Blog

When it comes to cheerleading and tumbling, Legends All-Stars in the Brentwood Business Center is in a class of its own. Legends is the longest running all-star cheer program in the area holding 5 national titles and placing in the top 3 at all competitions over the past six years. In addition, Legends gives back to the community. They are currently volunteering at two youth organizations teaching cheer and dance. They also put on free tumbling and cheer camps for kids in the community. On Saturday April 24, Legends is holding a charity event to raise money for one of the coaches Relay for Life Teams, La Vita e Bella.

When I asked Brittani Barmann, co-owner of the company, what sets Legends All-Stars apart from the competition, she replied confidently, “We are noted for creative stunting skills and choreography, and are known for our girls learning excellent tumbling technique and cheer skills. Many of our previous all-star cheerleaders have gone on to cheer for college national ranked cheer teams, professional football teams, and hold teaching positions in several dance and cheer companies.”

Legends All-Stars also has a clear vision and mission statement which Brittani describes as the following: “We strive for excellence in the instruction of the proper tumbling, cheer and dance technique, while teaching the importance of sportsmanship, friendships, family and fun.” If you think that Legends would be a great place for your child, don’t miss out on the upcoming Cheer Evaluations for next season on May 16. A parents meeting will take place on Friday May 14 from 7:00pm-7:45pm. If you are already a member of the Legends All-Stars, refer a friend to the Cheer Evaluations and you will not have to pay a tryout fee!  Visit the Legends All Stars website for detailed information on upcoming charity events and tryouts. www.legendsallstars.com

If you are in need of heating and air services, A Quality Heating & Air should be at the top of your list. The owners of A Quality Heating & Air, Robert Vierra and Nacho Colmenares, have 40 years of HVAC experience, professionalism and a fantastic work ethic. Vierra sums up their mission when he says, “We are here to change the way that people look at a service company.  We don’t want to make money off of people, instead we want to educate and help people make the best decisions about their HVAC needs.” For instance, A Quality Heating & Air provides their clients and potential customers with helpful tips which can be found under the “Our Tips” section of their company website. This is an invaluable resource that many other HVAC contractors would not share with the general public.

A Quality Heating & Air also focuses on charity. Last summer, A Quality Heating and Air reached out to a resident in Discovery Bay. This resident had just lost her husband to cancer and was taking care of her five grandchildren on a limited budget. Unfortunately, PG&E audited her home and condemned her furnace. When winter rolled around, this poor woman was unable to keep up with no heat and her utility bills. A Quality Heating & Air helped this woman by working out a deal with her. She bought new high efficiency equipment  at cost and A Quality Heating & Air donated their time and labor. In the end, this Discovery Bay woman had a new and more efficient system which lowered her monthly bills. Robert Vierra says this in regards to the situation, “It’s good to give back when you can. Every little bit helps.”

A Quality Heating & Air also focuses on customer satisfaction through the pursuit of integrity and top customer service. Vierra says, “Over the past 20 years, I have worked for different HVAC companies and they always seemed to put the company first and the customer second. When I started A Quality Heating & Air, I was determined to put the customer first!  I have coached my staff to treat our clients’ homes and businesses as if they were their own homes.”  This is the type of integrity and high customer service that sets A Quality Heating & Air apart from the competition. In addition, Robert and Nacho send their staff to ongoing industry training every year. This is to ensure that all of their employees are up to date on the latest equipment, installation techniques, and industry changes.

Let A Quality Heating & Air be your conservation and quality experts. As summer is just around the corner, many customers will be curious to know how they can get better air flow and a lower utility bill. A Quality Heating & Air would tell you to check your filter every year and to set your temperature at a manageable level.  In addition, you can keep your home closed and dark in the summer to conserve energy and money. If you have any other HVAC questions or needs, do not hesitate to make A Quality Heating & Air your new service provider of choice.

Even though the economy has been dismal and unemployment has been on the rise, a fascinating phenomenon suggests that small businesses and boutique firms stand to gain customers in these trying times.  Let’s face it, whether times are good or bad small businesses have never been able to afford the luxury of being wasteful, inefficient, or careless with money.  Large corporations, on the other hand, which are bureaucratic by their very nature, have a tendency to become highly inefficient and wasteful when times are good.  When faced with an economic downturn, the inevitable occurs in a large corporation—mass downsizing resulting in a loss of valuable talent and customer service.  Consequently, the large name brand company that customers were paying for tends to lose its luster in the face of lost relationships and customer support.

Peter Bregman, CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc., a global management consulting firm, also believes that small companies will win in this economy.  He states that “Small is the new big.  Sustainable is the new growth.  Trust is the new competitive advantage.”  He says that “small companies with low overhead, reliable owners, a small number of committed employees, personal client relationships, and sustainable business models that drive a reasonable profit are the great opportunity of our time.”  To read more about Bregman’s point of view on this topic visit his article Why Small Companies Will Win in This Economy.

The tenants of the Brentwood Business Center, the Sand Creek Business Center, and the Sand Creek Plaza are all too familiar with this mantra.  The majority of the tenants renting space in these Brentwood business centers are small local vendors with a particular focus on sustaining clients through relationships and keen customer service.  In fact, KMB Management, the managing firm over these properties, has developed a philosophy that embodies the spirit of Bregman’s slogan:  “Small is the new big. Sustainable is the new growth.  Trust is the new competitive advantage.”  Each new customer and/or potential customer at KMB Management is treated with respect, professionalism, kindness, and commitment. 

In closing, if you are a small business in this trying time don’t lose heart.  This is your golden opportunity to take advantage of the niche opportunities that are out there.  Just remember that small is the new big and the power of the personal relationship can never be underestimated.  Creativity may also be your number one asset in attracting new business and retaining loyal customers.  The business expert Peter Drucker once said that, “Business has only two basic functions—marketing and innovation.”  Therefore, turn your creativity into innovative marketing endeavors! 

Small, large, existing and start-up businesses alike can all benefit from building a community on Twitter.  If you are not familiar with Twitter, it is a social networking site designed to help people connect and share information.  Flyte, a web design and internet marketing company located in Portland, Maine, defines how Twitter works as follows:

“Twitter users—often called Tweeple (or worse)—have 140 characters to answer the question, “What are you doing?” If you join Twitter you can “follow” other tweeple, which causes their updates to appear on your home page. In turn, they can follow you, a form of permission-based marketing. You can also direct message them, but always in 140 characters or less.”

As of August, 2009, Twitter provides access to 23.6 million people according to Web-analytics firm Compete Inc.  It is apparent that Twitter has created a wonderful platform for business people to gain the attention of millions of people.  Therefore, the only question that remains is how does one use Twitter for Business?

Start by Building a Community

First you need to find the right people on Twitter.  One way to do this is by utilizing the Twitter search box which will find keyword matches in others’ profiles.  There are also several third party tools that allow for more advanced searches such as Who Should I Follow and Summize.  Who Should I Follow finds and suggests like-minded people based on your tweets.  Summize allows you to search tweets for keywords.  

In essence, you want to seek out industry leaders who post links to important resources and influence conversations.  Once you have discovered these people, you should do the following:   

• Post questions for quick answers and answer others’ questions to establish your credibility and expertise.
• Create links to your Web site or blog.
• Keep up on the buzz in your industry.

Get People to Follow You

According to Flyte, this is the way to get people to follow you on Twitter:

• Follow them. There’s an almost kneejerk reaction to follow people who follow you. However, there’s a backlash against people who follow just about everyone for the sole purpose of gaining followers. In short, be discriminating with whom you follow.
• Post some good tweets right before following someone else. I find that if someone follows me and they only tweet about how hungry or tired they are, I don’t follow them back. The same goes for people who haven’t tweeted in a while.
• Complete your bio. People rarely follow strangers, so complete your one-line bio and include a URL in the More Info URL section of your profile.
• Add your Twitter feed to your blog or to other social media profiles. If you have a following at your blog or a lot of connections at Facebook or LinkedIn, you can leverage this audience to increase your followers at Twitter.
• Reply to people you are following, especially if they’re not yet following you. That’s a good way to engage someone and get them to follow you, even if they didn’t follow you immediately.

Doing it Right

If you are still struggling with how to best utilize Twitter for your business, here are a few examples of how community based businesses might start implementing this powerful tool.  The Brentwood Business Center, for instance, is home to many local businesses such as general contractors, auto mechanics, heating and air contractors, a cheerleading and gymnastics school, and many more.  These businesses would us Twitter as follows:

• The general contractor tweets about current remodeling projects or new construction techniques. 
• The auto mechanic tweets about car repair promotions or car ownership advice for continued maintenance.
•  The heating and air contractors tweet about the latest innovations with energy efficiency.
•  And the cheerleading and gymnastics school tweets about local cheer events and gymnastics competitions.     

In addition, there was a great article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday entitled A Start-Up’s Tale, Tweet by Tweet.  This article describes how a start-up company propelled itself off the ground by using Twitter as a tool.    

If you appreciate the fine art of traditional hot rods, custom cars, and motorcycles, you will not want to miss the Billetproof Norcal show.  This year Billetproof Norcal will be held at the Antioch Fairgrounds on September 19^ththrough the 20^th.  The event promises to be spectacular with live bands, unique events, great vendors, and an amazing car show.

Rules for registered rods, cars, and motorcycles are as follows:

• 1964 and prior traditional style rods and customs ONLY
• No visible billet anything! Especially wheels!
• No digital gauges
• No IFS on fenderless cars
• No trailered cars
• No mag wheels made after the 60’s
• Traditional looking choppers and bobbers ONLY! (No modern West Coast Choppers, OCC style bikes)

For detailed information on registration and tickets for this event visit Billetproof Norcal.

Billetproof Norcal is the perfect event for East Bay Muscle Cars (EBMC), a local Brentwod company specializing in the highest quality custom builds, modifications, and repairs.  If you are interested in visiting EBMC, they are located in the Brentwood Business Center at 560 Valdry Court, Unit 4B.  EBMC has won numerous awards for their gorgeous custom designs and work.  In 2008, they were highly recognized by their 1970 Mustang which won every contest entered that year. 

On October 8^th, East Bay Muscle Cars will be displaying several custom cars at “The Fall Mixer at Sand Creek Business Center.”  KMB Management will be hosting this fun fall event, so come by if you want to view some amazing automobiles.  The Fall Mixer at Sand Creek Business Center will be held outside between 141 and 191 Sand Creek Road in Brentwood.  The event will start at 5:00pm and there will be local wine, food, and much more!    

In recent years, green living and design have become popular subjects and business practices in California.  In fact, it is hard to go anywhere without seeing a new advertisement for a natural or eco-friendly product.  It makes one wonder if this green craze is just a passing fad or if it is truly here to stay.  One thing is for certain, Americans are demanding a healthier lifestyle and the market seems to be responding to this shift in consumer demand.

For entrepreneurs and savvy business owners, this shift in demand can be equated with opportunity—the opportunity to gain market share in the ever emerging fields of sustainable products, design, and business practices. 

Green building and design is one facet of the emerging green market that presents opportunity to developers, general contractors, and subcontractors.  A great example of green building in the Bay Area is Oakland’s Margarido house.  According to the Contra Costa Times, the “Margarido House is the first home in Northern California to be both Greenpoint rated and to earn platinum certification — the highest — from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, green building rating system.”  In the design and construction of this sustainable home, many local architects, engineers, and contractors had the opportunity to expand both their knowledge base and resume of green building by participating in this project.  If you are interested in viewing the Margarido house, sign up for tickets prior to September 20 at www.rockridge.org.

Many of the tenants leasing space at the Brentwood Business Center, such as Easton Construction, Devcon Construction, Pacific Crest Landscape and Maintenance, and A Quality Heating and Air, have the same unique opportunity to break into the field of green building and design right now.  Features such as green roofs, rainwater catchment systems, low or nontoxic materials, energy efficient lighting, and heating, solar energy and green landscape design are becoming more popular and in some cases even subsidized by the government. 

I say “green” is here to stay.  So , if you have the opportunity to expand into this market take it and make your little piece of the world more sustainable in the process.                   

For all of you water sports enthusiasts, Brentwood is hosting the 2009 Diablo ShoresPro Am Tournament on September 11, 12, 13.  According to Simon King, a writer for the Brentwood Grove, "Past event highlights are said to be blown out of the water by the talent coming together for the 2009 event. With such big celeb names as Will Asher, Chris Parrish, and Jamie Beauchesne Brentwood is sure to see some spectacular action."  To read more about this exciting event, visit the Brentwood Grove's article entitled Brentwood's Diablo Shores Pro Am Tournament.

In addition to this article, The Brentwood Grove features great stories each week on Arts & Entertainment, Brentwood Tv, Business, Cartoons & Humor, Crime Beat, Education, Health, History, Opinion, Politics, Real Estate, Science, Sports, and Style. Upon visiting the Brentwood Grove site, one will discover that it is the premier online source for local news.  

In the month of August, auto sales were up thanks to the U.S. government Cash for Clunkers program.  Ford reported increases in August with U.S. sales up 17.2 percent from last year.  The Ford Focus and the Escape were Ford’s top selling cars with increases of 56 percent for the Focus and 49 percent for the Escape. 

Hyundai also lead the pack with increased automobile sales in August.  Since the beginning of the year, Hyundai has been aggressively marketing to fearful buyers.  In fact, Hyundai was one of the first car makers to offer a payment protection plan to customers who lost their jobs after buying a new car. 

According to Stephen Spivey, senior auto industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan, “…about 700,000 vehicles sold through Cash for Clunkers and of those, he estimates that half would have been purchased without the program. The others might have been thinking about buying a car later in the year but sped up their schedule.”  To read more about this article visit ABC News.

The graph below from the Wall Street Journal illusstrates the recent increase in U.S. automobile sales:

J.D. Power and Associates, a leading automotive research company, actually predicted the boost in auto sales for August.  Gary Dilts, J.D. Power’s senior vice president of global automotive operations, commented by saying that “Improved consumer confidence and credit availability during the past six months have combined with the CARS program to lift industry sales out of their slumping year-to-date levels, which have been down approximately 35 percent year-over-year.  These factors set the foundation for a gradual recovery in the months ahead.” 

The word synergy was derived from the Greek word pronounced “syn-ergos” which means working together.  Synergy can also be described as a situation where different entities cooperate advantageously for a final outcome.  The Brentwood Business Center has created a healthy business synergy in that many different companies have come together to accomplish a common goal.  For example, Easton Construction, a general contractor located in Brentwood Business Center, works with Donnelly’s Flooring Service who is also located in Brentwood Business Center in an effort to better service their customers. 

The Brentwood Business Center is also home to several automotive businesses that have created advantageous working relationships. Some of these businesses include Brake Stop Auto Services, Brentwood Auto Plaza, Got U Covered Custom Upholstery, and Performance Motors Inc.

The synergy that has been created at Brentwood Business Center has helped these businesses to expand their customer base and to better service their clients through heightened convenience.  In a challenging economic environment, these business alliances and relationships are key components to continued growth and survival.                

For the first time in almost 3 ½ years, new construction of single-family homes is on the rise.  According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the confidence level in the industry this month is the highest in more than a year.  In addition, the pace of single-family home construction went up nearly 2 percent and building permit starts climbed nearly to 6 percent.  Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, wrote, “It’s the general trend that matters and with housing, the direction is up.” 

The cause of this shift is uncertain; however, some speculate that housing incentives have contributed to the rise in new construction.  NAR believes that housing incentives have helped to grow single-family home building as well as small businesses.  For instance, NAR recognized the Small Business Administration loan program that provides fee waivers for some of its SBA programs and new loan programs and raised guarantees.  Visit http://www.sba.gov/ to learn more about the new SBA programs that may be available to you.

It is still unclear if this positive trend will continue.  Unfortunately, July was the last month that builders could start new homes and have first-time home buyers qualify for the tax credit.  New buyers can save 10 percent on the price of the home, up to $8,000 in taxes, if they complete the purchase by the end of November.  Nevertheless, real estate agents and builders are pressing Congress to extend the credit.

In closing, numerous signs have surfaced in the United States housing market signaling market stabilization after the worst housing recession since the Great Depression.  With unemployment still on the rise and foreclosures at record-high levels, the road to recovery may have a few more twists and turns.  Thankfully, the worst of it seems to be over.