A New Year's Resolution

By Chris Barr

With the recent passing of Florence Henderson, the actress who played television mom Carol Brady of the infamous Brady Bunch, I have this question for you: Are you hearing the theme song of that woebegone sitcom every time you enter your kitchen? Or, is that cracked tile or dingy Formica countertop serenading you with another mocking song from the same boogie night’s era, like the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” or Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”? If your kitchen is older and tougher than disco, perhaps it’s time to embrace the 21^st century by adding a kitchen remodel to your New Year’s resolution checklist.

Now that the joyous and chaotic holidays are in the rear view mirror, it’s the perfect time to look forward to making a few positive and healthy changes in your life. If you’re thinking that a conventional kitchen remodel is too long, too messy and too noisy to deal with, especially after the entire holiday hubbub, it’s time to think outside the conventional kitchen box and consider a far less intrusive option: Granite Transformations!

What if you could actually have your kitchen transformed in a single day, minimizing all the noise, mess and downtime from several weeks to just one day? We can make that dream come true by giving you your dream kitchen in a single day!

By going over your existing hard surface, we completely avoid the dust, noise and flying debris caused during demolition. All the noise and dirty work of building your beautiful new countertop and backsplash, which are made of engineered granite, quartz or recycled glass will be done right here at our facility in Rancho Cordova. Finally, our friendly and qualified installers will come out and install your brand new countertops and backsplash in as little as one day.

Whichever combination of countertops and backsplash you choose, one thing is for sure: The beautifully engineered surfaces from Granite Transformations are truly state-of-the-art. That means they are functional, zero maintenance and will be a gorgeous piece of art that you will surely enjoy for years to come. And they come with a Lifetime Warranty, backed by the manufacturer.

For a complimentary session with one of our trained Design Consultants, just call us today at (916) 851-9745 and be sure to tell him/her that Carol Brady sent you!

iparts is part of Buckley's Team

iParts is Part of Buckley’s Team

By Bob Cox

Back in 1977, the world was a very different place. Gasoline was 65 cents a gallon, the average house cost a tick over $49,000 and President Jimmy Carter was constantly being embarrassed by the outrageous behavior of his brother Billy and his infamous Billy Beer campaign.

The way we communicated and processed information were also quite different. The common high tech gadgets that we take for granted today, like desktop computers, mobile smart phones and portable computers didn’t exist during the days when men wore their hair long and women wore their dresses short. As a matter of fact, the first personal computer by Apple had just been introduced the previous year at the hefty price tag of $666.66 (Just over $2,700 in today’s world) and did not include a power supply transformer, a power switch, a keyboard or a composite video display!

1977 was also the year that Brian Buckley and his father started Buckley Heat Air Solar here in Sacramento. Back in those days, high tech for the average business meant paper, carbon, ink pens and a pager if you were really on the cutting edge.

Like many businesses these days, the folks at Buckley Heat Air Solar rely heavily on high tech devices, especially mobile phones, laptop computers and tablets. “Our technicians use tablets in the field, our salespeople have laptops and all of them carry mobile phones. When a computer goes down, we do have a spare, but stuff always happens,” explained Buckley.

When Buckley has a phone or computer problem, he relies on another local business to help him get back on track: iParts Phone Repairs. “I’ve been doing business with Alika Salazar, the owner of iParts for about four years now. We’re constantly having issues with either phones or computers and Alika is terrific about getting it taken care of in a very kindly manner. He’s extremely reasonable, so I wouldn’t even consider taking our components to anybody else.

Because the technicians at Buckley Heat Air Solar are providing service all across town, Brian was thrilled when Alika opened his newest store in Folsom three years ago. “Now that he’s got the other store in Folsom, if we’re out that way, we drop it off there. So, it just really works out well. My experience working with iParts has been terrific and I give Alika 105%” exclaimed Buckley!

Editor’s notes: For more information about iParts repairs, call (916) 342-0550, (916) 936-9316 or visit www.ipartsrepair.com. For more information about Buckley Heat Air Solar, call (916) 348-3181.

Made in the Shade

By Bob Cox

When oil company executive Dan Wilmoth was given the opportunity to find a place to call home, he chose Sacramento because it had what Dan’s refers to as the wow factor. “Drive an hour and a half in any direction and you go "wow!" Tahoe, Napa, San Francisco, Monterey, Yosemite, all these places are day trips”, said Dan.

After 23 years and 9 moves, Dan was more than ready to unpack his suitcase and settle down. “My wife and I fell in love with the Northern California area. I wanted to get into a business that I didn't have to wear a tie again, that had a sales force and was outside”, explained Dan.

When Sierra Sunscreens went up for sale back in 1998, Dan chose to go for it, despite his limited knowledge of the industry. He chose Sierra because it was an established company with a great reputation for delivering outstanding service.

During the first nine years under Dan’s helm, Sierra Sunscreens flourished as the Sacramento market experienced unprecedented growth. And then everything changed when the Great Recession hit our community like a giant tornado, blowing away hundreds of local businesses. “When this economy collapsed in 2007, I called my group together and we lowered our prices 30% and we cut the overhead out of the business. We were able to keep our place of business, our reputation and the quality of service by all of us working harder and smarter”, Dan said.

I sat down recently with Dan to learn more about Sierra Sunscreens & Patio Covers. Here’s how our conversation went.

Q: Will you tell us about the history of Sierra Sunscreens & Patio Covers?

A: Sierra Sunscreens was established in 1982 and the purpose of the business at that time was to provide sunscreens for a hugely growing market here in Sacramento, especially new homes, which needed protection from the heat of the sun. From 1982 to about 2002, Sierra Sunscreens was the largest sunscreen dealer in the state of California.

Q: What caused Sierra Sunscreens to expand to include other shade products?

A: As the market evolved from so much growth to no growth of new homes, we had to diversify into patio covers, room enclosures and sunrooms as our primary business. Sunscreens have actually become more of a secondary business. Today we are one of the largest selling patio cover companies in the Sacramento valley.

Q: What other shade products do you provide?

A: We have vertical roll down shades, patio covers, sunrooms, screen rooms and retractable awnings. We evolved from primarily a sunscreen company into a company that provides shade of any kind. As we met those market needs we became really focused on the physical structures of patio covers, room enclosures, etc.

A: Our philosophy is to do a few things and do them better than anybody else. We could do kitchen and bath remodels and other home improvement projects, but that's not who we are. People ask us to do all of these things, including landscaping, but we choose to focus on a few things and do them very well.

Q: What have you done to separate your business from the competition?

A: While several other companies carry the same product lines, we’ve separated our business with the quality of the people we hire. Our employee based staff is manufacturer trained and extensively trained to communicate with customers. We want our customers to be very comfortable with what we are doing. We strive to live up to our mission statement: “simply the best”. Having employees can be a big advantage because most people in this business subcontract their labor out and do not use employees like we do.

Q: From a consumer’s standpoint, why does it matter whether you have employees or subcontractors?

A: Employees are directed by the management team they work for, so we can control the timing of our projects, the quality of the installation and the service after the sale. You can rarely get a subcontractor to go back if there is a service issue. When you have employees, you really can control all aspects of the project and that's very important to the overall customer satisfaction.

Q: Is there anything else you do to insure that the project goes smoothly?

A: Yes, I personally meet with every installer before we go out on a project. I go over all aspects of the job with them. With subcontractors, that isn't always the case. My guys are trained to communicate with customers and some are bilingual.

Q: By having employees, don’t your customers have greater peace of mind knowing that you are 100% responsible for the project?

A: Yes. I would say nine out of 10 times a customer doesn't even know that their contractor has subbed out the labor for the work. One of the reasons companies sub out labor is because they don't have to pay workmen's comp or liability insurance on that labor. A consumer is at great risk if these subcontractors are not carrying their own insurance.

Q: Is there anything else that separates Sierra from the competition?

A: Yes, all our installers have been with the company at least 8 years and some have been here over 20 years, which is rare in this business. I think we have the best installers in Sacramento. We've been in business 35 years and serviced over 10,000 customers. Longevity is a measure of treating the marketplace right. In other words, you don't stay in business for 35 years if you haven't treated your customers well.

Q: Do you have any advice for consumers to help them select an honest and trustworthy contractor?

A: Yes, make sure that the contractor is actually an expert in the area of the project you want done at your house. Many of these licenses overlap to certain areas of expertise. Next, select a company that has a proven track record and check them out with the California State Contractors License Board, the Better Business Bureau, Angie's List and Yelp. I also recommend choosing a company that has a fixed location. That way, if you have a problem, you can actually go to your contractor’s place of business.

Q: Why is it important to choose a contractor that’s been accredited by The Better Business Bureau?

A: An accredited rating with the BBB versus just a BBB rating is everything. Everybody who's in business that is registered has a rating with the BBB. Accredited means that the BBB has checked out your business, license, insurance, complaints, etc., to make sure that you are a quality company and then they certify you and put their stamp of approval on your business.

Editor’s notes: For more information about Sierra Sunscreens & Patio Covers, call (916) 635-9706, visit their showroom at 3345 Sunrise Bl. in Rancho Cordova or check out their website at www.sierrashadeproducts.com.

Does that make Sense?

By Dave Trux

It’s a question I often ask at the service desk. Why? Because today’s cars are complex pieces of machinery that have hundreds of sensors, computer systems and are engineered beyond belief. For example, you may visit your repair facility because you have a check engine light. Your shop performs a diagnosis on the vehicle and informs you that you need to replace the fuel tank vent valve as that is the root of your check engine light.

I challenge you. Do you actually know what a fuel tank vent valve is? Do you know what function it performs? Chances are high that you answered no to both of those questions.

So, at this point, you know what caused the check engine light. Most likely, you also know how much it will cost for the check engine light to go away and how long the repair will take. But you still have no earthly clue as to what this valve is and what it does.

At our shop, we feel it’s important to explain to our customers what is wrong with their vehicle. If even on an elementary level, it’s important that you have an understanding what is wrong with your car. In this instance, we would explain to you that the fuel tank vent valve is part of the vehicle emission system, that its function is to capture gasoline vapors and to contain them in the fuel system. Otherwise, those fuel vapors could escape into the environment, which would cause you to lose engine performance and on some level, increase emissions output. Lastly, we would simply ask you, “Does that make sense?”

Hopefully, your repair facility takes the time to explain things to you in a way you understand. If not, perhaps it’s time to look for a new service provider. There’s no worse feeling than leaving a shop and asking yourself what you just paid for.

Does that make sense?

You are the Solution

By Bob Cox

If you are feeling upset, fearful or angry over the results of the presidential election, you’re not alone, especially here in California. The results are in and 8,753,788 Californian’s voted for Clinton (61.7%) while 4,483,810 residents in California voted for Trump (31.6%). Now that the most bitter and viscously contested presidential election in American history is finally behind us, can we all just take a deep breath, relax and move on to something more positive, which by the way does not include loading our shotguns and waiting for the grim reaper to bust through our door!

Whether your candidate won or lost, when it comes to dealing with fear and anger, you really have only two choices: You can either choose to be part of the problem by staying stuck in the past and venting to anyone within screaming distance or you can become part of the solution by facing your worst fears head on and then choosing to make things better.

To truly become the solution, which means creating more peace and joy for yourself and your loved ones, your leap of faith begins by admitting what you’re most upset about. By clearly identifying the scope and nature of your problem with openness and honesty, you will have a much more thorough understanding of the havoc it’s wreaking on your mind, body and soul.

The next step is sharing your concerns with no more than three confidants that you trust and respect. Any more than that means running the risk of overanalyzing a problem. Sharing it with too many people is a bit like eating a slightly toxic soup every day. Each day you eat it, you get a little bit sicker until you’re too sick to think straight and solve the root cause of your illness. Hello grim reaper again. Come in and enjoy our delicious soup, seasoned with arsenic and lace!

Once you’ve gotten feedback from your advisors, come up with the best possible solution and resolve to take immediate action. You’ll know when you have the right answer because you will feel awakened and excited just thinking about it. With the New Year upon us, now is the perfect time to go for it!

On the TV Show CNN Heroes, my wife Diana and I were moved to tears as we saw one powerful story after another about ordinary everyday people doing extraordinary things to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The winner was Jeison Aristizábal, a man from Columbia suffering from cerebral palsy. His doctor once told Aristizábal's mother that he would amount to nothing because of his condition but Aristizábal refused to quit on himself. He is now enrolled in law school and has dedicated his life to helping others reach their full potential by offering young people with disabilities a range of vital free services.

Another CNN Hero was Umra Omar. Omar left a lucrative career in America to help people in need of health care in her native land of Kenya. Her group is called Safari Doctors and they travel to remote villages, bringing free medical services to more than 1,000 people a year. "Being here, being close to home, to be able to fill some of the gaps in accessing health care, it's kind of been an IV drip for life and purpose," Omar said.

I’ve heard a few people say that life is not a spectator sport and that we’re all players in the game of life. That can be a difficult notion for sports fans like me to grapple with. Why, because we spend so time as spectators, watching and rooting for our favorite teams either from the comforts of our man cave or a nearby sports arena. But now is the time for those of us who are unsettled about something profound by breaking out of our comfort zones, taking on that one thing that gnaws at our core and then doing something positive about it. We can be the solution and we will be the solution. Why, because we are not AmeriCANNOT’S. We are AmeriCAN’S,

Dr. Beth Blakely raises over $20,000 for the Sacramento Children's Receiving Home

Local Business Raises Over $20,000

for Children’s Receiving Home

By Bob Cox

While the vast majority of us enjoyed the cozy comforts of the holidays, sipping cider and hot coco with family and friends, there were large numbers of abused and neglected children in town who wanted nothing more than a safe place to escape to. Fortunately, we have an organization right here in Sacramento that has been committed to doing just that for the last 75 years.

When local law enforcement is called in to remove children from a dangerous home environment, many are transported to The Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento. The primary goal of this organization is to find safe, healthy and permanent homes for these abandoned children. They have a specialized program to help children under 5 that have suffered from severe physical and sexual abuse. While the average stay is about 30 days, some older children end up staying much longer, which is why this amazing organization provides a wide variety of life training skills.

When local chiropractor and holistic practitioner Dr. Beth Blakely heard about this amazing organization from her Univera representative Bruce Backman, she said: “count me in”!

Backman explained to Dr. Blakely that his health organization Univera has a charitable division called Univera Serve First, which provides nutritional aid to children locally and around the world. There are two great things about Univera Serve First: 1. 100% of donations go directly to the charity because everybody volunteers and 2. Univera Serve First matches each donation dollar for dollar. For these fine reasons, it’s easy to see why Dr. Blakely has become so passionate about Univera Serve First.

This year, with the help of a large number of good local Samaritans, Univera Serve First was proud to present a check for $20,735 last month to The Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento. Even better news: Every penny of that money will go to help the organization that helps these kids!

Univera is a nutritional supplement company that has committed $100 million and 40 years of cellular research to provide premium quality health products. Owner Bill Lee Lee is much more than a billionaire philanthropist that has refused to take any money from Univera as a company. The heart of his mission is to give back as much as possible to people around the world and this purpose embodies the culture of Univera and Univera Serve First. The charities they support like the Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento are thoroughly vetted and are required to ensure that a minimum of 90% of all donations go directly to the children.

Editor’s notes: For more information about Univera, contact Dr. Beth Blakely directly at (916) 944-1444 or visit the following websites: www.econetholdings.com, www.newunivera.com/en-us or www.servefirst.org/.  

How Wacky Tacky

By Bob Cox

It’s wintertime here in Sacramento, so for the next few months we can expect plenty of cold weather with mass quantities of fog and rain. If you have little ones at home, you will likely encounter one of the scenarios mentioned below that will need to be addressed immediately.

Scenario #1: Overactive children. If you have one or more young children at home and they have a disturbing dose of pent up energy and are taking it out on your poor and defenseless house, they need a healthy outlet to release that excessive noise and movement (and so do you). Most of the time, the neighborhood park is a convenient place to go, except for now. Your kids will likely be oblivious to the chill in the air, but you won’t. In just a few minutes, your teeth will be chattering so loudly that nearby windows will vibrate!

Scenario #2: Underactive children. Childhood obesity is a growing national epidemic, with almost 1 in 3 children either overweight or obese, with obesity rates tripling since 1980. Not only does obesity lead to increased risks for a range of chronic diseases later in life, it will likely lead to an unhealthy self esteem. As an overweight child, I know how terrible it felt to be taunted routinely at school and then turn to the comforts of home, which included heaping doses of food and idle entertainment like television and video games. These unhealthy habits literally feed the problem by expanding waistlines.  

What to do? Fortunately, there is a safe, healthy and comfortable place to turn those little ones loose to pursue a variety of adventures while you can sit in the comforts of the great indoors. The place I’m referring to is called Wacky Tacky. Wacky Tacky is the ultimate indoor playground, featuring over 24,000 square feet of soft and safe play space. They also have a cafeteria for refueling. Your little ones will have a blast exploring 3 story jungle gyms and enormous slides while navigating through a great white sharks mouth. Not to worry; however, as his teeth are as soft as they are pearly white!

I spoke with the founder and creator of Wacky Tacky (Morris Qurraa) to learn more about his two thriving indoor play-parks in Rancho Cordova and Roseville. 

Q: What did you do for a living before you started Wacky Tacky?

A: My wife and I were always entrepreneurs and had small businesses that we ran before we decided to open up Wacky Tacky.

Q: Why did you decide to go into business for yourself?

A: I decided to go into business for myself because I have always liked the idea of being my own boss.

Q: Why did you open a kid’s indoor park?

A: I opened an indoor playground because I have three kids, two are older but one was still young at the time. There were no good places for kids; the ones that existed were old, dirty and super expensive. I wanted to open a place that was fun, clean and safe for kids. Most importantly, I wanted a location that was one of a kind.

Q: What makes Wacky Tacky different and superior to other indoor play parks?

A: Wacky Tacky is the safest and cleanest place for kids. What makes us different from other kid’s facilities is that we are a family owned small business and we care about our customers. Also, Wacky Tacky is a new concept around our area and I was the first one to have a jungle gym style birthday facility for kids in our area.

Q: Why is Wacky Tacky a great place to host a party for kids?

A: Wacky Tacky is a great choice for parties because it is very safe, super clean and a place where kids and parents could play together in very big and fun jungle gyms. The prices are very reasonable for the amount of things which are provided with the packages, and the staff is very friendly and eager to help. Wacky Tacky is the perfect place to host a birthday party, with cherished memories that will surely last a lifetime.

Q: What have been some of the greatest challenges you’ve faced in business and how have you overcome them?

A: One of my biggest challenges was learning how a successful business operates in this state after relocating in California in 1999. Thankfully, with a lot of hard work and brainstorming, Wacky Tacky was born! 

 For more information about Wacky Tacky’s two exciting locations in Rancho Cordova and Roseville, call (916) 476-3260 or (916) 783-3355. Their website is www.wackytacky.net. Also, stay tuned for huge and exciting upgrades coming soon to both locations and don’t forget to ask about their gift certificates, which make an excellent gift for Christmas as well as other special occasions!  

5 Items to give your Car for Christmas

By Dave Trux

As you celebrate the holidays with good tidings while shopping for even better gifts, have you forgotten to add one important member of your family to the nice list: your car? Here are five outstanding stocking stuffers to keep old reliable trudging along our wet and wild roads.   

New Wiper Blades: I recommend that you replace your wiper blades once a year and not because it rains a whole bunch here in northern California. With over 300 days of sunshine each year, the sun takes its toll by drying out the hard rubber on our wiper blades. Then, when the first rains come, you may find that those new wipers are streaking along your windshield.

Wheel Alignment: With the overwhelming number of potholes in Sacramento, chances are good that you’ll hit one eventually, especially in a heavy rain when potholes are concealed by water. If this happens to you, you will likely need at least an alignment and possibly more. I recommend a wheel alignment once a year.

Tires: Be sure to regularly check the depth, wear patterns and proper inflation of your tires, as the quality of the rubber is the only thing that separates you and your family from the unforgiving asphalt you’re zipping along on at high speeds. Replacement recommendations depend on a number of variables, but no matter the age of your tires, it’s always wise to be vigilant.  

Cabin Air Filter: The cabin air filter cleans the air that flows from the great outdoors and into your car’s interior. As you rely on your heater to keep you warm on cold winter days, you’re drawing in dirty air, water and other toxic elements lying in the road, not the healthiest things for you to be inhaling with the windows rolled up tight. For these reasons, you should replace the cabin filter once a year.

Replace Antifreeze: The quality of your coolant is essential to ensuring that your car’s engine runs smoothly. It should be flushed every two years and what better time to do it than now? Whether you’re travelling to the mountains or staying local this winter when freezing temperatures occasionally occur, I strongly advise that you to replace it every two years.

Big or Small We Cater to All!

By Bob Cox

Back in the stone ages of the 1980’s and just before I found the career I actually enjoyed, the highlight of my day was escaping the dry walled jail cell of retail management by grabbing a bite for lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. My favorite place to eat was a small locally owned deli that served delicious sandwiches, served on amazingly fresh and crunchy bread that seemed to melt in my mouth.

As the years rolled by, those memories were left in the dust until one day, after seeing the amusing Mr. Pickle’s sign for the 1,000^th time, I decided to take a leap of faith and try something new: a sandwich from Mr. Pickle’s. The second I walked through the door, I knew I was in for a memorable experience as I inhaled the intoxicating aroma of the breads baking in the ovens.

When I ordered my sandwich, I was offered several choices of bread, including Dutch crunch. I normally select wheat, but the Dutch crunch option sounded vaguely familiar. Once I sunk my teeth into that mouthwatering sandwich, those pleasant old memories came flooding back. After all the years, I remembered how amazing a fresh and delicious sandwich could be! From that day on, no ordinary sandwich would ever be sufficient to satisfy my hunger. 

I recently met with Gary Osgood, the owner of three local Mr. Pickle’s franchises to learn more about how Mr. Pickle’s seemed to rise from nothing to become one of the fastest growing restaurants in the area. Here’s how our conversation went.   

Q: How long has Mr. Pickle’s been around?

A: Mr. Pickles started in 1995 in Daly City. The CEO of our company had a few sandwich shops and he decided he could do it better.

Q: What does Mr. Pickle’s do to make such amazingly tasty sandwiches?

A: Every franchise is required to freshly slice everything every day. We can’t have any carryover. We freshly bake our bread about every 15-20 minutes. We serve five ounces of meat on our sandwiches, compared to other places that do considerably less. That’s what makes Mr. Pickle’s different. We’re into freshness, quantity and quality for your dollar while also providing superior customer service.

Q: What was your plan when you purchased a Mr. Pickle’s franchise?

When we opened up the Zinfandel location (Rancho Cordova) six and a half years ago, our plan was to run it for a few months and then sell it to a franchisee. But after we got into it, those plans changed. My wife Terrie and I enjoyed doing it so much, we decided to keep it and branch out to other locations. We opened our second store on Sunrise and Cirby in Roseville in 2012 and that has been blossoming so well, it basically let us take the chance on the Coloma and Sunrise location, which we’ve been running since November, 2014.

Q: How did you get involved with Mr. Pickle’s? 

A: A long story short, the president and CEO of Mr. Pickle’s used to be my neighbor eight years ago. One day we looked out our window and saw a big giant pickle on the guy’s garage door! That’s how we got introduced to him and that’s how we got involved. We liked the product; we ate at Mr. Pickle’s for about a year before we decided to get into it.

Q: Did you explore any other franchise opportunities before choosing to go with Mr. Pickle’s?

A: Yes, we did a lot of research before we decided to go with the Mr. Pickle’s brand. We checked all the other sandwich franchises and Mr. Pickle’s was a superior product, for the main reason that everything had to be sliced every day. Too many people complain about the other sandwich shops in town. They say their stuff tastes watered down or old. We never have that problem because we get to work by 7am to prep for our day and to make sure that everything is fresh.

Q: What were you and Terrie doing for a living before you decided to invest in Mr. Pickle’s?

A: I was a contractor for 30 years and Terrie was a bookkeeper and a photographer.

Q: What were your greatest fears and concerns going into business for yourself?

A: It was a gamble, but we believed in the product and Mr. Pickle’s.

Q: What strategy did you use to overcome those concerns and how has it worked out?

A: So far, so good. Our concerns came from working with a younger staff and being able to learn the marketing things associated with the business.

Q: Aside from the walk up customers, the other big part of your business is catering. What are you doing to really stand out and make your catering service superior and unique?

A: We are known as the 911 of catering. Most caterers require a minimum 24 hour notice. We only require two hours. In two hours, we have catered from 100 people to 600 people. I have a great staff between the two stores in Rancho Cordova, so no catering job is too small or too big. We emphasize customer service by giving the customer what they need.

Q: Do you charge a delivery fee on catering?

A: If it’s over $100 or a house account, we’ll deliver for free. If it’s under $100, we charge $10.

Q: Does your staff provide additional service after the delivery?

A: Yes, we also offer to help set up an event. We’ll set up tables and arrange everything for you.

Q: Can you tell us about the box lunches you offer on your catering menu?

A: Sure, a box lunch is a half sandwich, a bag of chips, potato salad, a cookie and a bottle of water or canned soda. This is a perfect solution for corporate seminars or a school field trip, saving them the time and trouble of a lengthy clean up.

Q: Are there any local companies that you cater to?

A: Yes, each year, we cater a special event by Hewitt Packard.  We make 600 sandwiches and supply chips and drinks for their Greek Games once a year. We’ve been doing that for the past three and a half years. Hewitt Packard has about 1,000 employees and every year, we’re up a 2 o’clock in the morning, baking bread and making cookies for an event that starts at 10:30am. So, while you’re sleeping, we’re slicing!

Q: What were the factors that motivated you to acquire the Sunrise & Coloma store in Rancho Cordova?

A: We purchased that location to help with a lot of our catering overflow from the Zinfandel store. That store is our highest volume store and is number five in the franchise.

Q: How important is customer service to you?

A: It’s extremely important. Our number one emphasis at Mr. Pickle’s is friendly and immediate customer service. The second you walk through the door, we always want to greet you with a smile.

Editor’s notes: For more information about Mr. Pickle’s, be sure to stop by one of the three restaurants in the ad below.

The Day my phone Drowned

By Joyce Blonskij

A while back, my mobile phone had an unfortunate water accident. I did everything I thought was right, which turned out to be wrong. I turned it off immediately and put it in a bag of rice. I turned it back on to see if it still worked and I could see water behind it. I thought maybe I could just change the screen and figured how hard could that be?

I watched a YouTube video and then I realized that was going to be too much work for me. I got back on the internet to see where I could send it because it didn’t have any kind of warranty and I didn’t want to spend another $600 to get a new phone. While on the internet, I saw a company called iParts and read about this 13 year old kid named Alika Salazar that started the business basically out of his house. He got so busy; he actually opened a store not too far from where my office was. So I decided to take it over there.

After I told Alika what happened, he said let’s see what we can do. I loved the fact that he said that if we can fix it, it will probably be around $90 but if we couldn’t fix it, it would be free. So, they had the phone for a couple of days and they did this and they did that to it and he finally came back to me and said it’s no charge because your phone is a goner.

Now, even though I didn’t get the results I was hoping for, they did such a good job and gave me such good customer service, I walked away happy. I knew if my phone was going to be resurrected, these were the people who were going to do it. Unfortunately, I had done something horrible that I didn’t realize at the time, which was to turn it back on while it was still wet inside.

After this experience, I became an immediate fan. Even though my phone didn’t have a happy ending, I did because since then, I have sent over hundreds of people with cracked screens and water damaged phones. Ever since Alika educated me, I’ve told people with water damaged phones to turn them off and not to turn them back on. For everybody that I’ve sent over there, he’s been able to resurrect their phones and they have come back raving fans!   

Editor’s notes: Joyce Blonskij is an optimal wealth advisor, health coach and an international best-selling author. Her business address is 7840 Madison Avenue, Suite #107 Fair Oaks, CA 95628 and her phone number is (916) 534-7327. 

What Color are you Feeling

By Chris Barr

I’ve been thinking a lot about color lately as the sky darkens early and the full moon is a beautiful piece of golden butter.  In our business, where we focus everyday on kitchen countertops and shower walls, we tend to be driven by the advantages of durability, ease of installation and zero maintenance.  Sometimes we forget that a big piece of our customers’ decision-making process is simply about beauty.  What do they want to see and be surrounded by every time they walk into the room they’ve remodeled?

At Granite Transformations, our Design Consultants will help you create an environment that truly reflects your own personal style and that will make you happy each time you see it every day.  There’s an almost unlimited combination of patterns and colors with the artisan glass backsplash materials that are exclusively ours.

In the world of design, there’s been a major movement lately towards grays and metallic’s.  Tarek and Christina El Moussa, the famed Flippers of HGTV, have designed several colors for our company highlighting this trend.  They’re quite special – and at the crest of the industry as a whole.  The engineered surfaces we have developed that mimic the sweeping elegance of marble patterns in our much more durable material have created a new way to personalize the look of your home.  And colors like royal ivory, which was developed for the Victoria’s Secret stores, combine the softer earth-tone palettes with touches of warmth and brightness.

I often remember an enthusiastic woman who stopped by our booth at the Auburn Home Show a couple of years ago, whose kitchen counters we had overlain in a bright red recycled glass color nearly a decade ago.  She told me that the color of her kitchen surfaces still makes her smile every single morning when she walks in there for the first time.  We can do that for you too, if that’s what best express your personality and your vision.  Colors like deep cobalt blue, warm copper and rich ebony with a touch of sparkle.  Your Design Consultant can help make that fantasy a reality.

So, though you never want to overlook the fundamental importance of the quality of the product itself, you don’t have to sacrifice beauty, brightness or elegance to get there. For a complimentary session with one of our trained Design Consultants, just call (916) 851-9745.

Life After 70 mph Collision

By Bob Cox

Back in 1967, Edward Kuck was a young man living in very uncertain times. Nearly half a million American troops were fighting in Vietnam, Israel went to war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan and a huge riot broke out in Detroit that summer, which required 7,000 members of the National Guard to come in and restore order. While all this chaos was happening around the world, Edward was patiently waiting in heavy traffic for the red light to turn green. He had just shifted his car into park when he looked into his rear view mirror and noticed a car approaching at a very high speed. 

“I was the first car in a 20 car pileup that did not rear end the car in front of me because I never tailgate. I saw the car approaching and I thought it wasn’t going to stop and it didn’t. The highway patrol reported that the driver hit me at 70 miles per hour”, recalled Edward.

Miraculously enough, Edward walked away from that enormous impact without a scratch. It wasn’t until this past summer when he started to experience some painful symptoms; nearly five decades later!

The pain was so excruciating he had to rely on a cane to stand up and move around. “My leg would give out on me and I needed the support”, said Edward.

As the pain increased and his mobility decreased, Edward’s primary medical doctor handed him the business card of a holistic chirpractor named Dr. Beth Blakely and encouraged him to go see her. After a thorough analysis of Edward’s medical background, Dr. Blakely rolled up her sleeves and went to work.

“Dr. Blakely was able to get my neck and lower back into adjustment. She said it was way out of whack and curved to the right. Right after she adjusted my neck and lower spine, I began to feel better. Now, just a couple of months later, I’ve got my freedom back. I went in slumped over, relying on a cane and I am now pain free, standing straight with no cane”, exclaimed Edward.

Edward feels extremely grateful to his doctor for his sage advice to see Dr. Blakely. “I think she is definitely over the top as far as personality. She made me feel very welcome and I just like her personality. From the moment I met her, she made me feel very much at ease and I would recommend her to anyone in pain.
 

5 Words That Unite U.S.

By Bob Cox

Just two days after celebrating his 69^th birthday and during his presidential announcement speech on June 16, 2015, Donald J. Trump made this bold and controversial statement: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people”. Over 500 excruciatingly long and bitterly contested days later and to the astonishment of the world, Trump pulled off the most incredible upset in U.S. political history and in less than two months, he will be sworn in as America’s 45^th president.

As I reflect upon everything that’s happened and recall the heated debates from surrogates representing both parties, there’s one fact that cannot be overlooked: we appear to once again be a nation divided, with small pockets of blue democrats battling large swaths of territory occupied by red republicans. Ironically, red is the color of blood, but only after it leaves our body. It’s blue while it courses through our veins.   

Our first great divide occurred during the 1860’s, when our country was geographically split in two as the northern states stuck together and defeated the southern states in a horrifying blood bath over slavery. A century later, another conflagration separated Americans. That time, it was a war being fought in a tiny country halfway around the world and it divided our generations in half as large numbers of our citizens railed against the establishment for overdue equal rights.  

Today, we have a new divide, with large ethnically diverse urban centers casting the vast majority of votes for the democratic candidate while smaller communities all across the land banded together to support the republican nominee. For example, in Cullman, Alabama 87.8% of the 80,811 residents chose Donald Trump while 951 miles to the north, people from the Bronx, New York casted their votes for Hillary Clinton by an even slightly wider margin (88.7%). While Trump handily earned more than enough electoral votes required (270) to win the election (As of  November 15, 2016, he was ahead 290 to 232), there was roughly an equal split in the total number of popular votes, with 61,324,576 total votes (50.3%) for Clinton and 60,526,852 million total votes (49.7%) for Trump. 

The good news is our country has survived enormous divisions before and I’m confident we’ll come together again, stronger and wiser than ever. Why am I so confident in these times of such unsettling uncertainty? Because I believe that despite our glaring differences, the one thing that unites every sane American are the last 5 words we say during our pledge of allegiance as we cast our eyes upon our star spangled flag while holding our right hand to our hearts: LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

Since I’ve been in outside advertising sales over the last quarter of a century, I’ve walked through the doors of thousands of businesses in the greater Sacramento area and have met the most amazing and inspiring people, many of them who’ve recently migrated to America. They came here because of those 5 words, an ideal that could not be achieved wherever they came from. A lot of these folks arrived with empty pockets but their hearts were full, energized with the desire to live the American dream. They took a courageous leap of faith and they’ve enriched me beyond words with their drive to succeed in business and in life.

So, am I biased about being pro immigration? Of course I am. But I also understand the importance of keeping our citizens safe from fugitives and terrorists, which are a small but unacceptable number that have slipped through the cracks from abroad, so I do support a thorough and comprehensive vetting process.

Mostly though, I’ve had the very good fortune of getting to know hundreds of immigrants as well as many other small business owners from all walks of life. I’ve seen how these entrepreneurs have persevered through a variety of extreme obstacles and they all share one thing in common in spite of how different they are in physical appearance: They stopped complaining from the comforts of the back seat and grabbed the steering wheel.

I believe that is exactly what the rest of us need to do to create a better life for ourselves, our children and future generations. Although we are all scrunched together on this tiny blue orb spinning through space at blinding speeds, we are governed by something much larger and wiser, the universal law of cause and effect. To break that down in its simplest terms, the world that we live in today is the result of an accumulation of choices and actions from the past.

This is a concept I feel excited about. Why?  Because it’s not too late to learn from past choices that yielded a negative result and then make a new decision while working towards creating a better today and tomorrow. On the other hand; we can only achieve this if we choose to  face our fears about the unknown and make at least one positive change today. A great place to begin is to ask ourselves and our neighbor’s one soul searching question: Is there LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL?

If our answer is no, what are we willing to do to change that? I think a great place to start is to venture into the territory of the people that represent the opposing color and ask them the same question: Is there LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL? I believe our democratic representatives need to do more to reach out and help members of our red communities and our republican representatives need to do the same in our blue cities.  

In the final analysis, many political pundits thought that the people who voted for Trump were sick of losing and watching their factories and communities wither away, while people that voted for Clinton were fearful that Trump would unravel the hard fought justice gained by large and diverse groups of oppressed citizens. We need and deserve strong, fair and wise leaders, from the white house to our house, people that are determined to achieve LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. We also have to hold them accountable to achieve this dream set forth by our founding fathers 12 generations ago. 

The Trenches of Your Mind

By Bob Cox

Shortly after watching the conclusion of the third presidential debate, I was particularly struck by an impassioned exchange between two Trump surrogates and two Clinton surrogates. When one of Clinton’s supporters, Patty Solis Doyle said she felt offended when Donald Trump referred to the illegal aliens from Mexico that have committed crimes in our country as bad hombres, my eyes rolled right along with the Trump supporters. Why? Because our society has seemingly become so hypersensitive to anything that we say and that no matter how benign it may be, it has the potential to offend somebody somewhere.

Just as I was about to dig that trench a little deeper in my mind, the voice of reason came to me like a message in a bottle that had been dropped from the sky when Van Jones stood up for Doyle by saying “You don’t get to determine what offends me..I don’t get to determine what offends you.” In other words, as long as the offending party fails to acknowledge that what they’ve said was offensive; then real understanding can never take place. Just like trench warfare during WWI, both sides dig in deep with no man’s land in the middle.

A few weeks ago, my wife Diana and I invited my son Bobby out to dinner to celebrate his birthday but the evening quickly unraveled when the topic of an upcoming speech he was about to give in school came up and he told us that he really didn’t want to hear any feedback from either of us. Those words felt just like a dagger in a very lopsided gift exchange: A nice meal out and a bag of thoughtful gifts for a punch in the gut. Diana and I were deeply hurt, offended and angry by his insensitive remark.

As he went on to explain his reasons, the trench only got deeper as he said that we frequently injected our unsolicited and unwelcomed advice on other family members. After the initial impact of that unexpected message was delivered, I told him how offensive his remark was, especially in light of the fact that he knows how much Diana and I treasure the exchange of deep, meaningful and soul searching ideas. We were both looking forward to hearing what he had to say on the fresh topic of lucid dreaming, something he’s very passionate about, but once he made that comment, I told him I wasn’t open to hearing his speech under those conditions.

During the uncomfortably quiet drive home, I had more time to process the dysfunctional exchange from the restaurant. I told him going forward, if he wanted to share something with us, he would need to be open to our feedback because we both have strong opinions on a number of subjects. If he didn’t want our opinions, he would be wise to not bring up the subject.

I explained that whenever I feel inspired to share anything I’ve written with Diana, I have to be emotionally prepared to handle whatever comes out of her mouth. Sometimes I’m not and on those rare occasions, I resist the urge to share with her and everyone stays in their happy place. On the other hand, when I do have the courage to speak and the tolerance to listen, we usually have a powerful and dynamic exchange of thoughts, feelings and ideas and I am exponentially richer for it.

As far as being the giver of unsolicited advice, I could double down by saying that’s his problem and then grab the nearest metaphorical shovel. Instead, I think I’ll work on that character flaw by asking for permission to provide feedback upfront so that I have the freedom to express my thoughts openly and honestly with the goal of having a truly authentic dialogue.    

Discovering the Lost Language of Flowers

By Bob Cox

Shortly after finishing a riveting novel about a little girl who practiced magic by using flowers that contained secret messages, Miquila Alejandre’s fascination evolved into an insatiable curiosity. She wanted to know if this was something that had actually occurred or if the author had just made it all up, so she did some research on the subject and was blown away when she discovered that the use of flowers to send specific messages was a hugely popular practice from the late 1700’s on into the early 1800’s here in the United States.

The more research Miquila did, the more excited she became as she accumulated a vast understanding of the lost language of flowers and decoded these findings in a revolutionary new website. “Everybody back in those days knew that if you got a bouquet, it was a puzzle to a code and there was a special meaning behind it and I just loved that idea,” said Miquila.

During this process, Miquila eagerly shared what she had discovered with family and friends, and they were genuinely intrigued. So much so, Miquila began to get more and more requests from friends and then referrals from friends who wanted her to create unique arrangements for a variety of special occasions.

That’s when the idea of parlaying her lifelong passion for flowers, mathematics and poetry blossomed into a business as naturally as a field of wildflowers. “At Bloom Equation, we use the lost language of flowers to send messages with flowers in the form of bouquets, necklaces, messages in bottles, cards and flower crowns. On our website, I recorded the meaning of each flower and numbered it, so that the sender and receiver would understand the exact meaning of their bouquet. We can even add an equation with an arrangement, which makes it like a puzzle for people to solve and figure out what their bouquet means,” explained Miquila.

Editor’s notes: With the holidays just ahead, if you want to send a truly unique gift with a special message to someone you love, contact Bloom Equation today. Their website is bloomequation.com. and their phone number is (415) 484-9884.