Cooking and Kitchen Safety - Fire Prevention

We have had numerous kitchen fires to respond to. One in particular was extinguished rapidly by a fast thinking and fast acting young lady. She knew in advance what to do so when she had to she jumped into action saving the home from any major structural damage and herself from any harm.

I know that just reading the above may not help you so please read the below and visit the linked site so you too will be properly prepared:

Cooking Safety

Families spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It is often the favorite place to be together. But many injuries can happen there. To stay safe when you are cooking and eating, here are some tips. http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/SafetyGuide/sg_cooking_w001.asp

Thanks, and stay safe!

Peter Kanavas - Contents Department Manager

How Do You Start Your Day?

Did my alarm really go off already?  Man it's hard to get going in the morning sometimes (OK for some of you maybe all of the time).  I really like the following advice from a personal trainer on 3 things to do each day to start your day out successfully:
1) STRETCH - take a few moments to stretch your body, arms, legs - get your blood flowing and your muscles warmed up
2) BREAKFAST - take the time to eat a healthy breakfast - the most important meal of the day
3) PUNCTUALITY - be ON TIME to your first appointment of the day whatever that may be.

What do you think?  Are you willing to give the big 3 a try?  Let us know if they work for you?

Greg Ahlstrom - Accounting Manager

What's In a Name - Part III of III

Part III - Previously in 'what's in a name' we explored the most common customer last names that we have had the pleasure of working for, and we explored the similarities of the employee names we have at our company.

A few months before my son was born in March of this year, I was ready to reveal to my co-workers the NAME my wife and I had chosen for him.  I put the first letter of his name 'A' with 4 spaces following on our erase board in our conference room and asked everyone to write down their guesses on the board.  It was absolutely amazing to see how many legitimate guesses they were actually able to come up with (see attached picture - click on it to enlarge it).  And much to my surprise one of the guesses was actually correct.  ANSON came into the world safely on March 8th, 2010.  Thanks again for playing everyone.  Wow there are thousands and thousands of names out there.

Greg Ahlstrom - Accounting Manager

Meet Champion's New Marketing Rep

SuAnne Evans has joined Champion Construction Services as our newest Marketing Representative. She is a native of Atlanta, and a graduate of The University of Georgia. SuAnne is married to Craig Evans, and has two children, Scott and Shelly. Her background includes real estate sales for Prudential, pharmaceutical sales for Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, and Territory Mangager for Revlon, Inc.

SuAnne is very excited about this new opportunity and is looking forward to meeting all of you!

Should I Be Concerned About Lead Poisoning During a Renovation Job?

Should I Be Concerned About Lead Poisoning During a Renovation Job?

If your home was built before 1978 there is a good chance that the paint on the walls has lead in it. Lead is a toxic metal that was commonly used in paints manufactured before that date. In fact, the older a home is, the chances that lead is in the paint are even greater. The EPA has a saying, "Lead paint comes with a lifetime guarantee. It'll do damage for generations.""What's on your walls?" That's the EPA slogan. If you have a newer home, you have no worries. But if your home was built prior to 1978, and you have remodeling to be done, your paint should be tested for lead. This is especially important if there are children living in the home. Children under 6 years of age are highly susceptible to lead-based poisoning. In fact, some pediatricians routinely test the children under their care for lead in their system. It is a serious matter since lead-poisoning can cause brain damage.

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What Water Damage Is Covered By Insurance?

Many people often ask "What kind of water damages are covered by insurance?" and I came across the helpful article. It also includes information on how to clean up after a flood to prevent mold...

Many people have no clue as to what types of water damage is covered under their home or business insurance policy. Homeowners and business owners are becoming confused, hearing about mold insurance claims getting denied, and lots of questions arise about water damage to their homes. This article will go on to explain what types of damage is covered by your home insurance or your business policy and what you should do if your house has damage.

What Water Damage will your Home Insurance Policy cover?

Homeowners policies don't cover damages from a flood, you would need to purchase flood insurance if you want to be specifically covered for water damage caused by a flood. Your home insurance policy would pay for damage from rain coming through a hole or a window if the hole had been caused by strong storm winds. But if you have a pipe leaking inside your house that created water damage over time, that wouldn't be covered. It simply comes down to if your water damage was caused by a covered event such as a storm or if the water damage happened because you failed to keep your house repaired which would not be covered. If you are unsure as to what kind of water damage is covered, carefully read through your home insurance policy or call your the company.

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Hurricane Preparedness Week May 23rd - 29th, 2010

How to prepare well before a hurricane hits 

Most people do not think of preparing for a hurricane until the threat is imminent. Preseason hurricane preparedness focuses on tasks that one would usually not have the time to complete once a hurricane is forecast to impact a community. These types of jobs may take days or longer to be properly prepared. Knowing how to be prepared for severe tropical weather first focuses on taking an inventory on which issues would impact your property and family. Once the inventory is taken, the items then should be prioritized as to the potential negative impact it could cause if not rectified. 

What to prepare for... 

Before knowing how to prepare for a hurricane, one needs to know what to prepare for. A hurricane brings a number of threats: high winds, storm surge, tornadoes, and flooding.

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My Personal Storm Damage Experience

The night was cold and stormy. I slept through all of it in blissful serenity and awoke the next morning to begin my daily ritual of getting ready for work.

I headed straight to the bathroom, neglecting to illuminate the path I knew by heart. As I busied myself with necessary matters of hygiene, I suddenly noticed the normal hum of the refrigerator was joined by a soft plopping noise that I could not identify. It seemed random at first but upon further observance, the plopping was rhythmic and methodical.

I listened for a moment and the source suddenly dawned on me. I hurried out of bathroom and turned on the lights to investigate and confirmed my suspicions based on a large puddle of water on the laminate flooring. I looked up at the ceiling and saw large water stains and the drywall seams were getting longer by the second.

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Prepare for Tornado Season

Tornado season is officially here! It hasn't started out with a bang like last year, but it's still very important to plan ahead to protect your homes and families.

Here are some facts about storms...

They may occur singly, in clusters, or in lines.

Some of the most severe occur when a single thunderstorm affects one location for an extended time.

Thunderstorms typically produce heavy rain for a brief period, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

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Spring Cleaning

Spring is in the air! Trees are starting to bloom.....the sun is shining...and oh my! I need to do a spring cleaning! Right now is a good time to think about cleaning your area rugs, they need to be freshened up just like the rest of the house. Did you know that Champion has a special Area Rug Bath that is designed to professionally clean Area rugs?

We have recently added a new series of videos explaining the special process of cleaning area rugs. Please visit our site at www.championcleaningsystems.com
You can watch how the experts will take special care of your area rugs.

Linda Minardi - Cleaning Department Manager