**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** EDITORS: For review copies or interview requests, contact: Promotional Services Department Tel: 888-728-8467 Fax: 812-961-3133 Email: pressreleases@authorhouse.com (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.) Notes from the Manager's Scratch Pad New Collection of Posthumous Articles Share Secrets to Business Success, Integrity and Sustainability SAN ANTONIO – Professional engineer and seasoned general manager of the internationally successful, family-run Zachry Construction Corporation, Bruce B. Cloud, Sr., inspired three generations of company leaders and their employees to reach for success as individuals and as a thriving company within the competitive construction market. In the new compilation of his posthumous short essays, Notes from the Manager's Scratch Pad: Articles Written to the Employees of the Company (published by AuthorHouse), edited by his son Bruce Cloud, Jr., Cloud, Sr. serves as the inspirational catalyst for a new generation of leaders facing a similar volatile business landscape. Whether readers are involved in the nuts and bolts of the construction industry, general managers in any industry or simply readers seeking answers for how to improve their personal and professional lives, Notes from the Manager's Scratch Pad has something to offer. Cloud was known for emphasizing a company’s strengths and capitalizing on its resources, encouraging each employee to visualize and realize their role in the company’s success. It has been said that Cloud had the intrinsic ability to communicate with every level of his organization, as well as the leadership of industry associations to which he devoted his time. In Notes from the Manager's Scratch Pad, Cloud Jr., pays tribute to his father’s skills and the articles that were written directly to the employees of his company, which speak to how Cloud inspired loyalty, citizenship, pride, humility and much more. Covering myriad topics, Cloud’s articles define the fundamentals of business success while expounding upon the qualities that an individual must nurture in order to reach their personal goals. Titles such as “A Leader”, “We the Company”, “Energy Crisis”, “Inflation”, and “Know Yourself”, aptly describe the insightful commentary within each article, which are just as relevant today as when he first penned them. As the writer under his byline for Zachry Construction Corporation’s internal news and safety magazine, Cloud could never have known the enduring quality of his work and how issues of government involvement, inflation and fuel prices would resurface 20 to 40 years later. The commitment and sincerity of his words is representative of the man that he was, the man who inspired a company to new heights by emphasizing teamwork and a unified vision. Notes from the Manager's Scratch Pad compiles these resilient messages for a new generation of managers and leaders, challenging them to combine innovative thought and action in order to achieve success for themselves and for their company. Bruce B. Cloud, Sr., worked as a registered professional engineer for Zachry Construction Corporation, writing for the company magazine from 1965 – 1984 and again in 2005. He retired as a co-chairman of the board while remaining as a corporate consultant to the Zachry family. For more information, please visit: www.CloudCrafts.com. AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit www.authorhouse.com. ### ForeWord Clarion Review, BUSINESS Notes from the Manager’s Scratch Pad Bruce B. Cloud, Sr. Bruce Cloud, Jr., editor AuthorHouse , (253pp) Four Stars (out of Five) Bruce Cloud spent most of his professional career working for the H. B. Zachry Company, a leading construction firm based in Texas. He was president of the company from 1987 to 1993 and vice chairman of the board from 1993 to 1994. In the early 1960s, the company began a magazine called The Zachry Way which became the vehicle for Cloud’s regular column, “From the Manager’s Scratch Pad.” Cloud authored 136 articles between 1962 and 1992 and was asked to write one last installment in 2006. Bruce Cloud died in 2007 at the age of eighty-seven. Most of Cloud’s brief articles from The Zachry Way are included in this book, which is edited by his son. While the book is a fitting tribute to the senior Cloud, the articles have additional relevance from two vantage points. First, they offer an interesting historical perspective on three decades of business from the point of view of a manager in a non-glamorous industry sector. Second, Cloud’s articles set a standard for communicating with employees that could benefit every manager. In “A Leader,” written in June 1965, Cloud says there are four different kinds of authority: the authority of character, the authority of competence, the authority of leadership, and the authority of position. He writes, “a leader is a person whose presence gets performance,” and, “leadership is not a method but a way of life.” In “Knowing People,” written in November 1976, Cloud discusses the importance of knowing employees individually, rather than as members of a group. He encourages employees to learn to be teachers and to be positive influences on their coworkers. Cloud writes, “It is far better to help a person desire to use their strong points than to take advantage of their weak ones to get them to do what you think they should do.” Cloud’s final article is titled, “Things of the Past Should Not be Forgotten, but Made for the Future.” It encapsulates the fundamental advice he passed along in his many missives. It is also a glimpse into Cloud’s business philosophy. “Every company is grateful for employees who take a real interest in helping the business succeed,” he writes. “Somebody has to care, and if you do, you are irreplaceable.” Bruce Cloud had the rare ability to convey management’s opinion to employees without being pedantic or condescending. His messages were always simply written, uplifting, and positive, but he wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Reading Cloud’s “Notes” will provide managers and employees with a model for how to honestly and openly communicate with one another. Barry Silverstein