russklettke.com

My client at Pothole.info wants to increase understanding of how important it is to maintain the country’s infrastructure of streets, roads, highways and bridges. As they should – their product is a specially-formulated cold mix asphalt, which is remarkably better at preventive maintenance (potholes, cracks and other deterioration) than standard hot-mix asphalt. They asked me to write an article on how the gas tax works, so in my research I turned up some pretty interesting facts and projections that I itemized into a list (”Seven Things You Should Know About Gas Taxes in 2010″).

This is particularly critical in 2010 because we have 50-year-old highways that need repair and replacement, but we are also in a strongly anti-tax political environment even while federal, state and local coffers are running on fumes. Add to that increasing fuel efficiencies of cars and consequentially lower gas consumption, which reduces gas tax revenues. The challenge of pavement preservation becomes even more apparent.

I enjoy being a writer of white papers such as this because it is always interesting to pull meaning from complex landscapes.

When our country debates things that touch all our lives – healthcare, climate, and transportation, to cite a few topics – it’s easy to draw lines around simple “for” and “against” positions. But life isn’t entirely made up of binary choices, and I think this article for my client pothole.info,

FUTURE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING: ROAD REPAIR VS. SPECIAL ROADS FOR BICYCLISTS

helps illustrate the point. Road building and repair funding is mistakenly thought to be anti-green, while those who favor non-motorized transit (walkers and bikers) and public transportation are often characterized as unrealistically wed to environmental principles that fit neither our culture nor our economy.

We can leave the huge debate and discussion on the broad topic for another day. But this article finds a third way, where good roads are appreciated and used by bicyclists. How funding is allocated should take this factor into consideration. (Full disclosure: this writer gets a break on his car insurance because he drives less than 4000 miles a year, using his bike to travel an equivalent distance during the approximately eight months/year of bike-friendly conditions in Chicago.)

What I like most about this topic is how being a web content writer (in this instance, a white paper writer) sometimes allows me to mine out information that is lacking in mainstream and fringe media discussion.

From 1990-1994 I was a public relations manager for The NutraSweet Company. In such a position, a person has access to all the science as well as the fiction woven around the products (aspartame as an ingredient, and Equal sweetener) by critics. It was an interesting study. Since then, several other sweetener technologies (sucralose, acesulfame potassium, plus naturally-derived stevia/rebiana) have been approved for sale. My article for HairLoss.com, “Sweet Taste Instincts Run Deep. But Are Sweetener Substitutes Deeply Flawed?,” looks to the Center for Science in the Public Interest for their recommendations on sugar substitutes, based on peer-reviewed research and FDA-collected data.

Full disclosure: I still use about four packets of Equal a day, three in my oatmeal and one on a grapefruit. I’m comfortable with that level of risk, but it is about half of what I formerly consumed because of my interest in eating minimally-processed foods. I discontinued drinking all forms of soda pop about ten years ago.

I wrote this white paper for my clients at pothole.info, a website dedicated to exploring the problems and solutions associated with deteriorating pavement.

For example, the non-profit group The Road Information Program (TRIP) reported in 2004 on poor road conditions in Virginia, concluding “the quality of a region’s transportation system is an important factor in where businesses and industries decide to locate, expand or downsize. A modern transportation system is of critical importance if Virginia is to capitalize on economic development opportunities.”

Other TRIP findings:

• Regional road conditions are considered by companies when locating manufacturing and distribution facilities.
• Some companies actually cite poor U.S. road quality as a deciding factor in locating operations offshore.
• The state of Minnesota promotes the quality of its highways in economic development marketing.
• The state of California recognizes road quality as integral to “job creation and a positive impact on an average person’s daily life.”
• The state of Utah’s Chamber of Commerce has an official position on road quality: “A safe and efficient transportation system is foundational for Utah’s economic vitality, quality of life and growth.”

My engagement with Pothole.info is fascinating – and a little disturbing. This is a universal experience, poor pavement, and one of huge economic impact. America has invested $1.75 trillion in its nearly four million miles of roads since the 1950s. How that investment will be protected, and the impact these roads will have on our economy and quality of life, will be a major part of the political discussion for years to come. It can also be a major part of how federal, state and local dollars are used to stimulate an economic recovery.

This work also adds to my portfolio as a construction industry writer. I am a feature writer for American Business Quarterly, Luxury Homes Quarterly and Green Business Quarterly, publications that look at some of the best examples of construction, design and sustainability in American companies.

As a white paper writer, I enjoyed putting together this study on America’s aging roads and the concerted effort to make modern highways more resilient. The article is published on Pothole.info, where I am a primary contributing writer. My client’s interest is in raising the important questions on infrastructure re-investment, protecting the multi-billion dollar, 50-plus year investment we have in roadways.

The bad news is so many of our roads are reaching the end of their life expectancy. The good news is we truly are seeing better technologies and practices emerge that save money for government entities as well as individual motorists. The end goal is safe, smooth highways that carry passengers and freight efficiently.

I’m pleased to announce the beginning of a series of blog postings about fitness and nutrition on UrbanStag.com, an e-commerce site focused on men’s grooming products. Articles are written to draw and hold readers who are interested in appearance, including what can be accomplished through diet and exercise. This first article addresses the erroneous notion held by many men, that they can exercise away the pounds. In most cases, the weight loss is enhanced by exercise but happens primarily by altering eating patterns (just don’t call it a diet).

A study released by the Society for New Communications Research finds that marketers embrace online news releases for their value at reaching online media, including bloggers, and customers/consumers directly. Traditional PR professionals, by comparison, place greater value on reaching traditional media. Get a seven-page summary of “The ROI of Online Press Releases” from PRWeb here.

As a business communicator, Russ Klettke plans, writes and edits content for enterprises and publications. He has extensive experience in employee communications and public relations materials; is adept at web content development; skilled at search engine optimization (SEO); recruits, manages and edits in-office and telecommuting writers. He is also a published author and ghostwriter, and experienced in media relations.

Traditional (print)
• Press materials (news releases, press kits, pitch letters, strategic counsel)

• Newsletters (employee, customer or other constituent audiences)

• Books and brochures

Web (electronic)

• General content

• Web content editor

• SEO (search engine optimization) copy

• Blogs

• News summaries (news aggregation)

Industry experience
• Health, fitness, nutrition and wellness (“A Guy’s Gotta Eat,” research assistant at Northwestern University NIH study, ACE certified fitness trainer, LiveStrong.com/Lance Armstrong-Demand Media, HubPages.com, Giant Bicycles).

• Financial services (Harris Bank, Northwestern Mutual Financial Services, CashNetUSA)

• Manufacturing (Tenneco Automotive, USG Corp., Trane Inc., HPI/Homz)

• Services (APAC Customer Services, SmartBriefs)

• Agencies (Magnani Continuum Marketing, Burson-Marsteller, Karen Novick PR, Golin-Harris Communications, Levy+Associates)

Ajinomoto

Andersen Consulting (Accenture)

APAC Customer Services

BG+H

Bunge Foods Group

Burson-Marsteller

CashNetUSA.com

Demand Media/LiveStrong.com (Lance Armstrong project)

EZStreet Cold Asphalt

EzLoanLookup.com

Giant Bicycles

Golin/Harris Communications

HairLoss.com

Harris Bank

HomeAnatomy.com

Home Products International

Karen Novick Public Relations

National Restaurant Association

National Society of Genetic Counselors

Northwestern Mutual Financial Services

Magnani Continuum Marketing

McDonald’s Corporation

Miller Brewing Company

The NutraSweet Company

Prevent Blindness America

Secure-i HVR

Silliker Laboratories

SkySite Property

SmartBriefs.com

Tenneco Automotive

Trane

USG