July 23, 2007
The U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Intergovernmental Program has selected Akoya to develop an effective communication strategy that will accelerate market transformation for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, practices, and products. These communications are targeted to internal and external stakeholders and audiences.

May 15, 2007
The U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, has selected Akoya to produce a pocket brochure explaining to its staff the organization's long-range strategic plan.

March 6, 2007
The Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board (TRWIB) has chosen Akoya to facilitate its long-term strategic visioning and planning using the PageOne process. Akoya will work with TRWIB to uncover, capture, and articulate a description of what the organization is, why its contribution is valuable, and where its efforts will be focused in the next 5-10 years.

February 5, 2007
NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program has selected Akoya to design and publish a web site that would establish the purpose and importance of the program for its workforce as well as other federal agencies, industry, academia, and the American people. The program also asked Akoya to develop a video and accompanying brochure detailing the importance and potential of current aeronautics research at the agency.

January 2, 2007
Touchstone Center for Crafts of Farmington, PA has hired Akoya to use the PageOne strategic planning process in helping the organization develop a long-term vision, three-year strategic plan, and implementation timeline .

January 2, 2007
City Theatre has chosen Akoya's PageOne strategic planning process to create a strategic plan for the years 2007-2010. The planning process is scheduled for completion in May 2007 .

December 7, 2006
Akoya has been contracted by the Allegheny City Society to research and storyboard The Lost City, a feature historical video documentary of Allegheny (now Pittsburgh's North Side), which was one of Pennsylvania's largest and most prosperous cities until a hostile takeover by neighboring Pittsburgh in 1907. The video is scheduled to be completed in one year, on December 7, 2007.

November 3, 2006
The National Institute of Standards & Technology, Advanced Technology Program has chosen Akoya to design a 50-page retrospective entitled The History of ATP for publication by the Government Printing Office and presentation to Congress and the American people.

November 1, 2006
Pursuit of Honor: The Rise of George Washington, an independent feature documentary created by Akoya Senior Writer/Project Manager Robert Matzen and his wife Mary, is released to DVD. Pursuit of Honor was developed in cooperation with the Pittsburgh foundation community and national historic sites including George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg.

October 23-24, 2006
Akoya traveled to Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Bethel Park on Monday October 23 for a day of shooting for two videos--The Spirit of Exploration and Return to the Moon. Ben Franklin fourth graders star in the production, which also includes a visit to the school by NASA astronaut T. J. Creamer. The next day, an Akoya crew set up shop at NASA headquarters in Washington D.C. for two on-camera interviews--with four-time shuttle astronaut and NASA official Scott Horowitz, and Apollo 17 astronaut and former U.S. Senator Harrison Schmitt, the last man to walk on the Moon.

September 15, 2006
The Allegheny County Agency on Aging (AAA) has selected Akoya to work with the AAA leadership team to develop an organizational culture based on Smart Organization and Learning Organization models. Akoya will work with the agency on a series of workshops designed to enhance AAA's organizational excellence.

September 12, 2006
In response to new leaderhip and changes to the non-profit landscape, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in Bethesda, Maryland, has asked Akoya to lead a two-part workshop that will lay the groundwork for 2007 strategic planning.

September 1, 2006
Akoya is hired by NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate to consult on strategic leadership, communications, and team issues.

August 27, 2006
The American Petroleum Institute has asked Akoya to adapt Life Is Better with Natural Gas, the 16-page informational brochure, for presentation on API's naturalgasfacts.org web site. The project is scheduled for completion within 90 days.

August 16, 2006
Akoya has been chosen to help the Aviation Safety Program within the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate to develop a long-range communications plan and to work on other strategic issues.

July 20, 2006
Akoya has been hired by a Houston contractor to consult on production of a video for NASA Headquarters entitled Return to the Moon. This video explaining the Vision for Space Exploration will kick off the 2006 international Space Exploration Conference in Houston December 4-6, 2006.

April 17, 2006
Akoya has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to work with the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. to boost attendance for the monthly NBM Lecture Series, which features the nation's foremost authorities on commercial and residential building technologies.

March 21, 2006
Akoya is hired by the National Institute of Standards & Technology to design and develop a 60-page report for Congress and the American people about the state of the United States Measurement System.

November 15, 2005
Akoya has been hired by a Houston contractor to consult on production of a video for NASA's Johnson Space Center. Entitled The Spirit of Exploration, this featurette will be used to inform the NASA workforce and the American people about the transition from the space shuttle and International Space Station programs to Constellation and the return to the Moon.

September 20, 2005
To date, Akoya has earned four national awards for the video featurette, Dreams of Aviation, created for NASA's Vehicle Systems Program. The eight-minute motion picture was developed using live-action sequences shot in High Definition and animated sequences created in Houston Texas. Honors for Dreams of Aviation include 2005 Gold Aurora Awards for Convention/ Exhibition and Aerospace; a 2005 Crystal Vision Silver Award for Aviation; and a 2005 Bronze Telly Award for Government Relations.

July 18, 2005
Akoya represented NASA's Vehicle Systems Program at a national meeting of 400 aerospace representatives in Columbus, Ohio from July 18-22. Activities included workshops and panel discussions about the state of U.S. aeronautics, and breakthrough technologies that will improve aviation and consequently quality of life and the U.S. economy in future generations. Akoya conducted interviewes with two dozen aeronautics experts in industry, academia, and the federal government, with resulting data to help in future strategic planning for aeronautics. The conference also included the premiere of the video featurette, Dreams of Aviation, created for the Vehicle Systems Program by Akoya in partnership with the animation firm John Frassanito & Associates of Houston Texas.

May 18, 2005
The U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), has asked Akoya to redesign its web site. The current NETL web site contains an estimated 30,000 pages. Akoya will assist NETL in developing criteria and processes for evaluating, updating, and migrating current content to the new site.

April 15, 2005
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has chosen Akoya to aid in the development of a strategic communications plan to better connect HHS research to SAMHSA services. The goal is to put research findings to their best use to benefit the American public. Part of the challenge involves educating a broad network of stakeholders and HHS partners on this issue and the opportunity it presents. Another part of the challenge involves establishing SAMHSA's role in identifying, qualifying, and making available best practices of benefit to health care communities.

April 1, 2005
Dance Alloy, Pittsburgh's premiere modern dance repertory company and school, has chosen Akoya to help in the development of its strategic plan using our PageOne™ planning approach. The project is scheduled for completion in October 2005.

March 1, 2005
The Detroit (MI) Country Day School has selected Akoya to develop its five-year strategic plan using our PageOne™ planning approach. The project is scheduled for completion in June 2005.

February 15, 2005
Akoya attended a Columbus, Ohio meeting of state energy officials from the Appalachian/Illinois oil and natural gas basins. These officials are members of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which has asked Akoya to develop a 28-page brochure outlining past, present, and future availability and production of oil and gas reserves in these basins. The project is proceeding with the cooperation of the U.S. Department of Energy. Akoya will design and develop the brochure, which is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2005.

January 2, 2005
The American Petroleum Institute has selected Akoya to develop a print and web campaign showing the importance of natural gas in our daily lives, not only for cooking, heating, and cooling, but also in the manufacture of plastics, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and other products.

December 1, 2004
In support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Assurance (OEA), the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is establishing the Energy Infrastructure Training and Analysis Center (EITAC). EITAC will aid the public and private sectors in improving the robustness, reliability, and security of our nation's energy infrastructure. Akoya has been selected to develop a strategic marketing and communications plan that identifies EITAC-related communications needs and objectives, core messages, audiences, actions, timelines, and responsibilities leading up to the initial operation of the center. Akoya will also develop a core set of communications tools—including a public web site, an executive overview brochure, and fact sheets—and provide consulting as requested to assist OEA and NETL managers in implementing stakeholder communications.

October 5-6, 2004
An Akoya video crew, working on behalf of NASA, shot aviation footage in High Definition at the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and the Allegheny County Airport. The same crew also worked with a group of Pittsburgh child actors on Mount Washington and in a Wexford neighborhood to shoot scenes that will be integrated into the motion picture, Dreams of Aviation, for NASA's Vehicle Systems Program.

August 15, 2004
The Vehicle Systems Program in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has contracted Akoya to develop communication strategy and tools in support of the program's outreach efforts.  Among these tools will be an introductory video and a start-up web site for the program.

July 1, 2004
The Pittsburgh Glass Center, the first open and comprehensive glass art studio in Southwestern PA, has selected Akoya to develop its strategic plan using our PageOne™ planning approach. The project is scheduled for completion in July 2006.

June 30, 2004
The U.S. Department of Energy chose Akoya to help in the development of a plan that will elevate the visibility and credibility of DOE's Energy Star Program. The year-long effort will involve working with DOE staff to create the vision for a higher-impact program, prioritize and select key strategic directions for development, establish new goals and objectives, and determine an action plan. Akoya will then provide communications support for the plan within DOE, and also with EPA, industry partners, and the general public in the form of web, print, and presentation tools.

March 17, 2004
Akoya has been contracted to work with the U.S. Department of Energy to create a series of five reports updating various aspects of the oil and gas industry in the United States. Topics include liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil and gas resources in East Texas, and the environmental benefits of oil and natural gas.

June, 2003
Akoya has been contracted to work with the Vehicle Systems Program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to create a strategic communications plan and to work with the program to enhance its image. Vehicle Systems, one of NASA's largest aeronautics programs, currently seeks to make the traveling public more mobile via the air and also to increase the general public's access to aviation (creating "anywhere, anytime, anyplace air transportation").

Akoya has been contracted to develop a series of reports for the Environmental Protection Agency's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program. These reports will look at the environment and pollution with respect to children's health, nanotechnology, and pollution prevention.

The Robotics Foundry Alliance has hired Akoya to design a sophisticated, high-impact graphic identity and set of core marketing communications tools.

Akoya has been contracted to work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program to review and update the strategic plan of its Economic Assessment Office; and to develop a biennial publication to focus on how the program evaluates its impacts at accelerating the development of innovative technologies for broad national benefit through partnerships with the private sector.

May 1, 2003
As part of an ongoing project with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Akoya has agreed to sign up 400 additional "Workforce Partners for Life"—companies and employee groups of all sizes who agree to make information on organ donation available to employees.

Read our monthly article in the Pittsburgh Business Times.

February 14, 2003
Q: Our organization plans endlessly, but no one really knows when we are making progress. What's the best way to measure against plans? >more

September 9, 2002
Q: My company just went through a branding activity, and after days of meetings and months of waiting, it seems to me that all we got was a new logo. Am I missing something? >more

July 19, 2002
Q: When will I pay attention to that knot in my stomach? Lessons on client/consultant fit: Excerpts from Bonnie’s fictional journal. >more

June 7, 2002
Q: I went to a leadership conference to hear a nationally known expert on win/win negotiation. But every technique and example he gave was on manipulative ways to get what you want. What a disappointment! Does leadership have to be sleazy?>more

April 12, 2002
Q: We spend a fortune on consultants in this company. Why can't we just get the work done ourselves? Now, in the wake of the Enron scandal, picking a consultant is a problem in itself. What is the safe way to choose? >more

March 22, 2002
Q: I've been charged with making major changes in my business unit. This is a real turnaround opportunity, and I'm ready for the challenge. But I've read that more than 75 percent of change efforts fail. What are the pitfalls? >more

February 22, 2002
Q: At a recent management meeting, the CEO asked me specifically for feedback on his ideas, and I pointed out some gaps. He did not take it well. What happened? >more

January 11, 2002
Q: How do I handle being "baited-and-switched?" >more

November 30, 2001
Q: Why is there such a focus on entrepreneurs today? >more

October 26, 2001
Q: I recently joined a corporation as a mid-level manager. In a meeting, I asked the CEO a question about something I didn't quite understand. He took it really badly, and later I was chastised for challenging his judgment. What happened? >more

September 28, 2001
Q: Planning has become a flavor-of-the-month activity at our company. Why can't we stop planning and just do it? >more

August 24, 2001
Q: My boss just gave me the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" I'm so insulted. What is he trying to say? >more

December 12, 2002 | Back to Top
The National Academy of Sciences, Transportation Research Board, has selected Akoya to develop an informational brochure on the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. Akoya, a strategic communications and consulting firm located on the South Side, has specific experience in the area of national transportation research and development. Akoya also specializes in planning and R&D issues related to energy, industry, and technology.

Using its PageOne™ strategic planning services, Akoya will help the Carnegie Museum of National History articulate a strategic plan to guide the museum's direction over the next three to five years. Akoya, a strategic communications and consulting firm located on the South Side, has trademarked its PageOne planning product.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association has hired Akoya to conduct PageOne™ strategic planning on how RMA can best serve its industry members in hard rubber general products. The effort will look at where the industry wants to be in 2008 and what steps RMA should take to support the industry. Akoya specializes in planning for business, government, associations, and not-for-profits, as well as R&D issues related to energy, industry, and technology.

Akoya is again managing a recruitment drive for the Workplace Partnership for Life campaign, sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Division of Transplantation (DOT). This annual national campaign enlists organizations interested in educating employees, members, and/or volunteers about the crucial need for organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donation. Akoya delivered a record number of new workplace partners in HHS's 2001 campaign drive.

EPA’s Science Communications, Outreach, and Communications Branch has contracted with Akoya for strategic communications consulting, focused on improving communications efforts relating to climate change and ozone depletion. The branch manages several high-visibility web sites, including EPA’s Global Warming site, the Stratospheric Ozone Protection site, and the SunWise School Program site. It also produces public information materials.

September 23, 2002 | Back to Top
A new trade mark is pending for PageOne™, Akoya's unique strategic visioning and planning tool.

July 10, 2002 | Back to Top
Akoya, a strategic communications firm located on the South Side, will develop a series of articles for an Economic Assessment group within the Advanced Technology Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Two initial publications are planned, highlighting the impacts of economic measurement in the areas of health and energy.

May 17, 2002 | Back to Top
NASA Aerospace Technology Enterprise has selected Akoya to provide a communications assessment, leading to a communications plan to enhance understanding of its mission and value.

May 17, 2002 | Back to Top
Renaissance City Choir will undertake strategic planning with facilitation by Akoya.

May 17, 2002 | Back to Top
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts has selected Akoya to facilitate a strategic planning and visioning effort.

April 11, 2002 | Back to Top
Akoya worked with Women and Philanthropy of Southwestern Pennsylvania to publish a brochure marking the birth of a new, woman-focused foundation, The Women and Girls Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

February 16, 2002 | Back to Top
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services selected Akoya to manage a fast-track recruitment campaign focused on increasing national organ and tissue donations.

January 12, 2002 | Back to Top
Akoya has been tapped by City Theatre (Pittsburgh) to bring a fresh approach to its latest strategic planning efforts.

January 8, 2002 | Back to Top
Robert Matzen joins Akoya as Senior Writer/Project Manager.

Akoya, a South Side management consulting and strategic communications firm, has hired Robert Matzen as Senior Writer/Project Manager. Robert's experience includes concepting, writing, and developing books, PR initiatives, training materials, and film and video for a broad range of audiences.

Robert holds a BA in History from California University of Pennsylvania.

November 20, 2001 | Back to Top
Akoya has been hired to support the development of the US natural gas industry's technology roadmap, a 20-year vision of high-priority R&D for industrial applications.

November 15, 2001 | Back to Top
Akoya has been selected by DOE's Office of Science to prepare four articles describing scientific R&D advancements in fusion, high energy physics, energy science, and scientific computing for the non-scientist. Web and print publication is anticipated in the first quarter of 2002.

August 1, 2001 | Back to Top
Akoya has been awarded a significant contract from the Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) to prepare the 2000-2001 Annual Achievement Report. The FHWA preserves and enhances the nation's vital transportation infrastructure. This 40 page publication will highlight FHWA contributions to safety, mobility, productivity, the human and natural environment and national security. Publication is expected during the first quarter of 2002.

October 1, 2001 | Back to Top
Holly Wray joins Akoya as Director of Finance & Marketing.

Akoya, a South Side management consulting and strategic communications firm, has hired Holly Wray as Director of Finance and Marketing. Holly brings to Akoya 25 years of experience in financial management, human resources and business administration.

Holly holds a BS in Consumer Related Studies from The Pennsylvania State University.

July 26, 2001 | Back to Top
Akoya, formerly Brandegee, named Tracy Koebnick Creative Partner.

July 26, 2001 | Back to Top
Church Financial Campaign Service (CFCS), a capital fundraising arm of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that helps churches raise money for their mission and ministries, will bring in Akoya for strategic planning and team-building assistance.