The Impact of Forecasting Improvement on Return on Shareholder Value
John T. Mentzer; Journal of Business Forecasting

Improving Salesforce Forecasting
Mark A. Moon and John T. Mentzer; Journal of Business Forecasting

Benchmarking Sales Forecasting Management
John T. Mentzer, Carol C. Bienstock, and Kenneth B. Kahn; Business Horizons

Next Steelwedge Webcast -- State-of-the-Art Sales Forecasting Management
September 13, 1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific
Principal Speakers -
Professor J. Tom Mentzer, University of Tennessee
Todd Jones, Sr. Director Sales Operations, QLogic
Register here  for this webcast

Forecasting and Consensus Planning in a Rapidly Changing Environment
June 15, 2005, 1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific
Prrincipal Speaker -
Christine Pfefferle, Director of Global Demand & Order Management, Tellabs  
Click here to view recording

Extending SAP for Global, Integrated S&OP ,
May 25, 2005
Stu Reekie, Air Products
Click here to view recording

By Dick Hackenberg, RBH Consulting

About one hour east of San Francisco , the Tri-Valley area and it's major cities-- Livermore , Pleasanton , Dublin and San Ramon—share a diverse, fascinating history, dating back to the mid-19 th Century.  Early rancheros, the Transcontinental Railroad, hops fields, wild times in the wild west, infamous bandits, quality wines, the Lincoln Highway, a water temple, and a tragic rock concert are all part of its colorful history. Steelwedge Software is proud to be part of this beautiful area and its colorful culture.

Main Street in Pleasanton , CA

Pleasanton in the heart of the Amador Valley is a welcoming family town and a major job center. Over 5,460 businesses and industries employing over 50,000 people are presently located in Pleasanton . The resident population now exceeds 67,724 and is still growing. And as Pleasanton grows, its population is diversifying. Local pride and spirit motivated community action groups and businesses to focus on the importance of downtown. Through their effort and municipal programs, downtown is buzzing with activity around new restaurants and retail businesses that have moved back to Main Street .

The Pleasanton Hotel, now a restaurant, on Main Street in Downtown Pleasanton, is one of many restored buildings that bring back the 19 th Century. The Museum on Main Street has local, regional and California exhibits.

The Dublin Heritage Center , Dublin , CA

In nearby Dublin , The Dublin Heritage Center consists of the original Murray School House (1856), the Dublin Pioneer Cemetery and the old St. Raymond's Church (1859). St. Raymond's is the oldest Catholic church in the Livermore/Amador Valley and is original to the site. Early Dublin settlers built the original Murray School , but it has been moved several times. The Schoolhouse now has a permanent home on the Dublin Heritage Center grounds. It houses two museums. A permanent collection featuring household, farm and school artifacts depicting the early years in the Dublin area located in the Schoolhouse Museum ; and thematically changing exhibits located in the Meeting Room Museum , the small room of the Schoolhouse. And while you're there check out the new Dublin Public Library.

Pear Orchard becomes Business Center in San Ramon

San Ramon was once home to the Seunen Indians, Ohlone/Costanoans who lived adjacent to the valley creeks.  After 1797 it was Mission San Jose grazing land, and later it included Jose Maria Amador's 16,000 plus acre Rancho San Ramon. American settlers first came to San Ramon in 1850 when Leo and Mary Jane Norris purchased 4,450 acres of land from Amador.  In 1895 attorney Thomas Bishop acquired 3,000 acres of Norris land.  The Bishop Ranch raised cattle and sheep and was planted to hay, grain, diversified fruit crops and walnuts.  Bishop Shropshire purebred sheep earned numerous awards.  The Ranch was partially irrigated from an underground aquifer, and at one point possessed the world's largest single orchard of Bartlett pears. Much of this land is now the Bishop Ranch Business Park on Interstate 680.

The Ravenswood Estate in Livermore , CA

Ravenswood, was the "country seat" of Christopher Buckley, a behind-the- scenes politician in San Francisco in the late 1800's. In 1885, "Chris" Buckley bought 100 acres on Arroyo Road and built a cottage, tank house and "rustic finished" carriage barn built on the site. Construction of the Main House began in 1887. Three rail cars of lumber were brought to Ravenswood in 1890 to build a winery and brandy distillery. By 1891 the Main House was completed. The Buckley family entertained often and lavishly at Ravenswood. A developer bought the property in 1968 and turned over 33 acres to the city for a park. In 1976, the Livermore Heritage Guild was involved in the decision to save the cottage, the tank house and the carriage barn. As a result, these buildings are still standing along with the Main House and are on the National Register of Historic Places. Many festive events are held at Ravenswood. On the second Sunday of each month, it is possible to take a tour of the estate, guided by costumed docents. You can find more information at www.elivermore.com