encinitas first, september 2009

I N S I D E

859 Second St., Encinitas, California 92024

The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce, it just works!

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDENCINITAS, CA 92024

PERMIT NO. 94

LOCATON: El Camino Real & Mountain Vista Rd., Encinitas

The chamber’s monthlySundowner was a

“Picnic by the Pool” atBelmont Village Senior

Living in AugustPAGE 6

Just when people weregetting used to bad

news in the realestate market, home

sales jumped morethan 7 percent

PAGE 7

Small businesses inthe U.S. broke records

by netting almost $100billion in contracts

from the federalgovernment in 2008

PAGE 5

The chamber wantsideas from local

business owners onhow everybody can

help each othersucceed

PAGE 10

Congressman BrianBilbray visited local

health professionals toget their take on whatneeds to be done with

the country’s healthcare system

PAGE 3

Get all the informationabout this year’s

Oktoberfestcelebration, including a

list of vendors and apreview of the foodand entertainment

SEE INSERT

Routing slipShare Encinitas First with

others in your organization:

Volume 5, Issue 9 www.encinitaschamber.com September 2009

ENCINITAS — Thehighly publicized Cash forClunkers, or CARS pro-gram, benefited at least twoof the three car dealershipsin Encinitas.

According to HermanCook Volkswagen andEncinitas Ford representa-tives, the government

rebate offerto trade ingas guz-zlers formore fuel-e f f i c i e n tv e h i c l e sj o l t e dm o n t h l ys a l e supward in

July and August. EncinitasBMW didn’t participate.

Although the processwas not without a fewhiccups, the result was

worth it according to MarkWheeler, owner and gener-al manager, of Encinitas

Ford for the past 21 years.He said his dealership sold76 vehicles through the

program. “It’s been a littleproblematic but it’s worth

One of the 70 vehicles traded in during the Cash for Clunkers program at participating deal-er Encinitas Ford. All of the so-called “clunkers” will eventually end up at a salvage yard.

❚ see Dealers on 13

❚ see Review on 13

Dealers score with stimulus program

ENCINITAS — After fivemonths of waiting to receivethe results of an audit fromthe city’s Chamber ofCommerce and VisitorsCenter, the City Council andcity manager’s office weretold that the document wasnot yet available.

In fact, according to ane-mail sent to the board ofdirectors and at least onereporter by new chamberCEO Marshall Weinreb, thereview will be expanded.

“After very carefullyreviewing the documents, Ifeel that this review will notsatisfy the city nor does itsatisfy me,” Weinreb said inthe e-mail. “We were toorestrictive in choosing only2008 for review, while I nowsee that the most revealinginformation can be foundend 2007 and early 2009.”

The city has a long histo-ry of funding the VisitorsCenter. Since 1990, the cityhas provided financial sup-port in varying amounts tothe center.

In 2005, the city enteredinto a three-year agreementwith the chamber to operatethe Visitors Center with theamount of $91,500 per year.

A month-to-monthextension was granted inJune 2008.

Performance measuresare monitored by the citymanager’s office.

Richard Phillips, assistantcity manager, suggested tocouncil during the April 16,2009, meeting that the cham-ber be required to hire a quali-fied person to audit the cham-ber’s financial records for theprevious year as a condition ofrenewing the contract.

A 3-2 vote — with MayorMaggie Houlihan andCouncilwoman Teresa Barthopposing the one-year con-tract renewal — came after

Reviewheld asscopeexpands

Mark Wheeler

Encinitas resident Alain Dussaud offers his daughter Raya ameatball. See story and more photos on 11. Photo by Daniel KnightonTASTES GOOD!

Sept. 10A modern square

dance party sponsored bythe Encinitas Parks &Recreation Departments &The Sandpipers SquareDance Club will be held at7 p.m. Sept. 10, EncinitasCommunity Center, 1140Oakcrest Park Drive. Noexperience needed. If youcan walk, you can squaredance. Call Chuck at (760)753-6822 for details.

Sept. 11A T’ai Chi Chih session

will be held from noon to 1p.m. Sept. 11, EncinitasSenior Center,1140 OakcrestPark Drive. T’ai Chi Chih is amoving meditation thatpromotes health, energyand serenity. The class istaught over a three-monthperiod. Call (760) 943-2250to learn more.

Sept. 12A history walk will take

place from 10:30 a.m. tonoon beginning at the1883 Schoolhouse at F andFourth streets. Call (760)53-5726 for more informa-tion.

Sept. 12Stars in the Park Movie

Nights /Encinitas Parksand Recreation will takeplace beginning at 7 p.m.

Call Cottonwood Creekpark info at (760) 633-2740for more information.

Sept. 17The streets of

Downtown Encinitas willbe rockin’ and rollin’ whenthe Encinitas Classic CarCruise Nights come toDowntown Encinitas from5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Hot rods,classic cars and Woodieswill line South CoastHighway 101 and there willbe live music in front ofEncinitas Smog at 682 S.Coast Highway 101

Sept. 19DEMA will present the

second annual EncinitasLifestyles Fashion show fea-turing local talent, localmodels and the local fash-ions unique to downtownEncinitas in the CommunityRoom of the EncinitasLibrary. Tickets are availableat the DEMA office at 818 S.Coast Highway 101 or atparticipating retail shops indowntown Encinitas. Therewill be a show from noon to1 p.m. and a show from 3 to4 p.m.

Sept. 25 to Sept. 27The San Dieguito

Heritage Museum presents

ENCINITAS FIRST • SEPTEMBER 20092

Calendar

The next Encinitas Chamber of Commerce

Sundownerwill be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at

Holiday Inn Express North Coastal,1661 Villa Cardiff Drive in Cardiff on

Sept. 15

It pays to explorethe wonderfulworld of niches

One of the things thatSears Roebuck is famousfor is its Craftsmen tools,especially its mechanicalsocket wrenches.Once, while buyingone of these, I wasconfronted withthe options of“Good,” “Better,”and “Best,” a strat-egy for which Searsis also famous. Iwas told that theBest model hadmore notches, orteeth, inside themechanism, allowing forfiner adjustments whentightening a bolt or nut.

For the past 30 years,the marketplace hasincreasingly become likethat “Best” socket wrench;every year, it acquires morenotches. Except in the mar-ketplace, notches are calledniches (I prefer “nitch,” butsome say “neesh” — toma-to, tomahto). And just asmore notches in a mechan-ical wrench allow for fineradjustments, niches createfiner and more elegantways to serve customers,which they like — a lot.

As niches haveincreased in number, so

have entrepreneurialopportunities, resulting inthe most dramatic expan-sion of the small business

sector in history.It’s difficult to saywhich one is theegg and which isthe chicken: Havee n t r e p r e n e u r staken advantage ofniche opportuni-ties presented tothem, or have theycarved out nicheswhile pushing theenvelope of an

industry? The answer is noteither/or, it’s both/and.Webster defines niche as “aplace or position perfectlysuited for the person orthing in it.” If ever a con-cept was “perfectly suited”for something, it is theniche and a small business.Indeed, as one small busi-ness owner creates a newniche, another is creating aniche within a niche. It’s abeautiful thing.

Rebecca Boenigk is thepresident of NeutralPosture, Inc., a Texas smallbusiness she founded withher mother 20 years ago.

❚ see Niches on 15

by JIMBLASINGAME

Violet Salon & Boutique’s ribbon cutting was held in August.Pictured from left are Kathy Zacharias, ambassador; JuliaFahlstrom, Violet Salon; Jeri Robinson, Violet Salon; AprilBritton, Violet Salon; Sarah Fahlstrom, Violet Salon; PatReinhardt, Visitors Center; David Lam, ambassador; and AlliHeller, Visitors Center. Violet Salon is located at 520 SecondStreet. Call (760) 634-6634 for more information. Courtesyphoto

SAN DIEGO — A newresearch study could poten-tially pave the way for amore individualizedapproach to women’s breastcancer screenings, makingeach person’s genetic make-up a key factor in guidinghow often they get tested.

The study by ScrippsHealth will initially assesswhether a woman’s likeli-hood of developing breastcancer can be more accu-rately predicted by the pres-ence of recently discoveredcommon DNA variants thatare associated with the dis-ease. If these low-risk vari-ants prove predictive,healthy women could bedivided into three differentcategories for breast cancerscreening, instead of justone.

“During the past twoyears alone we’ve seen thediscovery of about a dozencommon DNA variantsstrongly associated withincreased risk for breastcancer, but there hasn’tbeen a study yet to see just

how specific and sensitivethese markers are to predictbreast cancer,” said Sarah S.Murray, Ph.D., one of thestudy’s investigators anddirector of genetics withScripps Genomic Medicine.”If we can quantify people’srisk better, we can besmarter about the way wego about screening.”

Current breast cancerscreening protocols arebased largely on age, familyhistory and ethnicity, withannual mammograms rec-ommended for healthywomen starting at age 40,according to the AmericanCancer Society.

The initiative, dubbedthe PINK study, is nowenrolling participants andaims to attract 3,500women, regardless ofwhether they have had abreast cancer diagnosis.Scripps researchers will testall participants’ DNA foreach of the known commonvariants and will correlatethe relationships betweenthe presence of common

variants and breast cancerdiagnoses.

The study is sponsoredby Scripps GenomicMedicine (a program ofScripps Health), in associa-tion with the Scripps PolsterBreast Care Center atScripps Memorial HospitalLa Jolla. To enroll, womenmust be 30 or older; have atleast five years of breastimaging records availablefor confidential review;undergo a one-time bloodsample for confidentialDNA analysis; and currentlyreceive screenings or care atScripps Polster Breast CareCenter.

The PINK study willfocus on common variantssince they affect a broadsegment of the community— in some cases between 20and 30 percent of the totalpopulation — and can havea significant impact on pub-lic health. Women couldpotentially carry these com-mon variants but still mayhave no family history ofbreast cancer. Common

DNA variants are “mis-takes,” or alternative lettersin the human DNA code.

Murray says if the studyconcludes that these com-mon DNA variants can pro-vide a more accurate predic-tion of a breast cancer diag-nosis than the currentmodel, then women couldpotentially be classified intothree groups for more effec-tive screening purposes:

— Women who have alifetime risk of greater than20 percent would be placedon a track of being morecarefully screened, such asannual MRI and mammog-raphy (in accordance withNational Cancer Instituteguidelines);

— Women who have alifetime risk of between 10percent and 20 percentwould receive the existingstandard of care of annualmammography (the aver-age lifetime risk in the gen-eral populations is approxi-mately 12 percent); and

Genevieve Wing findsher background in themedical field as a formernurse has been extremelybeneficial to her work asWing Insuranceand FinancialServices presidentand owner.“Having a nursingbackground helpsme have a goodperspective onsolutions for myclient’s needs. Myvocation is to helppeople and I’m stilltaking care of them asbefore, just in a moreproactive way. I know whatcan happen to a businessor family that isn’t covered

properly and I can educatethem on how to get themost for their money.Whether the need is forhealth, disability, long-

term care, life, lia-bility, business, orcommercial lines,we always put theclient first. We spe-cialize in AFLACproducts for help-ing businesses andfamilies with theirbudget and put-ting money backinto their pockets.”

With 25 years in theindustry, Wing prides her-self on working to find cus-tom and creative solutionsnot obvious to other com-

panies, often by combin-ing policies to create amore comprehensionpackage that can reducepremiums. Whereas manyagents represent a singleinsurance carrier andproduct line, as an inde-pendent broker agencyWing Insurance Services isable to represent the clientin finding the solutions.Starting with a free insur-ance review.

Wing Insurance andFinancial Services is a full-

service agency that offerspersonalized solutions forbusiness, group and indi-vidual accounts. They willwork with your schedule tosee you at your home oroffice. Evening and week-end appointments avail-able.

The Wings are from theBay Area, but when theirdaughter went to college inSan Diego, it became timeto relocate. In 2002, the

GENEVIEVEWING

Wing Insurance Services offersassistance with personal touch

Research may yield alternatives totraditional annual mammogram

❚ see Research on 15

❚ see Calendar on 12

❚ see Wing on 12

By Jason LandENCINITAS — Gathered

in a shady spot behind theNorth Coast Health Centeron Aug. 6, dozens of doc-tors, nurses and otherhealth care support staffwaited for a darkly tintedSUV to pull up.Congressman Brian Bilbray,who represents the 50thDistrict consisting ofSolana Beach, Encinitas,Carlsbad, San Marcos andEscondido, was set toappear and talk abouthealth care reform andanswer attendees’ ques-tions.

The forum was infor-mal, with attendees sittingon benches and concretesteps around an impro-vised stage with a podium.Bilbray launched straightinto his talk with enthusi-asm, expressing his desireto discuss these issues withphysicians directly.

“There’s an instantresponse (with physi-cians),” he said. “One of thefrustrations I’ve always hadwith Washington is that it’smore of a debating clubthan actually a govern-ment’s body.”

Citing his time on theoversight board for countyhealth care services as asource of his empathy withthe plight of affordablehealth care and insight intothe overhead costs that cancripple patients, Bilbraysought to establish com-mon ground amongst thosein attendance.

“When Washingtontalks about this, we’re talk-ing abut a program not forCanada, which is about thesize of the California popu-lation; not France orEngland, which is about 50to 60 million people,”Bilbray said. “We’re talkingabout a program that willgovern over 300 millionpeople. This is a huge leapfor the federal govern-ment.”

Bilbray also said that

there is discord amongstthe Democratic Party as ittries to figure out whichdirection to move in for

reform. He said theRepublican Party agreesthat something needs to bedone, but that it’s not free

health care for all citizens.Deviating from the

question and answer for-mat was Patrick Padilla, anorthopedic surgeon, whoused his time to make astatement rather than to getan answer from the con-gressman. He said it wouldbe easier for him as a con-sumer and as a health careprovider to have a mode ofhealth care that can follow aperson around despitetheir location and job.

“One of the big prob-

lems we have is tying thehealth care to the employ-er,” Padilla said. “Createportability for the individ-ual. People don’t want tostay with a job because theyhave insurance. They wantto stay because they enjoyworking for that company.Offer tax incentives to theindividual and tax credits tothe insurers to create agraduated tax benefit basedon income.”

As the forum continued,the crowd began to more

candidly address Bilbray.Many shouted out com-ments, slogans, statistics orquestions in between paus-es in speech by eitherBilbray or someoneaddressing him. The crowdpressed him for answers,calling him out on whatthey said they perceived asweak rhetoric or sidestep-ping issues.

Regardless of whetherthe forum swayed anyone’sthinking, after the closingremarks, many stayedbehind to speak withBilbray, either to hear moreof his ideas for a directionto head in, or to argue finerpoints about reform.

Greg Petree, who worksfor the North Coast HealthCenter, credits the Centerfor Surgery of Encinitas forbringing Bilbray to thecampus. “The discussionswe’ve had is that basicallythe health care discussionis happening at the nation-al level and we wanted tobring it down to the locallevel,” Petree said. “Oftentimes the physician isn’twell-represented on theimpact of what the changesmay have on the healthcare industry. The NorthCoast Health Center is thelargest outpatient care inNorth County— we repre-sent 150 doctors and 45practices. We have this largeconfluence of physicians inone location, many ofwhich are leaders in theirfields in San Diego. We

CARLSBAD — The Armyand Navy Academy PatronsAssociation is getting readyfor the annual CadetOlympics and CommunityFair set for Oct. 3.

Vendors and merchantsinterested in a booth at theevent may contact JeanneWeaver, ANAPA president,at (619) 300-7824 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Along with theOlympics where cadets andpatrons can compete ingames of agility, skill andspeed, the Community Fairwill offer an opportunity forlocal businesses to promotegoods and services to thecadets, their families, staffand faculty, as well as localvisitors to the beach frontcampus. It is also anopportunity for merchantsto offer gift cards for salefor cadet’s use throughoutthe year.

ENCINITAS FIRST • SEPTEMBER 2009 3

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Fair readiedat Army-NavyAcademy

Bilbray talks health care with local medical professionals

Congressman Brian Bilbray addressed a group of physicians gathered for a question and answer forum about health careat the North Coast Health Center in Encinitas on Aug. 6. Photo by Jason Land

From left, Americare President David Petree, administratorfor the Center for Surgery Chris Clinton and EncinitasChamber of Commerce CEO Marshall Weinreb were inattendance. Photo by Jason Land

❚ see Health care on 15


859 Second StreetEncinitas, CA 92024

Phone: (760) 753-6041Fax: (760) 753-6270

E-mail:[email protected]

Executive BoardCEO

Marshall Weinreb(858) 692-2325

[email protected]

PresidentG. Kenneth Gross

Wealth ManagementAssociates

(760) [email protected]

Vice PresidentAngel Haag

Primeco Education(760) 436-6076

[email protected]

Vice President / TreasurerMelaini Peet

Union Bank of CA(760) 942-4890

[email protected]

Board of Directors

Claudia CarilloSan Diego Gas & Electric


David DaCostaJamroc 101 Caribbean Grill


Denise HardmanLiberty Mutual Insurance


David E. LamFinancial Advisor - Edward Jones

(760) 753-1025www.edwardjones.com

Greg PetreeNorth Coast Health Center


Katherine Wichmann ZachariasInsurance & Financial Services


Genevieve WingWing Insurance & Financial Svcs.


Vanessa KellerComerica Bank(760) 942-2301

[email protected]

Coleen WalshCFO to-Go CPA


Jeremy E. DouglasVP Business Banking

Wells Fargo(760) 432-5345

[email protected]

Maryam RadPositive Place Montessori School


Visitors CenterDirector

Pat ReinhardtVisitors Center Staff

Debbie CaligiuriAlli Heller

Jake Shapiro

SUBMISSIONSTo submit articles, photos and

press releases forconsideration for an

upcoming issue,please e-mail:

[email protected]©2009 ENCINITAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Advertising/ProductionCOAST NEWS

GROUP828 North CoastHwy. 101, Suite C

760-436-9737E-mail:

[email protected]

FROM THE DESK OF THE CEOThings are going quite well after just five

weeks on the job. I have been having weekly“coffee chats” with local business owners andmanagers and they have been very successful.During these informal gatherings, I meet withfive current and prospective chamber mem-bers to help them betterunderstand what thechamber has to offer andlisten to their needs andimplement changes. In thenext Encinitas First I willshare what I learned.

Also new for the cham-ber are a number of com-mittees being formed tohelp represent variousbusiness segments. I amreaching out to relevant people and experts inspecific industries to join these groups. Thecommittees will meet once a month to shareinformation about their respective fields,including new developments, interestingnews and ideas. The chair of each committeewill gather and review the data and include itin upcoming publications, on the chamber’sWeb site and in a monthly report.

The Health Care, Education and Visitors

Center committees are already full. TheCommunications committee is nearly full, theSole Proprietors committee is just formingand the Retail committee will soon be lookingfor members. Contact me if you have sugges-tions for another committee category.

I went to a California Chamber meetingthis week, along with the CEOs of all the othercounty chambers, and it was very informa-tive. We are going to be part of an online proj-ect with the California Chamber to provide allbusinesses with vital and mandatory LaborLaw and Sexual Harassment posters andmanuals at discounted prices. The 2010 pub-lications will be available in October and wewill keep our members advised.

In other news, I will be attending meetingsand workshops to learn more about the con-troversial Leucadia 101 Streetscape project.Soon I will conduct a survey of all our mem-bers to get their input about this project andwill report on those results. Once I am thor-oughly educated about the project, I will knowhow to protect the best interests of our busi-ness community. I will report only the facts ofthis issue.

In other news, I was recently invited byJulian Duval for a personal tour of Quail

Botanical Gardens. We shook hands andagreed to continue to support each other. Wealso decided that the December Sundownerwill be held on Dec. 8 this year at the gardensin conjunction with the opening of its holidaylights event. Julian will address the crowd andopen the Garden of Lights ceremony.

The State of the City address will be held inDecember. I intend to make it a quality, hon-orable and exciting event. My vision for theevent is based on my experience with theCarlsbad Chamber of Commerce’s recentState of the City address.

Ted Owen, president and CEO of theCarlsbad Chamber of Commerce, invited meto attend the sold-out event that had 508attendees and 25 people unable to be seatedbecause it was too full. It was a first-class eventheld at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara, andthe bar has been set high. Even thoughEncinitas doesn’t have the Four Seasons, I feelwe can hold our own high-class event becausewe have our own great places and our ownquality people.

Anyone interested in volunteering to helpmake this State of the City address the best yet,

MARSHALLWEINREB

Want to make some easy money?By John TschohlFOUNDER AND PRESIDENTSERVICE QUALITY INSTITUTEWWW.CUSTOMER-SERVICE.COM/

What would you say if Ihanded you a check for$25,000? $250,000?

Before you get too excited,I’m not going to do that. But Iam going to tell you how youcan find that kind of moneyand add it to your bottomline. No, it’s not by terminat-ing employees or by institut-ing pay cuts. If you want tocut costs, the most effectivemethod — and one that willhave long-term benefits — iseliminating waste, not peo-ple. How do you do that?Simple: Ask your employees.

There is waste in everyorganization. The challengeis to identify that waste andthen eliminate it. Youremployees are the experts.They see where the waste is— in time, procedures, andmaterials. Ask them to identi-fy that waste and to suggestways to eliminate it. You willbuild morale by makingemployees feel like you valuetheir ideas — and you willimprove your bottom line.

Many employee sugges-tion programs fail becauseexecutives are only interestedin ideas that will save thecompany $100,000 to $1 mil-lion. They fail to identify the

small savings that quicklyadd up to big money. Mycompany offers a programcalled BAD — Buck a Day —that asks each employee toidentify a way to save just $1 aday. With 250 working days ina year, a 100-employee busi-ness would achieve arespectable $25,000 in annualsavings.

Here are some tips forinstituting an employee sug-gestion program:

Keep it short. A shortcampaign keeps enthusiasmhigh. Our BAD program runsfor just 30 days.

Make it fun. Dry, dullcampaigns get little atten-tion, which means they getfew results. Incorporate funand humor, and employeesbecome more involved.

Recognize employees. Youdon’t have to offer monetaryrewards or a trip to Las Vegasto get employees to partici-pate. Recognition is a muchstronger motivator thanmoney. Recognize employees

in a timely manner throughpublic praise, including anarticle and photograph in thecompany magazine or a pizzaparty.

Involve everyone. Thebackbone of a successfulemployee suggestion pro-gram is to engage all employ-ees — from frontline employ-ees to executives.

Implement ideas quickly.Nothing kills a suggestionprogram faster than a long lagtime in implementingemployees’ ideas. If you don’timplement ideas quickly,employees will lose interest.

An effective cost-reduc-tion campaign is based onthe assumption that employ-ees have worthwhile ideas.And those ideas can meanthe difference between yourcompany’s failure or survival.In today’s dismal economy,you must look for ways todramatically eliminate wasteand reduce costs. Ask youremployees to help. You’ll beamazed at the results.

Feel better duringtough timesLaurel DelaneyFOUNDER AND PRESIDENT GLOBETRADE.COMFROM WWW.USCHAMBERMAGAZINE.COM

I asked 20 presidents of small businesses inmarketing, interior design, insurance, and avariety of other industries what allows them toget a good night’s rest in these difficult econom-ic times. Here are the highlights of what theyshared.

Put in a good day’s work by getting to workearly and staying an extra hour or two at the endof a normal day if needed. Stay focused andcommitted to growing your business. Of all thepointers, this was the most commonly shared.

Connect with upbeat, enthusiastic, andhigh-energy people who share similar businessconcerns and who offer a host of action-orient-ed solutions to extraordinary day-to-day prob-lems. One of the things I heard time and timeagain is that it costs nothing to smile.

Communicate with employees often to con-vey the steps being taken to keep the company

Unions assaultecononomic andretirement securityBy Tom DonohuePRESIDENT AND CEO, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCEFROM WWW.USCHAMBERMAGAZINE.COM

Investors reeling from losses in their stockportfolios and 401(k) retirement plans have apotential new threat to be concerned about —powerful special interests that have goals otherthan maximizing shareholder value.

Some labor unions are trying to leverage thefinancial clout of their pension funds to pro-mote a political agenda in companies in whichthey have an ownership stake. They want totake control of corporate boardrooms and gov-ern companies based on their narrow inter-ests—not the interests of all shareholders.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) recentlyintroduced legislation—the misnamedShareholder Bill of Rights — that would facili-tate such a takeover. This bill would force com-panies to allow, and essentially pay for, unionsand other activist shareholders with as little as1 percent ownership to run competing slates ofboard candidates in corporate elections. Thismay sound harmless, but it could underminethe profitability of our best companies andweaken the retirement security of millions ofAmericans. It would also cause companies tothink twice before going public.

Unions already employ shareholderactivism to advance a special interest agendathat has little, if any, connection to the financialperformance of the companies in which theyhave a stake. Their actions include repeatedmotions by the AFL-CIO to require pharma-ceutical companies to disclose their drug

❚ see FEEL BETTER on 15

❚ see UNIONS on 15

Got a businessnews tip?

E-mail info to:[email protected]

❚ see Letter on 13

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Small businesses won arecord $93.3 billion in federalprime contracts in Fiscal Year2008 (Oct. 1, 2007 to Sept. 30,2008), an increase of almost$10 billion from 2007,according to the U.S. SmallBusiness Administration’sthird annual small businessprocurement scorecard,released recently.

In addition, small disadvantaged businesses,women-owned businessesand service-disabled veteran-owned businesses increasedtheir share of federal con-tracting dollars by at least $1billion to $3 billion.

“This record $93.3 bil-lion in contracts to smallbusinesses is significant,however, across the federalgovernment we are com-mitted to ensuring that the23 percent goal is met andeven exceeded going for-ward,” SBA AdministratorKaren Mills said.

“Especially during thesetough economic times, fed-eral contracts for smallbusinesses can be just the

opportunity they need tocontinue to grow and createjobs. At the same time, thefederal government getsaccess to some of the mostinnovative and best prod-ucts and services.”

Recently, the ObamaAdministration reaffirmedits commitment to ensuringthat minority-owned busi-nesses, small businesses,including women and vet-eran-owned businesses

have greater access to feder-al government contractingopportunities. CommerceSecretary Gary Locke andSBA Administrator Karen


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Reduced Date Night Rates atBest Western Inn & Suites

at Moonlight BeachDATE NIGHT

DOWNTOWN

From left, the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cuttingfor the Holiday Inn Express Cardiff took place Aug. 26. Fromleft, Pat Reinhardt; Kathy Wichman Zacharias; SuzanneSwanson; Joe Park, general manager of Holiday Inn Express,Cardiff by the Sea; Andy Mansour, owner of Holiday InnExpress, Cardiff by the Sea; Marilyn Kovach; David Lam; MerioValdes; and Vince Reyes, sales manager of Holiday Inn Express,Cardiff by the Sea. The Holiday Inn Express Cardiff is located at1661 Villa Cardiff Drive, in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Call (866) 538-6194 for information.Courtesy photo

From www. uschambermagazine.com

Web developer andvideographer Milan Shahuses social networking serv-ices for marketing. “Myclients take care of the dis-tribution, “ he says.

It took his own nuptialsfor wedding videographerMilan Shah of Chicago torecognize the business ben-efits of social networking.“After I got married inAugust, my wife put ourwedding video on herFacebook page, and it justwent from there.” Now,instead of using DVDs, Shahcreates two-hour, pass-word-protected weddingvideos that can be sharedover the Web, including onsocial networking sites like

Facebook.Before moving to social

networks, Shah’s main mar-keting effort was going tobridal shows. He and histhree business partnerswould collect the names ofbetween 200 and 300 brideswho were planning to getmarried in the next 12 to 18months. To obtain theirbusiness, Shah would haveto stay in touch with themfor that extended time peri-od. In contrast, marketinghimself through socialmedia produces moreimmediate jobs. “The ramp-up process involved withbridal shows takes a longtime, but online, thingsmove much faster,” Shahsays. And attending bridalshows is expensive, costing

about $1,000 per show. Shahexpects to go to 30 bridalshows this year, but with hisgrowing online exposure, hefigures he probably won’tneed to go to any next year.

“I don’t have to do anymarketing. I sell the video tothe bride and groom, whothen post it on theirFacebook account andshare it with friends. It cre-ates an echo for what youcreate … uncles, aunts,grandmothers, grandfa-thers, they’re all onFacebook,” Shah adds. “It’snot uncommon to get thou-sands of views of a weddingonline, while a DVD onlygets viewed a handful oftimes.” That has led to a del-uge of referrals andrequests.

Recently, Shah beganusing Twitter to reach evenmore people. When a newvideo is completed, Shahsends out a “tweet,” givingeveryone who searches for“wedding videographer” athree-minute video sample.“For a long time, businessesdidn’t want to share theirproducts. They had a fear ofit, especially videographers.But with more people goingonline, you have to do it. Justgive a little bit away for free,”says Shah. The importantthing, he adds, is to knowyour market. Twitter maynot be for everyone, but thetarget client he’s going for, intheir 20s and 30s, embracessocial networking and iscomfortable with technolo-gy.

Indie businesses go into survival mode

Small biz had record year with gov’t

❚ see Record on 15

ENCINITAS — When you think Encinitas real estate,Margaret Hokkanen probably comes to mind. You know herfrom the home brochures in your mailbox.When asked about her most recent mail-ing, she said, “We just mailed an eight-page brochure of a super-cute beach cot-tage in Encinitas Highlands to almost15,000 homes.”

In addition to marketing listings,Hokkanen is known for her skill in helpingbuyers find the right home. For someonerelocating to the area, the needs may bevery different than someone downsizingafter kids have left home. By being accessi-ble, providing exactly the information that is needed, andaccommodating the client’s needs, Hokkanen has a long listof clients willing to act as a reference.

Hokkanen just rejoinedthe chamber after a fewyears of absence. Her hus-band (and broker) Johnmet with Marshall Weinreb, the Encinitas Chamber CEO,about their past concerns. “Marshall was happy to meet andhe listened to our reasons for not renewing in the past,” JohnHokkanen said. “By the end of the meeting, I was convincedthat the Encinitas Chamber was back on the right track. Werejoined the chamber because we thought it was importantfor local businesses like ours to show our confidence in andsupport of the new leadership. Not only is the chamberuniquely positioned to help, they are committed to addingvalue and helping Encinitas businesses grow.”

As the owners and sales managers ofSurfTheTurf.com Realty, Margaret and John Hokkanenknow a lot about listening to client needs and providingover-the-top value. “Most home buyers and sellers wanta local expert,” Margaret Hokkanen said. “And that’swhy each of our agents focuses on an area and helpsboth sellers and buyers.” For Encinitas and Carlsbad —Margaret; San Marcos and Escondido — Karen; Powayand RB — Chris; La Jolla and UTC — Kathy; Fallbrookand Bonsall — Heather, and so on for the rest of theagents.

The services they provide to home sellers are indeed

ENCINITAS — Allison Maslan has been an entrepre-neur for the past 25 years and has a vibrant and powerfularray of successful businesses to her credit. She is anauthor, an international speaker, the originator and pres-ident of the Blast Off Life Coaching Program, and thepresident of the Homeopathic WellnessCenter in Leucadia, where she practicesas a nationally certified homeopath andlicensed holistic health practitioner. Sheis also the founder of the HomeopathicAcademy of Southern California, thelargest and most comprehensive home-opathic certification academy in theUnited States.

When she was in her 20s, Maslanbecame co-founder and co-director ofthe Barali Group, a full-service advertising and publicrelations firm. Her client list included Supercuts, AllstateInsurance, Merrill Lynch, Charlotte Russe and MCI. Shealso co-developed, co-owned and sold a scuba-divingcertification program, Dive Pro San Diego, as well as ahair salon. And, as a successful real estate investor,Maslan manages several properties and coaches othersto do the same. She is the author of many well-receivedarticles in local, national and international publications.“Blast Off” (Rees House Publishing, May 2009) is her firstbook. It focuses on why human beings create their ownpersonal limits in different aspects of their lives, includ-ing their relationships, personal joys, careers, health,prosperity and spirituality. She developed the Blast Off!Program to help people learn to identify and release self-imposed roadblocks. Her Blast Off Program offers a step-by-step, solution-oriented roadmap to living abundant,richer and freer lives.

In addition to her Blast Off Life Coaching Program,Maslan has launched an online interactive coaching pro-gram called Blastation. You can find more information atwww.MyBlastOff.com.

Maslan lives in Cardiff with her husband, Mike, threedogs, Daisy, Madison and Samson, and her cat, Miko. Herdaughter, whom she raised primarily as a single momafter her own life changes, is currently attending college.

Realtor’s secrettrick for success:extreme service

Local life coach helpspeople ‘Blast Off’

Allison Maslan

MargaretHokkanen

❚ see Service on 15


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Economic indicators were mixed in August, but thegeneral trend suggests that the pace of economic declinecontinues to slow and that positive economic growthshould return in the third quarter.

EmploymentThe economy lost another 247,000 jobs in July. This

was a considerable improvement from previous months.The economy lost an average of 691,000 jobs per monthin the first quarter and 422,000 jobs in the second quar-ter. The July unemployment rate dropped to 9.4 percentfrom 9.5 percent in June. Weekly hours worked increasedto 33.1 hours from 30 hours in June. Average hourly earn-ings increased 0.2 percent after remaining flat in June.The pace of job loss has slowed by more than expected,but the labor market will continue to deteriorate intonext year.

Business confidenceThe Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing

Managers Index (PMI) remains below 50, its threshold for❚ see Growth on 15

Sundowner brings new and familiarfaces together at Belmont Village

CARDIFF-BY-THE-SEA— The monthly Sundownerin August was a huge successby any measure. The “Picnicby the Pool” theme wasappropriate as chambermembers and soon-to-bemembers mingled poolsideat the Belmont Village SeniorLiving facility. The crowningjewel of senior living facilitiesin the area is barely ninemonths old but has alreadymade an impact in the com-munity.

The Sundowner eventsare one of the many benefitsof membership in theChamber of Commerce.Held on the third Thursdayof each month, the gather-ings offer opportunities tomake contacts, meet poten-tial clients and businessstrategy partners and wingreat raffle prizes.

The events also givepotential members a senseof the organization. Thechamber is committed toeconomic and communitydevelopment through activeparticipation in governmentadvocacy and local outreachto residents.

Membership has its priv-ileges with the chamber,especially in the way of cost-effective advertising.Chamber members aregiven special advertisingrates in the monthly newslet-

ter, as well as exclusive pro-motional sponsorship rightsat the chamber’s specialevents such as Oktoberfest.

Tyson Eckel, a potentialmember attending his firstSundowner event on Aug. 18,

took in all of the benefits ofmembership informationfrom other members andchamber ambassadors. “In atight economy, it’s a goodidea to pool your resources,”he said.

From left, Ken Gross, president of Wealth Management Associates and president of theEncinitas Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Belinda Hunter, manager of BelmontSenior Living, and Marshall Weinreb, CEO of the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce.

Lance Roll, The Flavor Chef, is joined by Robert Sherman ofRobert’s Healing Massage and Chamber AmbassadorDennis Smith of SanDiegoHomes.com.

Board members Genevieve Wing of Wing Insurance Servicesand Katherine Wichmann Zacharias of Evolve Digital joinpotential chamber member Tyson Eckel of First Investors.

Adam Rowe of ERowe Design and Patricia and Don Hagarof Where to Next enjoy a relaxing poolside Sundowner onAug. 18.

Don Enck of Pay-Net, Zack Spencer of Comerica Bank andKady Cravens of Alphagraphics enjoy meeting new people atthe Aug. 18 Sundowner hosted by Belmont Village.

Belinda Hunter and Lynda Franklin ofBelmont Village Senior Living helpedhost the August Sundowner at the newfacility.

Alison Cavanaugh and Angie Binns ofCyd-Dynnu Massage Clinic in Cardiff–by-the-Sea make their inauguralappearance at a Sundowner.

Vince Reyes, senior sales manager ofthe Holiday Inn Express Cardiff, andDavid Lam, financial advisor withEdward Jones.

Jim Benedetti of JPB LandscapeArchitecture and Rich Kilpatrick of RKComputer Services talk math anddesign at the Sundowner.

Joan Faust of San Diego Trust Bankand Liliana Zuniga-Avila of ComericaBank have lots to discuss at the Aug. 18Sundowner at Belmont Village.

The nextEncinitas

Chamber of Commerce

Sundownerwill be held from

5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 atHoliday Inn Express North Coastal

1661 Villa Cardiff Drivein Cardiff on

ENCINITAS — Community Resource Center will be“Celebrating 30 Years” of service to the community at itsannual gala from 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Del MarFairgrounds. This year’s milestone event will include anauction, dinner, live music, program and dancing.

Organizers hope to raise more than $150,000 in vitalfunding for CRC programs that provide safety, stability,and a path to self-sufficiency to more than 7,500 peoplein our community every year.

Abused women and children come to Carol’s Housefor emergency shelter and start new lives through ourComprehensive Domestic Violence Services. Localhouseholds in crisis are connected to critical resourcesthrough our Hunger and Homelessness PreventionServices.

As the primary provider of social services in the NorthCounty Coastal region, CRC has had a 150 percentincrease in demand for services in the past year, amiddramatic state and federal budget cuts.

“Now, more than ever, we need your support,” LaurinPause, executive director of CRC, said.

Special guests confirmed so far for this event includepast CRC Gala Honorees, Paul Ecke III, Julie Hampton,Lizbeth Ecke, David Meyer, and Peder and Julie Norby.Also confirmed to attend is Mayor Maggie Houlihan ofEncinitas, among others.

Vice Chairwoman Pam Slater-Price of the County ofSan Diego Board of Supervisors, is the honorary chair ofthis year’s CRC Gala.

More than 200 groups, businesses and organizationssupport this charity through community service, andthousands of individual volunteers are a core part of itsprograms. The CRC Gala will include tributes to thosesupporters, who have been crucial to the success of CRCover the years.

For event information or to RSVP, please contact SuzieColby at [email protected] or (760) 230-6305. Ticketsavailable online at www.crcncc.org.


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A recent ribbon cutting was held for Wing Insurance and Financial Services. Pictured from leftare Jeff Bibler, ambassador; Dr. Kim D. Kelly; Zack Spencer, ambassador; Suzanne Perez,ambassador; David Lam, ambassador; Genevieve Wing, ambassador; Jim Rose; KathyZacharias, ambassador; Debbie Caligiuri; and Claudia Yates, ambassador. Call (760) 944-1159or visit www.wingins.com for more information about Wing Insurance and Financial Services.Courtesy photo

ENCINITAS — EveryTuesday night in down-town Encinitas, multiplerestaurants offer specialprix fixe menus with dis-counted prices rangingfrom $30 a couple to $50a couple.

Participating restau-rants are:

D Street Bar & Grill for$40/couple

El Callejon for$48/couple

Encinitas Café for$30/couple

Jamroc 101 for$40/couple

Giovanni’s for$40/couple

Leucadia Pizzeria for$45/couple

Roxy Restaurant for$40/couple

St. Tropez Bistro for$40/couple

When In RomeRestaurant for $50/cou-ple

For more informationgo to encinitas101.com

Date nightsoffered

From www.uschambermagazine.com

COAST CITIES —The NationalAssociation of Realtorsreported that existinghome sales increased7.2 percent in July to5.24 million homes at anannual rate. In June,existing home salesincreased 3.6 percent,with 4.89 million homessold. Compared to ayear ago, existing homesales are down only 1.9percent. At the currentsales rate, there is 9.4months’ supply on themarket, consistent withJune’s level of availablesupply. The mediansales price for an exist-ing home dropped to$178,400 in July, downfrom $182,000 in June. Itappears as though thehousing market mayhave bottomed out,though even a slightshock to the economycould change that pic-ture. Potential buyersremain cautiousbecause of the uncertainlabor market and tight-ened credit restrictions.

New residentialconstruction

Housing starts inJuly were at a seasonallyadjusted annual rate of581,000. This is 1.0 per-cent below the revisedJune estimate of587,000 and 37.7 per-cent below the July 2008figure. Housing startsreached a cyclical low inApril at 479,000 buthave been more or lessflat since December

Existinghomesalessurge

❚ see Home on 15

ENCINITAS — Are yourkids on Facebook? Haveyou been hearing aboutTwitter on the news andwondering what it’s allabout and how it can helpyour business? If so, thishands-on workshop is foryou! Offered throughMiraCosta College, thistwo-day class will familiar-ize you with Facebook,Linked In, Twitter andFlickr. Your instructor willhelp you start accounts andshow you many of theirbasic functions.

How to Set Up and UseSocial Networking will meettwo Saturdays, Sept. 12 andSept. 19, from 10 a.m. tonoon in Room 112 atMiraCosta College’s SanElijo Campus, 3333Manchester Ave. in Cardiff.The fee for the course is $50.A $5 materials fee will becollected in class. Studentsmust have an e-mailaccount set up.

For more informationor to register, call (760) 795-6820. Registration is alsoavailable online at miracos-ta.edu/commsvcs.

Start socialnetworkingyour business

ENCINITAS — Is the lima bean truly the most hatedof all vegetables? Lima beans play a big part in Encinitashistory and the San Dieguito Heritage Museum is out tochange the bean’s bad rep by sponsoring a weekendevent to raise the lowly lima bean to star status.

The lima bean will be celebrated starting at 7 p.m.Sept. 25, with a talent show where all the acts mustincorporate a lima bean in some way.

To help get the show rolling, there will be tequilatastings, presented by El Duende Tequila.

The Lima Bean committee is looking for local talentwilling to perform for … well … beans. Send an e-mailto [email protected] if you are interested.

An actual Lima Bean Cook-off will be held Sept. 26from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Museum site, 450 QuailGardens Drive. The Lima Bean committee is looking foramateur creative cooks, professional chefs, restaurants— anyone interesting in cooking up a winning entry. Becreative, think outside the bean pod.

The four categories are: Classic Comfort, SavorySoup, Creative Ethnic and Anything Else.

There will People’s Choice Awards and the best of thebest as judged by a panel of three celebrity judges. LimaBean trophies and other prizes will be awarded.

“Before North Coastal county had flowers, limabeans were grown here, thousands of acres,” EvelynWeidner, Lima Bean chairwoman said. “Lima beans didnot need much water to grow, they provide a greatsource of protein and they were easy to ship to otherparts of the U.S. Lima beans can be easily grown in yourown garden.”

Celebrate the Lima Bean at the San DieguitoHeritage Museum Lima Bean Cook-Off weekend, Sept.25 through Sept. 27.

The San Dieguito Heritage Museum collects, pre-serves and interprets local history.

The museum’s major intent is to tell the story of thecommunities of the San Dieguito region to children andadults.

For additional information, contact Evelyn Weidnerat (760) 809-0789 or e-mail [email protected].

San Dieguito Heritage Museum setto host 3 day lima bean celebration

Community Resource Center celebrates 30 years

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Introducing ECCBusiness 4 Business

ENCINITAS — Are you curious about how you canadd value to your Encinitas Chamber of Commercemembership? Do you have some suggestions or ideasyou would like to share with other interested businessowners in Encinitas? Interested in brainstorming onhow we can all make the connections necessary tohelp each other through tough times? Willing to be alink to improve and keep business in Encinitas?

A new ECC Business 4 Business committee is beingformed. This lunch group will meet the last Thursdayof the month at 11:30 a.m., for just more than an hour.The location will change each month in an effort tohelp support local Encinitas Chamber restaurants.Communicate your interest at [email protected].

New radio programaims to help smallbusiness owners

Solana Center to hostfree enviornmentalevents in the fall

COAST CITIES — SBA Radio is hosted by Caz Taylorand guest expert Ruben Garcia. Garcia is the districtdirector of the Small Business Association for SanDiego and Imperial counties.

Listen live from 11 a.m. on Thursdays or anytime atwww.SBARadio.US.

Program topics and tips include starting and grow-ing a business, success stories, contracting opportuni-ties, resources, disaster recovery, and being a smallbusiness voice to government.

Yes the government does want to help small busi-nesses and has some new resources from the RecoveryAct you need to know about.

The wsRadio Network produces more than 125 talkshows with more than 3 million online listeners eachmonth. SBA Radio launched recently and is looking forsponsors interested in getting in front of growing smallbusinesses.

Also check out 12 other new shows recentlylaunched on the wsRadio Networks.

Have a fit family funday at local festival

ENCINITAS — Come take a guided trail hike in afun recreation demo or climb a 30-foot rock wall forfree. The Feeling Fit Festival will be held from 11 a.m.to 2 p.m. at Leo Mullen Sports Park, 951Via Cantebria.

Staff and volunteers will get you started on a guid-ed trail hike or you may choose to participate in one ofthe many fun fit activities going on at the event.

There will be drop-in activities such as soccer, bas-ketball, super movers, pilates and many more fitnessdemos for you to participate in.

Be sure to visit the exhibitors offering the best inhealthy living style and take advantage of free give-aways and information.

Parking is available across the street from the eventin the Encinitas Ranch Shopping Center.

For more information, visit ww.EncinitasRecReg.com or call the Parks and RecreationDepartment at (760) 943-2260.

California Coastal Cleanup Day9 a.m. to noon Sept. 1 at Swamis Beach in

Encinitas. Co-sponsored by the City of Encinitas.Register at www.cleanupday.org

Electronic Waste Collections— 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 26 at Solana Center, 137 N.

El Camino Real, Encinitas. Just past the Sheriff’s stationat Via Molena. We’ll take just about anything with acord. Co-sponsored by the city of Encinitas.

— 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 15 Celebrating AmericaRecycles Day (same info as above)Compost Workshops

— 8 to 10 a.m. Sept. 26, San Diego Zoo OttoEntrance (one block south of main entrance) registra-tion limited to 25

— 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 24 at Quail BotanicalGardens, 230 Quail Gardens Drive Encinitas

Call (760) 436-7986, ext. 211, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.solanacenter.org for moreinformation.

ENCINITAS — Artistswho work in ceramics, glass,jewelry or other handmade,one-of-a-kind art/craft areinvited to join the SanDieguito Art Guild and dis-play their work in the Off

Track 1 Gallery on the cornerof Second and D streets or atthe Off Track 2 Gallery locat-ed in the LumberyardShopping Center. Artists arerequired to join the guild foran annual fee of $65. They

must also pay small spacerental fee and staff thegallery for two three-hourshifts per month. They alsomust be willing to serve on acommittee or perform a des-ignated monthly task since

the gallery is run entirely bythe members who donatetheir time to the guild. Go towww.OffTrackGallery.comto learn more about theguild and the two Off TrackGalleries.

Off Track Gallery in Encinitas seeking artists

ENCINITAS — Localauthor, business and per-sonal coach, speaker, trainerand Encinitas ChamberMember BenhamBakhshandeh has releasedhis very first book,“Conspiracy for Greatness …Mastery of Love Within!”Bakhshandeh is a passion-ate, visionary leader who hashelped tens of thousands of

clients grow beyond theirexpectations in the areas ofaccountability, productivityand fulfillment.

This step-by-step coach-ing book is intended toguide people throughprocesses to access a peace-ful, effective and fulfillinglifestyle. He challenges thedeeply-ingrained internalimages and beliefs people

have about themselves, oth-ers and how the worldworks, so that they can dis-solve the limiting thoughtsand barriers.

Those interested inempowering those essentialqualities that allow fulfill-ment, self-expression andsuccess to emerge can pre-order a book today atwww.PrimecoEducation.com

or calling (877) 942-6076. Allpre-ordered books will bepersonally signed byBehnam.

Also check out the trailerfor the book on YouTube byusing the keywords“Conspiracy for Greatness”and allow yourself to takethe journey through thisbook so you can access atruly extraordinary life!

Local author and business coach releases book

A ribbon cutting was held for Luedde & Associates Insurance inAugust. Pictured from left are Kathy Zacharias, ambassador;Mario Valdez, ambassador; Jeff Bibler, ambassador; BrettLuedde, Luedde & Associates; Michelle Clark, Luedde &Associates; Zack Spencer, ambassador; and Suzanne Perez,ambassador. Luedde & Associates is located at 332 EncinitasBlvd., Suite 200 in Encinitas. Call (760) 634-7634 for moreinformation. Courtesy photo

ENCINITAS — Dr. AliLashgari and his staff atAdvanced Dermatologyand Cosmetic Surgerystrive to deliver the mostadvanced cosmetic proce-dures in the safest, mostcaring setting. Spendingtime with patients is at theheart of Dr. Lashgari’s mis-sion. We don’t overbookpatients, he says, so eachpatient gets my full atten-tion. Dr. Lashgari and hisstaff ensure a pleasingexperience by providing awarm atmosphere, impec-cable service and minimalwait times; this is whypatients not only remainwith the practice long termbut also refer friends andfamily.

Dr. Lashgari offerscomprehensive care fromdermatology to cosmeticprocedures, includingmicrocannula tumescentliposculpture; Fraxel and C02 laser resurfacing;IPL Photofacials andPhotodynamic therapy for

sun damage; fillers such asRestylane, Sculptra, andRadiesse. All proceduresare done under local anes-thesia and light sedation inthe office, reducing riskand minimizing down-time.

Patient CoordinatorLisa Padilla is always avail-able, assists you every stepof the way and providesclose follow up after theprocedure. Patients rou-tinely comment on theirdelight with not only theirexcellent surgical resultsbut with their experienceas a whole.

Dr. Lashgari’s creden-tials are exceptional. Hereceived his B.S. with hon-ors from Caltech and hisM.D. from the UCSD; heperformed his internshipat Yale New HavenHospital, and thenreturned to UCSD for hisresidency. Dr. Lashgari isboard certified in derma-tology and has receivedextensive training in cos-

metic surgery. He is a fel-low of the AmericanAcademy of Dermatologyand the AmericanAcademy of CosmeticSurgery, and is past presi-dent of the San DiegoDermatology SurgerySociety. He was chosen asone of the best physiciansand surgeons byBestof.com.

“We provide an envi-ronment where we get toknow our patients andthey get to know us,” saysDr. Lashgari. He adds thatthey treat their patientslike family and they come

to them because they getthe type of care that we allhope to get.

Advanced Dermatol-ogy and Cosmetic Surgerypractice is passionateabout educating the peo-ple of North County and itssurrounding cities on sunprotection, proper skincare and the importance ofannual skin cancer screen-ings. They are delighted tooffer these services and arecontracted with numerousinsurance companies andalso accept Medicareassignment. As a practice,they are excited to be newmembers of the EncinitasChamber of Commercewhich allows them to bemore connected andproactive in the communi-ty.

The staff invites thepublic to stop by theiroffice or visit www.doctor-lashgari.com. Se hablaEspanol.

The office is openMonday through Fridayfrom 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and islocated at 477 N. ElCamino Real, Suite A300 in Encinitas. Call (760) 436-8700 for more infor-mation.

Encinitas doctor offers advancedcosmetic procedures in a safe setting

DR. AI LASHGARI


MARY PURVIANCESenior Vice President/Manager

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JOAN FAUSTVice President/Assistant Manager

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Making healthier foodchoices by readingpackage labelsBy Dr. Pia Martin DC CC

ENCINITAS — Learning how to readfood labels is like looking at a prescrip-tion for your health and your life. We rec-ommend looking for red-flag ingredients— if a Hall of Shame ingredient is listedamong the top five ingredients overall,steer clear!

Just about every packaged food made inthe U.S. has a food label indicating serving

Hall of Shame1. Sugar2. High Fructose Corn Syrup3. Enriched Wheat Flour

(White Flour)4. Saturated Fat5. Hydrogenated Oil

Hall of Fame1. Olive Oil2. Garlic3. Tomato Sauce4. Spinach5. Raw Nuts6. Pomegranates

PIA MARTIN

❚ see LABELS on 15

Above, Oceanside resident Melissa Graaff, Vista resident Jared Calvert, and Vista resident JetTurner. Right, Encinitas resident Nicholas Bowman prepares samples for the Venezuelanrestaurant Q’ero. Below, Encinitas resident Lily Jasper dances to the music.Photos by Daniel Knighton

Leucadia resident Ashley LaFond and Encinitas residentSarah Donovan.

San Diego resident David Smith, playing with the bandSemisi & FulaBula at The Lumberyard.

Chef/Owner of Q’ero restaurant, Encinitas resident MonicaSvetezy and her son Niko Ortega pass out samples of herVenezuelan cuisine.

Oceanside resident Semisi Ma’u performs with his band,Semisi & FulaBula. Semisi moved to the San Diego area in1978 from the South Pacific island of Tonga.

Annual local eventdelights taste buds

ENCINITAS — TheDowntown EncinitasMainStreet Associationheld its 20th annual restau-rant crawl Aug. 27. Thesold-out event offered tick-et-buyers a chance to sam-ple menu items fromapproximately 36 down-town Encinitas restaurants,bars and businesses alongHighway 101.

“We’re completely soldout,” Tess Radmill told sev-eral disappointed latecom-ers on the night of theevent.

Restaurants began serv-ing at 6 p.m. and werescheduled to continue until9 p.m. but many ran out offood offerings early.

“It’s been a quick rushall night,” said volunteerDanny Salzhandler, whowas stationed at the DStreet Bar & Grill.

Those who didn’t scoreone of the coveted 1,000tickets at a bargain price of

$25 mingled in downtownlistening to live music in sixlocations including Semisi& FulaBula, BackwaterBlues Band, TropicalBreeze, Peter Hall, CreedeJohnson, RussellCastiglione and Earl Flores.

This year's Taste ofMainStreet was expandedwith several new features,according to Dody Tucker,executive director of theassociation.

Bridget Bueche, execu-tive chef for Sub-Zero andWolf, presented a live cook-ing demonstration just out-side 3rd Corner Wine Shop& Bistro.

A contest for the bestAmuse Bouche Award — fromthe French to literally “amusethe mouth.” Pitted top resta-raunts against each other. Athree-judge panel of chefs andfood critics selected the topchef. Among the submissions

❚ see Taste on 13


From left, Jeff Bibler, ambassador; Dr. Kim D. Kelly; Zack Spencer, ambassador; Suzanne Perez,ambassador; Matt Lason; Kathy Zacharias, ambassador; Jim Rose; Genevieve Wing, ambassa-dor; Debbie Caligiuri; and Claudia Yates, ambassador, at the recent ribbon cutting for KSWZInsurance Services. Zacharias is a licensed insurance agent who assists clients with smallgroup, large group, workers' compensation, mortgage, life, health, dental, cancer, travel, short-term, pet, Medicare supplement and long-term care insurance. For more information, visitwww.kswz.biz. Courtesy photo

ENCINITAS — Lux ArtInstitute’s Summer ArtCamp culminated in anopen house and artists’reception to showcase thework of camp participantsin Lux’s Artist Pavilion onAug. 6.

Participants invitedparents and friends to seetheir finished work in amuseum setting.

At Lux’s Summer ArtCamp, kids made art,talked to real artists andlearned about how theycreate their work. Locatedon Lux’s five-acre site over-looking the San ElijoLagoon, the summer artprogram was led by Lux’seducation staff and includ-ed guest speakers andnature walks.

The camp allowed kidsto experiment with paint-ing, sculpture, and photog-raphy, as well as collabo-rate on group art activities,explore the Lux landscapeand installations, and viewart in the Lux studio.

The focus of SummerArt Camp is not technicalinstruction, but creativeexperimentation and

exposure to a variety ofmaterials and processes.Building on Lux’s school-

based outreach program,the Valise Project, and theLuxcursion program,

which brings students totour the artist’s studio anddo a related art project on

site, the camp provides anartistic outlet to young-sters on summer vacation.

ENCINITAS — The Centerfor Surgery of Encinitas hosteda Physician’s HealthcareForum on Aug. 6 to discussdirectly with CongressmanBrian Bilbray the pendinghealthcare legislation and theimport role that outpatientmedicine plays in the deliveryof quality healthcare. The dis-cussion was held at NorthCoast Health Center, thelargest outpatient medicalcenter in coastal NorthCounty. More than 25 physi-cians participated in the con-versation with CongressmanBilbray in an effort to voiceperspectives from the “front line” of healthcare deliv-ery.

“North Coast HealthCenter is a good example ofthe kind of facility that we

need more of because it is ableto provide the services at themost cost-effective level,”Bilbray said. “It’s not only aconvenient, but an essentialcomponent in the future ofhealthcare.”

Richard Lavacot, M.D., withthe Center for Surgery ofEncinitas, explained, “We’revery pleased that the congress-man has cooperated with thephysicians that are interested inthe chance to speak with him.This is my view of democracy atits finest because there is pend-ing legislation of health carereform… and we’re going to seethe constituents of the 50thcongressional district get to talkto their representative inCongress. From a doctor’s per-spective, we bring a lot to thetable, so we ought to get some

influence during the time whenthe laws are being written. Wefeel like the outpatient industryitself and outpatient loci likeNorth Coast Health Center arenot just the beginning, butthey’re the middle and will con-tinue on to the end.”

Greg Petree, president ofAmeriCare Medical Properties,Inc., added, “North CoastHealth Center was an idealvenue for this type of forum, asthe outpatient campus wasdeveloped in partnership withlocal physicians and has beenpart of the coastal NorthCounty community for morethan 20 years. Outpatienthealth centers like North CoastHealth Center aggregate multi-ple healthcare specialties inone location creating enor-mous patient convenience

while, at the same time,enabling cutting-edge tech-nology to be extended deeperinto the community. We’repleased to have the opportuni-ty to provide our physicians,community leaders and localresidents with the venue foreducation and discussion onsuch an important issue.”

In addition to Bilbray andthe doctors, other local con-stituents in attendance for theHealthcare Forum includedEncinitas Mayor MaggieHoulihan, Scripps MemorialHospital Encinitas CEO CarlEtter, Encinitas Chamber ofCommerce CEO MarshallWeinreb, and more than 20North County residents.

The discussion withBilbray was videotaped andsegments are available at

www.NorthCoastHealthCenter.com. The new Web sitewas recently launched byNorth Coast Health Center tohelp aggregate informationabout its more than 150 physi-cians into one easily search-able online portal for the com-munity. The online directoryenables patients to search bydoctor, group or specialty.

About North Coast Health Center

Opened in 1986 and locat-ed in the heart of Encinitas at477 N. El Camino Real, NorthCoast Health Center is thelargest outpatient health cen-ter in coastal North County.

For more than 20 years,physicians at North CoastHealth Center have been pro-viding highly personalized

care to the greaterCommunity. With more than150 physicians to choosefrom, patients have access toprimary care, a surgery center,pharmacy, lab, X-ray, and over45 medical and dental special-ties all in one convenient loca-tion.

The 10-acre campus con-sists of four medical officebuildings, abundant parking,and an open tranquil environ-ment consistent with ourhealing mission. North CoastHealth Center is owned byAmeriCare Health &Retirement, Inc. and is man-aged by AmeriCare MedicalProperties, Inc. — a whollyowned subsidiary specializingin the management and oper-ation of medical office build-ings.

Local physicians host healthcare forum with congressman

Lux Institute sets up some summer fun2009 Lima Bean Cook-Offand Talent Show at 450Quail Gardens Drive inEncinitas. The talent showwill take place at 7 p.m.Sept. 25. The cook-off willtake place from 11 a.m. to2 p.m. Sept. 26. The LimaBean Follies will be held at11:30 a.m. Sept. 27. Visitwww.sdheritage.org fordetails.

Sept. 26The Community

Resource Center will be“Celebrating 30 Years” ofservice to the communityat its annual gala on Sept.26 at the Del MarFairgrounds. The eventwill take place from 6 to 10p.m. and will include anauction, dinner, livemusic, program and danc-ing. For event informationor to RSVP, please contactSuzie Colby at [email protected] or (760) 230-6305.Tickets available online atwww.crcncc.org.

Sept. 26 and Sept. 27The Cardiff Chamber

— Rob Machado SurfExperience and CardiffGreen Expo will be held atCardiff State BeachSeaside. To learn aboutvendor opportunities, call(760) 753-0144.

Calendarcontinued from 2

family moved here tolive, first in Oceanside asher husband Geoff worksfor Genentech, but foundEncinitas to be a better fitfor the family and thebusiness. Genevieve isvery active in the com-munity and has been amember of the EncinitasChamber of Commercesince 2008, currentlyserving on the Board ofDirectors. She is also is amember with manyother associations locallyand nationally.

For more informationabout Wing Insuranceand Financial Services,call (760) 944-1159 orvisit WingIns.com.

Wingcontinued from 2

From left, Scott Overland, Lux camper Janie Overland, Tina Overland and Josie Overland. Courtesy photo

going through the exercise,we can live with it,” he said.

A usual month of sales inthe current economyamounts to 40 vehicles leav-ing the lot Wheeler said.“This program virtually dou-bled our sales.”

While Herman CookSales Manager Phil Walls saidhis dealership did less vol-ume than Encinitas Ford,around 15 vehicles, heagreed that it was worth theeffort. “I think it was a suc-cessful program all the wayaround,” he said. “It helped alot of people get out of theirgas-hog cars.”

The program wasdesigned to stimulate thestaggering economy, in par-ticular the battered automo-tive industry. The federalgovernment offered rebates

between $3,500 and $4,500on trade-ins that got lessthan 18 miles per gallon formore fuel efficient cars andtrucks.

The Department ofTransportation said therebate system resulted in approximately 700,000trade-ins before the programran out of the $3 billion pro-vided by Congress to fundthe transactions. It ranbetween July 24 and Aug. 24.“I wish there had been aslower build-up and theincentive a little less insteadof the frenzy,” Wheeler said.

Most customers were notin the market for a newervehicle until the incentiveprogram enticed them tomake an auto purchase. “Wesaw buyers who decidedthey were going to drive theirold car until it died,” Wheelersaid. “The average car was 12years old with around

150,000 miles on it,” he saidadding that while the gasmileage wasn’t very goodmost of the cars were serv-iceable. Walls said the major-ity of trade-ins at HermanCook were sport utility vehi-cles that were traded in forJettas and other Volkswagensthat get double the miles pergallon.

Despite the mountain ofpaperwork involved witheach rebate transaction,Walls said things have gonesmoothly for the most part.

“I’m not anticipating anylong-term problems,” hesaid.

Wheeler reported thatthe government had alreadypaid his dealership some ofthe rebates. “I think themajority certainly will gothrough. Some of the intrica-cies of the program wereunclear but I think we’ll bepaid.”


intense debate. According to city offi-

cials, the chamber violatedthe contract in several wayswithout giving notice to thecouncil. The chamberclosed the Visitors Center at859 Second Street on week-ends without prior authori-zation, failed to maintainan updated Web site, didnot reveal staff turnoverand distributed outdatedpromotional materials, offi-cials said. Operating hoursduring the week were alsodiminished.

Chamber board of

directors’ President KenGross laid blame for thefinancial crisis and inade-quate operations of theVisitors Center on the pre-vious CEO, Gary Tucker,and his supporters on theboard.

The city manager’s officeand City Council declinedto comment until thereview is complete. Severalcurrent board members didnot return calls as of presstime for this story.

“I will be working withthe CPA to quickly add vitaldata, which I know exists, topresent a report that willclearly speak to the issuesthat we were expected to

clarify,” Weinreb said in thee-mail. “It would have beeneasy to accept what I wasgiven, but it just wasn’tenough.”

Weinreb, who has beenon the job less than threemonths, apologized for thedelay but said he wanted toensure that the financialreview was complete. “Sorrythat I jumped the gun, but Iam trying to put the pastbehind us and that can onlyhappen when the doors canbe shut completely and allthe facts become crystalclear,” he said.

He did not give an esti-mated date for completionof the financial review.

Reviewcontinued from 1

were When in Rome's tidbit"Arancini," a hand-formedrisotto ball cooked with aBolognese sauce, lightlybreaded and fried, andserved with pesto sauce;Whole Foods' roastedBrussels sprout-portabellomushroom skewers withGorgonzola dipping sauce;Jamroc101's jerk chickenjambalaya; 3rd Corner'sshort rib sliders; and DStreet Bar & Grill's searedahi with mango salsa. But itwas Q’uero, specializing inSouth American cuisine

that came in the ultimatewinner.

The People's ChoiceAward went to D Street Bar& Grill. “I liked it the best,although it was a toughdecision,” said MattSimpson, an Encinitas resi-dent.

Also new this year, 3rdCorner hosted a benefitwine tasting in itsLumberyard shoppingcenter parking lot. Ticketswere popular at the lowprice of $5 for two winesamples. Proceeds fromthis event will go towardfunding the installation ofa sculpture on Coast

Highway 101 at EncinitasBoulevard.

World-renowned localsculptor Manuelita Brown’sbronze statue "EncinitasChild" was commissionedbut another $8,000 is need-ed by the association tocreate a permanent foun-dation for the statue andinstall it.

By all accounts, thenight was successful atbringing residents and visi-tors together. “I was espe-cially pleased,” Tucker saidafter the event, “especiallysince we didn’t have our carshow at the same time thisyear.”

Tastecontinued from 11

please contact me. Also on deck for the

chamber are two art compe-titions it is sponsoring. Thefirst is a children’s competi-tion in conjunction withComerica Bank in Encinitas.The competition is open toany child in any school inthe district through sixthgrade. The results of 20artists will be displayed inthe bank, as well as havingthe first-, second-, third-and fourth-place winnershonored at a City Councilmeeting on live television.

The second project is inpartnership with the VisitorsCenter, which will be opento all artists in this city.Three finalists will be hon-ored at City Hall as well, andthose winners will be

announced at one of the chamber’s Sundowneraffairs. The three finalistswill win cash prizes andtheir work will be displayedon the walls of the city’sVisitors Center.

I am extremely glad toannounce that the Chamberand Visitors Center Websites will be upgraded, starting immediately. Thechamber marketing materi-als will also be undergoingchanges, so that today’sEncinitas will be marketed.For me and for most every-one I speak with, the notionthat there are two or three,or old and new Encinitases,is not really the case.

As for most serious busi-ness-minded people whowork for the betterment ofthis great town, we are allone. We should work togeth-er as one and we should

think together about whatwe can all do to improve ourbusiness climate and ourcity, to make it a wonderfuland friendly environment towork in. Thinking separateand working for single-minded agendas is not whatthis city is or should beabout.

There is so much more,but it will need to wait untilnext time.

Remember, Sept. 20 isyour 15th annualOktoberfest. Be there toenjoy the family fun or bethere to get the message outabout your business.

Call me or come by any-time.

Marshall Weinreb CEOEncinitas Chamber of

Commerce859 Second StreetEncinitas, CA 92024(760) 753-6041

Lettercontinued from 4

Dealerscontinued from 1


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Cardiff residents Katherine and Samantha Bueche helpedtheir mother prepare and serve sample foods. Photo by DanielKnighton

Encinitas resident Emily Moldenhauer plays for the visitorswalking by hoping to earn some tips. Photo by Daniel Knighton

Del MarresidentJenniferDarkazalliand herdog, Little.Photo byDanielKnighton

Encinitas residents Claudia and Austin Yates, volunteeringfor the Encinitas Rotary, assisted in marking cards as par-ticipants sample different foods from the restaurants alongHighway 101. Photo by Daniel Knighton

Executive Chef Bridget Bueche prepares a dish containingKing Trumpet mushrooms. Photo by Daniel Knighton

Encinitas resident Elliana Haines dances at TheLumberyard. Photo by Daniel Knighton

TastingMainstreetContinued from Page 11


strong. Actively seek inputfrom every employee onhow to improve the compa-ny’s performance whilemaintaining profit margins.

Obsess over listening tocustomers, employees, ven-dors, colleagues, and friendsand take action on what issaid. The presidents I talkedto report the actions theytake to the people who pro-vide feedback.

Emphasize a back-to-basics approach on every-thing, from how to buyoffice products to choosingcleaning services (do-it-yourself mentality) to whogets wooed over lunch ordinner for new business ini-

tiatives. The key question toask before spending moneyis: Do we really, truly needthis?

Enhance everything youdo, from response time toquality improvement toflexibility in managing proj-ects. If you do something in14 days, do it in four withhalf the number of people. Ifa client says, “We’re not sureif this will be a marketing,advertising, or PR push,”respond with, “We can beflexible until you decide,because we have the expert-ise to handle all or any oneof those areas.”

Eliminate unnecessaryexpenses on everythingfrom telephone bills (e.g.,call waiting, call forwarding)to credit card balances to

daily doughnut runs.Squeeze out every last littlepenny to make your organi-zation as lean as possible.

Learn to love uncertain-ty, not just live with it,because a certain strengthcomes over you when youacknowledge that thesetough times may not passand could be forever. Lookat it this way: It’s not yourlast dance; it’s your first, soget in step.

Reconfigure to become amore nimble, value-added,innovative product, service,or market creator becauseyou can’t get ahead in anenvironment like this unlessyou disrupt industries,trends, or markets. Get outthere and fire away withuntried and untested ideas.

Feel Bettercontinued from 4

re-importation policies andto pressure oil companies toreduce greenhouse gas emis-sions.

Some union leaders haveeven advocated using pen-sion funds to force employ-ers to negotiate union con-tracts or agree to specificdemands. One nationallabor leader even suggestedusing the “clout of unionpension funds as major cor-porate stockholders to influ-ence contract talks and

organizing drives.”Allowing unions to rig the

proxy rules for their ownadvantage is not only badcorporate governance, it’sagainst the law. ERISA (theEmployee RetirementIncome Security Act)requires pension assets —including voting rights — tobe used for the “sole pur-pose” of benefiting plan par-ticipants and not to pursueunrelated objectives.

Politically and sociallymotivated proxy activity mayviolate the fiduciary duties ofunion pension trustees.

Further, a study conduct-ed by Navigant Consultingfor the U.S. Chamber foundthat shareholder activism byunion pension funds pro-vides no benefit to unionpensioners and may actuallyreduce shareholder value.

Congress should act onbehalf of millions of individ-ual investors, union andnonunion alike, and defeatthe falsely labeledShareholder Bill of Rights. Wemust work to ensure that theretirement security of themany is not cast aside for thepolitical gain of a few.

Unions continued from 4

growth, but has increased to48.9 percent from 35.6 per-cent in January. This is the18th consecutive monthlydecline in the manufacturingsector but several compo-nents rose above 50, indicat-ing that the economy shouldgrow in the third quarter.

Personal incomePersonal income fell 1.3

percent in June after rising1.3 percent in May.Disposable personalincome (personal incomeless taxes) also fell by 1.3percent after rising 1.6 per-cent in May. One reasonfor the decline was the endto some stimulus transferpayments, but the declinein income was broad andlikely reflected the weaklabor market. Personalconsumption expendi-tures (PCE) increased 0.4

percent in June after risingat a slower 0.1 percentpace in May. The increaselargely reflects increases ingasoline prices.

Consumers continue towork to rebuild their bal-ance sheets, as the savingsrate continues to increase.In June, the savings rateincreased 4.6 percent,slower than May’s 6.2 per-cent increase but amongthe highest monthly ratesin the past 10 years.

Growthcontinued from 6

Rebecca and 75 employeesmanufacture really comfort-able and ergonomically cor-rect office chairs. She toldme that her business isdoing “just fine in 2009”because it fills a niche,instead of trying to be allthings to all people.

In the future, there won’tbe more mass marketing,mass media, or mass distri-bution. But there will bemore niches — lots of newniches.

Don’t worry, “mass”

business models aren’tgoing away anytime soon.But they won’t grow likeniches. And that’s goodnews for small business andthe future of 21st centuryentrepreneurship.

More niches mean ahealthier small businesssector, which I happen tobelieve is also good for theworld.

Write this on a rock —Most small businesses willfind success in the future bycreating and serving niches.

Jim Blasingame is creator andhost of The Small BusinessAdvocate Show.

Nichescontinued from 2

— Women who have asubstantially lower-than-average lifetime risk couldpotentially undergo mam-mography less frequentlythan once per year.

San Diegan TamaraKnabb recently enrolled inthe study as a way to con-tribute to future advances inthe fight against breast can-cer. “It’s an opportunity todo something that mighthelp down the line, and ittakes away from the feelingof helplessness,” she said.Knabb has two daughterswho will begin getting theirannual mammograms inthe next decade or so, andhopes this research will helplead to improvements in theway they get their screen-ings.

“More genetic discover-ies with respect to the role ofcommon variation andbreast cancer have beenmade in the last two yearsalone than in all of previousmedical research history,”

Murray said. “We want tosee if we can take theseadvances and translatethem into better health out-comes for patients.”

Breast cancer is the sec-ond-most common form ofcancer among women inthe United States (after skincancer), with 192,370 newcases estimated for 2009 bythe American CancerSociety. It is also the sec-ond-leading cause of cancerdeath in women (after lungcancer), with 40,170 deathsexpected in 2009.

Rare, high-risk variantssuch as BRCA-1 and BRCA-2are not targeted in the PINKstudy. “We’ve known formany years that family his-tory is a very strong predic-tor,” Murray said. “This isthe first breast cancer studyto explore how predictivethese lower-risk commonvariants are for breast can-cer, either by themselves orin combination.”

Those interested inlearning more about thePINK study can call (858)554-5753.

Researchcontinued from 2

thought it was a perfectforum to host CongressmanBilbray so he could haveaccess to local physiciansopinions so he could carrythat back to Washington.”

Marshal Weinreb, theCEO of the EncinitasChamber of Commerce,was also in attendance.When asked about thechamber’s role in the forumhe said, “I was there as arepresentative of the cham-ber. The reason I was invit-ed is because the Greg andDavid Petree are aware of

the fact that the chamber istrying to rebuild a qualityorganization that will deliv-er on its charter’s promiseto be assisting business inthe Encinitas community.”

Weinreb went on to saythat he needed to be thereto get a feeling for the typeof businesses Petree repre-sents, from independentdoctors to radiology cen-ters. “I feel that we have aworld-class center here andit’s growing rapidly,”Weinreb said.

To see video footage fromthe event, visit northcoasthealthcenter.com.

Health carecontinued from 3

impressive. Every homeowneris entitled to the best presenta-tion of their home, and thebenefits are huge: architectur-al, magazine-quality photoshoot, including aerial photos;custom layout of a four-page,full-color brochure; minimumprinting of 5,000 brochures;distribution of brochures intothe community by mail; full-motion video DVD home tour;video streaming on theirYouTube® channel; andInternet advertising via their Web sites likeEncinitasCarlsbad.com.

The extra service does notcome at a higher price. “We

charge only a 5 percent listingcommission, split 50-50 withthe buyer’s agent,” MargaretHokkanen said. She says thatthey started in real estate withbig companies, but thenformed SurfTheTurf.com tooffer better results and chargeless. Instead of paying fran-chise fees, that money couldbe invested in marketing sell-ers’ homes. “With better serv-ice at lower cost, it’s a big win-win for everyone,” she said.“For anyone with doubts, Ialways say, ‘Call me!’ I answermy phone and I will answeryour questions.”

Margaret Hokkanen can be reached at (760) 942-4242 or online atEncinitasCarlsbad.com.

Servicecontinued from 5

Mills announced a gov-ernment-wide plan thatincludes federal agencyprocurement officialsholding or participatingin more than 200 eventsover the next 90 days toshare information ongovernment contractingopportunities, includingthose available under theAmerican Recovery andReinvestment Act.

“President Obamahas made a commitmentto ensuring that smallbusinesses have greateraccess to federal con-tracting opportunitiesand it is a commitmentshared across thisAdministration,” Millssaid. “We have alreadybegun taking aggressivesteps to connect smallbusinesses with contract-ing opportunities, as wellas increase our outreachto federal agency pro-curement officers tomake sure they get theinformation and toolsthey need to help themconnect with these good,innovative small compa-nies.”

Recordcontinued from 5

flat since December 2008.Single-family housingstarts in July were 1.7 per-cent higher than in May.Permits for new housingdecreased, down 1.8 per-cent from June. With lowmortgage rates, an $8,000tax credit available to first-time home buyers, andnew, lower-priced homesoffered by builders, buy-ers will slowly begin toreenter the market. Whilethe worst is behind us, weare unlikely to see any sig-nificant upturn until atleast the early part of nextyear, when the generaleconomy picks up somemomentum.

Index of leadingindicators

In July, theConference Boardreported that its indexof leading indicatorsposted a 0.6 percentgain, reaching a level of101.6. It’s the fourthconsecutive month ofgains, a streak not seensince November 2003.Seven of the 10 compo-nents measured in theindex reported a gain orremained neutral. Apositive interest rateyield spread and adecrease in initialunemployment claimswere the largest con-tributors to the overallincrease. However, adecline in capital goodsorders and the realmoney supply subtract-ed 0.3 percent fromgrowth. The index is 0.2percent higher than itwas in July 2008; this isthe first positive changeyear-over-year sinceAugust 2007.

Homecontinued from 7

size and other nutritionalinformation. The “NutritionFacts” food labels are intend-ed to give you informationabout the specific packagedfood in question.Measurements of fat, choles-terol, sodium, carbohydrate,protein, vitamins and miner-als are calculated for a “typi-cal portion.” But, readingthese labels can be confus-ing. Below are some explana-tions of its components.

Serving sizeServing sizes are based

on the amount of food peo-ple typically eat, whichmakes them realistic andeasy to compare to similarfoods. This may or may notbe the serving amount younormally eat. It is importantthat you pay attention to theserving size, including thenumber of servings in thepackage and compare it tohow much you actually eat.The size of the serving on thefood package influences allthe nutrient amounts listedon the top part of the label.For example, if a package hasfour servings and you eat theentire package, you quadru-

ple the calories, fat, etc. thatyou have eaten.

Calories/calories from fatThe number of calories

and grams of nutrients areprovided for the stated serv-ing size. This is the part of thefood label where you willfind the amount of fat perserving.

NutrientsThis section lists the daily

amount of each nutrient inthe food package. Thesedaily values are the referencenumbers that are set by thegovernment and are basedon current nutrition recom-mendations. Some labels listdaily values for both 2,000and 2,500 calorie diets.

“% Daily Value” showshow a food fits into a 2,000calorie/day diet. For dietsother than 2,000 calories,divide by 2,000 to determinethe % Daily Value for nutri-ents. For example, if you arefollowing a 1,500 calorie diet,your % Daily Value goal willbe based on 75% for eachnutrient, not 100%.

For fat, saturated fat andcholesterol, choose foodswith a low % Daily Value. Fortotal carbohydrates, dietaryfiber, vitamins and minerals,

try to reach your goal foreach nutrient.

IngredientsEach product should list

the ingredients on the label.They are listed from largestto smallest amount (byweight). This means a foodcontains the largest amountof the first ingredient andthe smallest amount of thelast ingredient.

Label claimAnother aspect of food

labeling is label claims. Somefood labels make claimssuch as “low cholesterol” or“low fat.” These claims canonly be used if a food meetsstrict government defini-tions.

I hope you found thisinformation helpful, howev-er being the purist that I am;my best suggestion is thatyou eat foods close to nature.By that I mean foods thathave not been processed,like whole grains, fruits, veg-etables, lean protein andnuts and seeds. Dr. Pia Martin DC. CCN islocated at 535 EncinitasBlvd, #120. Encinitas. CA92024.Visit www.cre8well-ness.com for more informa-tion.

Labelscontinued from 11


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only as good as the specialist wielding it.When it comes to treating tumors, webelieve you should be able to trust notjust the most advanced technologies butto the physicians who know radiosurgeryand radiation therapy best.

We help to create a multifaceted part-nership between the patient, their family

members, and every Doctor involved intheir care. We do this - and maintainopen, honest, and frequent interaction -because it is known to help lead to thebest outcomes. Our physicians helpedintroduce the county to radiosurgery andhave the area’s largest volume of experi-ence.

TRUST THE PIONEERS WITHRENOWNED RADIOSURGERY EXPERTISE

TRUST YOUR TREATMENT TOTHE AREA’S TRUSTED AUTHORITY

encinitas first, september 2009

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