saigon."

 

Vietnam-US Relations Key to Power Balance in Southeast Asia, Anders Corr, "Great Powers Grand Strategies"

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's recent visit to the White House underscores the importance the United States-Vietnam relationship that has evolved positively over the past four decades. 

Vietnam, a nation of 90 million people, is today not only a trading partner but a key ally in the projection of US diplomacy and Naval power in the South China Sea— a region where China's rapacious behavior over shipping lanes, fishing, and other natural resources, as well as China's building of a military runway on the Spratly Islands has created an ongoing threat to peace.  During the visit Phuc told President Trump, the relationship has undergone significant upheavals in history, but that the two countries were now "comprehensive partners." 

In the  mid 90’s the US granted Most Favored Nation to establish open and vigorous trade relationships with Vietnam, which was seen as a new frontier to sell US brands, get cheap labor and buy agricultural products. Phuc is now replacing the cheap labor positioning with quality manufacturing given his county's nearly universal literacy, education, entrepreneurship and eagerness to learn strategies needed to penetrate the US market. This was evident when I took part in a panel discussion for Ho Ch Minh City's top 100 CEOs a couple of summers ago.

Vietnam has also become a hip travel destination for the been-there-done-that crowd. Some 400,000 Americans and 100,000 Canadians expected to visit Vietnam this year according to Vietnamese government figures.

Over the past two decades, The US-Vietnam relationship has become much more intertwined and multifaceted.  Americans now buy more Vietnamese products including electronics, clothing, rice coffee and oil than they sell—$30.6 billion, with US exports to Vietnam at $6 billion.  Cultural and academic ties are far more numerous and Vietnam has also become the key US ally in maintaining the balance of power in the Pacific.

In this environment comes fresh insight by Anders Corr, PhD in his forthcoming book, Great Powers, Grand Strategies: The New Game In The South China Sea, "This book is relevant to Vietnam, which is especially attentive to shifts in power between global powers in the South China Sea, including China, the U.S., Russia, the U.K., and France."

Anders Corr displays The Philippines Flag off Scarborough Shoals in the South China Sea

The book, Great Powers, Grand Strategies offers the analysis of a dozen experts on big picture approaches to the South China Sea dispute," according to publisher U.S. Naval Institute Press, "By exploring the international dimensions of this regional hotspot, coauthors Bill Hayton, Gordon Chang, Bernard Cole, James Fanell, and others examine how the military, diplomatic, and economic strategies of the major global actors have both contributed to solutions and exacerbated the potential for conflict."

 

 

 

As editor of the volume, Dr. Corr juxtaposes the grand strategies of the great powers to determine the likely outcomes of the South China Sea dispute, as well as evaluate the ways to possibly defuse tensions in the region."

As part of his research Dr. Corr, who is also the publisher of The Journal of Political Risk  visited all South China Sea claimant countries,  undertaking field research in Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei. Dr. Corr has also conducted analysis for USPACOM, CENTCOM, and NATO, including work in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Dr. Corr is also and active member of The Boston Global Forum, a think tank with ties to Harvard University Faculty, that focuses on peaceful solutions to global conflicts, including the current  tensions that plague the South China Sea.

Boston Global Forum was founded by Tuan Nguyen, who is the UCLA Chair for UNESCO and brought a free and open internet to Vietnam, and former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.

Great Powers, Grand Strategies by Anders Corr is available from the U.S. Naval Institute Press

Dick Pirozzolo is managing director of Pirozzolo Company Public Relations in Boston and coauthor of "Escape from Saigon" with Michael Morris that focuses on the events of April 1-30, 1975, the last month of Vietnam War.

Dick Pirozzolo Continues to Foster Positive US Relations, Economic Development and Freedom in Southeast Asia

Dick Pirozzolo: "Vietnam is growing steadily every day."

By

Nguyen Lan Anh

VietnamNet.Vn

Vietnam Net, Vietnam's largest online newspaper, published an interview with Michael Morris and Dick Pirozzolo, authors of  "Escape from Saigon - a Novel" chronicling the end of the Vietnam War or in Vietnam The American War.

Click here to read the original Vietnamese language version 

Saigon View from the Rex Bar in 1995

 Having returned to Vietnam many times since the war ended, communication consultant, journalist and US Air Force veteran Dick Pirozzolo chose trade, culture and tourism to establish a link between Vietnam and the United States. In so doing he has written articles and editorials on the reconciliation between two former foes.

Michael Morris was in Vietnam in 1967-1968 as a US Army infantry soldier and returned with Pirozzolo as part of a Boston Global Forum delegation of scholars, international marketing experts and journalists.

Vietnam Net: Congratulations, you have launched the book "Escape from Saigon -  a Novel” in 2017, what can you tell us about this book?

Mr. Dick Pirozzolo: Putting aside the past is a theme running throughout the book whose characters often come in conflict with their ideologies as they try to move forward. Even though "Escape from Saigon" is fiction it hews closely to historical events as it recounts the lives of both ordinary people as well as officials who are trapped in a city once called The Paris of the East.

The Continental Palace Hotel figures into "Escape from Saigon." While this classic hotel has been upgraded and retains its charm, it lacks the famous veranda where journalists and diplomats mingled during the war.

Some of these fictional characters include Lisette Vo, NBS-TV's first Vietnamese-American reporter who chronicled the fateful events of April 1975, Sam Esposito of The Washington Legend who writes about America's involvement and doing so angers US President Richard Nixon, an American businessman desperate to help his employees flee; Jean Paul Pelleran, a French pub owner, who wishes to remain in South Vietnam and continue running his piano bar, and US  Ambassador Graham Martin who becomes despondent and disillusioned over the April 1975 events.

Mr. Michael Morris: We concentrated on what happened during the last month when the Vietnam War ended on April 30. While the action occurs at that moment in time, reminiscences at Jean Paul’s bar and old newspaper stories are filled with historical events such as the partition of Vietnam that prompted Jean Paul to leave Hanoi for Saigon in the mid-1950s, or Sam Esposito who, before arriving in Vietnam in 1963, meets his old high school friend Billy Freda for beers at Mory’s in New Haven right after Billy returned from a year in Vietnam.

The Vietnam War was a major event in the lives of an entire generation of Americans who witnessed the war firsthand and had to deal with its aftermath. In our case, when we returned to the US we became professionals – I became a journalist in New York, and Dick became a journalist and media consultant in Boston. Even though the War ended 42 year ago, it is a permanent part of who we are.

Vietnam Net: As far as I know, a lot of American veterans have been writing about the war and the events of April 1975. What makes your book different, special?

The former US Embassy in Saigon remained vacant for over two decades before being razed to make room for new development in Ho Chi Minh City

Mr. Dick Pirozzolo: We have gotten a lot of praise for creating a unique work of fiction for example Winston Groom, author of "Forrest Gump," said, "Escape from Saigon offers a vivid unvarnished vision of the war-torn lives of people trapped in the capital.”

Casey Sherman, author of The New York Times Bestseller "The Finest Hours" and "Boston Strong" called, "Escape from Saigon … a sweeping saga in the tradition of Michener and Clavell.”

Llewellyn King, producer and co-host of PBS-TV's "White House Chronicle,” added, "Escape from Saigon is exceptional in its authenticity, with descriptions of Saigon that are in the tradition of American author Graham Greene's The Quiet American. "

Vietnam Net: You both recently returned to Vietnam with a Boston Global Forum Delegation of journalists and scholars. How did returning to Vietnam make you feel?

Mr. Michael Morris: For me personally, it was a meaningful trip. I did not know what to expect and did not know what my feelings would be. I could not even imagine seeing all that was new since I served in the country in the 1960s. And, finally I felt very satisfied. Like many American soldiers returning to Vietnam, I came here with an eye toward the future and was very happy to see the Vietnamese wholeheartedly welcome us. They are kind, treated me very well, invited me home for dinner. I was very much pleased with the experience.

Mr. Dick Pirozzolo: I have returned to Vietnam many times striving to cement relations between Vietnam and the United States. As part of my work, I became the media representative for Mr. Le Van Bang, Vietnam's first ambassador to the UN and later to the United States. Additionally, I’ve written articles and editorials on United States-Vietnam relationships and how they benefit both peoples.

Children peer into a US tank turret at a war museum in Saigon

During one of my trips to Vietnam I visited the Cu Chi tunnels outside of Saigon. One of the guides spoke in a very distinct American accent, that of New Jersey. When I asked him about it, he explained, “During the war, we took everything the Americans brought here including English which I got from listening to the US Armed Forces Radio and TV.”

 A fictionalized version of that tour guide appears in "Escape from Saigon,” arguing with one of the American characters over who in 1975 was the best pitcher in American baseball.

Vietnam Net: “Although we should not be not allowed to forget history we must live for the future.” What do you think of the message?

Mr. Dick Pirozzolo: The war ended 42 years ago, and I am confident that we are on track to further tighten relationships between the US and Vietnam. Those who are 30 years old or younger, know Vietnam only as a developing country, not a war and, overall, two-thirds of Americans were born after the war ended on April 30, 1975. This is similar to the Vietnam where 60 percent of the population was born after that historic milestone.

Since the 1990s, Americans have seen Vietnam as a market to promote brands and as a travel destination. According to government statistics, 400,000 people in the United States and 100,000 people in Canada are expected to travel to Vietnam this year.

Vietnam Net: Did you know that President Donald Trump has announced his visit

Ho Chi Minh City's iconic hotel

to Vietnam in November to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.

Mr. Dick Pirozzolo: That is a positive step. I had the opportunity to work with many Vietnamese leaders during the 1990s. At that stage, Vietnam was working to reconcile and begin trade relations with the United States as a Most Favored Nation.  I believe we will continue to develop in a positive direction. More and more Americans choose to buy Vietnamese products such as clothes, rice and coffee in large quantities. Moreover, the cultural and academic relations between the two countries are rich and multi-dimensional.

There is no debate, now is an important moment for Vietnam to become a closer partner with the US, playing a greater role in the maintenance of peace and stability in the region and the balance of power in the Pacific

Mr. Michael Morris: Economic relations are a very important bridge in international relations. I know American companies are increasingly looking to Vietnam to do business, and in so doing will help to boost your economy.

More people from our generation, veterans have brought their children and loved ones to witness Vietnam with their own eyes—a country that has a significant place in American history.

“Escape from Saigon – a Novel” is available on Amazon.com.

 

Trendy shops and cafés are emerging in Ho Chi Minh City

All images appearing in this article are protected by Copyright ©2017 Dick Pirozzolo. All rights reserved.

American Polyfilm Sees Bright Future for Made-in-America

Click on image for link to Hi Res File 

Victor Cassella: business–government cooperation is key to US manufacturing future

Following yesterday's ribbon cutting ceremony, The New Haven Register (http://bit.ly/2dPI9ww) credited American Polyfilm, Inc. of Branford, Conn., for exemplifying a bright future for Made-in-America. 

Company president and founder Victor Cassella told well-wishers that the keys to fostering America's manufacturing base are smaller companies willing to work with government, that produce high-value products in environmentally sensitive facilities. Cassella credited the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Town of Branford and The Guilford Savings Bank for their support in making the new 27,500 square foot manufacturing facility a reality. 

In addition to the senior Cassella, sons Matthew Cassella (l) and Paul Cassella(r) own and manage the company together with Matthew's wife Larysa Cassella. They flank Connecticut State Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. and Dick Pirozzolo

American Polyfilm is also participating in educational programs to introduce young people to opportunities in manufacturing.

American Polyfilm, Inc. manufactures custom polyurethane films for a variety of applications including conveyor belts, waterproof clothing, medical equipment and inflatable watercraft.

American Polyfilm, Inc., manufacturer of custom specialty films found in a wide range of consumer and industrial products, has expanded it operation in Branford with a new, 28,000 square-foot, state-of-the art facility.

The company is family owned and managed by two generations of lifelong Branford residents—Victor Cassella, president and founder, with his sons and daughter-in-law Matthew and
Larysa Cassella, and Paul Cassella and was established in 1998 in nearby leased facilities before relocating to its new quarters at 15 Baldwin Drive.

“To meet growing demand for our specialty films, we needed to increase our manufacturing capacity and, from the outset, made a commitment to locate in the town that has been home to our families since childhood. It was the right decision. The Town of Branford has been welcoming and extremely helpful throughout all phases of construction — from siting, to design review, to construction oversight, to permitting, and certificate of occupancy,” said Victor Cassella.

To further underscore its commitment to the local community, American Polyfilm retained two Branford-based firms for design and construction; Terry Architecture, which sited and designed the pre-engineered structure and Pat Munger Construction Company, general contractor.

Cassella added, “We have received ongoing support from the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Community Investment Corporation as well as The Guilford Savings Bank.

The cooperation we experienced between our business and government agencies, clearly demonstrates the role government can play by encouraging forward-looking, energy-efficient, clean industries that support well paying jobs to locate and expand in the U.S.”

“Energy efficiency is a hallmark of the new building. Numerous skylights and low-e windows provide natural lighting, while LED lamps and an EnergyStar HVAC system further minimize energy requirements. The siting and sloped roof accommodates a large solar array to further reduce energy consumption,” said David DeMaio of Pat Munger Construction Company.

Also participating in construction were local contractors Controlled Air, Massey Glass, and Finelli Electric.

American Polyfilm, Inc. produces made-to–order, blown polyurethane film in a range of thicknesses and spectrum of colors that are sold throughout the U.S. and internationally. Applications include medical products, performance textiles, protective and fashion garments, food processing equipment such as conveyor belts, and both nautical and aviation equipment. American Polyfilm is an ISO 9001-2008 certified company.

American Polyfilm's senior management is available for media interviews on how to foster Made-in-America by contacting Dick Pirozzolo at 617-959-4613 or dick@pirozzolo.com