April Newsletter 2020

denverconcierg on May 11, 2020

Let’s Get Safely Back to Work

Our March newsletter seems like an eternity ago! So much has happened in the month that has passed. As you know by now, we decided to cease operations for April in conjunction with the statewide Stay at Home Order that was mandated by Governor Polis.

The recent news of the lifting of this order is our signal to get back into your homes and get rid of all the germs. We have spoken with many of you and we know you need us.

We need you too.

Currently, there is a ton of confusion about when and how housecleaning can resume. Statewide, we believe that the lifting of the order will allow us to work beginning on the 27th. We also must obey the orders of the city of Denver, and those differ from the state order.

Bottom line? We are hopeful that we can begin work as soon as Monday the 27th. The next possible date would be an opening on May 1st. Should Denver, or other local municipalities that we operate in vary their dates, we will be complying with those as well.

Meanwhile, Angela will be communicating with each of you, and if you need to reach her directly with questions, you may do so easily here.

When we do get back to work, we have implemented numerous safety protocols that we wish to share with you here, so that you will be comfortable knowing we are taking every precaution we know of.

Procedurally, Angela will be reaching out to each of you this week to gauge your interest in having us back. We realize some of you won’t be ready, nor comfortable yet. In that spirit, we want to cover what we are doing to make sure you are safe, and that we are safe as well. Here goes:

1. We have implemented strict social distancing in our office space. Our processes for loading vehicles, interacting with office staff, etc. have all been modified to minimize contact. In fact, the only contact our people will have is with the other persons on your cleaning team. We are controlling this as much as possible, as you will read below.

2. We will be taking each associate’s temperature every morning and logging it. We have taken temperatures of all of them this week, so we have a baseline number for each. Anyone with even a slight spike will be sent home as a precautionary measure.

2. PPE will be worn by each associate in your homes. In our world, this means gloves and masks, at all times. These will be disposed of after each clean, and a new set put on before entering your home.

3. We also have a cool product called Theraworx Protect that we feel will significantly improve our safety. More details below, we think you will like it.

4. All previous safety protocols (see last month’s newsletter) regarding equipment usage, disinfecting, etc. are also still in place. If you would like us to use your equipment, we are happy to do so.

There is no reason for our associates to get within six feet of you or your family. If you have any reason to discuss what is needed, just reach out to Angela and she will make sure the team takes care of it.

Finally, it is important to communicate that we are not forcing any associate to come and work. Anyone that is high risk or caring for someone high risk will be staying home until the situation changes. They will be paid for this time, thanks to the SBA payroll protection loan which we were able to obtain.

We are so excited to get back to doing what we do best. It is our mission to make your home as germ-free as possible and help us all get back to some sense of normalcy.

Thank you so much for your patience, your understanding, and most importantly, your loyalty. We hope to be here for years to come, helping you and your home stay clean and happy as we have since 1998.

Theraworx Protect

What if we told you there was a product that you could apply to your hands, face and all sensitive areas that would barricade you topically from Coronavirus for 4-6 hours?

Oh, and you don’t need to wash your hands while it’s on.

It exists, and it is called Theraworx Protect.

We have a friend that is in HAZMAT, former military and is now in the private sector teaching people about biohazards, chemical impacts, etc.

He recommended this product to us and we enthusiastically ordered some while we were away.

Each of your team members will not only have the above-mentioned PPE and precautions in their repertoire but they will each be covered in Theraworx.

Clinical studies all back this up and we are so excited to use it in the field.

We hope this gives you further confidence that we are taking every step of this reopening seriously.

To learn more about Theraworx Protect, visit them here. They have a bit of a lead time issue, as you can imagine, but the product is endorsed widely by the pros in the HAZMAT space.

Our Kind Clients

Wow.

The last thing we expected during this tough time was the outpouring of care and concern for our people by our wonderful clients.

The list is too long (and frankly most of you wouldn’t want the credit anyway) of clients that offered to pay for their cleans while we were closed. Many of you did.

Some of you sent big tips and/or wanted to compensate your team directly and that is appreciated too.

As we mentioned above, we were able to secure SBA funding for the Payroll Protection Act, and we have been paying our associates immediately upon receiving these funds. They won’t miss a check, thankfully.

There was, however, a window there where we had no revenue and a lot of concerned folks, so everything you did is and was greatly appreciated.

I am certain that you will see that gratitude in the faces of your team when they hit your homes soon.

Not only do they express their thanks but we as a company do as well. At a time when so many are being selfish and have lost focus on humanity, you have given us all reasons to believe in the goodness of people.

Thanks to all of you for sticking with us, we will see you all soon.

We love you.

How Does Your Home Make You Feel?

What exactly does that mean?

For most of you it has changed a lot lately, as you have likely been spending way more time there than you are used to.

In our world, we have noticed things that maybe we had not before.

Our wonderful friend at Designer Premier, Marina Dagenais, published a good article on this in her newsletter this month.

She asks, “Is my Home Environment Affecting my Mental Well Being?” We dove in and loved what she had to say about architecture, natural light, colors, etc.

We aren’t sure what positive things will come out of this (we have some ideas in the column right of this) but we know reconnecting with our homes is one of them.

The article can be found here. We can only imagine the interior design business is a little slow right now, so when it comes time to get some pros involved, please reach out to Marina at Designer Premier.

Life After a Pandemic

Yes, we know this is far from over.

But why not take a minute to think about what good might come of this? There must be something?

We can come up with all the negative things about this time….but those are easy to find.

How about a short list of good things that will come out of this?

Air quality is better. Fewer traffic accidents for sure, at least for the moment.

More interpersonally, how about the value of a handshake. A hug? Being outside? For us, our appreciation of these things is now much higher than ever. The next hug we give might last 30 seconds.

Awkward.

Anyway, a cool, quick article on Medium.com, about the positive changes we might be able to take away can be found here.

For those cerebral types in our readership, we found a deep rabbit hole to go down relative to the economy.

The main premise involves looking at other pandemics in the past and seeing what worked and didn’t work.

The controversial headline is that social distancing might not just save lives but could actually be good for the economy.

Make sure you have a cup of coffee before you dive in, but if you are interested the article can be found here.

Monthly Award Winners

Sadly, we will not have any award winners since it was a partial month and things were very different around here.

I will use this space to say thanks publicly to all our people that have risked and will be risking their safety to make sure your homes are clean.

While we are taking every precaution, leaving one’s home increases the risk above zero regardless of what one is doing.

So today, I salute our awesome people for taking pride in what they do.

They miss you as much as the company does, and I know they are excited to help improve your lives, even in little ways like making sure your home is clean.

Thank you ladies!

It feels good to reach out to our clients again, even if it is in the form of my monthly Queen Bee Corner. Seems like forever since we have seen you all.

I have received quite a few client texts over these past few weeks, anxious to know when we are coming back. When the stay at home order is lifted is the answer, and it can’t be soon enough for us either!

I am still working, albeit from home, planning our strategies for entering a new world when we come out on the other side of this. So, feel free to text or call if you want to touch base.

I need to take a moment to thank all our clients for the incredible generosity you have shown to our ladies during this time. Generosity of spirit, monetary generosity, and overwhelming generosity in your concern for their health and welfare. My heartfelt thanks to you all!

Be safe,

Queen Bee

February Newsletter 2020

denverconcierg on February 25, 2020

Take the Leap (Year)

2020 is a Leap Year. This means February has a 29th day this year (which gives us an excuse for having this newsletter out so late).

As our loyal readers know, we love to share quirky facts about different topics, plus there is only so much you want to read about our wonderful housecleaning service!

Did you know that you can tell a leap year by whether the last two digits of the year we are in is divisible by 4? The odds of being born on a Leap Day are 1 in 1,461. Tony Robbins was born on Leap Day. There was even a dude back in the 1800s who was born and died on a Leap Day. He was 68, which means he only had 17 birthdays!!

The origins of Leap Year have to do with synchronizing the Gregorian calendar to our solar calendar, and it ensures that our solar events (equinoxes for example) occur on the same day. Think of it as a calibration device for our calendars!

For more fun Leap Year facts, check out this fun piece by Reader’s Digest. For those of you that want more scientific detail, here you go.

This year the 29th is on Saturday, and we hope you enjoy the extra day of the year.

Lastly, and because we are in the fun and giving mood, any client that can show Angela that they or any member of their current household was born on Leap Day will receive a free clean. Yep, 100% free, just because we hate that you only have a birthday every four years!!!

Happy Leap Year!

Broncos Development Plan Update

Last year, we wrote about the plan to develop the area near Broncos Stadium. Or Empower Field, if you like.

The plans for this development are taking shape and include six phases, ranging from Old Colfax to the Decatur Federal District.

They will be developing 55 acres directly south of Empower Field. From the article, “The development of the 55 acres in West Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood will transform an area that mostly consists of stadium surface parking into a mixed-use neighborhood with “market-rate and affordable housing, office, entertainment, hospitality and other stadium-related land uses,” according to the framework.”

In June of last year, the city council voted to approve the plan, but many details are still to be filled in.

The complete overview from the Denver Business Journal can be found here.

Getting to your Best Idea

All of us have been faced with hairy problems. Or, sometimes need a creative solution for different challenges in life.

Our teachers used to tell us, “your first answer is probably correct”. We found that to be true a lot of the time, but as problems become more complex, that is not likely true.

Then we ran across a great piece by the Stanford Graduate School of Business that asserts maybe your second favorite idea is the best.

Just how good are we at knowing if an initial idea is worth our effort? Justin Berg at Stanford ran some experiments and the results are fascinating.

It turns out your “gut” is partially right. Initial ideas are solid, but often lack the abstract or creative element. Further fleshing out of the problem often leads to a more solid solution. Hence the notion that ideas below the first option are often the best.

The full piece can be found here, fascinating stuff.

Denver Traffic Bottlenecks

Do any of you drive on I-70? Yep, us too. We know just how painful it can be.

We have written in the past about the crazy population growth we are experiencing, and our city planners are doing their best to make sure we have enough infrastructure to handle it all.

Unfortunately, all this construction combined with the population explosion has crippled some of our main arteries.

The American Transportation Research Institute studied the 100 worst bottlenecks around the U.S. and to no one’s surprise, Denver has three of them.

Central 70, I-25/I-76 intersection and the dreaded mousetrap where I-70 and I-25 connect are our three problem areas. Crazy stat of the day? The only time the Central 70 stretch is at the normal speed limit is between 2 and 4 AM!

We don’t have it the worst though, as Houston and Atlanta have seven and six respectively, leading the way. The worst news is that we are tied with Los Angeles and New York City with three each. All those folks moving here from California will now feel right at home!

The full article on Westword can be found here.

Don’t Forget to Vote

Those of you that get ballots by mail may already know this, but are you aware that it is time to vote here in Colorado?

There are two primaries running in Colorado currently. Back in 2016, Colorado decided to do away with presidential caucusing.

This means, we now have ballots that are due March 3rd for the presidential primaries.

You may vote for the primary to which you are party registered, and if you are unaffiliated you may vote for either but not both.

In-person voting is also available, and for the first time ever, anyone 17 years of age will be able to vote in the primary if they turn 18 before November 3rd.

The full lowdown on the presidential primary process and the changes this year can be found here, thanks to 5280 Magazine.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for January 2020!

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Concepcion Reyes, Maria Zapata, Aurora Dominguez and Madel Carmen Estrada,

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Juana Olivas and Socorro Ibarra.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work and dedication!

Congrats ladies!

The primary focus of our company is twofold: the employees’ qualifications to represent the company in the clients’ homes, and the quality of their work.

Once these are in place, we concentrate on getting the right teams with the right clients. This works remarkably well until it doesn’t. Snow, client cancelations, and employee last minute absenteeism can all disrupt the usual client team scenario.

There is however an unexpected benefit to having a different team in your home from time to time.

No two teams clean exactly the same way. Unlike a hotel room with standard fixtures and furnishings, homes vary wildly, and what one team, or even the client for that matter, may not notice during scheduled visits, a different team may pick up on and put right. However slight, your home will be the happier for it.

“Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”

The Dalai Lama

Bee

January Newsletter 2020

denverconcierg on January 24, 2020

Measurement Systems & You

Do you know that we measure almost everything at Denver Concierge? We wouldn’t expect you to, but it is a big part of what we do behind the scenes to make sure your home is spotless and done right every time.

You might notice we announce our monthly (and annual this month) winners for top Cleaning Associates and Team Leaders at the bottom of our newsletter each time. Some of you may be wondering just how we figure all of this out, so this month we will explain it a bit.

Every person that is in your home is evaluated on a number of different categories. First and foremost is your feedback! Compliments and complaints/issues are logged for each employee and factored into the rating. How each person manages their equipment and vehicle is also part of the evaluation.

We also measure things like the time it should take to perform the work, how efficient we are, overtime, and all sorts of things that might bore you to tears, but it’s the lifeblood of how we operate.

Every month, we put the names in lights, not only in the newsletter but on our company communication board. This way each person knows exactly how they are doing relative to everyone else. Someone very smart once said “what gets measured, gets made”, and we take that to heart.

So, the next time we are in your home, please know that there is a lot going on behind the scenes in not only how we clean your homes, but in continuous improvement and having an engaged, aware workforce.

As always, thanks for being part of the Denver Concierge family!!

A Decade of Home Pricing Growth

As we celebrate the numerical passing of a decade, it’s always fun to reflect on what has happened, especially with our home values.

Denver and the Front Range have experienced wild growth over the past 10 years, and according to Redfin, the median home price in Denver increased 109%, from $202,896 at the start of 2010 to $424,051 at end of 2019.

That is a ton of growth and should be very good news. Unless you are a new homebuyer, because also according to Redfin, annual median income growth was 2.8% in Denver over the past decade.

That makes it pretty tough to keep up!

The nice people at the Denver Business Journal published this article, along with a list of the top neighborhoods for growth during the last decade.

Denver Arts 2020

We know that many of you love the arts. We do too, and we wanted to share some of the big exhibits that are coming in 2020.

First and foremost, any of you that love Monet will be blown away by the current exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. With 120 of his paintings on display it is quite spectacular.

Beyond Claude Monet, you can find Norman Rockwell, Robert Rauschenberg, and others in 2020.

Denver.org published a list of the must-see art exhibits coming to our fine city here.

5280 Magazine also has their take on the most important exhibitions to arrive in Denver in 2020, and that includes everything from sculptures to photography.

The complete list of what they are excited about can be found here.

Do you need Winter Tires?

We weren’t so sure until we read up on this. To be honest, we have always been the “all-season” tire type, but we think it might be time to change our ways (and our tires).

Did you know that if you use all-season tires throughout the winter you will experience 25-50 percent less traction than winter designated tires?

Despite the name, it’s a myth that your “all-season” tires will perform as well in freezing weather (or even in near-freezing) as they do in temperate weather. Because of their composition, all-season tires start to stiffen up and lose traction in temperatures under 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

The folks in Canada, who are experts in crummy weather use them, as more than half of Canadian drivers install winter/snow tires on their cars, and they see a real benefit.

There are fewer winter-related accidents, injuries, and deaths when cars are required to be fitted with winter/snow tires, a recent Quebec-based study found.

And the most recent survey report from the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada suggests that two-thirds of Canadian drivers are using winter/snow tires (which are required in some provinces).

The full article from our friends at AAA Colorado can be found here. Be safe out there Denver!!!

7 Lies that Rich People Tell

Ok, so maybe not lies…how about exaggerations? Or maybe advice about money that they simply don’t follow?

We saw this article on one of our favorite content sites, Medium.com , and it immediately required our attention.

It seems that many of the tried and true things that we are told about ways to accumulate wealth just aren’t factual.

Things like “diversify”, “save your money”, “avoid debt” that most of us accept as fact, simply aren’t true when it comes to the super wealthy.

Reading this article gave us a fresh perspective on money and made us think long and hard about some of the things we have been told in the past about money management and creating wealth.

For example, Warren Buffett himself said that people that diversify simply don’t know what to do with their money!

The full article can be found here, fascinating stuff!!

2019 Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for December 2019, and our annual award winners!

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata, Sandra Vidales, Aurora Dominguez and Enedina Mendoza.

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Rosa Chavez.

For the year….drum roll please!

Our top ranked Cleaning Associates were Aurora Dominguez and Maria Zapata. Both were tied at the top for number one, with Josefina Quinonez coming in 3rd.

Our top Team Leader of the year was Rosa Chavez. Natalia Olivas finished 2nd.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our annual award winners!

Congrats ladies!

Now that the holiday season is officially over, we are able to get our clients back on their regular schedules with their regular teams. Yay!

We appreciate you working with us to accommodate our ladies’ holidays and days off to be with their families. Rearranging days, hours and teams is annoying for clients and equally so for us in the office doing the rearranging!

On the other hand, it pales in comparison to the great attitude our ladies bring to their jobs each day. There are glitches here and there, but I can say in all honesty that every team’s mindset throughout the day is to do their very best in each of your homes.

As an employer or as a client it doesn’t get much better than that.

Bee

December Newsletter 2019

denverconcierg on January 8, 2020

Goodbye 2010’s, Hello 2020’s

Wow. The end of a decade. It struck us as we were putting this newsletter together that the decade went pretty fast, and lots happened.

Do you all remember that the bottom of the housing market hit in 2010? How far we have come from there. We started this decade in one of the worst recessions in the country’s history, and that was just the beginning.

How about these things that “became a thing” in this past decade?

1. Baby gender reveal parties/themes. How many viral clips did we have to endure with pink and blue? Lots of creative people out there.

2. The acceptance of transgender and LGBTQ folks in our society. The widespread adoption of gender-neutral terms. Heck, folks are even letting kids decide what gender they want to be for themselves.

3. Political polarization. We can’t remember a decade where things got so contentious. Long gone are the days of Reagan and Tip O’Neill sharing a drink to hash out their problems. It’s gotten ugly, folks. There was a time when we could laugh together about politics, not so much anymore.

4. Protests and marches. Remember “Occupy Wall Street”? Black Lives Matter also became part of our culture. People stepped up in this decade to fight for what they believed in.

5. Legalization of cannabis, not only in Colorado but around the U.S. Seems like a long time ago when pot was illegal.

6. #MeToo became a thing. People in power got called out for sexually unacceptable behavior, particularly men (see Weinstein, Harvey). Some prominent folks fell from grace.

We could go on, but just reading these few things makes us a little tired! The folks at one of our favorite content sites, Medium.com, referred to the 2010’s as the “Whiplash Decade”. We aren’t in disagreement.

It’s pretty crazy to think of how our culture and society has changed in the past 10 years. We, like you, are curious as to how the 2020’s will go.

With any luck, we will still be here, cleaning your homes and doing our best to be a strong part of our vibrant community.

Thanks for reading all these years, we look forward to many more.

Denver Concierge will be closed on New Year’s Day, but back at it on the 2nd, 2020.

Happy New Year!!!!

So, we ARE Bad Drivers?

A recent study of drivers around the nation does not reflect well on Colorado.

No, it is not your imagination, we aren’t exactly doing a great job on the roads here.

Of course, some of it may be all of the transplants that love our city, but the study ranked us 6th worst in the country.

From the study by Car Insurance Comparison: “Colorado drivers ranked as the 6th worst in the nation in 2019, down from 15th worst in 2017 and 2018, according to the study, which relied on 3,000 data points compiled from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”

The study also found that Colorado drivers ranked third worst for “failure to obey” violations, things such as not wearing a seat belt, running a red light or driving without a valid license. That’s down from 18th worst.

The full article and state by state ranking with an interactive table can be found here.

Stay classy on the roads Denver!

New Year’s Eve Festivities

Providing we all survive the commercial onslaught that is the holiday season, we may need to blow off some steam when it’s over.

We are Denver Concierge are here to help.

Some fun things to consider:

The Four Seasons is hosting parties on both the rooftop and the main level, you can see a Cirque-style show or listen to celebrated cellist Jordan Polovina.

The Brown Palace also has live music and is always a classy place to spend the evening.

For you youngsters in the crowd that love to dance, America’s largest NYE dance celebration, Decadence, will be held at the Colorado Convention Center.

You can even go out to Red Rocks, where there will be live music and a light show.

For a comprehensive list of the big stuff to do around the Front Range, check out Denver.org and their fine work here.

Happy 2020, we hope you enjoy NYE safely!

Colorado Digital ID’s

Seems like this has been coming for some time.

At some point, with nearly everyone having smart phones, it makes sense to digitize our ID’s.

In October of this year, Governor Polis approved the use of digital ID’s in our fine state.

Effective December 1st, this new technology will be authorized as a legal form of identification.

From the article: “With the new myColorado mobile app, Colorado residents can scan their driver’s licenses to create an electronic version of ID to display on a smartphone and use as proof of identification.

Residents can also renew driver’s licenses, receive notifications about state news, and store personal and payment information in the app.”

Don’t throw away your license yet, though. Law enforcement may still require your physical ID.

The full details of how to sign up for this new program can be found here.

Holiday Shopping Psychology

Shady sales and marketing tactics work. If they didn’t companies would stop using them.

We know most of you probably have your shopping done, but for all the procrastinators out there, this might be for you.

There are so many sneaky tactics that retailers use to lure us in, we wanted to help you beware of what they may look like.

From deceptive websites to sneaking in hidden costs, there is a war being waged on consumers.

We found a nice piece by the folks at CNN that goes through many of the tactics that are being used against us as consumers.

Someone once said “forewarned is forearmed”, so we are doing the best we can to give you awareness into these tactics.

The full story at CNN can be found here.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for November 2019.

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata, Paz Jimenez, Rosario De La Rosa and Aurora Dominguez.

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Juana Olivas and Rosa Chavez.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners!

Our annual winners will be announced next month.

Congrats ladies!

I would like to finish the year, and the decade, with a heartfelt thank you to all of our clients for your continued patronage.

Your kindness to me, and more important to our wonderful ladies who are invited into your homes is greatly appreciated.

Here’s to you and to a happy, prosperous and healthy 2020!!

Bee

November Newsletter 2019

denverconcierg on December 8, 2019

Holiday Schedule & Happenings

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! We want to take this time to say thanks to all the wonderful clients, associates and partners that make our lives better every day.

This year we will be closed on Thanksgiving, November 28th and the following Friday the 29th. We will also be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the 24th and 25th of December respectively.

In this month’s newsletter, we are focused on ways to make your holiday season better. From living green in the winter to holiday stress management we want to try and contribute to making this season the best ever for you.

We feel y0ur stress with holiday parties, cleanings, and the challenges that weather brings this time of year.

We promise to do our best to keep your homes sparkling clean so you have one less thing to worry about.

Thank you for your business and your faith in allowing us into your homes each day.

We wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving and a stress-free December with friends and family.

Winter Fun in Denver

One of the things that we love about Denver is all the wonderful things to do year-round.

For you holiday lights lovers, there are fun things like the Denver Zoo lights, the Blossoms of Light at the Botanic Gardens and the 9 News Parade of Lights.

Of course, the Colorado Ballet is performing the Nutcracker over the holidays, which usually gets us in the spirit!

Don’t forget the Polar Express train ride at the Colorado Railroad Museum, which is a great time for the kids.

For the adults in the crowd, CU South is hosting Movie and Martinis, where you can drink your stress away and watch Christmas Vacation with your friends.

These are just some of the fun events in Denver this holiday season. For a complete list, visit the folks at Denver.org here.

Denver Housing Downturn?

All good things must come to an end. Or at least that is what we have heard.

Most of you probably have not-so-fond memories of the 2008 housing downturn. Hard to believe that was over 10 years ago.

It hit us hard, but as you can see from the graph above, we have rallied as well as any market in the United States….so what now?

Many experts have speculated on what might happen in hot housing markets like Denver‘s.

The folks at Redfin published a great article about housing bubbles and the likelihood of a downturn in the near future.

Fortunately, Denver is outside of the top 10 areas to be concerned with, but that doesn’t mean we are out of the woods.

To learn more and to see the cool interactive chart, visit the full report here.

Holiday Coping Skills

We have covered some fun things for you to do this winter, but what about those of us that get stressed at the holidays?

We read a study that 45% of Americans would prefer to skip Christmas entirely.

Nearly a quarter of Americans reported feeling “extreme stress” come holiday time, according to a poll by the American Psychological Association. Holiday stress statistics show that up to 69 percent of people are stressed by the feeling of having a “lack of time,” 69 percent are stressed by perceiving a “lack of money,” and 51 percent are stressed out about the “pressure to give or get gifts.”

So how do we cope?

We found a nice list from the folks at the Mayo Clinic (they are super smart) here.

Our favorite site that we found is chock-full of tips about how to beat the holiday doldrums. They cover everything from mindfulness to healthy boundaries. We found it useful and it can be found here.

Here’s to a low-stress holiday season this year!!

Green Living this Winter

By Guest Columnist Frances Black

When the thermometer plummets, challenges abound for keeping your green-cleaned house environmentally friendly. In Denver, where the weather changes in an instant, these challenges are amplified. A few steps can help

1. Be window wise. During the day, open curtains on south-facing walls to let in the warmth. At night, close them. Consider using thermal curtains.

2. Chill out. When you’re asleep or away, lower your thermostat 10 to 15 degrees. A smart thermostat makes this easy.

3. Plug the leaks. Caulk and weather-stripping stop heat loss from doors and windows. Don’t forget to look for leaks around utility cut-throughs, chimneys, and recessed lights.

4. Service your system. Clean your furnace or boiler and replace filters now. Keep flues and wood-burning fireplaces clean. Close the damper when not in use. Purchase grates of C-shaped metal tubes to circulate the fire-warmed air. Shut the doors and lower the thermostat to 50 and 55 degrees.

5. Drain the sprinkler system. Denver’s lawn watering restrictions are in effect from May till October. But a frozen pipe can send water gushing into the street, resulting in a fine and wasted water in the winter. Turn the sprinkler system off and drain all pipes.

For more tips, download the Energy Saver Guide. Going green this winter can save you a lot of green in the long run.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for October 2019.

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Aurora Dominguez, Maria Zapata, Josefina Puga, Josefina Quinonez and Paz Jimenez.

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Socorro Ibarra.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners!

Congrats ladies!

At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon it seems to me that Thanksgiving is losing its pride of place in our holiday roster. It’s but a shadow of its former self; more a stepping stone to Christmas than a stand -alone celebration.

Granted, the traditional Thanksgiving didn’t incur a lot of spending, which may have made it less exciting. Basically, food and travel, which I always equated in my mind with family. Food plus travel equals family gathering.

Black Friday has shifted closer and closer, impinging on the long languid feast and after dinner nap in favor of – once again – spending.

I see a future where we just grab a turkey leg at the courtyard in the mall and keep on going. Until then I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!!

Bee

October Newsletter 2019

denverconcierg on October 25, 2019

Halloween Fun Facts

With fall and winter comes holidays, and while we don’t really celebrate this one with time off, Halloween is next.

Did you know that trick or treating comes from the Middle Age practice of the poor dressing up in costumes and going around door to door during Hallowmas begging for food or money in exchange for prayers?

The earliest known reference to “trick or treating” in North America is from Alberta, Canada in 1927.

Jack O’ Lanterns come from the Irish tale of “Stingy Jack”, which you can read all about here if you are curious.

For those of you that have little ones going out to forage for candy, we want them to be safe and enjoy themselves. We ran across a nice list of safety tips for trick or treaters and it can be found here.

Denver is also full of fun things to do for young and old including corn mazes, parties and movie nights. The folks at Denver.org published a great list of happenings in and around town this year, check it out here.

We wish you and yours a Happy Halloween!!!!

Ski Season

We got our first dusting of snow a week or so ago…..that has to make you skiers and snowboarders very happy!

In that spirit we thought we would give you the run down on Colorado ski resorts and what the schedule looks like for 2019-20.

Arapahoe Basin started making snow on October 2nd and opened on the 11th. Keystone immediately followed, opening on the 12th.

Loveland started making snow on the 3rd and while they have yet to announce their opening, they should be next.

Other notable resorts opening days:

Breckenridge-November 8

Winter Park -November 13

Eldora and Vail-November 15

Steamboat-November 23

Snowmass-November 28

For the full list of opening days, click here.

We hope all you snow lovers have a wonderful season of powder!

Can You Detect a Liar?

All of us tell lies….yes you too.

Most of them are harmless, designed to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.

“Do these pants make me look fat?” is a good example. (By the way, the answer to that question is always…”no honey”).

Those little lies are harmless and common.

What about when you are involved with a big negotiation? Or maybe trying to find out if your child was doing something they shouldn’t be?

We recently attended a cool seminar by Traci Brown that gave us some great tips on body language and other giveaways.

That got us thinking and certainly paying more attention to those around us. It seems that while the words people say are one thing, the body nearly always betrays the liar, IF we know what to look for.

We found a piece from Parade that interviewed CIA officers for their top signs that someone is lying to you.

Also, Forensics Colleges has their top 10 “tells” when someone might be hiding things.

All in all, we like to believe in the goodness of people, but that has gotten us in trouble before.

Being on the lookout for all of the non-verbal signs makes it much easier to detect deception.

Minimum Wage Increase

You may have heard that a law recently passed that allows any city in Colorado to set their own minimum wage.

The current minimum wage in Colorado is $11.10, with $12.00 going into effect on January 1, 2020.

Following this new law, Mayor Hancock immediately then proposed a big increase for city employees which was approved as follows:

“Under the approved measure, the minimum wage for city employees and contractors would raise from $11.10 to $13 per hour by this July. It would then increase to $14 per hour in 2020 and $15 per hour by July 2021.”

Restaurants in Denver are certainly concerned, as outlined here in 5280.

Denver Concierge pays our people well and always will, but this will certainly put pressure on our industry in total when it comes to getting the best people in your homes.

Looks like the days of a $25 cheeseburger might not be far away.

Winterizing Your Lawn

We talk a lot here about what we do inside your homes, but we also realize that outside is important as well.

We also know that many of you have beautiful yards and lawns, so we thought that we would give you a quick checklist of exactly what your lawn needs going into winter.

Hopefully you have had your sprinkler system blown out and shut off for the winter. Not doing so can obviously cause damage from freezing.

Beyond that, the folks at Rachio, who make an amazing automated sprinkler system came up with five things you should do to prepare your lawn for the impending cold.

That list can be found here, and is very straightforward.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for September 2019.

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Josefina Puga, Patricia Rodriguez, Aurora Dominguez and Concepcion Reyes.

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Rosa Chavez.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners!

Congrats ladies!

Keeping up with technological advances is daunting and not all are applicable to our business. However, over the years since the inception of Denver Concierge we have gladly embraced a few:

Cell phones; say no more. Ditto GPS.

Texting; it has been roughly two years since we introduced texting as an additional means to communicate with our clients.

It is an instant way to contact you in an emergency, or for you to contact us with last minute changes.

Door keypads; many of you now have keypads for the primary door of your home in addition to garage keypads, thus eliminating the need to give us a key, or hide a key.

If you are not texting me, and would like to, let me know. If you want to change from key access to code, let me know that too!

In the meantime,

Happy Halloween!!!

Bee

September Newsletter 2019

denverconcierg on September 25, 2019

Employee Safety & Wellness

We think we are pretty good at housecleaning, and we hope you agree.

However, there are a few other things that we think we are pretty good at, and none is more important than taking care of our wonderful associates.

We employ some amazing people and it is our mission in life to make sure they are properly taken care of. Did you know that we train our people intensively on how to operate safely in your homes? So much so that we have received Pinnacol Assurance’s (our worker’s compensation carrier) highest recognition for safety, their cost containment certificate. We have been recertified each year since 2006. In fact, along with full worker’s compensation insurance, we are bonded and carry a large amount of liability insurance, which we hope we never need.

We also conduct safety audits and our associates are evaluated not only on the quality of work in your homes but on the way they operate to ensure that injuries don’t take place.

This is also why we are very strict when it comes to using cleaning solutions other than the green-certified ones that we bring on every visit. No, we won’t use bleach, regardless of circumstance. There are occasions where you may have a special request and we consider all of these, providing we can ensure the safety of our people.

Finally, you may not know this, but along with paying our people well, we believe we are the only cleaning company in Denver that offers paid vacations to its associates. We also offer health insurance and are very flexible in allowing our people time off as needed.

We certainly know that we are not the least expensive choice you could make in choosing a cleaning company. We wanted to give you a peek behind the scenes to let you know that the price you pay for your clean goes to the proper place, as we support so many families across the front range.

The bottom line? Our folks love what they do and we love having you as clients.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our local business!!!

Judi’s House Luncheon

One of our favorite causes anywhere is Denver‘s own Judi’s House.

We have mentioned them here in the past, but wanted to do so again since they have a wonderful annual event coming up that we highly recommend.

For those of you that don’t know, Judi’s House was founded by our friends Brook and Brian Griese and it provides support for children that have suffered loss in their lives. They have been instrumental in helping thousands of children deal with grief and heal from trauma.

Each year they host a luncheon called “Strength in the Face of Adversity”. Past speakers include Mitch Albom, Bob Costas, Bob Griese and Archie Manning.

This year’s event is on the 2nd of October at the Hyatt Regency downtown and features former NFL running back and philanthropist Warrick Dunn.

We attend this great event each year, and we hope to see some of you there. Full event details can be found here, or you may contact Courtney Ellis at Judi’s House here, or call her at 720.343.8481.

5280 Dines Event

Yes, we do love to eat and experience all our fair city’s fine cuisine whenever we can.

When we run across an event that features 25 of Denver‘s top restaurants, we feel compelled to share.

On October 20 from 6-9 PM, The Hangar in Stanley Marketplace will feature the winning chefs from 5280’s top 25 restaurants across the front range.

The full lowdown on this “foodie” event can be found here.

For those of you that haven’t been to the Hangar, you can find details here.

Tickets also come with a one year subscription to 5280 Magazine. Happy dining!

Airport Project Imploding

As you frequent travelers know, DIA is a mess. Recently we featured a story about the great hall expansion, which included costs and timelines for this massive $1.8B project.

Not so fast, as they say.

It seems this project has officially imploded with lots of blame to be thrown around.

From Westword, “After months of escalating disputes over cost overruns and delays, Denver International Airport will terminate its $1.8 billion contract with the development consortium it chose to oversee a massive terminal renovation project in 2017, officials said”

Whoops. With cost overruns and missed deadlines, evidently it was too much for the folks at DIA to bear.

The project was originally due to be completed in 2021, and has now been pushed out to 2025. Get ready for the mess at DIA to continue folks.

More details on the story can be found here courtesy of CBS 4.

Along with this recent news, it hasn’t been a good couple of months for the folks at DIA, that is for sure.

Life Lessons, Learned Once (Hopefully)

Every now and then we like to share self improvement stuff. Ever since the first email from Medium.com popped into our inbox, we find ourselves reading more and more from the various writers they have there.

From marketing to self-improvement, the topics are varied and interesting.

This month we came across a great piece about 7 brutal life lessons that we all need to learn…..unfortunately often it takes multiple times for things to sink in.

From the article, “Some of the hardest life lessons repeat themselves over and over again, and it’s on each and every one of us to be reflective enough to witness them happening in the moment — so that this time around, a different decision can be made.”

The full text can be found here, it’s a quick read and we hope you enjoy it.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for August 2019.

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Maria Sanchez, Josefina Puga, Martha Garcia and Aurora Dominguez.

Our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Natalia Olivas.

In the race for our annual winners, Maria Zapata and Aurora Dominguez are tied for the lead for Cleaning Associate of the year. Mayra Soto and Rosa Chavez lead the way for Team Leader of the year.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners!

Congrats ladies!

Through all the years Denver Concierge has been cleaning houses, our goal has been to make our clients’ lives easier.

Many of you are reluctant to report any concerns, or to bother me with added instructions or requests.

Please be assured that first of all I love hearing from you, secondly my main raison d’etre in the company is liaison between client and employee.

A quick text to me could save you time and possibly frustration. I am also responsible for correcting any missteps that should occur in the cleaning process, which removes the client from the disciplinary process. Again, making your lives easier.

In closing, we are very indebted to our employees, and any interaction whether compliment or complaint is always carried out in a quiet, calm and respectful manner. We are grateful to our clients for their equally respectful approach to the ladies who clean their homes.

As always thank you for being with us.

Bee

August Newsletter 2019

denverconcierg on August 25, 2019

Fall is Here (Almost)

Wow, summer is going fast. Kids are back to school now; the Broncos are practicing and the mornings are just a bit cooler.

While we do have one more month of summer officially, Labor Day is approaching. Of course, we will be closed on that day, which falls on Monday, September 2nd this year.

As we roll into fall, we wanted to share some ideas on things you can do around your home to properly prepare for fall and the change in season that occurs. Everything from furnace inspections to gutter cleaning, there is always a lot to do.

We came across a great list of 15 projects that you can start to ponder, courtesy of the folks at Family Handyman.

For those of you that want to hold off on the outdoor stuff, we absolutely love the suggestions for “designing the perfect bedroom”, courtesy of our pal Marina Dagenais at Designer Premier this month.

If you are super creative and have some time, we also came across this list of fun, but smaller DIY things you can do.

We hope you were able to get the kids back in school with very little fuss and we hope you have a wonderful end to your summer.

Go Broncos!!

Partners We Love

As our regular readers know, we love to feature true professionals in our “Partners we Love” section.

These are people that share our values when it comes to getting things done for their clients and operating in a professional and ethical way.

Our friends at Colorosa Commercial Properties/Keller Williams Commercial did a fabulous job managing the sale of our commercial property last month.

They managed the process, and our expectations masterfully throughout and adapted quickly when the inevitable curveballs came our way.

They are also great negotiators and understand the true art of “win-win” outcomes.

If you are looking for advice on a commercial property sale, or just want to know what is going on in the Denver commercial real estate world, please look up our friend Rachel Colorosa.

She is the managing partner and can be reached at 303-886-8154, or at [email protected].

5G Is Coming

Most of us have heard of 5G, but what does it mean for us practically?

Dish Network made headlines with a 2023 deadline for complete rollout of its 5G plan, including its partnerships with T-Mobile and Sprint.

While Denver isn’t fully implemented yet, we have seen the icon pop up on our phones, so we know something is up. Verizon seems to be leading the way in Denver, though.

In a nutshell, 5G provides more bandwidth than 4G (or 3G) for cell phone data users. This means speed increases of 5-10X!

On the other hand, the increased bandwidth will likely come with some coverage gaps, so all the coverage we have grown to love with 4G/LTE may not extend to the 5G network.

To fully understand the pros and cons of 5G, we found this article which lays it out nicely.

For a comparison of the speed difference that we can expect, the folks at Digital Trends came up with this informative piece.

We are always excited when technology takes a leap forward. For a list of where 5G is currently available and when it might be coming, by carrier, check this out.

Happy surfing!!!

Tax Evasion..Wait, What?

No, we do not advocate tax evasion.

However, we found an interesting article about the 2010 law that was passed that attempted to discourage hiding of income in foreign accounts.

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, required all foreign financial institutions to automatically provide the Internal Revenue Service with information on any accounts held by U.S. citizens.

This made it much harder for rich Americans to avoid U.S. taxes by hiding their money, and the investment income it generates, in foreign banks and opaque shell corporations.

Of course, there are always unintended consequences of ideas like this.

Folks have gotten more creative and are using new tactics like investing in real estate and art to skirt these requirements.

This article by the Stanford Graduate School of Business sums it up perfectly.

The bottom line? Folks will always look for creative ways to reduce/avoid taxes. Some legal ways to do this can be found here. If you are lucky enough to be in the top 0.5% we found these strategies as well.

Is Grit better than IQ?

Our friend Heather Klutznick at Trilogy Financial posed that question in her monthly newsletter, and it caught our eye.

We have never been the smartest folks around, but we have always worked really hard. In fact, it’s always been our goal to outwork everyone around us.

The funny thing is when you do that, you end up ahead of at least half the people and companies you are competing with. Most people give up way too easily.

From her newsletter, “It turns out that intelligence might not be the best indicator of future success. According to psychologist Angela Duckworth, the secret to outstanding achievement isn’t talent. Instead, it’s a special blend of persistence and passion that she calls “grit.”

The full article from Forbes can be found here. We also ran across a short piece on medium.com that echoes this sentiment.

The bottom line? You cannot control your IQ, but you can control your effort and your attitude!

Thanks to Heather for publishing and sharing this information. To learn more about Trilogy Financial and the great work Heather does, she can be reached by the links above!

Stay gritty Denver.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for July 2019.

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Quinonez, Sandra Puga, Sandra Vidales, and Maria Zapata.

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Rosa Chavez.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners!

Congrats ladies!

Just for fun I thought I’d throw out a few interesting facts about our employee training procedures

Very important! We don’t have to teach our employees how to clean. We hire ladies who like to clean. We guide them and teach them about product and equipment usage and safety measures in the homes.

Our ongoing challenge is to increase their awareness of the interior placement of objects and furniture. The natural tendency is to move everything to clean, then put everything back – somewhere.

The total focus is cleanliness. Throws, pillows, decorative items, toiletries; secondary. I know this is perceived by the client as the ladies imposing their own preferences, but truthfully, they just see the shining counters and clean floors.

One thing our ladies need no training in is their polite and pleasant demeanor, whether in your homes, amongst themselves, or with the office staff.

I honestly thank each Team Leader at the end of whatever conversation we have throughout the day, and I always pass along the kind comments of our clients. So thank you too!

Bee

July Newsletter

denverconcierg on July 23, 2019

Did you Forget the Windows?

We had a long talk with our window washer, and we realized he isn’t busy enough these days. With the beautifully hot and sunny summer we are having, we decided to refocus our efforts a bit.

Through August 31, anyone booking a window washing will receive 10% off. Just mention the newsletter to Angela and we will get you booked at the discount.

In case you actually did forget (we do it all the time), we have been washing windows now for a couple of years. We use only the finest products by a company called Unger, the world leader in window washing technology.

Did you know that over time windows will degrade if they aren’t cleaned? The majority of particles, like those that makeup water and minerals, can damage your glass windows over time. The particles will enter the glass’ pores and effectively contaminate and corrode the windows. The first things you may notice will be some light scratches or cracks, but an unmaintained window can eventually be altered on a structural level and will need a full replacement. Cleaning your windows will prevent this outcome and give your windows far more longevity.

We have some very cool stuff that will prevent streaking and spotting, and that will protect your windows going forward as well. Give Angela a call and we will get our window washer out to take a look and make sure your windows are sparkling clean!!!

Partners We Love

It’s been a while since we featured anyone here, as you know we are very picky about recommending folks to our beloved clients and partners.

We recently had our hardwood floors redone and they were nothing short of perfect. Following that, we had some laminate flooring put down in a commercial space and that was perfect as well!

So, we figured we would give a shout out to Hardwoods by Heaps. Scott Heaps, the owner, is as down to earth a gent as you will find.

His crew is professional, on time and gets the job done. On top of that, he keeps his overhead very low, and was the most price competitive on both of our bids.

If you need a quote on your flooring needs, we would suggest giving Scott a call. Mention Denver Concierge and he will give you his best rate!

His number is 303-886-6889, or you can email him here.

Best of luck with your floors!

Your Neighborhood Rated

What are the best neighborhoods in Denver? Our friends at 5280 Magazine have spoken and the list is pretty interesting.

They utilized a formula that brings many relevant factors into play and seems fairly well thought out.

From the article “Our ranking uses four variables: home prices, crime data, school rankings, and an X factor score (more on that below). Each category is weighted (30 percent for year-over-year percentage increase in home values; 25 percent for safety; 15 percent for neighborhood school ratings; and 30 percent for the X factor).

The top neighborhoods?

1. Denver Country Club

2. Belcaro

3. Wash Park

4. Virginia Village

5. University Park

The full article, along with a very cool interactive map can be found here.

Hail and Colorado

Hail. Ugh.

If you are like us, you are quite over it. We have many clients that have had extensive hail damage to either their homes or vehicles during this wild season of weather we seem to be having.

While there isn’t anything we can do to prevent hail, there are people that are working very hard to figure out how to mitigate its damage.

Colorado is especially prone to this destruction because it sits in what is known as “Hail Alley”, a swath of the country that also includes parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming.

Nationally, annual hail damage has topped $10 billion for home and car owners and lessees for more than a decade. The damages to properties, plus the resulting insurance payouts, just keep growing.

In fact, Coloradans have the third fastest rising hail insurance rates nationwide.

So, what can we do? The folks at NCAR in Boulder are spending lots of time on this problem and that story can be found here.

For ways to protect your home against hail damage (there aren’t many things to do) please check this out.

Leading with Compassion

Yes, that is the Dalai Lama.

What does he have to do with leadership, you may ask?

We see stories in the news continually that give us examples of poor leadership. We have had bosses in the past that believed that intimidation and fear were the only way to get things done.

We left those jobs.

Most people do. In fact, more people leave jobs due to culture than pay, and it’s not even close.

The Dalai Lama chimed in on leadership with compassion in mind, and it struck a chord with us.

From the article, “Leaders, whatever field they work in, have a strong impact on people’s lives and on how the world develops. We should remember that we are visitors on this planet. We are here for 90 or 100 years at the most. During this time, we should work to leave the world a better place.”

“What might a better world look like? I believe the answer is straightforward: A better world is one where people are happier. Why? Because all human beings want to be happy, and no one wants to suffer. Our desire for happiness is something we all have in common.”

We hope you take time to read this simple but meaningful piece on true leadership. We try every day at Denver Concierge to lead in this manner and we hope it shows in your homes!!

The full article can be found here.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for June 2019.

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Rosario de La Rosa, Maria Zapata and Sandra Vidales.

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Natalia Olivas.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners!

Congrats ladies!

I would like to send out a reminder to please run all instructions for your team through me here at the office. Sometimes the ladies are unsure of the instructions given by the client but are too shy to ask them to explain.

In the same vein, our insurance company is very strict as far as what the ladies are allowed to clean in the houses, how they clean (e.g. no ladders higher than 3 steps), and what products can be used. This is strictly for the safety of the employees, and my involvement adds another layer of assurance.

I meet with the teams each day before dispatch to give out instructions and convey any client concerns or compliments.

You can always send me a text if that is quicker. 303-588-6847.

Happy summer! Stay cool!

Bee

June Newsletter 2019

denverconcierg on June 23, 2019

Summertime is Here

The summer solstice is this Friday, June 21st. We are finally ready to switch over from spring to summer.

Wait, we had a Spring? The last few months in our fine city sure didn’t feel like it!

But, on to bigger and better things. We love to share fun stuff to do around Colorado here, and this newsletter is no exception.

First to business though. We will be closed for the 4th of July, which falls on a Thursday this year. We will be back in the saddle on Friday the 5th, doing our thing in your homes.

So, what to do in Colorado this summer? We are sure many of you have vacations planned but for those of you that are still thinking about ideas, we have a few!

How about some food? The nice people at 5280 Magazine published a list of road trip worthy food festivals that range from Jackson Hole to Telluride. They also include a couple here including The Big Eat and Slow Food Nations.

How about Colorado wine country? AAA is currently sponsoring train trips out to experience Colorado wines with a lovely ride through the Rocky Mountains. For you beer lovers, they also have trips that include brewery tours. More info can be found here.

For those of you taking road trips, it looks like gas prices should hold just below $3 for the summer.

Finally, for those of you that want to stay closer to home, we found a fun list of things that we can all do, depending on just how much time and freedom you have. For a list of ways to make the most of your summer in Denver, check this out!

We hope you all have a spectacular summer!!!!

Denver Area High Schools Ranked 2019

We know many of you have young adults in waiting attending high school.

Have you ever wondered how good the school your child attends actually is?

The 2019 rankings are out, and there were a few changes from last year.

We found a fascinating list of not only the top 25 Denver area high schools, but a comprehensive ranking of all high schools nationwide.

Locally, D’Evelyn High School came out number one, and is ranked 131st nationwide. The top five schools are followed by Denver School of the Arts, Kipp Denver Collegiate High School, Strive Prep, and STEM Middle and High School.

US News and World Report has put together a very comprehensive tool that will show you exactly where each high school rates for 2019.

That tool can be found here, we hope you find it as interesting as we did.

Green Clean Renewal

I bet you didn’t know that we are 100% Green Clean Certified, through the Green Clean Institute, an independent company that certifies housecleaning.

That was our attempt at humor. Of course you do, because we try to remind you all the time.

In case it slipped your mind, DenverConcierge was the FIRST certified green clean company in Colorado (2008), and we were just awarded our renewal again for 2019.

Our staff both inside the office and in the field are well versed in all aspects of green cleaning and we only use 100% certified products.

Certification is a process that requires us to stay up on all the latest products and techniques to ensure your home is 100% safe for people and pets.

We have great respect for our environment, and we appreciate all of you for feeling the same way by choosing our humble company.

Thank you for sharing our vision of a clean and non-toxic planet.

Competition at Work

How does competition at work affect you?

A recent study at Stanford illustrates that this is a very nuanced concept that can go horribly wrong if not managed properly.

Too often we encounter ruthless people that behave in ways that are counterproductive not only to the goals of our company, but to the detriment of careers, and theirs.

In fact, cutthroat competitors who resort to sabotaging perceived rivals instead may end up undermining their own chance of achieving important goals.

From the article, “Within companies, competition “is something that needs to be carefully structured and managed. It does increase engagement, which is good. But it can also have destructive effects, especially if workers transform attainment of individual goals into a quest to prove that they’re better than the man or woman at the next desk, she says. Additionally, our fixation upon winning can spawn faulty beliefs that lead to inaccurate predictions of outcomes.”

The full article can be found here, and it provides suggestions for companies to structure things in ways to mitigate the risks for all involved.

Fascinating stuff for sure.

Fun Summer Projects

We covered the travel part for you intrepid souls, figured we might want to cover those of you that want to stay home and do fun things around your house.

We consulted a few different sources, including Mr. Handyman who came up with a few gems, including a DIY chalkboard, raised garden bed and a floating deck.

The folks at This Old House came up with a very useful list of 28 fun summer projects that can be done over the weekend (well, it might take us longer, we aren’t really good at anything besides cleaning).

Lastly, for those of you with children, we know they are out of school and sometimes bored out of their minds.

We ran across some great ideas to keep them occupied and out of trouble and that can be found here.

Good luck on whatever you decide to tackle!

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for May 2019.

Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Puga and Rosario de La Rosa.

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Martha Anchondo and Mayra Soto.

Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners!

Congrats ladies!

Because I have been in this business for so long, my interests have branched out from cleaning to anything to do with houses; architecture, interior design, history, etc.

I often find interesting articles, so I thought I would share a little history with you this month.

As early as the 19th century, American houses began to change from being overtly grand as in England, to smaller and easier to manage. Because the architects were concerned only with the building itself, several innovative women of the day took the initiative and began working with the architects to make the interiors more efficient for the woman of the house.

They quickly decided that built-in furniture was the way to go. Easier to clean than free standing trunks, armoires, cupboards, and cabinets. For the first time, closets came into being. A coat closet near the entrance, a broom closet off the kitchen, medicine cabinet in the bathroom, linen closet in the hallway.

These women arranged the kitchen appliances to be in easier reach, and added bar counters and islands, again to replace free standing cupboards. Truly far reaching ideas still in use today, albeit on a much grander scale.

I say hurrah and thank you, ladies, for making our lives easier.

Bee