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All day long Judith Henderson-Townsend deals with dummies. They never listen to a word she says. Her work is low-tech. But Henderson-Townsend is so clever, so strategic and so future-driven in running her small business in California, that Intel has just awarded her $100,000 as a shining example to others. What’s the deal? Her company’s name: Mannequin Madness. She’s the CEO. In a ceremony in New York City last Thursday, Intel and the Small Business Technology Institute awarded Henderson-Townsend’s small business the grand prize winner in a national competition. |
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Coming to a webcam near you: 1,500 glassy-eyed stares
Of the 2,300 companies that entered, Henderson-Townsend created for her mannequin company, hands down, the smartest plan for using technology to create a profitable and thriving future for a small business. Mannequin Madness will integrate its front and back office processes, automate inventory management, cut operational costs, and set the stage for a signficant business expansion. "This is huuuge!" exclaims Henderson-Townsend over her cell phone from New York, stretching out the last word for about three seconds, then launching rapid-fire into her technology plan to turbo-charge her small but increasingly-successful enterprise. Awaiting her right now, at her warehouse/home in Oakland, Calif., are 1,500 mannequins staring blankly into space. It’s just a reporter she’s talking with, but Henderson-Townsend is in elevator pitch-mode now, and she is accelerating to a blur. She’s talking webcams, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, Intel® Centrino® mobile technology-enabled laptops, inventory management systems and more. "This will help us reach our goal of becoming the first national liquidator of mannequins. Can you tell I’m excited?" I’m typing like crazy, trying to keep up. More on her tech plans in a moment.
Why Intel cares: Small business is a big business
Mannequins may not matter much to Intel, but small business certainly does. Helping small businesses all over the world thrive with new Intel platforms and technologies is a key Intel enterprise strategy. "Small business is the growth engine of vibrant economies, and we look to these businesses to drive real innovative uses of technology," says Will Swope, vice president and director of Digital Enterprise Brand Management. "We are proud to reward success," adds Swope. Henderson-Townsend’s technology proposal was a joint effort with local Intel reseller PC Club, from City of Industry Calif. "Small business is the growth engine of vibrant economies…We are proud to reward success."
Mannequin Madness great example of small business striving to streamline, grow
Says Lynn Castlevetro, director of Intel’s Worldwide Small Business Marketing Strategy, "The collaboration between Mannequin Madness and Intel Product Dealer PC Club resulted in a winning blend of business understanding, technology competence and clarity of vision." "Judith and Mannequin Madness exemplify how small businesses are striving to incorporate technology to streamline processes, improve productivity and compete on a global scale," said Andrea Peiro, CEO of the Small Business Technology Institute. The contest was limited to businesses with fewer than 100 employees. Henderson-Townsend today runs her mannequin company with just her husband and two other part-timers. But she plans to grow, aggressively.
Technology for dummies: Shopping online for the finest mannequins in the land
Henderson-Townsend calls herself a mannequin liquidator and recycler. That means she buys used, perhaps slightly forlorn mannequins (maybe their ears are dinged or knuckles are chipped) that would otherwise be destined for anonymous burial in a landfill. Henderson-Townsend has approximately 1,500 mannequins on hand currently. She is planning to expand significantly, with the help of Intel® technology. She then sells or rents her mannequins online to museums, stores, or schools for a fraction of what they’d cost new. "Not all mannequins are created equal," she explains. "There are Hyundai mannequins, and there are Rolls Royce mannequins." A top-of the line dummy that might have cost $1,100 and been graced with finery at a department store like Saks Fifth Avenue can be yours, unclothed, for perhaps one-fifth of that. As little as $10 can get you a nice female arm (hand missing).
Technology plan includes RFID, webcams, Wi-Fi, more
Enter Henderson-Townsend’s technology plan. It’s multi-faceted, and Intel services and technology will play a key role. Her winning entry in the small business contest proposed RFID tagging to help her track her expanding stock. "RFID!" she exclaims. "I got to have it!" She plans to install software that will automatically generate shipping labels and keep her inventory up-to-date real time. She plans to use software to automatically notify her customers by e-mail, and shoot them a tracking number, when their head or torso or leg or whatever departs from her warehouse.
Winning $100,000 will speed expansion
From her base today outside San Francisco, Henderson-Townsend plans to move her hub to New York City, with satellite offices scattered around the United States. With Intel Centrino mobile technology enabled laptops, Web cameras attached, she figures she can make good and quick buying decisions whereever she happens to be. You’d be a dummy, after all, to buy a mannequin sight unseen. Winning the Intel-sponsored contest, she says, "takes us fast-forward to the future." The $100,000 she just won is a credit for information technology products, services, and training from Intel. With that, Judith Henderson-Townsend is off. We’ve talked for half an hour. Others are waiting for her. She needs to catch a flight back to California. "Time is money," she informs me cheerfully. "Come visit me sometime." |
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