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iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho

VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1

20

BEHIND THE BLUE

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Volume 6, Issue 1, 2008 PO Box 190358, Boise ID 83719 Located at 2965 E. Tarpon Ste. 110 Meridian Ph 208.375.5777 Fx 208.955.5158 www.iqidaho.com CO-PUBLISHER/CEO Jeffery R. Boyle, JD jboyle@idahobusinessiq.com CO-PUBLISHER/President COREY S. CHRISTENSEN cchristensen@idahobusinessiq.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MELODY ROSS mross@idahobusinessiq.com EDITOR CHERYL BEESON cheryl@idahobusinessiq.com MANAGING EDITOR LEE VANDER BOEGH, MPA lvander@idahobusinessiq.com Executive ASSISTANT DALELYN ALLEN dallen@idahobusinessiq.com sales executive dennis carlson dcarlson@idahobusinessiq.com graphic DESIGN & CREATIVE Director JOSHUA PRATT jpratt@idahobusinessiq.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Angela Marti NEWS News tips & Suggestions: editor@idahobusinessiq.com ADVERTISING sales@idahobusinessiq.com 208.375.5777 SUBSCRIPTIONS $19.95 per year plus tax or $29.95 plus tax for two years To subscribe, see our website at www.IQIdaho.com ©2007-2008. All Rights Reserved. Material published in IQ Idaho may not be republished, resold, recorded or used in any manner, in whole or in part, without a publisher’s express written consent. Reprints of articles are available by e-mailing sales@idahobusinessiq.com. IQ Idaho is published ten times annually by Business IQ, LLC. The editorial or advertising content of this publication are the opinions of the authors or advertisers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policies or opinions of IQ Idaho. IQ Idaho does not provide tax, investment, or legal advice. IQ Idaho, Business IQ, Success IQ, Biz IQ, Rising Leader, Live & Work Intelligently, IQ Business, and The Parks, are trademarks of Business IQ, LLC. Printed in the United States.

01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

I

was very touched as we got ready for the photo shoot at Boise State University that would yield the cover for this month’s magazine. Mr. Gene Bleymaier, Boise State’s long-time athletic director, walked into the gym with the presence of incredible greatness, but also with an enormous smile and a sense of humility that I will never forget.

One by one he introduced his staff, with pride showing on his face as he said “This would never be possible without them.” As we tried to put Mr. Bleymaier in front as we positioned them for the first shot, several members of his staff said “We stand behind you.” But Mr. Bleymaier nearly refused to stand in front, embarrassed that we were making a big deal of him.

It became apparent over the next hour that this group of people felt very fortunate to work together, that they had massive respect for each other and that they were the benefactors of a world-class leader.

In other features of this issue, you’ll find tips to make 2008 your best year ever. You’ll also find destinations to explore, economic facts and even information that will help you make the best decisions for your business.

You’ll even get a first-hand look into my own life makeover.

Most importantly, you will find the knowledge, wisdom and stories of incredible Idahoans. This issue is packed full of them. You are sure to be inspired, entertained, or coached by the threads common between them.

Life in Idaho is exceptional because of the exceptional people who call Idaho home. IQ Idaho will continue its heritage of bringing the movers and shakers of our state together in order to preserve and build what is so great about Idaho.

Here’s to a fabulous 2008!

Melody Ross Editor-in-Chief

JAN08 Features Idaho

B

EWARE40

Can you sense the dangers in an office environment?

EXPERTS14 UPLIFTING50 Heavy. Ball. Home. Gym.

Goal Setting15 Time Management Skills16 The Declining Economy?17 Pledged-Asset Mortgages18

Depts.

GET A LIFE44

Work10 LIfestyle40 Health62

200,000 people suffer and 36,000 people die, don’t become a statistic.

FLU62

One woman’s metamorphasis from a self destructive caterpillar to a beautiful productive butterfly.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho

Dear Editor of IQ Idaho Magazine,

While enjoying a cup of coffee at a local Moxie Java, I happened to pick up the latest issue of your magazine. The photo contest pages caught my eye and I would like to submit a photo of my own to the “snowy landscapes” contest.

What a fun idea to involve your readers. I have sent two photos, they were both taken on a snowshoeing trip last February near Bogus Basin. The first is of a tree covered with bright green lichen against the stark white snow. It was striking. The second is taken overlooking the valley from the Bogus Basin Nordic Center parking lot. It was a great trip.

Thanks for the opportunity to share some of my photos. I will continue to read your publication for the informative benefit as well as the entertainment value.

Sincerely, Kate Schabot, Meridian

01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

CONTRIBUTORS Tyler Cazier-Cover Shot

Tyler is an award winning professional photographer based in Meridian. His unique, artistic and warmly professional ability to capture the personality of his clients has earned him many awards including Professional Photographer of Idaho’s 2008 Photographers Choice, judge’s choice, and Kodak gallery categories.

He has also won several awards from his ability to capture the essence of high school seniors, which he specializes in. Tyler, his wife Rhonda and their four children live in Meridian.

Visit Tyler at www.cazierphotography.com.

Kevan Kjar

Ralph M. Sutherlin Rebecca Evans

Jason Johnson

Kevan is the founder of ThreeQuest Consulting & Training. His mission is to help companies and individuals find, tell and be their best story. He has helped companies across the globe and has trained thousands of sales people in how to give killer presentations and demos.

Kevan lives in Eagle and his hobbies are camping, Scouts, playing ping pong and hiking or running in the Boise Foothills with his wife and five children.

Ralph M. Sutherlin, DO, MPH is the Medical Director for St. Luke’s Occupational Health Services in Boise and Meridian. He is the Chief of Aerospace Medicine with the Idaho Air National Guard and is also the President-elect for the Ada County Medical Society.

He is board certified in Aerospace, Occupational, and Preventive Medicine. He enjoys spending time with his family and is a member of the Air National Guard Ski Team and plays for the YMCA water polo team.

Jason has worked in major media for more than ten years. In 2005 Jason left the mainstream media, founded Johnson’s Art Media Group and began work as an Internet radio DJ and talk show commentator. He has since worked as a writer/ researcher/editor for both mainstream media as well as independent projects, including a dedicated writing service.

Rebecca is a motivational speaker, author and empowerment coach. She is also a frequent columnist, radio and TV show host and Gulf War veteran. Her accomplishments include Idaho Business Review’s “Idaho Women of the Year” honors and Boise State University’s “Women Making History in Idaho.”

She is the author of The Art of Self Discovery and Inner Fitness for Empowerment and lives in Idaho with her husband and three children.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho

update

Market Insight REAL ESTATE CYCLE Expansion

Office

sponsored by

Industrial

Retail Multi Housing

Equalibrium

Contraction

B

ack in the August, 2007 issue we penned some information regarding the “Credit Crunch” and the Real Estate Cycle.

In that article we outlined the cycle, what it was and how it worked. We thought it might be of some help to the readers of IQ to actually see where we are at in the cycle. The business of commercial real estate is far from an exact science but if you pay attention to the indicators and really think about what they are telling you, your chances of success in development projects, purchase of investment real estate, purchase of owner occupied space or leasing of space are greatly enhanced.

With the help of the accompanying graph you can see that the four commercial property categories are clustered at the top of the real estate cycle. This tells us that all categories have seen growth over the last year. This is reflected nationally as well as locally. I am sure you have noticed the new retailers in town and the new office buildings popping up everywhere. This is an indication of growth, an expanding economy and the need for these product types. This has been great for most folks involved, but there is some concern as we move forward.

Having them all at the top of the graph may denote the need for some caution. It could indicate we are getting overbuilt in some areas. And if the economy slows, we could slip down the other side of the graph. If this starts happening, we can expect to see lower rental rates and a downward adjustment of building sales prices. Even though we are affected by the housing market, the commercial market tends to lag behind the residential market and the growth we are seeing is the catch up.

01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

k s e d e h FromTimt Reid of

The real question is: Can the housing market jump start into recovery in 2008 and keep the commercial market on the positive side of the graph? This is the $64,000 question! If some economists are correct and we see some level of a recession, vacancies could begin to rise over the next couple of quarters as absorption cools and the commercial construction pipeline continues to deliver new product that would drive rental rates and purchase prices down. All of this could have a chain-like affect that could slow consumer spending, which would in turn slow the retail leasing activity. Possible layoffs could slow the apartment market, and the lack of jobs could push the office market vacancy higher. Those factors, coupled with falling imports could reduce tenant and owner-user demand for warehouse and distribution space. These are real time issues that need to be addressed if you are in the commercial marketplace.

My intent is not to say the sky is falling. As a matter fact, the Treasure Valley commercial real estate market has policed itself quite well through similar times. The fact that we are a smaller market and much of the demand is met with local developers who understand the intimacies of the market and keep it in check plays a big role. But as are more and more people and businesses discover our area and the market matures, we could see names we haven’t seen. After all we are still a place of value and opportunity.

My prediction, after 12 years in commercial real estate in the valley, is that we will see some slowing and some rate and price reductions. But if we stave off the dirty “R” word (recession), we should fare well in the commercial real estate market in 2008.

(or Don’t be a Dwight

a Michael) sponsored by

Disorganized meetings and interrupting / dominating people top the list of business meeting “Ouch Points”

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S

o you are back to work and back to the grind after the holidays, and your boss has asked everyone to come up with a corporate resolution for the New Year. After watching reruns of “The Office”, you’re fairly convinced that business meetings lead the list of “Most frustrating aspects about work.” You are out to impress, so you decide to do some research on what makes business meetings so frustrating.

Disorganization is the greatest frustration for workers attending business meetings, according to Opinion Research USA’s first “Ouch Point” survey, a new monthly study examining tolerance thresholds in a variety of common scenarios facing Americans in both their professional and personal lives.

Surprisingly, tardiness is better tolerated by the business community than disorganization, with only 4% frustrated by meetings starting late and 5% annoyed by attendees arriving late, the survey found.

“Structured business meetings with a closely-followed agenda are often the most productive, particularly when attention spans can be short,” said Jeff Resnick, President of

Opinion Research USA. “Our ‘Ouch Point’ survey indicates that a disorganized meeting is a disengaged meeting that will rarely result in the desired outcomes.”

While cell phone interruptions rank high on the list of business meeting Ouch Points (16%), Blackberry usage is seen as less intrusive, with only 5% of respondents frustrated by attendees checking their e-mails during a business meeting.

Additional irritants include long meetings with no refreshments (6%); meetings without bathroom breaks (8%); and colleagues falling asleep in even the longest meetings (9%).

“Everyone has a pet peeve about even the smallest of tasks that have to be carried out on a daily basis,” Resnick said. “In the world of business, the Ouch Point series helps organizations identify these issues and rectify them for their key stakeholders.”

Information provided by Northwest Research Group 208-3640171 225 N. 9th St. Ste. 200 Boise www.nwrg.com

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho

THE STATE

by Jon A. Galane

2008 Economic Outlook

T

he beginning of 2008 brings with it a new and vibrant market in hard asset investments. Following a year in which many real estate investors saw decreased value in their investments, even from purchases made just six months to a year earlier, they contemplate what to do next.

What Happened in 2007?

Ok, not a tremendous amount of shocking news in 2007. The stock market remained strong and true to its historical average. After five consecutive years of double digit real estate growth we saw real estate take a needed breather from all of the upward pressure. Sub-prime capital markets collapsed under the weight of lending beyond people’s means, with little or no equity to insure buyer responsibility.

10 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

Why did my real estate values go down?

I believe this is truly a matter of perspective and psychological market conditions. In Ada County, year-to-date through November 2007, single family home sales saw an average price increase of 2.06% with a median price drop of 1.32%. Granted the number of homes sold has decreased by 32.66%, think of this as stable prices with lower trading to use market terms. Year-to-date average price changed a robust 8.22 percent up and median up 1.77%. As an interesting side note, the Dow Jones Industrial Average grew by 7.24% plus a yield of 2% for a total return of about 9.24% in 2007. Even though newly constructed homes sales decreased by 51.93% in 2007 prices still continue to increase. I believe statistically this is very encouraging forming what I would call a soft U curve landing in the real estate market leading to a much more reasonable and robust rebound than the national prognosticators may be anticipating.

A home is an emotional, heart-warming purchase and should never be looked at as an investment but a place to raise your family and provide warmth, comfort and security when you walk in the door each day. If you looked at your home as an investment opportunity where you would move in, borrow all you could and sell for a tremendous gain after two years (meeting the personal residence capital gains exclusion) then you may have looked at the wrong side of the investment equation.

Predicating Future Returns

Let’s begin with an important item to help you understand the future value of your money and investments. It is called the rule of 72. This rule tells us the future value of our money based on returns on our tax deferred or tax free investments like IRA’s and Qualified Retirement Plans such as 401(k), 403(b), 457 and defined benefit plans.

Let’s use the rule of 72 in financial market allocation. Dividing 72 by the rate of return of 8.26% this equals the years to double.

72 / 8.26% = 8.7 years.

So if you had invested $250,000 it would become $500,000 in 8.7 years and $1 million in 17.4 years. Now the real estate market:

72 / 24.4 %= 2.9 years.

That same $250,000 investment is now worth $500,000 in 2.9 years, $1 million in 5.9 years, $2 million in 8.8 years, $4 million in 11.7 years, $8 million in 14.7 years and $ million in 17.6 years. As you can see, real estate out performed financial markets by a 17 to 1 ratio during this same time period.

Contrarian Real Estate Investing

Let’s go back to the plight of real estate investors in the past couple of years. I am what might be termed a “Contrarian value investor.” What does this mean? Is it really that important to know what you can sell your investment for? Not unless you overpaid to begin with. I believe that all investment gains happen or don’t happen the day you buy the them. As the ultimate living contrarian investor Warren Buffet would say, “If there is greed be fearful, and if there is fear be greedy.”

Look at what you’re investing in, not necessarily emotionally, but consider if you are going to enjoy visiting, managing and doing. The results come in time. All quality real estate investments will go up - but there is just no way to predict the time frame. It may be one month, one year or one decade. If you are contrarian and buy while there is fear and are prepared to hold for up to ten years in order to sell into greed your patience will be returned in aces and spades.

If you wait because you can not sell for the price you want, or because you believe prices are decreasing, you may miss the contrarian opportunity that currently exists. The stress involved with hoping the market goes up rather than buying low and selling high becomes inherent.

Idaho census figures were released on the day I wrote this article, and Idaho is ranked fourth in regards to population growth by state. Those people will need places to live and do business. In time, excess inventories will be used.

A seller’s market will reign again and contrarian investors will have bought right having not worried about when to sell. Like a child or flower, investments take time to grow and develop. Flipping real estate, no-money-down buying and buying into a seller’s market is not investing but more akin to gambling or speculating. If you have assets and time to carry a speculative investment then you may weather the storm of an election year or the back end of an expanding economy. If you buy right and are ready to hold, the economy throughout the next 12 to 24 months will not affect your investments. With my crystal ball not working I cannot give you a definitive answer on what will happen to real estate in 2008. Although I feel safe in saying Idaho is a wonderful place to live and invest with the potential for tremendous long term returns.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 11

DEBT BUSTERS

by Lee Vander Boegh

I

n today’s financially-complex society, carrying some debt is nearly unavoidable, and for many it’s actually desirable. But many Idahoans find themselves struggling to stay afloat amid an ever-increasing ocean of bills. Between mortgages, car payments, student loans and credit cards, it’s not difficult to get financially buried. Add in business debt, which is sometimes leveraged against personal assets, and that ocean gets even choppier.

Many estimate the average American household owes more than $9,000 in credit card debt alone. But there is hope. IQ has assembled several tips that can not only help with monthly cash flow, but can eventually eliminate debt all together. The best part is that these tips are equally effective with personal finances as they are for the business ledgers.

But remember, just like consulting a doctor before starting an exercise regiment, it’s a good idea to check with your financial advisor before making changes to your personal or business checkbooks.

1

Assess your debt. Though experts disagree on acceptable levels of debt, many say that if more than 20 percent of your take-home income goes towards paying non-housing debt, or if your mortgage or rent payments top 30 percent of your takehome wages, you might be overextended from a financial standpoint. Determining acceptable levels of business debt is trickier, but if your company finds itself cash poor after making only minimum debt payments, it’s quite possible that you’re looking at an overextended situation.

2

Create a budget. The first step in reducing debt is determining where your money goes to begin with. Spend a month writing down each and every expense you make, then organize them into two categories: “Essential” and “Non-essential.” Then analyze where you can save money within those categories, perhaps by eating out less frequently, conserving electricity or choosing a less expensive cellular phone plan. By spending less here and there, it frees up cash to either save up or pay off debt without needing an increase in income.

3

Pay off high-rate debt first. Higher-interest-rate debt takes longer to pay off and therefore often carries higher minimum payments. Simply paying the minimums could take years – if not decades – before the balance drops to zero. Hit these with higherthan-the-minimum payments. Conversely, save the low interest and zero interest debts for later; keep paying the minimum but don’t pay them down until you’ve tackled the higher rate ones, as low rates don’t compound debt as fast.

4

Transfer high rate debt to lower interest rate options. It is often possible to refinance high-rate debts to lower-rate options. The same is true for credit cards – it might be worth paying off a high-rate card with a lower-rate one, or consider taking a “balance transfer” option. But read the fine print, some credit card companies charge higher interest rates for balance transfers than they do normal purchases.

12 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

5

Borrow only for the long term. If you’re going to be making payments for years to come, make sure you only purchase items that you’ll still have once the debt is over. Homes, offices, vehicles and tooling are big-ticket items that should stand the test of time. But things like lunches, office supplies and groceries will get used up long before the debt term is over – and paying for items used up long ago doesn’t help your financial psyche.

6

Build a cushion. Don’t use all of your additional resources to pay off debt. It’s a good idea to allocate some of that into a savings account or other easily-accessible investment system.

When an emergency pops up, reach for this cushion rather than the credit cards. After all, it doesn’t make much sense to pay down debt if you’ll only rack it back up again during tough times.

This isn’t to say borrowing is necessarily bad. Just imagine how many of years of saving it would take to buy a house outright. Or how many miles you’d walk if the car broke down when the bank account was low. Or even the possibility of declaring bankruptcy when business payments don’t come in on time. The key is balance, not excess.

by Kevan Kjar

“OPPORTUNITY LOST” I

t happens often. We meet someone at our child’s school and they ask, “What do you do for a living?” We run into an old friend at the store and they say, “Tell me about the new company you started.” Or a relative at a family gathering asks, “What does your company do?”

Most people come up with a stale but accurate answer like, “I have a business in my home,” or “I’m a marketing consultant” or “I build homes,” while others go to the other extreme and unload everything they have, overloading the asker with a novel, when all they wanted was a commercial. Moments like this I like to refer to as “Opportunity lost.”

One of these moments happened on a February, 2000 CBS broadcast of “60 Minutes.” Correspondent Bob Simon was profiling New York’s new Web scene. Imagine the opportunity to talk about your new business on prime time TV for free.

Well, when Razorfish co-founder, Jeff Dachis, was asked, “What does Razorfish actually do?” He struggled with the answer in front of millions of viewers, and thousands of investors.

His response was “We’ve asked our clients to recontextualize their business.” He followed that with “We’ve recontextualized what it is to be a services business.” Bob Simon asked what that meant and was met with “We radically transform businesses to invent and reinvent them.”

What if you could answer these questions with a short, meaningful response that captures the passion of your vision and mission? With a little work and some creativity on the delivery, one can dramatically improve the response to his or her company.

There are many good models for vision and mission statements, but few variations in definition. So lets start with a few of these key definitions: VISION: This is WHAT you want to become, WHAT you want to aspire to.

MISSION: This is WHY you do what you do.

Your purpose.

VALUES: This is HOW you’re going to get there. What supports your vision and mission?

Here are a few questions to help you come up with your own vision. You can substitute the word “product” or “life” for the word “company” below and apply this to more specific areas of your company or your life.

• Why did you create your company?

• How will the world be different because of your company?

• What is your vision or dream for your company?

• How is your company different than the others?

• Why did you choose to work for this company rather than your competition?

• What keeps you coming to work each morning?

• How will your customer’s life be better because of your company?

So now that you have the vision for your company, how can you deliver it with more passion?

Here are a few tips: • Tell a short (15-20 seconds) story of a client whose life your company improved.

• Begin your response with a key benefit to your customers. Instead of saying “I run a prescription drug company,” try “I provide drugs with name-brand effectiveness at generic prices.”

• List some of the clients that you have, those that would be meaningful to your listener. Be ready to tell a brief story of how your company helped each client.

• Use a metaphor, analogy or comparison to explain concepts.

Create your own 30-second commercial that you’ll use when someone asks you what your company does. Practice it, fine-tune it and improve it. You just never know when someone will say, “That’s exactly what we need” or “I know someone who needs what you do.”

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 13

Idaho Meet our panel of experts and get advice directly from Idaho business leaders and innovators. Find answers to your questions and read the full articles at iqidaho.com

{INSIDE} Goal Setting15 Time Management Skills16 The Declining Economy?17 Pledged-Asset Mortgages18

14 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

Experts

special advertising section

Business Strategies> Ron Price PRICE ASSOCIATES (208) 442-0556 www.price-associates.com

Goal Setting for Business Owners & Executives

M

ost business owners have completed their organizational plans for 2008, communicated with specificity and enthusiasm to their employees, and appropriated the necessary resources to lay the groundwork for a successful year. However, if our experience interacting with executives is any indication, few have applied this same discipline to creating and implementing an individual performance plan for the year. Sometimes this is nothing more than an oversight, other times it is because the leader of the organization doesn’t feel accountable to the same disciplines imposed on others, and sometimes it is because of deeper feelings of insecurity that produce a subtle but lingering fear of failure.

What about you? Do you have a dynamic professional development and performance plan for 2008? Have you asked, “What does superior performance look like in my role?” and created a set of key results that you can track throughout the year to maintain your focus on what matters most? Are you leading to win or leading to not lose? Can you tell the difference? If not, here are three steps you can employ to create your plan.

Take Inventory • What am I happy about regarding my own contributions to success in our business during the past year?

• What am I frustrated about regarding my contributions during the past year?

• What am I hopeful about regarding my role in the coming year?

• What am I fearful about regarding my role in the coming year?

Create Focus • What are the key results that will reflect superior performance in my role during the coming year?

• What will I need to change or reinforce about the way I do my work to achieve these key results?

• How can I make sure that I maintain a steady and intense focus on these key results for the entire year?

• What do I need to quit doing or say “no” to in order to main- tain a passionate focus on what matters most?

Measure and Celebrate • How should I track my progress toward achieving superior per- formance throughout the year?

• When and how often will I consider making adjustments to my plan based on the changes in circumstances that occur through out the year?

• Who can I include as an advisor or coach to help me stay disci- plined and motivated throughout the year?

• How will I celebrate milestones achieved along the way and what big “prize” will motivate me to run through the finish line at the end of the year.

Answering these questions can lead you to a fresh focus and accountability for your own performance as a business owner or executive throughout 2008.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 15

Experts

special advertising section

Accounting Specialist> Michael Flerchinger, CPA NICHOLS ACCOUNTING GROUP P.C (208) 442-0188 www.nicholsaccounting.com

Time Management Skills to Take Control of Your Day

H

ow often do you get the end of your work day and ask yourself, where did the day go? You probably ask this of yourself more often than you would like to admit. Often times you are probably asking because you got to the end of the day and you accomplished only a few of the numerous tasks you set out to complete. What could have led to this scenario? Either you think you are more ambitious than you really are or you simply didn’t use your time effectively.

It is difficult to go an entire work day without some wasted time. The list of ways that time is wasted is limitless, but just a few common ones may include:

• Interruptions • Poor planning • Procrastination • Poor delegation of duties • Unexpected visitors • Telephone and e-mail tag

The key to minimizing your wasted time is to be proactive in those areas that you are losing the most time. You need to take control of time-wasting activities so they do not dictate your work schedule. Here are some suggestions to take control of your work day;

16 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

Identify Where Your Time Is Wasted

Periodically examine where your time is being spent. Keep a log of your activities for about four or five days and identify where you are spending time that is not contributing to the development of your skills or the success of your customer and company. Use this log consciously during the day as you work to avoid performing time-wasting tasks.

Plan Your Day

Before you even begin working for the day you should make a realistic list of the tasks you want to complete and in what order. An effective way of doing this is to schedule it the same way as if it were an appointment with an important customer.

Learn to Say “No”

“No” is such an easy word to say, yet so many of us have a hard time using it. When you cannot say “No”, even when you really should, you are taking on tasks that you may not be enthusiastic about, thus making them low priorities. These low priorities tend to be procrastinated, which typically leads to more time wasted.

Time management can be a “Catch 22.” In order to effectively manage your time you must take the time to do so. By taking the time to become proactive in controlling your day you will be able to make better use of your time, which will be beneficial for your customers, your company, and yourself.

special advertising section

Experts

Real estate investing> Sheila Jones VITRUVIAN INVESTMENTS (208) 629-4228 www.vitruvianinvestments.com

The hypothetical declining economy

Q

: With the New Year upon us and a “Hypothetical declining economy,” I feel an imminent need to re-evaluate my overall investment strategy within Idaho. But, am I succumbing to the naysayers in the Idaho economy?

A

: In my opinion; if you lose your faith in the Idaho economy and invest your retirement elsewhere, than yes, you are succumbing to the pessimism of the loud minority and you should leap back into the stress of the daily volatility of the stock market. I am an Idaho native with nearly 20 some odd years of real estate experience, and for as long as I can remember Boise and the Treasure Valley area have had their proverbial ups and downs. Idaho has entirely too much to offer to simply write off as another “Federal miscalculation” - thank you Newt.

Sure we have a long way to go with our planning and development agencies and transportation departments, but even with a slower economy we can still see substantial growth and a great deal of economic and social diversification. Idaho is so palatable to those outside of our state that they spend almost $3 billion a year in tourism in Idaho alone.

WHY INVEST IN IDAHO: We have a strong employment base with a 2.4 percent unemployment rate; Idaho has a very strong technology, peripheral and semiconductor base; and agriculturally we have flour mills, dairy and cheese factories, sugar beet refineries, meat packing plants and wood products (such as paper, plywood, veneers, railroad ties, electrical poles, boxes and furniture, just to name a few).

And, saving the best for last, the $3 billion tourism industry is a large indicator of why you should continue to invest right here in Idaho. According to www.Idaho.gov, “Idaho is a haven for recreation enthusiasts. Northern Idaho has the greatest concentration of lakes in the West and evergreen forests abound. The Salmon River bisects the rugged Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and provides some of the best whitewater kayaking and rafting in the world. The Sawtooth Wilderness Area and the White Cloud peaks provide additional recreational opportunities. World-famous Sun Valley is located between these mountain ranges.” A four-star, four-season resort such as Tamarack, hosting the Special Olympics, and the Super Half-Pipe Competition and many other amenities. “Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America, lies on the state’s western border, overlooked by the Seven Devils Mountains. In Idaho’s southwestern corner are the tallest sand dunes on the continent. In the south central region is the Craters of the Moon National Monument, where America’s astronauts trained for moonwalks. Idaho has 16 alpine ski areas, more than 200 miles of groomed Nordic trails, more 7,200 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, 464,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs, 26,000 miles of fishing streams, 2,433 miles of floatable rivers, 25 state parks and 15 national forests.”

We may have been ambitious in residential and, yes, even commercial development and acquisition. But we all knew (no matter what the guy or girl next door said) that only time and patience will yield optimum results. So, once again we need to be patient with Idaho’s economy and give our market time to absorb our premature ambition and then the results we desire will follow.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 17

Experts

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Pledged-Asset Mortgages

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pledged-asset mortgage allows you to buy a home with little or no down payment while retaining the benefits of making a substantial down payment. The main benefits of making hefty down payments are lower interest rates and not having to pay for private mortgage insurance. A pledged-asset mortgage works like this: Instead of selling stocks to rustle up cash for a down payment, you “pledge” some of your sufficient assets to the lender.

You are free to manage your investment account (buy, sell, trade) within the parameters of the program, however you can’t withdraw cash or securities without permission. Here are some of the benefits of a pledged asset loan:

No additional charge for 100 percent financing.

Under normal circumstances, when you choose a zero-down loan program you would be charged a higher interest rate.

Avoid private mortgage insurance (PMI).

Typically when you put down less than 20 percent of a home’s purchase price, you are required to pay private mortgage insurance.

Maximize tax deductible interest.

No investment liquidation, no capital gains.

Financing 100 percent of your real estate is one way to maximizing your tax-deductible interest.

Since you aren’t forced to liquidate assets for a down payment, you will not be subject to the 15 percent capital gains tax.

Eligible assets.

Maintain a long-term investment strategy.

There are many types of investments that qualify such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds and CDs.

Without the burden of a down payment, there’s no need to adjust your investment allocation to make up for lost earnings. You can continue to benefit from interest, dividends and appreciation of your current investments.

18 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

Parent-pledged asset program.

As another option, a qualified parent or sponsor may pledge assets on behalf of the borrower in place of a down payment.

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BEHIND THE

by Lee Vander Boegh

“Team First” at the front office

G

ene Bleymaier paused confidently, straining not to rush the punchline.

His associate athletic directors, who had gathered around us as we began, knew what was coming. I could tell that they had heard his response to this same question hundreds of times, but never get tired of it. They leaned in, anxious to catch the delivery. I could sense that something was about to happen, I just wasn’t sure what. All I asked was, “What position did you play when you played football at UCLA?” unaware that this would serve as a springboard into the type of response I’d expect from David Letterman.

The corner of Bleymaier’s mouth rose, giving away the true nature of an otherwise straight-faced response: “I played left out.”

His five assistants all chuckled. Not the my-boss-just-told-a-joke-so-I-betterlaugh kind of chuckle, but rather the kind of chuckle I let out once when I was at an important business meeting but couldn’t stop thinking of a Bill Cosby stand-up routine – the kind of chuckle that really hides an all-out, knee-slapping laugh fest that’s happening on the inside.

20 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

...they serve roles that Bleymaier himself considers equally as important as his own.

Maybe it was because I was thinking too hard or maybe it was because I hadn’t expected such a light-hearted attitude from one of the most influential athletic directors in Boise State University history - the same man directly responsible for the once-controversial blue football field; but either way I missed it.

“Oh,” I said, thinking this was the nickname of a real position. Maybe he was a wide receiver that always lined up on the left side; or perhaps it was a position specific to some exotic offense. Either way, it flew right over my head, and his assistants knew it. They broke out in laughter while Bleymaier, surprised that someone actually bought it, chuckled himself.

As it turns out, Bleymaier played tight end. For those who don’t follow football, tight ends play a very unselfish role.

They’ll do whatever it takes for an offense to be successful.

On one play they might serve as an extra lineman, blocking defensive tackles, ends and linebackers. The next they’ll run out for a pass like a wide receiver. Perhaps more than any other offensive position, a tight end plays a true utilitarian, team-first role. And that’s not surprising given Blaymaier’s

y sB r h ap ie gr Caz o ot r Ph Tyle

“My associate athletic directors are second-to-none in the country... And Boise State is the beneficiary.” style as the BSU athletic department’s chief executive. As evident by his colleagues’ genuine smiles and laughter, they feel as though they are on equal footing as their boss. It’s easy to see that they are empowered, that they serve roles that Bleymaier himself considers equally as important as his own.

In short, Bleymaier emphasizes teamwork. He values communal effort over individual achievements. He sincerely believes that Boise State’s athletic successes are equally attributed to his staff as they are to him. As we initially began scheduling our interview, he made it clear that his office works as a collaborate team, and writing this story exclusively on him would give an incomplete picture of Bronco athletics.

“They are the reason we have enjoyed the success we have had,” he said. “It is directly related to our associate athletic directors and staff. My associate athletic directors are second-to-none in the country, and I’ve got five of the best individual leaders and visionaries of anyone in the country. And Boise State is the beneficiary.”

With that team-first mentality, not only has Bleymaier brought Boise State’s athletic programs (and a famous blue

turf ) into the national spotlight during his 26 years at the helm, he has crafted an organizational culture in which his staff feels empowered and is emotionally invested in the school’s success. Bleymaier recognizes the individual talents they bring to the table, and values their opinions and expertise. And the results of this management style are clearly visible in the face of each associate.

Which brings us to the million-dollar question: How does Bleymaier find the quality, experienced employees that he trusts so much?

“I wish I had a magic formula,” he said. “We do look at character and we do look at passion and we try to find people with experience that have a good reputation, but we also look for those who have a desire to get better and who want to be here and who believe in the things we believe.”

“I involve a lot of our staff in the interviewing process and talk about each candidate and kick things around and check references and then make the best decision we can together as a group,” he added.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 21

Many student athletes have enjoyed success under Bleymaier’s athletic leadership.

(Photos courtesy of Boise State University).

Bleymaier’s “Pyramid of Success”

It’s no secret that Boise State has enjoyed many athletic successes under Bleymaier’s leadership. Last year’s Fiesta Bowl football victory is a very visible, high-profile example, but it’s not exclusive. Nearly every sport has won conference championships or sent individual athletes to national competitions. But it might surprise some people to know what the department’s three core values are:

1: Welfare of the student athletes.

2: Academics.

3: Compliance with NCAA, conference, school and team rules.

These core values make up the base of what Bleymaier calls the “Pyramid of Success.” And, in true Bleymaier form, he quickly gives credit to Coach Wooden from UCLA from whom he modeled his philosophy. Regardless, sitting above these core values are a qualified and diverse staff, good facilities and an effective recruitment program that targets qualified and diverse athletes.

If it seems like this philosophy is missing a vital subject, namely winning, there’s a good reason.

“Winning is not in there anywhere and yet it is critical to our success,” he said. “If we take care of what we are supposed to take care of, then winning will be a byproduct.”

And based on the championship banners lining Boise State’s Varsity Center, it’s obvious that winning certainly has taken care of itself. But, as Bleymaier is the first to point out, winning never comes at the sacrifice of the organization’s values. That’s the kind of philosophy that spans well beyond athletic administration.

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The philosophy of “B”

Bob Madden,

Boise State’s budget is considerably smaller than most of the bigger schools it competes against. And it’s much smaller than the NCAA’s elite teams. Yet each year the Bronco sports programs make strides in catching up to them, both on and off the field. The key is setting both long and short-term goals, Bleymaier said.

“We aren’t going to go from point A to point Z overnight, but we all believe and trust that we can go from point A to point B, and then to C and D,” Bleymaier said. “I think the people here at Boise State have bought into that, understand it and are motivated by that. We would love to go from A to Z overnight but that is not very realistic. We try to set realistic goals but also like to set big, hairy audacious goals and talk about the long range plan and the big vision. I think think those big, hairy audacious goals get people motivated and get people excited.”

associate athletic director for development and executive director for the Bronco Athletic Association: “We are all on the same page. We all work together and have our chance for input. And that is important, knowing that we all get a voice in what happens.”

What his associates say: Lisa Parker, senior associate athletic director for student services: “He trusts us to do our jobs and doesn’t do a lot of micromanagement. He keeps his foot in the door and keeps his door open for us. He lets us do what we need to do in order to get things done.”

Curt Aspey, senior associate athletic director for advancement: “It’s not one person, it’s Gene at the head steering us in the right direction and together we try to come up with a plan that is good for the entire athletic department... So it’s an effort by a group and certainly not one person. And it’s great to be part of something like that.”

Mike Sumpter, associate athletic director for championships and operations: “I don’t think you can achieve that growth without really great synergy and we enjoy that throughout the department. We really are like a hand in glove with each other so very little happens where we aren’t cross-communicating continually.”

Mike Waller, associate director of athletics chief financial officer: “The people who are here love being here and that is why they are here for (long) periods of time – because they love it. Everybody has the same goals.”

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 23

by Jason Johnson

Real profits in a virtual world

T

he demand for online goods and services is growing by double-digit percentages each year.

Still, a business must take several factors into consideration before setting up shop along the information superhighway.

Marketplaces conducted via the Internet are commonly referred to as “electronic commerce,” or a variation of “e-commerce.” Electronic commerce, as it exists today, includes trading information, services and consumer and industrial goods via the Internet.

When opening a traditional, physical store, one would scout for and then acquire the right location before building the shop to suit specific needs. This is still the case with e-commerce locations. They must be anchored by a Web address, the electronic version of a physical address. Finding these locations can be done in just a few minutes with a computer, and often cost less than the price of a morning coffee. Replaced are the building contractors and construction staff; instead a single web developer sits behind a computer and electronically builds a fully-functional, basic online store front ready for further customization – often within just a few hours.

For retailers, e-commerce offers an exponential return on investment. For many retail establishments, the highest cost of overhead are the armies of support staff needed to keep product and customers moving through the store. One of the most attractive features of online retail, or “e-tail,” is the ability to have fewer staff performing more functions. The store owner can realistically start the day by sitting down in a home office, research and 24 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

purchase new items, manage the inventory, create and update product listings, market the store, expedite orders and handle customer service in just a few hours.

With e-tail there is no need for a large support staff. Many owner/operators work from a small home office and keep inventories literally in house. Several large niche stores have back-end parent companies which work out of small condo suites or tucked away at the back corner of a professional park. They realize that very limited number of workers can be all places at all times with the click of a button, thus significantly reducing overhead.

Other popular forms of e-commerce are the trafficking of information and online media. There are countless Internet stores selling e-books written by the every day professional. The power of the Internet allows for niche authors to rapidly produce materials intended to quench an endless thirst for information on all types of subject matters.

Entire publishing companies now exist that cater solely to production of print materials, both e-books and hard copy. An author can write a piece of work, submit it electronically to a printing business, and take delivery of a large, professionallyprinted supply of that product within the week. These publishers originally didn’t measure up against larger publishing houses.

But as these publishers evolved with the ever-increasing sophistication of technology, they expanded to include all services that their larger-production cousins offered but at greatly reduced costs.

This, in turn, forced major publishing houses to implement their own online branches to protect their respective market share.

Another great industry of e-commerce is the exchange of services. Droves of professionals now turn to the Internet marketplace to sell their services. For instance, many companies can find telemarketing and telesupport services on the Internet cheaper than outsourcing to foreign countries. This also cuts down on the overhead associated with maintaining large offices.

But e-commerce isn’t all fun and games. The silver bullet that can strike down even the best online business is the technical complexity of its maintenance and operations. For some, building and maintaining a technologically sophisticated e-business is relatively easy; for others it is easier said than done.

Businesses that are just starting out in the online marketplace quickly learn that little knowledge or experience carries over from traditional brick and mortar businesses. An entirely different skill set is required for managing the business front. Be it the store, marketing, or managing the employees, the similarities are meager. If, for instance, a conditioned retail owner/operator decides to pursue an online marketplace, he or she must consider the hands-on skill sets.

Building the framework to support your products or services on an e-commerce site is no simple task. There are several complexities, each dependent on the type of store, the product being sold and user preferences.

While traditional merchandisers work with shelves and product, an online store requires basic, intermediate, and advanced web programming sills. Layout and design are key factors, not only in attracting customers, but to also close the sale. Buyers expect to find exactly what they are looking for within seconds of landing on a web page. A poor layout can cripple or kill a Web site’s ability to generate revenues. Therefore, the future of any e-commerce business hinges on the skill and ability of its Web developer.

Like any business, market research is key when it comes to online sales. What may sell well in a specific area may not appeal to the greater majority of shoppers browsing the site. Companies should sell products and services they are familiar with. A smooth transition to an online marketplace will be easier by keeping a focus on core products or services.

For unestablished businesses looking to start an e-commerce-enhanced business, it is imperative that special care be taken to research and evaluate market conditions. For example, consider consumer electronics retail: Profit margins are razor thin when selling high-dollar theater equipment and computer components. Most consumers turn to the Internet for these products not because of the convenience but because of the deeply discounted prices. Most professional Internet marketers strictly advise against entering the consumer electronics market for this very reason.

Marketing for the ‘net-surfing consumer varies wildly between demographics. Everything from the color scheme and layout of the page to the way users search for products must be considered when designing a site, and it must be optimized in such

a way to attract and maintain users. There are tens of thousands of extraordinary Internet marketers who specialize in nothing more than optimization and simple ad campaigns.

The way a store’s products are displayed, categorized and ranked in searches are as vital as a good design and marketing. Every Web page has specific eye traffic hot spots. These are usually in the upper 20 percent of the visible page. For shoppers who are native English speakers this pattern will start off from just inward of the left side of the page, slim to a more narrow horizontal band across the middle and end in a pool just inside the right border that is slightly larger than the left. With this in mind most professionals will display an item image to the left, specific selling points in the middle, and links to purchase the item on the right. For products requiring more in-depth details the link to purchase will be in the bottom left corner.

And search engine rankings at the very top or very bottom typically yield greater traffic than rankings in the middle seventy five percent.

One of the most important bases to cover is security for both the customers and the store. Millions of dollars per day are transacted by the e-commerce industry. With so much money, product and information changing hands keeping transactions reliable and secure is one of the most vital tasks every manager must handle.

More than 90% of Internet transactions are made via credit card. Most businesses conduct online payments using payment gateways. These are the electronic equivalent of point of sale registers in most stores. They record a customer’s payment information then transfer it to the service provider for authorization through an encrypted channel.

Business can’t be conducted if a Web site goes offline; therefore, multiple layers of redundancy must he considered, implemented, and managed to prevent lost transactions.

There are many ways to safeguard against such faults.

Theft of money, product, and/or information is always a looming security issue. There are two culprits of theft: Outside intruders (commonly referred to as “hackers”), and employees. Firewalls and encryption are standard procedures when securing against outside intruders. To safeguard against theft by employees, most security professionals recommend screening from square one. Only hire legitimate and qualified employees that are on good standing with the law. Also, multiple checks such as monitoring of accounts linked with the business and routine review of the store’s software code are a good idea.

Lastly, customer service both during and after a sale is key. If customers are having a hard time finding their product, deciding between similar products or need to return a defective product, they look to customer service. Like any brickand-mortar business, online companies must address this need. Though it may take alternative forms, such as discussion boards, online chat with customer service agents and even phone support.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 25

The e-ticket to

How to set up your online storefront by Jason Johnson

E

lectronic commerce, otherwise known as “e-commerce,” facilitates the trade of goods and services over the Internet.

Each year, e-commerce accounts for hundreds of billions of dollars in the US and global economies, and that figure grows by double-digit percentages annually. While many big-box retailers have online versions of their stores, e-commerce is equally effective with small niche and novelty shops. From the largest businesses to the smallest there may be many different players but the game is always the same.

Choosing a Location and Service Provider:

Once a manager has chosen to expand into e-commerce, the first order of business is to secure a home. A domain name is a dot com address and is essentially the electronic version of a store’s physical location where its patrons go to shop. It should reflect the nature of the company as well as promote brand recognition.

Those new to selling on the Internet will most likely prefer the convenience and security of hosting their new venture with a responsible and cost effective hosting service. When considering different service providers, don’t focus exclusively on cost, as reliability and customer satisfaction are also significant comparison points.

It is important to consider the number of expected visitors, as most service providers offer packages with a specific traffic caps. A small store selling niche-branded goods probably won’t generate nearly the amount of traffic that a larger operation with the ability to reach a broad market will. For larger operations it is especially important to conservatively estimate the amount of traffic, because hitting the cap in the middle of a billing cycle could send the store offline until more hosting bandwidth is added or the next billing cycle begins.

Choosing an E-commerce Software Package:

If an e-commerce site is essentially an electronic version of a traditional brick-and-mortar store, then the software package is essentially the construction materials. There are many options, but the most deciding features should be the ability to handle various payment methods including credit and debit transac26 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

tions, individual product listings, its cost and level of development, and above all ease of use – both for the customers and the people maintaining the site.

If a manager plans to employ a service provider specifically to maintain an e-commerce store, it is vital that the provider be familiar with the software. If the store will be maintained by existing staff with little or no experience in installing and maintaining such software, one of the most important considerations is the community of other users. Detailed instruction documents and support forums are vital for installation and maintenance.

Cost and availability are other important considerations.

There are several available projects which are either open source or under private development. Open source software is essentially software that is developed by a group of individuals who make no commercial income from the development of the software; in layman’s terms, its free. The beauty of open source software is that because it is made public, it is open for peer review and glitches can be found and fixed quickly and effectively. Its development is structured in such a way that support is likely to continue for long periods of time, unlike commercial software which may be replaced or dropped entirely if the company experiences any level of difficulty or a new version is developed.

Also consider the methods of payment. A store needs to process multiple forms of payment that may or may not apply to all situations.

It’s also important to consider the store’s ability to host a specific number of product listings. Most, if not all projects under development have the ability to produce a seemingly infinite number of individual product listings.

Moving Forward With Building a Store: Once an acceptable hosting service and the software have been selected, the next step is to actually build the store and take it public.

These specific steps vary between service providers and software packages. For more detailed and technical information, consult your product’s documentation, customer service or support community. Internet search tools are powerful allies during the due diligence process of the research of technical data and consumer opinion.

YOU WANT

by Quint Studer

Five Leadership Tactics that will make 2008 a pivotal business year

A

s you look back over 2007, are you feeling a vague sense of discontent? Is business sluggish? Have several key employees left?

With new competitors springing up every day, now is the time to be at the top of your industry. Things might not be terrible - not yet - but could they be better? If you know you need to make some big changes in the upcoming year, here’s a suggestion: Make 2008 the year you focus on leadership. Not leaders, mind you - leadership.

Solid business results that stand the test of time do so for one reason and one reason only: consistently excellent leadership. Products and services change with the demands of the market. Individual leaders come and go. The key is to create an organizational culture that ensures great leadership today and tomorrow.

In other words, you need a long-term fix, not a magic bullet or a trendy program du jour or a charismatic leader. You need a culture built on good, solid, time-tested leadership principles. Organizations should institute proven, across-the-board behaviors that don’t depend on particular individuals. These practices are not complicated.

They’re simple, commonsense tactics that leaders can get their hands around and start doing right away. In fact, implement these five “biggies” and you’ll see dramatic changes by the end of 2008: 28 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

Get rid of low performers

Make a real connection with employees - every day

Let’s say your employee Carol consistently comes in late, gets “headaches” every other (non-payday) Friday, and spends more time cheerily chatting up coworkers than she does working. Others will notice - and they will be resentful. But worse than merely causing contention in the ranks, turning a blind eye to the “Carols” in your organization squelches profitability. Why? Because middle performers get pulled down to the low-performer level, while high performers either disengage or leave.

Too many of us give low performers a pass. The remedy involves implementing a structured series of high-middlelow performer conversations. It’s easier not to confront low performers, and trust me, a leader can find a thousand other things to do instead. But until you move them either up or out, your company will never advance beyond short-term gains.

The low performer is an anchor holding everyone else back.

Make this year the year you quit looking the other way.

I am a big proponent of what I call “rounding for outcomes.” This critical leader behavior reveals my health care industry roots. (Think of a doctor making her daily rounds to check on patients.) Rounding helps you communicate openly with your employees, allowing you to regularly find out what is going well and what isn’t going well for them at the company. But remember, it’s not just empty “face time” - it’s rounding for outcomes, which means the process has a serious purpose.

In the business world, a CEO, vice presindent, or department manager makes the rounds daily to check on the status of his employees. Basically, you take an hour a day to touch base with employees, make a personal connection, recognize success, find out what’s going well, and determine what improvements can be made. Rounding is the heart and soul of building an emotional bank account with your employees, because it shows them day in and day out that you care.

Accentuate the positive

The next time you’re having lunch in a restaurant, listen in on the conversations at nearby tables. Chances are, you’ll hear people griping about their workloads, difficult clients, annoying coworkers or the ridiculousness of corporate policy. Many people do, but if they realized how harmful it is to their company, perhaps they’d think twice. The solution is to hone the fine art of managing up.

Managing up means positioning your people, products or company in a positive light. Managing up doesn’t just happen; you have to make it happen in a systematic way. Help employees understand what can happen when negativity is allowed to breed - good people quit and customers leave - and they’ll be more likely to stop doing it.

“Rounding is the heart and soul of building an emotional bank account with your employees, because it shows them day in and day out that you care.”

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 29

Say thanks

In fact, put it in writing. I am a big advocate of sending thank-you notes to employees who do an excellent job. But that doesn’t mean just sending the occasional note when someone goes far above the call of duty. It means literally mandating a specific number of thank-you notes for leaders to send to the people they supervise. Thank-you notes don’t just happen. If they aren’t hardwired into an organization, they don’t get written. And a thank-you note is just too powerful a tool not to use. People love receiving thank-you notes. They cherish them.

The best thank-you notes are: • Specific, not general. A thank-you note that focuses on some thing specific the recipient has done is far more effective than one that reads, “Hey, nice job!”

• Handwritten, if possible. Most people would rather receive a three-sentence handwritten note than a two-page typed let ter. It’s more authentic and special.

• Sent to the employee’s home. When an employee receives a thank-you note at home, it feels more personal than one laid on her desk along with a stack of reports and memos.

Don’t just recruit great employees, Rerecruit them

If you plan to hire in 2008, here’s a relatively easy step you can take that will pay off in a big way. We all know employee turnover is expensive. But did you know that more than 25 percent of employees who leave positions do so in the first 90 days of employment? To retain a new team member, the leader needs to build a relationship. Scheduling two oneon-one meetings, the first at 30 days and the second at 90 days, has an enormous impact on retention that directly turns into savings for your organization.

If these meetings are handled successfully, new employee turnover is reduced by 66 percent. I suggest using a structured list of questions to discover not only what’s not going well, but also what is going well. You can be certain that your new employee is comparing her first few weeks of work with your company to her last week at her previous job - which was filled with well wishes, tearful goodbyes, and probably a going-away party. Clearly, your company will get the short end of an unfavorable comparison. These meetings will help you shore up an otherwise tenuous relationship.

30 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

Once you start implementing these tactics, results quickly follow. Your employees will see that you care about them, which boosts morale, which improves performance, which leads to happier customers, which leads to higher profits. When things aren’t going so well, a lot of leaders panic and start doing things that make employees less satisfied. Don’t make that mistake. Your leaders’ job is to create happy, loyal, productive employees. They, in turn, will create happy, loyal, and profitable customers. They are two sides of the same coin-and that coin is the currency that buys you results that last.

“You can be certain that your new employee is comparing her first few weeks of work with your company to her last week at her previous job - which was filled with well wishes, tearful good-byes, and probably a going-away party.”

Printed with permission from the Studer Group

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 31

INDUSTRY HEALTHCARE

PARTICIPANTS: Moderator, Tim Olson Jesus Blanco - Idaho Primary Care Association Judy Davis - Humphreys Diabetes Center Mary Lou Long - St. Luke’s Home Health Joyce McRoberts - Idaho State Board of Medicine Shad Priest - Idaho Department of Insurance Janelle Reilly - St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Bob Scanlon - Humphreys Diabetes Center David Self - Primary Health Greg Tollefson - Stoel Rives

32 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

Mr. Olson: What do you see as the top issues challenging the state of Idaho and its citizens as far as health care is concerned?

MS. McROBERTS: Accessibility and cost.

MR. SCANLON: We have this huge wave of baby boomers, at the same time the state is trying to grow from its agricultural roots to an urban-based, technology-based state. And we only have finite amounts of resource to go around? How do we accommodate everyone?

MS. LONG: I think we have a serious nursing shortage that’s going to prevent us from providing economical care. It’s going to be very costly if we’re going to continue with the same model.

MS. REILLY: I would add behavioral health. The needs of mental health and substance abuse in this state and really across the country is really becoming a crisis issue.

MR. SELF: I would add lifestyle. So much of the care that’s provided today is due to our personal choices. And that trickles down to everyone in the system. Educating the public is a grand thing to talk about, but it’s not easy.

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MS. DAVIS: I think preventative services are important. With diabetes, in particular, it affects so many people and it’s growing so rampantly. We’ve got to figure out ways to get to people much, much earlier to minimize the serious problems. I think prevention is just another really, really key issue.

MR. SCANLON: Diabetes education prevention efforts are like fire prevention. There isn’t a whole lot of money put into it.

But once the fire starts, all sorts of resources are dumped into it. How much of that could you have mitigated if you would have invested in prevention to begin with? We need to make sure that people understand that they’re empowered to take care of themselves and their health.

I think you need a medical home. But I think we need a system where the patient is best served. Unfortunately it takes money to run these operations.

Mr. Olson: What impact or how much of an impact does the uninsured have on our cost? What cost does that uninsured population have on the insured population?

MR. SELF: I think cost is defined through different lenses. If you are the consumer or an employee that has coverage through his or her employer, then your vision of cost is “How much does it cost me each month out of my check?” And then “What does it cost when I go to the doctor, when I go to the hospital, when I go receive care?” To the employer, it’s usually the second highest line item in their budget. If you are the provider, the cost is filtered a variety of different ways. When I entered the industry, a hospital administrator drew a pie chart on a white board, and said, “It doesn’t change. It takes this much to keep the doors open. Now, if I get X from this sector and X from this sector, then that leaves this much for the insured population to pay.”

And that’s stuck with me because it hasn’t changed. If people show up at the ER, it’s not magic, there is cost for that care.

MS. McROBERTS: Idaho is such a diverse state, and we have areas that are really rural and frontier. It’s difficult to create a plan that covers all of those areas. It’s a challenge.

“When you have an opportunity to take

Mr. Olson: Many of you mentioned cost. How can we address the cost of health care.

care of his needs while they’re small and

MR. SCANLON: The system is interesting in that it discourages a patient from visiting, say, a dietitian or a CDE nurse to get the education, but it’s willing to have them go to a medical facility and have an $50,000 or $30,000 amputation. The education opportunity costs $100. I think the system is a little bit backwards.

care of a person and bring him in and take affordable, then you’re really going to do a great thing, not only for that patient, but for your health center and the state.” ~MR. BLANCO

MR. BLANCO: It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with a chronic disease like diabetes or smaller issues like an ear ache or the common cold, when you have an opportunity to take care of a person and bring him in and take care of his needs while they’re small and affordable, then you’re really going to do a great thing, not only for that patient, but for your health center and the state.

Does that shift? You bet it does. When we’re talking about the uninsured we’re not talking about people that necessarily go without care. A lot of those folks show up at the ER. And that is their primary-care doc.

MR. SCANLON: I agree to a point. I do believe, though, that there’s too much reinventing of the wheel. One entity can’t do it all. We need a system where we’re all sharing data, we’re all sharing patients, we’re all doing what we do best. It’s not an issue of competitive advantage. It’s an issue of serving the patient best.

MS. REILLY: There are industries and institutes out there studying health care costs, and many believe there is enough money in the system, it just needs to be redistributed. And chronic disease, as you guys have already touched on, is very big. Mental health issues are very big. Solving some of those

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issues so we have more dollars to redistribute for greater coverage is really our challenge.

it’s part of the government to reduce barriers to deliver health care better.

MR. SCANLON: If you’re talking dollars, diabetes education and chronic disease management loses money. We have Humphreys thanks to the generosity of the both of the hospitals, because we have a shortfall. Last year we had a shortfall of about $250,000.

And the hospitals are the ones that made that up for us. Look at hospitals such as Beth Israel in New York that had a diabetes center set up on the same model as us. They were open for five months then closed. And that’s typical. Diabetes programs do not typically stay open. It is expensive.

Mr. Olson: What are the one or two factors that if we could change, you believe would have an impact on the cost of health care?

MS. McROBERTS: I’d say one of the problems is duplication with our health care system.

MS. REILLY: Fragmentation of care.

MR. SELF: Lack of coordination.

MS. LONG: I think we focus on hospitals because that’s what’s big. But there are a lot of services like Humphreys Diabetes Center. I think those kinds of services are going to take on a new life when you look at the baby-boom generation. I think we have an opportunity to focus on prevention if we can get some of the dollars in the right place. A service like the one we offer does lose money, but it loses less than the hospital does when you keep some of those people in the hospital unnecessarily.

MR. PRIEST: Have there been any effort to quantify the savings that the diabetes center or the home health brings to the system?

MS. LONG: It’s not just about the money. It’s about where people want and should get their care. I don’t think people really like ending up in the hospital. They would much rather get some of those cares in their homes, in a primary-care clinic with a physician that knows them.

MS. REILLY: Unnecessary services.

MS. LONG: I think that speaks to the infrastructure and our technology that shares information. We see patients in the home that have had the same lab test done three different places because the three different people didn’t communicate what that lab test was. And so the home is sitting there calling the doctor saying, “Did you realize that this patient has three prescriptions for the same thing?”

MR. SELF: And the technology exists to alleviate the vast majority of that. There are pressure pads that send body weight to the hospital or clinic. People can have their glucose measurements taken the same way. Web cams for elderly people who can’t leave the house. All that exists. It’s not being used in any elegant solution. So I think coordination of information would get rid of a lot of the duplication.

MS. REILLY: You’re right. Health care is not just one particular element. It’s the whole continuum of care. It’s delivered in our homes by our parents. It’s in our schools. It’s in our work places.

So the partnerships that have to be formed with the public and private sectors are important. I think we have a shot at really driving towards enhanced health care. But our health status indicators aren’t as good as some other countries. So we have to work to make some improvements in those areas.

MS. McROBERTS: I have to say that at the Health Summit when the governor called, we had very specific instructions on where he wanted to go. Of course it was the workforce, because it means not only do we have a shortage in nurses, but we have a shortage in all of our providers. And then affordability, assessability, personal responsibility, prevention, public and private partnerships; and he still feels strongly that

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MS. LONG: We have 35 of those units. And we’ve dropped our re-admission rate from patients in the home to the hospital from 36 percent to 12 percent. But the most interesting thing is the patients don’t want to give them back. They are clutching these machines saying, “For the first time I understand the impact of eating bacon and hash browns and salt, I saw my weight go up.” It’s a security system to have these little machines that say, “It’s time to take your blood pressure. It’s time to get on the scale.” It is a simple technology, not really particularly expensive, but it’s not integrated through our system.

MS. REILLY: We have them too. They’re only about $5,000 a pop, aren’t they?

MS. LONG: They really are. And one admission to the hospital would pay for one of those machines.

Mr. Olson: How about other factors? We’ve talked with physicians, their need to protect themselves against malpractice suits, and you’ve heard the stories of the premiums that those doctors have to pay to protect themselves.

That’s a cost.

MR. BLANCO: I think the same can be said about the shortage of family doctors. If you think it’s hard to get a doctor to Boise, try some really small communities that don’t have the lifestyle or annual salary that they’re interested in. And when you think about the fact that every community throughout the U.S. is facing the same thing, it’s not going to be a pretty sight for any of us.

Mr. Olson: Where are we going to be in ten years if the things you’re talking about continue?

MS. McROBERTS: We’re going to be in trouble. I think that’s why you see all the states addressing it. A couple states introduced legislation last year. People are addressing it because we’re going to be in a crisis. We are (in a crisis) now, and it will be much worse.

MS. REILLY: I’m optimistic because we as a health care system have evolved to meet the population’s needs.

We started out providing care to those who didn’t have it. We evolved to address the acute care needs of the community. Now ~MS. REILLY we’re facing a population that has chronic care needs and issues. And I think we will redesign our system to address those and get coverage for the uninsured. I think we have a lot of bright, smart people in America and here in this state, and I think we have hope.

“Now we’re facing a population that has chronic care needs and issues. And I think we will redesign our system to address those and get coverage for the uninsured. I think we have a lot of bright, smart people in America and here in this state, and I think we have hope.”

MR. PRIEST: Well, there’s a bureaucracy the doctors have to deal with.

MR. TOLLEFSON: Mary Lou, you mentioned there was some shortage. With that shortage comes demand for higher wages.

How much does the wages for hospital workers factor into cost?

MS. REILLY: These are national stats on the nursing wages.

They’ve gone up over the last five years to an average annual increase of 3 to 4 percent to about 6 to 7 percent annually.

MS. LONG: It’s not just money. A hospital isn’t the easiest place to work. We’re fortunate in this community that we have a waiting list of students to get in to nursing programs.

That’s not necessarily what you see across the country. It’s not attractive anymore. It’s not necessarily the respected profession, not because we don’t respect nurses, but because it’s a hard place to work.

MR. SCANLON: Nothing stays static. As a matter of fact CDC just came out with some numbers in regards to diabetes. For every dollar spent in education there’s $8 savings in medical cost. That’s significant. I think the hospitals will evolve. I think health care will evolve. I think all the communities will have to do what they need to do to have the medical services.

MS. REILLY: There’s a stat similar to that that I read on mental health. Every dollar you spend on mental health saves $7 on societal and other kinds of costs.

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MS. DAVIS: What kind of changes do we need as far as patient perception is concerned? Because we see so many people who

think the system owes them everything. What kind of perception does our public have that they expect everything to be free? And no personal investment of any sort.

Mr. Olson: People perceive that good insurance covers everything.

Well, that’s not insurance. That’s just coverage. Do we want insurance or coverage? I think the expectation is we want coverage.

the conof care. And now the cost issue rethat makes it tough “Hey, wait a minute. costs? Let us show you.”

MR. SELF: I would agree. The expectation is coverage, but we’re also talking about unwinding 50 or 60 years of hiding the cost of care from the consumer. We, as an industry, have done a wonderful job of building this very warm, fuzzy barrier between sumer and the cost suddenly when ally reaches a magnitude to swallow, we’re saying, Do you know how much this

Mr. Olson: What do you see happening in terms of the regulatory environment regarding health care?

MR. PRIEST: I think that all the states are grappling with the same issue. As part of that, they’re bringing in the state regulatory agencies to assist in trying to come up with a solution. I think the nice thing about state regulation of insurance is that it is easy for the states that are seeking solutions to bring that in as part of the package in trying to come up with a solution. The downside is we have a very fragmented regulatory system.

MS. LONG: In the past we’ve been creating a model and making people fit into it. And now I think we’re at a place where there’s a larger group of people that are going to say, “I don’t want that anymore. I want something different.” So I think we have to heed that group of people.

MS. McROBERTS: I think that’s a challenge, because as we heed to that group of people, we have the younger generations coming up that are virtually paying for those services.

MR. BLANCO: I think the baby-boom generation and generations to follow are living longer, but it is really going to put an incredible strain on already a very fragile system. And I think about the fact that insurance is so volatile. I make sure that when I make a decision about employment that there’s good, quality insurance that I can afford for myself and my family.

I know that some day, whether it’s my doing or some illness I might have at some point in my life I might not be able to afford insurance.

Mr. Olson: Let’s talk about government-provided care. Should we expand? Change? Eliminate?

MR. SELF: Well, you never hear anyone say, “Please turn it over to the federal government.” It’s rare to find a program that becomes more effective through expansion. It’s not unreasonable to believe that after the elections in ‘08 you find a Medicare-type program for all citizens that provides a baseline care, and then if you desire or your employer can provide enhanced care, it becomes the policy that pays above that.

MR. SELF: I love the saying that the United States is the only country in the world where death is optional. We can keep you alive a very long time. And there is an expectation that if I get ill, give me a pill. Some people have to have it. But I think we’ve reached the point where we expect, “Give me a pill, Doc. Make me better.” And that’s not going to get better.

“Nothing stays static. As a matter of fact CDC just came out with some numbers in regards to diabetes.

For every dollar spent in education there’s $8 savings in medical cost.

That’s significant.” ~MR. SCANLON

MR. BLANCO: I’m not as optimistic about something happening at the national level after ‘08. I think it will eventually happen state-by-state to fit the population. I say that because our health centers are doing quite a bit. We’re seeing about one in six

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uninsured Idahoans. That still leaves a lot of people out there. I do believe that with folks like Joyce and the governor trying to identify a solution that is very Idaho, I have a lot of confidence that we will move in a direction that we need to.

MS. REILLY: And transparency of the information makes better educated consumers.

MR. SCANLON: I think government plays the role of honest broker. I think government should be at the core of a database that everyone can access. And government drives the train in many ways as far as where they’re going to put their dollars. If they put their dollars in prevention efforts, if they put their dollars in acute care for the uninsured - that’s the direction the industry is going to go. After the elections, I think we’re going to end up with a hybrid, a combination of industry and government.

MR. SELF: I find it interesting that the (Catholic Hospital Association)’s first tenet is “Coverage for all.” Not “Insurance for all.” “Coverage for all.” And that really, I believe, has to be at the forefront of the conversation. It changes the conversation from uninsured to how do we cover those that truly need it.

MR. BLANCO: I think SCHIP has been a great service to Idaho and to the U.S. in general. I think it’s done great things in terms of providing a stable source of health insurance and health care

“I think we really have to think outside the box and not just think of our traditional system and services but how to use them differently? How do we step up to the plate?”~MS. LONG for many children that otherwise would go without. And I think reauthorizing the program is key.

MS. McROBERTS: Affordability of insurance.

MS. LONG: You have two generations: The young, who say “I want to know exactly what it costs”, and the baby boom generation, which is a lot more astute too, in saying, “Wait a minute. I’m not just going to take what you give me. Tell me more about it.

MR. SELF: And it is the first generation of retirees not afraid of a mouse. They’ve dealt with technology enough to use e-mail and access the Internet. And to the degree that we expose meaningful and credible information, they do become better consumers.

MS. LONG: I think we really have to think outside the box and not just think of our traditional system and services but how to use them differently? How do we step up to the plate?

MS. McROBERTS: That is a major challenge. The Health Care Summit was really good. People did take off their hats and thought outside the box. I guess that’s what’s exciting about coming to something like this. You continue to hear the conversation. People need to change and want to change and know that it needs to be done. So we’ll all work together and we’ll get it done.

MS. McROBERTS: I agree with SCHIP, that it’s a good program.

My concern is the expansion that could take place if the federal government becomes involved. If it expands into the adult population then we’ll end up eventually losing the SCHIP because it would have grown so much that it can’t be affordable any longer.

But I do believe it takes both the federal government as well as the states working together.

MS. REILLY: I think it is the government’s role to lead policy setting.

MS. McROBERTS: I think we’re going to see a younger generation that’s going to demand to know the cost at each hospital or doctor, and they will shop just like they do when they go out shopping.

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indus

LIVE & WORK INTELLIGENTLY

www.iqidaho.com It’s just like the magazine, but without paper.

Check out www.iqidaho.com for follow ups to your favorite IQ Idaho stories.

While you’re there, browse some of the features that are only available on the Web, such as:

- Blogs - Updates - Message Boards - Contests

by Ralph M. Sutherlin

in an ENVIRONMENT Can you sense the DANGER?

T

here are many benefits of working in an office location away from extreme variations in temperature, weather or dangerous conditions. Yet there are numerous hazards that affect the health of office employees, to the point of quitting a job or changing careers. Employees can make small adjustments which make an amazing difference in the quality of their day.

Here are four of the most common office health challenges and the best ways to improve them:

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1

Focused musculoskeletal pain. Sitting too long and working at a poorly-designed office workstation can provoke both acute and chronic pain. “Ergonomics” has been a catch phrase within the last 15 years and has been studied and researched through many universities and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Even if an employee changes to an “ergonomic” piece of equipment it doesn’t mean their pain will subside or improve. Although some of these simple changes at their work site may help: • Thighs should be parallel to the floor.

• Adjust the height and/or angle of the chair seat.

• Feet should lay flat on the floor or on a footrest.

• Adjust the height of the chair seat.

• Back of the knees should be clear of the front edge of the seat.

• Adjust the depth of the chair seat so that you can easily place your fist behind your knee.

• Be sure to specify the appropriate seat depth length when ordering a new chair.

• Lower and mid-back should be well supported.

• Adjust the height, tension, and angle of the backrest, to ensure the lumbar sup port is positioned at your waist.

• Forearms should be supported and shoulders should be relaxed at all times.

• The height of, and distance between, armrests should allow freedom of move ment for forearms when performing tasks, yet provide support for them during rest periods or when using a mouse.

• Avoid hunching the shoulders and ensure that the elbows/upper arms remain close to the torso.

• Elbows should be at approximately the same height as the keyboard.

• Adjust the height of the keyboard tray or work surface so the keyboard is at the same height of the elbows.

• Wrists should be straight at all times and hands should be in line with forearms.

• Adjust the height of the keyboard tray or work surface.

• If the keyboard tray or work surface is not adjustable, adjust the seat to ensure straight wrists. Use a footrest if you your feet are not flat and well supported on the floor.

• The monitor should be at a comfortable reading distance and height.

• Viewing distance should be within 16 to 29 inches (40cm to 74 cm). About one arm’s length.

• The monitor height should allow the neck to be in a neutral position when looking at the top row of text on the screen.

• Everything should be within reach.

• Place the mouse next to the keyboard and at the same height.

• Document(s) should be on a document-holder that is placed either between the keyboard and the screen or next to and at approximately the same height as the monitor screen.

• A task light improves lighting on the document(s) you are reading.

A properly adjusted workstation allows employees to adopt a natural and comfortable posture. To benefit from these adjustments, workspaces should be properly organized. Psychology also plays a big role in chronic pain, according to a World Health Organization report. Back pain can be a sign that people are bored or unhappy at work. After adjusting the workstation, encourage them to get more exercise outside of work to help improve their mood.

To prevent neck muscular strain, use a headset or wireless telephone if the majority of the work shift is spent on the phone.

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2

Sights for Sore Eyes. According to a study reported in the Survey of Ophthalmology, computer users risk tired, red eyes and burning, blurred or double vision. People blink up to 60% less often while looking at the screen, causing dry-eye symptoms.

The cornea is also sensitive to office hazards like dry air, airborne paper dust, and ventilation fans.

To protect yourself, look away from the screen and at a distant object at least every 30 minutes. Use eye drops if you feel strain. And, if you wear reading glasses and work at a computer more than an hour a day, researchers recommend a pair of glasses especially designed for the distance you normally sit from the screen.

People blink up to 60% less often while looking at the screen.

To protect yourself, look away from the screen and at a distant object at least every 30 minutes.

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3

Noises Off. A Cornell study found that even low-level noise in open-style offices results in more stress. After randomly assigning 40 experienced clerical workers to either a quiet or a mildly noisy open-style office for three hours, the researchers measured and compared the amount of epinephrine, a stress hormone, in their urine. The workers in the noisier office were more stressed and less likely to make ergonomic adjustments to their workstation.

Dilbert-style cubicles don’t necessarily do the trick: sound travels through the gaps and the walls create a false sense of privacy. Explain to cubicle neighbors that it’s important for all of you to keep your voices (and any noisemaking devices) low. People who don’t need to be on the phone constantly may find noisecanceling headphones to be a big help. There are also a number of products that aim to block conversational noise around cubicles. There hasn’t been much scientific evidence to back up their claims, but they may be worth checking out if office chatter is making you crazy.

Research published in the Journal of Management Studies reports that Americans are especially likely to be bullied at work.

4

Bad Vibes. Research published in the Journal of Management Studies reports that Americans are especially likely to be bullied at work, yet only one in three of the victims identified themselves as targets. So what exactly counts as bullying? Persistent intimidating, malicious, insulting or exclusionary behavior. Not only victims, but observers were also more likely to report feeling stressed and dissatisfied with their jobs. Talking back to a bully typically aggravates the behavior.

A better strategy is to alert superiors, and if you can join forces with coworkers and complain as a group, you’re twice as likely to succeed. Of course, sometimes it’s the boss administering the doses of workplace humiliation – small stresses that take a cumulative toll.

If the bad moments on the job outnumber the good, the best health choice may be to start polishing your resume. The administration may wisely establish a team approach to the office allowing workers to feel a responsibility for their duties and the importance of their productivity within the scope of the office goals. A “buy-in” or ownership philosophy by the workers has proving to increase productivity and worker satisfaction.

Overall, I tell my patients to get up and move throughout the day, as much as possible. Stand up at your desk and stretch your arms over your head; twist turn each way, looking behind you; bend over and touch your toes, then stretch back, like you are performing a back dive into a pool; wave or shake your arms and hands around, increasing the blood flow. Remember good posture when you sit, walk or drive with the ears over the shoulders, the shoulders over the hips. Keep the head and chin upwards and avoid the tempt of “slouching.” Go outdoors during the day and get some fresh air and sunshine. Also drink plenty of water throughout the day, at least half your body weight in ounces.

For example, a 200-pound worker would drink 100 ounces daily, while a 150-pound worker drinks 75-ounces daily. Also develop a schedule of performing some aerobic exercise daily (like walking, bicycling, hiking, swimming or jogging) for at least 30 minutes.

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by Melody Ross

LIFE

Transforming back to what matters most

I

magine with me the typical day in the life of a business-person, much like the day I had just a few weeks ago. As I came down the elevator after an appointment in downtown Boise, I saw the towering glass panes of the lobby windows and remembered that I had parked blocks away. It was freezing and windy and late enough in the afternoon that the traffic was really starting to fill the streets. My phone rang so I pulled it out of my purse and lifted it to my ear along with a pile of document folders under the same arm. I tried to push the heavy entry door open with the other arm, but it was also holding my purse, so I dropped the folders. The wind blew a paper out of one of them and I watched it escape into the traffic, knowing that I’d have to recreate it when I got back to the office. Another call started beeping while I was still trying to explain that I will be a little late to my next appointment.

The beeping finally stopped, then started again. My 13-yearold daughter was on the line to tell me that she forgot about an academic bowl competition that day at another school; that she was just getting on the bus and that I needed to hurry home so my other kids wouldn’t be there alone.

I got off the phone and looked at the time. I started walking even faster before eventually breaking into a four-inch-heel hindered run as I tried to remember where I parked. I was exhausted. I was thinking about what to make for dinner, whether or not I sent in my house payment the week prior and what it would take to meet the three or four deadlines looming over my head. I was thinking to myself, “When I will be able to get home to my children and my husband?” I was thinking about almost everything, except for what was happening at that moment.

As I ran I caught a reflection of myself in a long line of shop windows. I realized that I hardly recognized the woman looking back at me. When I finally stopped to take a closer look, I realized I was completely out of breath because I’m out of shape, and I couldn’t help but think to myself, how did I get here?

I am Melody Ross, a self-admitted over-stressed, over-committer, over-doer, over-scheduler, overexpecter, over-worker, under-sleeper, overeater-ofchocolate, under-exerciser and anti-relaxer. Basically, my 36 years have led me to the point where I am 100% ready for a life makeover.

I am almost one month into my plan-of-action with my new life and career coach, Sandra Wood of InnerPath Coaching in Boise. I’m back on the no-sugar nutrition and fitness plan that always works for me and even signed a commitment contract that goes along with it. I rejoined a gym. I’ve started using my daily planner again. I am really thinking about what I want out of life

I am really thinking about what I want out of life and what I can uniquely contribute to the world and what I can uniquely contribute to the world. I am learning to say “No.” I am identifying what it is that has gotten me to where I’m the auto pilot, sleeping, fast forward mode.

Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t always been this way.

Somewhere between the sketch book that held my big plans and dreams and the crazy chaotic life I lead now, I took on too much. I didn’t pay attention. I didn’t stick with my running and weight lifting routine, even though the years I diligently followed it were the most energetic years of my life. I stopped making time to relax and think. I stopped REALLY thinking, the kind of thinking that really matters, though my mind won’t stop racing when I really want to STOP thinking and go to sleep. I stopped getting deep sleep. I stopped making realistic plans and schedules.

I stopped having fun. I started eating sugar again and living on caffeine. I scheduled business lunches over lunches with friends.

I missed school activities that

were important to any one of my five children. I didn’t always put my marriage first. I let myself run from one thing to another, climb one ladder after another without stopping to assess whether or not I was on a path that would lead to a destination where I even wanted to be... or worse, a destination that I could end up in forever.

Do you see yourself in any or all of these scenarios? You may even be reading this as you pop your 11th Oreo cookie, or as you are on a plane flying to a business trip that you could have been rescheduled in order to celebrate your anniversary.

You don’t have to be embarrassed and you don’t have to hide it, I am almost certain there are parts of this that you identify with. I consider this an issue of nearly epidemic status that’s aggressively targeting the movers and shakers of the world.

Are you ready for a makeover, too? Why do people get makeovers anyway? When I say “Makeover,” many people automatically assume I’m talking about a beauty makeover, for someone who has “let herself go.” If that’s true, then a lifemakeover must be for someone who has “let their life go” or, to put it even more clearly, has “let life take control”. I have to ask myself, who is really in charge here anyway? We each have the responsibility and the ability to take control of our own lives.

Obviously it’s much easier said than done.

I know what it takes. I know because I’ve been in that sweet spot of life before. It takes choice. Daily choice. It takes concentration, dedication and persistence. You know the kind of people who have smooth-flowing, organized lives that are 100% aligned with their most important values. These people are usually living out the big dreams they once sketched out, then made a plan to achieve. They have fulfilling careers, gratifying hobbies and relationships that work. What is it about these people? You might think they all fit into just one personality type, but surprisingly these distinctive people usually just have one thing in common: They work at it every day.

During my first appointment with Sandra, she asked me what I wanted most out of life right now and what changes I wanted to make. After trying to explain, we finally both landed on the fact that I need to Focus. Focus is defined as a concentrated

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effort or attention on a particular thing. A particular thing – one thing. She kindly pointed out that I am like a garden hose going full blast, whipping around everywhere, not watering anything effectively. I wholeheartedly agreed.

Sandra helped me by asking me what my most important values and priorities were. She sent me a questionnaire before our appointment, and while I answered her questions, a realization hit me with intense weight. I knew what I wanted my priorities

I asked Sandra for skills to help me align my daily actions to bring fulfillment in my personal life while balancing the responsibilities and fulfillment of my professional life. to be, I knew what my deepest values were, but as I answered the questions I had to confess to myself that my actions and my daily schedule did not always align. They weren’t in line with what I wanted most and what would ultimately land me where I wanted to be in the future.

I asked her if my problems were unique. She gave me a warm smile that told me that I wasn’t the first “mess” that she had seen. She told me that I was not unlike many of the overloaded people who came into her office wondering why their lives were completely out of balance. She said that executives and entrepreneurs often make their career their main focus and forget to take care of themselves.

They sometimes think that they must do everything and are not as wise with delegation as they could be. She went on to say that she has seen many entrepreneurs who are visionaries, but often have a hard time completing projects and staying focused on one thing at a time. That explains me in a nutshell.

Even more complex is the fact that the most important priority in my life is my family-my husband and children. I do

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not want the number one focus to be my career, though my career is very important to me. I asked Sandra for skills to help me align my daily actions to bring fulfillment in my personal life while balancing the responsibilities and fulfillment of my professional life.

Sandra then said the words that are so hard to hear, “It will take time.” She explained that it’s a process that can only reap lasting change when addressed one step at a time. I asked her what the big roadblocks were for most people. She said that it was simply the thought and belief systems of an individual interlaced with a handful of habits and patterns that usually have been in place for quite some time. She further explained that the most simple strategy one can have when making change is simply to expand his or her awareness and self understanding. I realized that I just had to buck up and really look at what I was doing, then make a decision to change it.

If the answers are so simple, why the life coach then?

Coaches help people do things that they really don’t want to do, or maybe wouldn’t do on their own, but that they need to do in order to meet their goals. Sports coaches put athletes through rigorous conditioning routines that most humans would NEVER put themselves through, but these routines build muscle, endurance and skills in ways that nothing else could. The same goes for a life coach, she will put you through conditioning exercises that most human beings will avoid in order to help her clients achieve the life that they really want.

Some of the tools that Sandra shared with me really helped me identify my strengths and build a life that focuses on what makes my heart sing. Through the online quiz that was referenced in the book Strengths Finder by Tom Rath, I was reminded about some of my personality attributes that I have been ignoring for a long time. I realized that if I would stay true to these very personal and unique attributes the way I did before life

Somewhere along the way I had forgotten that I have the ultimate choice about what I do, when I do it and who I do it with. got so complicated, I would have a lot more happiness and peace.

I am certain that I will also be a much better wife, mother and business leader.

Sandra also helped me see that I have big issues with setting boundaries. I let other people, expectations and agendas into my life that have no business being there. Sandra and I are working together to create a check list that will feature the criteria for what I will and will not allow into my life and my daily schedule. As simple as it sounds, this has been a miracle for me. Somewhere along the way I had forgotten that I have the ultimate choice about what I do, when I do it and who I do it with.

When I asked Sandra how coaching aligned with her personal strengths and goals, she told me this: “My mission is to learn and grow from all the experiences in my life. It is my purpose to share my wisdom and to learn from other’s experiences as well.” She went on to say that her path is to help others be their very best and to excel at and appreciate life. You can tell by her smile, her serene manner and the wise words that come out of her mouth that she is living a life that completely makes sense and brings her joy.

Over the next three months I will share the journey of my life-makeover. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a quick fix, but I

didn’t get to this place overnight, so I shouldn’t expect to get back on track overnight, either.

Is this kind of coaching and life makeover for everyone? I think anyone can benefit from a good moment of looking themselves straight in the eye. When I asked Sandra this question, she said “coaching can help any person who has a desire and a need to make some sort of change in their life. Many women do come to coaching to help them improve their lives. However, men are using (life) coaches just as much as women these days. It is a good solution for creating clarity, change and defining goals.” I asked her if business men made up a large portion of her client base. She said they absolutely do, and went on to say “Men find coaching to be a focused and positive experience and they have used it time and time again in my coaching practice to understand ways to re-define success and develop their careers.”

This brings to mind one of my favorite quotes that I’ll take along with me during the next few months of getting back on track, “They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” –Andy Warhol

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 47

PILATES

by Melody Ross

Five hundred exercises, five $5,000 pieces of machinery and stronger, leaner bodies

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sk Mary Kay Parce at the beautiful Yoga Pilates Studio in Eagle about her passion for Pilates, and she’ll tell you that not only do enthusiasts look forward to their workouts, but that these sessions leave them feeling alert and refreshed.

She’ll also tell you that after some dedicated time on some very peculiar equipment, nearly anyone can have a flexible, strong and muscular body.

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A common conversation at the water cooler of nearly any Pilates studio is how the movements improve physical and mental well being. But you certainly wouldn’t think “well being” after seeing some of the traditional Pilates equipment for the first time. You may even think you’re walking into some kind of upscale torture chamber. A $5,000 “Pilates Reformer” may look like something conjured up by a mad scientist, but despite the appearance, a fabulous experience awaits you if you are up to the challenge.

Why all of the unusual and intimidating equipment? Pilates is a series of controlled movements that engage your body and mind. They are performed on specifically designed exercise apparatus and supervised by extensively trained teachers. Developed in the 1920s by the legendary physical trainer and founder of the Pilates Studio™, Joseph H. Pilates, The Pilates Method is an exercise system focused on improving flexibility and strength for the total body without adding bulk.

Mary Kay has built the Pilates portion of her business around the 500 specific exercises designed by Joseph Pilates himself, using five major pieces of unique apparatus to develop the body uniformly. Her studio is fully equipped with not only the best Pilates equipment, but with teachers who have been trained to help users of every level through it, including Mary Kay herself.

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IS

By Lee Vander Boegh

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ho says an effective home gym requires gobs of expensive and bulky equipment? Not T.J. Acree, that’s for sure.

His entire home exercising setup fits in his living room, is easy to store away and probably set him back less than $40.

Allow me to clear up any confusion: T.J.’s home “gym” consists of a medicine ball, an exercise mat, a stability ball and the occasional dinning room chair or coffee table. And if you think that just doesn’t cut it as a legitimate home gym setup, consider this: Acree is a professional football player. He is a wide receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. His career has spanned three years so far, including a championship run with the British Columbia Lions.

Even though he plays in Canada, his name is well known amongst the Idaho sport circles. He played prep ball in Pocatello, and was standout play maker with the Boise State Broncos from 2000 to 2004. He and his family currently live in Eagle.

Acree shrugs off the notion that getting and staying fit requires a significant financial investment. Instead, he says, basic exercise know-how is enough to get anyone in shape.

“The help isn’t in the hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of equipment, it’s in the knowledge – and you can apply that to a brick.”

Acree, who earned All-American strength and conditioning honors during his BSU playing days, is no stranger to strenuous exercise regiments. To prove it, he can bench press nearly 300 pounds, has squatted about 500 pounds and can consistently run

the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds (in comparison, Jerry Rice, one of the NFL’s all-time greatest wide receivers, reportedly ran the same distance in 4.7 seconds before his pro career started). And even though he has hoisted plenty of weight plates during his college and professional careers, he doesn’t downplay basic bodyweight exercises.

“Football players lift weights for absolute strength, but a lot of people aren’t lifting weights to get strong, they’re lifting to look good and get into shape,” he said. “Movement is movement, if you’re working (your body), you’re working it – there’s no way around that.”

And if that’s not convincing enough, keep in mind that he supplemented his brief high school weight-training sessions with brutal at-home routines.

“My career was made in the basement,” he said.

“My career was made in the basement.”

“The help isn’t in the hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of equipment, it’s in the knowledge-and you can apply that to a brick.”

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 51

FITNESS

by Melody Ross

IN THE FAMILY How one busy Idaho family is combating the American obesity epidemic together.

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n any given day, Alei Gothberg will wear two or three different pairs of shoes. The first go on at 4:30 a.m. when she slips on her athletic footwear and rushes to the gym, where she’ll get in a run on the treadmill and a session of weight training. From there she zooms back home, makes a bottle for her baby and a hot breakfast for the other three kidds before a full day of real estate meetings, teacher meetings at the Montessori school they own, client meetings at the travel agency they own and a gamut of other entrepreneurial tasks. And on any one of those days she will meet her husband, Cal, at the door as he heads out to meet his buddies for an early morning game of basketball.

It’s no wonder that the Gothberg children are just as active. The boys, Spencer and Trisden, already all-stars in several sports, and daughter Lauren, their biggest fan and aspiring dancer and cheerleader, keep them on their toes.

I caught up with the Gothberg’s on a snowy weekend. The weather didn’t keep the boys from wanting to play ball, though, which led to them all bundling up, grabbing the snow shovel and heading to the park.

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IQ: Alei, how have you managed to keep your family so active?

Alei Gothberg: It’s a lifestyle that we have learned over the years. Cal has always played basketball three mornings per week, I have loved some quiet time to myself at the gym in the mornings for about the last 10 years and as our kids have began playing sports, our lives have become even more active. We have to stay in shape to keep up with them. Especially since my 13 and 11-year-old boys are taller and outweigh me. I’m not going down without a fight.

IQ: What is your advice for other parents wanting to integrate fitness into their family lifestyles?

AG: Turn off the TV, monitor electronic game use and spend time with your kids. I have made a conscious effort to make my kids play outside even on really cold days. They don’t watch TV on the weekdays and we have fun movie nights on the weekends. Because of this, they have had to learn to be active. Involving kids in a sport activity here and there is a fantastic way to keep them active. There is just about anything out there for kids to do. It doesn’t have to be baseball, basketball or football anymore. Lauren loves Ballet. It’s once a week and when she is not there she likes to practice. Activities don’t have to busy, just get kids out and let them become passionate about something.

IQ: What are some of the obstacles you’ve had to overcome?

AG: My kids sometimes think I am really weird and mean because I don’t just let them sit around. I grew up on a farm and don’t remember getting to sit around so I guess I expect the same from them. Our days get really busy at times.

steal my music and walk around the track. The boys play basketball or workout on the weights. They apparently think that they’re supposed to do what they see us doing.

IQ: What do you do to make sure your children are eating healthy?

AG: I try to plan ahead. But that isn’t always easy. I was always sent off to school with a hot breakfast. Something as simple as hot cereal is a great start and with just 10 minutes in the kitchen, I can cook up a hot breakfast instead of pouring a bowl of cold cereal. Some days it is hard but I am hoping that by teaching them to start the day off right, it will trickle down to their families one day.

Dinners are difficult depending on the time of year. I try to make sure the kids are off to practice with a peanut butter sandwich or some kind of protein bar if we don’t get dinner before they leave. But I really try to have dinner planned before I leave in the morning.

IQ: How do you control the inactive things your children do, like TV and video games?

AG: We have fun together. Every year we get great board games for Christmas. They love to play games. We take time to play with them. As parents we have to remember these wonderful children grow up, and as they become older the time goes faster and we can’t hit the rewind button. There is nothing I would rather do than hang out and play with my kids.

IQ: How do you and Cal find the time to exercise with your busy schedules?

AG: Cal has a group that he plays with so they depend on him to be there, and that’s a good thing. I have had to instill a lot of willpower to get up early. I have been exercising for so long that if I don’t get up and go, I have a really sluggish start to my day and I just don’t feel as motivated and happy.

IQ: Have you always been fit? How have you stayed in shape after having four children while running three businesses?

AG: I have not always been fit. Over the last 13 years I have very slowly lost about 40 pounds. I worked with a wonderful personal trainer for a few years who taught me how to eat right while still enjoying my foods and how to exercise effectively.

But most importantly, I learned that if I exercise, I can feel great and can eat a few snacks, especially sweets, in moderation. I have also learned as I have gotten older that getting up is hard, but if I don’t get my workout in before the day starts, I can’t fit it in at all and things just don’t go as well.

IQ: How important has your example been?

AG: My kids see us get up and go do activities, and they like to go as well. The boys play basketball with Cal every now and then and they love to go to the gym with me. Lauren loves to

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DEEPEN

by Cheryl Beeson

WITH A

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ove is in the air. From the very first trip you take as a couple to the vacation celebrating a 25th anniversary, traveling together is a great way to intensify and reinforce your connection as a couple. Our lives have become so busy that it can be hard to get away, even for the weekend. But imagine for a moment just how good it would feel to be in a beautiful new place, or an old favorite, with that special person, with nothing much planned— just time stretching out in front of you to enjoy, together.

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Idaho has an abundant array of romantic getaways. From the sandy beaches of a grand Idaho reservoir to the whisper of a mountain creek nestled on a wooden mountain top, Idaho can provide luxury or rustic which every your heart desires.

Wondering where to take your loved one for a truly romantic Idaho getaway? We feature several locations to take the special person in your life.

Knob Hill Inn, the lap of luxury

Knob Hill Inn is a perfect European summer and winter mountain paradise located in Sun Valley, with 26 rooms and suites. Take comfort in our European styled hostelry, where country furnishings and attention to detail define the comfort afforded each guest, whether the choice is a suite, a cozy bedroom, or fireplace setting.

Fit for a King…or queen: Larger than the king or twin rooms, but also with a kingsized bed, these rooms feature a wood burning fireplace and a sitting area within the bedroom.

They are approximately 600 square feet in size.

There are four Fireplace rooms located on the second and third floors.

Relax in style… The two largest rooms, located on the fourth floor, offer all the amenities of the suites, plus special touches unique to their larger floor plans. The views of mountains are spectacular, and they total nearly 1,000 square feet of comfortable living space.

The area surrounding Sun Valley offers visitors an endless variety of winter activities and spectacular scenery. Among the many sporting diversions available, you may favor skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, downhill, Heli-Skiing, or Nordic Skiing.

The Inn at Sand Creek

The Inn at Sand Creek is so much more than a break on your journey through the Northwest. Every possible detail has been tended to with the guest in mind.

More than just a comfortable, luxurious set of suites, many consider the Inn simply the most romantic place they have ever stayed.

Suite One enters into a lovely bedroom featuring a graceful four-poster bed with duvet- covered down comforter. The separate living room provides a perfect setting for relaxing with a book or friends in front of the river rock gas fireplace.

Suite Two opens to a living room area with soft cream couches making it a lovely setting for a discussion or meeting. The separate bedroom features a graceful four-poster bed with duvetcovered down comforter.

The Sand Creek Suite offers guests their own beautiful private apartment overlooking picturesque Sand Creek in Ketchum. The gorgeous state-of-the-art kitchen with cooking island is perfect for entertaining.

Rates vary from: $95 per night to $195 per night

Double Occupancy Rates 2007-2008 Rates King Room $250 Fireplace Room $325 Suite $400 Penthouse Suites $500 Extra Person $25

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January 2008 photo contest winners

WONDERLAND

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First place (above) Marvin Lee Schwenk won first place and will be treated to an overnight stay at the Ashley Inn located in beautiful Cascade, Idaho. Schwenk took this photo of a tree in a snow bank in January, 2007. He said the tree fell several days later.

Second place (opposite page lower left) Travis Ingle won second place with his photograph of Stanley Lake with the Sawtooth Mountains in the background. Ingle took the picture on Oct. 1 just after a fresh dusting of snow. Ingle will receive two tickets to the Boise Philharmonic Finishing Touches compliments of the Boise Philharmonic.

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3

Third Place: Sean Beck of Boise, the Sawtooth Mountains. (left).

Honorable Mention: Roy Cordingley of Boise, Highway 55 near Clear Creek Lodge (right).

4 2

SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS February’s subject: Love

Think you’ve successfully captured the feeling of love in a photograph? IQ Idaho and its readers want to see it. That’s why the magazine’s newest photo contest is seeking photographic submissions showcasing “Love.” The top four photos, as determined by IQ’s panel of professional photographers, will be worth some great prizes, including an overnight stay in the beautiful Ashley Inn located in Cascade (graciously provided by the Ashley Inn in cooperation with IQ Idaho). In addition to traditional photo criteria, this month the judges will base their decisions on how well the photographs communicate “Love.” Because of this subjective subject matter, IQ is looking forward to a variety of photographic interpretations of love, as well as the individual style of the photographers. The best ones will be featured in the pages of IQ Idaho magazine and on IQ Idaho’s Web site, www.iqidaho.com.

In addition, the top four photos will automatically be eligible for IQ’s Best Photo of 2008 photo contest to be held late in 2008. This contests will be open only to finalists of this and upcoming photo contests. In fact, IQ has several photo contests planned throughout 2008, each with different themes. For more information, visit www.iqidaho.com.

The Rules:

- No professional submissions - Photograph must have been taken in Idaho within the last year - The photographer of the picture must submit the photograph - No violent or explicit photographs - Only one submission per contest per photographer - Photographer must own all rights to the photo

How to enter:

- Digital photos are preferred and must be e-mailed to editor@idahobusinessiq.com.

- Digital photos must be in high resolution, 300 dpi or higher, to be printed in the magazine.

- Printed photos will be accepted, but must be mailed or delivered to 2965 E. Tarpon Dr., suite 110 Meridian, Idaho 83642.

IQ Idaho is not responsible for photos lost in transit. Though IQ will make every attempt to return printed photographs, the magazine cannot guarantee the photo will get returned.

Judging will be done by Monte Stiles, Tyler Cazier and David Marr, but we welcome additional volunteer professional judges for future contests

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 57

JUNTO WANTS TO The effects of a Colonial-era club are still felt today

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n 1727, Benjamin Franklin convinced a dozen of his friends to form a club dedicated to mutual improvement. Meeting one night per week, these young men discussed the topics of the day. The group lasted for 40 years and eventually became the nucleus of the American Philosophical Society.

Junto (pronounced who-n-toe) was a private forum for discussion and as a surreptitious instrument for leading public opinion. Also known as the Leather Apron Club, its purpose was to debate questions of morals, politics, and natural philosophy, and to exchange knowledge of business and public affairs.

The members of Junto were drawn from diverse occupations and backgrounds, but they all shared a spirit of inquiry and a desire to improve themselves, their community and to help others. Among the original members were printers, surveyors, a cabinetmaker, a cobbler, a clerk, and a merchant.

Although most of the members were older than Franklin, he was clearly their leader.

At just 21 years of age, he oversaw five men, including Hugh Meredith, Stephen Potts, and George Webb, who were soon to form the core of the Junto. Franklin was an outgoing,

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social individual and had become acquainted with some of the he pleased. Our debates were to be under the direction of a businessmen at a club called the Every Night Club. This gathering president, and to be conducted in the sincere spirit of inquiry included prominent merchants who met informally to drink after truth, without fondness for dispute or desire of victory; and and discuss the business of the day. Franklin’s congenial ways to prevent warmth, all expressions of positiveness in opinions, or attracted many unique and learned individuals, and from these, direct contradiction, were after some time made contraband, and he selected the members for the Junto. prohibited under small pecuniary penalties.”

Along with Meredith, Potts and Webb, the members included The results of the original Junto are still evident today as Joseph Breintnall, merchant and scrivener. Thomas Godfrey was an integral part of American society. The Junto gave us our first a glazier, mathematician and inventor, and Nicholas Scull and library, volunteer fire departments, the first public hospital, police William Parsons were both surveyors. Scull was also a bibliophile departments, paved streets and the University of Pennsylvania. and Parsons a cobbler and astrologer. William Maugridge was a They recommended books, shopkeepers, and friends to each cabinetmaker, William Coleman a merchant’s clerk, and Robert other. They fostered self-improvement through discussions on Grace a gentleman. Grace’s wealth meant he did not have to work, topics related to philosophy, morals, economics, and politics. but apparently he brought an intellectual element to the group, The managers of Junto Society are from across the nation. plus a fine library. The club met Friday nights, first in a tavern Ordinary citizens who came together through various Internet and later in a house, to discuss moral, political and scientific political discussion groups, for the purpose of the betterment of topics of the day.

American society and politics.

Franklin describes the formation and purpose of the Junto in his autobiography:

“I should have mentioned before, that, in the autumn of the preceding year, [1727] I had form’d most of my ingenious acquaintance into a club of mutual an event for the entire family improvement, which we April 26-27, 2008 • Expo Idaho called the Junto; we met on Friday evenings. The rules that I drew up required that every member, in his turn, should produce one or more queries on any point of Morals, Politics, or Natural Philosophy, to be discuss’d by the company; and once in Contact Lisa, Beth, Anna Marie or Lee today for more info: three months produce and 208-323-4464, league@idahobusinessleague.com read an essay of his own writing, on any subject For info: 208-323-4464, league@idahobusinessleague.com

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iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 59

by Lee Vander Boegh

GET OUT?

Check out some of these Treasure Valley hot spots: Edwards Plaza

The Idaho Center

Overland and Cole Roads in Boise.

Sure it’s one of the biggest cinema plexes around (there are as many as 21 movies running at any given time), but there’s more to do at this complex than just watch films. Several dine-in restaurants, buffets and novelty food stores are located here, as is a video game arcade, a do-it-yourself pottery joint, a hotel, a bar and grill and even a sand volleyball court.

Off the Garrity Exit in Nampa

It’s hard to believe that this bustling Canyon County area was merely farmland just a decade ago. But the agricultural land has been replaced with an indoor and outdoor events venue shared by some of the world’s biggest touring acts (think: The Rolling Stones, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw). There’s also a horse park in the complex to satisfy any equestrian desires. There are also plenty of restaurants and a hotel within short driving (or long walking) distance, so it’s easy to make an Idaho Center excursion into a weekend affair.

Downtown Boise Just off I-184 in Boise.

The heart of the capital city has something for nearly anybody, with plenty of gourmet and novelty restaurants, boutique shops and coffee stops. The Boise Centre on the Grove, a large event center, is located here; as is Qwest arena, home of the Idaho Stampede, Idaho Steelheads and Boise Burn, the area’s minor league basketball, hockey and arena football teams. So is the Big Easy, a medium-sized entertainment venue that consistently pulls in national talents – just like The Funny Bone, a comedy club also located here. And if the night life is your cup of tea, Downtown Boise has a diverse assortment of dance clubs, music halls and pubs.

P Le ho e tog Va ra nd p er hs Bo By eg h

Boise State University Broadway Avenue in Boise

If you’ve ever tried driving down Broadway Avenue on game day, you’ll realize just how many students and non-students alike flock to the BSU campus. In addition to the wide assortment of fun-to-watch collegiate sporting events, the school is host to the culturally rich Morrison Center and the Student Union Building – the latter of which houses a video arcade, bowling alley and the Special Events Center. Not to mention the fact that several open-tothe-community events happen nearly every day like plays, concerts, workshops, activities and galleries.

Fairgrounds/Expo Idaho Chinden Boulevard in Garden City

Each year the Fairgrounds plays host to the State Fair, famous for hair-raising rides, grease-laden but oh-so-delicious food, impeccable displays, live music and hot tub salesmen. But the fun doesn’t end once the carnies pack up the Tilt-A-Whirl, the Fairgrounds and the indoor Expo Idaho serve as host to a wide variety of functions all year long, such as symposiums, trade shows and the like. The Boise Hawks, the area’s minor league baseball team plays at Hawk’s Stadium adjacent to the Fairgrounds, and the Les Boise Track, home to Boise’s horse races, is just on the other side.

Boondocks/Roaring Springs Overland and Meridian Roads in Meridian

If you’re not looking for passive entertainment, head over to Boondocks in Meridian. The gaming facility is home to a video arcade, batting cages, gokart races, miniature golf and more. Though some activities are only available during the warm months, the video games and Laser Tag course stay open yearround. Speaking of warm summer months, why not keep the whole family cool with a trip to the Roaring Springs water park next door. This aquatic funhouse features an assortment of water slides, pools and places to lay out in the heavy summer sun.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 61

FLU DU JOUR

by Rebecca Evans

Microscopic. Deadly. Indescriminate.

A

lmost 200,000 people suffer from the flu annually, and of those, 36,000 result in death. When we think of the flu, we often think of the typical symptoms associated with it, like vomiting or high fevers. Truth be told, the flu is a bit more complicated than that. And since death could be the result, closer attention needs to be paid to this virus.

The name flu is short for influenza. Often when we hear of a new influenza epidemic, we disassociate this from the flu. “Flu” is simply the nickname.

There are also three types of flu. According to Dr. Matthew Joyce, a Pediatrician who has seen his share of influenza in his clinic, the breakdown is something like this:

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Avian Flu: This is known as the Bird Flu and is caused by the virus that occurs naturally with wild birds. There is no immunity from this virus for humans and yes, it is contagious.

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Seasonal Flu: This flu is a respiratory illness that most of us have some immunity to. Vaccine for Seasonal flu is available.

Pandemic Flu: This is the one that causes a global outbreak of serious illness. There is little natural immunity and so this type spreads faster and is more difficult to prevent.

Executive Health is Sponsored by

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Almost 200,000 people suffer from the flu annually and of those, 36,000 result in death.

The challenge for most of us is that influenza is contagious one day prior to the first symptoms and up to five days after these symptoms appear. This means, you can spread the flu virus before you even know you are sick.

“Seasonal Flu is something, as a Medical Provider, we do our best to prevent,” says Dr. Joyce. “We can predict, to an extent, and protect a bunch of people from hospitalization and illness through the flu shot.”

“On the other hand,” he continues. “Pandemic influenza is unpredictable. There simply is not a good vaccine for this type of flu.”

The flu is a communicable disease, so yes, you can catch it.

The most common method of spreading this virus is through person-to-person contact, sneezing and coughing. The challenge for most of us is that influenza is contagious one day prior to the first symptoms and up to five days after these symptoms appear. This means, you can spread the flu virus before you even know you are sick. And for many of us with high demands at work, we often show up “feeling a little sick” and share our virus with our colleagues. You can also catch the flu simply by touching something that the virus has been on and then touching your mouth or nose.

So what can you do about it?

According to Dr. Joyce, “Stay home if you are ill. Even if that means canceling a family trip. Too often, the elderly or high-risk patients are exposed to this virus and we see lifethreatening circumstances that were so easily preventable just by minimal exposure.”

If you feel ill:

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Get Medical Attention: You should always check in with your doctor when you feel ill to ensure there are no other complicating circumstances associated with your symptoms.

2

Stay Home: Parents should keep their children home from school.

Call in sick to work or cancel a trip when you feel sick.

3

Get Your Flu Shot: This is the most preventable method to spreading and catching this virus.

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Wash Your Hands Frequently: And wash for at least one minute under hot water with soap.

Disinfect Surfaces: Adequately and frequently, clean and disinfect your surfaces. Don’t forget to swipe your mouth pieces from your phones both at home and at work.

6

Don’t Exercise: A common mistake for many is to workout when they feel just a little bit sick. This becomes contraindicative for fitness because your body is weakened with the flu. You also can potentially make your symptoms worse and interfere with your body’s ability to fight the virus.

The other complication that arises when dealing with the flu is our own misinterpretation of the true symptoms for this virus. Fevers, runny noses, muscle aches and stomach symptoms are the more common symptoms. But a headache, fatigue and a sore throat are also symptoms we often disregard as potential influenza.

The key to long term health and vibrant living is two fold:

1

Education: Get informed about your health. No one will have a bigger interest or investment in your health than you. So, take responsibility and gather as much information and resources as you can so you can make informed decisions regarding your own personal care.

2

Prevention: Like influenza, many diseases are preventable. Do your homework and take care to prevent the spread of viruses and other diseases.

One thing is for certain, you cannot live out your life as purposeful when you are ill and fatigued. Live your life on purpose and take care of your health.

iqidaho.com • 01•08 | IQ Idaho 63

HIT THE

Exploring Idaho in a mechanical sled

Information courtesy of Visit Idaho.org

T

housands of miles of snowmobile trails cover the State of Idaho, more than any other state in the West. You will find good trails nearly everywhere you go from Pierce in northern Idaho to Rexburg in eastern Idaho to Silver City in the southern most section of the state. You can ride freely through freshly covered valleys, across frozen lakes and over wide-open plains on maintained and groomed trails, or for the more adventurous, across seas of mountains only the daring would travel.

Whatever your heart desires, Idaho can provide hours of winter outdoor fun. Several places you may want to visit this winter are:

Bear Lake Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Montpelier Region: Southeastern Beautiful Bear Lake has a network of 350 miles of groomed trails and has extensive additional mileage in marked, ungroomed trails.

Bone Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Idaho Falls Region: Eastern The Bone trail system, a 200-mile network of trails in the area southeast of Idaho Falls and northeast of Blackfoot has an average elevation of 6500 feet.

Bonners Ferry Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Bonners Ferry Region: Northern The Bonners Ferry area offers more than 100 miles of marked and groomed snowmobile trails.

Cascade-Smith’s Ferry Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Cascade Region: Southwestern Sixty miles north of Boise on Hwy. 55, snowmobile trails take off from Smith’s Ferry and 18 miles further north in Cascade.

Coeur d’Alene Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Coeur d’Alene Region: Northern Trails are on acres and acres of snow-covered land in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

Cub River / Preston Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Preston Region: Southeastern Cub River Snowmobile Trails sport over 350 miles of groomed trails.Lodging available at Cub River Lodge at the trail head.

64 01•08 | IQ Idaho • iqidaho.com

Fairfield Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Fairfield Region: Central The Fairfield snowmobile program grooms 220 miles of trail in Camas County and provides a snowmobile shelter north of Well Summit. The area provides quality groomed trails and open play areas.

Garden Valley Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Garden Valley Region: Southwestern This Garden Valley area trail system begins at Terrace Lake Resort. A total of 137 miles are groomed, leading to Packer John and connecting with the trail system maintained by the Smith’s Ferry grooming program.

Island Park Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Island Park Region: Eastern Just west of Yellowstone National Park are the world famous loop snowmobile trails of the Island Park area where forested trails connect with the West Yellowstone trail system.

Lava Hot Springs Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: Lava Hot Springs Region: Southeastern Snowmobile trails near Lava Hot Springs often feature spectacular views of Mt. Bonneville and the Portneuf River area near the town.

McCall Area Snowmobile Trails Nearest Community: McCall Region: Southwestern This popular recreation area features well-groomed trails and backcountry play areas. Snowmobile trails take off from Cascade, Donnelly and McCall.

Tamarack Resort Snowmobiling Nearest Community: Donnelly Region: Southwestern Tamarack has a 3,300 square-foot snowmobile shed located at Tamarack’s summit that will provide snowmobile storage, fuel, maintenance, snacks, and beverages.

It’s The Closest Thing To Stealing

Custom Homes With Loads of Equity • 323-0247