Local Partners

Today I went to an Amspirit meeting and had a wonderful time.  Everyone was welcoming and engaged with getting to know one another and genuinely interested in helping everyone.  It was a pleasant way to start the morning.  We will be adding the chapter members to our list of Local Partners that will cover a variety of services, in the near future.  I can't wait to have these businesses and more importantly people on board with the The Advanced Handyman team of Local Partners for our customers.  So be on the look out for the new Local Partners.  The list is growing rapidly each day.  Cory will be a busy bee getting all of the information on the site!

During our meeting today, Duff played a little game with our business cards that brought up a good point that I wanted to share.  He passed out two business cards to everyone and on the back of them we had to write a compliment(s) about that person.  After we handed them back, he read the comments aloud and you had to guess you made that comment about you.  It was interesting to see who could guess correctly just by what they other person said about them.  But main point for this game was to provide you with insite as to wether you knew the person well or not.  If you knew them well, you had a lot to say.  If you didn't, the message was short.  So if you're referring another business or service to your clients, take the time to not only get to know what the business does, but the person that will be working with your clients.  For me, getting to know the person is more important than the service itself.  When you speak about your referral business in a complimentary way,  it gives you the confidence in referring your clients to them and allows your clients to be more comfortable with them too.  So don't be afraid to open up and get a little personal with the businesses and people that you work with.

Lowes Helps you Recycle

Incase you didn't know, Lowe's wants to help you recycle!  They have a list of items you can recycle in the article.  The one that we're the most excited about here at The Advanced Handyman is the CFL recycling.  Before it was very hard to find locations that would take CFLs.  Lowe's has taken care of that for us.  We will be adding CFLs to the list of items that we will recycle for our customers soon, but if you have a trip to Lowe's in the near future just drop them off in their new bins located near the entrance to the store.

http://media.lowes.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3000

Winter Newsletter from SWACO

Winter Newletter from SWACO.  They have great tips on how to properly dispose of items in your home.

Our First Phone Deposit

We had our first phone deposited with the Call2Recycle Program!  This is a free program that allows you to dispose of your phones and rechargeable batteries properly.  You give us these items and we take of the rest.  It couldn't be easier.  If you have some to dispose of, bring them to our office at  202 Oak St Columbus OH 43235.  

Call2Recycle Press Release

THE ADVANCED HANDYMAN JOINS NATIONWIDE CALL2RECYCLE PROGRAM TO

RECYCLE USED RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES

Participation in North America’s most comprehensive battery recycling program augments environmental sustainability efforts.

COLUMBUS, OH – In efforts to be an environmentally responsible organization, The Advanced
Handyman has joined Call2Recycle®, the only free rechargeable battery and cell phone collection
program in North America. By conveniently recycling used rechargeable batteries and old cell phones
through Call2Recycle, The Advanced Handyman is demonstrating its commitment to the environment by adopting green business practices.

“Participating in a battery recycling program is one important way that businesses can advance their
green business practices and make their organization more sustainable,” said Carl Smith, president and
CEO of RBRC, which operates Call2Recycle. “The Advanced Handyman is joining thousands of
businesses across the country that have incorporated battery recycling into environmental initiatives and are contributing to a cleaner environment and healthier, safer communities.”

Rechargeable batteries are a long-lasting, eco-friendly power source for many electronic devices,
including laptop computers, cell phones, portable scanners and printers, power tools and PDAs.
The Advanced Handyman can now recycle the rechargeable batteries used in their field and office
everyday, preventing the used products from entering the solid waste stream.

Since 1994, more than 50 million pounds of rechargeable batteries have been collected through Call2Recycle. Various federal, state and provincial regulations govern the proper disposal of rechargeable batteries and cell phones, naming Call2Recycle in official legislation as the collection method for eco-safe rechargeable battery and cell phone reclamation and recycling. Call2Recycle is the first battery program committed to attain Basel Action Network (BAN) e-Steward qualification and upholds strict third-party standards for environmental safety and social responsibility.

For more information, visit Call2Recycle on Facebook or Wikipedia.

About Call2Recycle
Call2Recycle® is the only free rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program in North America. Since 1994, Call2Recycle has diverted more than 50 million pounds of rechargeable batteries from local landfills and established a network of 30,000 recycling drop-off locations. Advancing green business practices and environmental sustainability, Call2Recycle is the most active voice promoting eco-safe reclamation and recycling of rechargeable batteries and cell phones. Call2Recycle is operated by the non-profit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC). Learn more at call2recycle.org or 877.2.RECYCLE.

Holiday Traveling Tips

Follow these precautions while you’re away for the holidays.

1. Tell a few trusted people that you know and give them the phone number and location where you will be staying.
2. Temporarily stop mail or newspaper.  When the mail, newspaper and ads start to pile up on your doorstep.  It gives an indication that no one is home.  
3. Use electronic timers to have certain lights turned on to give the impression that someone is home.  When possible, make sure you’re using CFL or LED bulbs in the fixtures to help keep your energy consumption down.
4. Don’t tell the world.  We all like to announce when we’re going on vacation because we can’t wait to get there, but sometimes that's not always a good idea.  If you post information on your blog, facebook, twitter or voicemail, don't advertise the best time for intruders to enter your home.
5. Keep those prized possessions in a safe.  If you’ve purchased gift cards or valuables, make sure they’re locked away in a safe until you’re ready to hand out the gift.
6. Don’t put those big boxes out on the curb.  It lets everyone know that you just purchased that TV or laptop.  Either break down the boxes so they fit in your trash can or keep them inside until you can make it to a recycling center.  
7. Make sure that the stove and oven are off, the iron is unplugged and that apple cinnamon candle is not lit.
8.  If you're gone for an extended period of time, have all of your homes mechanical systems checked to ensure that they're working properly.  The last thing that you want is to come home to a water leak or no heat in your home. 

Michael Anschel

Michael Anschel.  If you don't know that name and you work in or with residential homes, you should.  He is one of the leading advocates for change in the way that we build and remodel homes.  He's my kind of guy.  Quirky.  Impactful.  Outspoken.  Educated.  There are not many people in the building industry that are not afraid to challenge the way a home should be built and he is one of them.  I really enjoy reading his blog posts and I can't wait to attend one of his seminars.  Below is a link to his blog posts and this one in particular is reflecting upon why and how he got into the remodeling industry. Enjoy.

http://www.remodeling.hw.net/blogs/postdetails.aspx?BlogId=manschelblog&postId=91022