East Valley Business - 03.31.19

east valley

Volume 1 Issue 33 Mesa, AZ

March 31, 2019

Sun Lakes clinic attacks muscle loss with success

Kevin Johnson, on left, a patient at VitalityHealth, poses with Matt Essex, founder and president of VitalityHealth Inc. in Sun Lakes. Johnson of Gilbert began the strengthtraining system at VitalityHealth after having a heart attack and bypass surgery. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)

By COLLEEN SPARKS Tribune Staff Writer

K

IN THE BIZ

evin Johnson has been active his whole life and began distance running at 4, so he was not expecting to have a heart attack at 51.

The certified public accountant, who lives in Gilbert, ended up having heart Public Notices ........... page 3 © Copyright, 2019 East Valley Tribune

bypass surgery and lost at least 50 pounds of muscle while staying at the Mayo Clinic. Later, he had to get a heart transplant, and the athletic man said he found himself “very, very skinny.”

While he underwent cardiac rehabilitation at Chandler Regional Medical Center, Johnson still was weak and had trouble doing simple things like step(USPS 004-616) is published weekly

Mailing Address: 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282

(480) 898-6500 Steven Strickbine, publisher Paul Maryniak, executive editor

ping into his truck, and he could not do two of his favorite activities – running and hiking.

Now 52, he was able to bounce back and regain his strength by doing a strength regeneration system at the VitalityHealth Sun Lakes location at 10440 E. Riggs Road.

VitalityHealth has two other centers in Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year.

Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: East Valley Tribune, 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 291, Tempe, AZ 85282

Scottsdale: one at 3300 N. 75th St. and the other at 10165 N. 92nd St. Now Johnson frequently hikes, walks and bicycles.

“I feel like I am as strong and capable as I was before my heart attack,” he said. “Doctors are very impressed that I’m as active as I am. Eight months later, I can do twice as much weight lifting. I feel like I have put on quite a bit of good muscle.”

Johnson’s improvement is one of many success stories for patients who exercise at VitalityHealth’s three locations, said Matt Essex, founder and president of VitalityHealth.

The clinic’s medical wellness system helps people like Johnson who have sarcopenia, which Essex said is “a degradation or decline of muscle mass that leads to significant decreases in strength and function.”

Sarcopenia is the primary cause of muscle wasting, strength losses and falls among aging people, he said.

Ryan Booher is Essex’s business partner and vice-president for the Scottsdale locations of VitalityHealth.

People on average lose about 30 percent of their muscle power between the ages of 50 and 70, according to the AARP. “I will categorically tell you, you have to protect your muscles and preserve your muscle mass and strength,” Essex said. “If you neglect that, you’re really putting yourself at risk for pretty much everything you don’t want: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis.

“The way you treat sarcopenia is exactly the same as you treat osteoporosis. We have many patients in their 90s. You’d be amazed how much better they get. Some people will tell us, ‘I feel stronger now than I did in my 40s.’”

Some patients have said they could start playing tennis again or taking long walks because of their exercises at VitalityHealth, he added.

Essex said when he was earning his bachelor’s degree in exercise science and nutrition at Arizona State University, he helped researchers looking into sarcopenia in the mid-1990s.

“The idea of doing muscle training or strengthening exercises with older adults was relatively new then,”

he said. “It was very, very compelling.

When I first started, I couldn’t believe what we were asking these older people to do.”

People with an average age of 78 and some in their mid-90s, many of whom used walkers, did strength-training two to three times a week through the ASU studies.

Doing “pretty simple protocol,” they became “remarkably stronger and healthier across the board,” Essex said.

“It’s almost miraculous,” he said. “I was just stunned with the changes, seeing people go from wheelchairs to walking again.”

Essex was involved in about 20 to 30 studies focused on strength training and aging, tracking sarcopenia. He later earned his master’s degree in exercise and wellness from ASU and served as a research director while in graduate school.

Essex took what he learned at ASU and started VitalityHealth in 2007, first in Scottsdale, and opened the Sun Lakes one in 2015. He and silent partners have similar companies under different brand names in Houston.

“My family is a long line of entrepreneurs,” Essex said. “I got the entrepreneur bug.”

Patients get an advanced diagnostic when they come to VitalityHealth to evaluate their body mechanics and find out what is keeping them from “training muscles in a safe manner,” he said. Once the evaluation is done and a plan is developed for them, patients go through sarcotherapy, a therapeutic treatment, under the guidance of a licensed physical therapist.

Most of the physical therapists that help these patients are doctorate level, Essex said. The patients do a variety of things to help stimulate the “muscle fibers in a very specific manner to get them to regrow and regenerate.”

“We’ll work on balance and stability and flexibility,” Essex said.

Generally the patients use computerized strength equipment to target the major muscle groups: legs, arms, chest, back and core muscles.

Patients in the sarcotherapy typically come to the center to exercise two to three times a week, for 30 minutes to an

EAST VALLEY BUSINESS

2

hour each time, Essex said.

Clients who are strong enough can do the sarco-regen treatments in smallgroup sessions, usually in about 30 minutes per visit, he said.

“Ideally by then, we’ve removed the restrictors that would prevent them from engaging in activity,” Essex said.

“They have less pain. We’ve dealt with the injuries. Their body’s hopefully in a more healthy state in a more efficient manner.”

Clients in the sarco-regen do squats or exercises using leg presses, seated chest presses, shoulder presses, stability exercises and other movements. An exercise physiologist or someone with a background in physiology or kinesiology leads the small groups.

“It’s really cool to see what happens,” Essex said. “Their friendships blossom.

Aging can be tough. We like to be a beacon of hope in the community where they can come in and do something really constructive for their health but also build relationships with people that are like them.”

The Sun Lakes team took patients and members caroling in the community around Christmas and sometimes go on group hikes.

Clients are also taught about the importance of getting enough protein in their diets.

Johnson said he goes to VitalityHealth three times a week and works on strength-building machines.

“I feel like I’m my old self for sure,” he said. “They make you do things that you wouldn’t do normally. I think it would be very beneficial for anyone to do strength training. We also work on balance.”

Most of the patients at VitalityHealth are over 55 and many are over age 65, Essex said. The clinics accept Medicare for patients, and memberships are offered to those without health insurance for as low as $49 a month.

Information: choosehowyouage.com

MARCH 31, 2019

Public Notice CITY OF MESA MESA, ARIZONA HIBBERT STREETSCAPE – MESA ART SPACE LOFTS 155 S. HIBBERT CITY OF MESA PROJECT NO. CP0879 2nd AVENUE STREETSCAPE 2nd AVENUE – BETWEEN MORRIS AND ROBSON CITY OF MESA PROJECT NO. GR0288 HUD PROJECT NO. IDIS 746 DAVIS BACON WAGES APPLY ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be received until Thursday, May 2, 2019, at 1 p.m. All sealed bids will be received at Mesa City Plaza Building, Engineering Department at 20 East Main Street, 5th Floor, Mesa, Arizona; except for bids delivered 30 minutes prior to opening which will be received at the information desk, 1st floor, Main Lobby of the Mesa City Plaza Building. Any bid received after the time specified will be re-turned without any consideration.

This contract shall be for furnishing all labor, materials, transportation and services for the construction and/or installation of the following work: Hibbert Streetscape – Within the public right-of-way, provide and install landscaping and irrigation improvements, unit pavers, concrete flatwork for public sidewalk, and benches and bike racks per the project plans.

2nd Ave Streetscape - Within the public right-of-way, provide and install landscaping improvements per the project plans.

Engineer’s Estimate range is: Hibbert Streetscape = $60,000.00, 2nd Ave Streetscape = $35,000.00, Total = $95,000.00.

For all technical, contract, bidrelated, or other questions, please contact Donna Horn at donna.horn@ mesaaz.gov.

Contact with City Employees.

All firms interested in this project (including the firm’s employees, representatives, agents, lobbyists, attorneys, and subconsultants) will refrain, under penalty of disqualification, from direct or indirect contact for the purpose of influencing the selection or creating bias in the selection process with any person who may play a part in the selection process. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential firms, to assure that contract decisions are made in public, and to protect the integrity of the selection process. All contact on this selection process should be addressed to the authorized representative identified above.

Contractors desiring to submit proposals may purchase sets of the Bid Documents from ARC Document Solu-tions, LLC, at https://order.earc.com/arcEOC/PWELL_Main. asp?mem=29. Click on “Go” for the Public Planroom to access plans.

NOTE: In order to be placed on the Plan Holders List and to receive notifications and updates regarding this bid (such as addenda) during the bidding period, an order must be placed. The cost of each Bid Set will be no more than $20, which is nonrefundable. Partial bid packages are not sold. You can view documents on-

Palladium GRID, LLC, (“Developer”), is seeking a qualified Construction Manager at Risk (CM@Risk) to provide Pre-Construction Services assistance and complete Construction Services as the CM@Risk for the GRID Mixed Use Project Site Improvements Project.

All qualified firms that are interested in providing these services are invited to submit their Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) in accordance with the requirements detailed in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ).

The following is a summary of the project. The required tasks will be reviewed with the selected CM@ Risk and defined to meet the needs of the project as part of the contract scoping.

The scope of work will include upgrades to the Pomeroy Parking Garage, streetscape related improvements, upgrade to Gateway Park, City Court security measures, improvements to Gateway Park Drive and other associated work.

The estimated construction cost is $2,500,000 to $4,500,000.

A Pre-Submittal Conference will not be held.

Contact with City and Developer Employees. All firms interested in this project (including the firm’s employees, representatives, agents, lobbyists, attorneys, and subconsultants) will refrain, under penalty of disqualification, from direct or indirect contact for the purpose of influencing the selection or creating bias in the selection process with any person who may play a part in the selection process. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential firms, to assure that contract decisions are made in public, and to protect the integrity of the selection process. All con-tact on this selection process should be addressed to the authorized representative identified below.

RFQ Lists. The RFQ is available on the City’s website at http:// mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/ construction-manager-at-risk-andjob-order-contracting-opportunities.

The Statement of Qualifications shall include a one-page cover letter, plus a maximum of 8 pages to address the SOQ evaluation criteria (excluding resumes but including an organization chart with key personnel and their affiliation).

Resumes for each team member shall be limited to a maximum length of two pages and should be attached as an appendix to the

line (at no cost), order Bid Sets, and access the Plan Holders List on the website at the address listed above.

Please verify print lead time prior to arriving for pick-up. For a list of locations nearest you, go to www.earc.com.

One set of the Contract Documents is also available for viewing at the City of Mesa’s Engineering Department at 20 East Main Street, Mesa, AZ. Please call 480-644-2251 prior to arriving to ensure that the documents are available for viewing.

In order for the City to consider alternate products in the bidding process, please follow Arizona Revised Statutes §34.104c.

If a pre-bid review of the site has been scheduled, details can be referenced in Project Specific Provision Section #3, titled “Pre-Bid Meeting.”

Work shall be completed within 60 consecutive calendar days, beginning with the day following the starting date specified in the Notice to Proceed.

Bids must be submitted on the Proposal Form provided and be accompanied by the Bid Bond for not less than ten percent (10%) of the total bid, payable to the City of Mesa, Arizona, or a certified or cashier’s check. PERSONAL OR INDIVIDUAL SURETY BONDS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. The successful bidder will be required to execute the standard form of contract for construction within ten (10) days after formal award of contract. In addition, the successful bidder must be registered in the City of Mesa Vendor Self-Service (VSS) System (http://mesaaz.gov/business/ purchasing/vendor-self-service).

The successful bidder, simultaneously with the execution of the Contract, will be required to furnish a Payment Bond in the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, a Performance Bond in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, and the most recent ACORD® Certificate of Liability Insurance form with additional insured endorsements.

The right is hereby reserved to accept or reject any or all bids or parts thereto, to waive any informalities in any proposal and reject the bids of any persons who have been delinquent or unfaithful to any contract with the City of Mesa.

BETH HUNING City Engineer ATTEST: DeeAnn Mick City Clerk Publish: East Valley Tribune, Mar. 31, Apr 7, 14, 2019 / 19606

SOQ. Minimum font size shall be 10pt. Please provide eight (8) hard copies and one (1) electronic copy (CD or USB drive) of the Statement of Qualifications by April 17th, 2019 at 2:00pm. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Statements of Qualifications.

The City is an equal opportunity employer.

Delivered or hand-carried submittals must be delivered to the Engineering Department reception area on the fifth floor of Mesa City Plaza Building in a sealed package.

On the submittal package, please display: Firm name, project number, and/or project title.

Firms who wish to do business with the City of Mesa must be registered in the City of Mesa Vendor Self Service (VSS) System ( h tt p : / / m e s a a z . g ov / bu s i n e s s / purchasing/vendor-self-service).

Questions. Questions pertaining to the Construction Manager at Risk selection process or contract issues should be directed to Stephanie Gishey of the Engineering Department at stephanie.gishey@ mesaaz.gov.

BETH HUNING City Engineer ATTEST: DeeAnn Mick City Clerk Published: East Valley Tribune Mar. 31, Apr 7, 2019 / 19716

Public Notice In anticipation of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency making announcement for availability of intercity bus security grant funding, Industrial Bus Lines, Inc. is currently soliciting bids from qualified vendors for the following project(s): vehicle/ driver security enhancements including real time GPS tracking and video surveillance system for over the road coaches. This bid should also include the necessary costs for professional installation.

The cut off to participate in the bid process expires on April 20, 2019. For more information, please contact Eugene Thomas at 480281-0773 or e-mail ethomas@ allaboardamerica.com Publish: East Valley Tribune, Mar. 31, Apr 7, 2019 / 19523

Public Notice CITY OF MESA, ARIZONA ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Mesa is seeking a qualified firm or team to act as the Construction Manager at Risk for the following: THE GRID MIXED USE PROJECT SITE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT NO. M99-2019-012

The City of Mesa, on behalf of

EAST VALLEY BUSINESS

3

MARCH 31, 2019

the tickler

east valley 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282

PERIODICALS U. S. POSTAGE PA I D GOODYEAR, AZ 85338