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Cook Ross publishes the first paper issue of "The Curve," a quarterly newsletter designed to help our clients "stay ahead of the curve" in their businesses. The newsletter is now available as a monthly "webzine" and stored in the "library" section of this website (include link). We also assist Pitt County Memorial Hospital and the East Carolina University Medical School by conducting an organizational assessment, a cultural assessment, cultural competency training, new attributes and competencies, and a new cultural model, and we are cited as outstanding corporate citizens and receive an award from the Washington Business Philanthropy Conference. 1998 was a very busy year! 1999 marked 10 years in business for Cook Ross, which by now has worked in 45 states, Puerto Rico, and four other countries. TYCO International hires Cook Ross to provide diversity consulting and awareness training to thousands of managers across the United States. As part of the project, we develop our first computer-based training program, a self-administered diversity awareness training on CD-ROM. We also develop our first Cook Ross Diversity Toolkit for Managers, and conduct our first webinar, a web cast training for TekSystems, involving 140 managers in over 100 cities. We make our first video - "Shades of Gray" - a diversity training video. In the wake of the disruption caused by relief pitcher John Rocker's interview with Sports Illustrated magazine, the Atlanta Braves retain Cook Ross to consult on diversity issues throughout their organization, training all of the major and minor league players, coaches, and managers, as well as company executives. We establish the capacity to begin using Virtual Learning Communities as a way to create continuous organizational learning, and we conduct our first online employee survey. We also produce a training program and video, "Respect in the Workplace," which wins the Videographer's Award of Excellence, and a Bronze Telly! Cook Ross begins working with Bon Secours Health System to assist the organization in expanding its ability to meet the needs of its increasingly diverse patient population. Bon Secours Health System, based in Maryland, owns, manages, or joint ventures 20 acute-care hospitals, a psychiatric hospital, several nursing care facilities, assisted living facilities, home care and hospice programs in twelve communities in nine states, with more than 19,000 employees. In addition to providing multiple levels of training for diversity awareness and cultural competency, we assist in the development of strategic diversity planning, and create a new diversity toolkit and a software tool to help train nurses to understand the needs of their diverse customers. Cook Ross assists the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission in developing an approach to the 200 year commemoration of the Historic event. Through the use of a modified Future Search Conference, Cook Ross facilitates the commission deciding to tell both the traditional historical account and the Native American Indian story simultaneously, ending years of disenfranchisement for the 28 Native American tribes on the trail. In addition we introduce A Journey into the Soul of Leadership, a breakthrough leadership program, and deliver it to senior leaders at the Whole Food Market, Inc. in Austin, Texas.