February Newsletter 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!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

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