Blogs

Colorado Repertory Singers & Steel Pennies Presents:  

America Sings - concert fare straight from the musical heart and soul of America! Join us for traditional folk tunes, & hum along to their familiar chorus. Tap your feet to the beat of our special guests, Steel Pennies, a Colorado-grown bluegrass band. CRS is a community choir with members from the north-metro area. Steel Pennies grew out of Louisville, CO, to make a name for themselves statewide; see www.steelpenniesbluegrass.com.

One Night only:

Saturday, June 8 at 7:30pm

D.L. Parsons Theater in the Northglenn Recreation Center

11801 Community Center Drive

Northglenn, CO  80233

 
Adult tickets: $10.00 each; seniors and students: $8.00; kids ten and under, free.

It seems like just a couple weeks ago I had snow filling my Broomfield home's backyard.  Wait, we all did!  Where did spring go?  All of a sudden, I'm using my AC in my car EVERYDAY.  I am glad I had my mechanic checked it the last time I had my car in for service.

The heat of this past memorial day weekend had me thinking…I had just serviced my car's AC, but haven't had anyone service my home air conditioner in a long time.  I figure, like many of us, I just switch the thermostat from heat to cool and all will work flawlessly. It's not like you take your house into a "home mechanic" at regular intervals like you do your car.   I guess the last time was only because my AC needed repair.  I called one of the large companies that advertise a lot in the Denver area.  I thought, if they are a big HVAC repair company, they must be reputable and a guy in single truck isn't.  What I didn't realize is they were charging me a premium for servicing my system and sold plans that seem like veiled ploys to get them back into my house.

I was told I needed to re-wire my home thermostat and was sold a preventative maintenance plan.  Being busy and not paying attention to detail, I agreed.  When they came back a year later, they checked my whole house, including plumbing and told me I needed a ton of plumbing issues addressed giving me another large bid.  I know plumbing better than my ac or furnace and realized what they were proposing could be addressed by nothing more than changing a bowl plug and other internals I could buy for $20.  I was immediately skeptical and felt like their preventative maintenance program was a ploy to get them back into my house so they could find something else wrong.    

So how do you choose a good HVAC contractor?  Drive from Westminster to Broomfield and you'll see 12 different pickups with a magnet saying they do HVAC work.  

Remember, your furnace and your air conditioner are two completely different home appliances, but interoperate and  use the same vents and ductwork throughout your house.  I've learned that as a home-owner, you should check your filters, condensors & coolant lines to make sure they are clean and in proper order.  Don't know how to do that? Maybe finding a company to check it out for you is in order.  I also learned that the filters I've been buying might be putting undue strain on my heating and air systems as my furnace can't handle the overly restrictive filters I had been buying.  

I like to buy locally.  Groceries, musical instruments, sporting goods…I think in this world of Walmarts, Guitar Centers & REIs, there is still room for the knowledgeable local specialist.  As a matter of fact, as the big boxes get bigger, it seems their service and knowledge base has suffered.  Doing searches online, reading reviews and calling around has helped me find many great local businesses that know their stuff, are competitively priced, take care of me and seem to genuinely appreciate my business.  

Not that you need to use someone in your backyard, but it is nice to know that help is 15-20 minutes away. Of the 3 local guys I called, I found Colorado Heat, Air and Fireplace Repair to be all I was looking for.  They are a division of Trinity Services, a decent sized local company that has more than 1 truck but doesn't spend thousands on tv and radio ads.  Check them out here: www.coloradoheatingandair.com.   I've switched my filter purchase and change it with greater frequency thanks to what I've learned from the folks at Trinity Services.

CONTACT: Billie Ortiz

Email: billiecortiz@gmail.com

Tel. 303-929-6122

WAKING THE DREAMER WITHIN FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE CREATIVITY

"I am Salmon"
Brenda Ferrimani, Artist

            Waking the Dreamer Within, a participatory celebration of creativity, will be held Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 8-11, at Springhill Suites in Longmont.

             Dr. Candace Pert will give a two-hour kickoff keynote presentation "Feeling Good, Feeling God: The Heart of the Matter." Dr. Pert appeared in the feature film What the Bleep Do We Know!?? and Bill Moyer’s TV program Healing and the Mind. Pert is also the author of the book “Molecules of Emotion: The Scientific Basis Behind Mind-Body Medicine” (Scribner, 1997)

            Organized by Boulder dream worker Billie Ortiz, the festival will offer workshops emphasizing self-expression in four areas: dream work, written word, spoken word and the arts. Music, poetry readings and other performances also are planned.

            "I want to honor the part of us that's always there to be awakened to imagination," Ortiz said. (Click here to read an interview of Billie and Jeremy Taylor explaining their inspiration for creating this Festival: http://www.wakeuptoyourdreams.com/blog/?p=622)

            The festival marks Ortiz's 10^th anniversary hosting weekend dream retreats with internationally known teacher and author Jeremy Taylor. Many of the festival teachers and performers developed their talents as a result of exploring their dreams at these retreats.

            Taylor will give a keynote address "Dreams and the Evolution of Consciousness" Thursday evening, Aug. 8, on a program that will include music and other entertainment. On subsequent days, Taylor will offer an introductory dream work session and will participate in a panel on lucid dreaming.

              Festival highlights will include writing workshops taught by Boulder authors Laura K. Deal and Donna Remmert, and a workshop on the Tslagi Dance of Life, a Native American movement meditation, led by Fort Collins healer Suzanne Rouge. Boulder psychotherapist Patti Ashley will guide community mandala drawing and also will present a workshop on "The Paradox of Parenting." Star Edwards and KingBeat of Denver will bring their danceable blend of Celtic rhythms, world music and rock to the festival's Saturday night party Aug. 10.

            Dream-focused workshops will range from discussion groups to dream theater, where participants will have the opportunity to re-enact dreams. California dream worker Jean Carlson will focus on how to address nightmares with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as "tapping").  Longmont artist Brenda Ferrimani will lead a journey into Tarot and dreams with Connecticut dream coach Sherry Puricelli.

For the full festival schedule and registration information, go to www.wakingthedreamerwithin.org

###

Dr. Candace Pert

Author and teacher Jeremy Taylor, D.Min

Festival organizer Billie Ortiz

 Middleware breathes new life into existing CRM systems, without sacrificing legacy databases

Fort Collins, Colo. – Front Row Solutions (FRS), a customer relationship management (CRM) system built around the needs of sales representatives and sales managers, has released new middleware that allows sales reps to use the Front Row Sales Pro app to populate sales reports into legacy CRM systems. This new software solution allows companies to modernize their field sales operations, leverage the investment they’ve made in legacy CRM systems, improve their system’s usability, and extend its usefulness.

Many companies cannot afford to switch CRM providers, as they’ve spent a lot of time and money creating and customizing their current system. To start from scratch with a new CRM would take a prohibitive amount of time and money. At the same time, some companies are struggling with poor reporting compliance by sales reps using systems that are difficult to learn and harder to use.

When switching to a new CRM provider – basically starting over – is simply not feasible, few options have existed. Front Row Solutions recognized this dilemma and developed a new middleware that allows companies to integrate the sales reporting tools of the FRS Sales Pro app into legacy CRM systems. This brings the speed and ease of use offered by the FRS app to a variety of older technologies.

Front Row CRM was designed by sales reps and was built around four basic principles. It had to be easy to learn; fast and easy to use; accessible on a variety of mobile platforms; and clearly demonstrate the ability to help sales representatives save time and make more money. Front Row Solutions’ Sales Pro Application combines the fastest, easiest mobile reporting tool available with real-time, robust information for sales managers.

The company’s middleware gives sales reps access to all the benefits of Sales Pro on the field, and allows sales manager to access the reported data on both the legacy CRM and the Front Row Solutions website. Companies can choose from two integration options. The first allows the reps to instantly send a sales report to the FRS server and then the company's legacy CRM to populate the established database. The second allows for this communication between the Front Row Solutions server and the legacy CRM, but also allows the sales rep access to the updated database from the field. Both the FRS server and the legacy database are accessible to sales managers.

Sales Pro allows sales reps to spend less time on administrative tasks, gives them productivity tools and customer insights on the go, and frees up their time so they can make more sales, more quickly. Sales reps can complete a sales report in less than 60 seconds, giving the rep and the sales manager real-time information on every call, customer contact, and sale.

To see the Front Row Solutions system in use, watch this short video of a sales rep submitting his sales report immediately after a sale using an Apple iPad: http://youtu.be/hgVzi2vH1TI.

FRS Sales Pro has been synchronized with most major CRM systems, including Sales Force, Sugar CRM , Act, Microsoft  Dynamics, and more. Front Row Solutions CRM has also been integrated with a variety of ERPs, financial data systems, and home-grown management systems. Front Row Solutions works with the administrators of its clients’ legacy CRMs to find the best solution for integrating Sales Pro to ensure a smooth transition. That gives clients access to the sales reporting tools they need to re-engage their sales force and boost productivity.

For those seeking a new solution, Front Row Solutions CRM  can be used as a standalone CRM system, allowing fast reporting, real-time information, custom dashboards with customizable filters, and many more tools to help enable an accountable and productive sales force.

To view or download the app, visit the app store for Apple, Blackberry, or Android, and search for “Front Row Sales Pro.” To learn more about the FRS Sales Pro app, view the video or visit www.FrontRow-Solutions.com.

About Front Row Solutions

Front Row Solutions (FRS), a North American company, was founded in 2008 to improve the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) process. Designed by former sales reps and drawing from the executive team’s 30+ years of experience in all facets of business, the FRS CRM system can stand alone or integrate into currently implemented systems, helping sales reps improve revenue and profit by using its fast, user-friendly interface. The FRS CRM provides real-time insight to the sales management team, and the fast, easy-to-use system improves sales representatives’ compliance on sales reports, empowering the sales management team to fully track rep accountability, performance and a host of other invaluable functions for guaranteed improved profitability. For more information, call 1-800-986-0983, email sales@frontrow-solutions.com, or visit www.FrontRow-Solutions.com.

Dance Bridge is sponsoring a free event for choreographers and artistic directors interested in learning how to connect on new levels with their audiences. 

Join DB coordinator, Mary Wohl Haan as she outlines some of the fantastic ways that other dance artists across the country are developing and using to engage their audiences (gleaned from DanceUSA’s special pre-conference presentation in 2012).  She will be joined by guest presenter Jeremy Williams, a director, choreographer, and playmaker, who also provides consulting services on audience development and engagement planning for individual artists and arts organizations of all sizes. 

Here is a unique opportunity to hear new ideas and brainstorm some for our own community.  

The Roundtable will take place Monday, June 3 from 3 – 4:30 p.m. in the Creek Meeting Room at the Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302.  Please RSVP to DB.  For more information, contact Dance Bridge coordinator, Mary Wohl Haan at 303-441-4391, dancebridge@boulderlibrary.org.

Is your child just getting interested in sports or need an activity to burn off some excess energy?  Then the Town of Superior and i9 Sports have a summer camp for you.  The camps will be Monday to Friday, June 17 to 21, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon each day on the Town of Superior sports fields. 

In the camp for boys and girls ages 4 to 7, your child will have fun playing Flag Football, Soccer, T-Ball, Relay Races, and Tag games. This camp will focus on fundamentals while allowing children to gain an interest in sports.  The camp is designed to let children experience different sports and physical activities in a fun learning environment.

The camp for boys and girls ages 8 to 12 will allow your child to have fun playing Basketball, Flag Football, Dodge Ball, Relay Races, and Kickball.  This camp will explore positioning, defense, offense, passing, receiving, and running.  Each level takes the skills taught and applies them on the field during fun drills and scrimmages.  The camp will provide a positive and energetic environment where your child stays active on the field.  They are provided with the very best instruction geared toward improving skills.  

Each day, the camp will highlight a sportsmanship value for the kids to focus on.  The instructors will award sportsmanship medals to each participant based on learning this value.

i9 Sports and the Town of Superior believe that the primary reason children play sports is to have fun.  They love mastering new skills, developing friendships, and healthy competition.  i9 Sports works on developing character, the value of teamwork, fair play, and good sportsmanship.  Team sports are one of the best ways to help children develop physically and emotionally.  Youth sports develop life skills, promote a healthy lifestyle, and increase self-esteem.  The instructors have an athletic background and experience working with young athletes.

Registration is only $109 and includes camp T-shirt, award, and more.  The deadline is June 12.  For more information, go to www.superiorrec.com or www.i9sports.com (click More Sports and then choose Camps from the dropdown menu), or call 303-462-1520.

Colorado State University-Global Campus (CSUGlobal.edu) today announced that it has implemented an innovative practice to help students better understand the out-of-pocket cost of their education and ensure that they have the funds they need to complete their degrees. New students who use Federal financial aid will now receive greater insight into their borrowing history and have access to Tuition Planners available to provide counseling, guidance and support.

Student loan debt in the United States recently surpassed $1 trillion and as an institution with a mission to help adults complete bachelor’s degrees and earn master’s degrees, CSU-Global has seen many of its recently admitted students bring significant loan debt accrued while attending other institutions. To help inform students of their loan obligations beyond Federal loan best practices and requirements, CSU-Global has notified current students of their borrowing associated with Federal loan limits. 

Additionally, all new students who have been accepted for enrollment into CSU-Global and who use Federal financial aid, are being provided a statement which reflects their borrowing to-date and the additional funds that they will need to complete their degrees at CSU-Global. Before taking their first course with CSU-Global, new students who are close to their Federal loan limit receive special counseling that integrates their degree plan needs, less expensive credit alternatives than CSU-Global standard course credit, and information on their loan limit status.

“CSU-Global is focused on adult degree completion as a pathway to workplace success.  In the area of bachelor’s degrees, we embrace nontraditional transfer students who might not otherwise be able to optimize their previous course work and complete their degrees as they are able to at CSU-Global,” stated Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, President of CSU-Global Campus. “Bachelor’s degree transfer students, and some master’s degree students, bring to us their various credits and their Federal loan history which has accumulated over the years to be at or close to their loan limits. We want to help both our current students and those now seeking enrollment at the university to more proactively manage what remains of their Federal loan funds.”

As part of its role as a public non-profit institution, CSU-Global believes that it is has the responsibility to provide transparency in all of its processes and to provide direct and clear communication to its students.  The university conducted a review of all of its students to understand their varying paths to successful degree completion and has reached out to those that appear to have insufficient funds for basic tuition and book costs for remaining credit hours.  

“CSU-Global is committed to student success in achieving degree completion. Our Tuition Planners will assist students in understanding their financial loan status and provide information on other financial resources or alternative ways to complete their degrees in a financially responsible way,” concluded Ms. Pamela Toney, Senior Director of Financial Services.