Trumbull Business Network

12/11/2019

TBN Had it's Holiday Party at Vazzano's in Stratford. A good time was had by all

12/03/2019

John McBride gave a presentation concerning the local real estate market.

John discussed the unique aspects of his team’s listing services, including a satisfaction guarantee, by which a customer who is dissatisfied will be released from a listing, if Team McBride can’t fix a problem within 24 hours.

John McBride is Broker/Owner of Realty ONE Group Connect in Connecticut, along with his business partner Chris Bacoulis. John was raised in Trumbull, CT and has been a successful, full-time REALTOR® since 1987. He is currently the Chair of the Trumbull Chamber of Commerce. John is a member of the Greater Bridgeport Board of Realtors and the current chairman of its Ethics Committee. He is also past president of the Greater Bridgeport Board of Realtors and was voted Realtor of the Year in 2003- 2004 by his colleagues. John is a member of the Trumbull Rotary Club and a past president of the organization. Additionally, Connecticut Magazine has named John a Five-Star Real Estate Agent for the past six years.

John can be reached at by phone at 203-913-7313 or by email at [email protected] or visit the company website at Realtyonegroup.com/realestateagent/john-mcbride

11/08/2019

https://nextdoor.com/offers/128898738?is=section

Find Local Deals on Nextdoor, the private social network for neighborhoods.

11/05/2019

Paul Hurteau of Paul Francis Painting gave us a history of his business and so of the highs and lows of his 20 years in the business.

Paul can be reached at 203-331-5895

10/23/2019

Richard Lasky, VP Relationship Manager, of Webster Bank presented this week. He talked about he could help our small businesses with loans and lines of credit.

Richard can be reached at 203-377-5615 or by email at [email protected]. or View the website https://public.websteronline.com/personal

10/11/2019

Bill Bachlener of Hilltop Remodeling LLC discussed how he approaches his jobs as a general contractor. Bill started out as a carpenter and framer, and it took Bill 20 years to master management of the other components of construction to become a good general contractor. He handles projects large and jobs, including decks, bathrooms, kitchens, full remodelings, additions and, if you give him plans, he will build a house from the ground up.

Bill discussed the importance of having a good contract to protect you, the business owner, and the customer.

Bill can be reached at 203-610-3173 or by email at [email protected]

09/19/2019

Trumbull Business Network member Bruce A. Anderson, owner of Abbott Appliance Service gave a brief presentation this morning highlighting some aspects of appliance service. The main topic of discussion was: whether to repair or replace an appliance that has failed. He also touched on the topics of appliance maintenance and the service call process at Abbott Appliance Service. A brief informative Q&A session followed the presentation. Bruce has been a member of the Trumbull Business Network since 2007 and credited TBN for helping to build his business into the service company it is today.

Abbott Appliance Service, LL can be reached at 203-885-3168 or by email at [email protected]. Website www.AbbottAppliance.com

09/13/2019

Scott Chopskie of A+ Programming Consultants presented this week

Scott showed a new product from protechdna.com to tag your valuable belongings. The gel when applied is visible under a black light. Police can use a special lens to view the tags and return the items to their rightful owner. The gel is free but you must pay $5 for shipping.

You can watch a video NBC did by following this link

https://www.today.com/video/rossen-reports-how-new-dna-tech-can-help-get-stolen-items-back-1418854979983

Scott can be reached at 203-445-0108 or by email at [email protected].

08/20/2019

Michael Goldman of Goldman Gruder & Woods, LLC was today’s presenter. He discussed the types of provisions a business owner should include in his/her contract to provide goods or services to customers and why the could be advantageous, especially against customers who are looking to make trouble.

Goldman Gruder & Woods, LLC
200 Connecticut Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06854
Phone 203-899-8900 | Fax 203-899-8915
[email protected]
www.goldmangruderwoods.com

08/08/2019

Tony Petiprin was today’s presenter. He owns one of the two Connecticut franchises of Hommati. He started his franchise in October, 2018.

Tony’s customers are real estate agents, who hire him for aerial photography, 3D tours, virtual staging and ultra-HD photography of their customer’s homes. The added visual enhancements to realtors’ marketing allow them to sell more homes, with less time to sell the homes, and at higher prices. With 40% of all homebuyers in Connecticut being millennials, and with millennials’ being so visually-oriented, homes must be advertised in the most appealing visual manner in order to sell their best.

Tony provided the group with the sales information he gives to realtors and demonstrated both his drone and 3D Matterport camera. After taking the photographs, Tony must then determine how to edit his materials to visualize the path that a visitor would find most desirable when taking a virtual tour of a house.

Tony also offers the benefit of being a one-stop shop for realtors. Otherwise, they have to contract with different parties for photographs, aerial photographs, 3D tours, and staging.

Tony had previously been a corporate guy whose life involved significant travel. He sought a business that would permit him to spend more time outside, and he loves flying drones (Tony is a licensed drone pilot.). The group generally remarked that Tony’s pricing seemed extremely reasonable.

Tony can be reached at 203-951-5005 or by email at [email protected].

07/17/2019

Don Kamer of Trans-Trade Promotions spoke this week.

Don spoke about the value of promotional drinkware and brought samples to show the many options available. Ranging from the discount waterbottle to the thermal commuter cup.

Don Can be reached at 203-449-9512 or by email [email protected] or on facebook https://www.facebook.com/TransTradePromotions

07/11/2019

Our speaker was Leie Hamilton of Hamilton Janitorial, who provides commercial janitorial services in Fairfield and New Haven counties. Leie gave us the list of seven (7) things that janitorial companies would like their clients to know:
1. Janitorial companies have skilled workers, who research cleaning products and equipment. Many of the workers have college educations and full time jobs, but they moonlight in this field for extra income.
2. Janitorial workers are human and can make mistakes. If we miss something, tell us. Frequently, workers get into routines and can miss spots that not at eye level. Tell them.
3. Janitorial employees do not carry box cutters. If you want us to dispose of boxes, please break them down ahead of time. This is better than having our employees rummaging around your office looking for scissors.
4. It really helps if your business has a closet where we can put certain supplies.
5. If there is something you really care about, tell us. Certain businesses have pet peeves: e.g., an extra clean break room, chandeliers they want dusted, where under the desk Mike Goldman wants the wastebasket left, etc.

6. If we are doing a good job, let us know. It is very important for us to be able to motivate our on-site workers with something positive. Usually, all they hear is, “you missed something”.

7. If you terminated your last cleaner because it was not doing a satisfactory job, then when you call us for a quote, don’t expect us to agree to the price that your last, failed cleaner charged. Most likely, your cleaner was working for too little money and cut corners in order to make the job profitable.

Leie can be reached at 203-223-7245 or by email [email protected] or check out there website www.HamiltonJanitorialCT.com

06/28/2019

Gerry King, of King’s Landscaping LLC, spoke this week. Gerry is a landscaper and licensed arborist, and his presentation focused on proper planting. Even though Connecticut imposes a guaranty on new plantings, the guaranty is for a period of only one (1) year, and virtually all plantings will one year, regardless of the competency of the planting. Improperly done plantings frequently fail within four (4) or five (5) years, and 90% of all plantings that fail during the first five (5) years are the result of improper planting (as opposed to something wrong with the tree itself). Gerry advised that the most common planting fails are (i) planting the tree too deeply into the soil, and (ii) planting without taking off the burlap and/or metal casings, both of which are fairly inexcusable. Other landscapers who are too much in a hurry will plant the tree but not make sure that all of the holes are filled in. This leaves room for air, instead of soil, to have contact with the tree, and the roots that are exposed to the air will die.
Gerry also mentioned that w**d controls can be “selective” or “non-selective”. It is important for you to know what you want to accomplish when you do w**d control.

Gerry can be reached on his cell at 203-650-2987 or by email at [email protected].

06/19/2019

Bruce Anderson spoke about common things he is seeing when he makes service calls to fix appliances.
1. Washing Machines: Front loaders collect water in the boot, which must be cleaned with bleach. Front loaders also experience a breakdown in the bearings that support the barrel, which is irreparable. Top loaders with an “old fashioned” agitator do the best job. However, top loaders with the newer agitators don’t do as good a job and can wreck clothing.
2. Dishwashers: Water can create leaks in the valves, and since Trumbull has high water pressure, this problem arises frequently. Debris can get stuck in the drain, pump or in filters. You need to clean your filters.
3. Disposals: Use a strainer to help manage what goes into the disposal.
4. Refrigerators: Icemakers are the most common problem with refrigerators. Icemakers are being made more and more complex, for customer convenience, the icemakers are now made to be self-contained in refrigerators, instead of leaving for freezers. When they break, it is common to have to replace the entire unit, which is expensive.
5. Dryers:
a. Clean out the lint frequently.
b. Check to make sure that the venting has no obstructions, whether it be animal nests or lint. Exterior venting needs to checked out by professionals.
c. It is best if your washer and dryer are not placed with their backs flush against the wall, but rather with some venting in between.
d. Dryers are a very common source of house fires, due to obstruction of the vents, which cuts off the air flow and overheats the heating coils.
A bottom line warning is that, although you would think operating appliances is simple, you must read your manuals and check your filters.

Abbott Appliance Service, LL can be reached at 203-885-3168 or by email at [email protected]. Website www.AbbottAppliance.com

05/22/2019

We took this week's meeting on the road to John McBride's new office.

Realty ONE Group Connect is at 401 Monroe Turnpike Suite E8, Monroe, CT 06468 Across from McDonald's or by phone at (203) 590-1111.

05/18/2019

Paul Hurteau of Paul Francis Painting discussed some of the intricacies of painting this week.

a. Higher quality tools matter. Paul only uses rollers that are lint-less and spackle-free and caulk that is of high quality (so that you can paint over it). These items may be more expensive for the painter to use but make the work product better. Paul also demonstrated several different types of brushes. Different brushes are used depending on the type of paint and what is being painted.
b. Paul demonstrated the different types of padding used to move furniture (on interior jobs), depending upon whether you are moving the furniture over hardwood or carpet.
c. Oil paints are being phased out, as the chemicals used to clean the brushes pose environmental challenges, whereas latex paint can be cleaned with just water. Earlier latex paints were vastly inferior to oil-based paints, but latex has been greatly improved. Even though oil base paints are getting harder to find, they are still needed to paint over existing oil paint, unless the customer will pay extra for latex primer.
d. Exterior painting can only occur when the temperature is at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or else the paint won’t dry properly.
e. Vinyl siding needs to be power washed approximately every three years. The real test is to see when the house appears dirty, which would be the result of mold or algae formation.
f. The brand of paint does matter. Paul prefers to use California Brand paints for exteriors and Benjamin Moore for interiors.
g. Paul does not hang wallpaper, but he will remove existing wallpaper and prime the area so that the new paper hanger can just do the hanging.

Paul can be reached at 203-331-5895

05/13/2019

Paul Lupo was this week's speaker. He talked about the new federal and state tax laws.

Paul can be reached at Lupo & Associates, Inc. 203-924-5760
or by email [email protected] website www.1040accountant.com.

05/03/2019

Danny Kohn, “a/k/a Danny the Glass Man”, presented about his business, Danny’s Glass & Shower Doors LLC. His Grandfather started a company called Bridgeport Plate Glass, and Danny worked as a glass man (a/k/a a glazer) from when he was young, working whenever he could. Cutting glass is hard and specialized work and also involves getting cut frequently. Danny demonstrated how to cut single plate glass and also demonstrated several different types of knives for cutting glass and spreading putty. Danny taught us that glass is technologically improving. Instead of installing exterior windows made of single pane glass, Danny now mostly installs double pane glass that is insulated. Fortunately for glazers, double pane glass fogs up and otherwise goes bad and breaks (whereas single pane glass has little obsolescence), so his services are needed more frequently. Much of being a glazer involves properly scraping off putty and replacing it with new putty, while not breaking the glass and keeping the glass looking nice. Danny is also highly involved in installing and replacing shower doors, which have become a real specialty item as people upgrade their homes. His favorite shower door product is made by Century.

Danny Sells double pane glass that has a 10-year warranty on materials, including on seal failure, but labor is not covered by the warranty.

Danny also said that for big jobs, he has other people in the trade who can assist him.

Danny also advised that automobile glass is a totally different animal and handled by automobile people.

Danny can be reached at (203) 362-9215.