BE POSITVE!

On a cool weekend in the beginning of October, California Closets-New England had the distinct pleasure of being involved in an Extreme Makeover Home Edition project. A very deserving family in upstate New Hampshire had a beautiful home built for them by ABC and Trumbull-Nelson builders of NH. Through this whole process, or at least the parts that I was involved with, the message was plain and simple; yet very clear. BE POSITIVE! It was quite obvious in the way that all the workers and volunteers came together during that final weekend and it is very clear, as you will see when the episode airs at the end of November, that that is the motto this family lives by.

The Marshall Family

About 6 years ago the Marshall family bought what they thought was the perfect home in Lyme, NH for their growing family that now consists of 8 children, plus mom and dad. In the years that followed they have had to deal with a multitude of problems with their house that included carbon monoxide leaks, mold and rotting wood. All of those things had turned their dream home into a nightmare!

On top of all those house related problems, their son Cameron, who is now 10, was diagnosed with leukemia. Despite all that was wrong with their home and the effects the decaying house could have on Cam’s recovery, the family was still able to come together and rally the community around Cam’s “Be+” campaign (Be Positive), which was named after his blood type. The B+ Positive for CHaD Kids campaign and Cam’s Course Run has already raised over $100,000 for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD), including $3500 that Cameron raised on his own. Their goal is to help other families handle the emotional and financial challenges created by long term hospitalization, and chronic illness. If that isn’t turning a negative into a positive then I don’t know what is! Just think of Cameron and his family the next time things get tough and remember that through all of their hardships, they were always able to BE POSITIVE!

Our part of the project at California Closets was an obvious one. Install storage systems into all of the closets in the house. It was a perfect match for us because creating storage systems that efficiently uses all of the space available is our specialty. When you have a family of 10 all under one roof, storage space is an important part of daily life!

From L to R: Greg Stamuli, Rich Chiarmonte, Scott Hanson, Chris Garcia, Rachel Precourt, Mike McKenna, Kim Kaplan

We first met with the designers of Extreme Makeover Home Edition about a week or so before they were scheduled to knock on the Marshall family’s front door. And when I say designers, I don’t mean Ty, Michael, Paige or any of the other ones that you see on TV. I mean John, Jowill, Travis & Andy – these were the people that were on the construction site day and night, throughout the week, making sure that things were going according to plan. I was impressed with the way they were able to “Be Positive” throughout the whole process. It had to be a very long week for them! We were not given specifics about the family at that point, other than knowing which closets were for boys or girls. Our designers then created plans for each area based on this info.

I went up to the house on the 5th day to take final measurements and I was a little surprised at the progress, or what seemed like a lack of progress, at that point. I wasn’t very confident that it could be finished in time. The project was running behind schedule and now the pressure was on to complete the house before the Marshall’s returned on Monday. Our originally scheduled install time of Sunday morning at 7 was pushed back to 9 before we even got there. That was our first sign that it was going to be a long day! The closets were not ready yet and we had to wait. And wait! We didn’t exactly stand around all day. We moved all of the product into the one room that was ready for us, installed the closet, painted another closet, moved more product, installed another closet, painted another closet and so went the day. Everyone stayed positive throughout the day and did other things to help out while we were there. We finally finished the master closet at 2am on Monday morning!

Our group that gathered to put in the closets included more than just installers. A few managers and 2 people from the corporate office also chipped in to help. It was a complete California Closets group effort! From the designers who helped to create the plans to the production planning and shop members that made sure all material was in house and manufactured on time, everyone did their part to make sure the project was successful! I’m sure the Marshall family appreciated it!

Remember, when times are tough and things aren’t going your way, BE POSITIVE! That’s how this family deals with adversity, and we should too!!

Mike McKenna

The episode will air on ABC on Sunday, November 29th at 8pm!

California Closets – West Coasting

Yes California Closets was started in California. And every good franchise owner must make the pilgrimage to the mother state every so often to just refresh the attitude.  You have to be in the California state of mind to be an effective closeteer. So, every once in while this Cambridge guy gets on a plane, carries on luggage because he is too cheap to check it, and makes the trip to the promised land  – not the land of milk and honey – the land of  “simplifying home and life”,  the original mother land of storage bliss. San Francisco here we come – over the Golden Gate bridge and down the highway to San Raphael where the brain trust, the intellectual brain bank of storage exists. The closet people are here – the awesome storage mavens who continually come up with more ways to make storage an important aspect of everyone’s overall well being.

The geniuses of storage live in San Raphael and they are continually working in their R&D lab looking for even more effective storage solutions. Imagine these people sequestered in their labs testing new belt racks, shoe shelves or hanging rods. Intently searching for the next great innovation in storage. These storage nerds are not all about work – it is in California after all – every once in a while some one will make some guacomole dip and all the nerds will come out of their labs for a few minutes of sipping grape juice and wolfing down tortilla chips slathered in that great avocado concoction.   The pressure is incredible – how do you follow up on 30 years of product supremacy?  What will be the next storage break through? The guacomole hits the spot – the pressure seems manageable and a breakthrough seems imminent.

So next week the trip to the storage Mecca will take place. I will get to rub shoulders with these incredibly creative and storage driven people. I know I will come back to New England with more ideas and energy about closets. I will have to transfer this energy to the troops on the storage front out here in the New England region. It is an awesome responsiblity but I know I am up to it. The people of New England are relying on me to bring back even more creative approaches to simplifying their homes and lives. We need this!

Even the competition is waiting – they need something else to copy from us. Look for my report on this important trip in the upcoming weeks. I just know that something big is about to break.  These storage freaks have been quiet for too long – its coming – the next great storage innovation.

If Only My Golf Game Was as Good as California Closets

I HATE GOLF!

Every year it is the same thing – I resolve that I am going to put the time in to actually get better at golf. My golf game is at a level that is just embarrassing.  The problem with golf is that it is insidious in its methods for keeping you coming back.  In Dennis we have two exceptional golf courses. They are owned and managed by the town -  very reasonable to join, the staff is excellent, and the courses are very well kept.

Dennis Pines

Dennis Pines is probably the most difficult course on Cape Cod with many trees, narrow fairways and greens that are very challenging. Add to this, a greens keeper with a sick sense of humor – it seems he thinks its funny to place the pins on the greens in absolutely outrageous positions.  I picture him hiding in the woods around the greens watching to see the frustration of the golfers who finally get on the green only to 4 putt while trying to hit that little white ball into his ridiculously placed holes.  Putters being thrown across the green, swear words yelled so loud that the lady with the ridiculous pink golf bag three tees back can hear them, and of course the ripped up score cards littering the next tee are all things that this guy enjoys – sick son of a gun that he is. I hope he gets poison ivy.

Dennis Highlands

The other course – Dennis Highlands, some say,  is a much more “forgiving” course. This “forgiving”  label always amazes me – what does that mean?  Is the course religious? I can do all sorts of evil things and the course is magnanimous in its grace and my slate is wiped clean?  I do not see this course as “forgiving.”  I am still beat up – I do not come away with that feeling of bliss when I am leaving the parking lot after another grueling round on this course. They say: “It plays better to a slice.” Not my slice. That is just one thing that I excel at on the golf course – nobody can slice the way that I can slice. Slicing for me is a true art form.  Again slicing can be very deceptive. All us good slicers start to “play the slice.” In other words, we aim way left so that the ball at least has a chance of careening onto the fairway. Once I was lined up so far left that it looked like I was trying to hit into the club house. I hit it straight. Now that was embarrassing. And of course I was standing there analyzing what I finally did to hit the darn thing straight when the lady with the pink golf bag started charging at me with her 5 iron. I am not buying into the idea that Dennis Highlands is forgiving.  That lady with the pink golf bag is not “forgiving” either.

My Wife Did a Great Job

My sons all play golf and it is a good time for us to have some quality time together. When I am golfing with them I truly believe that we brought them up right because they are just so patient with their dear old dad. They don’t care about me not hitting it past the ladies tee on the first hole with everyone on the practice green watching and shaking their heads. Never do they get embarassed as their old man again holds up play as we all search for his last drive that has ended up in the woods. They watch patiently as I criss cross greens, chipping from one side to the other, always making sure to make a visit to a sand trap in my quest to hit the ball onto the green.  I know they are convinced that the golf gene passed through from their mother to them and believe me I know that they are grateful for this genetic stroke of luck. They are great and their mother did a fantastic job of bringing them up and making sure the golf genetics flowed through correctly. I love the boys and I would not want them suffering on the golf course like I suffer.

“That One Will Keep You Coming Back!”

In the first paragraph I talked about golf being insidious in its methods for keeping you coming back.  It always amazes me because I can play 17 holes and all the time I am telling myself that this is finally the last time I am going to torture myself this way. Scrabble would be a great way to spend time with the sons – maybe chess. All of sudden, on hole number 18 something is different and it works. The ball goes straight, it lands on the great expanse of green grass in front of me and I just feel great. I always jump to the outrageous conclusion that I have had a breakthrough – I have figured it out. Now I can join the ranks of respectable golfers – truly, I have had a breakthrough. But then I realize that I really cannot figure out what I did differently – what did I do to get this absolutely spectacular result?   That is the insidious part of the game. I tell myself – I did something right – I can do it again. What the heck did I do right? So now it becomes a quest. I know somewhere that there is a golf game in me – I just have to find it. “That one will keep you coming back.”  It is insidious. Please just let me quit.

“If Only I Could Golf Like California Closets Organizes.”

The best part of golfing is when I visualize. I day dream: “If  I was only as good at golf as California Closets is at storage and organizing.”  I picture myself walking down the fairway with Phil and Tiger at Augusta. Phil with that “deer in the headlights”  look because he knows he is in a real dog fight with me – Calfifornia Closets man. Tiger is cursing under his breath because he let me stay so close in this tournament and just knows how “clutch” I am coming down the back nine of the last round. If only I could be as consistent on the golf course as California Closets is in organizing. But alas, I am not as good on the golf course as California Closets is at storage and organizing. I can take some solace in the fact that I am tied to greatness in some way. I hope my California Closets clients understand how much I sacrifice for them. There are times on the golf course that I would give anything to sink an eight foot putt.

CAPE COD, BIRD FEEDERS, SQUIRRELS & CALIFORNIA CLOSETS

Vacation On Cape Cod

Some people go on European tours, cruises to the Caribbean, or trips to the mountains or lakes – I have always had this love of Cape Cod. My vacation time is spent at our cottage in Dennis. It is a great spot that backs up to the Great Marsh of Cape Cod. We are surrounded by just fantastic conservation areas that provide continued hours of entertainment for the whole family.  Living in the city you would think I would pursue a very quiet location. It is not quiet at our Cape Cod location, it is just a different type of noisy. In Cambridge you hear the traffic, people walking by at all hours of the night, and the slamming of taxi doors at the big apartment complex next to our family home. On the Cape you hear the coyotes yipping at night, the trees and leaves making their soft noises and of course at sunrise you hear the symphony of birds.  The birds and their symphony are absolutely a delight.  Sometimes I climb out of bed at 5:00 a.m. just to sit out on the deck and listen to the birds – it is certainly a better noise than the slamming doors of the taxis back in Cambridge.

The Bird Feeders

To enhance the bird experience we decided to put up some bird feeders in the hopes that we would attract some varied and interesting species. It worked very well. In addition to the Grackles, Blue Jays, Robins, Sparrows, Red-Winged Black Birds and Cardinals we attracted some species that were not as common to us: There were Mourning Doves, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouses, Black Capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Gray Catbirds, Baltimore Orioles, American Goldfinches, and my wife swears that she saw the elusive Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. On one sunny day a Red-tailed Hawk landed right in the middle of our stone patio. It was amazing as his presence silenced the symphony. Everything went still – the trees even seemed to stop their sway and their noise. He (could have been she) strutted around like the bully on the block. At first I thought he might be looking for protection money but soon realized he was just on a scouting mission to find out if this locale could prove to be a fruitful source of sustenance in the future. Of course the chipmunks, rabbits, mice and squirrels were nowhere to be found. They did not want to give this Hawk any reason to think that there might a reason to venture back to the stone patio again.  The Hawk was not interested in my bird feeders.

Squirrels

The Red-tailed Hawk may have found our bird feeders of no interest, but the squirrels certainly found them inviting.  Years ago when we first started putting up bird feeders we were unaware of the attraction that they had for the squirrels.  And we had no idea how resourceful these gray marauders could be. At first Buckley, our Yellow Labrador, was up to the task of guarding against the onslaught of the gray squirrels. Being in the city most of the year he had often made sport of chasing them at John F. Kennedy Park during his walks. That dog would never give up – I think his record was 0 for 7,890 times that he chased the gray teasers. Coming to the cape he found the tormentors were still teasing him constantly – his record of success was no better on the Cape. But he did manage to keep them on the tip of their paws and could generate a lot of squirrel chatter when he would get so very close to success. Time marches on and Buckley is now “Good Old Buckley” and though he maintains a great attitude toward his squirrel chasing responsibilities his body has let him down and is now just able to jump up and bark with just an occasional chase.  The squirrels have figured out that he is even less of a threat and now are bolder than ever in their attack of the bird feeders.  This summer it became painfully obvious that the squirrels were eating far more of the bird seed than the birds. My neighbor told me that it was time to change the bird feeders. We needed to purchase “squirrel proof” bird feeders. Of course this is one of those tasks that sits on your to-do list for a while. Once I realized that I was refilling these feeders almost every other day I made the purchase of the feeders a priority. Bird seed can get expensive. Once my wife realized that I was going to actually make a trip to a store, actually go “shopping”, she wanted to be in on this action. She had only seen me shop for food – she wanted to document this event with photography. I told her that I would refuse to go if she was going to be a wise-ass and that I would sneak off without her.  She agreed to curtail the sarcasm if we could make the trip together. Our first stop was the local schlock store that carried everything from canned prunes to ceramic pots. Everything was as cheap as could be. I was delighted to find a $12 bird feeder whose packaging guaranteed that this great bird feeder was impervious to squirrels. I was prepared to buy all three that I needed and was feeling that this shopping experience was going to be much less expensive than I had first imagined.  Of course the shopping veteran (my wife) says to me: “You really do not believe that bird feeder is going to do the trick?” My response: “It says right here – ’squirrel proof.’”  She convinced me that we ought to make a trip to a store that actually knew something about birds, squirrels and bird feeders. She, having memorized the location of every store on the Cape, directed me to Wild Birds Unlimited in South Yarmouth. We visited this place and of course it was more money than the schlock store, but the gentleman was able to direct us to the right product. He spent time explaining the benefits and how to fill it, the fact that it was warranteed and how to clean it. This gentleman knew everything there was to know about birds, feeders and how to keep the gray marauders at bay. I still was not pleased about the extra costs – heck was it not just a bird feeder? How expensive does it have to be to fool a squirrel? I put up my three new bird feeders that very afternoon. It did not take long for the squirrels to figure out which one was the weak link. By 5:00 p.m. they were climbing over each other to share the bounty from the cheap bird feeder. It did not take them long to figure out that the feeders from Wild Birds Unlimited were indeed impervious to squirrels and that el-cheapo was not.  I soon figured out that the savings in bird feed from using the expensive bird feeders would soon make them the much smarter purchase. It is always a joy to hear the “I told you so” from the woman in your life.  Why should I, of all people, need to be taught this lesson?

California Closets

In these times the consumer is obsessed with price and sometimes this obsession blocks out reason. At California Closets we are continually confronted with the other quotes that are cheaper than ours. We get: “They are only closets, afterall.”  We remove inferior closet systems every single day and replace them with authentic California Closets because people try to save money without realizing that just because someone promises something doesn’t always make it happen. The packaging maybe enticing but the real promise is in the knowledge and commitment to being great at something. Wild Birds Unlimited is an operation that has made it their business to know birds. We have made it our business to be the best at home storage. In the short term the price may be attractive – over the long haul the savings and value will make the advantages of the experts seem much less expensive.

Please excuse me, I have to wake up  Buckley so he can chase the squirrels away from that darn cheap bird feeder. I am definitely going to replace that thing with something that actually works – Buckley is just too tired.

Enjoy July – remember that you can still get free upgrade pricing on all purchases through the end of August.

Ken Cleary – President, California Closets – New England.

California Closets New England’s Upgrade event – July and August

CHEER UP!

We need something to cheer up about.  The last 28 of 30 days it has been cloudy and rainy in New England.  The recession sucks, Iran has fraudulent elections, they just had a coup in Honduras, Michael Jackson self-destructed, Farrah Fawcett lost a heroic battle with cancer, and Billy Mays passed away unexpectedly – not Billy!  We just need something to turn things around. We all have to do our part – these are times that require us all to pull together and make it happen – we need good news and good times. So here are some suggestions:

Cable TV should be free for the summer!  That’s right, these sons of guns keep raising prices and never show up when you need service. The price for On Demand should be cut back to the prices they were two years ago. Every other business is cutting prices to attract clients, why shouldn’t the cable companies? Wouldn’t you feel much better if you were relaxing watching TV during all this rain if it was less money?  We need them to contribute to the overall esprit de corps of New England with this magnanimous gesture.

Local TV news has to report like journalists. Aren’t you just sick of the 15 second story? Can we ever get the full picture without all the sensationalism and head shaking and nodding?  I am tired of GOTCHA! news shows. It wouldn’t be too bad if they could just get the story right. They should just spend the summer turning over a new leaf and  reporting the whole story and actually care about the facts. And does everything have to be so negative? Are there any good things going on?

I think every Wednesday should be party night during the summer. Let’s get all the bars, restaurants and taverns to make Wednesday night half price night.  Of course we could not drive, so we would have to get all the cabs to go in on the deal with cabs at half price on Wednesdays also.   With all that is going on, getting hammered and feeling secure that you have a cheap and safe ride home is really good thing. Can I get the cabbie on the Heineken commercial that sings along with you? Speaking of Heineken commercials – have you seen the one where the young ladies are taking a tour of the new house and start screaming when they see the closet?  We at California Closets get that all the time after an install. People are thrilled. The guys in the commercial were screaming over the Heineken beer in a closet. I do not recollect us doing a beer closet like that – we could do it though if asked.

We need another Woodstock.  Where could we hold a killer rock n’ roll festival in New England that would rival the old Woodstock?  Is there any place without bugs?  And how about a place that does not turn all muddy with all this rain. Who could we get to show up?  I would not allow that guy Simon from American Idol to come – too judgmental. We need some fun bands.  Jimmy Buffet would definitely be there – he throws off  positive vibes.  Credence Clearwater Revival – we definitely need these guys to get back together. Get Pink and Katy Perry -they would be a real hoot. Can you see them jumping around the stage in front of a million people? I like the group Maroon Five – they would keep things on a cool positive note.  No depressing rock groups – The Saw Doctors from Ireland – they always make you laugh and happy. Well, I need volunteers to organize this.

We need to take care of the men and women in the service. Would it not feel great if we all felt secure that these people who have just shown us a ton of commitment and sacrifice were going to be taken care of? No matter where you stand on this war and the multiple messes we find ourselves in, you must feel like these young men and women are the best of the best. They all need a stimulus package that will take care of them for the rest of their lives. I would feel so much better if I knew they were going to be taken care of.

We all need a break and everyone has to contribute.  The government needs to contribute. They contributed to all the fat cats – the whole “trickle down” theory. We are so far in the hole anyway why not throw some more stimulus money out there. July and August – NO TAXES! No income tax, no social security, no sales tax, register your car for free, all of the taxes gone. No tolls on the Mass Pike. No fares on the T or the commuter rails. All summer the government gets zip.  Now that would be stimulating!  Just think how much fun that would be -  especially if we combine this with party night at half price.

So, here is what I propose to do here at California Closets as I attempt to contribute to a more positive atomosphere in this rainy New England.  First: any Iraqi War or Afghan War Veteran that lives in my territory and wants a closet will get it at 30% off. We need to help these people get organized and we need to show our appreciation. Second: Every other customer gets a free upgrade. What does that mean? Whatever you decide on for a product – it will be priced at the next lower level. Wood grain patterns for the price of white – imported Lago for the price of wood grain and real wood and veneer at the price of Lago. We will do this for two months – July and August.

Rain, recession, war and death all aside – we need to get positive. We need to turn around the negative spiral.  We need everyone to kick in on this. Who the heck controls the weather? Tell them we do not need any more rain.

COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IS ALL AROUND US!

UPDATE: NEW ENGLAND CALIFORNIA CLOSETS: Before I get into the real meat of this blog entry I thought that an update would be beneficial. I have not posted for awhile as we are in the middle of a very successful promotion with our best product: Lago wood products from Italy. We are taking 20% off all units built with this green product imported from Italy. This promotion is going fantastic and our clients are taking advantage of this unique promo.  At the end of June this promo is going away – so if you are sitting on the fence you have until June to take advantage of this promo. Even with tough economic times it is still imperative that we keep involved with quality marketing and socially redeeming events and causes. Kim, our Marketing Manager, has again set us up as a co-sponsor for Magic 106.7’s EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN AWARD.  This program will take place on May 8th and we are proud to again be involved. Since last I blogged the new CaliforniaClosets.com website has been brought on line. It is AWESOME. I have never seen our people excited about something done at the corporate office as they are about this new website. It fits all the needs for our designers and our customers. It is quick, organized and definitely conveys the California Closets experience. You must visit the site as it is something we are all psyched about.

COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE

Anyone who has read my blog knows how I am proudest of the California Closets  business because we are committed to be an excellent company in all aspects of operations, product development, design, and customer satisfaction. I am always excited when one of our people go out of their way to make the California Closets experience one that is second to none.  Our designers and installers are just top notch and take their roles in a company that is committed to excellence very seriously. However, excellence is all around us and in these times it is important to see it and recognize it where and when we can. Why in these times is this even more important? Because in bad economic times it is easy to utilize the short term fix than to stay committed to values that will stand up for the long term. It is easy to get discouraged when faced with  adversity and to just take it without fighting back by demonstrating creativity and commitment.

So…… I decided to look around for more people and things that I recognize to have a commitment to excellence.  A few came to mind immediately: Chapin’s, my favorite restaurant in Dennis on Cape Cod – the food is always great, the staff is always friendly, and the drinks are always generous.  I love that place. Wellbridge, in Cambridge, is where I work out every  morning and there are people there who have that commitment to excellence. Marci, one of the trainers takes her job very seriously- she teaches the Tuesday morning exercise class and the Friday morning spin class. She is always prepared, very cheerful, and attentive to the people in the class. Nothing is left to chance and other than the fact I feel exhausted at the end, it is always an excellent experience. I am always amazed by my friend Theresa who works for Coldwell Banker. In an industry that has been devastated she maintains a high level of performance and commitment to her chosen field. Her knowledge and professionalism is unsurpassed: ask her about any property in Cambridge and she has the story. She has been creative in her approach and her commitment to networking and customer service are relentless. These are all examples of that special commitment to excellence that we strive for here at California Closets, however, one of the most obvious and prominent examples of that commitment to excellence is so very close by:  my wife Joanne, the teacher extraordinaire.

THE TEACHER AND THE COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE

In business you can get pretty accurate measurements of your efforts – how many leads came in, did you make the sale, are you profitable, and are your customers satisfied. In the business of education you do not always have that accurate measurement of your success. There are always forces that get in the way of knowing how successful you have been at your tasks. It takes a real high level of commitment to maintain a level of excellence when your efforts are hard to measure and the feedback is limited. To maintain the commitment to the students over a long time period takes a special person.  There are many “committed to excellence” teachers, but the one I know the best is my wife, Joanne.

Two years ago she committed to going back to college so she could improve her teaching skills. Once she committed and put her mind to it there was no stopping her. She applied and received one of the Conant Fellowship Awards to attend Harvard University. She was enrolled in the Harvard School of Education in the Technology and Innovation in Education Program. Of course she graduated near the top of the class and was voted Graduation Marshall by her classmates. She was committed to excellence and getting the most from this fabulous opportunity. After graduation her goal was to go back to her beloved Tobin School in Cambridge and utilize her new learning in the best way that she could. She was assigned to be a Title One tutor working with students at risk for performance in the MCAS testing program. Since Tobin was also transitioning to a Montessori School, she also needed to train and understand the principales of this 1909 educational philosophy. Coming from technology and innovation to a philosophy developed early in the last century and meshing this with MCAS and underperforming test takers was a task that was unique.

People who are committed to excellence are undaunted by a mixed bag job description. For Joanne the most important aspect of her job was to her get the students excited about learning. Be they Montessori or MCAS test takers they were the core of her commitment.  Her first attempt to mesh her technology and innovation learning with her school objectives was to attempt to get the school to buy new and innovative computer software aimed to helping students with their math. This “Timez Attack” program was to cost a whopping $250. You would think she was the Defense Department trying to get Congress to approve a new weapon’s system. The beauracratic crap you have to go through to get this done was incredible. I got so frustrated just hearing about the ongoing process I almost paid for it myself.  She got through the whole requsition process, but has yet to get this software installed properly by the technology people.  Road blocks mean nothing to people with a commitment to excellence. She wanted to use the technology that kids are so adept at to reach her objectives. This woman lives on Google. So, she finds a free trial for an online math program called IXL (I EXCEL- get it?) and creates a contest where she gives out prizes for those students who have spent 3 hours in the week on the on-line program. She gets to monitor how much time each student puts in on the program and how much real work they are doing with the program. This week she posted the first week’s contest results in the hall on bulletin board with the heading MCAS PREP LEADERBOARD. Some kids who have not demonstrated much joy or commitment to math were ecstatic that they hit their goals and were winners. They were excited and even more committed to getting back on line to learn more. Some of those that had not put in enough time were now seeing that they had to get on the bus with the program. The next day one student who did not make the leaderboard spent 6 hours on the program. Others were joining the program and making improvement.

You have to understand that in education today it is all about the MCAS test results.  But there are other objectives that are long term important. How do you energize the student? How do you make learning effective and fun? How do you reach an ever increasing level of diverse students who have different life experiences and differing parental support for education?    Remember, Joanne’s goal is to get students excited about learning -  they were excited and she was excited. Those with a commitment to excellence see the long term needs and work hard to reach goals that honor the greater good.

In these tough times rely on those committed to excellence. They do not see just the small picture. When something is less money look past the superficiality of the sale and really look to see if this is something that has that stamp of commitment to excellence. California Closets will always exist to meet the long term needs of its clients. We are committed to excellence.  By the way it is very hard to keep up to the standards set by my favorite teacher.

CALIFORNIA CLOSETS’ LAGO EVENT – 20% OFF

 

Our Winter White Event was a tremendous success. We are all thrilled that we were able to bring our North American wood grain laminates to so many clients for the price of white. This event was so successful that the Italians want to get in on the act. The Italians? Our Lago product is imported from Italy and is our absolute best seller.  We sold so much of our domestic product that it has left the Italians with a little more stock than they had anticipated. We told them that if they would cut price we would pass the savings on to our customers with an advertised event. So here it is:

Any of our units sold with the imported Lago wood laminate will be reduced by 20%.
To make the point:

LAGO – 20% OFF

What is Lago? It was introduced this past year and is available in 6 different colors. This product is manufactured by Cleaf who is located in Milan, Italy. Cleaf is the top supplier of specialty wood laminate products in Europe. The product is European Certified green and has an attention to detail and beauty that is surpassed by none.  California Closets (thank you Louis)  was able to secure an exclusive purchasing agreement for the wood grained detail  and color that we have been selling over the last year. The New England franchise was number 2 in the California Closets system in sales of this product only being surpassed by the Manhattan area business. This product has truly been a success story for California Closets.

 

OUR DIFFERENCE

The contractors and dealers that deal in the high end Italian closet systems must import the product already designed,  manufactured and cut in Italy. It then must be packaged and boxed for shipment.  This approach requires extraordinary lead times sometimes exceeding 12 weeks and any design changes or fixes require an additional lead time of 4- 6 weeks. Our difference is that we have our own manufacturing and we bring over containers of Lago (Cleaf) so that we can deliver to you the same quality product with lead times at 3-4 weeks complete.  Bottom line: get a California Closet with its great designs and service and now get it manufactured locally in the top line of European/Italian wood product. But, even better, get it for 20% off.

California Closets - Lago Italian Finishes

 

California Closets - Lago Italian Finishes

 

REAL QUALITY, REAL VALUE

I need to explain a few things about how we do things as opposed to what our competitors like to do. THIS IS REAL SAVINGS!  Some of our competitors advertise “Free installation.”  Do people really fall for this?  They have been advertising free installations since they went into business. Who is kidding who on this one? Our Lago promotion is real. We have used the buying power of the largest and best closet and storage system to get this outstanding product at the savings we are passing on to our clients. Another competitor has had a 20% off sale for the last two years. How believable is that? This Lago promotion is scheduled to continue for three months: April, May & June.  Get it while lasts because it is truly a value.

I hope you take advantage of this great offer.
All of our Designers are extremely excited.

Happy spring.

Ken Cleary, President – California Closets New England.

California Closets – that special feeling of orderliness

EVERY MORNING I get up at 5;30 a.m., walk Buckley, and head to the health club.  As I head into the club I am greeted by Rick, the front desk guy and an ardent Bruins fan, and the first thing that I see at the front desk is the  folded towels organized so  neatly in the shelves -  things nice and organized.  I really like this – it just makes me feel secure and at peace. Then, I always go to the workout studio to start the exercise routine of the day. Some days it’s muscle conditioning and three days a week it is spinning and  on most days a young lady comes into the studio and starts organizing. She straightens the work out mats, re-rolls the yoga mats, re-arranges the spinners, stacks the exercise steps – it really is fantastic to see a nice looking young lady enjoying her organizing.  Exercising is a great way to start the day but nothing is better that waking up to an awesome display of organizing expertise.

I live in Cambridge and they just spent months fixing up Mount Auburn Street, a major street into Harvard Square. They re-constructed the side walks, laid new pipes, repaved and relined the street -  this all looked so neat and clean and organized – I, of course, thought life couldn’t get better.  Naturally, two weeks after this project was complete they were ripping up the street again because there was a leak in one of the pipes they had put in. Now the road is all patched and scarred again.  They just did not do it right the first time.

I  have one son still in the nest – a teenager. He’s a nice boy – but not organized. Going into a room after he’s been it is like hearing fingernails dragged across a chalk board. Size 13 smelly sneakers in the middle of the floor, jacket on the chair, and laundry just anywhere it wants to be. Three half empty Gatorade bottles are positioned haphazardly on the furniture for the maximum slovenly affect. Every Tuesday the house gets cleaned and I rush home so that I can see it before the teenager spoils the view. There is nothing like a neat and totally clean house.

I was in our manufacturing facility when Brian one of our top installers was loading up his truck for the next day’s install. The inside of his truck was a thing of beauty – everything was just fabulously organized. It makes me happy to see how organized our people like to be.  Brian’s standard for organization carries over to the way he services the client and the way he puts together storage systems. Everything he does he does with an organized approach.

I like going into our showrooms – for me it is a neatness and organization overload.  My favorite display is in our Brighton, Mass showroom. It is the Zoom Room bed. This incredible bed rolls up into the wall unit we design and build. You do not even know it is there once it has been automatically rolled up.  It looks so neat and organized it just makes me smile.

I truly believe that in these difficult times we have to value the simple pleasures. For me the simple pleasures are appreciating the organized and neat world around me. From the health club to Brian’s van to the showrooms- all give me that special feeling of orderliness. My goal is to get everyone knowing that special feeling of orderliness. Call us and we will give you that special feeling. California Closets is just the best at delivering that special feeling of orderliness.

10 Reasons You Need California Closets (now more than ever!)

TOP TEN LISTS!

Letterman has made the “top ten list” a part of our culture. Now we bring this favorite feature to the California Closets Blog.  Probably not nearly as funny as David’s, but still very relevant for the state of the closet and storage world of today. Letterman may have the best list, but the second best top ten list feature is the one done in our company’s newsletter. List editor, Designer Joe M. has a talent for comedic irony and I have been fearful of his being recruited by the writing team from the Letterman show. Well, here we go with  “Why California Closets Top Ten List.”

NUMBER 10: We like both dogs and cats.  Some companies are “dog” companies, and some are “cat” companies. We have been very careful in our hiring and training practices to balance out the dog and cat people. When we come to your home we can be  fully compatible with any of your pets.  One of our features is that you can request dog  or cat friendly designers and installers. Although not our biggest competitive advantage, it is truly a unique benefit of California Closets.

NUMBER 9: We have Lago. This Italian product is exclusive to California Closets and meets European ‘green’ standards. Our competitors do not have this product. It is truly an incredibly beautiful product and we have been importing and selling it for one year now.  Our customers cannot resist it and it is displayed in all our showrooms. It could easily be in a better position on this list, but for now here it sits firmly ensconced at number 9.

NUMBER 8: Smiles. Yes, we are still smiling. All the stuff going on in the world and we are still positive. We are the friendly closet and storage company. We know that when you are the best and you have people dedicated to stay the best, you smile.  We enjoy organizing for our clients. California Closets’ people enjoy their work and enjoy people. We like to smile. It is an advantage in today’s world to be able to smile.

NUMBER 7: Responsible.  We feel a sense of responsibility to think globally and act locally. We have an extensive recycling program for our wood and cardboard refuse. Our new Eco-Resin products are  socially responsible and work to promote third world  economic development. Our fleet of installation vehicles is being updated to be more efficient and ecologically friendly. We want to be good citizens.

NUMBER 6: Georgia. I told Georgia that she would get some mention in my next blog entry.  She deserves the press. Here comes a sport’s analogy.  If you follow the New England Patriots and if you are a student of the way Bill Belichik values players, you know that he places a high value on versatility. He likes those players that can play more than one position.  Georgia is very versatile – she works the customer service desk, handles customer follow up communication, schedules design consultations, and works to help in accounting in any way she can. In this economic climate you need versatile people working for you. When you call 800-225-6901 say hello to Georgia and she will schedule your appointment or help you in any way she can. Please do not chat too long with her – her versatility keeps her very busy.

NUMBER 5: We have showrooms, real showrooms.  Our 6 showrooms are located throughout New England. The competition claims to have showrooms, but we have showrooms that give you an opportunity to really see and understand our product and help you understand design concepts. Our showrooms are not a 6ft X 8ft room with one cheesy display. We are not shy to show off the fact that we can deliver on a high quality product. Our showrooms are an advantage for California Closets as a sales and design tool and an advantage for our customers because they know just what they are going to get in their home.

NUMBER 4: The Installation Department.  Our install team is the absolute best.  They work to efficiently get your closet and storage system installed. They are clean, fast and friendly.  Our installers understand customer service – they are more than just storage technicians. They understand the urgency of getting the home in the organized state that would make the client smile.

NUMBER 3: California Closets controls chaos.  The world is chaotic – shouldn’t your home at least be organized?  Every day is another day of the unknown-  you just do not know what to expect – the banks, the auto industry, the government: in the famous words of Elaine Benis-yada, yada, yada. It just seems to go on and on. All these things we just do not have control over. Don’t you think it would be great to have control over the organization of your home? Wouldn’t it be nice to have California Closets help you with at least bringing your home into order and organization? The economic situation is beyond our control – the organizing of your home is not.

NUMBER 2: The California Closets Designer.  Our Designers are the best in the industry. They deliver on number 3 of this list.  They know organizing and they will spend the time to make your home the sanctuary you need in these times. They care, they smile, they have a sense of humor and they can organize the un-organizable.  They will do all this with an eye for the aesthetics. Organized and aesthetically pleasing to the eye – the mission of the California Closets Designer.

AND……..THE NUMBER 1 REASON  WHY YOU SHOULD USE CALIFORNIA CLOSETS (now more than ever): Value! We are now the best value – by far.  We are working with our suppliers to offer incredible values to our clients. Right now we are giving a free upgrade on our white product. You can buy American wood grains for the price of white! We have reduced prices on many of our products as we work to meet the needs of  clients in these trying economic times. However, we have not changed our service level or product quality. Our standards have not changed!  This is why the value of California Closets is number 1 on the list – now more than ever is the time to eliminate chaos, bring order and add value to your home.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Ken Cleary – President, California Closets- New England

California Closets – More Options to Save Money!

Do it yourself!  We have developed options to save you money! 

SAVE UP TO 30%!

You must:

• Measure your space
• Provide our Designer with the measurements
• Approve the design created by the Designer
• Approve the shipping arrangements for the product
• Install the system

If your job is done in the above manner you will get a California Closet system for 30% less than our standard process. If you want your contractor to install the system we can work with him/her on the installation process.

CALL GEORGIA! TELL HER YOU WANT THE “DIY” SYSTEM.
800-225-6901. She will get you going with one of our designers and the process will begin.  Go to our website and select “Request a Consultation” and indicate that you want the DIY in the notes section.

We also welcome any carpenters and contractors to participate in this offer!