PEERS | Corvallis Women in Business

Sometimes it’s challenging to get up a little extra early for our weekly PEERS meeting… but today was not one of those days. We were expecting THREE guests today, we actually had FOUR and they were each worth getting up for!

Our first guest was Chama Bovee of La Petite Beauxo. She brought some fresh-from-the-oven goodies for us, and was even kind enough to make them GF. Her biscotti and breakfast muffins were fragrant and delicious… I’m sure we all wanted to have her as our personal chef to wake us with such tasty aromas each morning. 🙂 Chama caters private events using local and organic ingredients whenever possible, bringing wonderful food to you and your guests.

Jessica Beauchemin, of JessBFit, is a certified personal trainer – whom I actually passed on her bike, while I was in my car… made me think, “Yea, I should ride my bike instead.” Like our masseuse, Amy, Jessica will come to you in your home or office to work with you in a space that is comfortable and convenient. She is also available for two classes at EcoFusion Fitness: Yoga for Newbies and Punk Rock Aerobics! You can follow her on facebook here to keep up with all of her awesome activities.

Our third guest, Courtney Hall, is the manager of mortgage lending at Citizens Bank. A good mortgage lender can make a huge difference when buying a home. As we climb out of the popped housing bubble and our market stabilizes, learning from mistakes and being smart with our finances is something Courtney can help with. Citizens Bank mortgage loan officers have extensive knowledge and experience in the industry; as well as process, underwrite, and fund most loans locally.

…four guests might not sound like much, but when your regular group is around 25 people adding four new faces is very exciting! Karrie Wuerch is a returning addition to Corvallis, after spending some time in Seattle, as the Director of Physician Recruitment and Relations at the Corvallis Clinic. Her position brings the most highly qualified doctors and specialists to the Clinic team, strengthening our community and quality of life.

Our group speakers today were Elaine Forrest of Simply Home Professionals LLC and Amy Peters of Carefree Massage. Elaine is a licensed general contractor here in Corvallis. She specializes in stripping wallpaper and color consultations. She took us through our impressions of different colors – how they make us feel and gave us info on the pros and cons of each color for the various rooms in your house. Every color is good at bringing out a positive emotion or response, but how you use that color can effect that response. Red, for example, is bold, rich, makes you hungry, and can add interest to a room… too much red and your room feels hostile, oppressive, and dark. Many people think that white walls open up a room, but Elaine shared that effectively using colors will actually do a better job while adding life and interest to your home.

Amy gave us a demo on her daughter so we had the chance to observe what we could expect when getting a wonderfully relaxing massage from her. First “rule”: Don’t dive right in to the muscle. A quality massage has a looming pre-requisite, trust, without trust Amy will not be able to help a patient’s muscles and body relax and start healing. Sometimes gaining trust can take a few sessions so Amy makes herself very aware of her patient’s medical conditions (that would effect or be effected by massage), where they carry their stress, past injuries, and their preferences – like if they prefer the massage chair or table, mild or strong smelling oils, music or not. Needless to say we were all jealous of her daughter… just laying there all warm, getting a relaxing massage at 8:00am. Many of the PEERS members have used Amy’s services, as well as brought her into our offices for 10 minute chair massages for our staff, always with rave reviews and repeat appointments.

Happy Thursday everyone 🙂

We’re continuing to welcome the new year with new members, guest speakers, and big things happening in our businesses. Julie started our commercial time today by letting us know that her Tobias Weiss Design business is unique because she gives clients the files at the end of a graphic design project. Amy {Carefree Massage} reminded all of us that touch is very important to the general well-being of people, especially therapeutic touch like massage. Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions to exercise more? If so, you’ll want to ease back in to physical activity or you might end up in Cory’s office at Heresco Chiropractic. She shared that they regularly see a spike in exercise related injuries in the first couple months of the new year. Joni is switching gears a bit with Essentially Healed and emphasizing on professional business coaching for women. She’s going to use her essential oils and energy work as part of the overall wellness of her clients. New member Christine from Red Stem informed us that she uses both conventional and organic {what she call just good gardening} methods when designing or caring for your outside space. Now’s a good time to start planning those garden beds! Dian {River Crossing Art Therapy} shared a book “Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time” that focuses on 52 little things {one thing each week} that we can do to improve our lives. Yay! Maureen and Chris from Valley Eye Care had some news for patients with Diabetes. Firstly that Diabetes/obesity is the leading cause of a particular type of blindness, and most of the appointments made with VEC are considered medical under insurance plans, not vision {for patients with Diabetes}. Another new member, and interior designer, Susan is ready to plan and design rooms big and small 🙂 Karen just got back from the national convention for the Girls on the Run program. She’s looking for coaches and team sponsors so if you would like to volunteer for this amazing program get in touch with her stat! Anne {Remax} didn’t have much to share business-wise today. She has been working hard to pull together her daughter’s wedding. I call it “wedding planning brain”. Shelley {Alta’s Antiques and Collectibles} is always available to bring her bling to you for a home or office vintage jewelry party – 20% off for PEERS members. One of the many services offered by Peg at Pathfinder travel is making the most of your reward miles. Schedule a sit down with her and …oh the places you’ll go! Amanda {Amanda Photographic} will be at the LaSells Stewart Center tonight to photograph the Huaxia Orchestra from Henan Museum of China and the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Team. This event if FREE… doors are at 6:45pm with the show starting at 7:30pm, but you better get there early. Peg Obrist from our local Citizens bank reminded us that there are many benefits to using a community bank. Citizens is an active member in the community, and, like the rest of us, pays taxes that stay here in Corvallis/Oregon. Ilene is taking appointments for filing your taxes at A&S Accounting. While you can’t file until the end of January, you can get your paperwork prepared and ready to go with Ilene and her team. Bonnie from Rice’s Gift and Pharmacy brought in purse organizers to show us. They come in three sizes and can easily be moved with all the contents when you want to switch bags. Nadine {Gluten Free RN/RN On-Call} also just returned from traveling to a conference. One of three conferences being held in Canada on Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease, Nadine plans to return to the Great White North to speak at the remaining locations. And Tara from the State Farm Office of Jeff Mills shared that the beginning of the year is a great time to review and update your insurance policies.

Dr. Laster was our guest speaker today. He is represented in this group along with Dr. Bugni and Jensen by their wives Janelle Bugni and Mary Jensen. Dr. Laster recently-ish moved to Oregon from Texas and couldn’t be happier with the decision… and we’re glad to have him in our community. Today he talked about two topics: 1. Laser Therapy and 2. Obstructive Sleep Apnea. First the lasers {because lasers are cool}. The practice of Drs. Bugni, Laster, and Jensen can use the Biolase Epic 10 Diode Laser for a number of dental issues including healing persistent gum disease, reducing bacteria and tooth sensitivity, and help with the progressive elimination of cold sores and apnthous ulcers. It can also be used for pain relief in the joints and temples. Laser surgery has no scalpels, blood, or stitches which leads to a faster recovery time. Hooray for lasers! Second Dr. Laster talked about Obstructive Sleep Apnea {OSA} which is a stopping of airflow at the nose or mouth for at least 10 seconds while you’re sleeping. This lack of airflow causes a loss of oxygen in the blood and cause serious, sometimes fatal, issues if it goes untreated. OSA is cause by the epiglottis falling back and blocking the airflow, interrupting your body’s chemistry cycle. ~85% of OSA patients have airway blockage happening behind their tongues – which we learned today are a lot bigger than they look on the outside – and that this only gets worse with age as our tissue and soft palate get softer. There are two peaks for OSA, first from ages 0-4 and again from 55-59. Children are likely to have their tonsils taken out while adults, if OSA is left untreated, tend to die from related complications including 65%-80% of stroke victims. In the past people with OSA were stuck with using a continuous positive airway pressure {CPAP} machine that forces air into your mouth and nose through a mask while you sleep.

Many people still use the CPAP, but it comes with its drawbacks – it can be difficult to travel with, it’s bulky, etc. For those with mild-moderate OSA Dr. Laster can fit them with a Mandibular Advancement Device {MAD}. They kind of look like mouth guards or bite plates, but they are precision instruments that hold the lower jaw forward moving the soft tissue away from the airway. Amazing! Dr. Laster also gave us some info on sleep hygiene, you can find it here.

Until next week…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We’re so happy to be back after a break for the holidays 🙂 Today was our first business meeting of the year, and there was a lot to talk about. …but first we started with our commercials. Maureen from Valley Eye Care informed us that when a patient opts for Lasik eye surgery all of their pre & post operation care is done right here in Corvallis (surgery is performed in Portland). Peg Welch is stepping into a busy time of year for Pathfinder Travel with couples and groups booking their off-season trips as well as booking early for the prime-season locations. Dian {River Crossing Art Therapy & Counseling} is accepting new groups and individuals for both personal and professional development sessions. Amanda {Amanda Photographic} announced the official beginning of Wedding Planning Season. Most vendors book 6-12 months in advance so start your planning early! Stefanie & Bonnie from Rice’s Pharmacy & Gift are already gearing up for Valentine’s Day. They have a wonderful selection of chocolate and sweet gifts. Karen {KidSpirit/GOTR} had her first day of gymnastics yesterday for kids 2+ yo. It’s also fundraising time for the Girls On The Run program – if you’re interested in sponsoring a team, being a Sole Mate, or running buddy contact Karen stat! Nadine {GF RN/RN On-Call} was excited to announce that she has her first international speaking conference booked in British Columbia. Great job Nadine! Also if you or someone you know is suffering from an idiopathic condition, stop by her office to see if you have a gluten intolerance/Celiac Disease. Elaine {Simply Home Professionals LLC} is here to take care of staging your for-sale home. Her favorite thing to do is strip wallpaper so give her a ring when you’re ready to remodel. 🙂 We’re very excited today to welcome two new members: Christine Moon from Red Stem. Christine offers landscape design & maintenance. Right now is a great time to start planning your new layout or garden. Also Susan Binder with Let’s Get Comfortable interior design. Susan offers the full gamut of design services. 🙂

Today we missed Corey from Heresco Chiropractic, Tami from University Honda, and Tara from the State Farm Office of Jeff Mills. We’re also sad to say good-bye to Lora of Initials Inc. …but we’ll still she her when she visits for guest speaking!

As you might imagine most of what goes on in a business meeting isn’t appropriate for a blog post. We reviewed our by-laws and discussed what types of business we’d like to see join our group this year.

• restaurant
• hair stylist/barber/salon
• communications/technology
• cleaning service
• bookstore
• florist/garden retail
• coffee shop
• exercise/gym facility
• seamstress
• vet
• plumbing
• non-profits

If you know Corvallis area woman with one of these businesses we encourage them to check out the information on this page and contact our President Peg Obrist {Citizens Bank} to schedule a visit.

Good Morning Corvallis
The first meeting of the month is our business meeting and we started this chilly December meeting with our 30-second commercials. It’s the season for end-of-year sales and our group is no exception. Shelley {Alta’s Antiques and Collectibles} is having a BLOW-OUT SALE with items priced at $5 each or 2 for $8. Corey from Heresco Chiropractic is offering $25 off a first visit. Whether it’s pain, numbness, or tightness Corey can straighten you out. With the new year approaching Tara {State Farm Office of Jeff Mills} reminded all of us that life insurance can help secure a families financial future. Amy {Carefree Massage} has gift certificates available for stocking stuffers… don’t forget that PEERS members get a sweet little discount. 😉 Chris {Valley Eye Care} and Mary {Drs. Bugni, Laster, & Jensen} reminded us that most of our health insurance will renew come January. Don’t forget to get the most of your policies before they reset. Ilene at A&S Accounting is getting ready for tax season, if you’re ready better get a head start and bring your files in early. Lori from the Thank You People is excited for the Holidays. All the Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Thank You cards that are getting sent out bring cheer to our whole community. Are home renovations part of your new years resolutions? Contact Elaine with Simply Home Professionals for a consultation. Lora {Initials Inc} has the perfect personalized items for the loved-ones on your shopping list. Check out her catalog here. Julie {Tobias Weiss Design} teased us today with an announcement that the new logo is ready… but we can’t see it until next week. Do you know what your Oxygen saturation and heart rate is? Nadine {GF RN & RN On-Call} has a handy tool to get a quick reading; see her at her Downtown office for a consultation. Bonnie & Stefanie brought a tea sampler basket from Rice’s Gift & Pharmacy. They also have accumulative holiday specials starting Dec 11th. Woo! The 2012 Hondas are on sale and Tami at University Honda is ready to take you on a test drive. Stop by the 9th Street dealership before they’re all gone. Anne {Remax Integrity} has $10 off coupons for the Toland Tree Farm in Albany as a thank you for a great 2012! Joni {Essentially Healed} missed our Holiday Social on Sunday due to the flu, but with help from her essential oils – Flu Bomb – she was right as rain in a day. Awesome! Karen from KidSpirit & GOTR brought partnership packets for the 2013 Girls On The Run season. If you’re interested in supporting this wonderful cause contact Karen at her office. Dian at River Crossing Art Therapy Counseling offers a complimentary 30 minute consultation for individuals.

Today we had a guest speaker, Erik Rau, from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) to talk about hazard preparedness for families and businesses. Our area is susceptible to a few particular natural disasters: flood, winter storm, forest fires, and the looming BIG earthquake. The BCSO is responsible for planning and aiding in the event of a natural disaster; instead of having a different plan for every kind of event they have laid-out a base plan for the issues in common with all natural disaster events. Communication is the most important and often the most difficult hurtle during an event. How many of us have LAN lines? More importantly a LAN line that isn’t attached to your cable or internet… a good, ol’ fashioned, plugged into the wall, corded LAN line. Most of us rely solely on our cell phones, email, or facebook for communication and this presents a major problem when there’s a massive power outage lasting even a few hours, let alone days or weeks. Finding and having access to hard LAN lines will not only ease the burden on cell networks, but are also more stable and robust than cell networks. One of the simplest things you can do to help yourself during an event is to have phone numbers and contact information – especially at least one that is outside the area – physically written down in a safe, accessible place.
A lot of people think they’ll make a plan or kit when they have more time or better supplies. The BCSO encourages everyone to make a plan and basic kit right away since we never know when or where a disaster might strike. Buying ready-to-eat meals might seem like the easy and practical solution for food, however that can actually cause more issues and drive down moral. Purchasing more of what you regularly eat for your pantry is often easier, healthier, and better for your positive outlook. Foods like oatmeal, peanut butter, and cheese are easy to prepare and go a long way.
Some more information on communication… A hand crank radio that has the NOAA frequency can be your best friend. Newer ones also have an outlet that you can charge your cell phone with. During Hurricane Sandy 30-40% of the cell towers were out leaving 60-70% to handle the enormous load of panicked callers. Texting is often a better solution than calling since texting uses less bandwidth and doesn’t require that you hear the person (if you’re in a noisy area). Calling someone outside of the disaster area is also helpful for the cell networks and you’re more likely to get through. There is a developing emergency alert system for cell phones that will text everyone in a specific geographical area. Check with your service provider if you’d like more information about this system.
A quick bit on natural disasters with respect to businesses: If a business location experiences a fire and has to close for any length of time 40% of them will not re-open. Ouch! Disaster recovery is one of the most difficult things a business can undertake. Making sure that you know your insurance policies and that you’re adequately covered is critical to your business’s recovery. If you’d like more information on hazard preparedness check out these sites: www.earthquakecountry.info and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety at www.disastersafety.org.

Upcoming events:

GF Emergency Preparedness | Sat Dec 15th 10:00am-11:00am | Darkside $25
Nadine will present how to put a 72-hour emergency kit together and what to do if you are separated from those supplies.

Buy Local First Holiday Contest | Thru Sat Dec 15th | Participating Businesses