Copywriting Portfolio

Alexander Nicol

1:

Decreasing Post-Blast Re-entry Time with Battery-Powered Wireless Monitoring of Gas and Ground Movement

Research conducted at the Glencore Kidd Mine in Timmins, Ontario, illustrates how Newtrax technology ensured crucial improvement in post-blast re-entry time, resulting in more efficient mining procedures and increased copper yield.

INEFFECTUAL MANUAL METHOD

Traditionally, post-blast monitoring was based on a fixed-time period, after which a single personnel would measure levels of toxic gases with a hand-held device. This monitoring procedure typically takes 10-12 hrs, with further delays if ventilation damage needs repair. So there is a health risk at hand, as well as an obvious incision in productivity rates, all based on poor data transmission from the blast point to the face.

REMOTE MONITORING BY NEWTRAX

Newtrax technologies has built and effect remedy to this key procedural issue in the mining process. In collaboration with Conspec and MDT technologies, Newtrax installed a battery-powered gas and geotechnical monitoring system into the monitoring network at the Glencore mine, providing real-time data acquisition from the blast point to the surface. This means that personnel can monitor the gaseous levels at the blast point from the safety of the control room, without any risk of exposure.

Newtrax’s Central Server showing a map of 7900 Level on the left, and a steeply rising gas concentration immediately after a blast and subsequent null readings at a rapid rate of decay.

Below is an example of an effective blast as shown through the analysis of the Newtrax remote monitoring system. As you can see, CO levels rise sharply - before quickly falling. This quick fall in CO levels means that the ventilation system survived the blast fulling intact. Overall, the study found that an average blast (ie without any ventilation damage) took, from start of blast to resumption of work, roughly 7 hrs.

One of the best features of the Newtrax real time remote monitoring system is that personnel can gauge, from the level of gaseous fumes present in the blast area, if there is any ventilation damage or ground material in the, and if so, exactly where it is located. If there is damage, personnel can begin collecting the tools to fix the damaged area without having to enter the area, as the software continues to track the gaseous fumes slowly dissipating from the blast point. Without the Newtrax technology, personnel would have to wait until the area was deemed safe, before manually trying to figure out where the damage is. Such a tedious back-and-forth method has always been a real time waster, the major reason for why blasting extends to over 12 hrs.

REMOTE MONITORING SAVES KEY MAN HOURS

The study conducted at Kidd Mine found that Newtrax technologies helped limit the period for repairs to roughly 2 hrs. With Newtrax technology in place, the average time from blast to recurrence of work was 9 hrs – whereas without Newtrax, it took a minimum of 12 hrs for repairs to be completed.

The authors of this research paper estimate that Kidd Mine saved 5-6 production man hours per shift, whether it be through releasing areas for production that are no longer seismically active, or through redeployment of miners involved in mucking, drilling and development. This improved data collection and subsequent redeployment represented an additional 200 tonnes of extraction per year, containing 3% copper. Over the course of a year, this works out to USD $35,000 in copper yields.

Furthermore, improvements in ventilation damage assessment and subsequent re-deployment saved the workers 1 – 2 hrs per shift. A rough translation of these productivity increases into copper yields over a year works out to USD $5,000-15,000.

IMPORTANCE OF REMOTE MONITORING

So the conclusion of the case-study is overwhelming clear: the evidence illustrates that Newtrax Technologies allow for crucial improvements in efficiency and safety. As these are the two most important aspects of a successful mine over the long-term, Newtrax has positioned itself quite seamlessly at the forefront of mining technology, representing the best of the bunch when it comes to revolutionizing the procedural structure of underground hard-rock mining.

2:

ECJ Homepage

ECJ has been a purveyor of high-end luxury goods since 1986. Originally founded by father and son team Michael and Bobby Yampolsky, ECJ quickly became the most popular spot for stylish residents and visitors across South Florida to fulfill their watch and jewelry needs. Over these 25 years our team has remained committed to providing only the most unique and exquisite products to our international customer base. Building on this strong foundation, ECJ has expanded to include the ECJ Luxe, an ultra-luxury jewelry and watch gallery. This gallery contains the best Miami jewelry has to offer, including an assortment of men’s bracelets.

ECJ Catalogue

The ECJ Luxe catalogue includes apparel, watches, jewelry, giftware, art, and a car exhibition. It is our stated mission to carry only the finest quality products available, and this has garnered a reputation for excellence in product care and customer service.

Apparel

ECJ carries the most sought after brands in men’s and women’s wear. Of particular interest is our collection of 2017 Signature Suede snapback hats, which come in a variety of colors.

Watches

ECJ’s range of timepieces is one of the main reasons for our continued success. Watches are a deep passion of ours, and we are experts in the industry. Our customers know that we will always have the most unique curated selection of exceptional timepieces that reflect the cosmopolitan laid back lifestyle of South Florida. Our collection of new timepieces includes Audemar Piguet, Bovet, Hublot, Cabestan, Ulysse Nardin, and more. We also carry a selection of vintage timepieces that reflect the beauty and quality of a bygone era. This collection includes world famous brands like Zenith, Roger Dubois, and Rolex.

We make it an obligation for our sales associates to be as educated as possible about the timepiece industry. This includes regular formal training sessions with experts and frequent trips to Switzerland for factory visits and discussions with producers. This ensures we stay on top of all the current trends and innovations in the industry and provide the most informed customer service we are able to.

Jewelry

ECJ has also made its name in curating an excellent selection of jewelry, for both men and women. Miami jewelry is not always the most timeless and classy, which makes ECJ an

outlier. This is especially true of men’s jewelry, and in particular men’s bracelets. Our signature piece is the StingHD bracelet. The StingHD is made up of two stingray leather cords that is accentuated by a handcrafted embellishment honed from silver. This elegant bracelet is ideal for the sailing aficionado or any man interested in rare types of leather. You will not find these men’s bracelets at any other Miami jewelry store.

Giftware

ECJ carries a range of giftware items that make ideal birthday presents, anniversary, or in fact any occasion of your choosing. Our range of giftware includes Kiade Model Boats for the those interested in marine activities; a selection of Crystal for any and all occasions; and a broad assortment of Montegrappa and Visconti pens. At ECJ we know that our customers have a diverse arrangement of needs. We take pride in being able to offer rare gifts that can fulfill these gifting needs, whether it be for a special occasion or just out of love.

Art

ECJ has made successful inroads into the world of art collection and dealing. Related to our globally recognized timepiece expertise, we have collected a number of prints and sketches of watches done by the world renowned artist Marcus B. Williams. Every piece is exceptionally rare and done with exacting precision. One of our most popular pieces is an original Ulysse Nardin Skeleton Tourbillon sketch by Marcus B. Williams, which would make an excellent addition to any lounge or dining room. While the sketches are all in black and white, we also carry dynamic prints that reveal the complexity and seeming absurdity of the internal organs of a clock. Our collection of art caters to those that share our deep passion and curiosity for timepieces.

Car Exhibition

To round out our vast selection of services, ECJ organizes car exhibitions at our store front locations on a regular basis. We like to surprise our customers by giving them a chance to try out some of the rarest cars in the world, including the McLaren 650S and the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS. Extending the ECJ brand into the automotive industry falls in line with our stated mission to provide the best in luxury goods to our valued and customers.

The ECJ Advantage

ECJ is a family-owned business that understands the value of customer service and product excellence. Since our inception we have had the privilege to share our passion for watches and luxury goods with the world, and we look forward to solidifying our reputation as a premier supplier of high end goods. With locations in Miami, Boca Raton, and Charlotte, NC, our galleries are accessible and full of informed sales representatives ready to help you find what you are looking for.

3:

Public Service Credit Union

The Public Service Credit Union is an excellent financial institution to save your money with. As an authorized credit union, being a member at the PSCU has three major advantages over a traditional bank. The first advantage is that PSCU has no hidden fees. There are fewer bank fees in general, and the fee’s they do have are much lower than a bank. The second advantage is that they can offer affordable loan rates for a wide variety of big expenses (cars, homes, personal loans). The third advantage to a credit union like PSCU is that members get treated like a family. Employees at the PSCU get to know their members by name and truly have their best interests at heart. Fostering a family environment at the PSCU is easy because everyone there will work with members to make the most out of their hard-earned money.

Auto Loan Rates at the PSCU

The PSCU has very affordable auto loan rates for its members. An employee of the PSCU will sit down and discuss the best option for you: whether you want a new or used car, how long you want the loan to be for, if you want a fixed or variable loan, and how much you have as a down payment are all factors to be looked at. An average 36 month fixed loan for a new or used car can have an APR as low as 1.5%. The highest APR a member should expect to pay for a fixed loan of 84 months is 2.5%. Qualified members of the PSCU can enjoy 100% financing, and the online application process is easy and efficient. There is also no processing fee for an online application.

This is a great service for anyone looking to take out a car loan - especially when compared against the auto loans available at any one of the major banks. Take Bank of America, for example. For residents of Michigan, Bank of America will only offer fixed-rate loans beginning at 2.74% APR for a new car, and 2.9% APR for a used car. Credit unions have your best interest at heart, and they want to help make the most difference with your money. Affordable auto loans are one of the most popular types of loans for Americans, and the available rates at the PSCU will save you money in the short and long term.

Personal Loan Rates at the PSCU

Along with car loans and mortgages, personal loans are the most popular kind of loan that people seek from a bank or credit union. The PSCU offers competitive personal loans at a rate much lower than a typical payday loan company or traditional bank. These savings will make all the difference down the line because you never know when disaster might strike and you need immediate access to a large amount of money. For many people, exorbitant interest rates on personal loans make it unfeasible to even ask for a loan in the first place. They know that it will take years just to pay off the interest on the loan, so they do not even bother. Credit Unions are built on a model that allows people to have access to personal loans at all times, no matter their financial situation. This is accomplished by having low interest rates.

A good example of when a personal loan is an absolute necessity is in a medical emergency. Let us imagine that someone slips on ice and breaks their wrist. An accident of this variety can happen to anyone, no matter their age or physical health. The cost of paying for surgery and treatment will presumably be more than the average American can afford. Taking out a personal loan from a credit union is probably the only way to finance the treatment that is urgently need. While a bank will demand a variety of different security requirements and take a long time considering your situation, securing a loan from the PSCU will be easy and quick. The employees of the credit union will understand your situation and do what is required to secure a loan for you. It is this kind of immediate and empathetic service that makes credit unions feel like one large family – and in a way, they are. Members of a credit union support each other in the collective attempt to live an affordable life.

Other Services Offered by the PSCU

Aside from offering affordable auto and personal loan rates, the PSCU provides its members with all the regular services a bank offer. These services include: savings/checking’s accounts, direct deposit, credit/ debit card application, mortgages, and financial advice. The credit union makes it convenient for members to travel overseas, or out of state. Indeed, it is easy to have access to money from a variety of sources across America, including retrieval from ATM machines. There are literally no drawbacks to moving your financial business from a bank to a credit union.

The PSCU is committed to making banking more familiar and accessible to everyone. As a member-owned credit union, everyone who saves their money with the PSCU will have a stake in its operational procedures and feel a part of a growing movement. Aside from avoiding hidden fees and getting access to affordable loans, the ambience of the PSCU will make it clear that everyone there is committed to making your money work for you.

4:

PERSONALIZE YOUR MARKETING CONTENT WITH HYBRIS DATA MANAGEMENT

The ever-evolving forces of technology and global capitalism have produced a consistent rise in the number of digital shoppers. All these clicks can translate into important data for e-commerce marketing strategies, however all too often they are lost in Google Analytics pie charts of historical behaviour rather than providing immediate analysis of specific personal search trends and projections. The Hybris Marketing Data Management system does just that: it is a program that tracks user behaviour in ‘real-time’ across multiple platforms, generating key insights into user habits and desires. This allows for much more personalized marketing campaigns, which in turn drive sales and improves internal efficiency.

This article will begin by highlighting the key aspects of the site architecture that make Hybris an appealing tool. It will then breakdown the various facets of the Hybris method, before concluding with an illustration of how generating real-time user trend analysis ensures a smooth user experience, and makes it much more likely that they will pass from the landing page to the purchase point.

ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

Hybris is based on Spring, an open source framework primarily known for its dependency injection (DI) and aspect-oriented programming (AOP) features. Spring is a highly extensible and flexible foundation, part of the reason why Hybris has the reputation for a lean and lightweight structural approach.

The executive environment is a Java EE Servlet Container, which includes Tomcat or VMware vFabric tcServer. Working within the Spring environment, these Java components provide generic logic like security, caching, clustering and persistence. Each component (or extension) comes in the form of Spring beans, which are essentially additional services that can be added to the global application, or to overwrite existing functionality. Hybris will provide extensions as part of the purchase, or you can write them in yourself, in which case it is called a custom extension.

FRONTEND LAYER

Web applications are built for two main purposes: presentation or service.

PRESENTATIONFor presentation-oriented web applications, you must not forget that they are geared

towards web browsers, and thus will generate dynamic HTML markup. If, for example, you want a web-based store on your site, you can either adapt one of our templates to your preference or create a web application from scratch.

SERVICEService-oriented web applications are defined by web service endpoints. These are

used mainly by mobile devices and are always geared towards a sale.

Any Java Web Application will work within the Spring Environment, allowing you to directly interface with the business logic APIs. If you choose a non-Java web technology, then you will have to run your web application on remote systems and integrate these applications using web services.

BUSINESS LAYER

To access the Hybris Platform, an extension will have to include the Hybris ServiceLayer API. Once completed, you are now in the Business layer of the site. The Hybris ServiceLayer API consists of a set of services, managed by the Spring environment, and includes all business logic that the Hybris Platform and extensions offer. Each extension can add services to the ServiceLayer, which means all other extensions can utilize that same service.

Extensions also offer the option to add or modify business objects in the global Hybris data model. The best thing about the date model is that it is defined in XML, and can therefore easily be adjusted, offering full flexibility to the site owner. This Model Driven Architecture (MDA) approach is so flexible that all applications built on top of the base data model will automatically adjust to any object changes.

PERSISTENCE LAYER

On the persistence layer you can map between business objectives and database tables. This is done by an ORM (Object-Relational-Mapping) framework that automatically modifies when it is updated, or new business models are created. It is beneficial that the persistence layer is clearly separated from the service layer, especially when it comes to testing. Each layer can be tested in isolation, thereby significantly reducing time and setup costs for tests.

CORE+ CONCEPT

Now that the foundation for the Hybris web application has been described, we must turn our attention to the Hybris solution for the e-commerce industry.

The CORE+ Concept is built upon the Spring foundation, and is made up of modules, each consisting of a kernel, a commons, and system services. The kernels are responsible for persistence, caching, and search in a highly efficient and scalable manner. It features various data storage options, tenant separation in storage, localized values, schemaless dynamic attributes, optimistic locking, aggregation, media storage, initialization, and update and system migration. The commons provide utilities not related to a specific domain, and used by several services. The System Services are common to applications built on top of the kernel itself, such as Data OnBoarding.

Each module is quite independent from each other in that they do not share data. The modules are tightly integrated, however, with the hybris Platform via RESTful communication, and for each module there is a client responsible for REST communication.

Architecturally it is quite similar to the Commerce Suite Extension explained above. Like the Commerce Suite, there are specific layers for clients to modify to suite their wishes. In the Core+ Concept there are three main layers: façade, service and persistence. The façade layer makes calls to the service layer and exposes the module API. The service layer contains service

logic needed to realize business use cases. It is split into data and service components. The persistence layer, meanwhile, is specific for applications that require its capabilities, as discussed above.

This brief description of the Hybris Core+ concept should clarify some of the technical aspects of the site architecture. Just to be clear once more: the use of Java and JVM means that containers are able to run on any operating system, such as Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X Server or various other Unix-based operating systems. Lastly, when it comes to database management systems, it should be noted that Hybris supports Oracle, MySQL, Perconna XtraDB Cluster, SAP HANA DB or Microsoft SQL Server.

ENHANCED PERSONAL WEB EXPERIENCE: THE HYBRIS MARKETING EDGE

What does all this software mean for your marketing campaigning? Well, it means that you can kiss Google Analytics and traditional tracking methods goodbye, because they are just not good enough anymore. With the Hybris Core+ concept, you will be able to:

1. Understand Real-Time Customer Intents.

Hybris blends together implicit (page clicks and views) with explicit (campaign responses and purchases) insights to help determine what a customer wants to buy before they even know. Hybris can provide this service in the form of consolidated profiles based on explicit and implicit content; accurately defined micro-segments and target audiences from macro-data; anticipation of customer behaviours based on hidden trends; and access to deep insights from the open SAP HANA platform, which provides predictive and data mining. The marketing team can also check its own performances, by way of a dashboard that tracks activity through movement charts and percentage success rate comparisons.

2. Market with Speed and Agility

An in-depth understanding of real-time customer intents means that you can market with the speed and agility of an expert. The Hybris Marketing Planning Team helps deliver the best experience to your customer in, with increased visibility connecting up siloes and creating integrated campaigns so that information picked up in the moment can be applied as quickly as possible. This can be achieved by formulating a plan that allows the whole marketing team an opportunity to track delivery on key performance indicators in real-time. Allowing access to quick insights means that collaboration will be easier and more thorough, making it possible to keep well within budget. Hybris provides top-down and bottom-up planning and budget distribution models for your company to ensure you stay within budget!

3. Deliver Unique Customer Experiences

The real x-factor provided by Hybris data management is the ability to use real-time information about user trends to create unique experiences for the user. It’s a positive

feedback loop, and the user is the one who reaps the most benefit because the web experience will be easier and more familiar. The Hybris Marketing suite provides the ‘in-the-moment’ context of each individual, making it possible to produce relevant customer experiences all the way through the customer journey - from the home page to the point of purchase.

Customer engagement needs to be proactive. It needs to tap into emotional interests that underlie the buying process, and the right kinds of emotional triggers need to be strategically placed along the customer’s journey from awareness to consideration, and on to intention, before the key decision to buy is made. Hybris prides itself on its conversion ability, increasing site revenue by up to 30%. Of course, as the only patented real-time marketing engine on the market, who can be shocked?

HYBRIS IN ACTION

Perhaps the best way to understand the Hybris solution is to provide an illustration of an average customer.

Take Laure, for example, a young woman who frequents the luxury online fashion retailer Ssence. Laura has been on the site over 15 times in the past 60 days, and has been browsing consistently in the leather boot section of the site. With the help of Hybris, the Ssence marketing team would be able to conclude that this woman is looking to buy leather boots from Ssence. With Google Analytics, all they could gather was that the leather boot section was perhaps getting a bit more traction over a week span, and that this one site had been partly responsible for this rise. However, given the personal insights from Hybris, the Ssence marketing team could place a leather boot advertisement on Laura’s web browser. While Laura would take note of the advertisement, she might not click on it right away. Or she might click on it, think about it, and then let it sit for a couple of days. The Ssence marketing team would be aware of her search habits, and perhaps reach out to her through email or social media to offer a little reminder of the sale. They could even personalize the advertisement for Laura based on her search history and intuitive desires. For one reason or another (probably based on the effective personalized marketing!) Laura will decide to purchase the leather boots that she eyed at the beginning of her web experience, foregoing the cheaper option because she feels attached to the aesthetic and quality of Ssence products.

So here, in a nutshell, is the power of Hybris data management in driving sales for e-commerce business. It is high time that your business starts to benefit from the personal marketing approach, because it will become an industry standard in no time.

5:

Overview of GranCor’s Full Service Removal of Man-Made Fibers

At GranCor, we provide full-service removal of man-made fibers that may exist in your property. Our fiber removal operation is one of many services offered in our Environmental division, a full-service arm of our overall operations that include demolition and commercial construction support.

What Are Man-Made Fibers

Man-made mineral fibers are a family of glass-like products that are noncrystalline in their makeup – as opposed to crystalline fibers like asbestos - and are produced from a combination of molten rock, molten glass, molten slag, or clay. They have become popular since the 1990s as an asbestos replacement - but there is some concern that these fibers may be just as toxic. Fibers play an integral role in supporting and strengthening different aspects of construction fundamentals, from fiber-reinforced concrete composites, to fiber optic cables for electricity, to the variety of glass fiber laminates that are commonly used as window trims or wall columns. Commonly used examples of potentially dangerous synthetic fibers include: polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).

While these synthetic fibers have improved the quality and functionality of construction practices since the mid-1950s, there is still much debate about their carcinogenic quality. Some health specialists declare these synthetic vitreous fibers to be as dangerous as asbestos, for example. Even with these health concerns, it is certainly true that man-made fibers and polymers will only become more popular in the construction industry, as study after study is published showing how much more effective they are compared to metal, concrete, or wood.

The GranCor Solution

GranCor provides a full-service removal operation that will extract all possible dangerous fibers from your building site. Our work always begins with a preliminary consultation of the property. Once the level of risk and work is roughly determined, a comprehensive plan is presented with details of where the toxic fibers are, and how our team will remove them. Then our team of experts will put the building under extremely controlled conditions, and begin the removal procedures. We will cover the entire building in an air-tight screen, thus blocking it off from any public access.

Our team of experts will then set to work, following these three general steps:

1. Assessment – We test the air quality throughout the entire building to gauge where the problem areas are.

2. Detection – A full analysis of the air quality will clarify the kind of direction we should take regarding removal. Sometimes fiber is used just in the exterior of a building, in which case our work is much less labor intensive. Otherwise it is in the structural frame of the building itself, which requires much more labor. We will detect where the fibers are in the building and focus on these areas.

3. Removal – Much like asbestos, fibers are usually used in the structural frame of the building itself, either as insulation or in combination with glass, steel or concrete in the frame of the building. We remove the fibrous materials, no matter the size, and replace them with less toxic and more sustainable alternatives already on the market.

4. Proof – Our team will give a before and after comparison of the air components as proof that our removal service is complete.

6:

morthouse sessionstoday is friday presents a live session with our friends Morthouse, performing "soul

jacking".

if Morthouse lived in LA, you'd find them in a small apartment with no natural light in the

squalid down-town. the two brothers would set up a jam space in the kitchen, and enjoy

the setting sun from their rooftop. they would spend the early evening scanning the

seething metropolis, scowling at the vapid consumerism and superficial satisfaction that

surrounds them. returning to their kitchen lair every night, the music they make would

reflect a subtle bind between two lifestyles: an attraction to the embellishments of the well

to do, infused with a necessary acknowledgement that our world is filthy, and that humans

are prone to self-destruction.