VNSNY turned to Winthrop Group in 2008 for assistance with identifying an institution where they could deposit their Archives and with preparing for the physical transfer of the collection. VNSNY planned to renovate Upper East Side headquarters and appropriate storage space for the Archives was an issue while the construction was in progress. We were familiar with the archival collections. In the mid-1990s, VNSNY contracted with Winthrop to evaluate its historic documentation and photographs and prepare recommendations and a work plan for organizing and preserving them.

Known during the 19th century as the “curbstone brokers,” the Amex’s reputation was built on the fact that its members took on the challenges of trading securities of unseasoned, smaller, and/or innovative companies and weathered the elements while trading outdoors year round. A vigorous effort by its leaders brought regulation, a 1921 move indoors, and improved credibility for what had become the New York Curb Market. Through bull and bear markets, the Curb Market’s influence grew and in 1953 its members adopted the American Stock Exchange name.

The NYSE Archivists are proceeding with integration of the Amex documentation into their Archives, and the work of arranging and describing an estimated 140 cubic feet of historical records, photographs, printed materials and publications commenced in the summer. From early 20th century photographs of the curbstone brokers, ticker notices and published constitutions and rules, to Securities and Exchange Commission testimony, the introduction of options and derivatives and late 20th century images of the trading floor, the papers reveal the evolution and progress of the marketplace.
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Winthrop Client Oregon Shakespeare Festival Seeks Lead Archivist
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon, is seeking an experienced archivist who will be responsible for management of the OSF Archives and on-going archival work associated with the collections. Position opens February 1, 2010.

Duties include: Conducting content appraisal; selecting, arranging and describing the backlog of archival records currently in the OSF archives; collection development; implementation of records retention schedules; creation of finding aids and databases; creation of preliminary MARC and EAD records; identification and preservation of archival records in digital formats; development of policies and procedures; outreach and educational activities; investigation of grant opportunities and budget development for the archives; and supervising the Reference and Research Archivist.

Requirements: MA in history or MLS with concentration in archives management; certification by Academy of Certified Archivists; eight years of archival experience; active membership in professional association; processing experience; familiarity with collection development and access policies, work plans, and budgets for archives; reference and research services experience; proficiency with computer applications in archives, Microsoft Office and web-related databases; excellent communication, writing and interpersonal skills. Experience with organizational archives preferred. Knowledge of theater in North America and/or familiarity with drama helpful. Experience with the integration of new services, techniques, and technologies into archival operations a plus.

Compensation/benefits: Annual salary: $47k to $53k, based on experience. Benefits competitive. Relocation expenses not provided.

To apply: Include all requested materials, otherwise your application will not be considered. No phone. By December 15, 2009 send in a single e-mail a) cover letter briefly describing experience in processing archival records and work in organizational archives, b) résumé and c) four professional references to humanresources@osfashland.org. All documents must be in Word or PDF format.

To avoid spam and scams: OSF requires the subject line of all email contain the following: Lead Archivist: Last Name, First Name (Source from which you learned about position) [Example: Lead Archivist: Johnson, Mary (Winthrop website)]
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Why Management History Matters
Morgen Witzel, a Senior Consultant with The Winthrop Group, discusses "Why Management History Matters" in the upcoming issue of EFMD Global Focus, the business magazine of the European Foundation for Management Development. The recent economic crisis has brought renewed attention to the role of business and management history. But what, precisely, can we learn from history? As Witzel argues, history teaches us to challenge the present. "Why did the business models and management methods we use today evolve as they did? Why is the prevailing orthodoxy what it is? What other competing models and methods emerged and why were they discarded? Are we really managing in the best possible way that we can?" History, in short, can help managers become wiser, more discerning leaders, less vulnerable to fads, groupthink, and the quick-fix, and better able to distinguish the noise of management theory from what really matters.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ARTICLE
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New Winthrop Book: Venture Capitalist Peter A. Brooke
Winthrop is pleased to announce the publication of A Vision for Venture Capital: Realizing the Promise of Global Venture Capital & Private Equity (New Ventures Press/University Press of New England), by Peter A. Brooke, with Daniel Penrice.

A Vision for Venture Capital chronicles the distinguished career of Peter Brooke, one of the world's pioneering venture capitalists. Nicknamed "the Johnny Appleseed of venture capital" for his role in the industry's spectacular growth, Brooke argues that private equity is an essential element of economic growth and development. At a time when some believe that venture capital's best days are behind it, and private equity has come under renewed criticism, A Vision for Venture Capital, written with Winthrop's Daniel Penrice, offers a fresh look at the industry's history, and how it can fulfill its potential in the 21st century.

"Venture capital today is at last emerging as a truly global industry," writes Josh Learner, Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking at Harvard Business School. "This evolution validates Peter Brooke's vision of many decades ago, and his pioneering efforts in this arena. This book provides a fascinating retrospective of Peter's career, as well as a variety of insights about the likely evolution of the global venture industry."
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New Winthrop Book: Biography of Inventor Frank J. Sprague
Winthrop is pleased to announce the publication of Engineering Invention: Frank J. Sprague and the U. S. Electrical Industry, 1880-1900 (MIT Press), by Frederick Dalzell.

In just 20 years, inventor Frank J. Sprague (1857-1934) achieved an astonishing series of technological breakthroughs, from pioneering work in self-governing motors to the first full-scale operational electric railway system. A shrewd businessman, he also commercialized his inventions and promoted them to financial backers and the public.

In Engineering Invention, Winthrop's Frederick Dalzell sets Sprague's story against the backdrop of one of the most dynamic periods in the history of technology. In a burst of innovation during these years, Sprague and his contemporaries-Thomas Edison, Nicolas Tesla, George Westinghouse, and others-transformed the technologies of electricity and reshaped urban life. Dalzell reminds us that even as large corporations became the driving force of technological change, the independent inventor continued to play a vital role in promoting innovation.

"A study of Frank Sprague's important contributions to electrical history is long overdue," writes Paul Israel, Director and General Editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers Project at Rutgers University. "Frederick Dalzell does this in impressive fashion while using Sprague's life and career to inquire into the nature of technological innovation and the role of the heroic inventor in American industry."
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Benjamin Z. Brown Joins Winthrop Group
Benjamin Z. Brown has accepted an Archivist position with Winthrop Group in New York City. Prior to joining Winthrop Group, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution National Anthropological Archives processing the institutional papers of the office of the Handbook of North American Indians, among other projects.  He also interned with the National Archives and Records Administration. Benjamin holds an MLS with a focus on archives and records Management from the University of Maryland and is a member of the Society of American Archivists.
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Cleveland Clinic Is In The News
Winthrop client, Cleveland Clinic, is front and center in the news at present because of the appealing model it presents with respect to health care reform options in the US. Like several other hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic and the much smaller Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, New York, Cleveland Clinic has distinguished itself by achieving better patient outcomes while paying doctors salaries rather than fees for service. (See www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/health/policy/25doctors.html.)

Even before the public debate about healthcare heated up, Cleveland Clinic was recognized for its accomplishments. These and the history behind them are examined in the the video “All for One: The Story of the Cleveland Clinic” which won a Silver Telly Award in 2008. Produced by Telos Productions of Cleveland, Ohio, the script was co-authored by Winthrop’s Davis Dyer and Tom Ball of Telos Productions. An excerpt of the film is featured on Winthrop Group’s website: Video, Multimedia, & the Web.

The Telly Awards were established in 1978 to showcase the very best local, regional, and national television commercials, programming, and other film and video productions by the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, and corporate video departments around the world.

“All for One” was the third Telly Award winner for the Winthrop-Telos partnership, which previously received Bronze Tellys for “Fred Crawford: Celebrating 100 Years” and “Everybody Wins, A History of the Progressive Corporation, 1937-1983”.
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Margaret B.W. Graham Contributes To New Publication
The Winthrop Group’s Margaret B.W. Graham has contributed to a new publication from the Stanford University Press.

The Challenge of Remaining Innovative: Insights from Twentieth Century American Business, edited by Sally H. Clarke, Naomi R. Lamoreaux, and Steven W. Usselman, examines innovation as a complex phenomenon. The contributors explore two main themes: the challenge of remaining innovative and the necessity of managing institutional boundaries in doing so. Graham provides an interesting look at innovation in her article, “Corning as Creative Responder: A Schumpterian Interpretation of Disruptive Innovation”, found in Chapter Two of the book.

Richard N. Langlois of The University of Connecticut writes, "In The Challenge of Remaining Innovative, a stellar group of authors asks anew the Schumpeterian questions of innovation, the corporation, and the state. The result is a sophisticated and nuanced volume that will find itself at the center of future scholarship in this area."

Please visit the Stanford University Press to read more reviews or to purchase the book: http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=11605
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Sales Push LePatner Book Into Paperback
The success of Barry B. LePatner's Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets, written with Winthrop's Timothy Jacobson, has led University of Chicago Press to release the book in paperback. An in-depth study of the U.S. construction industry,

Broken Buildings examines the causes of inordinate cost overruns in everything from residential home-building and commercial construction to home renovations. LePatner, a New York lawyer specializing in the construction industry, explains how business, government, and the individual consumer fall prey to the inefficient practices of all parties involved in a major construction project, from contractors, designers, and suppliers to workers and labor unions. LePatner provides a blueprint for tackling this problem, including tougher contracts, background checks, and hiring experts to monitor builders.

To read the original review in the Wall Street Journal, click here: http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119681431154013727.html.
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