Amazon HQ and Denver

Well the news is official, and you may have heard. Amazon did not select Denver for its second headquarters.

After a long process narrowing down the field to 20 cities, Amazon decided to split the location between two metro areas.

Northern Virginia and Long Island City in Queens ended up being the winners here.

The decision comes with an investment north of $5 billion and will create 50,000 jobs. Along with it, traffic, labor pressure and all that comes with a massive endeavor such as this.

The Washington Post wrote an interesting “winners/losers” article following this very local decision and they offered a good perspective.

As we have discussed here, Denver may have actually “won” by not being awarded this project. We already have labor and traffic problems here, and this may have made things dramatically worse.

On a happy and much smaller note, Amazon has recently opened one of their “4 star” stores in Park Meadows.

This location will provide only the highest rated items that are sold on Amazon and is one of their new brick and mortar locations around the country.

Full details of that opening can be found here.

Congratulations to the “winners” of the Amazon sweepstakes…..we will watch with interest from afar!

Denver‘s Labor Crisis 

Wow. Take a look at the chart above. Denver has no labor, as you may have noticed by all the “Help Wanted” signs around town.

This has largely been driven by the very hot construction and cannabis industries and has impacted nearly every service business from restaurants to unfortunately, cleaning companies.

Denver restaurants have been struggling with this for some time, and there is a fine article from 5280 Magazine on the wage issue that can be found here.

Mayor Hancock also recently floated the idea of $15 per hour for all City of Denveremployees as well.

The bottom line is all of us in the service industry are struggling to find quality employees.

At Denver Concierge it becomes even more difficult as our standards for cleaning are super high and we won’t just hire anyone to be in your homes.

Rest assured we will continue to do whatever it takes to provide high levels of service to our clients and to make sure you are getting the best housecleaning in town.

DIA is Number One

It is every traveler’s right to complain about airports. Back in the day when we used to travel, we had our list of the worst airports in the U.S. (yes, we are looking at you Newark).

Some of you might even have flown in and out of Stapleton airport, which we always thought was ok.

Enter DIA. Completed in 1995, it cost nearly $5 billion in total, nearly $2 billion over budget. 

How far we have come, as DIA was recently rated as the best large airport in the U.S. by the Wall Street Journal.

In its first ever rating of U.S. airports, the Journal surveyed 4,800 readers along with doing their own research and came up with the following list.

The full article by the Denver Post can be found here.

Congratulations to DIA and the city of Denver for an outstanding achievement!

Kitchen Facts and Health

By Guest Columnist Karoline Gore

Keep Your Kitchen Clean to Stave Off Disease

Did you know that cutting boards contain 200 times more coliform bacteria than a toilet seat, or that kitchen tap handles contain around a quarter million germs? Dirty kitchen islands, utensils, and crockery can also build up bacteria quickly, potentially resulting in illness for your family.

When tackling the issue of cleaning your kitchen, it is important to be realistic. This is because in addition to cleaning surfaces and equipment every time you use them, you will also need to deep clean your kitchen with regularity, to ensure stored items are kept hygienically and to get rid of grease and food remains that can escape your daily cleaning. If you find that you don’t have time to clean as much as you like, rely on a trusted cleaning company to keep your home safe for your family; make sure the company is a certified green cleaner to value sustainability as much as you do cleanliness.

What diseases can kitchen bacteria cause?

Some of the many diseases that can be caused by viruses and bacteria in the kitchen include colds, flu, and food borne illnesses. As noted by academics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, those who handle food can pass diseases such as Hepatitis A, Noroviruses, or diseases caused by staphylococcus and streptococcus, to others. Bacteria in raw foods such as uncooked hamburger and other raw meat and seafood, meanwhile, can cause a deadly disease called uremic syndrome. Those who prep food can sometimes neglect to clean their kitchen as is required because “nothing has happened so far.” But all it takes is one incident to drastically change your family’s health and well-being.

How often should you clean your kitchen space?

Those who are very busy may not like the answer to this question. Kitchens should be cleaned daily – that is, counter tops and any other items that touch food should be cleaned immediately after use. Research shows that some of the dirtiest areas in the kitchen include the sink area because we tend to use contaminated sponges that contain food bacteria. Sponges should be kept for no longer than one week to reduce the chances of illness. Microwaves should be cleaned once weekly, while fridges should be disinfected once a week. Make sure to throw away old fruit and open packages and cans that can leak or drop onto your fridge trays. Ovens, meanwhile, should be cleaned every three to six months. If you clean your oven regularly, you can rely on steam or natural ingredients like vinegar and baking soda, rather than having to use grease removers with a high chemical content.

Keeping dishes and utensils clean

If you are worried about bacteria build-up on sponges, you might wish to opt for a dishwasher instead. You have two choices when it comes to dishwashers. You can either opt for a standard model (which doesn’t get so hot and sanitizes dishes using chemicals) or for a commercial dishwasher, which uses high temperatures to clean dishes and utensils. If you have a large family that goes through various dishes a day, a commercial type dishwasher may be more suitable. Look into certified green machines, which will enable you to save water and energy yet kill potentially harmful bacteria.

Kitchen floors count too

Be vigilant of floors; steam vacuum them frequently since food often spills onto the floor and those who walk into a kitchen can bring bacteria from the kitchen into other rooms. If you don’t use a steam vacuum machine, sweep the floor first to remove crumbs and potentially sharp pieces of food. Use warm water and a mop, adding a couple of drops of dish soap and a cup of vinegar into your mop bucket to remove stubborn stains. Use a microfiber mop to dry the areas you have cleaned.

When cleaning your home, carpets, and floors may be most important for aesthetic purposes and to lend the home a tidy look when guests arrive. However, it is also important to pay special attention to the kitchen, since contaminated food can have serious health consequences for you and your family. Plan your cleaning routine, using your phone calendar to remind you when specific cleaning tasks are due. Clean counter tops, crockery, and utensils immediately after using them, and pay as much attention to floors as you do cooking spaces.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for October 2018.

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

In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Mayra Soto (two months in a row for these two!)

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

Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

We are about to jump on the holiday roller coaster where we are bombarded by advice on gift giving, family, diet, cooking, style, parties, the works.  We live in frantic times.

On the other hand, there is an ancient tradition which brings a balance to the season.

For thousands of years societies around the globe have celebrated various festivals of light to ward off the dark months of winter.  We witness this in our winter streets, lighted windows and public displays even today.  It brings a feeling of quiet hope and inner calm that we sorely need.

We just need to take the time…

Bee