News

Heat Pump Water Heaters Simplified, with Ron Dymek of Dymek’s Freedom Plumbing

Several EAOC members have already worked with Ron Dymek, of Dymek’s Freedom Plumbing, by adding tankless water heaters and water conditioners to their homes.  So, in this week’s morning meeting, we were excited to hear what all the buzz has been about with heat pump water heaters, and to get first-hand homeowner reviews of these systems, including learning all about the current incentives and rebates being offered.

Water heaters are the second highest source of energy usage in the home, contributing to as much as 30% of a household’s energy cost.  On average, water heaters use more energy than a refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer combined.  Switching to a high efficiency heat pump versus a standard gas or electric water heater means significantly lower energy bills, fewer carbon emissions, upfront and long-term savings, and plenty of hot water. 

MEMBERSHIP NEWS:

The following firms have been proposed for membership in EAOC:

FIRST PRINTING

Kristen Maahs-Kolberg

Alzheimer’s Orange County

This week’s morning meeting was as educational as it was beautiful! 

ATOMY’s Yon Himelman, our trusted beauty and wellness products expert, treated us to a workshop on her top and most sought-after products.  Supplements and skincare led the pack, which was no surprise!  

Travel is most likely on ALL of our minds lately, as we dream about far away places and more carefree days.  In this week’s morning meeting, we heard from Janine Joseph of Kahala      Travel, where traveling and far away places aren’t just dreams—she’s built a business around them!

Janine is from our IEA sister chapter, The Executives’ Association of San Diego, and joined us virtually to share insight into the wonderful world of great escapes.

Jeff Rogers is an accomplished Executive Business Coach, Entrepreneur and Professional Trainer that builds & empowers successful and emerging business leaders. He holds his certification by the Professional Business Coaching Alliance. Rogers focuses on providing custom coaching for entrepreneurs, business leaders, C-suite executives, and management teams. Together, Jeff and his clients develop clarity of purpose to maximize results using proven strategies to enhance business structures and personal accountability.

Jeff’s extensive leadership experiences provide clients with a warm, trusting, and safe environment to become laser-focused on optimal results. His system is designed to develop and strengthen core leadership competencies in  areas such as; Sales & Sales Training Program Management, Executive Branding, Marketing & Advertising, Leadership Team Development, Systems & Procedural Manuals, Business Finance Management, HR & Staff Development, and Customer Service.

At this week’s morning meeting, Holly Frost with loanDepot gave us an in-depth look into the top 5 reasons to refinance your home, and as soon as possible!

Holly is a Loan Consultant who has been able to create loan solutions for specific mortgage needs. She works with a team of underwriters and processors to assist in funding each loan on-time, every time at loanDepot. Holly's success is due to her unparalleled level of service at creating unique loan solutions.

One unexpected perk to meeting virtually is the ease of hosting guests from other IEA chapters, opening our morning meetings up to a variety of interesting topics.  Borders have been erased, and our reach has been extended to San Fernando Valley, and beyond!  In this week’s morning meeting, we enjoyed a fascinating presentation from Bill Kahn, of Law Offices of William J. Kahn.

Personal Injury Attorneys help people injured as a result of the negligence of others, and Bill has over 30 years of experience in premises liability accidents, animal negligence (such as dog bites or contact injuries), as well as motor vehicle accidents of all scales.

Of the countless benefits of membership in EAOC, social media coverage is one perk that truly saves its members money!

For businesses, social media is no longer optional, particularly if they market to the general public.  If a company isn’t active on social media, its message will be lost. Followers are more likely to see posts and updates from companies who are more active on the site.  Dormant pages will likely go unnoticed, but are at least SEARCHABLE, or appear in search results. 

Have you ever wondered who’s behind the tens of thousands of promotional products seen given away at sporting events or trade shows, like t-shirts, mugs and hats? 

In this week’s morning meeting, we learned how longtime member Carlos Salazar got his start in the United States, opened his promotional products company, Salazar Associates, and how his business has not only responded to COVID-19, but has seen some of its largest orders ever processed in the form of masks and PPE equipment.       

Salazar Associates has creative ways to get company logos on protective equipment (PPE) products and hand sanitizing products (still sold out at many major retailers), and stands by its belief that useful and high-quality products are the very best choice in promotional products.   

Several EAOC members have already worked with Ron Dymek, of Dymek’s Freedom Plumbing, adding tankless water heaters to their homes.

So, in this week’s morning meeting, we were excited to hear from Ron, and to get first-hand photos and video of the fascinating development, trenchless technology, using a 100-foot pipe! Ron specializes in tankless water heaters, too. The number one perk with tankless water heaters is lowering the cost of utility bills.

This week’s morning meeting was all about pests, both at home AND at the workplace!   With the summer weather heating up, bugs and pests are nagging all of us, and we got a first-hand take on how to keep everything under control with Tyler Douthit of Divert Pest Control.

Tyler brings more than 10 years of direct experience in residential pest control.  His team uses the latest advancements in the industry to safely eliminate any possible pest hazards.

Homeowners and business owners find that Divert Pest Control’s Integrated Pest Management approach both thorough and trouble-free.  They first inspect the problem, then determine any existing environmental concerns. 

This week’s morning meeting had the most interesting presentation by EAOC’s commercial roofing member Greg Peterson! 

Looking around the Zoom room, members were absolutely GLUED to their screens as we got the behind-the scenes views (and stories!) of one of the most complicated scaffolding setups we’ve ever seen.  The stories included trapdoors, towers, and of course—HEIGHTS!

Anyone who knows Gizi Clemmer of Corcoran Global Living knows that she is warm, friendly, and hands-down the TOP choice for anyone who wants guidance during the home-buying or selling process.

There are approximately 184 steps in a basic real estate transaction, of which many things can go wrong. Hiring a REALTOR, like Gizi, is the best way to protect yourself during a transaction. Gizi is a highly organized and very communicative REALTOR that will always be acting as your fiduciary, protecting you and your assets.

Switching merchant processing companies can be tedious and  stressful, and during these times nobody wants to do this unless they have to.  OR, if they will be saving a SIGNIFICANT amount of money like they can with Lisa McCune of Affinity24. 

During this week’s morning meeting, Lisa gave us the lowdown on how she has spent 30 years in the business earning the nickname “The Secret Weapon” with her clients and associates.  Lisa has the ability to see through the shine and glitz, and reveals where the hidden fees are tucked away.  She can navigate removing them completely from the equation, and can save her clients SERIOUS money, every single month. 

Donny has been with Pacific Western Bank since before it was Pacific Western Bank, nearly 15 years ago!  Time and time again, he has seen firsthand the advantages his customers enjoy by having a strong relationship with the relationship manager at their bank, which is him. 

From efficiently structuring accounts to avoid extra fees, to expedited processing, to catching fraudulent phishing phone calls and potential security breaches—simply because Donny knows his customers well enough to know their voices on the phone—banking with someone they know has proven to be the ONLY choice for Donny’s customers, and explains why he boasts a cult-like following of referral after referral.

This week’s morning meeting had the most interesting presentation by EAOC’s commercial roofing member Greg Peterson! 

Looking around the Zoom room, members were absolutely GLUED to their screens as we got the behind-the scenes views (and stories!) of one of the most complicated scaffolding setups we’ve ever seen.  The stories included trapdoors, towers, and of course—HEIGHTS!

This week’s morning meeting had the most interesting presentation by EAOC member Randy Smith! 

Randy’s commercial general construction and project  management firm, RC Smith Design Build, follows an important statement:  “Trust is one of the things we build well.”

Everyone at EAOC knows that this motto is undeniable!  Having been in the construction business for over 40 years, RC Smith Design Build strives to work closely with their clients to accomplish the highest quality workmanship.

One unexpected perk to meeting virtually is the ease of hosting guests from other IEA chapters, opening our morning meetings up to a variety of interesting topics.  Borders have been erased, and our reach has been extended to San Fernando Valley, and beyond!  In this week’s morning meeting, we enjoyed a fascinating presentation from Bill Kahn, of Law Offices of William J. Kahn.

Personal Injury Attorneys help people injured as a result of the negligence of others, and Bill has over 30 years of experience in premises liability accidents, animal negligence (such as dog bites or contact injuries), as well as motor vehicle accidents of all scales.

One unexpected perk to meeting virtually is the ease of hosting guests from other IEA chapters, opening our morning meetings up to a variety of interesting topics.  Borders have been erased, and our reach has been extended to San  Fernando Valley, and beyond!  In this week’s morning meeting, we enjoyed a fascinating presentation from Hunaid Baliwala of Woodland Warner Flowers.

The floristry business hasn’t skipped a beat this past year, and Hunaid has been grateful to remain busy filling orders and taking advantage of social media exposure. 

Staying on top of new legislation couldn’t be easier for EAOC members, since we have Labor Attorney Jonathan Judge in our roster!

Jonathan Judge advises employers in various labor and employment law matters, including drug testing, mass layoffs (WARN), disparate impact analysis, immigration compliance, trade secrets, privacy, technology in the workplace, piece rate compensation, municipal and state sick leave, local, state and federal minimum wage law, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Several EAOC members have already worked with Ron Dymek, of Dymek’s Freedom Plumbing, on adding tankless water heaters to their homes.  So, in this week’s morning meeting, we were excited to hear what all the buzz has been about, and to get first-hand homeowner reviews of these systems, including learning all about the perks of installing a tankless water heater in lieu of a traditional water heater.

Remember attending sporting events with huge crowds of people?  We miss those, too.  Have you ever wondered who’s behind the tens of thousands of promotional products, like the t-shirts, mugs and hats seen given away at sporting events? 

In this week’s morning meeting, we learned how former EAOC President Carlos Salazar got his start in the United States, started his promotional products company, Salazar Associates, and how he’s responding to COVID-19 by offering personal protective equipment (PPE) products and hand sanitizing products (still sold out at major retailers), with or without your business logo. 

We all know businesses that are making big changes to their locations since COVID began.  While some businesses are busier than ever, and are finding the need to EXPAND, others have adopted a hybrid work schedule, and are dividing their time between working in-person, and working remotely from home.  This new hybrid setup allows for a smaller office space, encouraging many businesses to “right-size” their location, as Randy Wind of The Wind Group has named it.

With over 33 years of experience as a licensed commercial realtor, and over 40 years of experience in property investments, Randy has solidified his place as EAOC’s commercial real estate EXPERT. 

The unprecedented amount of people working remotely has created its own hurdles in the tech world, including an increase in cyber attacks, hacking, and phishing. Leslie McCarthy of NFP Property & Casualty Insurance Services, Inc., caught us up to speed in our morning meeting this week, helping us understand some of the needs that are becoming prevalent as more and more time is spent working remotely.

There’s nothing like taking a tour of EAOC member Karyn Hadley’s GORGEOUS showroom and warehouse! And, during our current climate, it was a treat to be able to make this happen virtually, during our morning meeting!

Seeing everything that Karyn’s company, Rite-loom, has to offer is like stepping into a homeowner’s dream come true. Every kind of flooring imaginable, window treatments, countertops, tile, carpeting, fabrics, and so much more!

EAOC’s Residential Electrical genius, Kevin Bastianelli, began his career as a journeyman in machine repair and machine maintenance, while working hands-on at Mascotech, Inc. 

During his seven years at Masotech, he became proficient in fabrication, machinery setups- CNC lathe, CNC mills, CNC presses, pneumatic systems, hydraulic repair and set-up and industrial electrical wiring and troubleshooting.

Anyone who knows Gizi Clemmer of First Team Christie’s International Real Estate knows that she is warm, friendly, and hands-down the TOP choice for anyone who needs gentle guidance during the home-buying or selling process.

The current interest rates have more people than ever looking to purchase a new home, and more people than ever are finding ways to actually land the home of their dreams—all without actually having to see anyone face-to-face. 

Switching merchant processing companies can be tedious and stressful, and during these times nobody wants to do this unless they have to.  OR, if they will be saving a SIGNIFICANT amount of money.

During this week’s morning meeting, Lisa McCune of Affinity24 gave us the lowdown on how she has spent 30 years in the business earning the nickname “The Secret Weapon” with her clients and associates.  Lisa has the ability to see through the shine and glitz, and reveals where the hidden fees are tucked away.  She can navigate removing them completely from the equation, and can save her clients SERIOUS money, every single month.

It was a privilege to peek into the philosophies and techniques and methods used over at Michael Gordon’s Sandler Training this week!  Michael led a fascinating workshop on building and sustaining relationships, qualifying opportunities, and CLOSING sales.

All part of a bigger picture called the Sandler Selling System, the techniques Michael introduced us to help for a gentler, less aggressive approach to sales that has been proven, time and time again, to produce RESULTS.

At this week’s morning meeting, Ron Dymek of Dymek’s Freedom Plumbing educated the group on the do’s and don’ts of preventing water damage in the home, AND in the workplace!

Every day, non-storm related water causes thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to homes and businesses all over Orange County.  And, a large portion of these floods are PREVENTABLE!

Staying on top of new legislation couldn’t be easier for EAOC members, since we have Labor Attorney Jonathan Judge in our roster!

Jonathan Judge advises employers in various labor and employment law matters, including drug testing, mass layoffs (WARN), disparate impact analysis, immigration compliance, trade secrets, privacy, technology in the workplace, piece rate compensation, municipal and state sick leave, local, state and federal minimum wage law, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

When a business owner has over 40 years of experience in his industry, working with some of the most coveted clients in the world, he has more than solidified his position at the top of our expertise shortlist!

At this week’s morning meeting, we were treated to a lovely presentation by the renowned Gary Gregg of Creating with Glass!  Gary’s creations are nothing short of STUNNING, each being completely custom, turning even the most complicated of assignments into flawless masterpieces. 

It came to no surprise in our morning meeting that Confetti Events’ top rental is currently OUTDOOR CANOPIES!

In addition to outdoor dining, open air salons, and church gatherings, outdoor classrooms at local school districts have Confetti’s Manny and Javier Gonzalez stocking up to meet demand!      Manny mentioned he has one school district alone with a jaw-dropping 40 canopies on a long-term rental.

The EAOC members were thrilled to attend the presentation, Re-Occupancy Checklist for a Safe and Healthy Workplace, at this week’s morning meeting!  This informative and educational webinar was presented by Caroline Shelly, Principal of HF Planners, and a member of our IEA sister chapter, the Executives Association of New Jersey.

HF Planners has created a prototype floorplan, and in this webinar Caroline walked us through the various areas of our business, and how to protect/change them to be prepared to going back to work in the Covid-19 world.

Several EAOC members have already worked with Ron Dymek, of Dymek’s Freedom Plumbing, on adding tankless water heaters to their homes.  So, in this week’s morning meeting, we were excited to hear what all the buzz has been about, and to get first-hand homeowner reviews of these systems, including learning all about the perks of installing a tankless water heater in lieu of a traditional water heater.

In this week’s morning meeting, our EAOC members were on the edge of their seats as Schaef Air’s David Schaefer introduced the world’s FIRST self-cleaning, no maintenance, needlepoint bi-polar ionization generator designed SPECIFICALLY for treating air in residential duct A/C systems: the iWave-R.

As air flows past the iWave-R, positive and negative ions actively purify the supply air, killing mold, bacteria AND viruses in the coil and living space.  The ionization process also reduces allergens, smoke any harmful byproducts.

Just when we thought COVID-19 turned our annual holiday card photos into a hopeless pipedream, Teresa Taylor of T. Taylor Photography proves us all wrong!

Taking the photos from 6-10 feet away?  No problem.  But getting a group shot with subjects keeping 6-10 feet away?  It IS possible!  And, it looks completely natural, too.

The more we can get from a contactless sign or graphic these days, THE BETTER.  That’s why vehicle wraps and outdoor display signs are everything right now, and are filling up the schedule of Lorna Scherff of SpeedPro North OC.

Vehicle wraps in particular, where the vehicle brings the signage to the customer, mean more than ever while so many are working from home.  Home improvements, and the vehicles that go with the vendors hired to do them, are parked in every neighborhood for hours or days at a time.  That’s quite a bit of exposure that could have gone unnoticed should the vehicle wrap be sub par, or worse—non-existent. 

This week we heard from EAOC’s Residential Real Estate member Gizi Clemmer, professional REALTOR with First Team Real Estate!

Gizi is also a Senior Real Estate Specialist, working with investors on physically and emotionally distressed properties, and assists clients in buying and selling residential real estate throughout California. 

Gizi does a lot of networking both in California and out of California. She has proven to be a great referral source to experienced Realtors operating under the same principles as Gizi. Moving out of state? Check with her for a referral to a reputable professional Realtor.  

Executive Director Katie Quinn shared the many ways that EAOC’s social media and online presence benefits its members, by sheer numbers alone. 

With an available audience of BILLIONS on EAOC’s social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), EAOC finetunes its reach and helps users find its posts by utilizing hashtags, account tags, location tags, and user interaction to get its content discovered by potential leads outside of its network.

One thing we’ve greatly missed about in-person meetings is the business that gets done during breaktime! The new Zoom Breakout Rooms feature that we tested at this week’s morning meeting fills that void virtually, and groups members into random 3-person sessions for more personal, direct conversations. The membership voted, and we will be incorporating our new ‘breaktimes” into all meetings going forward. Prepare yourselves to catch up with each other’s businesses even easier, and know EXACTLY how to support each other, each and every week!  

EAOC’s Residential Electrician, Kevin Bastianelli, began his career as a journeyman in machine repair and machine maintenance, while working hands-on at Mascotech, Inc. 

During his seven years at Masotech, he became proficient in fabrication, machinery setups- CNC lathe, CNC mills, CNC presses, pneumatic systems, hydraulic repair and set-up and industrial electrical wiring and troubleshooting. 

In 2006, Kevin accepted a position as an electrician working for West Coast Power & Lighting in Huntington Beach.  In just four years,  Kevin was the company’s foreman. 

Home offices are all anyone’s talking about as we all scramble to make the new norm of workspaces functional AND beautiful. 

Pinterest boards are being dominated by bright and minimalist office spaces, and they all have one thing in common:  looking organized and DECLUTTERED. 

Enter Phil Kintz of Kintz Cabinets, EAOC’s own woodworking expert with 35 years of experience designing gorgeous, custom, high-quality built-ins to declutter and simplify your life.

Remember attending sporting events with huge crowds of people?  We miss those, too.  Have you ever wondered who’s behind the tens of thousands of promotional products, like the t-shirts, mugs and hats seen given away at sporting events? 

In this week’s morning meeting, we learned how EAOC President Carlos Salazar started his promotional products company, Salazar Associates, and how he’s responding to COVID-19 by offering personal protective equipment (PPE) products and hand sanitizing products (still sold out at major retailers), with or without your business logo. 

Since hand sanitizers are still a hot commodity, this is one item that customers and clients would most DEFINITELY keep readily available, every day!  Which means, your logo would be seen several times a day, while also providing your customers and clients a lasting protection against bacteria.

Salazar Associates offers a wide variety of promotional products to help promote your company and services, increase client loyalty, and promote employee unity.  Their online catalog has over 600,000 promotional items waiting for your logo, with something to fit every budget and taste.  All graphics are done in-house, and have been since 1997. 

To learn more about providing clients and customers a lasting protection against bacteria, or to get your logo onto high-quality promotional products, please visit www.PromotownUSA.com.

In this week’s EAOC meeting, multiple award-winning author and national speaker Stacey Brown Randall Zoomed in, all the way from South Carolina! Stacey showed us the powerful formula to creating long-term business referrals, something that will sustain and even GROW a business during times of uncertainty.

One thing many of us don’t put enough value into is taking care of our referral sources, or those who send us new clients. Since so many of us are finding ourselves with a little extra time these days, the timing has never been better to sit down and identify one’s OWN referral sources. This is the first step in solidifying a continuous, long-term referral stream.

In this week’s EAOC meeting, we were inspired and motivated by hearing Greg Parker’s story, from the HazMat company HCI Environmental. 

After seeing competitors advertising decontamination and cleanup efforts wearing Personal Protective Equipment INCORRECTLY, Greg decided to change his company’s focus from providing HazMat cleanup to providing decontamination services, and completely FLIP his company’s marketing efforts to target businesses affected by confirmed or even SUSPECTED cases of COVID-19. 

In turn, he expanded his demographic by seeking out companies for decontamination services that he would NEVER have contacted in the past, for his usual HazMat cleanup projects.  

In this week’s EAOC meeting, we learned all about the new developments in the world of merchant processing! Lisa McCune shared details on Clover, a new system that allows CONTACT-LESS transactions—something that ALL of our customers are looking for right now.

With contact-less payments, customers can simply hold their credit or debit cards up to the card reader to pay, or even use smart phone wallets like Apple Pay. There is absolutely no reason to touch any processing equipment anymore, which leaves EVERYONE feeling more comfortable in today’s climate. In fact, Lisa shared that since the onset of COVID-19, contact-less payments now make up a staggering 51% of all transactions!

This week’s morning meeting had the most interesting presentation by EAOC member Randy Smith! Randy is currently working on a 14-story building, including tasks the require him to brave being on the rooftop!

Randy’s commercial general construction and project management firm, RC Smith Design Build, follows an important statement: “Trust is one of the things we build well.”

Everyone at EAOC knows that this motto is undeniable! Having been in the construction business for over 40 years, RC Smith Design Build strives to work closely with their clients to accomplish the highest quality workmanship.

Contributed by EAOC Member Randy Wind

I have had a number of inquiries on Small Businesses, Mortgage Relief, Leases, Rental Relief, and surviving our current economic situation.

We are in a Health and Business Climate we have never seen before and the headlines are full of businesses closed temporarily, and possibly permanently… all while being told to stay home, maintain social distancing, and only “Essential” Businesses being authorized to operate.

The US Government, and primarily the US Department of Treasury has put together a widely touted Program to help small Businesses.

EAOC’s Labor Law Attorney member, Jonathan Judge, shared his firm’s webinar links that have shown to be extremely helpful during these times.  We are grateful to Jonathan and Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo for putting together these excellent resources!

Tax Credits Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act:  https://www.aalrr.com/newsroom-alerts-3663.

What a wonderful presentation this week by the super-talented Erik Reyna of E.R. Painting Services!  We knew he was great at what he does, but we didn’t realize what an ARTIST he is, doing so much more than painting cars in his auto body shop.

Based in Santa Ana, and family-owned and operated since 2009, Erik and his crew can paint just about anything!  From the obvious auto projects and restorations, to store fronts, to medical equipment and even guitars—nothing is treated as less than a work of art, and the stellar 5-star reviews you’ll find on Yelp are thorough testaments to that.

As if the reviews and photos aren’t enough, E.R. Painting Services boasts a jaw-dropping 10-minute response time on Yelp, providing estimates FAST.  Plus, customers get free towing to the body shop, so they don’t have to worry about putting themselves at risk driving their car in after an accident.

At this week’s morning meeting, we were treated to the most beautiful presentation by the incredibly talented Teresa Taylor!  Teresa is a professional photographer and long-time EAOC member, and has a sharp eye for finding the beauty in everyday settings.

Whether it be for parties, golf tournaments, weddings, milestone celebrations, or for business promotion and corporate photos, Teresa has YEARS of experience, and can work with just about any scenario presented to her.  In other words, her clients can relax and enjoy their event, and trust that Teresa has everything under control.  This includes equipment malfunctions, venue and location issues, crowd management, and anything else that can go wrong, possibly compromising an ENTIRE event.  This is one of the largest perks that you get with a PROFESSIONAL photographer—the experience and ability to handle the potential disasters BEHIND THE SCENES, without affecting the mood of the event.

Kevin Bastianelli of KB Works has a goal, and it’s to make our houses smarter!  He educated the group this week on how we can do this, and the most exciting part is that it’s incredibly AFFORDABLE! 

Using Lutron Electronics products, making our houses smarter just got easier, and WITHOUT having to rewire, patch, drywall and paint!  Kevin explained the ins and outs of smart shades and smart lighting, and just how simple it can be to get your lighting dialed in on your smart phone, or even to relocate light switches using just 10-year batteries and adhesive.

Gone are the days of reaching around awkward walls to find a poorly-located light switch, or even entering a dark house after being gone all day.  It’s now possible to turn on a pre-chosen series of lights when you pull into your garage, using just a garage door opener! 

A huge thanks to Leslie McCarthy of NFP Property & Casualty Insurance for her enlightening (and somewhat terrifying) presentation on Cyber coverage this week!

If NFP seems like a household name, that’s because they have been around for DECADES.  NFP started on the East Coast, working primarily with baseball and football players, and branched out from there.

Leslie likes to think of insurance as OPPORTUNITY for business owners, instead of being punitive, since it truly does give you the freedom to take risks.  In fact, insurance should be seen as a risk transfer vehicle, that allows you to drive a car or employ a person without having to absorb huge damages and losses.

In this week’s morning meeting, we had the pleasure of sharing our podium with International Keynote Speaker Erik Swanson, of Habitude Warrior!

Erik boasts a lengthy 21 years’ worth of speaking and coaching appearances, most impressively being invited to speak at the Business and Entrepreneurial school of Harvard University, as well as joining the Ted Talk Family with his latest Tedx speech, “A Dose of Awesome.”

In fact, Erik speaks to over a million people every year, and it’s easy to see why—we left feeling motivated and totally equipped for efficient goal-setting and time management in 2020.

This week, banker-turned-broker Wesley Oliver shared his excitement over the perks of being a broker!

The biggest advantage Wesley now boasts is being able to SAVE his clients MONEY, by no longer being restricted to offering loan rates from just ONE bank.  He can now pull from his database of rates to find the perfect fit for just about any loan scenario.

This week, our own resident web guru Lydia Pooler of Jub Jub Interactive delivered a complete breakdown of Jub Jub’s online capabilities! 

Most of us already knew that one of the most effective (and necessary) tools available for small AND large businesses today is a great website.  

Thank you to our resident Barista members Erika and Jessica Tobias of The Perfect Kup, and to Pastry Chef Cindy Tobias of The Pacific Patisserie for treating us to one delicious morning meeting LIVE interview! Jessica’s coffee creations can be found at special events, corporate parties, breakrooms, and Etsy!

Manny Gonzalez of Confetti Rentals and Catering (family owned business for twenty five years) gave the Classification presentation this week. We saw beautiful pictures of all that they can provide for weddings, tea parties, baby showers, birthday parties, theme parties, graduations, Christmas parties, and corporate events.

Kenneth King of Jub Jub Interactive gave the Classification Presentation this week. Kenneth explained what it takes to build a website: discover, design, develop, deploy and cultivate. He discussed content is key to building a website. They meet with a client to discover what the client wants and needs, and discuss what the potential user is going to see. Almost all websites today are designed to be mobile friendly. Kenneth used an example of a website they are developing currently.

Phil Kintz of Kintz Cabinets gave the classification presentation this week. He has been married to Theresa for thirty five years. They have four children and seven grandchildren. He was born in Chicago and came to California in 1973. Phil has been self- employed since 1987. Phil takes pride in building something better with attention to detail, starting with the correct selection of materials and controlling every phase of the process from sales, design, construction and installation.

Wesley Oliver of Axia Home Loans presented the Classification talk this week. Axia is one of the top 100 mortgage companies in the nation. Wesley explained that he is always available by phone, email or text. The market is volatile because of the political situation, however the rates are still extremely low.

Jonathan Judge, new partner of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya & Romo brought one of his partners, Michael Rubino to give us an ADA presentation. George W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disability Act in 1990. It had good intentions but has turned into a litigation industry mostly for unethical attorneys and people. There have been more than 20,000 ADA lawsuits filed in the United States since 2011 and about half of all lawsuits mentioned are filed in California. California’s accessibility standards are more demanding than the federal rules and all ADA laws provide that owners and leases are liable equally.

Buenos Dias from Sammy Montoya at La Chiquita. We had a delicious breakfast including tamales (Chicken, Beef or Pork available for the holidays). Sammy told us his history of coming to the United States in 1982 going to high school in Laguna Beach and starting to work at the White House as a dish washer. After fifteen years he was managing the place. In 1994 a customer at the White House approached Sammy to help keep La Chiquita open. Twelve patrons helped Sammy buy the restaurant. He paid half of them off in five years and the second half in ten years. The restaurant was started in 1950 and is the oldest authentic Mexican restaurant in Orange County. 

Rick Baker of PAV-KOTE gave the classification presentation this week. Rick was born in Missouri. He moved to California in 1984. He and his lovely wife Cherry, have three children. He started Pav- Kote in 1994.

Doug Whitney of A.D. Ross & Associates gave the Classification talk this week. Doug is a Senior Financial Representative who has been in the business since 1984. Doug has broker agreements with 60 insurance firms and selling agreements with 200 more companies. 

Wesley Oliver, the manager of the new Axia Home Loan branch in Orange, gave the Classification presentation this week. Wesley explained he made the change to Axia because of the culture of the company. They ask “What’s next? What’s missing?” They are not satisfied with status quo.

Gary Gregg of Creating With Glass gave the classification talk this week. After serving in the military he worked for his brother- in-law at a fixture manufacture firm dealing with architects and designers creating custom fixtures. Gary’s wife Carol is very talented in cutting glass so they started a side business in the early 80s. Gary and Carol went into fulltime business and have never advertised. They receive all their orders from referrals. Gary studied art and design so he does the sales, custom design and installation. 

Jonathan Judge of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo gave an update in the upcoming minimum wage and minimum salary increases. The following is excerpts from AALFF Alert: Senate Bill 3 raises California’s minimum wage to $15.00 per hour by 2022. Employers with 25 or fewer employees will receive a one-year delay on each of the increases. 

• When there’s a backlog on your voice mail, write out the messages and delete them immediately. You won’t have to scroll through old messages the next time you check them.
• To avoid “phone tag”, set appointments when you leave a voice mail. Leave a time when you can be reached, or when you’ll try again.
• To grab the attention of someone who doesn’t return calls, reference and email message.
• To speed up a phone call, say, “I know you’re busy, but I have a quick question.” It’s a polite way of saying, “I’m busy.”

One crucial test of a good leader is what happens when he’s not around. When you’re away, do people carry on as usually or does everything grind to a halt? If things do slow down, it could mean you’ve let your people become too dependent on you.

Some people in supervisory positions are the world’s greatest as long as they are there to supervise their people. But let them leave their desk for a day or so and the place seems to come apart at the seams. Disputes flare up, decisions aren’t made, people slow down and start putting things off.

You Should Schedule a Classification Presentation Today! A morning talk is an opportunity to educate your executive sales force. When did you give your last talk? Tell Gayle you want to have a sales meeting with the members.

Think EAOC Members as your dependable source of supply for Valentine Gifts 

Donny Delfin is the new #3 representative for California United Bank

If you give a Yelp review to another member it counts as a lead and is worth 500 points in the contest.

Everyone should have a Yelp account. We are going to include a Yelp sign on the directory next to every member’s name that has an account. We also are going to include the year you joined EAOC. 

Around The World In 80 Days 

February 3 - April 13

Jonathan Judge of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo (founded in 1979) gave the classification presentation today. Jonathan was born in Luxembourg, Europe. His family moved to Minnesota and then Utah. He is married to Elizabeth and they have a beautiful daughter Layla and a cute dog Avery. Jonathan worked in Human Resources before he decided to go to USC Law School. He passed the bar on his first try in 2003. 

Lydia spoke today about Social Media and how to use it for your business.

Rick Baker of PAV KOTE gave a very interesting classification presentation this week. We learned about porous asphalt pavements which is an environmentally friendly tool for stormwater management. A typical porous pavement has an open-graded surface over an underlying stone recharged bed. The water drains through the porous asphalt and into the stone bed, then, slowly infiltrates into the soil. Many contaminants are removed as the stormwater passes through the porous asphalt, stone recharge bed, and soils through filtration and microbial action. The procedure has been mandated in California for five years.

"Last Friday's "Brain Trust" Marketing Meeting as you've probably read was supporting Tony Wang! His remarks follow:

Bill Cecil of Merrill Lynch gave a very interesting Classification Presentation this week. He distribute a Buy Low, Sell Why? history of the bull market performance since 1940. September is the worst month of the last 100 years. What the stock market has been experiencing in August and September is not a Bear Market (20% loss or more). The market has experienced a correction of only 12.35%. The media creates panic with hype. “If it bleeds it leads”. Warren Buffet says “Be greedy when others are fearful.”

Lydia Chiu of Jub Jub Interactive gave a presentation today on Jub Jub's new service, Mobile Application Development.

Jonathan Judge of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo (founded in 1979) gave the classification presentation today. AALRR are the good guys only representing employers in labor law issues. They represent their clients in court, arbitration, in front of government agencies and give advice and council to clients. They represent all size clients and any firm that has an employee is a potential client.

Jonathan gave us an update on the 2013 Legislation passed that will be effective 1-1-2014.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Green Parrot Villa
2035 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92706 Parking in the Back

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
No Host Bar, Hors d’ oeuvres

and White Elephant Gift Exchange Price: $25.00 per person