Inglewood Business Magazine January 2017
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...<br />
ENTREPRENEUR<br />
Ti Chang<br />
of ATKA<br />
Enterprises<br />
BUSINESS MARKETING<br />
Facebook<br />
Marketing<br />
For <strong>Business</strong><br />
REAL ESTATE<br />
Turning Trouble<br />
Tenants Into<br />
Dream Tenants<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
1
CONTENTS<br />
JANUARY - MARCH <strong>2017</strong> VOL II ISSUE 3<br />
6<br />
BUSINESS MARKETING<br />
Facebook Your <strong>Business</strong>-<br />
Unlock The Power Of Facebook<br />
20<br />
NFL Stadium<br />
Ground Breaking<br />
Ceremony<br />
9<br />
10<br />
14<br />
16<br />
18<br />
25<br />
31<br />
ROTARIANS IN THE COMMUNITY<br />
AMAN, Inc Takes Historical<br />
STEM Program Global<br />
ROTARIAN SPOTLIGHT<br />
Fred Jefferson Memorial Foster<br />
Family Agency<br />
ENTREPRENEUR<br />
Franchisee McDonalds Owner:<br />
Ti Chang of ATKA Enterprises<br />
REAL ESTATE<br />
Turning Trouble Tenants Into<br />
Dream Tenants<br />
SMART BUSINESS<br />
5 Steps To Creating A Loyalty<br />
Building Strategy<br />
EMPLOYEES ON THE RISE<br />
Shameka Moten: Hard Work &<br />
Dedication Equals Success<br />
RESTAURANTS & RECIPIES<br />
New Orleans Seafood Gumbo &<br />
Mr. Bistro’s BBQ Shrimp<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
5
From The Editor...<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> is the future home of the now “Los Angeles” Los<br />
Angeles Rams and will play in the biggest, one of the most<br />
expensive NFL stadium in the world — an edifice that will be<br />
less an NFL stadium and more a gargantuan complex of football,<br />
special events, retail, office space, housing and God knows<br />
what else. The new sport complex will be built on the previous<br />
home of the Hollywood Park track at a cost of more than $2<br />
billion dollars. The project is scheduled to be completed in<br />
2019 and has set off a frenzy of speculation about what this<br />
means for the future of <strong>Inglewood</strong>. What does this mean to our<br />
business community. According to most studies, a sport team/<br />
stadium only raises local business and property values only by a<br />
small pecentage. In fact, some studies also include that neighborhood<br />
are transferred and residences are forced to move.<br />
However, <strong>Inglewood</strong> has long been tipped as a city to watch, a<br />
year ago, Curbed L.A. named it the neighborhood of the year.<br />
On its merits, the city seems ripe for some kind of renewal: it’s<br />
really close to LAX, multiple freeway access, has a plethora of<br />
hotels, no shortage of restaurants and lastly......The Fabulous<br />
Forum.<br />
Between now and 2019, new business chains and real estate<br />
developers will definitaly change the business landscape of<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong>. Local businesses can (and should) get ready for the<br />
influx of new opportunities. But some businesses will need to<br />
change. Some may only need cosmetic upgrades to their location<br />
or a small increase to their marketing budget to reach new<br />
clients. Others may have to really invest in their infrastructure<br />
(technology, administration, marketing, etc) in order to compete<br />
with the existing businesses and the new ones coming into the<br />
area.<br />
I personally am looking forward to what will happen in the next<br />
few years. This is an exciting time to be a business owner or<br />
entreprenuer.<br />
Norman Boseman Jr<br />
Publisher<br />
6 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
7
IBM<br />
<strong>Business</strong> Marketing<br />
A Facebook page has many<br />
potential benefits for your<br />
business. While some of these<br />
benefits are similar to having a<br />
website, a number are unique<br />
to Facebook. Combined, the<br />
benefits listed in this article<br />
can lead to increased sales and<br />
profits for your business.<br />
FACEBOOK IS A LOW-COST<br />
MARKETING STRATEGY<br />
Marketing activities that would cost<br />
thousands of dollars through other channels<br />
can be used on Facebook for a fraction<br />
of the cost. This makes it ideal for small<br />
to medium businesses with a limited<br />
marketing budget. Larger businesses can<br />
also trial marketing concepts and themes<br />
through Facebook before committing to<br />
bigger campaigns.<br />
SHARE BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT<br />
YOUR BUSINESS<br />
As well as allowing you to post text,<br />
Facebook lets you upload pictures and<br />
videos from your business. This can be<br />
a powerful way to communicate with<br />
customers and potential customers,<br />
allowing them to see your product or<br />
service without having to visit your<br />
premises. Facebook also allows users to<br />
‘tag’ photos to indicate if a Facebook friend<br />
appears in them. This function can be used<br />
8 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
IBM<br />
<strong>Business</strong> Marketing<br />
related to your business that is actually<br />
useful or interesting to other users. This<br />
increases your credibility and promotes<br />
your business by building long-term<br />
relationships with other users. For<br />
example, a veterinarian could post tips for<br />
looking after pets, timing them according<br />
to when particular health issues arise (e.g.<br />
ticks in summer).<br />
You should also listen as much as you<br />
talk. Paying attention to what the market<br />
thinks about your business, your industry,<br />
a product or a marketing campaign can<br />
provide valuable insights.<br />
to promote your business. For example, a<br />
tour operator could post a photo on their<br />
page of a group going whitewater rafting,<br />
then invite each participant to tag their<br />
image in the photo. Each tagged image will<br />
show up as an update on the participant’s<br />
Facebook account, where their friends will<br />
see it too. This increases the level of interest<br />
in the picture, and your business. If you<br />
do decide to use tagging, be careful. It can<br />
be a privacy issue, and some Facebook<br />
users are sensitive about being tagged in<br />
photographs. For this reason, it is better to<br />
ask participants to do the tagging, rather<br />
than doing it on their behalf.<br />
TALK TO EXISTING AND POTENTIAL<br />
CUSTOMERS<br />
You can use Facebook to ‘talk’ to existing<br />
and potential customers by posting<br />
and receiving messages. But don’t use<br />
Facebook to aggressively promote your<br />
products or services. You’ll have much<br />
greater success if you share information<br />
PROVIDE CUSTOMER SUPPORT<br />
Customers can post after-sales questions<br />
on your Facebook wall, and your staff<br />
can answer them there. This is often<br />
more efficient than staff answering phone<br />
calls, and allows other customers to read<br />
common questions and answers without<br />
having to approach you individually.<br />
RAISE BRAND AWARENESS AND<br />
PROMOTE POSITIVE WORD-OF-<br />
MOUTH<br />
You can increase your business’s profile<br />
on Facebook by encouraging existing<br />
and potential customers to click the ‘Like’<br />
button on your Facebook page. Once they<br />
like your page, your customers will receive<br />
your updates on their wall, where their<br />
friends will also see them. This helps to<br />
build awareness of your business, and to<br />
associate your friends with your brand.<br />
Customers can also post positive messages<br />
about your products or services, shared on<br />
their walls for all their friends to see.<br />
continued on page 24...<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
9
Rotarians In The Community...<br />
A-MAN, Inc. Takes Historical STEM<br />
Blended Learning Educational<br />
Program GLOBAL<br />
Rotarians: Prof. Hal & Dr. Bettye Walker<br />
Founders: A-MAN, Inc. STEM International<br />
Science Center<br />
The A-MAN, Inc. and its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)<br />
national and International partners are set to launch a unique educational concept as<br />
part of the Global Learning XPRIZE Competition that addresses perhaps the Grandest<br />
challenge facing humanity today: “The Need to educate all children.” To meet this need<br />
the A-MAN, Inc. team has set a clear vision and course for what we believe is the best<br />
way to face this Grand Challenge of educating the hundreds of millions of Children<br />
around the world who cannot read, write, or do basic arithmetic.<br />
The A-MAN/GALE (Global Access Learning Educator) program is the new 21st<br />
Century educational method which will be an innovative breakthrough for use<br />
across the world starting in <strong>2017</strong>. The Ed-App is based on K-12 Blended Learning<br />
Modules developed and implemented over the past 25 years at the A-MAN,Inc. STEM<br />
International Science Center in <strong>Inglewood</strong> and globally in South Africa. The Program<br />
will utilize space sciences and technology and blended STEM methodologies.<br />
EXPANSION AND GROWTH AREAS<br />
To meet critical growing local educational needs, A-MAN, Inc. and LASW College have recently announced and launched a partnership<br />
that will focus on bringing together a broad collaborative including the aerospace industry and other highly recognized organizations<br />
such as IEEE. In addition, <strong>Business</strong> and technology volunteers along with technology professional engineers will patriciate in community<br />
involved campus educational STEM activities and Career Technical Education workshopsthrough the recently announced Hal and Bettye<br />
Walker GEO STEM Center for Sustainability and Lifelong Learning.<br />
A-MAN, INC. CO-FOUNDERS<br />
Prof. Hildreth “Hal” Walker Jr. is a pioneer of aerospace science & engineering. He was the field operations manager for the Apollo 11 Lunar<br />
Laser Ranging Experiment (LURE), and the very man who in 1969 fired a Ruby Red Laser from the earth to the moon during that mission<br />
to accurately measure the earth-to-moon distance for the first time. This was the only interactive experiment that took<br />
10 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
A-MAN Global continued<br />
place when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon. Hal was<br />
honored with a permanent exhibit in the National Smithsonian Museum of<br />
American History.<br />
Dr. Bettye Walker is a pioneer of STEM education for at-risk student populations,<br />
and a former assistant professor at Howard University, primary and secondary<br />
school educator and administrator. She instructed College teacher training courses<br />
in Arkansas, Montana and California. Dr. Walker also studied at the Orff Institut<br />
de Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She was the recipient of the prestigious<br />
Woman of the Year award in 1995 from the California state Senate and the<br />
International STEM Alliance Educator award for 2014-2015.<br />
Over 10,000 A-MAN, Inc. students have graduated from colleges and universities<br />
around the country. A-MAN, Inc. is an outgrowth of a pilot educational research<br />
project directed by Dr. Walker and funded by the University of California at Los<br />
Angeles. For more information, visit us at www.aman.org<br />
SERVICE ABOVE SELF!<br />
The <strong>Inglewood</strong> Rotary Club, Salvation Army , the LA Lakers, and <strong>Inglewood</strong><br />
Chamber of Commerce along with numerous volunteer’s distributed free<br />
thanksgiving baskets today to over 300 people across LA County.<br />
Rotarian<br />
Spotlight<br />
FRED JEFFERSON<br />
MEMORIAL FOSTER<br />
FAMILY AGENCY<br />
Fred Jefferson Memorial<br />
Homes is a non-profit<br />
organization serving Los<br />
Angeles, Riverside, San<br />
Bernardino, Sacramento<br />
and San Francisco<br />
counties. It is a unique agency that has<br />
provided foster care services since 1989.<br />
Fred Jefferson Memorial Homes provides<br />
support to children in the foster care system<br />
in need of housing and support in all<br />
areas of life. A full-time therapeutic staff<br />
is available to assist children and young<br />
adults in developing a successful future and<br />
maintaining optimal emotional health. The<br />
interactive structure, as well as the staff’s<br />
expertise and pool of knowledge make this<br />
agency top-quality.<br />
Group therapy sessions are offered to<br />
increase and build self-esteem, develop<br />
socialization skills as well as provide sex<br />
education.<br />
Emancipation activities are offered<br />
throughout the year to teach and encourage<br />
employment skills, creation of social<br />
support and promote positive contributions<br />
to the community.<br />
Left- right Ronnie Tomsick, President of the <strong>Inglewood</strong> Rotary Club, and Dexter Hall<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> Rotary Club Public Relations Chair standing with Jordan Clarkson of the LA<br />
Lakers and the Laker girls at the Salvation Army in <strong>Inglewood</strong>, California<br />
We are dedicated to offer support systems,<br />
quality homes, promote empowerment and<br />
provide consistent services that are crucial<br />
in meeting the emotional and physical<br />
needs of children and young adults in our<br />
care.<br />
If you would like to become a resource<br />
parent and foster youth please feel free<br />
to call us at 310-763-1660. Financial<br />
assistance is available.<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong><br />
Rotary<br />
Club
IBM<br />
Entrepreneur<br />
McDonalds Franchisee Knows About Hard Work<br />
In 1971, Ti Chang of ATKA Enterprises started his relationship with McDonalds as an employee and<br />
shows no signs of slowing down<br />
BUSINESSPROFILE<br />
ATKA ENTERPRISES<br />
Location: Gardena, California<br />
Owner: Ti Chang<br />
Founded: 1998<br />
Industry: McDonalds Restaurant Franchisee<br />
Stores: 6<br />
Website: http://www.atkaent.com/<br />
Contact: (888) 813-1828<br />
BRIEF HISTORY<br />
Ti Chang started as a crew person in 1971<br />
at a corporate McDonald’s restaurant in<br />
Hollywood. He was promoted to Swing<br />
Manager in 1972. After graduating<br />
from Cal State LA, Ti worked as a Store<br />
manager from 1976 to 1982, and then as<br />
Area Supervisor in the Hollywood Area.<br />
From 1985 to 1989 Ti went through the<br />
positions of Field Consultant, Operations<br />
Manager and Field Service Manager in<br />
the LA Region working his way up the<br />
ladder and through the McDonald’s ranks.<br />
He then went to work for McDonald’s<br />
Asia Pacific in 1989 as a Staff Director<br />
and spent 3 years in South Korea, Hong<br />
Kong, Taiwan and China, and even helped<br />
open the first ever McDonald’s restaurant<br />
in China. Following his international<br />
stint across the Pacific, he went back to<br />
the LA Region as a corporate operator<br />
in the South Bay Area, before finally, in<br />
1998, Ti Bought three stores in Gardena<br />
and became a McDonald’s Owner-<br />
Operator. Since becoming a franchisee,<br />
Ti has purchased six other McDonald’s<br />
restaurants and is now an Owner-Operator<br />
in Gardena, Torrance, Los Angeles, Bell<br />
Gardens, and Cudahy.<br />
WHAT DOES THE AMERICAN DREAM<br />
MEAN TO YOU?<br />
It means to be able to start with nothing<br />
and owning a business. It was a process<br />
that provides learning and advancement,<br />
payoff for hard work, there were<br />
milestones to celebrate and results to<br />
cherish. I have had the satisfaction of<br />
achieving financial results, be able to help<br />
my employees achieve their goals, be able<br />
to help some community organizations<br />
accomplish what they would like to<br />
accomplish. In the process I have also built<br />
a home, married a wonderful wife and we<br />
have two great children.<br />
WHAT OBSTACLES, ADVERSITIES AND/OR<br />
CHALLENGES HAVE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME IN<br />
ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE AMERICAN DREAM?<br />
LANGUAGE - As a foreign student I had<br />
to learn English. I was fortunate enough to<br />
be able to pay for my college tuition with<br />
my job at McDonald’s. In addition to the<br />
classes I was taking at Cal State LA, just<br />
being around my coworkers and customers<br />
provided ample time to practice speaking<br />
English.<br />
FINANCIAL - To start a business there are<br />
capital requirements. I build my net worth<br />
through a combination of McDonald’s<br />
Profit Sharing Plan and stock options, so<br />
when the opportunity was there I was able<br />
to come up with the down payment to<br />
purchase my own restaurants and the bank<br />
was willing to loan me the balance.<br />
JOB SKILLS - As an employee and as an<br />
independent businessperson there were<br />
many new things to learn, I had plenty of<br />
mentors in my life to help me through both<br />
on the company side and on the franchisee<br />
side of the business.<br />
IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOU A MENTOR TO YOUR<br />
EMPLOYEES AND HELPING THE COMMUNITY?<br />
Most of my employees were promoted<br />
from within, I have been in business for<br />
18 years and I have 3 supervisors and 9<br />
restaurant managers that started as crew<br />
people with me. I have over 20 employees<br />
who started with me in 1998 that are still<br />
here. My Director of Operations was<br />
approved to be a McDonald’s franchisee<br />
and he recently bought several of his<br />
own restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona.<br />
We are involved with the schools in<br />
our community, we raise money for the<br />
schools through McTeacher’s Nights,<br />
where the teachers work in the restaurants<br />
for one night and serve the students<br />
and parents. We donate a portion of the<br />
proceeds to the schools. We also work<br />
with the YMCA and Police Departments<br />
to do community outreach. We give to<br />
local charities, and we support the Ronald<br />
McDonald Houses in our neighborhood.<br />
14 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
IBM<br />
Real Estate<br />
Turning<br />
Trouble<br />
Tenants Into<br />
DREAM<br />
Tenants<br />
Got problem tenants? Try an approach that keeps your vacancy<br />
filled, your tenants happy, and your sanity intact.<br />
If you’re renting out real estate, part of your job as a landlord is to<br />
trust your property to complete strangers. But there are concrete<br />
steps you can take to identify and solve common issues and protect<br />
your investment.<br />
WHERE’S YOUR TROUBLE?<br />
Start with identifying the issues. How are your tenants causing<br />
you stress? If you know what needs fixing, you can better apply<br />
solutions to the problems that plague your business.<br />
Almost every landlord deals with the issue of late or missing rent<br />
payments at some point.But being a landlord means you’re an<br />
entrepreneur, which means you’re running a business. If you find<br />
yourself constantly hunting down rent checks from your tenants or<br />
if they consistently pay late or ask for leniency month-to-month,<br />
your business will suffer.<br />
Similarly, when a renter decides to break or bend the terms<br />
you’ve agreed upon, this is a clear indication that your tenant has<br />
little regard for the requests and restrictions that protect your<br />
investment. For example, housing pets when the lease states<br />
that there can be no pets on the premises is breaking the lease<br />
agreement. The fact is that a rental lease is a legal agreement<br />
between the landlord and the tenant and letting these issues slide<br />
can turn into even bigger problems down the road.<br />
16 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
Finally, phone calls at all hours of the night for every little leak<br />
or crack is a hallmark of an unsustainable tenant-landlord<br />
relationship. If you have a needy tenant with irrational complaints,<br />
trying to keep up with their demands can lead to burnout and<br />
frustration. Over time, the tension will build that could lead to a<br />
complete breakdown in communication.<br />
Thankfully, there are solutions to the problems of late payments,<br />
property damage, disregard for the lease terms, and boundary<br />
issues. Your initial reaction might be to lash out and become the<br />
angry landlord with the wagging finger and the eviction threats.<br />
But that can easily make a big problem even worse. Instead, try<br />
these approaches, which will help keep your vacancy filled, your<br />
tenants happy, and your sanity intact.<br />
BE PROACTIVE<br />
One of the best precautions you can take as a landlord is to pick<br />
your tenants carefully. Institute a thorough screening process at the<br />
outset, and you’ll avoid a fair share of headaches on the other side<br />
of the transaction.<br />
The problem is, no matter how qualified tenants might seem during<br />
their screening, there is no guarantee they won’t end up causing<br />
you trouble down the road. To head this off, set clear expectations<br />
continued on page 28...
IBM<br />
Real Estate<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> Long Beach Los Angeles<br />
Compton Los Alamitos Belmont<br />
Heights Torrance Carson Gardena<br />
Hawthorne Naples Bixby Knolls<br />
Downtown Long Beach Signal<br />
Hill <strong>Inglewood</strong> Long Beach<br />
Los Angeles Compton Los<br />
Alamitos Belmont Heights<br />
Torrance Carson Gardena<br />
Hawthorne Naples Bixby<br />
Knolls Downtown<br />
Long Beach Signal<br />
Hill <strong>Inglewood</strong> Long<br />
Beach Los Angeles<br />
Compton Los Alamitos<br />
Belmont Heights<br />
Torrance Carson<br />
Gardena Hawthorne<br />
Naples Bixby Knolls<br />
Downtown Long<br />
Beach Signal Hill<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> Long<br />
Beach Los Angeles<br />
Compton Los<br />
Alamitos Belmont<br />
Heights Torrance<br />
Carson Gardena<br />
Hawthorne Naples<br />
Bixby Knolls<br />
Downtown Long<br />
Beach Signal Hill<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> Long<br />
Beach Los Angeles<br />
Compton<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
17
5<br />
Steps To Creating<br />
A Loyalty Building<br />
Strategy For Your<br />
<strong>Business</strong><br />
IBM<br />
Smart <strong>Business</strong><br />
Building loyalty takes lots of time and patience,<br />
but these tips could help streamline the process.<br />
1. PUT EMPLOYEES TO WORK ON SOCIAL NETWORKS.<br />
All of your employees should be speaking about your brand. Set<br />
one or two of them as community leaders who put in more effort.<br />
But otherwise encourage your workforce to post about products,<br />
share giveaways and news and take part in popular trends that<br />
could bring focus back to your brand.<br />
It doesn’t have to be an official campaign (save that for the experts),<br />
but it can really boost online visibility. Those companies that give<br />
their workforce a real stake in the company can find this especially<br />
beneficial.<br />
The more connected your employees are, the further they will<br />
be able to bring your message. Educate your team on basic, yet<br />
effective ways to build their social media following:<br />
Encourage them to participate in the industry Tweet chats (besides<br />
building their following, that will also keep them updated on<br />
industry trends)<br />
Let them connect to your company on LinkedIn<br />
Educate them on how to use hashtags on Twitter and Instagram<br />
Try Drumup employee advocacy program in order to give your<br />
team easy tools to share your company updates on multiple social<br />
media accounts.<br />
2. GET VISUAL.<br />
The best way to get people create content around your brand is to<br />
set a perfect example: Have your brand create and spread awesome<br />
content of its own.<br />
Building customer loyalty is the most efficient way of creating<br />
consistent source of traffic and sales no one can take from you.<br />
There are a lot of benefits of having loyal community to back your<br />
business.<br />
Building loyalty takes lots of time and patience. It will not happen<br />
overnight and it will require a serious strategy behind it. Here are a<br />
few ways to build customer loyalty that should work for almost any<br />
type of business.<br />
One of my favorite all time corporate social media pages on any<br />
network is the Starbucks Instagram page. They have more than 8<br />
million followers at the time of this writing, and it isn’t because<br />
people love their coffee that much. It is because they have created<br />
a visual image online that is chic, trendy, and people want to take<br />
part in.<br />
They have crushed the visual game so hard that people will post<br />
their OWN Starbucks pics, share them, and they will get thousands<br />
of likes. That wouldn’t have been possible if they hadn’t created a<br />
very specific visual style that is repeated all over the Web.<br />
continued on page 27...<br />
18 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
20 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
IBM<br />
Feature<br />
Ground<br />
Breaking<br />
NFL Commissioner Roger Godell,<br />
Team Owner Stan Kreonke,<br />
Los Angeles Rams Royalty and<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> City Leaders celebrate<br />
the ground breaking ceremony for<br />
the new NFL Stadium in <strong>Inglewood</strong>,<br />
California<br />
Dump trucks and skip-loaders around huge dirt mounds as NFL officials<br />
and <strong>Inglewood</strong> leaders gathered for the Los Angeles Rams Stadium<br />
groundbreaking ceremony. Rams owner Stan Kroenke and National<br />
Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell joined Mayor James Butts<br />
and Hall-of-Famers Jack Youngblood and Eric Dickerson to ceremonially<br />
shovel some soil for above-ground construction at what is billed as much<br />
more than a $2.6 billion stadium. Current Rams Aaron Donald and Johnny<br />
Hekker also attended.<br />
“We, as the NFL, couldn’t be more excited,” Goodell said. “We are confident<br />
this is going to be the place to be in 2019 and beyond — not just for<br />
football but for entertainment, for events, for eating, for living, for working.<br />
“We spent so much time in this market, knowing how great the fans were,<br />
how successful the franchise would be, but we had to get it right,” Goodell<br />
said the efforts to return an NFL franchise to Los Angeles. “And, this is<br />
right. “It’s going be a great project.”<br />
The Rams stadium and its accompanying developments are slated to debut<br />
in August 2019, followed by lakes and public walking trails, retail, dining,<br />
offices and homes. When it’s all finished, the 70,000-seat open-air stadium<br />
will be surrounded by 2 million square feet of retail stores, a 6,000-seat<br />
performance venue, a theater, 2,500 homes, and 25 acres of public parks.<br />
The team will continue to play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum<br />
until its new home is done. Unable to get a new stadium built in San<br />
Diego, it also looks like the Chargers will take the opportunity to move to<br />
Los Angeles and share the new <strong>Inglewood</strong> stadium with the Rams. The<br />
Chargers have until <strong>January</strong> 15th <strong>2017</strong> to make a final decision.<br />
Kroenke said he envisioned the world-class complex years ago while<br />
driving the streets one pre-dawn morning perusing available lots.<br />
continued on page 23...<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
21
22 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
IBM<br />
Feature<br />
Ground Breaking Ceremony continued...<br />
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe this lot existed,” Kroenke told the<br />
media before turning the soil. “I thought to myself, this shouldn’t<br />
exist.’<br />
The economically depressed region, abandoned by the Los Angeles<br />
Lakers and Kings in 1999, has been on an upswing since Madison<br />
Square Garden Co. purchased and renovated the aging Forum<br />
music and entertainment venue across the street from Hollywood<br />
Park, which closed its racetrack in December 2013. Since the<br />
Forum reopened in 2014, it has become California’s most popular<br />
music venue.<br />
everybody said that was impossible. I got ridiculed.”<br />
Two previous developers that had hoped to turn the former<br />
Hollywood Park Racetrack into a mix of retail and housing failed<br />
after the recession hit, Butts said.<br />
“We had other developers that didn’t do their projects, thank<br />
goodness,” he said. “Then, along comes Stan Kroenke. And we<br />
had 22,000 <strong>Inglewood</strong> residents in less than three weeks sign an<br />
initiative that describes this entire project. The council voted it into<br />
law, and we’re off to the races.”<br />
The resident-signed petition allowed development to begin without<br />
a state-mandated environmental review of the site. Butts and others<br />
argued that the review wasn’t needed because it had already been<br />
done for a similar development proposals years before.<br />
According to contractors, the stadium construction will provide<br />
more than 3,500 on-site construction jobs in <strong>Inglewood</strong> and more<br />
than 10,000 jobs by the time it is completed.<br />
The increased traffic and anticipation of coming developments has<br />
spurred a buzz around town as property values surge, said Mayor<br />
Butts, who was repeatedly described Thursday as “tireless” advocate<br />
for the development.<br />
“We had already brought the Forum back even though people said<br />
nobody will come to the Forum in <strong>Inglewood</strong> again,” Butts said.<br />
“That was unlikely. But, when we started talking about the Rams<br />
might come back to the region through <strong>Inglewood</strong>,<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
23
IBM<br />
<strong>Business</strong> Marketing<br />
Facebook Marketing...<br />
FACEBOOK CAN STEER TRAFFIC TO<br />
YOUR WEBSITE<br />
You can include a link to your website on<br />
your Facebook page. Indeed, many businesses<br />
report that the greatest benefit of Facebook<br />
is the extra traffic that it steers to their site.<br />
Visitors who come to the website can be<br />
exposed to stronger marketing messages and,<br />
often, the option of buying goods and services.<br />
Customers who come to your website from<br />
Facebook are likely to be more receptive than<br />
the average visitor, because they already know<br />
something about your business and were<br />
motivated to click the website link.<br />
TARGETED ADVERTISING<br />
Facebook can analyse all the information that<br />
millions of users enter into their profiles. As<br />
the owner of a business page, you can pay<br />
to use this information to deliver targeted<br />
advertising to a specific group. For example, an outdoor store could use Facebook to calculate how many men over a certain age in a<br />
certain city have listed ‘fishing’ as an interest. Then they could develop an ad for new fishing lures, and pay for it to appear only on the<br />
pages of those people. (Ads appear on the right-hand side pages in Facebook.)<br />
OFFER DEALS THROUGH FACEBOOK PLACES<br />
Facebook Places allows users to ‘check in’ on mobile devices at a particular place, so that their friends can see their location on<br />
Facebook. Facebook Places also identifies popular places close to where a user checks in.<br />
24 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
Facebook Marketing...<br />
<strong>Business</strong>es can use Facebook Places so that<br />
when a user checks in to a neighbourhood,<br />
street or business, they receive a list of nearby<br />
businesses offering deals (e.g. discounts,<br />
freebies, loyalty rewards).<br />
Only pages that have been listed as a Company<br />
and Organisation or a Local <strong>Business</strong> in the<br />
category set up can add a location.<br />
IBM<br />
Shameka Moten is an intricate part of the<br />
internal operations for the <strong>Inglewood</strong> Airport<br />
Area Chamber of Commerce. The 31-year-old,<br />
single mother was a DPSS Gain Participant,<br />
who qualified to be a part of the Transitional<br />
Subsidized Employment (TSE) program. She<br />
found it challenging to find gainful employment<br />
in the bookkeeping industry in which she<br />
was trained for and interested in. She went to<br />
the <strong>Inglewood</strong> One-Stop <strong>Business</strong> & Career<br />
Center to participate in the TSE Program and<br />
was amazed at the amount of resources and<br />
opportunities that were available to her.<br />
Employees On The Rise<br />
Hard Work and Dedication<br />
Equals Success For<br />
Shameka Moten<br />
Originally placed as a clerical intern at the <strong>Inglewood</strong> One-Stop <strong>Business</strong> & Career<br />
Center, but after showing great improvement and diligence, Ms. Moten was placed<br />
at the Chamber of Commerce where she completed her commitment to the TSE<br />
Program. The Chamber of Commerce decided to hire her permanently as a<br />
Bookkeeping Assistant.<br />
At her current position, she has become proficient in QuickBooks, Microsoft<br />
Office, customer service and Chamber operations. These additional skills makes<br />
her very competitive in today’s workforce. Through her hard work and dedication,<br />
she has been promoted to the Chambers’ Office Manager with an increase in her<br />
salary. With supportive services like clothing and transportation she was able to<br />
attain the job training and experience that would enable her to compete in today’s<br />
workforce. She continues to excel in her position and has collaborated on many<br />
projects in partnership with the South Bay Workforce Investment Board and the<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> One-Stop <strong>Business</strong> & Career Center. Congratulations Shameka!<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
25
26 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
330 E. Queen St<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong>, Calif 90301<br />
310 677-1121 F 310 677-1001<br />
info@inglewoodchamber.org<br />
www.inglewoodchamber.org<br />
Creating Customer Loyalty continued...<br />
3. CREATE DIGITAL ASSETS.<br />
Create downloadable assets, something that your customers can<br />
take home, for free. These could be well-branded white papers,<br />
checklists, cheat sheets, ebooks, audio books, etc.<br />
As more and more people are accessing your website from<br />
mobiles, consider building a smartphone-friendly version of your<br />
content assets to get more people. For example, you can turn your<br />
audiobook into an iTunes podcast. Here’s how to do it.<br />
You can also turn your PDF guides, checklists, ebooks, catalogs<br />
and whitepapers into flipbooks that are a pleasure to use on on<br />
tablet computers and smart phones. Flipsnack is the easiest way to<br />
do it. It’s also free for 15-page books.<br />
4. GIVE REAL GIFTS.<br />
There will never be a cooler campaign than when Kotex created<br />
custom gift boxes<br />
for influencers on Pinterest. It shows how effective having a<br />
physical item can be, and how it spreads online.<br />
Consider creating some gifts and sending them to influencers who<br />
can share them socially with their many followers. Sweatshirts<br />
with logos, fun gag gifts, whatever you can think of. It is worth the<br />
investment for the rewards.<br />
5. ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK FROM CUSTOMERS.<br />
People love sharing negative experience but they need to be<br />
asked to share a positive one. On the other hand, seeing your<br />
previous customers’ raving genuine reviews more visitors feel like<br />
subscribing and sticking around. Open experience sharing breeds<br />
community and builds loyalty.<br />
Encourage your customers to share their feedback and upload<br />
their visual reviews. In case you are running a SaaS company,<br />
educate your customers to create detailed case studies and do<br />
your best to promote everything they create. Here’s a good guide<br />
on writing a genuine case study for you to use when inviting your<br />
clients to create one.<br />
Loyalty building is a long process but if you make it part of your<br />
overall marketing strategy, you’ll notice its long-lasting positive<br />
effect on your business in form of better customer retention,<br />
higher direct traffic and better conversions.<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
27
Turning Troubled Tenants continued...<br />
in the beginning. Be firm in your approach from day one and you’ll see a world of difference. Don’t excuse a late check here and<br />
there too quickly. Try not to bend the rules in one occasion or for one tenant because before you know it, you’ll be bending them<br />
for everyone.<br />
MAKE IT EASY TO PAY RENT<br />
If the problem is the collection of rent, there are ways to streamline the process and avoid the awkward hunt. Options can include<br />
ACH debit, where the tenant authorizes automatic withdrawals from their account on each rent payment day.<br />
Or perhaps suggest online bill payment, where the tenant can add you to their list of recipients and pay you directly from their<br />
bank account. Many banks now offer this service for free. Another option is collecting post-dated checks. Everyone can relax and<br />
know rent is taken care of without the awkwardness of asking or forgetting.<br />
KNOW YOUR AGREEMENTS<br />
Your lease is a legally binding document. Hopefully, most issues should never escalate to the courts. But when you’re trying to get<br />
your tenant to pay attention, refer to the terms in your lease. Leave your emotions out of it, maintain professionalism, and clearly<br />
highlight what part of the agreement the tenant is breaking. Give a firm warning that you will defend any action taken as recourse<br />
with the terms in the signed lease.<br />
Not only does this send a clear message to your tenant that you are serious, but it also makes you less liable if things escalate. You<br />
have chosen to stick to the formalities rather than fly off the handle, so there’s no ambiguity to argue about.<br />
SET BOUNDARIES<br />
When it comes to your time as a landlord or property owner, every minute is valuable. Especially if property management is not<br />
your full-time job, having tenants who believe you are at their beck and call can make you want to pull out your hair every time<br />
your phone rings.<br />
28 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
Turning Troubled Tenants continued...<br />
Provide your tenants with a schedule that includes<br />
your availability. Set up auto-response e-mails that<br />
acknowledge or confirm you have received their message<br />
and indicate when they can expect a response (say,<br />
during regular business hours or within the next 24<br />
hours). Most of the time, your tenants just want to know<br />
you’re on the case, not that you will come rushing over<br />
immediately.<br />
LET TRUST FLOW BOTH WAYS<br />
Be sure to always follow through with what you say<br />
you’re going to do. Do things when you say you’re going<br />
to do them. Remember that the better you are as a<br />
trusted landlord, the more your tenants will want to treat<br />
you and your rental property with the utmost respect.<br />
Play by the rules, stay professional, create processes,<br />
and use technology to tend to your tenants’ needs. Be<br />
honest and upfront, and your tenants will return the<br />
favor. If they see you as a dream landlord, you’ll soon<br />
see dividends. At the end of the day, turning trouble<br />
tenants into dream renters comes down to you and your<br />
approach to being a landlord.<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
29
30 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
IBMagFavorite<br />
Recipies<br />
New Orleans Seafood<br />
Gumbo<br />
New Orleans Gumbo has been called the greatest contribution of<br />
Louisiana kitchens to American cuisine. It is the quintessential dish of<br />
New Orleans with many versions of it. It is one of the representative<br />
dishes of the people who settled in New Orleans and one that can by<br />
found at restaurant, special events. homes through all the state of<br />
Louisiana.<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
Roux (see recipe and directions below)<br />
1 pound okra, sliced<br />
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening<br />
3 tablespoons butter<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
1/2 cup chopped celery<br />
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined*<br />
1 jar fresh oysters (check for shells)<br />
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine<br />
1 tablespoon chopped green bell pepper<br />
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) tomatoes<br />
2 sprigs parsley, chopped<br />
1 bay leaf (remove before serving)<br />
2 quarts water or fish stock<br />
1 bunch green onion, chopped<br />
1/2 pound crabmeat or 1 dozen whole crabs***<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
Hot cooked long-grain white rice<br />
1 teaspoon File Powder, optional****<br />
8 minutes - just until the shrimp turn pink and are done.<br />
Serve with hot rice, crackers, and file on the side.<br />
Makes 6 servings.<br />
Roux<br />
IBM<br />
Restaurants & Recipes<br />
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or vegetable oil (your choice)<br />
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
In a heavy skillet (I like to use my Cast-Iron Skillet) over medium<br />
heat, heat vegetable shortening or oil until hot.<br />
Add flour gradually, stirring or whisking to combine with the<br />
shortening or oil.<br />
After adding all the flour, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring<br />
frequently, about 45 to 60 minutes or until roux is dark brown<br />
(the color of peanut butter) and has a nutlike odor (it will be very<br />
thick and pasty).<br />
Carefully transfer it into your stockpot and start making gumbo.<br />
***NOTE***Always use equal amounts of oil and flour when making roux.<br />
Remember this simple rule when increasing the amount of roux made. A large<br />
gumbo would benefit from a full cup of oil combined with a full cup of flour.<br />
DIRECTIONS<br />
Start making the Roux (see below recipes).<br />
In a large frying pan, fry okra in 2 tablespoons shortening<br />
approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until it ceases to “rope”<br />
(slimy strings connecting the okra); remove from heat and set<br />
aside. NOTE: Take your time and do not burn it. It is worth<br />
the trouble.<br />
In a Gumbo Pot or a large Dutch Oven over medium-high<br />
heat, melt the butter and fry the onions and celery about 5<br />
minutes or until soft.<br />
Add the garlic, and bell pepper; simmer 2 minutes. Add<br />
tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, Cavender’s Seasoning, water or fish<br />
stock, green onion, fried okra, prepared Roux, and crab meat<br />
or crabs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let gumbo simmer for<br />
approximately 30 minutes. Just before you are ready to serve,<br />
add the shrimp and oysters. Cook approximately another 6 to<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
31
IBM<br />
Restaurants & Recipes<br />
32 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
IBM<br />
Restaurants & Recipes<br />
Mr. Bistro’s<br />
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp<br />
Don’t break out your grill for this dish. Here in New Orleans, barbecued<br />
shrimp means sautéed shrimp in Worcestershire-spiked butter sauce. We<br />
serve these shrimp with heads and tails on, so you need to dig in to enjoy.<br />
We highly recommend a bib.<br />
The biggest trick to making this taste like ours is to not hold back on the<br />
butter. The three sticks called for are enough to scare you into cholesterol<br />
shock, but are key to the flavor and consistency of the sauce. Another tip to<br />
keep in mind: to emulsify the sauce, be sure to add a little butter at a time<br />
while stirring rapidly. And don’t overcook the shrimp or they’ll become<br />
tough and hard to peel.<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
16 jumbo shrimp (12 per pound, about 1 1/2 pounds), with<br />
heads and unpeeled<br />
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce<br />
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)<br />
2 teaspoons ground black pepper<br />
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper<br />
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning<br />
1 teaspoon minced garlic<br />
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed<br />
French bread as accompaniment<br />
DIRECTIONS<br />
In a large skillet combine shrimp, Worcestershire, lemon juice,<br />
black peppers, Creole seasoning, and garlic and cook over moderately<br />
high heat until shrimp turn pink, about 1 minute on each<br />
side. Reduce heat to moderate and stir in butter, a few cubes at<br />
a time, stirring constantly and adding more only when butter is<br />
melted. Remove skillet from heat. Place shrimp in a bowl and<br />
pour sauce over top. Serve with French bread for dipping.<br />
For more recipies, go to our website at www.mrbsbistro.com<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
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36 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong><br />
37
ADVERTISERS INDEX<br />
Aero Collective, p. 19<br />
Billy Campbell Insurance, p. 2, 37<br />
Boardwalk Properties, p. 17<br />
Ch1 Media, p. 36<br />
Dream Inn, p. 26<br />
ETNB Communications, p. 29<br />
House of Tacos, p. 33<br />
Hollywood Park Casino, p. 32<br />
Habitat For Humanity, p. 25<br />
ICHI Ban Roofing, p. 28<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> Chamber of Commerce p. 27<br />
<strong>Inglewood</strong> Rotary, p. 9, 10<br />
JNR2 Construction, p. 36<br />
La Bella Chauffeurs, Back Cover<br />
Lavender Blue, p. 24<br />
LA Leather, p. 26<br />
Marty Bogoratt, p. 26<br />
McKissack & McKissack, p. 23<br />
Miracle Theater, p. 3<br />
Quality Equipment Rental, p. 7<br />
Roosevelt Mortuary, p. 29<br />
Serving Spoon, p. 30<br />
Yogurtland, p. 32<br />
INGLEWOOD BUSINESS MAGAZINE<br />
CONTACT INFORMATION<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
Norman I. Boseman Jr.<br />
P. (213) 915-7014<br />
E. nboseman@hotmail.com<br />
SALES MANAGER<br />
Marty Bogoratt<br />
P. (818) 262-3554<br />
E. mbogoratt@yahoo.com<br />
IBM PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Emery Boseman<br />
emeryboseman@gmail.com<br />
MAILING ADDRESS:<br />
Norman Boseman Jr<br />
PO Box 2817 <strong>Inglewood</strong>, Calif 90303<br />
38 <strong>Inglewood</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>January</strong> - March <strong>2017</strong>
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