Randall S.

## BIO Hello, I’m Randall Dane. Recently, I announced my retirement from the utility company I worked for as manager of business process services. One of my senior consultants asked me what I planned to do next. "Freelance writing," I said with a smile. Her eyes widened. "Cool! It makes perfect sense." It sure does. You see, I’ve been many things in life, but always a writer. Over the years, I've written material on a large variety of subjects for different audiences and purposes, including:  * Procedures and technical writing * Lesson plans and training materials * Web content * White papers and presentations * Business cases * Professional articles and case studies * Copywriting Effective writing is a combination of skills and rich subject matter expertise. My knowledge is deep and my experience is wide: **Business**. I was business process services manager for an electric utility and I'm certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt by Arizona State University. **Chemistry**. I was head of the Chemistry Department at the largest commercial nuclear power facility in the United States. **Nuclear Navy**. I spent eight years in the US Naval Nuclear Power Program where I received much of my education. I qualified as electrical operator and nuclear propulsion plant supervisor. **Insurance**. I was a licensed insurance agent (Life and Health). **Manufacturing**. I performed machine set-up and operated special equipment to build custom foam rubber parts for industrial uses. **Farming**. I spent many summers as a boy in rural Michigan milking cows, baling hay and performing general maintenance activities on local area farms. **Music**. I'm an amateur jazz guitarist and luthier.   Now what does all this have to do with effective writing? I have two examples: Several years ago, my boss announced that he was going to launch a major organizational change initiative. After explaining the objectives and scope, he asked for my support. "You're good with words, Randy," he said. "Will you draft the announcement message?" In addition to establishing the "WIIFM" (What's in it for me?), I personalized the message for my boss as well. Everyone knew he owned a farm in another state and how he loved tractors, so I used my background in agriculture to weave in some farming analogies, including a fun graphic of him driving his big John Deere. He was delighted with my draft and the communication plan was a huge success. More recently, my company developed and implemented a first-of-a-kind tool that dramatically enhanced the reliability of the electric grid in our state. A colleague of mine wanted to nominate the new technology for an industry award, but didn't know how to describe the achievement in the three pages required for submittal. There wasn't much time and she asked for my help. The only thing I had to work with was a large technical white paper that explained the details of the tool in scientific terms. Using my experience as an electrical operator in the Nuclear Navy, I made the technology understandable for the average reader and showed how it improved system reliability. The CEO approved the nomination and we submitted it just prior to the deadline. Weeks later, our CEO was notified that we were winners of the electric industry's most prestigious award. Wall Street took notice. Always a writer, I've helped and delighted many with my writing skills and experience over the years. Whatever your needs, I can help you too.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break" clear= "all" /> ## Area of Expertise Procedures and technical writing. Copywriting.