December 2007
Bank Note$ - News You Can Bank On
Shelley Bade is West Valley Specialist
When SL Bade & Associates, LLC sprang up in January 2007, the commercial real estate and consulting services firm already had deep roots in the West Valley. Principal and Designated Broker, Shelley L. Bade, established SL Bade & Associates, LLC based on the credibility she built as a West Valley specialist in commercial construction, development and brokerage services.
Shelley, a 14-year resident of Peoria and formerly a 10-year resident of Glendale, builds on 20 years of expertise and strong community relationships. Her contributions to the economic growth of the West Valley range from 15 years as principal of the Bade Companies in Peoria, to ongoing involvement as a board member of Arrowhead Community Bank, the Industrial Development Authority of City of Peoria, Theater Works, and the Peoria Economic Development Advisory Board. Shelley is also actively involved in both the Peoria Chamber of Commerce and Glendale Chamber of Commerce.
The SL Bade & Associates team strives to provide professional, commercial real estate brokerage services to the West Valley. Key personnel include director of business development, Carrie Bailes; business manager, Michelle Bishop; and commercial sales agents, LaraSperber and Louise Stephens. Shelley says, "Our current focus is to grow the brokerage-side of the company. We will be tripling our office size by January 2008, when we move to the Citadelle, a Stephen's Land Company development, at the northwest corner of 59th Avenue and Utopia in Glendale. We are privileged and honored to also be the leasing company for the center."
For information about SL Bade & Associates, LLC call (623) 594-0594, or visit the Web site at www.bade-associates.com. The full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm is located at 9185 W. Thunderbird Rd., Suite C-102 in Peoria.
Preventing a Hungry Holiday
Your help and giving can keep hunger away for families and households who have lost a job, experienced an illness, lost a family member, coped with disability, lost public benefits, or had a major home or car repair in the last few days or weeks. It doesn't take much to create a crisis for families on the economic edge, forcing them to take from their food budget to pay basic expenses like rent, utilities, or medication.
Now is the time of year when we reach out to help others in our neighborhoods and communities with donations of food or funds so that all of us can come together at our holiday tables. With food banks struggling to make sure emergency and holiday boxes are distributed to those in need, your help is critical.
At this point, if you aren't sure where to make your donation, consider this fact: food banks can stretch your dollar three times as far as you can when you purchase food to donate. To make a contribution to help food banks, visit the Association of Arizona Food Banks' website at www.azfoodbanks.org and follow the Donate Now buttons to donate online, or send your check to:
Association of Arizona Food Banks
2100 N. Central Ave., Suite 230
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Thank you and our best wishes to you for a joyous holiday season.
Members of the Association of Arizona Food Banks:
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance
United Food Bank
Desert Mission Food Bank
Tucson Community Food Bank
Yuma Community Food Bank
Nogales Borderland Food Bank
Glendale Is Super Outside Super Bowl
Glendale Chamber of Commerce Chairman Deborah Campbell says, "All eyes will be on Glendale in a few weeks for the Super Bowl, and we're all really excited about hosting one of the greatest sports events in the world. But there are a lot of other things happening, too."
She says, "Mark your calendars for these holiday events held in downtown Glendale that are great for all ages. Admission is free, and everyone is invited."
Gingerbread Nights: Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7 (6:00 to 10:00)
Jingle Bell Rockin' Nights: Friday, December 14 and Saturday, December 15 (6:00 to 10:00)
The Spirit of Giving: Friday, December 21 and Saturday, December 22 (6:00 to 10:00)
Winter Wonderland: Friday, December 28 and Saturday, December 29 (6:00 to 10:00)
Glendale Glitter & Glow Block Party: Saturday, January 19, 2008 (3:00 to 10:00)
For complete information, visit www.glendaleaz.com/events.
Officer Holly Memorial Run
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By the end of the day, everybody involved with the inaugural Officer Holly Memorial Run agreed that the event was an unqualified success. The ride set off from Arrowhead Community Bank at 9:00 a.m. on November 3 with nearly 400 motorcycle riders and passengers from all over the Valley, and ended at noon at Gordon Biersch at Westgate City Center. The ride benefited The Anthony Holly Foundation, founded by Nancy Bonner, mother of Glendale Police Officer Anthony Holly who fell in the line of duty on February 19. Proceeds from the memorial run will benefit children's charities.
Ready, Set, Go Sarah!!
Sarah Teixeira is still training hard for the 26.2-mile 2008 P.F. Chang's Rock & Roll Marathon which will be held on January 13, 2008. She is part of Team in Training, and has committed to raising $2,200 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help fund cancer research and patient counseling services. She reports that she has raised 84 percent of her goal, or $1,860. Sarah is also preparing for a 20-mile run in December, her longest one yet before the marathon.
We will continue to follow Sarah and her preparations for the P.F. Chang Rock & Roll Marathon. She says, "Having the support of my teammates and the staff here at ACB has made a world of difference. I know I can get to the finish line. I just don't know how long it's going to take me!
For the latest information about Sarah's progress, and for information about making a donation, visit www.active.com.
Sponsorships Still Available for Theater Works Black Tie Event
Theater Works will present its inaugural black tie event - The Sweetest of Nights: A Cabaret Gala on Saturday, January 26, 2008. The theater's new home at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts will be the site of the gala featuring renowned New York cabaret singer and recording artist, Karen Mason. Karen has starred on and off-Broadway and on television. She recently received rave reviews in Gypsy, and originated the role of Tanya in Abba's Mamma Mia.
The gala will include a cocktail reception before Karen's performance. Following the performance, guests will enjoy a dinner catered by SKYE Fine Dining, and dancing on the plaza.
Five levels of sponsorship are available for the black tie evening, as well as a variety of opportunities for donating silent auction items and making contributions to benefit Theater Works.
For additional information, call Sue Tormala at 602-371-8868.
Save Time and Money with Direct Debit
One of the most important tasks for any small business is managing invoicing and accounts receivable. For some small businesses, the task is daunting. Mailing invoices, receiving and recording payments, driving to the bank to make daily deposits, dealing with late payments and bounced checks can all amount to a never-ending hassle.
One way to reduce the amount of time and expense involved in collecting customer payments is to use the Automated Clearing House (called "ACH") to collect payments from your customer's bank account electronically. This is typically referred to as a "Direct Debit" payment. Direct Debit is the opposite of "Direct Deposit" which is how many people receive their paychecks from their employers. Direct Debit works exceptionally well if your customers make regular payments to you such as rent, tuition, dues, installment payments or service fees. With Direct Debit, your payments are received on the date they're due and payments returned as "non-sufficient funds" can be dealt with right away. Using Direct Debit can even eliminate the need to mail invoices, helping you reduce operating costs at your business.
In the past, electronic payment solutions such as Direct Debit were only available to the largest customers of the biggest banks. Today, electronic payments are no longer reserved for large companies with high customer volume and an accounting staff to manage the process. In fact, in today's competitive environment, it is essential that small businesses harness the power of technology to stay ahead. The smaller your business is, the more critical it is that you are able manage back office functions efficiently, enabling you to devote most of your time and effort to the areas of your business that generate income, whether that is delivering exceptional service to your customers or ensuring high quality craftsmanship in your products.
Enrolling your customers for Direct Debit is easy. Simply provide your customer with an authorization form to complete and sign, along with a voided check from the bank account they would like you to withdraw funds from. Input your customer's name, bank account and payment information into our Cash Management system then keep the authorization form in a secured filing cabinet or safe for your records.
This information stays on our secure system and can be updated at any time. Each Direct Debit transaction can be entered as little as two days or as many as 30 days in advance. Clients with a high volume of payments may choose to upload a data file directly to our system in lieu of making manual entries. Your customers will love the convenience and they will really appreciate the added security. Using Direct Debit substantially reduces the possibility of lost or stolen checks, which helps protect your customer from identity theft and fraud.
Services such as Direct Debit are offered to our clients on our Cash Management system. The Cash Management system is an online banking interface designed with the small business in mind. Customizable access and two-part password protection allows multiple users to perform various tasks while you maintain total control. A complete audit trail and reporting feature ensures you have a record of who did what and when. Cash Management helps you speed up everyday jobs such as making service requests, viewing and reconciling transactions, transferring funds between accounts, paying bills, paying employees, paying federal and state taxes, collecting customer payments and monitoring daily transactions for fraud. From Cash Management, you can even download your transaction information to QuickBooksTM and other software programs helping you get your books closed faster.
To get started on Cash Management, contact one of ACB's personal bankers at (623) 776-0800. Some services may be subject to credit approval.
(Indira Gandhi)
