Saturday, November 5, 2016 • Page 1B
Elections and their local impact How presidential election cycles affect the business atmosphere By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
The divisiveness which has pervaded the 2016 presidential election is palpable on a daily basis, with much of the rhetoric capturing national issues—and justifiably so. However, effects from a presidential campaign trail and its resulting winner can have a trickle-down effect, and The Leader decided to investigate how the aura surrounding presidential election cycles can impact the business atmosphere. Area realtor Janet Schmidt said presidential election time tends to drive the homeowners among them to stay put, thereby driving down sales around the industry. Whether it be buying a new home or upsizing/remodeling an existing one, everybody sits still, always wary of the unknown potential dramatic shift in the market which can accompany a monumental shift in
leadership. “They have no idea what to do,” Schmidt said. “They’re kind of worried about what’s going to happen and who’s going to get into the office. People don’t want to upsize or
get a bigger house payment, because they’re afraid that their insurance rates are going to keep rising, so they won’t have the funds to buy the bigger house.” “I think they believe if they start
making drastic changes, they’re not going to have enough money to make that commitment. Changes costs people a lot of money,” she added. “There may be jobs lost and jobs that people don’t have, so
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By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Melody Crain says that while she never considered herself extraordinarily crafty, adopting a daughter – Chloe, now three years old – made her want to explore that side of herself. “I was a huge Pinterest fan but nothing turned out,” she said, noting that with Pinterest you had to click through multiple sites to get to a craft, and even then a subscription and payment to a blog was sometimes required. “I wanted it to be simple.” Crain thought she was
they’re real uneasy about the situation.” Adolf Hoepfl Garage owner Katherine Van der Pol expressed a similar sentiment as it pertains to small businesses. “It doesn’t really matter what political party you’re in, there’s just a degree of uncertainty because there’s about to be a big change in the way our country is governed,” she said. “I think people are a little hesistant to make decisions when it comes to spending money. They weigh things a little differently before they make purchases.” When such an occurrence comes to fruition, Van der Pol said small businesses must work double time in order to retain their client base. “I believe that when we know there is something out there beyond our control, we don’t just sit
Customer satisfaction has been my greatest reward for over 25 years. probably not the only one. So for close to a year Crain turned her spare bedroom into an office and worked through a business plan to deliver prepared and planned crafts and activities directly to customers who ordered them online. In September, Crain launched Masterful Mommy, which offers monthly subscription
plans as well as single purchase bundle activity packs for two to five-year-old kids and their parents. It turned out that when she had the time to plan ahead, Crain was good at coming up with developmentally relevant and fun crafts for kids. She looked at other similar services like Little Passports and Kiwi Crate and found
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that their activities were geared for older children. She believes she has found a good niche in the market, and Crain was ready to have her own business. “I wanted to do my own thing,” she said. “I always had that drive.”
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Conributed photo Melody Crain uses three year old daughter Chloe as a tester of her monthly craft activity packs which are later sent out to subscribers.
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Bringing convenience to patient care By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com The days of Heights residents fighting long lines, needless wait times and the high-stress Houston traffic for both specialty and every-day care will soon be a thing of the past. Memorial Hermann Greater Heights has undergone a massive transformation in patient care in recent years (as evidenced by receiving the McKesson Quest for Quality award earlier this year), and by this time next year, Heights residents will have access to an extension of that care —a convenient care center located in the heart of the Heights. “What this does for the community is allow them to access the high-quality care they are used to experiencing under the umbrella of Memorial Hermann without having to actually go the main hospital,” Memorial Hermann System Senior Vice President and Chief Facility Services Manager Marshall Heins said. “We’re offering that care more conveniently located to where people live. We know that people are getting their care close to where they live as opposed to where they
work or shop.” As opposed to many urgent care and other alternative care centers, the Heights Convenient Care Center will house many of the same services — such as a fully-licensed emergency room and emergency staff physicians — available at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights, simply in a more convenient location for some residents, with no advance appointment necessary. “The new center will be a game changer for families in the greater Heights community,” Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Senior Vice President and CEO Susan Jadlowski said. “The facility will be a one-stop shop healthcare center that will provide an array of services geared towards handling everything from family to emergency care.” The imaging center is not just a room with X-ray, as it also contains an MRI, CT scanner and more. From there, there will be a sports medicine rehab facility; but it’s not just an exercise room.
A fully-certified staff with rehab technicians will treat patients with the latest in rehab equipment, technology and protocols. “This will be simply an extension of MHGH around the corner should families ever need that higher level of care,” Jadlowski said. “We are excited about the center becoming a part of the continuum of high-quality and safe care we provide here.” An additional specialty clinic will also be housed directly next door to the regular facility when Memorial Hermann’s newest center opens, thereby offering residents an opportunity to see their specialty doctor without being forced to travel all the way to Katy or Cypress or fight traffic to the Medical Center. “It’s an opportunity for residents of the Heights where they already have full access to an in-patient hospital, and now have easy access to this and also the urgent care center down the street,” Memorial Hermann Director of Planning and Development Jason Glover said. “You really have
many points through which to access high-reliability and quality healthcare Memorial Hermann invests in for the residents of the community.” The Heights convenient care center will be located the west side of Studemont
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