In mid-2002, Caffee and Ritchie, a couple of college roommates, identified a need in the trucking industry. Through a few contacts, they started a recruitment marketing business that matched drivers with trucking companies. Soon, they learned that many of the drivers seeking employment did not have their Commercial Driver’s License and were not qualified to work.

Caffee and Ritchie decided to shift their focus on training and certifying drivers prior to recruitment. With a flexible business model and a willingness to adapt, they expanded their technology to include other certification and education programs.

Now rebranded under Neutron Interactive, the dynamic duo leads a team of close to 50 online marketing experts. Operating out of the historic Sweet Candy factory building in downtown Salt Lake City, the company now provides lead generation services to over 10,000 campuses and online schools nation-wide, has made the Inc. 500 list two years in a row and recently named one of Utah’s best places to work.

Check out the KSL news clip on the pair.

Considering how big of tech geeks that we are (and let’s be honest, we really are), it may be surprising how much we love face-to-face interaction. However, we do actually enjoy shaking peoples’ hands, enjoying conversation over lunch, and just meeting our clients and partners in person. We’re also big on professional development and making sure that we stay ahead of the learning curve.

Top 5 things we love about attending events:
•    Staying plugged into the industry
•    Networking with other thought leaders
•    Meeting new and existing clients and partners
•    Keeping up with the latest trends and regulations
•    Learning about new techniques and technologies

So, despite this whole end of the Mayan calendar hoopla, we’ve got some good reasons to keep a lot of events on our agenda. In the future, our events page will also let you know which of our team members will be at the show – including pictures so that you can stalk them.  Or if you’d like to be a bit more discreet in your stalking, we’ll also have a twitter feed highlighting the Neutronians at that particular event.

Two of the most important events to note are LeadsCon West and the APSCU Annual Conference – arguably the largest shows in the lead generation industry. Be sure to mark these on your calendar!

Have you thrown caution to the wind and started planning a busy 2012 too? Let us know if you will be at any of the same events! Check back regularly as we continue to add to our schedule.

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and we feel fine… about planning events as if it wasn’t…

The goal of People Helping People (PHP) is to reduce the number of children living in poverty by teaching low-income women how to become and remain successfully employed. Approximately 60% of PHP’s clients are single mothers and many receive public assistance. Including the children of the women participating, the program impacts over 2,500 individuals annually.

Women seeking the organization’s services typically want a better quality of life, but lack the training, confidence and positive work experience necessary to obtain and maintain employment. People Helping People’s Employment Program gives women the knowledge, tools, confidence and encouragement to achieve their full potential in the workplace.

The program offers a unique, long term, one-on-one approach that is more effective than others which tend to rely on short-term classes provided in group settings.  Many of PHP’s clients are accustomed to living in chronic poverty or have had little workplace experience and they find the idea of change overwhelming. People Helping People’s Employment Program breaks the process down into manageable chunks and helps them explore employment concepts, processes and approaches. Volunteers – such as myself - remind our clients that success happens over time, not overnight and that the Employment Program is designed to work with them and support them on their journey towards achieving long-term successful employment.

The first step in this process is to help new clients become open to exploring new ideas. From there, we help them see themselves as primary income earners, rather than victims or dependents. Once they come to terms with this new idea, their chance of breaking the cycle of poverty dramatically increases.

The financial support of our local community assists People Helping People in reaching over 2000 low-income women in Salt Lake County; hundreds of these women will go on to participate in the organization’s workshops, education seminars, employment coaching, and one-on-one mentoring from the staff of dedicated volunteers.

Neutron Interactive strongly supports the mission of People Helping People and generously provided a $10,000 grant to help finance its efforts during World Kindness Week last week. We also have several employees that volunteer their time monthly to provide insight to the organization as well as mentor its clients.

Interested in getting involved?

There are two primary ways that you can support People Helping People – either financially or by volunteering. The organization accepts donations through their website to aid in providing employment education and services to its clients. Volunteers are always needed to help coach or mentor the organization’s clients and/or employ them in a stable and positive work environment.

by Joel Cannon, Director of Strategic Partnerships

Here are my top 5 take aways from the film, “Rain in a Dry Land” and the event held at Neutron Interactive last night:

1. The number of refugees in America and the Salt Lake valley is staggering.

   The United States resettles 80,000 refugee families every year and approximately 1,100 of those are placed in Utah. According to Gerald Brown, Director of the Utah Refugee Services Office, there are an estimated 25,000 refugee families currently living in Utah with about 99% of them in the Salt Lake valley alone. Salt Lake City is one of two destinations in the United States with the highest population of Somali Bantu refugee families like the ones shown in the film.

2. There is so much of every-day life in America that we take for granted.

   How often do you heat up dinner on the stove or in the microwave without even thinking about it? Or – even better – drive-thru (in your car!) to pick up a bite to eat or dine in a nice restaurant? Do we even think about what a privilege that is? And I’m just scratching the surface. It reminds me of the bit by Louis CK, “Everything is Amazing and Nobody’s Happy.” We should all be running around cheering and high-fiving every time the microwave dings, right?

3. The “American Dream” bar may be set too high.

   These families had such high hopes and aspirations prior to moving to the United States. I think the hardest of the individuals in the film to watch is Ali, the 17 year old son of Aden and Madina, who quickly becomes defeated in the transition. Ali dreamed of going to school in America, playing soccer, and becoming a doctor. Less than a year after his family’s resettlement, he dropped out of high school. After the film, those in attendance asked Brown about how realistic refugee expectations are prior to relocation and if additional support or assistance was provided to youth than what was shown. Brown shared that one of the initiatives of the upcoming year will focus on the transition of adolescents into the American school system and culture, confirming that this was definitely an area in need of improvement.

4. The sheer resilience of the refugees highlighted in this film is inspiring.

   In my safe little suburban childhood, I’ve never faced anything close to the struggles and strife that these two families experienced in their native country. Such extreme circumstances of violence, rape, poverty, loss, fear. However, despite their circumstances, the parents in this film push forward and even allow themselves to hope for a better life. I cannot imagine how scary it would be to uproot my family to an unknown country, so far away from my home and culture, for simply the possibility of a better life. However, the parents lead their families – to the best of their ability – in navigating this new territory, attempting to adapt as best as possible to their new life.

5. How can you help?

   The Utah Refugee Services office is always looking for volunteers. To get involved, contact their volunteer coordinator, Amy Wylie at awylie@utah.gov. Or volunteer with one of the organizations that support refugees in Utah, including the English Skills Learning Center.

Please join us in celebrating and spreading kindness in your community.

Neutron Interactive is sponsoring a kick-off party on Monday, November 7 to promote World Kindness Week!

Join us for some tasty treats, good company, and a worthy cause!

This event will feature an exclusive screening of the documentary film, Rain in a Dry Land. The film “chronicles the fortunes of two Somali Bantu families, transported by relief agencies from years of civil war and refugee life to Springfield, Massachusetts and Atlanta, Georgia.

With an estimated 30,000 refugees in Utah, this film speaks directly to our local community and showcases the effect we can have on the integration and adaptation of immigrant families to life in the United States. Refugee families in Utah will be Neutron’s focus during this year’s World Kindness Week.

For more information on the film, visit: pbs.org/pov/raininadryland/

Event Schedule on Nov 7

5:30 pm     Mix N’ Mingle. Appetizers and small plates provided.

6:00 pm     Film introduction by English Skills Learning Center

6:10 pm     Show film

7:45 pm     Closing Discussions by Gerald Brown, Director of Utah Refugee Services Office

This event is open to the public.

To register for this event, visit: eventbrite.com