IE Entrepreneur Apr 2015 by IE Entrepreneur

VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 4

APRIL 2015

IE ENTREPRENEUR

T H E

M A G A Z I N E

F O R

V I S I O N A R I E S

I N N O VAT O R S

COVER STORY:

IE Arts & Culture: The Inland Empire Museum of Art

Gene Sasse Founder, CEO Inland Empire Museum of Art

INSIDE: Artists as Entrepreneurs, Nonprofits as Businesses

Contemporary Art From California's Inland Empire & Beyond April 11th - May 3rd, 2015

ÂŠ2003 FRED HARTSON - El Airolito Market 2003 | Photograph

ART EXHIBITIO

INLAND EMPIRE MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS

Millard Sheets Art Center, Pomona Fairplex 1101 West McKinley Avenue, Pomona CA 91768 Opening Reception April 12th, 2015 2:30- 5:00pm MEDIA SPONSOR

ie entrepreneur M A G A Z I N E

Volume 1 | Issue 4 | April 2015

Cover Story

Editorial M Malia Vincent-Finney CEO/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Publisher.ieemag@gmail.com Mike R. Jackson, CPP, CSM Columnist/Staff Writer Mike.ieemag@gmail.com

Inland Empire Arts & Culture

Kiandra Jimenez, MFA 2015 Columnist/Staff Writer

Kristine Specht Columnist Contributors Don Driftmier, CPA, CFO Noble House Entertainment LLC Gary Capolino, President The Part-Time CFO, Inc. Joy Gendusa, Founder, CEO Postcard Mania Laurie Morrison Inland Empire Museum of Art Sean Nealon, VP Business Development Continental Credit LLC Craig Thomson, Mortgage Banker Amerifirst Financial, Inc. Andrew Villalobos, Realtor Coldwell Banker Armstrong Properties U.S. Department of Commerce Commercial Services, Regional Office, Ontario CA Production Mario C. Maala Creative Director Drew Ortiz-Castruita Photographer/ Camera / Post-Production Joan Rudder-Ward Art / Photographer Infinity8Media Graphic Design/Website Design

IE Entrepreneur™ is published by Infinity8Media™. All content contained herein is the intellectual property of Infinty8Media™, IE Entrepreneur™ and photographers and protected by copyright law. Reproductions of any content without express written permission is prohibited. Please direct all requests for reprints, story ideas, questions and comments to editor.ieemag@gmail.com. Visit Us & Share https://ieemag.wordpres.com Like Us On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IEEntrepreneur

he counties of Riverside and San Bernardino (the largest county in the nation), are referred to as the Inland Empire of Southern California spread out over more than 27,000 square miles. With a combined population of an estimated 4.5 million, the counties are the fourth and fifth, respectively, most populous counties in the state behind Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange counties. Research shows there are over 100 private, university, city and county owned museums and cultural centers throughout the region. Only three come up on a Google search: Riverside Art Museum, Palm Springs Art Museum, and Ontario Museum of History & Art. Upland photographer Gene Sasse, artists and supporters alike believe its time for a new regional art museum to serve our IE artists, art lovers, children, students, and communities. Cover story begins on Page 28. ◙

Visit Our Partner

April 2015

Cover Shot and Above Gene Sasse, founder/CEO, Inland Empire Museum of Art, Upland CA. On location at the museum's current site. Photography by RON BLANCHARD for IEMA IE ENTREPRENEUR | 3

contents

Commentary

Small Business Matters

Render Unto Caesar . . . Again and Again Small companies pay taxes to Local Caesar, State Caesar and Federal Caesar before they even make any money By Don Driftmier, CPA, CFO Noble House Entertainment Pictures

There Really Is An App for That! How did we ever do without it? Mike Jackson reviews three more business apps

Talking Points

By M Malia Vincent-Finney

The Business Advocate

Moms Minding Their Own Business

By Mike R. Jackson, CPP, CSM By Kristine Specht

Around the IE

National Parks Week: Joshua Tree National Park From Joan Rudder-Ward

Small Business Matters

Businesses With Unethical Practices Know who not to do business with By Gary Capolino, President The Part-Time CFO, Inc.

New Year, New Business!

Marketing's Big Three: Size, Design, and List

By Joy Gendusa, Founder/CEO PostCard Mania速

Real Estate & the Economy

New Homeownership Economy & Real Estate Watch By Craig Thomson, Mortgage Banker Amerifirst Financial, Inc.

4 | IE ENTREPRENEUR

April 2015

contents

25 FeatureS

Divison 9 Gallery Cosme Cordova: Community art activist's mission to bring fine art to the Inland Empire By Kiandra Jjimenez, MFA 2015

Business Safety & Security

Workplace Violence Intervention Part 3 – Be prepared for the active shooter By Mike R. Jackson, CPP, CSM

Risky Business: Accidents Onsite Preventative measures to reduce risk

Inland Empire Museum of Art Gene Sasse: One man's passion to create a regional art museum By M Malia Vincent-Finney

Fractal Art Ron Blanchard: It's all in the numbers

By Mike R. Jackson, CPP, CSM

It's a Wrap

Hiking Joshua Tree

Photography by Joan Rudder-Ward

By M Malia Vincent-Finney

Fred Hartson Creating the one resource for all things fun in the Inland Empire

Coming Next Month ●

By Laurie Morrison

Second Street Sculpture Park Dan & Dina Romero: Visions of sculpture parks dance in their heads By M Malia Vincent-Finney

April 2015

Cover Story: Inland Empire Companies That Export

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The World Trade Conference

●

Raised on Rice and more!

I E ENTREPRENEUR | 5

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talking points

Artists as Entrepreneurs, Nonprofits as Businesses It has long been held that being right-brained and a business person is an anomaly. They (and this includes some well-meaning friends of mine) say if an artist wants to be in business, he or she should hire a business manager. Not to stereotype but sometimes, admittedly, this is true. As creatives, we not only don't want to be tied down to, or limited by, paperwork, legalese, submitting tax returns, purchasing supplies, and other mundane tasks, but some of us could really care less (Truly, I don't believe artists are the only ones who dislike these activities). We cannot be stifled. Our creativity flows and we follow. M Malia Vincent-Finney

Another topic that leads to discussion is about nonprofits and how these entities are small groups of like-minded people who gather to do something fun for themselves or charitable for the community. They may pay dues or take donations, but really they usually ante up out-of-pocket to cover the costs of doing what they do. Generally, these groups are not thought of as businesses. As a creative who is an entrepreneur, a business development consultant and an executive trainer for for-profit and nonprofit groups, there is some truth in each situation. Whether the organization or company is comprised of former corporate executives or artists (visual, literary, performing, or culinary), all visionaries with a passion to create a new business can do so. However, their success is dependent on the additional skills they acquire and implement to execute their plan (did I also mention having a plan is very important). Nonprofits are businesses, too, and aside from the compliance issues that come with holding tax exempt status, to succeed and fulfill its mission, nonprofit executives must follow a basic business model, derived from board member experience or by bringing on an individual with a business background.

Riverside Art Walk is held every first Thursday in Downtown Riverside. ARTNival will be held on June 6th at White Park in Riverside CA.

This brings us to the theme of our current issue of IE Entrepreneur â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Inland Empire Arts & Culture. What's exciting is this edition introduces our arts and culture focus on artists as entrepreneurs and nonprofits as businesses. We are pleased to include the stories behind these successful artist entrepreneurs: owner of Division 9 Gallery in Riverside and Riverside Art Walk and annual ARTnival founder, Cosme Cordova; multimedia production artist Ron Blanchard; illustrator, graphic designer and digital photographer, Fred Hartson; and metal sculptor artists and founders of Second Street Sculpture Park in Pomona, Dan and Dina Romero. We also introduce photographer, Gene Sasse, founder/CEO of the Inland Empire Museum of Art, an IRS Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, based in Upland. Gene has amassed over 200 works of art from local area and regional artists, and beyond. His shares his vision and passion to establish a regional art museum with artists, art lovers, children, the young at heart and IE communities. We also welcome MFA candidate, Kiandra Jimenez, to our IEE family as a columnist and staff writer. Please enjoy her article on Cosme Cordova as well as the articles from the rest of our staff and contributing writers. Sit back and enjoy! And thank you for sharing our passion.

Aloha, Malia

April 2015

I E ENTREPRENEUR | 7

Joan Rudder-Ward Fine Art Prints From the Studio of Joan Rudder -Ward For further information contact joan@joanrudderward.com Or call Joan at (760) 220-1771

Love Yourself 24/7! It's about lifestyle, family and taking care of yourself. As a Wife, Mom of four boys, and an Entrepreneur, I have to be the best I can be for myself and my family 24/7. And I do it with Herbalife® every day. Moms are role models for their children. A diet is simply what you eat. Showing your children the importance of a happy, healthy lifestyle teaches them good habits that will stay with them into adulthood. I'd love to hear your story! Visit my website at www.goherbalife.com/ loveyourself247 Christina Specht, Wife, Mom of four boys, Entrepreneur – Healthy, happy and 30 pounds lighter with Herbalife®

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Developing Your Arts & Cultural Experiences

Mike R. Jackson, CPP, CSM

have been a resident of Moreno Valley since 1985. We were drawn to the affordable housing available on a military paycheck. Another thing that drew us here was the potential for development â&#x20AC;&#x201C; of the town; our home and ourselves. There was one stoplight at the time and you could drive to the freeway in just a couple of minutes. There were less road choices to travel to get to our destinations. The population was nearly 60,000 and the city was named the fastest growing city in the nation. From our home we could clearly hear in the distance the of shifting gears and the screeching of brakes as they navigated the track at the Riverside International Raceway. Today, the number of stoplights are as plentiful as weeds in my yard. It takes me 15-20 minutes just to get out of town. There are numerous pathways to get from Point A to Point B, and our population is nearing 200,000. But, the Riverside International Raceway has disappeared, a famous landmark sacrificed for the growth of our city. I wanted to drive my '73 Camaro on that racetrack before it was demolished but never got the chance. There are many chances we have in life that we miss and that opportunity to drive on a racetrack or participate in the Route 66 Rendezvous are not available any longer. I had driven my Camaro everywhere, except on the racetrack or the festival to see what it was really capable of and how it compared to others. The various art and culture opportunities in our diverse community is an adventure; we need to grab hold of and participate in them. Things change, so experience them now! â&#x2014;&#x2122;

April 2015

I E ENTREPRENEUR | 11

moms minding their own business

S Stay on the Right Track By Kristine Specht

Staying on the right track for my husband’s business has meant more frequent meetings. We have started weekly meetings that begin on Saturday morning in a breakfast café. Last week we found a cute little nook on Indiana and Adams called “Food Connection”, which offered amazing eggs benedict! We have managed to combine business meetings with my love for food and love for my husband. This is a win, win for me! After we finish our meals, business begins (while our baby is scribbling with colors on a placemat). We are able to set some future appointments, talk about any issues that came up during the week and any other remaining business that needs to be addressed. This is also a great way to explore the city, while working in business and family time and staying on the right track allows everything to line up nicely!

As the first quarter closes, it’s a good reminder for me to organize and log in all receipts in the right category, so I don’t leave a mess for the end of the year. My goal for this year is to track and go, staying ahead and not playing catch up when taxes are due! What’s your goal going forward this year to stay on track for your business? We would love you to share with us ◙ 12 | IE ENTREPRENEUR

April 2015

Around the IE

Venus and the Crescent Moon

Photography JOAN RUDDER-WARD

National Parks Week:

Joshua Tree National Park National Parks Week, a time set aside to celebrate and support our National Park System, is April 18-26th. In the southeastern part of California, spreading across both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, we have Joshua Tree National Park. The park is actually comprised of two deserts: the higher elevation Mojave Desert and the lower Colorado Desert. Joshua Tree offers an eclectic blend of wonders, historic sites, and things to do within its boundaries. It is a favored place for camping, hiking, rock-climbing and star-gazing. From daybreak to nightfall, the desert terrain has a special beauty to enjoy and secrets to discover. Opening weekend, Saturday and Sunday, April 18 & 19, admission is free to all parks that normally charge. The following California parks are included: Cabrillo National Monument Death Valley National Park Joshua Tree National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park Lava Beds National Monument Muir Woods National Monument

April 2015

Pinnacles National Park San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Yosemite National Park

I E ENTREPRENEUR | 13

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SMALL BUSINESS RECORDKEEPING SMALL BUSINESS – PERSONAL SAFETY Small Business Matters Small Business Matters

Businesses With Unethical Practices Know who not to do business with By Gary Capolino, President The Part-Time CFO, Inc. last transaction for similar subject matter. The core of such basic ““I know a lot of people here don’t like business is the repeat customer the way I do business.” In 12 words, he offered who regularly buys product or service, comes away from the the clearest admission that he was someone transaction satisfied he has received good value for the value to avoid doing business with.” given, and happily (if not regularly) comes back for a Several years ago, I was The coaches and parents were similar experience the next time a board member of a local also notorious for their abuse he is in similar need. youth baseball league. On of umpires and board members the agenda one evening, we The reference to 'not liking were to determine whether a The vast majority of the the way one does business' specific individual was “fit” to future scholarship players left points to a failure to provide manage a 9-10 year old base- the organization by the time the feeling of having received ball team. This person was they were 14 – just before similar value for the value associated with another high school, which was the given. The principle reason for individual and baseball organi- platform required for the this is not getting what one zation, both considered noto- scholarships these kids were thought he was buying - either rious (by some) for their excesses. “destined” to receive. The through deception or misorganization had little worry understanding. Some of these excesses about this as they had banked included high membership fees, the excessive membership fees And, that's the rub. When marketing practices (through collected from these players’ the transaction results in no annoyingly persistent parents who families over the five years prior. satisfaction, there is no were believed to be compensated continued relationship. Dissafor recruits), and the justification During the Board meeting, the exorbitant fees were “more the head of the other tisfaction will sometimes be than worth it” when compared to organization stood up in the result of the buyer’s lack the value of the scholarships they defense of the manager at of knowledge of what he is would produce. issue and opened his remarks buying. This is the peril of with “I know a lot of people dealing with a relative neophyte. Another significant pro- here don’t like the way I do However, the unethical blem their organization business.” In 12 words, he created for our organization offered the clearest admission business person prospers was their undisclosed practice that he was someone to avoid through deceit and bad faith. The “lack of satisfaction” of paying for individual mem- doing business with. relates to the aggrieved buyer berships in the local league, through follow-up then effectively em-ploying a The whole concept of who, revolving door of players who doing business is generally communication, realizes the assumed those playing spots. based on good faith and trust seller intentionally deceived him between parties to the or her with little interest in These players effectively transaction. In its most basic making the buyer whole. created a roster violation in form, the buyer pays somePersonally, I like the high every game, which led to thing of value in order to another issue where enforce- receive something of similar road. There is a stratum of the ment (through forfeit) caused value. Traditionally, each party business community that bethe innocent 12 players on the may believe he is receiving more lieves in the elements of bad opposing team to be denied than he is giving. Ultimately, the faith and deception as necestheir scheduled game. price paid is consistent with the sary elements of business. th April 2015

These are the “people we don’t want to do business with.” If the activity is, in fact, illegal, there is the potential for increased scrutiny by law enforcement. Not every questionable (if it irks someone, then it is questionable) business practice is illegal, nor is it definitively unethical. A favorite example of mine has to do with the annual baseball registration booth. The organization I served had its registration in the same place at effectively the same time each year. One year, another organization catering to the same clientele, set up its registration booth next to ours. A number of our Board members were offended because it created confusion about whether the organization the registrants were joining was the organization they really wanted to join. True enough. With our organization being the dominant one in the community, I casually reflected that organizations that need to resort to such measures generally don’t prosper. Another board member replied: “You’re wrong. They do survive and they do prosper.” (We all have our critics). She obviously believed both in that avenue as being a viable tool of success and most likely employed it in her own business. Thus, she would not be someone I’d want to do business with! ◘ IE ENTREPRENEUR | 15

Small Business Matters

Render Unto Caesar . . . Again and Again! Small companies pay State Caesar and Federal Caesar before they even make any money By Don Driftmier, CPA, CFO Noble House Entertainment Pictures LLC

There are ways to protect your hard earned assets buried in Caesar’s rulebook. CPAs look for those buried treasures and help you take full advantage of them. Death and taxes have long been a natural expectation, but death only happens once, taxes on the other hand go on and on! Let’s take a look just to see what our government really does to us, over and over again.

the man and start the business. You are successful and make a profit and, of course income taxes are due on that profit. Of course, California’s Caesar and the Federal Caesar cannot agree to work together, so each has set their own rules to be followed on taxing the You have just decided to profit you earned. open your own business, having been advised to give You actually have enough up vacations as you once profit to invest in an interest knew them, work more hours or dividend paying investment. than you ever did as an More money for the Caesars employee and for less pay to because the previously taxed start with and no one to look funds generated interest andor after your financial well-being dividends, and they are taxed. but you. Ah, the American dream. If you invest in stock or other capital investments such You find a CPA to talk to, as real estate, and you sell me, and a decision must be them for a profit, it is once made as to what type of again time to pay the Caesars. business entity you want or need to be. A sole proprietor So at this point, the money can work, but often a limited you earned on your business liability company (LLC), or has generated three taxes to be some type of corporation is a paid to each Federal and better match. California Caesar. I inform you that the business friendly state of California requires fees upfront for the privilege of being one of these entities. Before you earn any income, the state Caesar gets into your wallet. So, you go ahead, pay thbn April 2015

You have rendered to Caesar over and over again because you had the luck and hard work of being successful in business.

moving target. The law provides many changes to the tax Internal Revenue Code that have a variety of dates that require close attention. r

Along the way, Caesar got some other taxes from you. When you hired an employee, you had the privilege collecting taxes for Caesar from your employee and paying those to the Caesars. And if you did not do it correctly, Caesar penalized you big time for not following his rules.

The estate tax had a change a few years ago that lead to its elimination in 2010, but making a full comeback in 2011. What was up with that? If you had a large estate, the death thing in 2010 was your answer to estate tax avoidance planning. Thank you, Washington, for that one. Caesar has a dark sense of humor.

If you had a retail business, you collected sales tax for the California Caesar, again being careful not to break any rules. Let’s not forget the local Caesars who collect from you property taxes and business taxes. And all this time you thought you were in business for yourself. No, you are in business for yourself and Caesar.

How do you cope with all the Caesars you are rendering your hard earn money to? Well, that's where we come in. We cannot do much about the death part, but we can When you do really really establish a strategy to miniwell with your business and mize the intrusion into your save up a sizable estate, and bank account by the Caesars. that death thing comes your Tax planning is a constant, way, those items previously taxed up to three or more moving target. The latest tax times, now get to be subject to law changes from Washingestate taxes. ton D.C. are an example of ton

There are ways to protect your hard earned assets buried in Caesar’s rulebook. CPAs look for those buried treasures and help you take full advantage of them. There is no question that the Caesars we deal with never risked their own money in a business. Their lot in life is to develop ways to collect more taxes and when they gives us a break, it is one filled with more rules than before. CPAs understand business because we are also a business, a very successful business. We understand what it is like to follow Caesar’s rules because we live with them also. Come join a CPA in our goal to only render unto Caesar what the rules demand and nothing more. ◘ IE ENTREPRENEUR | 17

Small Business Matters

There Really Is An App For That! How did we ever do business without them? Business owners and management staff experience information overload. The need to stay ahead of the competition and maintaining productivity requires staying informed. Access to pertinent news is necessary in staying on top of current trends within your industry. This may involve reading a multitude of news media sources. These are available now through internet with news feed aggregator apps. With these apps, you will stay better informed with the latest information.

Pocket is an information bookmarking app. It allows you to save articles, videos and other web content through your mobile devices. You can review them later on your phone or tablet. It syncs with your favorite apps Evernote, Twitter or Facebook by allowing offline access. Pocket contains a search and tagging tools, removes clutter and lets you adjust the text settings. A paid premium version allows you to server storage and enhanced search tools. The annual premium cost is $44.99, versus the monthly cost of $4.99. Pocket has 12 million users and one billion saves to the Pocket app. http://www.getpocket.com/

Feedly is a news feed readers with productivity, searching and sharing features. It allows you to locate resources that will benefit your special needs and interests. It syncs to your iOSor Android-based mobile apps. Feedly's main page contains areas to select from the titled tiles displayed for Business, Fashion, Science, etc. They contain the latest information from the top associated news outlets of the internet. It also allows you select from information groups created by other Feedly members you may find of value. Once you find what interest you can save to other apps like Evernote for later review. You save information during your regular internet searches by clicking on the Feedly icon (icon) located at the bottom right-side of page.

A news app from LinkedIn, the business networking site, Pulse collects information from various news sources of each day. It provides you with brief, top headlines, within individual tiles, you can select from in interest to you. You can tailor it to your interests, favorite topics or websites, so you can read a news story or watch a video at your convenience. It provides news content from your LinkedIn connections, allowing you to see what they find of value and it may suit you as well. Pulse is available for free when you connect with LinkedIn. www.pulse.me/

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Realtor Cell: Associate(562) 371-4770 Residential/Commercial / Fax:( 951) 682-5258 Cell: 951.000.0000 Fax: 951.682.5258 Andrewp.Villalobos@googlemail.com Laura.Gundy@ColdwellBanker.com www.cbarmstrongproperties.com www.cbarmstrongproperties.com 6809 Brockton Avenue, Riverside CA 92506

6809 Brockton Avenue Riverside CA 92506 18 | IE ENTREPRENEUR

April 2015

New Year, New Business!

From the postcard campaign of Marlene Rose Glass

Images Courtey of POSTCARD MANIA®

Marketing’s Big Three: Size, Design, and List By Joy Gendusa. Founder, CEO PostcardMania® Marketing can be a complicated process, and postcard marketing is no different. There are a lot of factors to consider when planning and coordinating a strategic direct-mail campaign. There isn’t a quick trick to getting a well-targeted mailing list or an effective postcard design. However, here are some tips for receiving great results from the start. In my 15-plus years of marketing experience, I have tried and erred plenty of times. Luckily, because of this, I can guide you away from the pitfalls beginning marketers run into.

strategy that will grow your business. Once you’re comfortable with the process, you can fine-tune your campaigns to continually improve your results. The big three are size, design and list. Size

“What size postcard do I need?” “Can I get away with a smaller card?” “What is the benefit of a bigger card?”

First you just need to focus on what I call “the big three.” When you learn to manipulate the big three, you can create a perfect postcard campaign for your massage therapy business. It’ll help you grow your clientele—and best of all, increase your revenue.

The size of your postcard directly affects the success of your campaign. There are many variables that go into a marketing campaign, but none of them have such an obvious effect on engaging the interest of prospects as the size. After all, a bigger postcard is easier to see, isn’t it? We can all agree it is. For many industries, a bigger card will be needed to get your marketing noticed in the mailbox.

When you get the big three right, you get a winning marketing

Continued on next page

April 2015

IE ENTREPRENEUR | 19

New Year, New Business!

Continued from previous page

Elements 1-3 are all about grabbing the prospect’s attention and engaging her interest to read what the rest of the card says. If these three elements are weak, your card doesn’t get a second glance. Elements 4-6 are where you take the reader from interested to taking action. Your subheads lead them naturally into the body copy, which is just brimming with customer benefits. Then, you lead them all the way to the bottom, where you make them an offer they can’t refuse. Elements 7-10 close out the card by giving prospects every piece of information they could need to respond to your card. Then, it tells them exactly how to respond with the call to action. This is a crucial element: Because people are busy, they need you to spell out exactly what they should do after they finish reading or they won’t take the initiative. If you have nailed each of these elements on your postcard, it’s ready to be mailed. Now, you have to decide who to mail to. List The most important of the three is saved for last, and that is the mailing list. You could design a postcard of sheer perfection and still get a low response if your mailing list is not well targeted. The mailing list defines who will receive your card, and you simply have to get it right.

Most direct-mail companies out there will give you different size options for your marketing postcard. If they don’t, find yourself a company that will. The most common options look like this: small (4×6), medium (5×8) and large (6×11), though the terminology will likely vary. You can find out what size you need to use in order to turn those raw prospects into clients by answering these questions: 1. How much do other companies in your industry market? a. Not at all/I’m the only one (you can lean toward a smaller card) b. Light-to-moderate amount (lean toward a larger card) c. Moderate-to-heavy amount (you need a large card) 2. Do your competitors also mail postcards? a. No (you can lean toward a smaller card) b. Yes (you need a large card) 3. How much explaining does your offer require? a. Not that much/easy to grasp (smaller card is fine) b. A little background info (medium card should do the trick) c. A lot; details are important (go big or go home) My instinct says many of you will answer these questions “B, B, A,” so you are probably fine with a small-to-mediumsized card. However, there is no use putting the effort into a card just to have it ignored because you wanted to save a little bit on printing. If you think there might a lot of competition for your prospect’s attention, lean toward the medium size. 20 | IE ENTREPRENEUR

In order to create an effective mailing list, you need to define your ideal prospect. Does your massage therapy business serve mostly elderly clients? Maybe you make your living by serving middle-aged professionals who are also juggling the responsibilities of being a parent, or young, single professionals. Once you nail down who your ideal prospect is, you need to find a list that is comprised of those individuals. You have the ability to get incredibly specific, too. How about families with less than three kids, and a household income of more than $100,000? Done. What about single professionals aged 25 to 35, with an income of more than $75,000, an interest in active sports and live within 20 miles of your establishment? No problem. The more specific you can make your list, the more relevant you can make your ads appear to your prospective clients. ◙

Joy Gendusa is the owner and CEO of direct mail marketing firm, PostcardMania (www.postcardmania.com). Gendusa began PostcardMania in 1998, and originally started it as a full-service postcard marketing company helping clients create turnkey marketing campaigns with graphic design, printing, mailing list acquisition and mailing services. Since then, PostcardMania has expanded to offer clients more services, including website and landing page design and development, e-mail marketing and full marketing evaluations—all while continuing to educate clients with free marketing advice. April 2015

Real Estate&&the the Economy Real Estate Economy

New Homeownership A shift in employment rates

By Craig Thomson, Mortgage Banker Amerifirst Financial, Inc.

More on Household Formulation

A Crucial Employment Report

In mid-March, we cited studies that showed that the rate of household formulation has moved back up to pre-recession levels. This is one of the reasons that we have declared a bottom in the homeownership rate in America. The rate of homeownership has been falling steadily since the financial crisis. However, we did not want everyone to misinterpret these statistics. Not everyone who forms a new household purchases a home.

Every month the employment report is very, very important. The creation of jobs not only tells us how the economy is performing, the report also tells us how the economy will be performing in the future. When we create a significant number of jobs, we know that these jobs will create more jobs because those who have become employed will spend more money on a variety of goods.

If children are moving out of their parents' basements, some of them have saved up money and will purchase a home. However, most of them will rent first before they purchase. While this activity will certainly not push the homeownership rate higher, it will help the economy. It will require the building of more rental units and the purchase of insurance and furniture, as well as a host of other goods. And some of these rental units will actually be single family homes. One piece of bad news is that this movement is likely to keep rents increasing as they have been during the past five years. Multi-family construction has not yet kept up with demand. Eventually it will, but by the time this catch-up period is over, homeownership could be a better economic choice than it is today. And that is saying a lot because ownership is now cheaper than renting in most areas of the country because of low interest rates. Meanwhile, all these purchases create more jobs and the cycle will support homeownership even if most new households are renters.

The March employment report is even more important than usual. Why? For one, after the creation of almost 300,000 jobs per month over the past six months, we know that the Federal Reserve Board is getting closer to raising short-term interest rates. Any number close to 300,000 this month may move the Fed to a tipping point. In their most recent meeting the Fed removed the word patience from their guidance but at the same time, indicated that they will not be "impatient." Secondly, we are looking at another number besides the number of jobs created. We are looking at those who have removed themselves from the labor force as a result of the recession. If some of these folks start coming back into the labor force, the unemployment rate could increase or at least stay the same even with a significant number of jobs created. If the economy produces a plethora of jobs and the unemployment number stays steady or rises, this would actually be good news. It means that our economic recovery is finally starting to reach mainstream America. The low labor force participation rate is one reason the Fed has been able to hold off raising rates for so long into the recovery. It is also one reason that wages have not risen as jobs have been created. Hopefully, this will soon change.

Continued next page April 2015

IE ENTREPRENEUR | 21

Real Estate&&the the Economy Real Estate Economy

Home Buyers Moving Shorter Distances It may seem like rates on home loans have been vacillating in a tight range, brushing up against four percent on the 30year fixed and then falling back. Rates, however, are still considerably lower than they were a year ago. That translates into far more buying power for the average consumer, heading into the busiest housing season of the year. But how much more? John Burns Real Estate Consulting looked at the typical American family, earning $60,000 a year. They can afford about $1,800 a month for their housing payment, given a normal amount of other debt. For a 30-year fixed-rate loan, back in 2000, when rates were eight percent, that would have qualified them for a $245,000 loan. At 4 percent, which is where rates are headed today, they can qualify for a $377,000 loan. "In other words, each one percent drop in interest rates in the last 15 years has allowed home sellers to raise price 12 percent," according to the firm. Rates at this time last year were at about 4.5 percent, so that allows for eight percent price appreciation on homes. Favorable interest rates are supporting buyer traffic, according to a February survey of real estate agents by Credit Suisse, but low supply is still a sticking point in most markets. Source: CNBC

Energy Efficiency in Homes Energy efficiency is highly important to a growing number of households — so much so that the Demand Institute found that on a list of 52 housing and community concerns that more than 10,000 households were asked to rank in importance, households said energy efficiency had great importance even though only a fraction said they had actually improved it in their home. Energy efficiency was the biggest satisfaction gap, defined by what people say they want but don’t have, the survey found. Seventy-one percent of the households polled said energy efficiency was "highly important" to them, but only 35 percent of households said they felt their homes were very efficient with low monthly utility costs. Energy efficiency was the housing concern with the largest gap between the rate of importance and satisfaction – even topping other needs and desires like updated kitchens, storage space, safe neighborhoods, affordability, landlord responsiveness, and other issues, according to the survey. "Utilities are as significant and regular part of households’ budgets, and spending on utilities has risen more quickly than overall consumer spending – 56 percent versus 38 percent growth since 2000," says Louise Kelly, president of the Demand Institute. Source: The Demand Institute

Getting Top Dollar for Your Home With home-price gains slowing in most parts of the country, sellers will be looking for ways to get top dollar for their listing. Cleaning and staging make a big difference. But for some sellers -- such as investors seeking to bring a property up to neighborhood standards before the sale -remodeling work may be the ticket. As the 2015 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report makes clear, large-scale jobs aren't likely to return sellers their full cost. But there are improvements worth doing in anticipation of an upcoming sale. Some will return almost 100 percent of their cost. Others may not have as great a payback, but they can improve the market position of the property in relation to the competition. Think about the impact of beautiful kitchen photos on online home shoppers. In addition, several pricier projects can provide owners with a few years of enjoyment while still offering a decent payback down the road. Source: The National Association of Realtors 22 | IE ENTREPRENEUR

WEEKLY INTEREST RATE OVERVIEW THE MARKETS: Fixed rates on home loans trended Rates onbut home loans moved again in the past of week, upward, remained close down to their lowest levels the as year the markets continued to react positively to a more dovish in the past week. Freddie Mac announced for the week message from the24,Federal Board. ending December 30-yearReserve fixed rates rose Freddie to 3.83%Mac from announced that for the week ending March 26, 30-year 3.80% the week before. The average for 15-year fixed loans rates decreased to 3.69% from 3.78% the week before. The increased one tick to 3.10%. Adjustables were also higher, average for 15-year loans fell to 2.97%. Adjustables were with the average for one-year adjustables increasing to mixed, with the average for one-year adjustables remaining at 2.39% adjustablesdecreasing rising to 3.01%. A year ago, 2.46% and and five-year five-year adjustables to 2.93%. A year 30-year fixed rates were at 4.48%, which continues to be over ago, 30-year fixed rates were at 4.40%, which continues to be 0.5% than higher today'sthan levels. Attributed to Frank to Nothaft, more higher than 0.50% today's levels. Attributed Len vice president economist, Freddie -- average "Rates on Kiefer, deputy and chiefchief economist, Freddie Mac --Mac "The home wereloan up fell slightly a week week following of mixed 30-yearloans fixed-rate to 3.69following percent this economic releases. were ondown a decline in 10-year Existing Treasury home yields. sales Low rates home6.1 percent to annual rate of 4.93 million loans arein aNovember welcome sign for those in the market to buyunits, a below economists' expectations. Newto home fell 1.6 home this spring season and will help supportsales homebuyer percent last month to an annual 438,000, increased also below affordability. Existing home salesratein ofFebruary expectations. Meanwhile, the third real adjusted GDP was slightly, but less than expected, to aquarter seasonally annual rate of 4.88 million Meanwhile, new home sales revised sharply higher to units. 5.0 percent according to the final outperformed expectations surged 7.8 percentAnalysis." to an estimate released by the and Bureau of Economic annual indicated pace of 539,000 Ratesfees indicated do not include Rates do notunits." include and points and are fees and for points and are for evidence of trends provided evidence of provided trends only. They should not beonly. used They should notpurposes. be used for comparison purposes. for comparison

Current Indices For Adjustable Rate Mortgages Updated March 27, 2015 Daily Value

Monthly Value

Dec Mar 26 23

Nov2014 Feb

6-mon Treasury Security

0.14% 0.13%

0.07%

1-yr Treasury Security

0.26% 0.28%

0.13% 0.22%

3-yr Treasury Security

1.17% 0.98%

0.96% 1.04%

5-yr Treasury Security

1.76% 1.47%

1.62% 1.54%

10-yr Treasury Security

2.26% 2.01%

2.33% 2.03%

12-month LIBOR

0.660% 0.562% (Nov) (Feb)

12-mon MTA

0.136% 0.114% (Nov) (Feb)

11th District Cost of Funds

0.698% 0.671% (Jan) (Oct)

Prime Rate

3.25%

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Artists as Entrepreneurs

Division 9 Gallery Cosme Cordova: Community art activist's mission to bring fine art to the Inland Empire By Kiandra Jimenez, MFA 2015 Reprinted from Lunch Ticket, Antioch University

Photo by KIANDRA JIMENEZ

Cosme Cordova was born in San Pedro de la Cueva in Sonora, Mexico, and brought to Riverside, California at five years old, where he still resides. Cordova is the owner of Division 9 Gallery (Riverside, California). In 2002 he co-founded Riverside’s Arts Walk along with Mark Schooley (Riverside Community Arts Association), which has run monthly art shows in Downtown Riverside since its inception. His artwork has been exhibited throughout California, Arizona, and Mexico. Some of those galleries include Galleria Rustica and Bunny Gunner Gallery in Pomoma, CA; Dennis Rogue Gallery in Palm Desert, CA; Rockrose Gallery in Los Angeles, and the Riverside Community Arts Association, Riverside Art Museum, Sweeney Art Gallery, Riverside Metropolitan Museum, and others in Riverside, CA. Cordova has also curated many art shows and hosted citywide art events such as the annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration, which attracts thousands of people, and Artnival, an art themed carnival produced by Cordova and local artists. Cordova has been honored as the City of Riverside’s Artist of Month.

You are an artist who is deeply involved in the arts community in your town of Riverside, CA. You founded the Riverside Art Walk, and you run a gallery, Division 9 Gallery (D9G). What motivated you to spend all that effort on behalf of your community, versus having a solo studio practice and focusing strictly on your own creative work? In the beginning I didn't really think about it too much, I just went ahead and did it. I was showing in different places:: Pomona, Los Angeles, Palm Desert. I found myself traveling far and wondering why the same type of galleries or venues didn't exist in Riverside for our artists.

lived three miles from downtown, but I never came to downtown. I was in my little neighborhood, the group of people that I hung out with and was raised with. But when I started attending Riverside Community College (RCC) I was introduced to downtown. When I eventually did make it to the institutions that did showcase artists, I didn’t feel really welcomed. I didn’t feel a warm feeling. That is another reason why I decided to do something for myself—to represent the people I was raised with, and present different cultural images from artists that had different points of view about life.

When I first started there was Back to the Grind [a local coffee house], and I would show there, but Riverside didn’t really have many galleries or other institutions that embraced local artists. So, I said let’s figure out a way that we can create a Riverside arts community. Coming from a lowincome community I only liv

Division 9 Gallery, Riverside CA

Continued from previous page

Now that I’m older I look back; I was 30 then, now I am 42. I felt there was nothing for me and I wanted to do something for my-self. I was angry, so I used that anger as a vehicle to open doors for myself. When I was younger I would be upset that there weren’t venues, but as I got older I realized that was my vehicle, my tool to open my own doors and create my own venues, and share my own imagery. I wanted to make sure that it didn’t matter how poor, how rich, how educated or uneducated you were as an artist. The artwork had to be unique, your own image, not a representation of other artists who are well known.

I’ve been trying to get myself more organized so I have more time to create. I feel like I’m a slingshot. My energy to create pushes the rock back, I’m always stretching it as far as I can. It’s stretching, stretching, but while I’m doing that I’m actually creating ideas or concepts in my head; I’m constantly thinking of ideas I want to create. Eventually, I have free time and I create twenty, thirty images. I think I’m blessed because I’m doing things that I love to do. I put events together, I organize events, I do my artwork, I do graphic arts for people, from business cards to logos to brochures. I get to install artwork. I get to meet people.

When we left, I believe there was only one TV and one telephone in a town of two thousand. Dirt floors, we were born on dirt floors to give you an idea. So coming from a very poor background and coming to United States is like the experience of normal people here going to Disneyland. I always tell people, United States is like Disneyland. The streets are clean, the grass is clean, there is violence, but it isn’t as violent as other places, things do change if enough people get behind something, whereas in Mexico and other countries they don’t. You almost have to have a revolution for things to change.

Artists come in and show me their portfolios and they look like Dalí’s, Picasso’s, or Pollock’s artwork. That’s fine, but I want to make sure that I represent artwork that represents them and you can see their own identity on the paper or canvas. Do you have some advice/jewels of wisdom for those of us who want to devote some aspect of our creative careers to service? How do you balance balance your creative work with your involvement with community? We all have something that makes us tick; we all have something that makes us go forward. When we wake up we look forward to doing that one thing. What-ever that one thing is, you need to invest your time in doing it. What I mean is you have to be dedicated to something you love.

Cosme Cordova, Prolific Dormant II, 2012. Mixed Media (Drypoint etching, monotype), 18 x 12.5 in.

Unfortunately, nowadays we all need to have a job, but there are plenty of jobs in the art world, you just have to find something that coincides with your world.

Let’s switch focus and discuss your own art practice. Describe your work and the ideas be-hind it specifically what are you trying to communicate?

So my artwork is always based on that perspective of making sure I don’t forget where I come from and the world that I live in, which is the United States, is Disneyland.

So how do you balance your crea-tive work with your involvement with the community, your gallery work? Would you see yourself as the artist with his brushes in the trunk, who’s driv-ing and putting all his focus in his community and gallery work, or do you take time to pull over and paint every few miles?

The basis of my work all comes down to where I was born. I was born in Mexico and brought at the age of five to the United States. So, my perspective on United States and Mexico is interesting because it is not a normal point of view. My parents came from a very poor town.

The recent work I did was pronto plates,etchings, and mono-type, a combination of the three. It all started because I had an old iMac that I had for five years and it broke down. I felt like I couldn’t throw it away. So what I decided to do was take it apart. And once I took it

Cosme Cordova, Crossing Borders, 2006. Acrylic on canvas, 36.5 x 33 x 3.75 in.

And once I took it apart I found all the You get steak? pieces interesting and I wanted to create [Laughs.] Yeah, you get steak. jewelry or something with it. Long story short, I came across this What about the one that features the story of China or Japan, where there boot? were three hundred employees that were The boot is in the shape of Mexico and on top of a roof, they were going to also hung from barbed wire. commit suicide because they were not treated right in their work area. I forgot The barbed wire represents people who for what computer company, but when I had to cross the border. The boot comes opened up the Mac I was like ‘wow, this from a story my father told me about is intriguing, this is a lot of work put when he came over illegally. There were into one computer.’ So I wanted to several times where he was hired to come exhibit artwork that represented and over to pick fruits and vegetables. There showcased those workers. were times when the United States would I ran some of the motherboard through actually go and get Mexicans to work here the press, and inked it. And I did some with papers. But, there were other times etchings. I used flies, rats, roaches in the when my father had to cross the border imagery, my interpretation of them, illegally. He’d have to pay a coyote, which because that is how these people were is the person you pay to cross you over. My dad told me he’d put his money in his treated as humans. boot, because you never trusted the guy I did this painting of a big old chunk of who was going to get you across. Or, if steak in the shape of the United States. I you were chased or robbed, the last thing wanted to showcase that we are the meat they would take is your boots. I mean, if and potatoes of the world. People come they take your boots they’ve taken from afar with nothing in their pockets, everything. [Laughs.] don’t know the language when they get here, all to get a piece of the steak. It’s a So I wanted to create imagery of my dad’s huge painting, and I hung it on barbed story. Also, you’ll see the United States wire. Barbed wire represents to me you tree way in the distance. have to cross the border, you have to You work a lot with the shape of the cross the lines. It’s forbidden to come over United States, borders, and birds in here. But if you get pass the barbed wire… your work. What significance does

these themes have for you, and how has that significance expanded through your career. Have you always used these symbols? The United States symbols came later in my career. But I embraced the bird more as a symbol of freedom, flight. To be able to go to Mexico and come back to United States freely— I wish the world was like that, where we didn’t have any borders and we could go from one place to another. Birds symbolize a spirit of freedom. They’ve come into my life, not just my artwork, often. I have interesting stories of crows. I’ve walked everywhere till I was 25. I never had vehicles, my parents didn’t have vehicles, and so I’ve always walked or taken the bus. So the majority of times when I was walking by myself and thinking about things somehow a crow would appear, so I always felt a connection with them. I don’t know if it’s because I am intrigued with them, but I always seen them do interesting things. Their knowledge fascinates me. How long have you been an artist? What/who inspired you and what continues to inspire you? The inspiration for being an artist was my grandmother. She did a lot of pottery and weavings with palm fronds. She

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would create flowers, crosses, tortilla holders, mats, intricate designs. She was even asked to weave one for a famous Catholic Church in Mexico City because word had spread of her work.

test and sure enough I was dyslexic. My whole world changed, which sucked because I had to restart the whole engine. I had to relearn English, relearn reading, math. I really tried hard. I had friends who had other people write their stuff, but I really wanted to do it on my own.

There was a TV channel that interviewed It was very frustrating and stressful. I still people from different towns, well, they remember the day I was riding down the came to our town and interviewed her. highway and I just saw it all as a boxing That was an inspiration for me. match—me fighting with dyslexia against Now what town do your people come what you consider an average normal person going to college and getting their from? degree. And so I was fighting myself, San Pedro de la Cueva [San Pedro of the questioning if I should continue. My counselor would tell me, “you’ll get there, it’s Cave] in the state of Sonora. just going to take you eight years.” You’ve been very forthcoming about your battle with dyslexia. You don’t have But that’s what dyslexia is and I was never afraid of telling people about my fight: to disclose it, but you chose to, why? showing people that you can get things I just think it’s important because a lot done with dyslexia. I traded a lot of of people don’t. It’s been embraced artwork for people to help me write. Or I more now, but when I was younger it helped other people in my creative work wasn’t. I didn’t realize I was dyslexic by doing graphics, logos and in exchange until I got to college. I believe many they would read something for me, write teachers thought because I spoke something for me, respond to an email for me. Spanish I was trying to translate and so things got confused. So I was in Special Ed Dyslexia is not a disability; it’s actually a classes through high school, which allowed gift. Dyslexics think differently. The normal brain, the normal institution me to be more creative. [Laughs.] makes you believe that two plus two About a week into college my professor equals four. But my brain makes me told me to go see a counselor to see if I believe that I can add one plus one, plus one, plus one to get four. had a learning disability. I had to take a

Do you feel like the life of an artist includes sacrifices or compromises non-artist does not have to make? If so, what’s the trade-off ? I sort of wish I was not an artist sometimes. [Laughs.] Its not like I chose it, people say, “well you can stop being an artist.” No, you can’t.. It’s like you look at something on a table and you see something different. Someone throws something away and you think, “I can make something out of that.” You look at your garden, everybody plants their roses in a single file line, and you say, “I want to get a yellow one, blue one, and make a face out of them.” Being normal as in you wake up, take a shower, go to work, have lunch with your buddies in the office, come back home, have dinner, watch TV, weekends free, benefits, dental, health, vacations, save money for retirement. I don’t have those things, but I feel like I’m retired dealing with no retirement money. [Laughs.] Yeah, there are trade-offs. They should put that in the dictionary. Artist means to struggle. It shouldn’t be, a creative person who likes to work with different mediums. No, you’re struggling. [Laughs.] Thank you, Cosme; it was a pleasure. You’re welcome, and thank you. ◘

Feature - IE Arts & Culture

Feature â&#x20AC;&#x201C; IE Arts & Culture

Inland Empire Museum Of Art Gene Sasse: One man's passion to create a regional art museum By M Malia Vincent-Finney To say Gene Sasse loves art is a gross understatement. He loves art so much that he has amassed over 200 pieces of artwork comprising sculpture, paintings, photography, mixed media, and color prints. And all of this art shares his professional photography studio located in Upland CA. But perhaps greater than Gene's great affinity for art is his commitment and passion to share this love, and the works he has accumulated, with the rest of the Inland Empire and beyond. In 2012, Gene became the founder, CEO of the Inland Empire Museum of Art. Last year, the organization received its IRS Section 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. On April 11th, IEMA will open its first art exhibition, Contemporary Art From California's Inland Empire & Beyond at the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts at Fairplex in Pomona. IEE is the Media Sponsor for this event. Gene Sasse photographed by RON BLANCHARD Photography in this feature by GENE SASSE / IEMA

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Feature – IE Arts & Culture

Trona Pinnacles at Dusk by Gene Sasse

San Diego, New Mexico, two from exhibits, education and publications in Korea and one from Israel.” the Inland Empire area of Southern “I was a curator at a small museum California.” (CCAA 2011-2012) at one time,” Gene IEMA's Mission Statement said when we met at his studio a few The mission statement of the Inland “IEMA will create opportunities in the months ago. “I looked around and saw Empire Museum of Art is to “foster arts for residents throughout the region,” the art museums we currently have and and to promote the study, appreciation Gene said. “We will have curriculum and believed what the Inland Empire really and understanding of art through programs once we open.” needs is a regional art museum.” Continued from previous page

“Our region is underserved in the art community,” said Gene. It is clearly apparent, he is not the only one who feels this way. Gene said the first piece was Historic Riverside, a full sheet watercolor donated by Joanna Mersereau. Mersereau and Andrée Mendenhall Mahoney are Founding Donors of IEMA. Little by little, artists and supporters of IEMA continued donating pieces to make the vision of a regional art museum, now a shared vision of many, a reality. In addition to local area and regional artists, the collection also includes work from artists outside the Inland Empire. “I started collecting art before the 501(c)(3) and it was always the intention to be a nonprofit. Artists saw the need and were very supportive about helping build a collection for a new art museum,” Gene said. “Our entire collection is valued at over $250,000, based on the total artist selling prices,” Gene said. “We have works from artists in Oregon,

Searching the Stillness / One 2008, by William Catling, Sculpture - Clay, Wood & Barbwire 13.5x5.5x20.7

Feature – IE Arts & Culture

Sunday Morning in Vezelay, France by Al Setton, Acrylic on paper 2007

The Goal for IEMA in 2015

“The IE is lacking an art museum that is producing exciting and dynamic Water Tower by Nick Brown, Oil 2012 The primary objective of the art exhibits and that is free to the public exhibition at Fairplex Pomona is to and a place to bring their kids to art. An area for workshops, lectures unveil IEMA's vast collection to the expose them to art,” Gene said. and more. A storage are to house our public in an effort to promote awareness of the new museum. “There are 2.8 million people within collection of 5,000 pieces of art, a shipping and receiving area for The primary goal of the IEMA a 20-mile radius of the 10 and 15 exhibits and a museum store to sell board members is to raise $100,000 interchange and touches 4 counties. unique items.” and find a new location for the Our collection and planned exhibits collection that will become a includes artists from the IE but also What is the best aspect of what you permanent collection once housed in about 40% from out of this area.” do that brings you the most joy? its new home. “In a three-year study, researchers “Meeting artists, seeing their studios The board is planning a mem- found that the key reasons cited by and finding what motivates them to bership drive and fund raising events in residents for loving their cities were: 1) do what they do,” he said. the near future. Once the building is entertainment and social offerings; 2) secured, plans will begin to develop art how welcoming the city is; and 3) its The Art Exhibition at the Fairplex curriculum, an outreach program, aesthetics -- in other words, the arts The art exhibition at the Millard exhibits, workshops and classes. and culture.” Sheets Gallery at the Pomona Fairplex The report to which Gene referred will feature 99 percent of IEMA's The founder has also spoken with collection. Collection binders that prospective community partners, stated 88 percent of the people have information about each piece and including the Haili Wailele Film/Arts surveyed believe that cultural activities artist will be available. Foundation/The Living Museum, are important for their life, with 43 about teaming up to make the Inland percent indicating they play a “big The art exhibition will be open to Empire Museum of Art a reality. part” of their everyday life. the pubic and areas schools from 11:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. during the A Conversation With the Founder What personally inspires you? week, Wednesday through Sunday. “Photography, producing books and Gene grew up in Pomona, so he is Gene said he and the IEMA Board an IE native. I asked him what the curating exhibits,” he said. Members are hoping the art exhibition impetus was for IEMA. “A need and an Where do you want to be in 10 will make the public aware of the new idea! I love art and enjoy curating exhibits. years? art museum in the IE. ◙ It's fun to design an exhibit that viewers are surprised and the exhibit was different “IEMA (as having) a 20,000-square than what they thought. IEMA will foot home. With that we can have IE Entrepreneur is publishing a digital provide an outlet for contemporary art.” three nice size galleries for rotating catalog of the IEMA collection online. The What are your personal feelings are about exhibits. An area for the Young Eyes link will be made available on the need for a regional museum? Gallery - a place to help inspire kids about Facebook.com/IEEntrepreneur. art.”

Feature – IE Arts & Culture

Maureen M. Wheeler

The Collection

The IEMA art collection represents some of the most prominent artists in the Inland Empire and beyond, from the mid 1900’s to the present. Currently, over 100 artists have donated more than 150 works of art – painting in arcylic, oil and watercolor, mixed-media and collage, photography and digital art, prints, etchings, drawings, monoprints, sculpture and ceramics. The following pages are representational of the diverse body of work in the IEMA art collection.

Feature â&#x20AC;&#x201C; IE Arts & Culture

San Cristobal Women Weavers 1991, by Don O'Neil 1924-2007, Watercolor 22x30

Barbara Beretich Barbara Beretich was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1936. She received her BFA from the University of Illinois and her MFA in sculpture from Claremont Graduate School. It was there she met Millard Sheets who became a life-long mentor. After graduate school she did Independent Study in Paris, 1966-67, and from 1984 to 1988, Independent Study in Italy with a concentration on bronze casting. It is hard to describe Barbara Beretich without mentioning her multi-directed, many-hatted life style. A visit to her home and studio in Claremont underscores her works-in-progress approach where every corner exhibits a unique passion, an on-going project, or new focus her interest are eclectic, her affections consuming, her creativity far-reaching, and her generosity impressive. - Excerpt from iearts.org by Laurie Morrison

Bronze by Barbara Beretich

Feature – IE Arts & Culture

Green Rusty Car - Lee Vining, CA 1971, by Greg Gilbert, 22x30 mixed-media

Damian Ross “My work moves back and forth from pottery and sculpture. Sometimes I use the wheel, at others I do hand building. Occasionally I combine both methods. Recently I have been using a device called a clay extruder. With this tool I form tubing of various diameters and lengths. Clay is put into the extruder and squeezed out, forming the ceramic tubes out of which my works are made.” - Excerpt from iearts.org

Feature – IE Arts & Culture During the entire 500 years of Chosun dynasty, the women suffered from sexual inequity, which originated from the Confucian ideologies. It was infinite burden for woman to keep their virtues and manners throughout their lives. It didn’t matter if one was born in the court life of royal family, or in an ordinary life of a peasant. Because women’s lives were pressured to be obedient and submissive, there was a Hahn (resentment) and sorrow that always dwelt inside their hearts. It is well-understood to entire Korean female society that a woman's life must be drastic and difficult, without freely expressing their feelings and emotions. Time has changed, yet until now, the ideology still is permeated throughout the society. One would hate to, but must admit that such ideas still thrive in people’s minds. Hanji (Korean traditional paper) was a part of people’s everyday lives. Hanji was hung on the front gate of the house when infant was born, and was used for wrap the body in the funeral.

Flower 7 2010, 20x20 Acrylic

Kate Choi: Painting Tradition By Laurie Morrison Inland Empire Museum of Art

Kate Choi was born in 1968 in Kwang Ju, Korea. In the 1960s, South Korea preferred boys (sons) to girls (daughters) in order to inherit the root of family, a belief which descended from ancient Chosun dynasty. In addition, it was the responsibility of women to assure that the family line was not discontinued. Kate Choi was born as the second daughter, was raised by the mother who was a nursing officer, and the father who was a businessman. At the time, status of second daughter was welcomed only after a younger brother was born. From the childhood, she was always reminded of inequities of woman's sex.

Hanji, which is supposed to keeping for a thousand years, symbolizes the Chosun woman's endurance and strength. Kate Choi's Paper Flower is an expression of the repressed emotions, especially of sorrow, blooming into flowers. The reason why the Kate Choi works on the Paper Flower is that she wants to pass on how women in Chosun era overcame difficulties with patience and wisdom. She wanted to express love and respect for the women who prevailed such challenges and idiosyncrasy with infinite endurance and perseverance. Paper flowers may look weak, but are strong; they may look sorrowful, but possess the yearnings to continue on. That is what the Paper Flowers symbolize: an eternal amulet of willingness to overcome the obstacles and of life. ◙

Feature â&#x20AC;&#x201C; IE Arts & Culture

Untitled 2012 by Ken Sheffer, oil on canxas

Feature – IE Arts & Culture

Keith Klingonsmith, Oranges for the Gods, Oil 2012

Young Eyes Gallery Gene is especially passionate about bringing the arts to area schools. IEMA's mission is also to offer art classes and a variety of educational outreach programs to schools throughout the community. Art is vital to the education of the whole person. Plato believed that music and art form the “basic” curriculum – not a frill or an extracurricular activity. Research shows that students with a foundation in music, theatre or art education score higher on standardized tests than those who have never been exposed to the arts. Shovelbirds, steel sculpture by Dan Romero

Feature â&#x20AC;&#x201C; IE Arts & Culture

Barbara Beretich

Totems, glass sculptures by Leslie Codina

Artists as Entrepreneurs

Images courtesy RON BLANCHARD

If art imitates life, then Ron Blanchard's art reflects the man – quiet, complex, with a beautiful outlook on life - and he owns land on Koro Island in Fiji. His tools are software programs and from the mathematical equations and formulas with which he creates his digital artworks, you could say Ron paints by the numbers. But not the kind of pictures that we usually associate with childhood paint kits.

Ron Blanchard The magic is in the numbers By M Malia Vincent-Finney

“You start with some basic parameters, then you start the long process of experimenting with small mathematical changes added to the variable boxes and you can also add layers of secondary "Formulas" a total six on top of the parameters, so it can get mind numbing but, oh, what exquisite results.” “Exquisite” is the perfect adjective to describe Ron's fractal art. By inputting and manipulating his formulas, he creates images that range from whimsical and fun to intricate manifestations as gentle as lace to structures hard and metallic that look otherworldly. Some of his images remind me of microscopic specimens at 400 magnification. Continued on next page

Artists as Entrepreneurs

Teal Coral

Ron started creating his fractal art about five years ago. He says he can spend from 30 minutes to several days on a digital painting. “I've been doing fractals for about five years until just recently I was doing it for my own pleasure, no one ever saw them until I became part of IEMA,” Ron said.. He has donated four digital color prints to the Inland Empire Museum of Art collection in Upland CA. The collection will be on exhibit at the Millard Sheets Art Center at the Fairplex Pomona from April 11th through May 3rd. The Early Years

business and I was able to develop a good business with advertising agencies there. I even built a large studio/office space for photographers and was Ron also won an award from the doing well until the bubble burst in United States Army for his 1996.” photography. “When the big oil and savings and “It was very experimental. Slow loan business crash caught up to us in shutter trailing streaks of movement.” Austin and everything stopped. I lost he said. two homes and my studio complex. I had to walk away from everything with He attended LA Trade & Technical a wife and three daughters and move school after the Army. “Then went back to California this time with nothing. into business with none other than Gene Sasse as we met at LA trade “But I had developed another skill &Tech. We started Visual Concepts in Austin - Professional wallpaper photography studio in Orange county hanging. I was able to get going pretty in 1973.” quick doing that in the Inland Empire.” to pay the bills. Then the Viet Nam War gave me a chance to buy my first camera while there and even learned to develop film in a war zone.”

“I was raised in Covina and moved to the I.E. 1976 I was raised in Covina “I started Ron Blanchard and moved to the I.E. 1976,” Ron said. Productions in 1977 and moved into a “I've always loved art and wanted to be space in Brea. Then in 1990, I moved a cartoonist at first. Well, you know the to Austin TX,” Ron said. “I had a stories of having to have a regular job commercial advertising photography to st

“We lived in Ontario. I started another small studio in Brea CA. Here is where I learned the video business. I do video camera work for Star Way Productions at casinos and in LA.”

Artists as Entrepreneurs

In 1996, Ron got his first PC with Photoshop and he said that the changed everything for him. “I've always been self-employed an artist and entrepreneur as I had no father after I was three and had to pick myself up by my bootstraps and get er' done!,” Ron said. “The best part of being an entrepreneur is the since of a new adventure, to ferret out new opportunities, a fresh start to do better.” Now that I'm working just parttime as a multimedia/video production company, it leaves me time to explore other things that I have always incorporated into my business, art and design, as on a needed basis for clients. Five years ago I started exploring Fractals and saw it as art & design. It was SO different and no matter what I created I had never seen anything like it before, that was pure exploration for me.”

Comma IFS

Future Plans “I'm 68 and in ten years see my business in slow motion and myself on long trips with my wife around the world and especially to my Fiji property. Also, I do give back through the IEMA and have made it a mission to help my Fijian clan and village (Tavua)

near my property on Koro Island, Fiji, a remote off-the-grid island.” “My former teaching experience at three different private design colleges in SoCal have given me the desire, through IEMA education classes, to teach others how to use Apps to create art with a computer.” ◙

Artists as Entrepreneurs

Fred Hartson

Illustrator, graphic designer, digital photographer By Laurie Morrison Inland Empire Museum of Art

GENE SASSE 2010

Fred Hartson can trace his interest in art way back to the second grade when his budding talent was recognized and encouraged with a “one-man show” at an open house for parents. Fred graduated from Art Center College of Design where he studied under instructors who included Harry Carmean, Lorser Feitelson and Joseph Henninger. He has spent a thirty-plus year career as an art director, graphic designer, and instructor. His work in graphic design has garnered local, regional, as well as national awards. As with many commercial artists Fred has long felt the pull of fine art. In his spare time over the years Fred has experimented with painting, sculpting, and photography. Most recently he has been working with his photographs on the computer; altering, combining, and composing them into “digital paintings.” The computer gives him control in his compositions over color, contrast and texture – be it bold or subtle. The computer will also come up with surprises. All combining into the “controlled spontaneity” all painters strive to cultivate. From his Pioneer Point home in California’s high desert, Fred enjoys taking the back roads and trails looking for subjects for his art. Those subjects can range from grand panoramas to intimate close-ups. ◙

El Airolito by Fred Hartson

Image courtesy FRED HARTSON

Artists as Entrepreneurs

Fred Hartson

Artists as Entrepreneurs

Trojan Horse at the Second Street Sculpture Park, stands in front of a painted wall that appeared in an episode of televison's X Files. Pomona CA. Photos courtesy DAN ROMERO

Second Street Sculpture Park Dan & Dina Romero: Visions of sculpture parks dance in their heads By M Malia Vincent-Finney A Trojan Horse started it all.

sculptors who own Romero Metal, build the horses from materials found located in the Pomona Packing Plant in a salvage yard. Dan taught his team But unlike its counterpart of building, just one mile from their members how to weld. ancient Troy, this magnificent brainchild, the Second Street Sculpture Dina said â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Trojan Horse is sculpture fabricated from scrap metal, Park at 538 W. Second Street. made entirely from metal found in the was a welcome gift to the citizens and recycle yard at the fairgrounds. We cut community of the city of Pomona CA. As Dan tells it, in 2008 the Millard Sheets Gallery at the Fairplex in up old trailers to make the rolling base The sculpture is larger than life-size Pomona, held a competition for the for our horse as well as for the other teams.â&#x20AC;? and proportionately correct, said Dina best sculpted horse for Los Angeles The horse reaches 12 feet in height. Romero, wife of Dan. Both are metal County Fair. Teams had 15 days to Continued on the next page s build

Artists as Entrepreneurs their farm from the air, or get airplane engine repair.” “We were good at it. We had both won National Championships in home-built airplanes.” “Then came 9-11 and all aircraft were grounded for awhile. I had time to try something I always wanted to do, metal sculpture. I put a sculpture in the dA Gallery in the Pomona Art Colony. Mr Sam Maloof bought it and put it in his amazing collection. Over a dozen years later Dina and I are in the metal sculpture business and flying is a hobby.” Recently, Dan was commissioned by Calnetix, a manufacturer of rotors located in Cerritos, to fabricate a custom sculpture for outdoors. “The stainless steel sculpture in Cerritos is 6 feet tall, 6 inches deep, and 52 inches wide,” Dina said. “It stands on a travertine base. The company asked Dan to design and build the sculpture. The large rotor in the center of the disc is a small part of what the company makes.”

A stainless steel sculpture commissioned by Calnetix in Cerritos CA.

Continued from previous page

Most of the work at Romero Metal in commissioned sculpture. Their clients range from homeowners to corporations and cities. Dan says the work keeps them busy.

weld and building three more sculptures. Having to deal with where to keep six large parade float style sculptures led us to open our own sculpture park.”

“This is where we keep large The idea for Second Street sculpture, parade floats and parties. It Sculpture Park came at the end of the is open on Second Saturday Art Walk from April to October.” 2008 Trojan Horse competition. Romero Metal and the sculpture Dan said art patrons, Tom and Toni Bostick, took the Romeros on a park are not Dan and Dina's first trip to New York City where they entrepreneurial venture. Both are licensed pilots. visited the Socrates Sculpture Park. “Dina and I were pilots,” Dan said. “The following year Dina and I were again involved with the (Millard “We operated a flying business. One Sheets) gallery, teaching the teams to could get flying lessons, get pictures of the w

When the idea for the Inland Empire Museum of Art was born, Dan donated his work, Shovelbirds, “a very early representation of Dan's garden pieces, made from an old shovel and mild steel.” Dina said this early piece and the Cerritos piece are “two extremes of Dan's work.” Future Plans for the Romeros “Our goal is to create a grant for up-coming sculptors to come and build large works, at least one a year. This will happen,” said Dan. “We don't have a non-profit set up for the park,” Dina said. “In ten years we see ourselves having traveled to other countries to build sculptures there We were invited, and went, to Germany two years ago for that very purpose.” “Meanwhile we are enjoying our 'job' as metal sculptors in an increasingly busy art world.” ◙

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Business Safety & Security

Workplace Violence Intervention Part 3 – The Active Shooter By Mike R. Jackson, CPP, CSM

The prior articles of this series have persons more insight as to what may be been a preparatory phase for the some of the thought processes an extreme aspect of workplace assailant would consider: violence, the active shooter (AS). 1. Fantasy Stage Our world has experienced real-life 2. Planning Stage tragedy, in our nation and across the 3. Preparation Stage seas, unfortunately with no realistic 4. Approach Stage expectation it will cease. 5. Implementation S tage Having a better understanding of a situation affords us the chance to Initially, the shooter only dreams prevent it or survive it. This topic has of the shooting. He fantasizes about been under intense scrutiny in hopes of the headlines and the news coverage stopping the next attack. The insights he will receive. He pictures breaking provided can strengthen a security the death count record of the program as long as people are educated previous active shooter, and going with it. out in a blaze of glory. He may draw pictures of the event, make Although guns are not the only Web postings and even discuss these weapon of choice for attacks, gun- desires with friends and foes alike. related incidents stand out in the minds If these fantasies are passed on to of most people. Still, guns are devices law enforcement, police intervention operated by people who make wrong can take place prior to the suspect's choices, whether criminal or non- attack. In this case, there may even criminal intentions. be zero casualties. Active shooters crave the spotlight. Many AS pay attention to the media for previous attacks, taking note of the weapons used, location, approach taken and body count, which influences their script of activities. Phases of an Active Shooter Situation Some law enforcement agencies refer to the five phases of an active shooter situation. These phases, provided by former police Lieutenant Dan Marcou, of the La Crosse Police Department (WI), offer other, non-law enforcement April 2015

The potential shooter will determine the weapons needed and how they will be obtained. He will decide how to travel to the target location and how to dress to conceal his weapons without arousing suspicion. If the police are tipped off at this time, intervention may be made with zero casualties.

Preparation Stage A law enforcement agency can still intervene during the preparation stage.

Planning Stage

The suspect may be obtaining gunpowder or other chemicals for his improvised explosive devices. He might break into a house to steal weapons and ammunition and/or hide them away in a designated place closer to where he plans to attack. He may also do a practice run or w alk-t hro u g h of the operation, gearing himself up for the assault.

The suspect is still a potential active shooter at this stage. He is determining logistics – who, what, when, where and how of the infamous day. He may put plans down in writing and will often discuss these plans with others. A time and location will be decided upon – one that will ensure the greatest number of victims or, in some cases, target specific individuals.

Potential shooters have been known to call friends and tell them not to go to school or work on a certain day, in order to keep them out of the line-of-fire. If one of these people informs police of their concerns, there is another opportunity for law enforcement to intervene before the event. If this is the case, there is a real possibility that there may be zero casualties Continued next page IE ENTREPRENEUR | 49

Business Safety & Security Continued from previous page

Approach Stage The closer the time to the planned event, the more dangerous it will be for an officer taking action. By the approach stage, the suspect has made his plans and has committed himself to carry out the act. At this point, he is actually moving toward the intended target and will most likely be carrying the tools that he will use for the massacre.

Implementation Stage Once the shooter opens fire, immediate action must be taken. Initial responding officers need to immediately proceed to the suspect and stop the threat. If he is not stopped, the active shooter will continue to kill until he runs out of victims or ammunition.

Remember, the active shooter is unique because he is going for the "top score," or the highest number Officers may encounter the of kills on record for an active suspect at this stage because of a shooter incident. It is almost like a citizen complaint, a traffic stop or bizarre video game, except its real. something similar. The sooner someone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; anyone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A thorough investigation can effectively intervenes through an act lead to an arrest of the suspect of courage, the fewer funerals will before he brings down a multitude result. In past incidents, active of innocent people in a shooting or shooters have been thwarted by bombing. However dangerous the police officers, security guards and stop, an alert and armed officer has a schoolteachers. In October 2006, final chance to intervene if he is Principal John Klang of Weston prepared and aware during every High School in Cazenovia, WI, died street contact. This contact could wrestling an armed 15-year old become a lifesaver and may end in student to the floor. Klang saved every life in the school. zero casualties.

50 | IE ENTREPRENEUR

Active shooter incidents can also be minimized, with the cooperation of the media, by reducing the media attention, by limiting the specifics of the event, no photos or videos and decrease prominence in news feeds. Additionally, having a workplace violence prevention policy in place will provide a plan on how to navigate this problem. There are many avenues to consider when addressing workplace violence and policy development can be key to all the aspects involved. Developing a threat assessment team to evaluate potential problems is a dynamic process and can cause you policy to evolve based on each assessment. Developing control measures, administrative and environmental, will decrease the potential for violence. Involving workplace violence prevention experts will ensure appropriate steps are taken to protect your workplace. â&#x2014;&#x2DC; Mike R. Jackson, CPP, CSM, is the principal of Security Research Group. He can be reached at mike@SecurityResearchGroup.com.

April 2015

Business Safety & Security

Accidents Onsite

Preventative action maintains productivity By Mike R. Jackson, CPP, CSM

One of biggest influences on Core values are set in stone and business success is maintaining cannot be changed. Safety is a productivity. business core value, a guiding principle considered at every aspect of Productivity is often influenced by the business before work moves safety, or the lack thereof. Have you forward. ever experienced an undesirable event in your life; an event causing you to Types of Accidents become hurt or affect your health, no matter how minor? Accidents must be reported imme-

Investigations

diately to supervisors or managers. The workplace is a magnet for Accidents may involve serious accidents, from paper cuts to traffic collisions, accidents are going to occur injuries, illnesses, first aids, fatalities, and should be given serious attention. near-miss, property damage, structural To minimize the occurrence of failure and equipment failure. accidents the first task is correct the All accidents influence the attitude of the workplace safety culture productivity of your business. Safety Culture A forklift striking a storage rack may cause the operator physical We have all heard, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Safety is our Priority,â&#x20AC;? especially during new hire discomfort but may cause unseen orientation. But when the bottom-line damage to machine and rack location profits are down, the priorities change is unsafe position for anyone else in to work with or near it. and unsafe shortcuts are taken.

Accident causes can be traced to carelessness and inattention, which includes complacency, emotions, tiredness, lack of knowledge and know-it-all or reckless attitude.

Reducing accidents in the workplace requires changing the thought processes of employers and employees, to a safety culture. This can be achieved by instituting safety as a core value and not just a fashionable priority. April 2015

Use common sense when responding to a reported accident scene. Some accidents involving chemicals or electrically charged equipment can incapacitate or prevent rescuers from assisting another injured employee.

Proper investigation of accidents will provide insights to help decrease the chance of future incidents. Investigations determine the cause(s) of accidents and measures to take to prevent future occurrences.

The collection of data is fundamental to create a depiction of what happened and how. The data includes witness and involved employee statements, photos of the accident scene and recovering the involved equipment, if any, for later analysis. Accidents can occur at various locations, on the work site, while indoors or outdoors, off-property or while traveling.

Continued on next page I E ENTREPRENEUR | 51

Business Safety & Security Continued from previous page

Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations (T8CCR) section 3203. There are exceptions to having a written program in place visit this website https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/etools/09-0 31/exceptions.htm An effective IIPP involves all An investigation may take to a employees and addresses: hospital or clinic to demonstrate not only your concern for the injured ✔ Responsibility employee but to get additional ✔ Compliance information from the employee or ✔ Communication medical staff. ✔ Hazard Assessment This will allow you as the employer ✔ Accident/Exposure Investigation to monitor the employees treatment, ✔ Hazard Correction diagnosis and rehabilitation needs. ✔ Employees appreciate this involvement Training and Instruction and it lends to faster recovery times. ✔ Recordkeeping

Preparation for any location includes having the necessary equipment immediately available, with rain gear, camera, paper and pencil (for notes, statements and diagrams)

employees knowledgeable on safety concerns to which they be exposed. Safety committee meetings expose involved employees in the background of accident investigation and prevention. The responsibility of the safety committee members is to communicate what they have learned to the remaining employees in their assigned work areas. Accident Prevention Developing and training employees about safe work habits starts on the first day of all employees.

Learn from the unfortunate mistakes of others by studying the Samples and detailed explanation of safety information contained on the OSHA, Occupational Safety and the IIPP program are available at internet or in the media. OSHA has a Health Administration, is the https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/etools/0 database of statistics available for regulatory agency responsible for the 9-031/how.htm public review. enforcement of safety and health This is part of the safety core value, standards for the workplace. Participating in a local OSHA a road-map elevating safety throughout the workplace, accessible to all. It is an training course available at many Employees reporting work-related ever-changing document that needs colleges, universities or private injuries are not to be penalized. Failure scheduled review for updates. organizations, will provide you special to report an injury may result in insights to the safety concerns of your administrative actions. Workers' Compensation business. This knowledge is invaluable, providing a wise perceptive for the OSHA's enforcement component is Once a work injury is reported it protection of your employees, your the field inspector. If they visit your business and see any safety violation initiates the employer insurance system. business and even useful for your they, even if it is not the reason for A form of insurance, Workers' family. Compensation, provides replacement being there, they can issue a safety compensation and medical treatment Accident Avoidance Benefits citation. benefits to employees with work-related OSHA Requirements

Finding unsafe conditions can cause the inspector to dive deeper into your business operations, causing possible delays in operations and elevating stress levels among employees and management.

injuries, disabilities or fatalities.

A workers' compensation claim is submitted to an insurance initiate the documentation tracking for medical treatment, employee recuperation status and associated financial obligations for Know the OSHA regulations for both. your industry and make sure they are Safety Committee followed by everyone who enters your place of business. Keeping employees informed IIPP about safety is everyone's The Injury and Illness Prevention responsibility. Implementing a safety Program (IIPP), a California work safety committee, populated by all employee program, is required by all employers, per levels, work areas and shifts, will keep e 52 | IE ENTREPRENEUR

The phrase, “You can pay me, or you can pay me later”, fits here. By investing in a safety plan, safety training and safety committee, you will minimize the headaches of workers' compensation claims, which affect your profits. The benefits of being prepared include reduced insurance costs, no fines or penalties, no litigation, no medical expenses, less stress, motivated employees and improved productivity. It's a win-win scenario for all involved. ◙ April 2015

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It's A Wrap!

Hiking Joshua Tree National Park CA / JOAN RUDDER-WARD