Community Service day - Extreme Makeowver: Home Adition

If you have not already heard. ABC's show Extreme Makeover: Home Addition is coming to Salem, OR and we just found out that they are still in need of volunteers. This would be a great Customer Service opportunity if you have not already used yours for the year. All you have to do is to to http://richduncan-emhe.com/default.aspx and sign up as a volunteer. Since this is a week long event, they will ask you for certain days that you could work to help organize the volunteers. All the information is on the website.

Salem,OR August 20, 2010 — ABC’s Emmy award winning hit show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has selected a worthy group of people to feature on its show that helps change people’s lives and inspire remarkable community support.

While Rich Duncan Construction is leading the build, the project will rely on volunteers and Salem/Keizer is invited to join this project. Rich Duncan Construction will host a kick off on Thursday, August 26th beginning at 7:30pm at West Salem Foursquare Church, 3094 Gehlar Rd. NW, to recognize the volunteer effort needed to accomplish this amazing feat for such a deserving group of people. While the exact details of the build won’t be released until after the door knock on or around September 6th, volunteers will now have over a week to sign up and get involved in this community event. Attendees will also get a chance to hear from members of the production team who will be present to talk about the show and how people can help.

Thank you Jessica for bringing this great opportunity to our attention.

What Residents and Prospects are saying about you in July

Here are some wonderful things people are saying about you!

• Thank you to Trisha for being so friendly and understanding.
• Rheba was amazing and I look forward to working with her on renting my apartment.
• Shantel was very helpful
• Tovia was very helpful, and gracious.
• Kathleen was an exceptional agent!
• My primary leasing agent was Michelle and she's very professional. She brought a small welcome package when she came for the walk through...nice touch.
• Cassy was fabulous on the phone and wonderful when we came to tour...She's a real bonus for your company.
• Ryan Andrus is the BEST leasing agent I have EVER had the pleasure of meeting. He was friendly, conversational, professional, and when our needs could not be met, or were not available, he offered a very pleasing alternative. Excellent leasing agent! He's 99% of why we want to live at Palladia.
• It was Hope Martin, at Palladia who really came through for me. Hope kept in touch with me throughout my on-boarding or 'relocation' process, assured me that all would be well and just really made me feel comfortable about such a drastic and stressful move.
• Erica was really kind and understanding and I believe she went above and beyond to help us with the application process.
• Sami, I believe, was the most helpful person I've came across in my search...She was the only person to really ask me questions about what I'M looking for, not just sell me on what she had available.
• Amanda was most helpful to me and understands that I plan to move to Portland in November. She has already volunteered to help me identify an apartment I can reserve. She impressed me and I look forward to working with her.
• Melissa Gerking was awesome
• Kelly was a tremendous support and made my Cross country move a smooth process.
• I love Ashley and Desiree! They are absolutely a delight and very professional. They treated me with respect and if I had/have any concerns they provided me ways on how to take care of any thing that was unsatisfactory with me or my new home...

Fabulous comments!

Employee of the Month for June 2010 - Troy Grotte

Troy truly walks the talk at work everyday. Troy has rebuilt a top floor deck surround due to dry rot, saving the community money and making the resident happy in their new home. He has also dug through the dumpster for a resident when she accidentally threw her keys in it. He also responded quickly to a dumpster file recently, putting the fire out so that no damage occurred. He is also wonderful at sharing the knowledge with co-workers and other communities. Troy tests his limits and puts the residents needs first and is willing to go above and beyond for them to make sure they are very satisfied. Club at Tanasbourne recently had a new move in who called the emergency line because she felt that someone had been in her home. Troy came right away and changed the locks for this resident so she could feel comfortable in her home. Troy can always be relied on and makes the Club at Tanasbourne feel like home to all of his team members.

5 Big Challenges People Face

Per an magazine article "Success" written by John C. Maxwell; people face 5 big challenges in life - don't let your attitude set you back.

1. Discouragement:

"Everyone gets discouraged. Sydney Harris said, "When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life's hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'" Not everyone responds to discouragement in the same way...some splatter (hit rock bottom, fall apart and stick to the bottom like glue) and some Bounce (hit rock bottom, pull themselves back together and bounce back up). The question is: Are you going to give up or get up? It's a choice.

• Get the right perspective.: You don't have to look very far to see that you have it pretty good


• See the right people: There are some people who lift you up and some people that bring you down...go find yourself a lifter!


• Say the right words: Dr. Lloyd Martyn Jones wrote, "Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself?" Instead of compliantly listening to your thoughts, start telling yourself the positive, difference making work ideas you need to hear.

2. Problems:

Malcolm Forbes said: "If you have a job without aggravation, you don't have a job." Here are some basic principles for handling problems well.

• Define what a problem is. A problem is something you can do something about. If you cannot do something, it is a fact of life, not a problem.


• Anticipate problems. A problem anticipated is an opportunity. But a problem not anticipated is a problem.


• Embrace each problem as a potential opportunity.

Norman Vincent Peal said, "Positive thinking is how you think about a problem. Enthusiasm is how you feel about a problem. The two together determine what you do about a problem.

3. Change

Change is a challenge we cannot avoid. Here is one way to look at change:

• Challenges - Change is not easy.


• Humor - It helps if you laugh a lot.


• Adjustments - It also helps if you are flexible.


• Newness - Change gives you a fresh start.


• Growth - Growth equals change.


• Evaluation - Change forces you to look at your life.

4. Fear:

There are some destructive effects of fear. For example, fear breeds fear; it has the ability to exaggerate itself.

Discover the foundation of fear. Our fears are not usually based on fact; they are based on feeling. A study by the University of Michigan revealed:

• 60% of our fears are unwarranted; things we fear never come to pass.


• 20% of our fears are based in the past, which means they are out of our control.


• 10% of our fears are so petty that they can make no difference at all. Of the 10%, only 4% - 5% are real and justifiable.

Mark Twain said, "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." Cus D'Amato said, "the hero and the coward both feel exactly the same fear, only the hero confronts his fear and converts it into fire."

5. Failure

Charles Parnell said, "Too many people are having what might be called 'near-life experiences.' They go through life bunting, so afraid of failure that they never try to win the big prizes..." People who are stopped by failure see it from a personal perspective. People who are not stopped by failure see it from a process perspective.

Your attitude is what gets you through lifes Big Challenges. What is your attitude today?

Snippets from an article written by John C Maxwell in Success Magazine.