(Redlands, CA) Fans of Jazz will enjoy a performance this weekend at Edwards Mansion in Redlands brought by concert promoter One Touch Management.
Knotts’ Family Agency’s annual Summer Soiree Jazz and Wine Tasting “Under the Stars.” Tickets for this 7 p.m. event are $45 per person.
Mark L. Akridge, son of legendary bass guitarist Mark L. “Bassdagg” Adams from Slave will highlight the Jazz event, he leads this seven-piece band, primarily influenced also by the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince, Sting and Phil Collins, as well as funk bands Zapp & Roger, Lakeside, Heatwave and New Horizon.
Gwen and James Knotts
“This will be a do notmiss event,” said Gwen Knotts, owner of Knotts Family Agency. “Slave was a great band and huge part of the Black culture. You will be able to enjoy a summer evening listening to a new band that sounds a lot like Slave, while tasting some excellent wines from around the world.
“At the same time, you will help us at Knotts Family Agency to provide cultural enrichment opportunities for foster children,” Knotts said. “You are going to experience fun and culture by coming to our summer soiree. Shouldn’t all of our children also be able to experience fun and culture through opportunities appropriate for their age?”
Listeners can also enjoy a variety of wines at the Summer Soiree. These come from Wine Guyz, who will feature a variety of international wineries. Wine Guyz has worked with Knotts Family Agency for several years to put on the wine tasting portion of the event.
This year’s wine selection includes wines from Australia, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. One of the wineries featured is Yalumba, which is Australia’s oldest winery, owned by one family since 1849.
Jorge Odonez Group wines will also be featured. Jorge Odonez is the owner of a chain of boutique wineries in Spain that focus on crafting wines from “very old” vines. These older vines, while less productive, produce wines regarded by winemakers and sommeliers as of higher quality in all respects. Jorge Odonez Group is a major importer of Spanish wines to the United States.
Knotts Family Agency works with the Department of Children & Family Services in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties to identify homes and families for foster children of all ages.
Edwards Mansion’s beautiful Victorian Tea Garden is the site for The Summer Soiree. The Garden has a picturesque fountain, hand-painted tiles in romantic motif, shade trees, colorful flowers and vine-covered arbors combine to create an elegant setting.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please call: Sandy Oquin at (909) 880-0600 or go online to http://www.KnottsFamilyAgency.org/
Kathleen Dameron, president and founder of KD Conseil, works to build international partnerships with companies that are going through cultural changes.
(Paris, France) Weathering the storm of an international recession is not an easy task. However, for international businesses, one thing has remained constant in good, as well as bad times, a competent multinational and multi-ethnic team. The ability to sustain effective cross-cultural communications is a crucial skill required for international business success in today’s global economy.
For the past 21 years, KD Conseil has played a key role in facilitating this skill. Launched by Kathleen Dameron in 1992, KD Conseil improves the intercultural communications skills between the corporate offices and the executive management teams who work in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia.
Dameron, based in Paris, France, says “KD Conseil is strategically situated both geographically, as well as for business cultures in most industries and Fortune 500 companies. We know how to meet the demands and needs of our clients in an international business center for multinational corporations.”
“I truly adore the city of Paris. The companies here have very strong business connections with the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia,” said Dameron. “It’s easy to travel from Paris all around Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”
Bridging corporate cultures for more than twenty years, Kathleen Dameron founded KD Conseil to stimulate multicultural competency.
Dameron explains that some of the key challenges faced by companies working across national and corporate environments are born out of cultural differences. It is those differences in cultures that can also create the building blocks to success.
“If an organization works with other cultures, I help them make it possible for senior managers, experts and employees to work together with greater efficiency and comfort,” said Dameron. “There is a joy that comes from working in an intercultural surrounding, discovery of different ways of succeeding, new and tried solutions to issues, as well as the pain of differences in attitudes and ways of working. My role is to help individuals, teams and organizations understand and appreciate those differences, thus developing a more harmonious working environment.”
Standing the test of time, KD Conseil has developed quality relationships with clients, generating customer referrals, which have enabled her business to grow even in difficult economic times for businesses globally.
“I believe that one of the keys to our success during this economic hardship is our ability to guide clients through different interventions,” said Dameron. “For instance, we develop intervention materials that assist in increasing multicultural competencies or adjusting to an organizational change. The goal is for our clients to keep their employees motivated and improve performance and that has a positive affect on their bottom-line.”
However, Dameron points out that KD Conseil’s affect should not be measured solely by quantity and direct immediate contribution to the bottom-line. In fact, she informs that the best contribution comes when her company is embraced as a partner on a strategic journey to understand and implement cultural change.
This enables her to implement the best evaluation measurements, reviewing what has changed over a six-month period.
With the growth of the global economy, Dameron notes that her industry has likewise expanded. Others are finding their way to play a role in assisting businesses to adapt and adjust multicultural working environments on an international level.
“This is an exciting time for the multicultural training industry,” said Dameron. “20 years ago, I had to explain what multicultural intervention was all about. Today all of the corporate leaders I speak to say they are engaged in some sort of multicultural professional activity.”
Dameron says the key is to go beyond merely giving a catalogue listing of “dos and don’ts.” KD Conseil delivers facilitators who develop strategies to increase individual, team and overall organizational multicultural competence.
“Keeping abreast of what is happening in the business world, as well as taking the time to interview managers and business leaders is key to any successful intervention,” said Dameron. “However, investing in your client by listening, to develop their skills and vision, that is what allows you to create leading edge impact intervention processes.”
