Three Fine Reasons
to Dine Out in Town

Like any other suburban city in America, Joliet is inundated with scores of chain restaurants where you can get a quick, but all too often unsatisfying bite to eat.

Unlike many suburban cities though, Joliet is fortunate to have some excellent local, family owned fine dining restaurants that can compete in style and cuisine with any found in Chicago.

The most established is Syl's in Rockdale. Since 1946, Syl's has consistenly provided an elegant, romantic setting to enjoy delicious prime steaks, fresh seafood, pasta and ribs. Syl's lounge is large but warm and inviting and packed on the weekends. It's a great atmosphere to kick back with friends or family and enjoy a drink and a great meal. They also offer catering and banquet rooms for large private gatherings.

A relatively new hot spot is Barolo Ristorante, formerly located in Downtown Joliet, and scheduled to reopen at 2765 Black Road in mid-November of 2008. Hopefully the new restaurant's decor will have the same charm and European ambiance as the original. Featuring the authentic Italian and New World cuisine of owner/chef Guy Turi, Barolo has become a very popular addition to the fine dining scene in town. With its new, convenient west side location, Barolo's business should soar. Barolo also offers catering and banquet facilities.

Rounding out the fine dining triumvirate is Louie's Chophouse in Shorewood. Louie's offers the finest selections of steaks and chops butchered daily along with the freshest of seafood. The decor at Louie's is casual, yet tasteful. Louie's prides itself on providing the best service and a unique culinary style. Louie's offers entertainment starting Thursday evening through Saturday night. Swing dancing, singers and live bands can be enjoyed while having dinner and/or drinks in their elegant retro lounge. With two banquet halls, Louie's is a terrific venue for weddings, business functions or private parties.

So there you have it...three great reasons to dine right here in town for a fabulous meal and a special night out.

PUBLISHED 11/1/2008

Does Your Company Exude Personality?

Today’s hyper-intense competition makes it imperative that existing companies and organizations review their current image, and that new entities consider the kind of image they want to project to their various audiences, their employees, customers, prospects, vendors, bankers, donors and government agencies.

Just as with individuals, companies must strive to develop and exhibit positive images, traits and behaviors that form their personality and the public’s perception
of them. The overall objective is to make the first impression — and all impressions thereafter — consistently positive.

The key to creating successful corporate identities lies in the ability to capture the essence of a company and project it through a unique visual personality.
Classic brand images like the
HotWheels logo, the Golden Arches, the Pillsbury Dough Boy, Colonel Sanders and the Michelin Man are living proof that creating endearing images is a powerful way to achieve marketplace impact, brand
loyalty and long-term success. Whether your company uses a brand mascot or a different visual mark to represent itself,
make sure it has a personality that means bizness!

Bullet Communications has created a system of characteristics that companies can utilize to help define, develop and shape their public image. A company’s Name, Keystone, VisComm, UPD (Unique Point of Difference), MediaComm, and Character are all key components which contribute to form an organization’s WholeImage(sm).

To learn more about how to develop your company's WholeImage(sm) click here.

PUBLISHED 10/1/2008

Pay Attention to
Your Web Address

As someone who is in the marketing communications business, I take great pride in providing intelligent solutions and thoughtful consulting services to my clients. That's what they hire me for. They trust my judgement and experience.

Sometimes companies think they can do just fine making their own marketing decisions, and sometimes they do hire a marketing firm, but it may be the wrong marketing firm.

One of the primary ways to market your business today is through the internet. Every company needs a web site and a domain name. When selecting or approving a domain name your marketing firm suggests for you, pay attention to how your domain name looks and reads when appearing in all lowercase letters, with no space between words.

The examples below illustrate how domain names can go wrong.

This is my all-time favorite. It is for an Italian Power Generator company...
www.powergenitalia.com

How about the Mole Station Native Nursery, in new South Wales...
www.molestationnursery.com

Need a pen? Try Pen Island at:
www.penisland.net

If you're interested in vacationing in
Lake Tahoe, try:
www.gotahoe.com

A site called 'Who Represents' lists names of agents who represent celebrities...
www.whorepresents.com

Here's a site where programmers can
exchange advice and views:
www.expertsexchange.com

If you need a therapist, this may or
may not be the site for you:
www.therapistfinder.com

For those who need computer software...
www.ipanywhere.com

This group of art designers seems to have their head up their...
www.speedofart.com

There are undoubtedly many more of these ill-fated domain names on the world wide web. Be careful when selecting your domain name so that it doesn't have an embarrassing dual meaning.

PUBLISHED 8/2/2008

Honda Superstore
of Joliet Delivers
Style and Value!

I recently went car shopping for a mid-size sedan to replace my 1995 Chevy Lumina. Since I tend to keep a car even when its on life-support, I wanted to find a car that I could count on for many years to come. I looked at the stylish X-type Jaguar only to discover it has only 10% Jaguar parts (the hood ornament, I presume). It also has 20% Ford parts and 70% other parts. So I scratched that one off my list. I next considered a BMW or Infinity...but my budget would only allow me to buy a used one of those. Next, I went and drove a couple Nissan Altimas here in town. The 2.5, 4-cylinder was stylish on the outside but I wasn't nuts about the interior quality for the less expensive price point. I drove the 3.5, 6-cylinder model with an upgraded interior package and felt like that could work for me, but I still wasn't sold.

I then proceeded to go to Naperville to check out the deals at Gerald Nissan and compare prices. I made the mistake of going on a Saturday. Apparently Napervillians haven't heard we're in a down economy...you'd think they were giving away cars that day. I couldn't even get a salesman to pay attention to me. And I was there ready to buy!

I decided on the way back to town to stop at a Honda dealer since everyone kept telling me to check out the new Accord. Again, Valley Honda in Naperville was a zoo and no one had time for me.

On Monday, I went to the Honda Superstore of Joliet to test drive an Accord. I was interested in the EXL model, since it was a 4-cylinder with 190hp and a nicely appointed, roomy, leather interior. As soon as I drove the car I knew this was the car for me. The car accelerated like a V-6, handled like a Benz and was very comfortable. And it's a Honda, so I could trust it would hold up for a long time.

Joe Tornabeni, my sales consultant, was very helpful, and he gave me a fair price on the vehicle. He introduced me to their service manager (who I don't expect to see for quite some time) and explained the functions of the car very thoroughly.

It's only been a couple weeks since I bought my Honda, but I'm still very excited about the car and am confident I made the right decision!

PUBLISHED 7/24/2008

One of the most exciting - even brilliant - business developments for Downtown Joliet is in the works involving the University of St. Francis (USF) and the Rialto Square Theatre. Dr. Michael Vinciguerra, President of the USF, and Randy Green, General Manager of the Rialto, have joined forces to create some impressive synergy between their respective organizations.

gojoliet@cityofjoliet.com

PUBLISHED 7/31/2008