March/April 2020
Renewing Members
-3
March Luncheon
-3
Tech Talk
-7
Apple Bites
-8
Member Spotlight
Page 10
- 10
Encourage a Culture of
OPEN COMMUNICATION Page 4
Calendar Staff
Janice Moore President/CEO Joy Adkins Membership Services Representative
Committees
Ambassadors • Executive Government Relations
Executive Committee Chairman Carol Thomas-Keefer Vice Chairman Terry Saenz Past Chairman Bob Tinsley
Members of the Board Chris Ackerman Jessica Borzilleri Richard Bounce Arsalee Morales Roland Pilapil Sabrina Schneider Keith Shannon Mike Thrapp Source Magazine Managing Editor Janice Moore
Design and Layout Chris Ackerman - Signify Designs Printed at Mojave Printing Solutions The AV Business Source Magazine is published bi-monthly by The Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce Spirit River Center 16010 Apple Valley Rd. Apple Valley, CA 92307 Tel. 760.242.2753 Fax. 760.242.0303 Email. info@avchamber.org Web. www.AVChamber.org
March 2020
April 2020
March 11th Executive Committee Meeting Chamber Conference Room 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Chairman: Carol Thomas Keefer, Liberty Utilities Apple Valley
April 8th Executive Committee Meeting Chamber Conference Room 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Chairman: Carol Thomas Keefer, Liberty Utilities
March 13th Ambassador Committee Meeting Chamber Conference Room, Spirit River Center 16010 Apple Valley Road, Apple Valley 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Chairman: Wendy Ramey, Agio Real Estate March 17th Board of Directors Meeting Chamber Conference Room, Spirit River Center 16010 Apple Valley Road, Apple Valley 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Chairman: Carol Thomas Keefer, Liberty Utilities Apple Valley March 18th General Membership Luncheon Apple Valley Golf Course Check-in begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 5200 Rancherias Rd., Apple Valley, CA 92307
April 10th Ambassador Committee Meeting Chamber Conference Room, Spirit River Center 16010 Apple Valley Road, Apple Valley 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Chairman: Wendy Ramey, Agio Real Estate April 14th Board of Directors Meeting Chamber Conference Room, Spirit River Center 16010 Apple Valley Road, Apple Valley 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Chairman: Carol Thomas Keefer, Liberty Utilities April 15th General Membership Luncheon Apple Valley Golf Course Check-in begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 5200 Rancherias Rd., Apple Valley, CA 92307
May 2020 May 1st Government Relations Committee Meeting Chamber Conference Room 16010 Apple Valley Road, Apple Valley Noon – 1:00 pm
Member Stats Renewing Members
Desert Community Bank Victorville Glass Co., Inc. Liberty Utilities Apple Valley Shear Realty Hi-Grade Materials/Robar Ent. Inc. Apple Valley Unified School Dist. 3 John W. Hulterstrom, CPA Desert View Memorial Park Apple Valley Airport Capstone Consulting Group Midway Home Solutions BIG APPLE AUTOMOTIVE, INC. Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority Silver Oak Stables San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association American Legion Post 256 Guy Burnett State Farm Insurance GVD Commercial Properties Frick, Frick & Jette’ Architects The Church for Whosoever Valley Insured Property Management, Inc. Victor Valley Women’s Club Streams In The Desert Foundation, Inc. dba High Desert Community Foundation Friends of Apple Valley Library Mohahve Historical Society Sword of Grace ArchAngel Financial Hilton Garden Inn Silver Valley Propane Holiday Inn Victorville Thompson Family Plumbing and Rooter, Inc World Faith Vision Church Snow Orthodontics Elementum Services Incorporated Eliz Elegant Apparel Hub International Insurance Services
39 years 36 years 35 years 34 years 33 years 2 years 31 years 30 years 29 years 25 years 25 years 20 years 20 years 20 years 15 years 13 years 13 years 11 years 11 years 11 years 11 years 10 years 9 years 9 years 8 years 7 years 5 years 5 years 5 years 4 years 4 years 3 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 1 year
General Membership Luncheon March 18, 2020 Jennings Imel Executive Director of Western Region US Chamber of Commerce TABLE SPONSOR: Snapology of High Desert Apple Valley Golf Course 15200 Rancherias Rd. Apple Valley, CA 92307 Check-in begins at 11:15 a.m. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m.
Drawing Ambassadors Wendy Ramey, Agio Real Estate, Inc.
Ambassadors Linda Martin, Linda’s Tailor Shop Anita Holmes, Victor Valley Threshold Singers Alba M. Murcia, Bounce Realty Richard Bounce, Bounce Realty Jackie Bounce, Bounce Realty Randi Hunt, Inland Empire United Way Libby Tabor, Victor Valley Women’s Club
NEW MEMBERS AV Vehicle Registration & Legal Doc Oak Hills Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning Arya Senior Care Home Pat Orr Thompson Law Office
Joan Phelps, Hi-Desert Center for Spiritual Living Barbara Smith, Mohahve Historical Society Zoila Meyer, Agio Real Estate
RSVP Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce (760) 242-2753 or info@avchamber.org
Cost $21.00 per person with reservation $26.00 per person at the door without reservation $31.00 for non-members
How to Encourage a Culture of Open Communication Positive employee sentiment has a significant influence on the productivity of your business. The first step to achieving this is to hire the right people for the job. The next step is to cultivate a culture that your employees never want to leave— meaning a culture where your employees’ thoughts and opinions are valued. It’s important that all of your employees feel heard. They should be able to freely express the issues that are bothering them, as well as share any idea that comes to mind. It is through policies, management behavior, and intentional strategy that employees find the confidence and comfort to share their ideas and concerns. With a little work, any company can cultivate a culture of open communication. START BY IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY. The first step to encouraging open communication is to make sure your employees actually have a place to communicate. Employees should feel comfortable knowing that they can reach out to their higher-ups should an issue or idea arise. However, the traditional hierarchy of business positions can sometimes make it intimidating, inconvenient, or even impossible for employees to effectively communicate with the people in charge— even in smaller companies. If you find that management is frequently traveling or unreachable to your workers, then it’s your responsibility to put strategies in place to give employees access to their managers’ attention. A very simple approach is to always keep office doors open. A closed door symbolizes division and signifies to those on the other side that you are not interested in holding a conversation with them. This can create a sense of intimidation and uncertainty when it comes time for an employee to speak to you. If you’re not in a meeting, then try to keep your office door open. Even better— invest in an office space that has an open floor plan. This will encourage employees to engage with each other as well, which will naturally lead to a culture of communication. You could also look into technology that helps improve your accessibility. Services like VoIP, an internet-based phone service, give any computer or mobile device the capabilities of a phone. Your employees can be assured they can reach out to you and to each other whenever the need arises, no matter the distance. Similarly, tools like intranets, which are private company networks, create secure online spaces for sharing information and voicing concerns across departments. These types of technologies help businesses create a “digital” open-door policy, where company-wide updates and communications are easily accessible and updatable for each and every person you employ. Accessibility is the building block for open communication, so make sure that employees can reliably get ahold of each other when they have something to share. ASK FOR INPUT AND FEEDBACK. Once you’ve established that you’re available to be contacted,
you’ll need to encourage people to reach out to you when they have something to share. To get people in the habit of giving their opinions, you could send out anonymous surveys asking for their opinion. These surveys can be used to understand company culture, gauge employee perception of upper management, measure the understanding of business operations, and to find out the overall sentiment of your workforce. Surveys get people into the habit of voicing their opinions so that they will feel comfortable communicating their thoughts and opinions. It’s also a great idea to ask for face-to-face input and feedback as well. Whether it be in a staff meeting or oneon-one interaction, communicating face-to-face eliminates the need for a medium in order for communication to take place, and it makes it more likely for people to share their opinions on their own rather than waiting to be asked. This can also reduce some of the intimidation associated with sharing your thoughts with a manager or higher-up, as employees will be used to sharing their opinions in person. Give employees opportunities to engage with upper management. People feel more comfortable sharing their ideas when they are familiar with the person they’re talking to. That familiarity is built through consistent engagement. Engagement can come in a variety of forms, including but not limited to: REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYEES Weekly or monthly staff meetings Offering open office hours Non-business related social gatherings Simply greeting people as you pass by them in the hall These engagements allow for relationships, both professional and personal, to form, which will greatly improve overall company culture and make people more comfortable voicing their opinions and sharing their ideas. It’s also important that you’re encouraging interactions between your employees as well. Think about starting a peer-led mentorship program to help people interact with coworkers that they might not ordinarily get the chance to work with, or get the company involved in charity work and encourage employees to work together to create fundraisers. Opportunities like these can help them get involved in the company spirit. Not only will this help improve communication throughout the business, but it will also create employee loyalty, meaning a lower turn-over rate and a more productive workforce. TAKE THE TIME TO RECOGNIZE A JOB WELL DONE. Recognition is a powerful tool that, when used right, fosters a positive and productive company culture. Not only
Greg Smith’s cutting-edge keynotes, consulting, and training programs have helped businesses reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better people and deliver better customer service. As President of Chart Your Course International he has implemented professional development programs for hundreds of organizations globally. He has authored nine informative books including Fired Up! Leading Your Organizational to Achieve Exceptional Results. For more information, visit ChartCourse.com or call (770) 860-9464.
CONSERVATION A NEW WAY OF LIFE
AT HOME BATHROOM TIPS
760.247.7474 13609 Hitt Road, Apple Valley, CA Serving the High Desert since 1964 does it encourage your employees to work hard and earn this recognition, but it instills self-worth into them and reminds them that they are a valuable asset to the company. This will help people find their voice and make them comfortable enough to use it, and create a community of people who are grateful for themselves and the people around them. Reward people who bring constructive criticism or game-changing ideas to the table. Publicly thank those who go above and beyond for the company. Encourage your employees to give gratitude to each other when they see one of their coworkers doing a great job. The more you do this, the more you’ll begin to notice a culture of appreciation and open communication start to form.
Turn off the water faucet while you brush your teeth, and you can help save up to 4 gallons per minute.
Sing to your favorite 5 minute song while you're in the shower. Finish before the end of it and you’ll save up to 1,000 gallons per month.
If you replace all toilets installed before 1992 with WaterSense labeled models, you can save nearly 13,000 gallons per year.
For more information visit LibertyUtilities.com or call 760-247-6484
Shop Local. Source Local.
Ebmeyer Charter contracted with local business, Yeghoian Grading and Paving, to pave the primary
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bus lot that houses their fleet . Is your business sourcing local? Share your story at shoplocal@applevalley.org for an opportunity to be featured in an upcoming Shop Local ad.
www.ShopAppleValley.org
Smartphone Upgrades Don’t Have to Cost a Fortune (BPT) - With the latest flagship smartphones like the iPhone 11 and Samsung Galaxy S10 carrying price tags near $1,000, upgrading to a premium phone may seem out of reach to someone on a limited budget. But it doesn’t have to be. The pace of smartphone innovation has slowed from the breakneck speed of a few years back. In fact, the most recent tweaks to brand-new models have tended to be more about refining existing features than rolling out indispensable new technology. What that means is that slightly older models - the flagships of two or even three years ago - can offer a great deal for users looking for an upgrade that won’t break the bank. Older versions priced to sellThink of buying a smartphone the way you would buying a car. Dealers always put the latest models, with the biggest price tag, out front. But look around the lot and you’ll find plenty of perfectly good choices from recent model years that have gone unsold - and that the dealer needs to move. Smartphone manufacturers are no different than auto makers. Once they’ve released their latest flagship devices, usually in the fall, prices on previous flagships are slashed - some by hundreds of dollars - to clear out the backlog of inventory. These phones are in perfect condition, have near state-of-the-art features, and manufacturers still support them with critical operating system upgrades. They’re just not “the newest model” anymore.
Great features, great prices Here are some recent examples. When Apple released the iPhone 11 series last September, the price of its 2017 flagship iPhone 8 fell to less than $500 - and the iPhone 7 from just one year earlier dropped to nearly half that. Both models still offer terrific performance, top-notch cameras, and all the perks of Apple’s iOS ecosystem. Apple even supports these older models with as many as five or six operating system updates, meaning they will still be running with the latest performance and security upgrades for upwards of four years. For Android users, the support window is slightly less, but there are still great deals to be found. Samsung officially supports its releases for three years with monthly security updates, then a single year of quarterly updates. Currently, 2018’s Samsung Galaxy S9, with features like an infinity-edge display, 12 MP camera, and wireless charging can be had for just over $500 - several hundred dollars less than its marketplace successor, the Galaxy S10.
More ways to save Those good deals can get even better depending on the cellular provider you choose. After all, if you’re going to be upgrading your phone, why not shop for the best wireless bargain at the same time? For example, Consumer Cellular earns consistently great reviews for its low prices and customer service. In addition, it offers a unique way to make phone upgrades even more affordable, with a program called EasyPay financing. On select devices, customers can make a small down payment - often as little as $10 then pay the remaining balance in installments added to their wireless bill. These monthly payments are as low as $5, with 0% interest. The bottom line is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy a premium smartphone. If you’re willing to sacrifice just a few bells and whistles, you can save hundreds of dollars and still experience very nearly the best that the brilliant minds at Apple, Samsung, Google, and other modern manufacturers have to offer.
Apple Bites
Chamber Vice Chair, Terry Saenz looks on as Sana Imtiaz with Arya Senior Care in Apple Valley describes her lovely home services for senior care.
Rose Walker, Hub International Services, is the table sponsor for the month!
Pat Orr, Rotary Club of Apple Valley invites everyone to “Bingo and Booze!”
Dan Mitrovich, Solution Strategies International, is the keynote speaker presenting Keeping Your Eye on the Goal.
Dr. Eliz Dowdy gives us our monthly invocation as she opens our luncheon.
Jennifer Hernandez, Optimist Club encourages members to attend an upcoming Roast and Toast featuring Rory and Shannon Shannon.
Melanie Lovingood and Colleen Hunt from ICR Staffing Services plus Steven Orr with Heritage Victor Valley Medical Group.
Mayor Scott Nassif invites us to the Mayor’s Weight Loss Challenge!
Apple Valley Fire Chief Lorenzo Gigliotti reports out on All Things Local.
Apple Bites
Janice Moore, Chamber CEO and Vice Chair Terry Saenz gives a warm welcome to our new member Sana Imtiaz with Arya Senior Care. Vice Chair Terry Saenz welcomes our newest members Apple Valley Vehicle Registration & Legal Docs, Lisa Grant and Sherry Thompson with Thompson Law Office.
Janice Moore, CEO presents our most affordable marketing opportunities: table sponsorships and Quick Connect Networking events.
Wendy Ramey, Agio Real Estate, and Ambassador Chair lines up our Ambassadors for raffle prizes.
Our keynote speaker, George Khalil, Innovation and Technology Department with the City of Riverside presents on avoiding hacking and identity theft. AV Unified School Superintendent, Trenae Nelson informs members on how the district is promoting anti-bullying efforts.
Jennifer Hernandez with the Optimist Club, Anita Holmes with the Victor Valley Threshold Singers, and David Anten with Apple Valley Transfer and Storage connect at our membership luncheon.
Member Spotlight
A Greater Hope is a nationally accredited nonprofit organization serving hundreds of at-risk adults, vulnerable children and heroic foster families each year. Our continuum of care includes Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment, Adoption Services, Behavioral Health Services (individual, family and play therapy), and Foster Care Services. Being the largest provider of safe and loving homes for foster children in the County of San Bernardino with more than 160 foster homes. Since its inception in 2002, more than 6,000 children have found hope and healing in their Greater Hope homes. A Greater Hope also holds a full service Adoption Program and Behavioral Health Program and is recognized at the state level as leader in the field of foster care. Providing professional, comprehensive services to make lifelong changes that transforms lives. Our trauma –informed, evidence-based programs keep children safe and strengthens families. A Greater Hope believes that hope transforms, love restores and healing is possible for every person.
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SUBMISSIONS Nyesha Loyd, editor, accepts articles for possible newsletter publication. Articles are subject to editing and will be published on a space available basis.The Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce assumes no responsibility for the care or return of submitted materials. DISCLAIMER All reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in THE BUSINESS SOURCE. The Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce accepts no responsibility for damages arising directly
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or as a consequence of the use or publication of inaccurate information.The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and are not necessarily shared by THE BUSINESS SOURCE, its staff, the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce or its advertisers. Editorial content is intended as general information and not seen as specific legal or financial advice. For such, readers are advised to consult professionals in the appropriate field. The Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce assumes no liability resulting from advertising contained in this publication.
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