Writer, Editor, Corporate Historian.
"Working with Marian Calabro and CorporateHistory.net was a complete pleasure."
—Shawn Murray, Director of Creative Services, Advance Auto Parts
Corporate Histories
Clinton County ARC Executive Director Theresa Garrow with author and publisher Marian Calabro. ARC distributed its 55th anniversary book to supporters at its annual meeting.
Does your company have an important anniversary coming up? Is it time for your family business to tell its story for future generations? Have you been charged with the task of creating a high-quality corporate history, company profile, or executive memoir for your organization, but you aren't sure where to begin?
CorporateHistory.net can help. We offer a full range of publishing and media services in addition to writing. Draw on our expertise in business histories and corporate communications to profit from your organization's past and position it for the future.
Whether you want a book, an enhanced brochure, a video, a DVD, special pages on your Web site, or other formats, we can meet your needs. Our approach is visual and anecdotal — we believe that just as a good biography brings a person to life, a good history can (and should) bring a company's personality to life.
The CorporateHistory.net site will tell you more about all of our capabilities. Here's a sampling:
Dominion's First Century: A Legacy of Service
100th Anniversary Book
First-hand recollections, photos, and artifacts shared by present and past employees bring this well-researched and colorfully illustrated volume to life. As Dominion’s first full narrative history, it shows how the company has evolved and expanded beyond its traditional Southern footprint to become an American energy leader—one that has invested billions of dollars in environmental and technological advances. Ultimately, Dominion’s First Century celebrates how the people of the company have served its many stakeholders by applying the time-tested values of safety, ethics, excellence, and teamwork.
IABC Gold Quill Award National Finalist; Apex Grand Award for Custom Publishing
Flying High Again
PARC's Redevelopment of Plattsburgh Air Force Base
History Book and DVD
When Plattsburgh Air Force Base closed in 1995, consultants predicted that economic redevelopment would take 25 years. But they underestimated the will of New York's North Country to recover and the ability of the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corporation (PARC) to get the job done. The transformation was far from easy, however. This case study candidly explores the process, the politics, the personalities, and, above all, the sheer persistence that has led PARC to be cited as a national model for military base reuse.
Based on extensive research and in-depth interviews with 60 people closely involved in the process (including federal, state, and local officials; Air Force personnel; and PARC's successive leaders), Flying High Again is available for sale on Amazon.
We also created a PARC video, "Life After Base Closure," that has garnered more than 3,000 views on CorporateHistory.net's YouTube channel.
IABC Gold Quill Award National Finalist; Apex Award of Excellence for Custom Publishing
Soap in the Veins: 50 Years at Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply
50th Anniversary Book
Can a family-owned company show the way to a new business model — actually a very old model — based on fiscal discipline, technical innovation, customer service, environmental stewardship, and the long-term good and welfare of employees? Anyone who has ever been part of Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply knows the answer is a resounding “yes.” But many didn’t know the whole story until this book. It's the first-ever history of Dempsey, an industry innovator and leader recently honored as one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania and Northeast Pennsylvania's Green Business of the Year. We captured their history in a short, lively book packed with anecdotes and historic photos. Rather than tell the story chronologically, we divided it into three chapters that reflect the Dempsey style:
- The Head: Dempsey's Thoughts on Business
- The Body: Dempsey's Plants and Technology
- The Heart: Dempsey's People and Culture
Apex Grand Award for Custom Publishing
The Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack: A Company History
History book and coverage on The History Channel
The Pep Boys pioneered the automotive aftermarket industry when founders Manny, Moe, and Jack opened the first store in 1921. They were real people as well as icons of American advertising. To convey the spirit of The Pep Boys and its "go-forward" turnaround strategy, the company commissioned this lively, richly illustrated book — its first-ever history.
The book also led to national publicity on The History Channel! Author Marian Calabro appeared on the popular “Modern Marvels” series to talk about The Pep Boys and 1950s automotive history.
MarCom Creative Platinum Award (highest honor) for writing and excellence in marketing communications
Melwood: A Story of Empowerment
History Book / Executive Memoir
Written with Melwood's president emeritus Earl Copus, this hardcover book blends organizational history and hard-earned management wisdom from a leader in the nonprofit field.
Melwood provides job training, employment, and recreation to more than 2,100 adults with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. Almost 85 percent of Melwood's budget is self-earned, a remarkable achievement in the not-for-profit sector. A pioneer in the area of horticultural therapy for people with disabilities, Melwood branched out to become a leader in social entrepreneurship.
Apex Award of Excellence for Custom Publishing
"Finally all the facts, dates, and stories are together in one place. We love our book!"
—Kristin Dempsey, VP Marketing and Family Business Owner, Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply, Jessup, PA
"It is not often when your expectations are exceeded to the extent mine were in the preparation of this book. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone at CorporateHistory.net for your great efforts and creativeness. Your earnestness and professionalism are of the highest order, and your warmth and interest in our story are genuine. Reliving the events and activities of PARC's history has fueled us and cheered us."
—Bruce Steadman, CEO, PARC, Plattsburgh, NY
"CorporateHistory.net provided us with more than a retelling of our 100-year history—they helped us produce an engaging story that captures in print and pictures the people, places, and essence of our company."
—Patty Wilkerson, Vice President and Corporate Secretary (Retired), Dominion Resources, Inc., Richmond, VA
Company Histories, Book Writing, Speechwriting, Editing and Publishing Services
About
If it involves writing and editing, chances are I've done it.
Corporate Histories
A good company history brings a firm's personality to life.
Books
My nonfiction books emphasize the "story" part of history.
Speeches & Memoirs
Bring me your bare-bones theme, your pile of notes, your rough draft.
Writing Workshops
You don't have to be a professional writer to be full of stories.
News/Muse Blog
Click here for creative writing exercises, news and a bit of gab.
