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MAKE THE COX BOX MINI YOURS…WIN ONE!

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Public Displays of Affection can be rewarding. If you show us some love in public and snap a picture of it, we’ll love you back with a chance to win the all new Cox Box Mini!

The all new Cox Box Mini is a compact, waterproof, personal audio amplifier designed to be worn for hands-free mobility and flexibility. It’s the perfect match with other NK products to build the system YOU need. Plus you can personalize and protect your Mini with different bumper colors. Wear it, pair it, personalize it- the Cox Box Mini is YOUR voice.

How bad do you want the Cox Box Mini? Prove it by showing us and you can make the Cox Box Mini yours!

Here’s how.

Make a sign that reads, “I want the Cox Box Mini!”
Snap a picture of you displaying the sign in a public place.
Post your pic to our Facebook Fan page here:

o www.facebook.com/NKrowing

It’s THAT easy!

Make it Stand Out.

The sign can be as creative as you wish: big, small, glow-in-the-dark, wearable, edible, digital, etc. Extra points for outrageous.

Make it Public.

Public is considered any place where people openly and regularly gather or pass through. Boathouses, local Burger King, highway, school, mall, etc, is all considered public. Your parents’ house is not. Be bold! Think John Cusack in “Say Anything” with a Boom box blasting Peter Gabriel for the whole neighborhood to witness. You can probably skip the trench coat though.

The Winner.

We’re looking for the most creative and bold photo showing your desire for the Cox Box Mini. The winners along with runners up will be published on our web page as well as in Rowing News Magazine. Best of all, you get your hands on the all new Cox Box Mini!

Deadline for Submission.

June 1, 2011.

*Entrants must abide by all laws (local/state) regarding public behavior, personal and/or property safety, trespassing, etc. Entrants assume full responsibility for lost, stolen, damaged property or injury.

Tags: Contests, Cox Box Mini, New Products, NK, Paddling, Promotions, Rowing & Paddling
Posted in Company News, Rowing & Paddling, Rowing Newsletter | 2 Comments »

Love is in the water…Share Your Row-mance Valentine Story!

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Has your love of rowing lead you to the love of your life…or at least of the moment? If so, we want to hear your story of row-mance! Tell us all how you found love at first oar, what you did to “sweep” a crew member off their feet (or erg) and why you make the perfect “pair” on and off the water.

We have our own love stories here at NK. Our Director of Sales & Marketing began a row-mance with her now hubby on the Schyulkill river. And our Rowing Sales Manager sculled his way right into the heart of a beautiful row-mance as well. All those early morning workouts, sweaty training sessions, intense sprints and (tight unis?) sometimes result in more than sore muscles. The teamwork, common goal setting, and discipline required to make a crew successful are perhaps the same ingredients that forge a solid relationship. Ah, Shakespeare said it best, “a pair of starboard lovers.” Ok, Romeo and Juliet were not rowers and the correct quote was “star-crossed” lovers, but you can’t deny the existence of a sweet row-mance.

Post YOUR story here and you’ll be entered to win an NK prize package that includes a logo hoodie, visor, water bottle and more for both you and your love this Valentine’s Day!

Your NK blogger,

Monica

mdevlin@nkhome.com

Tags: holiday, News, NK, Rowing & Paddling
Posted in Rowing & Paddling | 1 Comment »

Inc. Magazine Names NK in Top 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in US

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Inc. Magazine Unveils Its Fourth Annual Exclusive List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies—the Inc. 5000

Nielsen-Kellerman Company Ranks No. 4425 on the 2010 Inc. 5000 with Three-Year Sales Growth of 20%

NEW YORK, August 24, 2010 — Inc. magazine today ranked Nielsen-Kellerman NO. 4425 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Music website Pandora, convenience store chain 7-Eleven, Brooklyn Brewery, and Radio Flyer, maker of the iconic children’s red wagon, are among the prominent brands featured on this year’s list.

“The leaders of the companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 have figured out how to grow their businesses during the longest recession since the Great Depression,” said Inc. president Bob LaPointe. “The 2010 Inc. 5000 showcases a particularly hardy group of entrepreneurs.”

Nielsen-Kellerman Company designs, manufactures and distributes waterproof instruments for active lifestyles and technical applications across three brands: Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters, NK electronics for the sport of rowing, and ClearNav soaring instruments. For more than thirty years, NK has been known worldwide for its waterproof speed measurement, timing and audio systems for competitive rowers. Virtually every shell at the 2008 Athens Olympic games carried NK equipment. Nielsen-Kellerman’s Kestrel Weather division has been researching, developing and manufacturing technically advanced portable weather instruments for more than a decade and owns multiple patents on their unique features. This is the second consecutive year NK has made the Inc. 5000 list.

The 2010 Inc. 5000, unveiled today on Inc.com, serves as a unique illustration of the profound changes taking place in the U.S. economy. The Government Services sector showed the biggest gain in terms of the number of companies on the list, up 33 percent from last year to 335 companies. Government Services was also the second-fastest-growing sector in terms of median revenue growth, posting a 202 percent gain over the 2006-2009 measuring period. More than half of these companies are based in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The fastest-growing sector by median revenue growth was Real Estate, now just a tiny group of 38 young, small companies, which showed 231 percent median growth over the period. (There were 121 Real Estate firms on the inaugural Inc. 5000 in 2007.) Business Products & Services is the top industry by number of companies on the list (640) and total revenue ($80.7 billion), while Health is the biggest by total employment (287,726 jobs).

Despite the fact that most of this year’s measuring period of 2006-2009 took place during the latest recession, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased to $321.6 billion, up more than 50 percent from last year. The effects of the recession are seen, however, in the median three-year growth rate, which dropped to 96 percent from last year’s 126 percent. This year’s Inc. 5000 employ a record 1.4 million people, up from one million on last year’s list. With unemployment remaining stubbornly high, policymakers and business leaders will do well to look to the Inc. 5000 companies for fresh ideas on achieving growth and creating jobs.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on www.inc.com/5000.

For more information, contact Monica Devlin:

610.447.1555 X 306,

mdevlin@nkhome.com

Tags: Celebrate, Events, NK, Office
Posted in Company News, NK Behind The Scenes, NK Press, Press Releases | No Comments »

Be Well Philly Contest: NK ready to KO the competition

Monday, July 12th, 2010

NK is entering Philadelphia Magazine’s Be Well Philly contest. This contest will pit local offices against each other in the pursuit of fitness and health. The NK team is ready to lose in a big way…in order to win. So goodbye and good riddance to spare tires, saddle bags and muffin tops (at least the kind made of flesh).

Check out our entry below. Maybe you could convince your company to sign up? Post your best tips for staying active in between work, family and life in general. Tell us how you fit in fitness while juggling a busy schedule and you could win an NK hoodie!

At the offices of Nielsen-Kellerman Company, competitive spirit is as obvious as overhead lighting, W.B. Mason manila folders, multi colored post-its and swivel chairs. We’re in the business of building tough, long-lasting electronics for extreme outdoor activities and demanding sports. NK designs and manufactures Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters, sports performance monitoring electronics for rowing, and ClearNav soaring instruments for gliders.

The NK employee roster boasts an impressive line-up of jocks that includes nationally and internationally competitive rowers and paddlers, several women with serious shooting skills, a certified wildland firefighter, a triathlete, an ALL lacrosse player, a former NFL cheerleader, a world champion dragon boat drummer, a paintball player, a cross-country soaring pilot (who’s also a marathoner and a yogi), two dressage riders, a CrossFit enthusiast, and a motorcycle mama.
However, being in an office full-time can put even ex-hardcore athletes in a fitness rut. The daily grind of sitting all day at a desk, traveling for trade shows and regattas, taking care of kids and running households can cause fitness to take a back seat. This has happened for many of us here. A competition is just what we need to kick us into high gear. Competition is a part of the NK culture. For example, it’s not unusual to drive by the NK headquarters and see a water balloon toss, relay race, jump rope contest, or heck, even tug-of-war going on in the parking lot. Say what?

Just as our products are niche and unique, our office is anything but your typical cubicle dwelling. Most notably, we have four to six dogs roaming around at any given time. They serve as excellent front door greeters and reduce workplace stress by 42%. Ok, we haven’t done official statistics on this… but how can you be stressed when a wrinkly bulldog puppy bumbles over periodically to snuggle your leg and stare at you with a goofy, toothy, wide-mouth grin? Exactly.
Contests are a regular part of our business activities. We have contests in meetings, at tradeshows, and over morning coffee. The adrenaline rush of a challenge motivates us here at NK. Whether the contest is to beat sales goals, gain market share or DROP pounds and shape up for Be Well Philly, NK will KO the competition…and have some fun while we’re at it.

Ladies & Gentleman Announcing…the NK line up (cue crowd roar):

CEO Top Dog: Alix Kocher

401K Killa HR Manager: Paula Whittaker

Sign-the-Dotted-Line Business Development: Christy Munding

Raise Revenue Czar Sales & Marketing Manager: Katie Godfrey

Production SNAFU Assassin Asst. Engineering Manager: Dan Honeywell

Q & A King Technical Support : Ben Nielsen

Tech Solution Sultan Design Engineering Manager: Michael Naughton

Tweet til Death Marketing & PR Coordinator: Monica Devlin

The Hands Tool and Die Maker: Yohann Rigogne

Git-er-Done Maintenance & Repairs: Tim Godfrey

Your Kestrel Weather Girl,

Monica Devlin

Follow our fab fit (or flub) journey right here on the blog and elsewhere in the cybersphere:
Tweet (or die) @KestrelChick @coxboxdude
Facebook

The NK team

Tags: NK, Office
Posted in Company News, NK Behind The Scenes | No Comments »

A New Voice is Coming…

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

You may have heard the buzz. Or seen the smooth, compact, wearable object at the NK booth at recent regattas. It’s the Cox Box Mini!

The all new NK Cox Box Mini gives you the same powerful VOICE OF ROWING – in a new personal-size package. The Cox Box Mini is a compact, waterproof, personal audio amplifier designed to be worn, giving you hands-free mobility and ultimate flexibility:

Compact, Affordable Voice-Only Amplifier: The Cox Box Mini replaces the NK Cox Vox, providing voice-only amplification in a compact product designed to be used on its own, or in partnership with NK performance measurement products. The affordable price point lets you purchase multiple Minis to meet your needs, and gives Coxswains the option to own their own.

Build the System that’s Right for Your Crew: Match the Mini to the right NK product for your crew. For novice coxswains, the Mini allows you to start them with just voice amplification, then add a StrokeCoach Surge for timing and rate when needed. Move them up to a SpeedCoach when they’re ready to benefit from speed feedback, and a SpeedCoach Gold or XL3 when it’s time to record and share detailed data. You gain budget flexibility, and your coxswain can focus on just one display.

Perfect for Your Launch or Starting Platform: Pair the Mini with a Coach’s Speaker for a loud and clear launch or starting platform system that’s convenient and easy to use, and won’t go down in a rain storm!

Flexible Wearing Options Keep your Hands Free: The Mini is designed to be worn, keeping your hands free. A rugged rotating belt clip allows you to attach it to your clothes or gear bag strap, and the optional arm band is perfect for coxswains.

Rugged, Waterproof and Personal: Rugged and waterproof, the Mini is fully compatible with the Cox Box harnesses, new-style microphones, speakers and chargers. Of course, you can personalize your Mini with an assortment of protective bumpers in 12 colors.

Hours of Performance: The advanced rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and digital audio circuitry provide hours of crystal-clear voice performance. LED indicators confirm battery level and provide recharge warnings.

Sign up for our Rowing newsletter for the latest on the Cox Box Mini, NK specials and contests. Send an e-mail to newsletter@nkhome.com or sign up right here!

Click here to see what the buzz is all about.

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Tags: NK, Paddling, Rowing & Paddling
Posted in Rowing & Paddling, Rowing Newsletter | No Comments »

Two Surprise Bridal Showers, lots of toilet paper…and cake in the face!

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Do you hear what I hear? Is that the syncopated beat of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” bouncing off the cubicle walls in the Sales & Marketing department?

No, it’s the undeniable sound of wedding bells in the near future for two of NK’s own! Just to be clear, that’s two separate weddings- they’re not marrying each other:)

Congratulations to our website manager, Chad Kaufman and his beautiful fiance Jenna on their upcoming trip to the chapel. We decided to surprise him with an unexpected take on the traditional bridal shower– a groom shower in his honor!

Then, we threw another surprise shower for a Kestrel Girl. Best wishes to Business Development Manager, Christy Munding, who will wed her love, Eli Lasser, next month.

We celebrated the happy unions of both Chad and Christy with a lunch party for each. We have a tradition of making toilet paper bridal gowns in anticipation of the guest of honor’s big day. Teams compete to create the ultimate bridal dress out of TP (and maybe a pink napkin here or there.) It’s the NK version of Project Runway…Bridal Shower Edition!

Check out the photos below to see how we roll –Charmin style. (Pardon the potty humor:)