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The Fountain of Reinvention By MICHAEL WINERIP, Generation B Columnist I’D never been to a boomer conference and figured it was time to try one. So, recently I joined 250 mainly boomer-age business people who had paid $195 each for a day’s worth of speeches, seminars and networking opportunities here at the second annual Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference. It was hard at first to tell from the list of speakers and sponsors whether this was the best of times for boomers (Shirley Mitchell, author of “Fabulous After 50” and “Sensational After 60”); the worst of times (Roger Chiocchi, author of “Baby Boomer Bust? How the Generation of Promise Became the Generation of Panic”); or the end of times (Suncoast Hospice, a major conference sponsor). If there was a buzzword, it was “reinvention.” The morning keynote speaker was Brent Green, the author of “Generation Reinvention.” The speaker at seminar 2B, “Reinventing Your Business, Reinventing Yourself,” was introduced as the “reinvention guru Karen Post.” The conference was opened by Colleen Chappell, a marketing executive who praised boomers for “truly reinventing everything,” including “redefining reinvention.” But it was a presentation by Lorin Drake, a market researcher, that made clear why so many attendees needed to be reinvented: 39 percent of boomer households in Florida had someone who’d lost a job in the last five years; 34 percent had experienced a hospitalization; 15 percent had a mortgage that was larger than the value of their home. The good news, said Mr. Drake of Schwartz Consulting Partners, is that 74 percent of boomers plan to stay in Florida. The bad news is there is not much choice because of the dead real estate market. More bad news, he said, was that a quarter of Florida boomers are now living with a parent or an adult child, or both. “What’s it result in?” he said. “A boomer mom who says, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’ ” The good news for savvy marketers? “If we win over the boomer mom, we win over the adult kids and parents who live with her,” he said. “We can scoop up all three at once.” That was why Mary Maloney, 41, a marketing specialist in the technology sector who has been downsized twice in this recession, was in attendance, and she took note. “I mean, there are 78 million boomers — it’s good to know,” she said. Darlene Jalowsky, 62, a former geriatric-care manager, agreed. “I’m here to learn how to make money off boomers,” she said. Mr. Drake had one last bit of research to share before concluding. His surveys indicate that a significant number of boomers don’t like the term. When addressing one, he suggested saying “your age group” instead. Although the attendees were dressed in business attire and had worked in corporate America for decades, you could still hear an occasional echo of the ’60s. One speaker, A. D. Frazier, the former chief executive of the Chicago Stock Exchange who now has his own business that provides back office services to small companies, urged those who were laid off to start a business. “Don’t go back to work for The Man,” he said. Pat Deering, 59, did not. A longtime human resources director for a real estate company, she told the conference, “I’d sent a lot of individuals home because positions were eliminated” — and then she, too, was fired. Instead of re-upping with The Man, she bought the Tampa-area FranNet franchise — which finds franchises for people to buy. “Stand up, Paul Lallanilla,” she said. “He’s taken control of his life.” The audience applauded for Mr. Lallanilla, who’d spent $100,000 to buy a Right at Home home-care franchise with Ms. Deering’s help. “Ron, would you like to stand up?” Ms. Deering said, and they applauded for Ron McCaslin, 63, who had opened a Speedpro Imaging printing franchise. Mr. McCaslin had been president of Jim Walter Homes, overseeing 2,000 employees until the recession. The company’s construction business closed, and he was let go. He paid $350,000, half of his retirement savings, for the Speedpro franchise. “I’ve put it all on the line,” he said. “I won’t ever retire.” Laurie Orlov, 59, the founder of Aging in Place Technology Watch, told the group how she had parlayed several trends affecting older people into a successful business with clients that include AARP and Philips Global. With the real estate collapse, she realized that more elderly people would not be able to sell their homes or afford assisted living (projected to cost $51,000 a year in Florida by 2015); that they would need more monitoring at home; and that they had techno-savvy adult children willing to spend on products like health alarms and movement sensors. She described a new, computer-linked pill dispenser that lights up when it’s time to take medication and calls you if you’ve forgotten — and if you don’t answer the phone, it can call your children. The problem, she said, is that the technology companies don’t know how to sell it. “This is a kind of sad market right now,” she said. She believes the way to go is bundling such devices — pill dispensers, neck alarms, movement sensors, GPS devices — into a package of services that families could subscribe to for a monthly fee of perhaps $50. Ms. Orlov described how her background — being a chief technology officer for two companies, a market researcher in the late 90’s when e-commerce was beginning and a caretaker for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s — helped her to see what others hadn’t. In the afternoon at reinvention seminar 2B, Ms. Post displayed a line graph of her life that looked like a roller coaster. She explained that she had become a reinvention guru the hard way, by having two businesses fail, including a dot-com start-up that she’d raised $1 million for in 2001 and that went bust nine months later. “You feel like you want to die, but we baby boomers are so strong,” she said. She said that her current business, as an inspirational speaker and coach on rebranding and reinvention, is “all on the upswing.” Each time she’s started over, people she thought were friends discouraged her. “I had to shed friends and associates,” Ms. Post said. “Sometimes you have to kick friends to the curb.” Other advice: “You cannot believe what your own mind tells you. My life was saying big loser. Separate truth from trash in your head.” “It’s never too late to come up with an idea and reinvent yourself.” “You need to step up and stand out.” During questions, David Valladarez, an architect, asked, “This is all great, but how do you use it to get work?” Ms. Post said, “Your services need to be sliced and diced and repackaged.” She suggested that — with so many boomers now having parents and adult children moving in, and with elderly people staying in their homes longer — Mr. Valladarez, as an architect, might be able to capitalize on the need to redesign and adapt those homes. She called it “spicing new spices on your business.” Later, I asked Mr. Valladarez, who’s been an architect 25 years, how bad business was. “Dead for lack of a better term,” he said. “The floor’s been pulled out. No real projects.” Asked if the conference was worthwhile, he said: “Oh, yes. This boomer thing, multi-generational housing, people aging in place — I’m thinking about it. “It could be the first time in my career I’m out front of the curve,” he said. “It’s just so hard to know.” And then he hurried off to hear the closing speaker, Mary Furlong, the author of “Silver to Gold: How to Profit in the Baby Boomer Marketplace.” ### Workshop Helps Baby Boomers Learn to Adapt, Survive and Thrive in the New Gig Economy Tampa, Fla. (March 16, 2010) – Thousands of Floridians who felt reasonably secure in their careers and were looking forward to retiring in less than a decade have had their lives turned upside down in the past few years. For those who have been downsized or forced to take early retirement in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, figuring out how to make a new life and career for yourself when there are no jobs to be had can be daunting. “How to Live, Survive and Thrive in the New Gig Economy,” a new workshop to be held on April 14 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Westin Tampa Bay, will show attendees how to tap into their skills, experience, and professional networks to launch a new career as a “company of one.” The workshop, hosted by Common Language and BOTH, is a pre-conference event held in connection with the 2nd Annual Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference. The Conference will be held on April 15 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. “For people who’ve spent 10, 20 or 30 years at a company, the loss of their job is in many ways the loss of their identity as well,” said Michelle Bauer, chief strategist of Common Language and co-producer of the workshop and the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference. “This workshop begins with the recognition that people need to deal with this blow first. Once that’s addressed, we’ll help them discover their passion, build a business model around it, and get out there and tell the world about it. Our speakers and panelists have all reinvented themselves using these steps, and will share the highs and lows they experienced on their path to success.” The “How to Live, Survive and Thrive in the New Gig Economy” agenda will cover the following topics: “This workshop is uniquely geared to today’s realities,”said A.D. Frazier, Co-Founder and COO of BOTH, a company that transforms work arrangements into vendor relationships. “Boomers were brought up with the notion that a life time career with one company was one of life’s ultimate goals. Loyalty given to a company translated into job security. In today’s world, where companies synchronize human resource expenditure with revenues, employment agreements are obsolete forcing each of us to replace job security by income security.” Speakers include: Registration for the workshop is limited to 50 participants on a first come, first served basis. The fee for the workshop is $95 and includes lunch. A discount of 30% is in effect for those registering by April 1. Simply enter PCWSAVE in the coupon field of the registration page. To learn more and register, visit www.floridaboomerlifestyle.com and click on the PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP sub menu on the AGENDA tab. About the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference ### The Education Channel put together a video for the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference from footage of the inaugural event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOrn8YqMwBU What do Boomer MEN Want? Generational Marketing Expert Brent Green to Discuss Engaging 50+ Male Consumers at Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference Tampa, Fla. (December 21, 2009) – ChappellRoberts and Common Language, producers of the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference, are pleased to announce that Brent Green, founder of Brent Green & Associates, Inc. and author of Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers: Perceptions, Principles, Practices, Predictions, will speak on how to engage and effectively market to baby boomer men at next year’s Conference, taking place April 15, 2010 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida. The 2010 Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference will explore trends that are shaping how baby boomers are reinventing their lives personally, professionally, physically and spiritually – and what those trends mean for companies marketing to them. Registration is now open on the Conference website. “Last year at our inaugural conference, we devoted a special session to the most effective strategies for marketing to boomer women,” said Michelle Bauer, co-producer of the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference and chief strategist of Common Language. “This year, we’ll turn our attention to the men. Boomer men in 50s and 60s are redefining what life over 50 is all about, and setting new benchmarks for later-life accomplishments. Brent will share some profound insights into the motivations of the boomer male consumer and offer tips for developing messages that resonate most with them now.” Six thousand baby boomer men turn 50 every day, and another boomer male turns 60 every 15 seconds. Men in this age cohort give $1 trillion annually to American businesses. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), boomer men are more prone to spend discretionary dollars during an economic crisis. In a fast-paced multimedia presentation that features marketing case studies, consumer research and advertising videos, Green will reveal the demographic, sociological and cultural forces that are shaping a future fraught with business risks and opportunities. Brent Green is a marketing communication strategist, creative director, author, speaker, trainer and consultant, focusing on generational marketing. He is author of Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers: Perceptions, Principles, Practices, Predictions. He will release two books in 2010. The Boomer Future, which examines how boomers are changing business, marketing, aging and the future, will heavily address marketing to baby boomer men. His literary novel, Noble Chaos, recounts the defining years of this generation during the Vietnam War era, told from a college student perspective. The Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference agenda will devote special attention to industries serving baby boomers that are poised for explosive growth in the coming decade. Florida’s competitiveness in these industries – which include anti-aging medicine, healthy and sustainable living, lifelong learning and care giving - will be explored in keynote presentations, panel discussions, case studies and best practices. The Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Ruth Eckerd Hall. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact Michelle Bauer at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 727-510-2524. Registration for the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference is now open. Tickets are $195 through January 30, $245 from February 1 – March 31, and $295 thereafter. To learn more about the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference and register online, please visit the website at www.floridaboomerlifestyle.com. Tampa Bay Business Journal - November 19, 2009Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference to Focus on ReinventionReinventing life after 50 is the theme of the second annual Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference. Presentations and panel discussions will include companies specializing in anti-aging medicine, healthy and sustainable living, lifelong learning and care giving. Boomers, the population of 78 million born between 1946 and 1964, are expected to comprise more than 30 percent of Florida’s population by 2015, the release said. The conference is designed to give marketers insight into boomer behavior to address the needs of the market, said Michelle Bauer, chief strategist of Common Language, the St. Petersburg communications firm producing the event along with Tampa marketing, branding and PR firm ChappellRoberts. Registration will begin Nov. 30. Tickets are $195 through Jan. 30, $245 after Feb. 1, and $295 after March 31.
2010 Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference Announced: Save the Date for April 15, 2010 Tampa, Fla. (November 18, 2009) – ChappellRoberts and Common Language, producers of the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference, today announced the date for the second annual meeting, which will take place April 15, 2010 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. The Conference will explore trends that are shaping how baby boomers are reinventing their lives personally, professionally, physically and spiritually – and what those trends mean for companies marketing to them. “The recent economic fallout has engendered a mass wakeup call among boomers nationwide: if they expect to live well into old age, they’d better learn how to gain control over their careers and health, and find what gives their lives meaning and purpose,” said Michelle Bauer, chief strategist of Common Language and co-producer of the Conference. “Learning how to reinvent yourself after the loss of a job held for 25 years, or a divorce, or the sudden responsibility of caring for an aging parent or chronically ill spouse is enough to knock anyone off their game.” Dealing with any one of these life changes is challenging enough. But many boomers find themselves having to navigate several of them simultaneously, and they’re seeking solutions that will help them stay healthy, marketable, and personally and spiritually fulfilled. “The Conference is designed to give marketers greater insight into the current boomer zeitgeist and capitalize on it to successfully address the needs of this huge market,” Bauer added. Boomers – the 78 million people born between 1946 and 1964 - are key to Florida’s economic future. They are expected to make up more than 30 percent of the state’s population by 2015. Understanding the current boomer consumer mindset and what messages and methods resonate most with them will be the primary focus of the 2010 Conference. “Successfully engaging today’s boomer customer is all about niches and life stages, not a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Colleen Chappell, CEO of ChappellRoberts and co-producer of the Conference. “This year’s program will show marketers how to weave messages that zero in on their target customers’ unmet needs together with the most effective mix of traditional media, online media, and other vehicles for reaching them.” The Conference agenda will devote special attention to industries serving baby boomers that are poised for explosive growth in the coming decade. Florida’s competitiveness in these industries – which include anti-aging medicine, healthy and sustainable living, lifelong learning, and care giving - will be explored in keynote presentations, panel discussions, case studies and best practices. The Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Ruth Eckerd Hall. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact Michelle Bauer at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 727-510-2524. Registration for the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference begins November 30. Tickets are $195 through January 30, $245 from February 1 – March 31, and $295 thereafter. To learn more about the Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference and register online, please visit the website at www.floridaboomerlifestyle.com. ###
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