Posted by Amy Kardel on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 @ 10:28 AM
We need some serious clicks…and know you can click with the best of them!
We are finalists in a close race in the Comptia PitchIT video contest with our team video!
Could you take a minute to vote for Clever Ducks? Just click here and vote for Clever Ducks before August 3. http://pitchit.comptia.org/AttendeeVideos.aspx
We will donate the $500 prize to EUS (Evangelical Student Union) a non-profit organization serving college students in Bosnia & Herzegovina through free English classes, libraries, seminars, and spiritual activities. In their Sarajevo student center, EUS is currently creating a computer workspace for students. Clever Ducks will donate 100% of the award money to EUS to help purchase computers and equipment to help students connect to the web and do homework. Most students there do not have their own PC. It is hard to believe that in Europe there are students with limited access to the Internet. We want to help. Thanks for your help!
Posted by Heather Walker on Fri, Jul 23, 2010 @ 11:42 AM
For those of you that weren't able to attend last night's mixer, you missed out! About 300 San Luis locals were in attendance to learn about the museum's plans for a new building as well as their art program offerings. Clever Ducks had a chance to mingle with other Central Coast businesses while enjoying a live jazz performance and catered food/drinks by Chow, Sweet Earth Chocolates, and Creekside Brewing.
Amy Kardel, owner of Clever Ducks says "It was one of those perfect SLO nights, warm with no fog and with lots of folks from our great community coming out to mingle. Thanks to everyone who came!"
Posted by Heather Walker on Tue, Jul 20, 2010 @ 11:55 AM
Clever Ducks is pleased to announce their sponsorship of the event, to be hosted at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art on Wednesday, July 21 5:30pm-7:30pm. Catering will be provided by Chow, Sweet Earth Chocolates, and Creekside Brewing. There will be a live Jazz performance, wine spritzers and the chance to mingle with other local businesses. The event is in celebration of the Museum's new name (they were formally known as the SLO Art Center), their plans for a new state-of-the-art building, and all the fun, educational art programs they offer.
Consider yourself a Clever Ducks guest and come mingle with us!
Posted by Amy Kardel on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 @ 04:43 PM
Jessica Martinez, formerly Operations Manager at Clever Ducks, is now instead in charge of the Sales Department (sales@cleverducks.com). In line with the company's green philosophy, she felt too guilty to throw away an entire box of old business cards, all reflecting her old job title. So, she summoned the help of Marketing Intern, Heather Walker (heather.walker@cleverducks.com), to think of a creative way to use them. Pictured above is what she came up with - a flying duck collage that resembles the Clever Ducks' logo. Heather says she is now inspired to think of even more ways to reuse and repurpose around the office.
Have you or your company cleverly reused or repurposed lately? We'd love to hear about it!
Posted by Amy Kardel on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 @ 12:23 PM
Watch the video here. Amy Kardel, owner of Clever Ducks Computer Network Services, speaks about the importance of the new technology survey. "San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Encourages Tech Survey"
Posted by Amy Kardel on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 @ 11:05 AM
AMY KARDEL RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF TOP 50 WOMEN IN BUSINESS BY THE PACIFIC COAST BUSINESS TIMES San Luis Obispo, CA – (April 30, 2010)
Amy Kardel has been recognized by the Pacific Coast Business Times as one of the top 50 outstanding women business leaders in the Tri-County area of California. Amy selected as the prestigious Editor’s Choice winner. The “Top 50 Women in Business” special issue featured an editorial article with remarks on her reflections on co-founding Clever Ducks Computer Network Services in San Luis Obispo. An 18-year veteran of the technology industry, Amy has helped build the IT consulting firm in San Luis Obispo. Amy was in the running with nominees whose names were submitted from companies throughout San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties across all industry sectors, including banking, law, education, nonprofit and service organizations. “With far, far, far more nominations than we could ever accommodate, Top 50 Women in Business now occupies a place at the top ranks of our editorial calendar,” states Henry Dubroff, editor of the Pacific Coast Business Times. To select the final 50, Dubroff and his editorial staff looked for women leaders at their respective organizations and women in senior management positions who were making a difference in their community. They also considered the nominees’ length of service in a senior role and their organization’s role the community. Amy and the other honorees were celebrated at an awards ceremony at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara on May 11. She is active in the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, Tech Brew SLO and is a frequent speaker at seminars and workshops. She also speaks to high school and college students about careers in technology. A mother of four, she is married to Peter Kardel, CEO/CTO of Clever Ducks.
Posted by Amy Kardel on Mon, Jun 07, 2010 @ 02:52 PM
The Clever Ducks team, in alignment with their continued effort toward healthier lifestyles, have been taking part in a monthly exercise raffle. Every time a duck completes 30 minutes of exercise outside of the office, they get to add one raffle ticket to the pot. At the end of the month, the most active people have a greater chance of winning a prize - usually something yummy and healthy, like a Jamba Juice gift card! Pictured below is Emeli Anderson choosing the winners for last month. Winners (and losers) from May have become even more inspired to continue their healthy habits and hope to reap the benefits come June's raffle! Who will win the raffle next time?
Posted by Amy Kardel on Mon, May 17, 2010 @ 12:33 PM
Peter Kardel, CEO of Clever Ducks, stands in front of the "pond" with his bike.
Posted by Amy Kardel on Fri, May 14, 2010 @ 02:25 PM
The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with
Clever Ducks and ITECH Solutions, presents a special program on
Windows® 7.
Find out what the buzz is all about.
Here’s your chance to get up close and personal with the latest productivity enhancements, as well as safety and security improvements that Windows® 7 provides.
Come find out how Windows 7 can help your business work the way you want.
When: May 25, 2010
Time: 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Location: RRM Design Group's Training Room, 3765 South Higuera Street, Ste. 102 in San Luis Obispo
There is limited seating available. To ensure a seat, please register online now.
Click here to register
- See a live demo of the new features in Windows 7
- Ask Microsoft Partners questions about upgrading your system
- Get a chance to win great prizes (to enter a raffle for fun prizes, participants must provide a business card)
As an attendee of the event you may be eligible* to receive:
- A $150 Technology Deployment Services Voucher* to be used towards technology deployment services from a Microsoft Partner of your choice to assist you with the installation of Windows 7 when used in conjunction with a purchase of Windows 7 through a Microsoft Volume License Agreement.
*Terms and conditions. This offer begins October 20, 2009 and goes through June 30, 2010. Offer good in the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia. Offer not valid in U.S. Territories including Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Guam. Offer not valid in Canada. Offer void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law Licenses must be genuine licenses sold in the United States and intended for use in the United States. Products purchased prior to the offer period are not eligible for this promotion. For full terms and conditions visit: http://mscommunityconnections.com/terms.aspx?tp=1
About the speakers:
Brian Weiss is the founder of ITECH Solutions, a local technology firm specializing in IT Services, Web development and custom software programming, and is the acting chair of the SLO Chamber's Technology Advocacy Committee. Born and raised in San Luis Obispo County, Brian started working with technology at the early age of 16. He set up and managed one of the first networks at Atascadero High School in 1996, and by his senior year was working six out of seven class periods fixing computers for the Atascadero Unified School District. After graduating in 1997, he studied Computer Network Services for five years at Cuesta College. In 2005, Brian founded ITECH Solutions. Visit www.ITECH-Solutions.com for more information.
Amy Kardel brings more than 15 years of professional experience to her position as COO of Clever Ducks – Computer Network Services, a San Luis Obispo-based IT solution provider and a Gold-certified Microsoft Partner. A serial entrepreneur, she established and then sold Global Accent Translation Services, a translation agency that provides technology, business and government with foreign language services. Amy serves on the Microsoft Peer Council and the national advisory council for ConnectWise. She completed degrees in UC Berkeley and Washington University, as well as graduate course work in at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Amy returned to her native San Luis Obispo from Europe in 1993. She is active in the SLO Chamber and Rotary.
Don't miss this fun and exciting event. Space is limited so be sure to register today.Click here to register online for free.
This event is a member benefit of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.
For current offers on Windows 7 Professional through a Microsoft Volume License Agreement, go to www.microsoft.com/licensing/
Posted by Amy Kardel on Tue, May 04, 2010 @ 04:26 PM
IT Directors and Managers who are interested in Microsoft certifications for their teams are invited to a briefing by Chris Akelian, instructor from Cuesta College's Computer and Networking Technology Department. He will be talking about new training options offered to IT professionals by Microsoft through the college starting this fall. This new lab is employee friendly, because it is flexible and very affordable.
The event is organized by Clever Ducks CEO/CTO, Peter Kardel as part of his company's IT Director Breakfast Series. An 18-year veteran of the technology industry, Kardel founded Clever Ducks, an IT consulting firm in San Luis Obispo. He knows how important local training options are for techs. "In the past we've had to send people to the Bay Area or Los Angeles for access to this kind of training and certification. This is a great opportunity for our IT community rise to an even higher level," states Kardel.
Akelian adds, "Cuesta is committed to providing industry with a locally trained workforce that meets industry standards. Certification based training and testing here at Cuesta College will provide this opportunity to both students and professionals in the community. We are excited to be offering the resources of the Microsoft IT academy, Cisco Networking Academy and testing options through Pearson Vue as well as others in our courses this fall. I look forward to sharing the details of these opportunities at your Directors breakfast meeting since industry support in this endeavor is crucial to the success of the program."
Since early this year, Clever Ducks has hosted a monthly IT Director Breakfast on the second Wednesday of each month. The idea is to create a peer group for great discussions with other technology professionals. Industry peers collaborate in an informal environment with a catered breakfast and to discuss topics including current technology, the future of technology, and other IT management issues. To join the breakfast briefing on May 12 at 7:30 am, please RSVP online at http://www.cleverducks.com/it-director-breakfast/.