Finally, we're back. Fighting cancer became a full-time job this past summer. Thank God and the good doctors at Parkland for removing the cancer from my neck and throat, and my physical therapist for beating me up twice a week to make me stronger.

It's taken quite a lot of work to get back to fighting weight and strength. And my stamina is back, mostly. My pain is under control, for the most part, and I'm ready to produce my best work. Over the course of the next year or so what I call work may change but that's a story for another day.

Today, the good news is that PentaGRAFX is back to work and is looking to expand its client base.

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We're proud to announce that we're designing a new website for our news client, Southland Safety, LLC. Southland is a safety consulting firm with clients in oil and gas, manufacturing, pipeline, commercial, and construction fields.

They've engaged PentaGRAFX to upgrade their website to put them on an equal footing with their competitors' websites and help them promote their most profitable services.

As soon as the site goes live, we'll post a thumbnail and link.

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This is a very brief entry just to let you know that we've opened the doors for business again, after months of concentrating on the best way to deal with throat and neck cancer. We'll have more to come very soon.

In the meantime, thank you for your support, your phone calls and emails, and for hanging in there with me. I have a lot to be grateful for and plan on making some changes, not only in my personal life, but in the way I make a living. PentaGRAFX will soon undergo some changes for the better.

I'd like to hear from you. Please contact me at lsstevens@pentagrafx.com or call me at 214.650.7924 and let's catch up.

Lawrence Standifer Stevens

Tags: Change, Work

Some visitors here know that I was recently diagnosed with cancer and, so, this news should not come as a surprise.

Our full-time focus has become fighting cancer. Or, rather, doing battle with the bureaucracies at various hospitals.

We see light at the end of the tunnel. . . and have only entered the tunnel. It's dark in here, for certain, but the way out is through, toward the light.

That's where we're headed.

Why the plural "we" and "our?" Because so many friends have taken up our cause that "I, me, and my" just doesn't seem to cover the scope of who is fighting this battle.

You can keep up with our progress at LawrenceStevens.com.

Join us on our journey.

Tags: News

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Today, PentaGRAFX announces a brand new feature on our website — a forum for small- and medium-sized business owners and executives to discuss their experiences, their needs, and their rants and raves regarding their marketing and advertising. Whether you're a fan of old media or new media, this is the place to make your voice heard, to share with others what works and what doesn't. Use it for networking, for bantering, for anything you want in this area of business — you decide what to talk about; we're just here to get the conversation started, like any good host.

The PentaGRAFX Forum is only a click away. What are you waiting for?

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Our newest client, WindoDressing™, a home improvement company in East Texas specializing in window treatments and kitchen and bath design, just turned on the switch for their new website. Business is very good and they have high hopes to create a touchpoint for customers both to see their products and to be able to contact the company for their products and services.

Future plans include a blog and a Before/After photo album to show off their work.

If you live in East Texas, visit their site and look over their line of products. They're good people and do excellent work.

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Lots of projects going on here at PentaGRAFX. Stay tuned for more news.

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Things have been hopping around PentaGRAFX for the past few months, leaving things like updates to our Latest News blog to pile up on the corner of our desk. This is a problem that is more welcome than not.

3-in-1 Product Brochure

With that said, one of the recent print projects we've done was a bit of a challenge — the new piece, a 12-page brochure + cover for DiamondTouch, Inc. It incorporated a pocket inside the back cover to contain letterhead, a CD, and a business card. The challenge was bringing together 3 previous pieces: a presentation folder, 10 (+ 2 new) sell sheets, and a 4-page brochure into a single brochure. We also were asked to mimic the color scheme of the company's trade show booth while keeping the overall look of the piece consistent with previous collateral, which had a clean, open look.

It was a fun project and the piece benefited from the terrific product photography of Marty Perlman here in Dallas.

Bottom line — the client, Tom Bronson, president of DiamondTouch loved it! He even printed more than he has in the past and his very excited resellers couldn't wait to get their hands on them.

Website Design

At PentaGRAFX, we're constantly reaching, growing and stretching to acquire skills, hire people, and create relationships that help us to serve our present and future clients. For almost 20 years, we've been primarily a print-oriented design firm. And, although print isn't going away anytime soon, the market has changed and the rate of change is accelerating. That's why we're now offering web design and search engine optimization for our clients.

Our newest web client is Candice White, a brilliant fine art and portrait photographer based here in Dallas. She knows precisely what she wants and demands nothing less than our best effort.

We stepped up to the task and produced a website that we're very proud of for its beauty, simplicity, and ease-of-use. With over 200 images in her online portfolio, it became clear that staying organized would be a chore. But once in the groove, things went very smoothly.

Simple, elegant, and scaleable. . . that's why the client said, "IT IS BEAUTIFUL! I'm very pleased."

Along the way, we redesigned her company logo and incorporated it into the site. Two versions are shown here.

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That's it for now. More to come soon. Keep those cards and letters coming. . . er, make that, IMs and emails.

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Podcasting is ushering in a "revolution in communications." It lowers the barrier to entry so that anyone can give voice to their expertise, their opinions, their passions — and, often, while making money in the process. That's why PentaGRAFX is pleased to announce that we are presenting a free, morning-long seminar on this new medium on October 12th at the Bill Priest Institute in Dallas..

The seminar, held in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), is geared toward small business owners, speakers and authors — anyone who wants to raise awareness of themselves and grow their businesses.

For more information, see the press release or download the flyer for the seminar. Please feel free to share both with others.