PEA Member Name: Jon Maystrik, Arborwell Professional Tree Management

Classification: Arborist

Member Since: June 2009

Arborwell‘s Facebook page includes pictures from recent events, like the ones in this post from their First Annual Tree Management Seminar.  They also share news about Arborwell and tree tips.  To stay up to date with Arborwell, ‘Like’ them on Facebook!

All Images are from Arborwell’s Facebook Page.  Click Images to Enlarge.

Arborwell is a customer driven, professional tree management company committed to providing arboricultural services that enhance the beauty, health, safety, and value of your trees. Their mission is to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with their clients and their employees.

Arborwell‘s courteous and responsive field team is available for 24 hour emergency service 7 days a week. They pride themselves in their safe operating procedures, well-trained, uniformed employees, and top-of-the-line equipment. Not only will their arboricultural team take care of your trees, but they will take care of all your needs as a client.

Their experienced team of arborists serves a wide variety of clients, including many of California’s largest commercial and property management companies, real estate developers and contractors, golf courses, parks and recreation areas, private residences and estates, and consulting arborists seeking partnerships for the most ambitious projects. Whatever the venue, the Arborwell staff is ready to help you adhere to the latest state regulations and guidelines governing tree preservation, conservation, and replacement.

Check out Arborwell on Facebook HERE!

Don’t forget to ‘Like’ the PEA facebook page too!

Image Provided by Dr. Chuck Fulanovich (Click Image to Enlarge)

Interested in joining PEA? Click HERE to learn more about becoming a member!

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• Bob Rosenberg, GR8WORK Builders, Inc. thanked Randy Mills, Pioneer Services for the great job on the windows.
• Gary Rudolph, Rudolph’s Interiors thanked Brian Irion, Esq., Law Offices of Brian Irion for the lead-generating Leads and Introductions topic the previous week.
• Dr. Al Butner, Honorary Member thanked Dr. Chuck Fulanovich, Palo Alto Chiropractic, saying that after treatments with Chuck, his neck mobility is approaching that of an owl.
• Tom Brown, All Reasons Moving thanked Dr. Leta Zwiebel, Psychologist, for the leads.  They have been very busy.
• Karen Bowne, Sheraton Palo Alto thanked Werner Rogmans, Stanford Floral Design for the flower arrangements on display in the meeting room that morning.  She said he would be doing more arrangements for her over the next couple of days for a photo shoot at the Westin.
• Dr. Chuck Fulanovich, Palo Alto Chiropractic was happy to announce his son got a job offer after working with Richard Phillips, Advantage Career Solutions on his resume.
• Angelo Izzo, California Business Opportunities recently sold an energy business that was for sale for three years and a medical billing company that was for sale for two years.  He said they are persistent, which is good because businesses don’t sell in a month
• Georgie Gleim, Gleim the Jeweler said that she found her business on a list of the top five power members of the jewelry industry in an industry trade journal.
• Richard Phillips, Advantage Career Solutions, thanked Mike Fox, A&A Plumbing.  He is normally a do-it-yourselfer but is very glad he called Mike instead to deal with a clogged sewage pipe.
• David Gaskill, D.B. Gaskill Advertising Specialties thanked Mike Feller, Innovative Sales & Leasing who sold his old station wagon for more than he would have gotten if he traded it in.
• Kaye Sharbrough, Senior Seasons reported her and her husband’s cars are like new thanks to Scott Yeaman, Yeaman Auto Body and Jeff Badzik, Perfection Auto Detail.

Clients commonly need help in defining sensible, fair workplace rules, developing clear, open communications, making sure they are compliant with all current legal regulations and resolving problems at an early stage. She has had start-up companies come to her for help because July 4th was looming and they hadn’t formulated a holiday policy yet. Many companies struggle to document their policies in a way that is clearly communicated to their employees. Since many of the Clark Associates clients are small to medium-sized companies, they frequently work with other service providers, such as attorneys or accountants, who are engaged by the client.

Some of the main services of Clark Associates include: employee handbooks, on-line training, and help with internal processes. The internal processes can include hiring, performance reviews, compensation and wage and hour administration, benefits and benefits administration, discipline and corrective counseling, and termination or staff reduction. In addition, they will conduct internal investigations or serve as expert witness in legal proceedings.

Maureen informed PEA of some recent legislation that all business owners with employees should be aware of. One is the Wage Theft Protection Act of 2011. This applies to nonexempt employees hired after January 1, 2012 and current employees within seven days of changes. The intent of the act is to prevent the theft of wages withheld for paying taxes. Maureen recommends that employers download the current form (DLSE-NTE) from the California government web site and give to any new or changed employees. She suggests that you add “at will” language to the form. Someone at your company should be ensuring compliance for distributing this form including reviewing paystubs for overlapping information. You should monitor the Labor Commissioner’s website periodically for new information and maintain your payroll records for a minimum of three years.

Secondly, there is the recent Brinker decision, which was decided by the California Supreme Court on April 12, 2012. Employees sued the Brinker Restaurant Corporation (Chili’s) for failing to provide meal and rest breaks. There are a set of new rules about providing rest and meal breaks to employees. Maureen provided a handout with details on these new rules. If you did not attend the meeting and would like a copy, please contact Maureen.

Hear from other PEA businesses by becoming a member!  Read more about PEA here.

May Flowers Treasure Hunt!

May 4, 2012 from 6 – 8 pm

Join PEA members Nature Gallery and Cassidy Turley BT Commercial and other Los Altos businesses for activities, drawings and music along the streets!

Explore Downtown Los Altos’ shops, meet their merchants, find a special gift for Mom, dine at one of their restaurants!  All activities are indoors.

Click Image to enlarge.

For more information visit the Los Altos First Friday website HERE!

Albert, too, had a military career.  He went to military school and attended CSF.  He also got a Business Administration degree from San Francisco State.  After graduation, he became a grocery manager.  He was eventually dissatisfied with this career and began a business cleaning offices.  He spent more and more time on this work, gradually becoming a cleaning work-a-holic.  In 1995, when the cleaning business started dwindling, Albert added a stone cleaning business to his offerings.  The stone cleaning business has been a great addition because it takes more knowledge and skill to clean stone than to clean fabrics.

Albert warns that there are a lot of people in the carpet cleaning industry who use unfair business practices to obtain customers.  These business owners do things like bid low on a job and add on charges afterwards or use low-quality cleaning products for the job.  He says that for example, there are a lot of ways to make a floor shine and only a few of them result in a long-lasting shine.  Some cleaners will use floor wax to make a floor temporarily shiny or spray acid on the floor.  Albert does not recommend either of these techniques, even though they are in widespread use.  Spray acid changes the surface of the stone and can make them prone to cracking.  Wax creates a temporary shine at best.

The best method for shining stone floors is honing the stone (which is a form of grinding) following by polish and sealer.  Albert uses a high quality sealer and says that cheaper products also only give a temporary shine.  He keeps eight different types of sealant in stock for use depending on the needs of a particular job.  For small cracks, Albert recommends airplane glue rather than epoxy.

Albert is often asked to fix a job botched by one of his competitors.  At times, though, it is the product itself that presents the challenge.  Albert says that he has been seeing black granite countertops that come from China installed in customers’ homes lately.  The granite was injected with something in China to cover up small cracks.  When the stone is honed, the injected product is honed away and the crack shows.  The customer who sees this thinks that the honing process caused the crack when it really only revealed a crack that was already there.

Albert and Ambassador Services‘ reputation has grown to the point that he has customers who call him who want his product recommendations only or want to use his invoices for submitting to an insurance company.  He now charges $150 for an estimate, to be applied to the future job.

PEA Members Names: Kaye and Steve Sharbrough, Senior Seasons

Business Classification: Senior Home Referrals

Member Since: January 2009

Check out Senior Seasons on Facebook HERE!

In 2004, inspired by the daunting experience of finding a retirement community for her mother, Berenice, Kaye Sharbrough founded Senior Seasons. Having faced similar challenges with their own loved ones, Kaye and the other referral experts at Senior Seasons are committed to simplifying the process for others

A no-cost referral service, Senior Seasons educates and guides seniors and their families in their search for the ideal senior community. Customized referrals, the most comprehensive senior housing database in California, and direct, personal experience distinguish Senior Seasons from other services.

Need more than our housing referral expertise? Senior Seasons is happy to refer you to trusted professionals in:

• Elder law
• Estate sales management
• Fiduciary
• Financial planning
• Geriatric care management
• Legal
• Medi-Cal planning
• Moving and packing
• In-home care givers
• Professional organizing (downsizing & rightsizing)
• Real Estate
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Veteran’s Aid and Attendance benefits

Senior Seasons‘ Facebook page features articles and videos that range from fun (like the recent link to a video about the oldest clown) to more serious topics (an article in the Contra Costa Times, “The Cost of Dying”).  Their Facebook page even includes helpful tips for seniors and their families(check out your local Rotary Club for help with home maintenance).

Don’t forget to ‘Like’ the PEA Facebook page too!

• Laurie Moore, Larry’s Autoworks thanked Julie Fukuhara, Stern Mortgage for the refinance.
• Erik Jacobsen, Threestory Studio got a call from another attorney from the law firm that he mentioned in his classification for more visual information design.  His work will also be used by the Los Altos Rotary for their upcoming Fine Arts in the Park.
• Randy Mills, Pioneer Services bought a new van through Mike Feller, Innovative Sales & Leasing and said it was much better than going through a dealership.
• Maureen Clark, Clark Associates thanked Mike Fox, A&A Plumbing for coming to the rescue again.
• Tom Brown, All Reasons Moving reported that they just finished looking at their quarterly results and were up 25% in January and 15% in February.
• Kaye Sharbrough, Senior Seasons thanked David Gaskill, D.B. Gaskill Advertising Specialties for fulfilling her small order – buttons congratulating a friend who just won an award for being an exceptional woman in publishing.
• Georgie Gleim, Gleim the Jeweler reported that they won Best Jewelry Store and Best Watch Repair.
• Judy Ott, Judy Ott Organization and Design thanked Dan Ingerman, Wemorph for the postcards she handed out at a recent presentation. Lastly, she thanked Richard Phillips, Advantage Career Solutions who has help her friend from out of state find a job at Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga (Go Gaels!).
• John Sylvester, SST Insurance Brokers had his hair cut by the President… of PEA, Susan Scott, Expressions Salon.
• David Gaskill, D.B. Gaskill Advertising Specialties thanked Carol Garsten, Nature Gallery for the amethyst he bought for his wife and Mike Feller, Innovative Sales & Leasing for the help with getting his brand new Prius.
• Avi Safar, Footwear, Etc said after throwing his back out on Monday he saw Dr. Chuck Fulanovich, Palo Alto Chiropractic who adjusted him and used a laser treatment on his back.  Only three hours later, Avi felt much better.
• Skip Gould, San Mateo Daily Journal thanked Judy Johnson, Unexpected Treasures for running an ad in the paper for her recent estate sale.  He was able to get the ad in past the normal deadline and was happy to hear the sale was a success.
• Executive Director Neal Coogler, announced a success for PEA.  The PEA Facebook page now has more than 35 ‘Likes’!  Mike Clark, Michael J. Clark, CPA won the grand prize drawing for three pounds of Connoisseur Coffee.
• Dr. Leta Zwiebel, Psychologist recently had her car in the shop at Larry’s Autoworks. She really appreciates the top notch service there, including the fact that they take time to thoroughly answer all her questions.
• Karen Bowne, Sheraton Palo Alto thanked Werner Rogmans, Stanford Floral Design for his help weekend before last.  She was attending a housewarming party and needed a gift.  She went by Werner’s shop and he arranged a beautiful house plant for her.
• Nichole Fox, Payroll City announced that they have just taken on a big new client.  The client, who has 135 employees, went from a big name payroll service to Payroll City and in the process is going from an annual cost of $13,000 to $8,000.
• Dr. Linda Hur, Mountain View Optometry thanked Scott Yeaman, Yeaman Autobody, for fixing her car for the second time.
• Julie Fukuhara, Stern Mortgage won a pound of Connoisseur Coffee in the PEA Facebook page contest a week or two ago.  She gave the coffee to her aunt, who is a dedicated coffee drinker.  Her aunt loved the coffee and ordered three more pounds through Julie.

Fun statistics:

Breakfasts consumed in 2011: …… 2,571.

Total leads given:…… 5,260 (Direct: 3,240. Referral: 1,580. Internet: 440)

New Members: President Mike Feller, Innovative Sales and Leasing recognized the new members of 2011, and presented the certificate award for Rookie of the Year to new member Gary Rudolph, Rudolph’s Interiors!

Leads Given in the Triple Digits: The following people were recognized for giving leads in the triple digits last year-

• Maureen Clark, Clark Associates
• Bobbie Fakkema, Events, Etc…
• David Gaskill, D.B. Gaskill Advertising Specialties
• Bob Rosenberg, GR8WORK Builders, Inc.
• Fawni Hill, Larick Alan Hill
• Larry and Laurie Moore, Larry’s AutoWorks
• Rick Rosensweig, Morgan Stanley
• Dr. Chuck Fulanovich, Palo Alto Chiropractic
• John Sylvester, SST Insurance Brokers
• Judy Johnson, Unexpected Treasures
• Dr. Leta Zwiebel, Psychologist

Mike awarded the certificate for Most Direct Leads Given to Bobbie Fakkema, Events, Etc… who gave the most direct leads(171)  after Hall of Famers Larry and Laurie Moore (268).

Referral Leads Given in the Triple Digits: The following two people gave referral leads in the triple digits-

• Judy Ott, Judy Ott Organization and Design (153)
• Bette Asbra, Pro-Staff Painting (129)

He awarded the certificate for Most Referral Leads Given to Judy Ott, Judy Ott Organization and Design!  (She and runner-up Bette Asbra, Pro-Staff Painting have been in the triple digits four years running!)

Best Attendance: Tie for first place went to Larry and Laurie Moore, Larry’s AutoWorks and Dr. Chuck Fulanovich, Palo Alto Chiropractic

Honorable Mention Attendance: Only one meeting behind the best attendance members, honorable mention attendance was a tie between Mike Feller, Innovative Sales and Leasing, Dr. Leta Zwiebel, Psychologist, and Julie and Rick Stern, Stern Mortgage

Award Certificates: Mike presented Certificates of Award to the following members:

• Most New Members Recruited: Brian Irion, Esq., Law Offices of Brian Irion
• Most Informative Classification: Anatomy of a Lawsuit, Brian Irion, Esq., Law Offices of Brian Irion
• Most Information You Didn’t Want to Hear at Breakfast: How to Really Clean Your Mouth, Dr. Fella Benyammi, Benyammi Family Dentistry
• Most Interactive Classification: The Bag Off Competition, Dave Nishimoto, Mollie Stone’s Market
• Best Performance During a Classification: Got the Laid Off Blues, Richard Phillips, Advantage Career Solutions
• Most Thought Provoking Leads and Introductions Topic: What Obstacles Have You Faced in Your Business? Shawn McMillan, Connoisseur Coffee
• Funniest Leads and Introductions Stories: Funniest Thing a Customer Has Said to You?, Carol Garsten, Nature Gallery
• Best Open House Theme: Let’s Go Out to the Ball Game, Mike Clark, Michael J. Clark, CPA, Fawni Hill, Larick Alan Hill, Brian Irion, Law Offices of Brian Irion, and Kaye Sharbrough, Senior Seasons
• Best Open House Food and Music: Oktoberfest, John King, Keller-Williams Realty
• Most Active on PEA Facebook Group/Page: Maureen Clark, Clark Associates
• Most Attention-Getting Blog Article: tie – How to Handle a Tax Notice, Mike Clark, Michael J. Clark, CPA and Where are Loans At?, Julie Fukuhara, Stern Mortgage
• Best Home Video Maker: Don Miller, Honorary Member
• The Cheesehead Award: Special award by President Mike Feller to Mike Clark, Michael J. Clark, CPA for suggesting a PEA door banner

Mike also congratulated Paul Kraus, formerly of GoodCo Press, who was visiting and is our newest Emeritus Member.

We concluded by all making a toast to PEA’s 34^th anniversary!

Al began by recommending that everyone see his or her physician once a year, even if you are healthy.  When you reach the age of 50, it is important to get regular colonoscopies since that is the best way of protecting against colon cancers and tumors. Colonoscopies are usually done once every five years initially; if there are no problems, you will probably wait seven years for the next one. If you have a family history of colon cancer, however, your risk is increased and you should get them sooner and more frequently.

Al reminded PEA that his specialty is in breast cancer and breast tumors. Once women hit the age of 40, it is important to get mammograms yearly. A mammogram is a compression test that x-rays and picks up changes in the breasts.  Even when getting regular mammograms, this is not a replacement for a monthly breast self-exam. When performing self-examinations, you are looking for changes in your breast. These changes could be a new dimple, a lump, or a significant change in breast size.  If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, Al says you might need to start getting mammograms as early as at age 35.  If you have an Ashkenazi Jewish background, Al says there is a genetic component that is very important to be aware of and recommends getting some genetic testing, like the BRACA study. There are other kinds of cancers that are associated with breast cancer, including colon, stomach, and pancreatic cancers.  If you have a family history of any of these cancers it is important to be observant of what is going on in your body.  Another important thing to pay attention to is sudden, unexplained weight loss.  If you are eating normally and suddenly drop weight, you should talk to your doctor and try to find out what is causing the weight loss.

We are more aware of breast cancer than ever, and while it might seem to be on the rise, in fact we are not seeing more breast cancer but catching the cancers earlier.  Seventy-five percent of breast cancers are curable, and Al says the trick is to catch it early.  Men can also get breast cancer, but it is much less common (1 man for every 200-300 women) and almost always after the age of 50.  Thirty percent of men who have breast cancer have a BRACA 2 genetic component.  It is important to find this out for your children and grandchildren to be more aware of their higher genetic chance of getting breast cancer.

*These are just some tips Dr. Butner shared with PEA in February 2012.  If you have any health concerns, please contact your doctor for information.