A summary of my writing work at RB Publishing Inc. in Madison, WI.

1. PORTFOLIO
John E. Thompson
217 W Franklin Ave #3
Minneapolis MN 55404
writing at RB Publishing
608.215.7014
jet1385@gmail.com
twitter@jet1385
This document was constructed in Adobe InDesign CS5.
Images were edited in Adobe Photoshop CS5

2. WEB personal fitness professional
My involvement with the homepage of fit-pro.com, the domain of Personal Fitness
Professional (PFP) media, seen below, was the placement of articles, the writing
of marquee copy and input on the overall layout. Note: Content visible in this
particular screenshot was not written by me.

3. WEB personal fitness professional
The PFP Journey to Success subpage (found via fit-pro.com) was mainly used to
generate cover stories for the magazine. I wrote all of the verbiage on this page.
Although I stand by the words written on this page, I feel that it is far too long
for today’s standards and needs a visual overhaul.

4. WEB personal fitness professional
PFP’s About Us subpage (also found via fit-pro.com) was originally written by a
former editor; by the time I arrived, the information was years old. So I rewrote
everything except for the first few sentences in each of the historical and “Your
Information” segments. I also revamped how the staff information was presented.

5. WEB personal fitness professional
Digital Magazines were added midway during my tenure at RB Publishing, during
a time when I was learning to write brief copy. I admire my writing on this page
still, but I feel that “and more” is overused. Also, this page needs to be far more
user-friendly. The images have links embedded within them, but that’s
not noticeable, which is a huge usability problem.

6. PRINT personal fitness professional
Shelby Murphy, the editor of PFP, and I collaborated on a simple, immediately
usable feature for those in our audience who owned studios and fitness space.
The article was published in the January-February 2010 issue.
Time for Spring Cleaning
Start off the year with a fresh mind (and studio) using these 10 tidy tips
By Shelby Murphy and John E. Thompson
Creating an inviting environment is critical to any thriving fitness studio. Your clients aren’t just paying
for the workout, they’re also paying for the experience. And if the experience comes with dust and dirty
toilets, they will likely take their business and their bucks somewhere else.
Now is the perfect time to freshen up your studio, from a deep clean to a new paint color to some
financial and schedule “cleaning” as well. New clients are flooding in, so putting your studio’s best
foot forward will give you a leg up this year, and some back-room organization will give you an
equal amount of peace of mind. Here are 10 ideas to freshen up both your internal and external
environments:
Clean, clean, clean. This means cleaning, polishing and maintaining your equipment, washing your
windows (even the outsides) and mirrors, updating the magazines near the cardio equipment, making
the floors shine, scrubbing the frequently used but often dirty areas of your studio, etc. Throw away or
recycle the clutter (avoid being a pack rat!). Set a deep cleaning day, when you enlist the help of your
whole staff and, with task list in hand, get the place looking new again. Maybe make it a team-building
exercise to keep it from becoming too tedious. Pit two sides against one another, and end it with a
group luncheon or dinner!
Make your own cleaning supplies. The expensive stuff adds up, sometimes to the point where you
should have hired the pros to do it! So do it yourself. All-purpose cleaner is 1/2 cup baking powder, 1/2
cup household ammonia and seven cups warm water. Make your own antibacterial spray by adding
one tablespoon of household bleach to a spray bottle filled with water. Use newspapers for cleaning
windows, as they don’t leave streaks. Club soda is a super-simple solution for spot removal; simply
pour it on, wait a few seconds, then blot it with a sponge. Use a pencil eraser for removing black marks
from shoe heels. Look online for more!
Refine your training area. How long has it been since you’ve painted the walls? Touch up all the
nicks, chips and dents in the walls around the weights, and consider updating the paint color in your
studio. Have you added any new equipment lately? Even inexpensive pieces - such as new medicine
balls, suspension trainer or kettlebells - show your clients that you are on the cutting edge of fitness
trends. Do you still have the same layout you’ve had since you opened? Sometimes you can freshen
up the look and functionality of your studio just by rearranging some equipment.
Prep for outdoor workouts. Make sure your nearby outdoor area isn’t cluttered with dead foliage
(or animals!). Rake, mow, transplant, dig... do what you have to do to make it look like you hired a
professional landscaping team!
Double-check the books. Cleaning doesn’t stop at your image. Make sure the money is flowing
smoothly and to the right spots. The first of the year is a perfect time to look back at profit/ loss
statements and create a 2010 budget. See what areas didn’t produce a return on their investment, and
reroute funds to more lucrative categories.
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7. ...continued from previous page:
Pack away unused equipment. Don’t worry, you won’t hurt their feelings. This stuff is just taking up
valuable square footage. If it has dust on it, your clients and trainers aren’t using it, and it is wasting
space. Pay close attention to traffic patterns as well, and evaluate what pieces are used and what
pieces are just taking up room. Make adjustments as necessary. Maybe you could even sell unused
equipment to a friend or a local secondhand store to add more dollars to your equipment budget!
Dump stressful clients. The extra bit of money isn’t worth it if you don’t look forward to training certain
clients. Evaluate if it is worth keeping clients who complain incessantly, cancel often or generally have
a negative attitude. If you fire those clients, you’ll most likely find your spirits lifted and newer, better
clients filling their spots. It’s an uncomfortable step to take at first, but certainly a necessary one for
building a solid client base and working toward an enjoyable, lifelong career.
Tighten up your timetable. Speaking of your schedule, make sure you close up scheduling gaps. If
you haven’t yet, organize your training times into blocks of back-to-back sessions, not a wide range
of different times. Most clients are open to other times when you explain to them that your schedule
isn’t the same as it was when they first began training. Also, consolidate all of those post-it notes and
scattered reminders into a single calendar. You know what they say: “A cluttered desk [or training area]
is a cluttered mind!”
Your computer needs cleansing, too. Clear out your inbox, making sure you responded to those who
need responding to. Simplify and tighten up your website, making sure there isn’t excess verbiage or
outdated material on any pages. Maybe add some new posts! Keeping clients coming to your website
helps keep clients interesting and paying attention to your business. Also, make sure to back up your
computer’s hard drive.
Put your mind at ease. Don’t forget about what’s going on “up there.” Try to clean out any office
drama. Talk with your crew, and see what they’ve been griping about. Try and improve your systems
with their constructive feedback, or at least let them vent and then explain why things must remain the
same.
Of course, there are many other ways to spruce up your area and impress potential clientele who
walk through your freshly preened doorway. Resolve today to clean up your physical and mental
environments. Better yet, schedule some cleanup time immediately. It is one of the quickest ways to an
efficient and prosperous 2010.
If any of these ideas or ones you come up with cause a serious boon to your business, let us know!
Simply email shelby.m@rbpub.com with your story and/or additional tidy tips.

8. PRINT inside wisconsin sports
During my time as an intern at RB Publishing, I was commissioned to write
several departments and the occasional feature article like the one below,
which appeared in a 2007 fall issue of Inside Wisconsin Sports (IWS).
Black Is the New Pink
Packers team up with American Family Insurance on their new Black Cap campaign, and so far, it’s a success
John E. Thompson
The new Black Cap campaign is the third effort in a three-year alliance between the Packers and American
Family Insurance, following the sensationally effective Pink Cap and Red Cap campaigns, which collected
nearly $1.5 million for breast cancer and heart disease research, prevention and education.
As with the pink caps and the red caps, the black caps are planned to be sold at $15 apiece, of which
$5 goes to support the cause. People can purchase caps in the Packer pro shop, online at
www.packersproshop.com, or at participating American Family Insurance agents throughout Wisconsin.
You might also see several thousand AFI employees purchasing these caps, as well as the thousands
who will throw in their $15 to fight the great fight!
Power of the Pink
Initiated in July of 2005, the Packers and American Family Insurance ran a campaign to raise funds
for breast cancer research by selling pink caps through the Packers pro shop as well as AFI and its
agents. The campaign was hailed as a huge success as it far exceeded initial goals with the final sale
of 210,000 caps. More than $1 million was raised, providing $87,500 to each of 12 charities from all
over Wisconsin, including one founded by Packer quarterback Brett Favre’s wife, Deanna, who was
fighting breast cancer at the time of the pink cap campaign.
“It highly exceeded everyone’s expectations, and the sales were tremendous,” says Judy Lowell,
Community Relations Manager at American Family Insurance. She adds that the pink caps boasted top
sales during the Packers’ Superbowl XXXI victory over the Patriots in New Orleans. The sale of 38,000
Packer championship caps held the NFL sale record until the pink caps came along.
“I have had many friends who have had breast cancer, many friends who have survived, many
employees... we are very pleased with the outcome of the campaign,” adds Lowell. “For each of us,
there is a personal value.”
Adding the Red
After the success of helping fight breast cancer with the sale of pink caps, the Pack and AFI also allied
themselves in 2006 when they sold red caps to fight heart disease. The second year resulted in 92,000
red caps sold and $435,000 raised for heart disease charities. More than $54,000 each was given to
eight heart disease charities around the State.
“We knew we would never reach the amount that the pink caps did, because everything came together
for that one,” remarks Lowell, who remained optimistic. “To sell 90,000 of these red caps was also
phenomenal.”
Capping Off with the Black
For year three, the Packers and American Family wanted to support a cause that again touches many
fans and their families, so they decided that this year’s campaign will support the men and women who
serve and have served our country, and their families. A stonewashed black was selected this year as
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9. ...continued from previous page:
it is the NFL’s most popular color amongst the fans. The cap features the Green Bay logo, American
Family’s logo in the same color as the cap, and a remembrance ribbon.
“Last year, it was fun to see a lot of the men wearing the red caps and women wearing the pink caps,”
says Lowell. “Like the red caps, we anticipate both men and women will enjoy wearing the black caps
as the color has universal appeal.”
The reasoning does not stop there, however. “It was intentional that each year there would be a
different [color] for a different cause,” Lowell continues, mentioning that they ‘wanted it to be special’
for people to be involved with individual campaigns.”We wanted to have a limited number.” Proven
by the pink cap’s eBay resale price of $50, the limited number of the caps definitely made them more
commercially valuable as well as emotionally significant. In any case, the important thing to notice is
that a great amount of financial support went to charity.
“It’s the cause that’s important,” remarks Kate Hogan, Director of Retail Operations at the Packers
Pro Shop, mentioning that a universally appealing color for the cap “can certainly help, but if someone
really wants to support the cause, that’s what’s important.”
There is also a great amount of fanatical support toward Wisconsin’s Green Bay Packers, seen in the
border states of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan, as well as states halfway across the country.
“That is one of the reasons why this operation works,” provides Lowell. “There are Packer fans
everywhere.” While this may be frightful to opposing fans, it is without a doubt a good thing for those
supporting the designated causes.
A Nation’s Cause
“It’s not about the political statement, but being cognizant of what the people have done throughout
time,” Hogan says. “It’s so important to keep all those people in mind.”
The Packers and American Family are currently researching what Wisconsin charities will benefit from
the sales of the black caps. As previously mentioned, the focus will be on helping servicemen and
women with family needs and support, veterans and health assistance.
The organizers at the Packers even decided to use their own set of linebackers as a promotion team.
“Nick Barnett, Brady Poppinga, A.J. Hawk were great and agreed to participate in our public service
announcement,” continues Hogan. “They work as a unit, train as a unit and perform as a unit. We just
thought, “Not just one person. Let’s have a team to support it... They’re the defensive guys; they protect
the offense. We saw a parallel there.”
The Hope for Great Sales
“I am very optimistic that people will buy these caps to support the people that defend our country
and those who sacrificed their lives for us,” praises Lowell. “There are thousands of people actively
deployed, and their families need our support. We know the need is there, and we want to help. We
know the public will respond as they did with the other causes. The need is there for sure.”
While there is great potential for incredible success from the sales of black caps, nothing will happen
without the help of those who actually buy the caps, which is why it is extremely important that those who
wish to will go out and support the cause. If you are a rock-solid Packer fan, a black cap shows your team
spirit, but whether or not you are a fan, purchasing one of these caps will support something worthwhile.
“It would not be a successful campaign without the people who get behind it and buy the caps,” says a
thankful Lowell. “The Packer organization is wonderful to work with, and our agents at American Family
have been tremendous as well. This has been an incredible partnership, and the fans have embraced
each campaign. I am sure they will do so on this one as well.”
Hopefully, the sales of black caps will exceed that of even the pink caps’ outstanding record, but there
is no doubt that the campaign will experience an impressive victory during the following Packer season.
For more information on the Green Bay Packers or to purchase charitable products, please visit
www.packers.com. For more information on American Family Insurance, please visit www.amfam.com.

10. PRINT inside wisconsin sports
The first article I ever wrote for IWS required me to get in contact with an
Olympic coach for the U.S. Futsal Team, which, while very difficult, was not
impossible. I decided to take his comments and steer it toward a piece that
outlined his thoughts on what would happen at the Games.
The Rio Deal
Milwaukee Wave Coach Keith Tozer’s ventures into Brazil and Spain provided both positive and negative outlooks for
the U.S. Fustal [sic] Team’s July arrival in the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro | By John E. Thompson
While the US national futsal team under Head Coach Keith Tozer was eager to be victorious in the Pan
American Games, the challenges of past events might not have pointed toward the most positive future
for the team’s second visit to Brazil in July. Optimism and determination would definitely prove to be key
elements in obtaining the gold medal.
“To coach the US national team is a huge honor for the players and the coaching staff,” Tozer says. “I
am proud to represent the US, and I am excited to be involved in the Pan American Games, the first
ever Pan American Games for the U.S.”
Being an indoor soccer coach for over two decades and US futsal team coach since 1998, Tozer holds
the record for wins as well as maintaining league best records for four consecutive seasons (34-10 in
2001-02, 28-8 in 2002-03, 27-9 in 2003-04 and 24-15 in 2004-05). The five-time league “Coach of the
Year” winner has achieved a lifetime record of 583-368, coached eight All-Star Teams (most recently
in 2004), led indoor soccer teams to 19 winning seasons and has taken the Milwaukee Wave to four
league titles and seven Championship Series events. But how will his amassed experience as a coach
compete with the honed skills of dominating countries’ teams, such as Spain and Brazil?
Preludes in Brazil and Spain
In order to compensate for the team’s disadvantages, Tozer took past experience in American indoor
soccer and mixed it in with the newly acquired futsal strategies that he absorbed during his team’s visits
to Brazil and Spain, during which Tozer compiled a 12-man roster to bring to the Pan Am Games in July.
The game of futsal was a challenge to the 14-year indoor soccer coaching vet. Unlike the home sport,
futsal involves no walls, which presents a significant change in passing strategy to a one-touch pass
approach. “This game definitely takes some time to learn,” Tozer says. “Other teams are so much
further ahead than some of the guys.”
The difficulty in adapting to futsal was not helped by the fact that only two of the 16 players that were
part of the US team during the first Brazil trip had any extensive experience playing the game, and the
only Wave player with futsal experience that accompanied Tozer to Brazil was defender Joe Hammes,
who played only a few games in college.
It is not that striking, then, that the US team lost to Brazil twice (4-0 and 7-0) and to the top-rated Malwee
team once (6-0), but it must be taken into consideration that Brazil and Malwee were easily two of the
best futsal teams in the world. The trip was not entirely a downer, however, as the US team was able to
follow up the three shutouts with two consecutive victories against Balneario and Bento du Sol (both 4-3),
and they were able to observe techniques and strategies from some of futsal’s greatest players.
In their second international visit, the US team was led by Tozer into Spain for back-to-back games
against the two-time reigning world champions. As would be expected, Spain massacred the US team
in the first game 7-0 after an immediate 2-0 lead. The US team countered Spain in the first half of the
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second game by a one point lead (scored by Joe Hammes), but the team lost to a seven-point gap yet
again in an 8-1 finish. “All the players did somewhat well, some guys somewhat struggled in the first
game but came back and did well in the second game,” Tozer comments. “Sometimes it’s difficult to
stand up against teams like Spain and Brazil.”
Strangers in a Strange (and Dangerous) Land
Not only did the US team have to deal with the apparent inexperience of their members, but they also
had to adapt to entirely new settings in foreign lands. This glaring disadvantage was made apparent
during their defeats to the Brazilian national team in late May and to Spain in June, providing a
precarious outlook for the Pan Am Games.
Coach Tozer was not so fearful of the lack of home field advantage, however. “I think all the other
countries will [be] the same, except Brazil. Sometimes on the road, you have to play good defense,
get control of the ball,” he explains, mentioning that a team is always an away team when on the road.
“That’s something you have to put out of your mind.”
For Malwee standout Falcao, the away field in Joinville proved dangerous in a different aspect. After a
vigorous match between the two rivals, an opposing fan managed to sneak by the security guards and
smacked Falcao right in the eye. Malwee wasn’t the only team in danger of the fans, however, as the
US team often had to quickly dodge out of the arenas after each game.
Despite the occasional post-game violence, Tozer found their audience to be “great” even if they were
“boisterous, loud, and passionate,” as he says. “We were treated with utmost professionalism,” Tozer continues,
remarking that a rowdy crowd is “something we’re used to as players. It motivates us, energizes us.”
A Daunting American Legacy
Only adding to the team’s predicament is the fact that the United States has had a reputation as not
only being a leading competitor in the Olympic sports, but it has also been THE leading competitor in
the Pan American Games since the first event in 1951.
The 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, resulted in a dominating first
place finish by the United States with 270 total medals (the third consecutive win for the US), followed
by Cuba with 152 and Canada with 128, while Brazil took fourth place with 123 medals. All-time records
show the US having 1,651 gold medals to Cuba’s second place standing with 722 gold medals, clearly
illustrating the dominating position the United States has in the Pan American games throughout history.
During July of this year, 42 countries sent around 5,500 athletes to participate in 332 events, the
majority of which will also be included in the 2008 Olympic Games. Several events, including table
tennis and the triathlon, even act as qualifying rounds for the Olympics. With all the pressure of being
an Olympian thrown into the mix, the nerves in all of the futsal players must be at the verge of racking.
“It hasn’t caught up to me yet,” Tozer says about his progress as a coach into the upcoming world
tournament. “I’ve been extremely fortunate that I have been blessed with great owners, tremendous
assistant coaches... It’s a huge thrill for me.”
Goals for the Pan Am Games
The team’s visits to Brazil and Spain might have given them a considerable, if brief, amount of experience
for the return to Brazil, but there still existed a considerable amount of flaws in the competitors. “We need
to work on our fitness,” Tozer mentions. “If we can get 50% fitter, we can get 50% better.”
Rio’s atmosphere is both thick with heat, humidity and team spirit for all sides. No doubt the number of
screaming soccer fanatics at the sold-out games was breathtakingly immense, but as seen before, some
of them could be detrimental for one’s physical health. With everything considered, it is still outstanding
that Coach Tozer and his US futsal team were involved in one of the largest soccer events in history!
“I’m proud that we’re going to Rio de Janeiro,” Tozer said in June. “We’re looking hopefully for a medal
coming out of the games. That’s our goal.... We’ve never gone into a tournament without thinking that
we will win.”