October 15, 2002 The Times Leader By Janel Hartman, Staff Writer THE VALUES, morals and principals instilled in her as a child growing up in Martins Ferry are what former Martins Ferry resident Alison R. Brown attributes to her success. Brown, who resides in Pickerington, Ohio, is featured in a new book, "Mission Possible!" and is also the president and principal consultant of ALMEC International. Brown said that every aspect of the Martins Ferry community helped her reach the level she is at now. "I embraced the community and have lived by it," she said. Family is also important to Brown as said that even her company's name is family oriented. She added that many individuals question where she got such a unique name for her company. Each letter in ALMEC stands for the initial of one of her nieces. The Martins Ferry community now seems to be embracing Brown as she returns to the city for her first public book signing. She moved in 1988 and returns to visit her parents, sister, nieces, aunts, cousins and other family members locally, whenever she can. Brown said she is very happy to be back now for a few days and is quite excited about the signing Wednesday, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Martins Ferry Public Library. Brown describes "Mission Possible!" as an anthology of personal experiences of experts in different fields. The individuals described their journeys of growth. The book format was based on a series of questions designed by the publisher, which became the text for the book. Personal and professional experiences regarding many people who have influenced Brown are where she got her material from, she said. Brown's successful company was formed in 1995 to assist other companies in human relations and other things. Before deciding to form her company, Brown previously worked at a corporate job for 18 years. During that time, she was responsible for training and she said she has always liked teaching. Her background and education are what helped her decide what ALMEC International needed to offer. Another factor that influenced Brown to form the company occurred during her college years. Brown said a classmate from India approached her one day and asked her to help her communicate as effectively as she did. This event has always remained in Brown's mind as it helped influence her that she could "communication across cultures." Brown added that this event in her life also helped her develop training programs focusing on different aspects such as culture, gender and age. She said the bottom line is to find out what is holding good people back from being really successful and by also focusing on recruiting and retention. ALMEC International is comprised of Brown and four other individuals. Brown described her company as being able to help a variety of industries. In addition to that, Brown said ALMEC International can help all sizes of companies too as the largest has 56,000 employees. Their smallest client has just 75. ALMEC, although headquartered near Columbus, Ohio, can help clients throughout the country. Additionally, the company is headed in an international direction as well, Brown said. A bilingual team is being assembled now to aid in this process. "We can customize and tailor what we're doing to aid the needs and size of our client," she said. ALMEC International conducts training on workshop diversity, team building, leadership and customer service as well as supervision. Brown said she enjoys returning to her roots in the Ohio Valley. She still engages in church-related events, among others whenever she can. Her home church is Mount Zion Baptist Church in Bridgeport and she enjoys helping out with special events. A 1977 graduate of Martins Ferry High School, Brown went on to graduate with academic honors from Franklin University with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. She has a management development adjunct professorship at Central Ohio Technical College in Neward and is working on a labor and human resource master's degree at Ohio State University. She completed mediation training at Capital Law School. Brown also is a media contact for SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management in Alexandria, VA, and has been selected to serve on the board of directors for small businesses federal credit union that is being chartered. Other individuals featured in the book include Stephen Covey, author of "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Deepak Chopra, author of "Grow Younger Live Longer" and Pat Summit, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and coach of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, just to name a few individuals. "It's humbling to be included in this book," she said. The book cost is $21.10 and the public is invited to attend the signing. For more information about ALMEC International, call (614) 755-4960 or e-mail alison@almec.com.   More...