News

SCCA is pleased to provide an opportunity to do a bulk buy of water saving fixtures. Metro CERTS makes their Make a Splash program available to individual businesses, and an even better deal available to groups of businesses that make an order together.

We will be ordering pre-rinse valves, like the one pictured above. Just one of these can save you $410 every year by reducing the number of gallons of water used, and the energy used to heat it. They are for sale for $28 through this program – they retail at $68. Hand sink aerators are also available for $0.50 each, instead of $2 at the store, and each one can save you $100 per year! Now that’s an amazing payback!

We are making this order together because shipping in this program is flat rate – $12 for a single order, or the same amount if we all go together to make the order. Email Renee at info@sewardbusiness.org how many of each you’d like, or call 612-435-0279 with any questions you might have. We’ll be taking orders through June 1, but don’t hesitate!

Many of us have unused electronic waste in our homes. That old laptop that died – you had grand plans to see if you could get anything off that hard drive, but never followed through. The clunky digital camera that you never use anymore because the one on your smart phone is so much better. And when you think about workplaces upgrading equipment, you can see how e-waste becomes a critical issue if it is not handled well. People sometimes throw items like laptops and cameras in the garbage, putting harmful chemicals in landfills where they don’t belong. Or you might return your unwanted product to a manufacturer who will take it for free, only it actually ends up polluting somewhere else, because they don’t recycle responsibly.

At the same time, many people in our community still do not have access to technology. Often that same population might be in great need of marketable job training skills – and computer skills are a great one. Free Geek (http://freegeektwincities.org/) aims to address both of these related issues at the same time:

“Our mission at Free Geek Twin Cities is to reuse or recycle computers and to provide access to computers, the internet, education and job skills in exchange for community service.”

Come to our April 17 member meeting to find out more about this innovative organization and how you might get involved. 9:00 am at Redesign, 2619 East Franklin.

Erik Nelson Plumbing (http://eriknelsonplumbing.com) is a new member of the SCCA this year. Erik is a Seward resident and also operates his business from our neighborhood. He loves the mellow pace of life in Seward after living in Boston and San Francisco, and appreciates that there are still lots of amenities nearby, including the Seward Co-op, great parks and nice places to eat dinner. He’s convinced that this is the best neighborhood to raise a family. The neighborhood is also perfectly located near the plumbing supply houses he uses and the excellent highway access makes it easy for him to get to jobs in the suburbs as well.

His plumbing business focuses primarily on residential projects, ranging from big remodeling jobs to installing gas appliances such as clothes dryers, but he has also done some commercial work. Erik places a high priority on customer service. His philosophy is to build trust and long term relationships with his clients by always being straightforward and honest. He gives homeowners detailed information about their options and doesn’t pressure them to make choices that are more work than is really necessary. That type of service is what has led to 25 5-star reviews on Yelp, which he has found to be a significant source of business. He’s proud that the company has never gotten a negative review.

Erik ran the business own until 2012, when he found his services to be in enough demand that it made sense to bring on two new employees. This fast growth has resulted in some additional stress on him, since he now needs to worry about the livelihoods of his employees as well as his own family. While January and February are fairly slow months in the plumbing business, he has been very pleased that they’re back to full capacity, and receiving more calls than even the four of them can handle. (Tip: Save your home plumbing projects for mid-winter! He’s more likely to be available!)

We wish this new member great success, and thanks to Erik for seeking us out and wanting to be involved. Do you know any newer businesses to the neighborhood that haven’t joined up yet? Let us know at info@sewardbusiness.org and we’d love to get them connected!

Have you been wondering whether your fellow businesses are facing issues similar to yours? For some it may be managing growth – how to hire new workers and plan for increased demand. Industrial businesses may have similar challenges when it comes to meeting changing environmental regulations, or working to increase energy efficiency for cost reasons. Retail businesses on Franklin might be dealing with the same person trespassing in their store or causing problems for their staff, and not realize it.

There may be many ways our members can practically support each other that we might find out if we got together in groups that have qualities in common. Solopreneurs is a good example of a roundtable group. Jenny Larson, a home-based graphic designer, wanted to see more speakers come in to talk about issues that were specific to one-person or home-based businesses, so she brought people together who shared her concerns, and they have been meeting every other month for about a year now – building up their networks and getting answers to their business questions.

If you think you might be interested in gathering a group of your peers to work together on some of these issues, SCCA would like to sponsor and publicize your group! We can provide advice on getting organized, suggest other businesses you might want to contact, and pay for snacks. The only requirement is that the initiating business be current on their membership. Groups might meet as often as once a month, or just 3-4 times a year, depending on your needs. Please contact us at info@sewardbusiness.org if you’d like more information or have an idea of a roundtable to start. You can also contact Jenny Larson at jenny@jenniferlarson.net to ask her about her experience starting the Solopreneurs group – she might have a clever name idea for your group, too!