By: Dennis Schiraldi

I have to take a moment and thank the people that are the most meaningful in my life. I know what the experts say. Stay away from cats with lasers, we don’t want to see pictures of your kids and your dog isn’t all that important to us…

We have a lot to be thankful for in our family. First let me start by saying thank you to you. Happy Thanksgiving and I am extremely grateful for all of our loyal fans and customers. It means absolutely everything to me that you take the time to read our blogs, open our emails, engage with us on social media, the benefactor sponsors of DOYO Live which we will be highlighting next week, everyone of you that believed in our conference in year-1 that signed up and came to our event, the support given to us from our sponsors and all of you on a daily basis, without you none of this is possible!

 

First let me start by saying thank you to you. Happy Thanksgiving! I am extremely grateful for all of our loyal fans!!!

Thank you to our volunteers at DOYO Live, it was so awesome to have all you involved in the event. It was seriously a family affair. For those of you at DOYO Live know what these people all mean to me. This group was literally made up of my wife, sister, relatives, friends that are family and people I grew up with that are part of my extended family.

I am very thankful to the organizations, such as: The Youngstown Business Incubator that gave us a home 3-years ago, Youngstown State University and Williamson College of Business for giving our conference a home, and V2 for serving lunch to over 200 people. Just to name a few.

I am grateful for our sponsors: Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, NYO Property Group, Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, SBDC of Youngstown and PALO Creative.

I am thankful for the coverage from  the local media including the Youngstown Vindicator, Mr. Todd Franko thanks for your buy-in. WFMJ, Jennifer Brindisi and Madonna Pinkard you were awesome, simply awesome. Vindy Radio, hey Louis Free you were the first to have me on and things took off from there and I’m thankful for your investment into DOYO.

Thanks to Betty Jo Licatta and her world class team, including Chris Shelton at the YSU’s WCBA. Joe Pulizzi, our keynote, literally speaks around the world over 100 times per year and said YSU facilities were in the top-3 of any place he’s been.

Thank you to Ron, he takes care of the facilities at YSU’s WCBA. He and I talk pretty often, a lot of times about a ball game from the previous night. I love that he takes the time to talk shop with me!!!

City Printing delivered big time and we owe them big time for printing our program.

PALO Creative and the entire squad that Rob Palowitz brought to DOYO Live. Truly great support, thanks for picking up the lunch tab, participating in the panel discussion and Jim Komara, Digital Director at PALO Creative for presenting on SEO strategy.

Thanks to all of our speakers. Yes, I was a little long winded in my opening remarks, so thanks to everyone that took our post event survey it will help us to make our event much better in the future. And thanks to the individual that remarked I was long winded.

A big DOYO thanks to Joe Pulizzi who help put us on the map. Nate Riggs for speaking and helping to introduce me to Joe Pulizzi. Sassy Girl Media, TBG Digital, Jeff Leo Herrmann, SocialEyes Media Group, G. Getto, Jeff Ryznar of 898 Marketing, Ross Morrone, Danny Catullo, Mike Sevilla aka Dr. Mike, Ving, Amanda Changuris and Mark Dinovitz. All of these people contributed as breakout sessions leaders. So thankful they were willing to put it on the line, helped with getting people to the conference and were willing to teach others what they know. Thank You!

I am thankful for our committee: Dr. Adam Earnheardt. Adam’s contributions to writing articles in The Vindicator, planning our event, helping move people around the day of, facilitating our panel discussion and for giving me an opportunity to teach college level courses at Youngstown State University is so appreciated, thank you!

Mike Pontikos, creative director for DOYO Live, breakout session leader, planned the event and took every call throughout the process. Believe me there were a lot of calls. As we came down the stretch it was so well planned out but there’s always going to be a few stressful moments and he walked me off the ledge several times. Not only a contributor to the only and premier marketing conference in Youngstown, Ohio but a friend.

RJ Thompson – Thanks man, he designed the website and DOYO Live logo. Updated the website and fixed it every time I got a chance to break it. Thanks for being a champion of DOYO and The City of You!

All of our students that were on the committee thank you: Stephanie Miranda, I’m thankful for your contributions. Alexa Morocco, and the rest of our crew.

I am thankful that I get to live in Youngstown, one of the most remarkable places I’ve lived anywhere on the planet!

If you attended DOYO, you know my mantra. I cannot say thank you enough and I’m very appreciative for all that you do!!!

I have to take a moment and thank the people that are the most meaningful in my life. I know what the experts say. Stay away from cats with lasers, we don’t want to see pictures of your kids and your dog isn’t all that important to us. However I think we can all agree this is the one time per year in a business setting that I can get away with it.

I am thankful for my family!!!

There are a lot of late nights, early mornings, running to and in-between meetings. I’m on the phone, at my computer, scheduling posts, responding to emails, conference calls where I’ve got one had covering up someone’s mouth and another on the phone. It’s why I use a headset so I can direct traffic with my kids.

Thanks for supporting me. It would be pretty easy to go out and find a day job. To my wife and my children you are remarkable people and live this with me everyday. That means everything and more. You are one of the big reasons why I care so much to make DOYO Live something special.

I am thankful every day for the fact that I get to be a husband and a father to these amazing people. And I am thankful to no end that you support what I do.

As my friend Ralph Fajack always comments, hope you get a chance to hug the one you love today, if you don’t someone else will!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!