June 2017

Serving Southwest Riverside County Since 1989 

VOLUME 28, NUMBER 6 

JUNE 2017 

And... 

The Family Behind 

Wilson Creek Winery 

How to Safely Sell 

Your Car 

Cloud Technology 

If you’re not 

losing weight, 

are you still 

getting fitter? 

page 20 

LINDA WUNDERLICH 

RECEIVES President’s 

Volunteer Lifetime 

Achievement Award 

page 9 

AWARDS 

cyber 

attacks 

Are You Safe? 

by Ted Saul Sr. Staff Writer 

It’s been in the news: the WannaCry ransomware attack that held 

companies across the hostage, affecting more than 150 countries and 

200,000 computers (so far). This is not the first cyberattack of this type 

and unfortunately will not be the last. 

Alice Sullivan 

Wins ‘Riverside County 

Woman of the 

Year’ 

Alice Sullivan, President 

and CEO of the Temecula Valley 

Chamber of Commerce, has been 

named Riverside County 3rd District 

Woman of the Year. This award recognizes 

women who work to bring 

about social and economic change, 

promote women’s equality, serve as 

outstanding role models to women 

and girls, work on behalf of women’s 

issues, or provide outstanding 

performance within a profession to 

further advocate for women’s rights 

and to improve the status of women 

in Riverside County. 

SEE PAGE 26 

SEE PAGE 27 

Murrieta Receives Special 

Award by U.S. Department of 

Commerce-Inland Region 

Murrieta became the first city to receive a special 

award from the U.S. Department of Commerce-Inland 

Region at the Inland Empire World Trade Conference last 

week. The award is in recognition of the City’s leadership 

role in promoting the growth of local businesses through 

exports and foreign direct investment. 

Mayor Rick Gibbs accepted the award from the 

Assistant U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce/Director 

General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. 

The Grapeline Celebrates 

15 Years in Wine Country 

SEE PAGE 30 

SEE PAGE 8 

COMMUNITY 

SheriFF STan SniFF, 

JUNE Temecula Valley 

Learning Forum speaker 

page 10 

COMMUNITY 

WINEORMOUS RECEIVES 

‘WINE TOUR OPERATOR OF 

THE YEAR’ AWARD 

page12 

FINANCIAL 

15 Ways for Owners to 

Maximize the value of 

Their Business 

page 16 

page 19 page 19

www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 

THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL 

2 June 2017

June 2017 



3


4 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 


In this issue 

Cyber Attacks 1 

Murrieta Receives Special Award 1 

Alice Sullivan Wins ‘Riverside County Woman of the Year’ 1 

The Grapeline Celebrates 15 Years in Wine Country 1 

Community 8-13 

The Difference Between a Will and a Trust 14 

Righteous termination 15 

15 Ways for Owners to Maximize Value of Their Businesses 16 

Seeing Things Clearly 16 

Azusa Pacific University Open Houses 18 

Tyson Cleveland Receives April Teachers Are Heroes Award 18 

Seamless Protection for Rideshare Drivers 19 

Construction Starting for New NICU Coming to LLUMC-Murrieta 19 

Five Signs You’re Getting Healthier 20 

The Skinny on Waxing 21 

Functional Training for Clients 50 Years and Older 22 

Southwest Healthcare System Receives Award 23 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Gene Wunderlich“24 

How to Safely Sell Your Car 25 

Cloud Technology: Are All Your Eggs in One Basket? 26 

Arts & Entertainment 27-31 

June ‘17




5





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For questions, comments, or story ideas, please 

e-mail publishertvbj@verizon.net or 

call (951) 461-0400. 

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STAFF WRITERS/ 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Gene Wunderlich 

Ted Saul 

Helen M. Ryan 

Stefani Laszko 

Nicole Albrecht 

Julie Ngo 

Tracey Papke 

Craig Davis 

Tom Plant 

Esther Phahla 

Dr. Dennis Petersen 

Steve Amante 

Jack Brown 

Dr. Derek Albrecht 

Monique deGroot 

Mort Grabel 

Robert Rosenstein 

John Messina 

Andrea Shoop 

Gloria Wolnick 

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Cy Rathbun 

Todd Montgomery 

Kip A. Cothran 

Tom Plant 

Pat Benter 

Criteria for Submitting Articles: 

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public relations feature for our advertisers, 

their articles will be given first priority. Other 

articles will be published on a space available 

basis. 

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photo of the writer is appropriate. 

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6. Article and advertising deadlines are the 15th 

of each month for the next issue. 

The Valley Business Journal is a California Corporation. 

All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or 

in part, without the written permission of the Publisher 

is prohibited. The publication is published monthly. The 

opinions and views expressed in these pages are those 

of the writer or person interviewed and not necessarily 

those of The Valley Business Journal. The Valley Business 

Journal hereby expressly limits its liability resulting 

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running of a corrected advertisement or editorial 

correction notice.




7




The Grapeline 

Celebrates 15 YEARS 

in Wine Country 

When Grapeline Wine Tours opened 

its shuttle doors 15 years ago, there were 

a scant 12 wineries in the Temecula Valley 

and the fledgling tour company had 

just four paid customers on its first day 

of service. 

Today, there are more than 40 wineries 

in the Temecula Valley – with literally 

dozens more in the planning stages. And 

Grapeline, which now operates tours in 

five different California wine regions, 

serves more than 20,000 guests a year. 

“We actually thought we were going 

to run out of money and go out of 

business after the first six weeks,” said 

co-founder Kim Kelliher, who began the 

company in June 2002 with her husband, 

John. “On that first day, we had five shuttles 

running circles around wine country. 

We had spent literally all of our savings 

and retirement funds on start-up costs, 

and no one really showed up.” 

Fortunately, the Kellihers made a 

few changes, the concept caught on, 

and things turned around. In 2004, the 

couple sold a Grapeline franchise into 

the Paso Robles area that later became 

a company branch. In 2006, they started 

Santa Barbara Grapeline. Then growth 

stopped as the economy took a dive, and 

the company had to focus on competing 

in existing locations. 

In recent years, expansion has been 

possible again. The Kellihers opened 

Grapeline Sonoma in 2015 and began 

doing private tours in Napa last year. 

Meanwhile, Grapeline’s sister company, 

Stryder Transportation, also expanded its 

fleet and services this past year. Stryder, 

which was also founded by the Kellihers, 

began offering Temecula Valley brewery 

tours with the launch of the “Stryder 

Brew Cruiser” last month. Grapeline 

and Stryder combined employ about 90 

staff members. 

“We’ve been fortunate to succeed in 

a highly competitive environment where 

there are new companies coming into the 

various wine regions every month,” Kim 

Kelliher said. “We have to keep innovating, 

and we have to provide phenomenal 

customer service. There are a lot of 

options out there.” One concept that has 

helped with customer loyalty is Grapeline’s 

frequent rider program known as 

Club Kay – named after the social media 

voice of Grapeline, Kay Syrah. Members 

earn “cork bucks” every time they ride. 

Then, those bucks can be spent on future 

tours in any of Grapeline’s five locations. 

Club Kay members also get special 

wine-related swag, recognition on tours, 

and discounts. 

Kelliher said the club, which was 

launched less than two years ago, has 

more than a thousand members. “We 

were surprised, initially, how often guests 

came out with us. We thought it would be 

a once a year thing at the most,” Kelliher 

said. “But we have some real regulars 

who come out several times year with 

friends, and they appreciate the special 

treatment and discounts.” 

To celebrate its 15 years in business, 

Grapeline is hosting a “Summer Fizz Fest 

and Anniversary Party” on Sunday, June 

25. The specialty tour will feature eight 

Temecula wineries, each of which will be 

serving a sparkling wine or sangria, along 

with traditional red or white wine paired 

with a small-plate entrée. Of course, a 

ride on the Grapeline is included. “It’s 

delicious food, wine and champagne all 

day long, along with a fun DD so you 

don’t have to worry about a thing,” Kelliher 

said. “What’s not to love about that?” 

Participating wineries include Wilson 

Creek, Vitagliano, Robert Renzoni, 

Oak Mountain, Lorimar, Leoness, Falkner 

and Avensole. Thornton Winery is 

also planning to join the festivities pending 

final approval of its jazz schedule. 

Fizz Fest tickets are available at gogrape.com. 

The package rate is $149, or 

$10 off if booked before June 10. Pickups 

are available at most local hotels and Old 

Town Temecula. Call 951-693-5755 for 

more information or visit gogrape.com. 

Email: kkelliher@gogrape.com w) 951- 

693-5755 c) 951-538-2092. 

To celebrate its 15 years in business, Grapeline is hosting a 

“Summer Fizz Fest and Anniversary Party” on Sunday, June 25.




President’s 

Volunteer 

Lifetime 

Achievement 

Award 

9 

Every year the Corporation for 

National and Community service 

(CNCS), together with the President 

of the United States, presents the 

President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime 

Achievement Award to deeply invested 

community volunteers. These are 

Americans who find time in their busy 

lives to make giving back a priority 

and for whom a very special thanks 

is in order. 

This year, Linda Wunderlich, 

Owner, Publisher & CEO of The Valley 

Business Journal and long-time area 

resident, was recognized with this 

prestigious award. Wunderlich has 

a long history of community service 

and has been recognized as ‘Business 

of the Year’ by both the Temecula and 

Murrieta Chambers of Commerce. 

In 2008, the newspaper was also 

recognized with a California Small 

Business Administration award for 

community service. The Valley Business 

Journal has been the face of business 

in Southwest Riverside County 

for 28 years. 

Wunderlich, who previously 

served as Publisher of The Californian, 

was surprised at the honor, which includes 

a certificate signed by the President 

and a commemorative medallion. 

Wunderlich was astonished by both the 

significance and honor of the award. 

“You don’t get involved in your 

community to receive awards, you do 

it because you love your community, 

you enjoy what you do, and it’s the 

right thing to do. I wouldn’t trade this 

community for any place on earth.” 

According to the CNCS, service 

helps make our nation stronger, smarter, 

and healthier. The agency’s mission is 

to “support the American culture of 

citizenship, service, and responsibility”. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 

the value of volunteer time to be 

$23.56 per hour, and through their service, 

Americans invest billions in their 

local communities—to say nothing of 

the immeasurable impact volunteers 

have on others and the character of their 

communities. 

To thank the volunteers making the 

biggest impact, CNCS partners with 

Certifying Organizations to provide 

Presidential honors for deeply invested 

volunteers. Their annual President’s 

Volunteer Service Award is the premier 

volunteer awards program, encouraging 

citizens to live a life of service through 

presidential gratitude and national recognition. 

This year one of those special 

recognitions was extended to local 

volunteer, Linda Wunderlich 

“You don’t get involved in your community to 

receive awards, you do it because you love 

your community, you enjoy what you do, and 

it’s the right thing to do. I wouldn’t trade this 

community for any place on earth.”




Sheriff Stan Sniff 

Speaker for June 6th, 2017 

Temecula Valley Learning 

Forum 

Stanley Sniff, Jr. has served as the 

13th Sheriff of Riverside County since 

October 2, 2007. He was subsequently 

re-elected in 2014 to a second full 4-year 

term. He is the third Sheriff to also serve 

as Coroner-Public Administrator after 

that Department was merged in 1999. The 

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department 

was created in 1893 and is the third largest 

Sheriff ’s Department in California 

with 4,600 full-time staff and over 1,600 

volunteers. He oversees countywide 

patrol operations, jail operations, court 

security and coroner investigations. The 

department has an operating budget of 

nearly 700 million dollars for the current 

fiscal year. 

Sheriff Sniff has over 4 decades of 

law enforcement experience and is the 

eldest grandson of one of the pioneering 

date and citrus families of the Coachella 

Valley and grew up in the Indio area. His 

father, the late Stan Sr., served 25 years as 

a La Quinta City Councilman. He joined 

the Coachella Police Department in 1975 

after graduation from the San Bernardino 

Sheriff ’s Academy and then transferred 

to the Riverside County Sheriff ’s Department 

in 1979, initially assigned to the Indio 

Station, serving across the Coachella 

Valley. His initial expertise was in traffic 

enforcement and accident investigation 

and he was instrumental in creating the 

department’s very first specialized traffic 

safety programs. He has held subsequent 

assignments in uniformed patrol operations 

in Riverside, the San Gorgonio Pass 

area, and Southwest Riverside County. 

As a Captain he held command 

assignments of the Robert Presley Detention 

Center in Riverside, the Banning 

Sheriff ’s Station and the Ben Clark 

Training Center. 

As a Chief Deputy he held assignments 

over Training and Personnel, East 

and West county patrol operations. 

As an Assistant Sheriff he was 

assigned oversight of all county court 

operations, jail operations and patrol 

operations divisions. 

A retired colonel in the Army Reserve, 

Stanley Sniff was commissioned 

as an Armor officer out of the OCS program 

in 1973 at the U.S. Army Infantry 

School, Fort Benning, GA. He served 30 

years in a variety of military staff and 

command assignments in infantry, armor 

and cavalry units. 

Sheriff Sniff has over 4 decades of law 

enforcement experience and is the eldest grandson 

of one of the pioneering date and citrus 

families of the Coachella Valley




11




WINEormouS Receives 

‘Wine Tour Operator of the Year’ 

from The Luxury Travel Guide 

for Temecula 

WINEormous, a Temecula winery 

tour operator since 2010 has received 

the ‘Wine Tour Operator of the Year’ 

award from the The Luxury Travel Guide 

for Temecula, California. These awards 

represent the pinnacle of hospitality 

achievement, championing the best in 

their respective fields. They pay tribute 

to and commend those who have excelled 

in the industry. This year has seen 

an unprecedented number of shortlisted 

companies, providing strong competition 

in every category. 

All winners of the Luxury Travel 

Guide Awards are subject to the same 

rigorous assessment criteria, carried out 

by Luxury Travel Guide’s in-house professionals. 

This ensures only the most 

deserving firms and individuals walk 

away with one of these prestigious accolades 

and gain a place in their awards 

winners’ guide, which will be distributed 

to over 500,000 professional & affluent 

people worldwide. They have a massive 

sponsorship deal with United Airlines so 

the guide will be found in airport lounges 

worldwide, as well as on cruise ships, 

10,000 hotels, holiday specialists and 

tour providers. 

Founded by Tom Plant in 2009, 

WINEormous began as a food, wine and 

travel blog which continues today. Plant 

is a member and former board member of 

the International Food Wine and Travel 

Writers Association. To learn more about 

his personalized tours, contact him at 

tom@wineormous.com or by phone at 

(951) 907-9701. 

connect: tom@wineormous.com




13 

From left to right: G&M Hire Enterprises Director of Marketing Charlie Hoey, 

Managing Partner Moses Rangel, Area Manager Judy Contreras 

and Managing Partner Gregg Hassler. 

@Work Personnel Services 

and @Backgrounds 

Celebrate Anniversary 

G&M Hire Enterprises, the parent 

company of @Work Personnel Services 

and @Backgrounds Screening, 

announced it reached an important milestone: 

2 years in business. 

In that short time span, partners Moses 

Rangel and Gregg Hassler managed 

to open and grow four successful @ 

Work Personnel locations in Temecula, 

Riverside, Palm Desert and Carlsbad, 

plus @Backgrounds, a well-regarded 

global employment screening company. 

According to the partners, the rapidly 

expanding business started as a result of 

the right people and events converging at 

the right time. 

“I spent more than 22 years in the 

staffing industry making millions for an 

employer that ultimately kicked me to 

the curb,” Hassler said. “In the weeks 

following that stunning day I decided 

to take control of my own future, called 

Moses and we started our plan to set up 

shop as independents,” Hassler said. 

“Letting me go was the best thing they 

could have done for me.” 

Hassler and Rangel brought in 

staffing superstar Judy Contreras and 

marketing expert Charlie Hoey to get the 

business going. The new team toasted 

the future and dove in. Both Hoey and 

Contreras left the relative safety of high 

paying positions for the challenge of 

something new and the freedom to innovate 

from the start. 

“I saw the potential of this company 

from the start, and wanted to be a part of 

it. Gregg, Moses and Judy are a force to 

be reckoned with,” Hoey said. “Only two 

years in, we are well ahead of our original 

growth projections with no signs of slowing. 

We are still gaining momentum.” 

The Temecula branch of @Work 

opened first, quickly earning the @Work 

Group National Franchise award for Fastest 

Growing New Branch. A few months 

later, the partners acquired a location in 

Palm Desert, and soon enough that branch 

also earned the Fastest Growing New 

Branch Award. Carlsbad and Riverside 

followed, with both of those locations 

going full steam ahead. The @Work 

division of the company is currently 

in the top seven of @Work Franchise’s 

100+ locations in terms of revenues – and 

growing fast. 

“The @Work Franchise folks probably 

thought we were a little overconfident, 

but honestly, we were not,” Rangel 

said. “The reality is we started with a 

clear business plan and a strong team, 

each member with their own strengths 

and experience in key aspects of starting 

and managing a business -- sales, 

marketing, operations and community 

involvement.” 

G&M Hire Enterprises credits some 

of its success to its founders’ extensive 

roots in the communities they serve. 

Hassler’s concert and event business, 

Golden Crown Productions, has raised 

hundreds of thousands of dollars for local 

and regional charities over the years. 

“I believe in giving back,” Hassler 

said. “In addition to @Work and @ 

Backgrounds, we are currently working 

on multiple concert events and fundraisers 

for the 2017 Temecula winery 

concert season. In November, we will 

be holding the WCMA (Wine Country 

Music Awards) at Wilson Creek Winery 

to benefit the Temecula Education Foundation 

and its music education programs. 

On June 21st, @Work will host the 

Temecula Chamber of Commerce Mixer 

at their offices off Jefferson Avenue. This 

popular mixer will feature live music, 

food, drink, and great networking. 

“It’s all about cross-marketing!” 

Hassler said jokingly. “But seriously, 

I would like to thank our entire staff 

and management team for believing the 

dream and making the company’s second 

anniversary so meaningful. We could not 

have reached this level of success alone. 

Look out 2017.”




The Difference Between a Will and a Trust, 

and Why a Trust May Be Needed 

Many people have questions 

about the difference between a will 

and a trust, and when a trust may be 

necessary. 

The Basic Facts About Wills - Very 

simply, a will states the wishes of a 

person upon their passing about how 

to distribute their property to heirs. 

The will also names an executor who 

oversees the process of distributing 

assets, as well as nominates a guardian 

to care for minor children. A will 

is only in effect after someone passes. 

If a person’s assets are over 

$150,000 or there is real property 

involved when they pass, the Probate 

Court will be involved. Probate is 

rather lengthy, on average 24 months, 

and expensive: probate fees for a 

conservative estate of $500,000 are 

over $26,000. 

How a Trust is Different from a 

Will - A properly funded living trust 

should avoid any court involvement 

when someone passes. A living trust 

is a more flexible “will substitute” 

which not only provides for asset 

distribution upon passing, but also 

includes instructions if someone 

cannot make financial decisions for 

themselves. 

A trust is not only for the wealthy, 

but for anyone who wants their heirs 

to avoid court involvement and high 

fees, as well as anyone leaving assets 

to a minor child. 

When a trust is established, assets 

are held by you as trustee of your 

trust. Your assets are then managed 

according to your instructions during 

your lifetime and upon passing. Most 

trusts can be amended or revoked 

during your lifetime. A trust based 

estate plan offers a lot of flexibility 

and is widely used. 

If I Already Have a Will, Why 

Would I Need a Trust? Wills go 

through probate court when real 

property is involved or assets exceed 

$150,000. Even if you have will, your 

current circumstances may require 

different estate planning strategies 

that can be accomplished with a trust. 

In addition to the above, a trust 

can assist with: 

• The care of minor children, with 

ongoing support amounts paid from 

the trust 

• To care for individuals with special 

needs, without disrupting government 

benefits 

• Real estate holdings can be managed 

and do not have to be sold 

during unfavorable market conditions 

By speaking to an experienced 

California estate planning attorney, 

you can learn exactly how a trust 

might work for your situation. Contact 

Attorney Andrea Shoup at 951- 

445-4114 to discuss whether a trust 

is right for you. 

If you have questions about wills and 

trusts, please contact Andrea Shoup 

at 951-445-4114. 

A trust is not only for the wealthy, 

but for anyone who wants their 

heirs to avoid court involvement 

and high fees, as well as anyone 

leaving assets to a minor child


Righteous Termination 

Most small business owners in California 

are familiar with the “employment-at-will”1 

doctrine and the “wrongful 

discharge” limitation on it. Most know their 

legal rights to discharge any employee at any 

time, arbitrarily, in a pique, for no reason at 

all, or even for a bad reason—but not for an 

illegal reason. Small business owners, however, 

often do not have a Human Resources 

Department charged with effecting righteous 

terminations. A “righteous termination”2 is 

a discharge that is not merely legal; it is also 

prudent. To accomplish a righteous termination, 

a nondiscriminatory business decision 

to discharge is made after a cost-benefit 

analysis. Then, the act of discharge must then 

be properly planned and executed. 

The Decision 

Just because an Employer has the legal 

right to discharge for a bad reason, or no 

reason, does not mean it is good business 

to do so. Moreover, discharging for an 

illegal motive, thereby becoming exposed 

to the risks of governmental review and 

liability from lawsuits, is simply not prudent. 

Finally, the cost of recruiting, hiring, 

and training a replacement, not to mention 

the damaged employee morale and wasted 

investment, makes the capricious discharge 

of any employee far too expensive to ever be 

confused with good business judgment. So, 

“righteous termination” always begins with 

a sound business decision that the discharge 

is warranted. 

The calculus for deciding whether any 

individual’s employment should be continued 

is easy enough to state: Is it more or 

less likely the Employer’s business will be 

improved overall by the employee’s departure? 

The formula is harder to apply. At the 

very least, the Employer must consider the… 

• Short term effect on productivity if 

employment is terminated 

• Cost of obtaining, installing and training 

a replacement 

Transaction costs (severance, potential litigation, 

charge to unemployment account) 

weighed against… 

• Effect on productivity if employment 

continues 

• Loss of investment already incurred by 

hiring dischargee 

• Cost and likelihood of success of rehabilitating 

the employee 

1. The difference between discharging 

in an “employment at will” situation and 

the “for cause” required by contract is that 

the latter requires the Employer to prove it 

had sufficient cause, while the former does 

not, unless and until the dischargee alleges 

before a government agency or court that 

the Employer’s motivation was illegal, as 

evidenced by the absence of a sufficient 

business reason. 

2. Permanent layoffs and terminations 

caused by reductions of force or plant closures, 

create different problems and are not 

addressed here. 

Sometimes, making the decision is easy. 

Termination is mandated, for example, when 

the individual has engaged in repeated racial 

or sexual harassment. Not only is workforce 

morale already damaged and productivity 

impeded, but also the Employer is vulnerable 

to lawsuits and governmental administrative 

action should it fail to remove the wrongdoer 

from the workplace. In other cases, it may 

not be so easy. But whenever the Employer 

has conducted a cost-benefit analysis3 and 

made a legitimate business judgment that 

the Company would be better off without 

a particular employee, discharge of that 

employee is warranted. 



by David Grabhorn 

Implementing the Decision 

Having made an appropriate decision to 

discharge, it must be implemented properly 

to be a “righteous termination”. Planning and 

preparation are essential, because each case 

involves different personalities interacting 

in a potentially volatile situation. Best practices 

include a checklist for determining: the 

content of the termination statement; the time 

and place of the termination interview; the 

number and identity of Employer representatives 

to be present; and, whether severance 

should be offered or releases sought. In that 

regard: 

• All the necessary forms, final paycheck, 

termination statement, and 

other paperwork should be gathered 

in advance of the termination date. If 

the dischargee engaged in egregious 

misconduct that requires immediate 

removal from the work area, the better 

practice is to “suspend pending completion 

of the investigation”, thereby 

delaying the termination decision 

until the incident can be reviewed and 

preparations completed. 

• Thought should be given to the selection 

of management participants, 

as well as the time and place of the 

termination meeting. Some think it is 

a good practice to schedule the termination 

at the beginning of the shift, 

thereby eliminating possible resentment 

caused by working all day just 

to be fired. It is usually a good idea to 

have the immediate supervisor, a higher-level 

decision maker and an attorney 

conduct the termination meeting in a 

private office where they can present a 

short, conclusory written statement of 

termination, provide the final paycheck 

(including pay for that day) and other 

required notifications. 

• If the cost-benefit analysis revealed 

any grounds upon which the dischargee 

might base a wrongful discharge 

claim, the Employer might negotiate 

for a waiver of claims in exchange 

for a small severance settlement. That 

should not be attempted until after the 

final paycheck has been delivered, but 

before the end of the meeting. 

Each step is fraught with legal peril, 

and the Employer will usually benefit from 

the assistance of legal counsel. In any case, 

when the termination is: (1) properly motivated, 

(2) based on sound business judgment, 

and (3) carefully implemented—so that the 

workflow is not disrupted and the 

3. Remember the cost-benefit analysis 

involves considering potential litigation, so a 

decision to fire an older worker, or one with a 

disability, only because a younger, healthier 

replacement might be more efficient would 

be illegal, and therefore not be prudent. 

Dischargee leaves without any unnecessary 

resentment—it is a “righteous termination”. 

It is much cheaper than defending a lawsuit. 

David Grabhorn is a top-level Labor and 

Employment attorney with Messina & 

Hankin. He came to the Firm after an extensive 

career in the labor movement, during 

which he successfully chaired literally hundreds 

of collective bargaining negotiations 

throughout the United States. He has handled 

“wrongful termination” cases for both 

employers and employees and “for cause” 

terminations in union environments, as well 

as guiding employers through the termination 

process when waivers and severance 

packages may be needed. 

15




15 Ways for Owners to Maximize the 

Value of Their Business 

Sunbelt Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions 

Seeing Things Clearly 

by 

Laurel Miller 

When you hear the words “Glass 

Doctor,” what do you think of? Broken 

windows and windshields, likely. What 

would you say if I told you there was 

much, much more to the Glass Doctor 

in Murrieta? Read on, you might be 

surprised. 

Glass Doctor specializes in custom 

solutions for your home or business. Do 

you have an heirloom or valuable table 

that you’d like to protect? They do that, 

with tabletop glass protectors. Have you 

thought about adding glass panels to 

your kitchen or office cabinets? They do 

that, too. What about a bathroom remodel 

with textured glass shower doors and 

memorable hardware? A steam shower 

and glass separation wall? Yes, that too. 

What about a grand entrance to your 

home? Maybe custom sidelights or door 

panels for your entry door? Customized 

mirrors in your bathroom, gym 

or closet? Get rid of that tacky doggie 

door insert panel in your sliding door, 

and let Glass Doctor install a doggie 

door directly into the door itself. You 

get the idea. Anything you can thing of 

involving glass, Glass Doctor in Murrieta 

can help you with. And much of the 

upgrading will add value to your home. 

Too much bright, hot sun through 

your current windows? Consider upgrading 

to “low-e” panes, where only 

the glazed glass portion of your window 

is replaced, leaving the existing frame 

and trim as-is, without damage to interior 

or exterior surfaces. This would help 

to reduce your energy costs. 

Glass Doctor also does indeed help 

out with broken windows and cracked 

windshields! In fact, every Saturday, 

they run a cash special from 8am-1pm 

- $35 will get you a windshield chip 

repair, no appointment needed. Glass 

Doctor also does full windshield replacement 

and other automotive glass 

repairs. The repair staff are certified 

and continuously undergo training to 

keep them on the cutting edge of new 

products and technology. 

Stop by and check out Glass Doctor’s 

new, expanded office space in 

Murrieta, at 26019 Jefferson Ave., Ste 

E. You will be glad you did, because 

they “fix your panes.” (951) 239-3381. 

http://www.glassdoctor.com/murrieta/ 

FINANCIAL 

by D. Joe Atchison 

1. Drive revenues up and, more importantly, 

maximize Seller’s Discretionary 

Earnings. Secure new customers 

and alliances; add new products, 

services and channels of distribution. 

2. Diversify as much as possible and 

reduce customer concentration. 

3. Maintain a thorough set of financial 

records, including timely monthly 

financial statements. Report all cash 

revenues. 

4. Build and document an appropriate 

management organization with managers 

having authority as well as 

responsibility. 

5. Create/upgrade a high quality website 

– ideally with customer ability 

to order on line. 

6. Lower costs. Negotiate better terms 

with suppliers and have second 

sources for all critical products and 

services. Replace under-performing 

employees. 

7. Thoroughly understand your facility 

lease and renegotiate the terms and 

conditions if possible. Understand 

the lease assumption provisions and 

process. 

8. Develop/update a comprehensive 

procedures manual. 

9. Upgrade the HR function with accurate 

employee personnel files containing 

resumes, applications, performance reviews, 

I-9’s, etc. Avoid “independent 

contractor” arrangements with persons 

that are really “employees.” 

10. Develop and document upside potential. 

11. Resolve any disputes and lawsuits. 

12. Attend to deferred maintenance issues. 

Curb appeal is important. 

13. Create a business sales team with an 

experienced attorney, knowledgeable 

CPA and an knowledgeable business 

broker. 

14. Learn what the tax effect will be on 

the sale of your company. 

15. Work hard as the most important determinate 

of your business’ value is the 

trend of its revenues, margins, Seller’s 

Discretionary Earnings and, most 

importantly, the current year’s yearto-date 

financial results compared to 

the same period of the prior year. 

D. Joe Atchison, CBI, CBB, CMMBI, 

CPA- inactive, MBA – Finance (951) 678- 

5671 j.atchison@sunbeltnetwork.com 

Financial Accounting Services 

Relocating June 1st 

Financial Accounting Services Inc. (FAS) has announced plans 

to relocate effective June 1, 2017. We are not moving far but we 

are moving to a larger space with a first-floor access. Both of which 

are needed to better serve our growing client base. 

FAS will begin operations from the KDM Building at 41635 

Enterprise Circle North Suite A-on the same side of the street and 

just a short distance from our current location. 

The new office space will be twice as large and provide plenty 

of easy access parking. 

We are very excited about this and plan to celebrate our new 

home with an open house on July 20, 2017 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 

pm. We will have our ribbon cutting at 4:00 pm. 

We would consider it an honor if you could plan to join us! 

Share your news with us 

on Facebook




Your Local Chambers 

17 

Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce 

www.temecula.org 

Murrieta Chamber of Commerce 

www.murrietachamber.org 

EVMWD Receives Recognition for 

Excellence in Financial Reporting 

District achievement demonstrates exceptional displays of 

transparency and communications. 

At a recent board meeting, Elsinore Valley 

Municipal Water District (EVMWD) received 

the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence 

in Financial Reporting for the Comprehensive 

Annu al Financial Report (CAFR) from the 

Government Finance Officers Association of 

the United States and Canada (GFOA). 

This recognition is the highest form of acknowledgement 

in governmental and financial 

reporting. It is given to agencies demonstrating 

exceptional financial transparency and communication. 

Less than 10% of special districts in 

the State of Calif. are recipients of this award, 

which is judged by an impartial panel to meet 

the high standards. EVMWD has received the 

recognition for 24 consecutive years. 

“EVMWD is honored to, once again, have 

been recognized in the top tier of financial 

reporting,” said Harvey Ryan, president of the 

EVMWD board of directors. “With fine attention 

to detail and dedication to excellence, the 

finance team continually displays our commitment 

to transparent reporting to our customers.” 

The GFOA is a non-profit organization 

founded in 1906 to represent public finance 

officials throughout the U.S. and Canada. The 

CAFR includes audited financial statements 

and notes, an independent auditors report, an 

analytical overview of EVMWD’s financial 

activities, and information about EVMWD. 

EVMWD provides service to more than 

144,000 water, wastewater and agricultural 

customers in a 96-square-mile area in Western 

Riverside County. The District is a sub-agency 

of Western Municipal Water District and a 

member agency of Metropolitan Water District 

of Southern California. 

Visit the EVMWD website at www.evmwd.com 

for additional information. 

Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce 

www.menifeevalleychamber.com 

Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber 

www.lakeelsinorechamber.com 

Hemet/San Jacinto Valley 

Chamber of Commerce 

www.hsjvc.com 

See how the chambers can help your business. 

(From L to R) Board Director Andy Morris, Maria Melendez (staff member), Natalee Dee (staff member), Elena 

Estelle (staff member), Maureen Palmese (staff member), Board Director Nancy Horton, Board President 

Harvey Ryan, Teri Cardoza (staff member), Board Director George Cambero, Gail Hansen (staff member), 

Jon Moore (staff member), Assistant General Manager Robert Hartwig, and Claire Logue (staff member).




Azusa Pacific University Open House and Information 

Meeting: Bachelor Degrees in Psychology & Criminal 

Justice - Master’s Degrees in Business 

Make your next career move! Come 

start the conversation about finishing 

your bachelor’s degree in Psychology 

or Criminal Justice or starting your 

master degree in Business. Azusa Pacific 

University’s (APU) Murrieta Regional 

Campus is hosting a free Open House 

and Information Meeting on Tuesday, 

June 27, 2017, from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm 

at 40508 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, 

Murrieta (to the right of Sam’s Club). 

The event will include: 

• Presentations by APU faculty, military 

services outreach and financial aid 

• Campus tour 

• Complimentary light dinner 

• Raffle prizes 

The benefit of APU Murrieta is that 

students living or working in the Inland 

Empire can earn a degree from APU right 

in their backyard! 

• APU offers degree programs that are 

non-impacted along with rolling enrollment 

that allows students to enroll 

at six different start times throughout 

the year 

• Accelerated programs allows students 

to finish their degree faster 

• Convenient scheduling with classes 

just one or two nights per week 

• Classes offered face-to-face and fully 

online in some programs 

• Classes become a community with 

fewer students per class; individuals 

can connect more closely with their 

peers and instructors 

• Tuition discounts are available for 

qualifying applicants 

Attention to excellence has earned 

APU notable accreditations including: 

• Western Association of Schools and 

Colleges Senior College and University 

Commission (WSCUS) 

• American Psychological Association 

(APA) 

• International Assembly for Collegiate 

Business Education (IACBE) 

• Candidate school in the Association 

to Advance Collegiate Schools of 

Business (AACSB) 

APU is a leading Christian university 

and continues to be recognized annually 

among the nation’s best colleges by U.S. 

News & World Report and The Princeton 

Review. APU is a Yellow Ribbon 

University, Military Friendly School, 

and Best for Vets College. The APU 

Murrieta Regional Campus is proud to 

be a part of Southwest Riverside County 

for over 30 years. 

The June 27th Open House and Information 

Meeting is for adults and their 

guests (age 18+). If you have questions 

or would like to RSVP please call (951) 

304-3400. To learn more about APU 

and these programs visit www.apu.edu/ 

murrieta. 

connect: www.apu.edu/murrieta 

Temecula Teacher Tyson Cleveland Receives April Teachers are Heroes Award 

Outstanding teachers are our 

heroes! Mr. Tyson Cleveland, beloved 

teacher at Chaparral High 

School in Temecula, is among one 

of the dedicated teachers who make 

learning fun. On Tuesday, May 2nd, 

representatives from Azusa Pacific 

University (APU) and KATY 101.3 

The Mix, honored the final recipient 

for the 2016-2017 Teachers Are Heroes 

program. 

Cleveland was presented with 

the April Teachers are Heroes Award 

along with some nice prizes. Nicole 

Dayus, Chaparral High School Principal, 

all five Chaparral Assistant 

Principals, administrative staff, and 

Cleveland’s students were part of the 

celebration. The award presentation 

concluded with a pizza party from 

The Pizza Factory in Temecula. 

Cleveland was nominated by 

Andrea Leon, one of his students who 

said about him, “My teacher isn’t a 

cookie cutter type of superhero, he 

tells us that we need to find our independence 

so that we stand out in the 

world. Cleveland tells us we have a 

chance at changing the future.” 

Cleveland has been teaching social 

science (history) for 16 years, including 

AP US History and Comparative World 

Religion. In addition to teaching, 

Cleveland is Chaparral’s Water Polo 

Coach. He got his first start as a band 

teacher, as he played the trumpet in 

elementary school! 

Mr. Cleveland and previous Teachers 

are Heroes award recipients, including 

their students and families, will 

attend a special celebration held at 

the Lake Elsinore Storm Stadium on 

May 24, 2017.




Seamless Protection for Rideshare Drivers 

INSURANCE 

by 

Craig Davis 

Generally, your personal auto insurance 

policy wasn’t designed to provide 

you with coverage when you are working 

as a rideshare driver with companies like 

Uber. And, rideshare companies’ full 

commercial liability coverage doesn’t 

apply until you accept a ride. With Farmers 

Rideshare, you can avoid a potential gap 

in coverage by extending your personal 

auto insurance coverage when you are 

logged in and waiting to be matched with 

your next rider. 

What gap? 

Doesn’t the rideshare company’s insurance 

policy cover me when I’m working? 

When you log in to the rideshare company’s 

app, you may only be covered by 

the rideshare company’s limited liability 

coverage until you accept a ride and their 

full commercial liability coverage applies. 

While you are waiting to be matched with 

your next rider, their policy generally only 

provides limited liability coverage footer 

note* for medical expenses and damage 

you cause to others if an accident is your 

fault. Damage to you or your car are not 

typically covered by this policy. You could 

19 

be faced with a serious coverage gap that 

would require you to pay for damages out 

of your own pocket. 

Doesn’t my personal auto insurance 

policy cover me? 

Probably not. Many personal auto insurance 

providers exclude coverage when 

you are using your vehicle as a rideshare 

driver. 

What does Farmers Rideshare cover? 

Farmers Rideshare extends your personal 

auto insurance coverage through 

Period 1 until you accept a ride and the 

rideshare company’s full commercial 

liability coverage applies in Periods 2 & 

3. This policy enables you to select the 

coverage that fits your needs, including: 

• Comprehensive and collision coverages 

that pay for damages to your car 

• Uninsured motorist coverage, in case 

you are hit by a driver who isn’t insured 

or is underinsured 

• Medical payment and personal injury 

protection (if required) 

Farmers Rideshare coverage ends 

when you accept a ride. The rideshare 

company’s full commercial liability coverage 

applies until that ride exits your car. 

Farmers Rideshare once again applies until 

you accept your next ride. 

Craig Davis is an agent for Farmers 

Insurance and the owner of Craig Davis 

Family Insurance located at 27645 Jefferson, 

Suite 113, in Temecula. He may 

be reached at (951) 699-1776. cdavis@ 

farmersagent.com 

Construction Starting for New NICU Coming to Loma Linda 

University Medical Center – Murrieta this Autumn 

Level II neonatal intensive-care unit will offer care for premature infants born after 32 weeks gestation, allow 

parents to stay with baby overnight. 

Construction has begun on Loma 

Linda University Medical Center 

- Murrieta’s upcoming neonatal intensive-care 

unit (NICU), which is 

scheduled to open this autumn and add 

to the hospital’s complete delivery care 

for new parents. 

The six-bed facility will be a Level 

II NICU, enabling hospital staff to take 

care of the most common problems that 

can occur with premature infants born 

at or after 32 weeks gestation. Hospital 

medical officers said approximately 5 to 

10 percent of all babies need additional 

post-delivery care that a NICU can provide, 

such as short-term mechanical ventilation, 

treatment for jaundice, help with 

feeding, or treatment with antibiotics. 

The new NICU will feature private 

rooms and allow parents to stay overnight 

in the same room as their baby, 

a unique feature that isn’t currently 

offered by providers in the area and is 

one of the top factors in helping NICU 

babies recover more rapidly, said, 

Raylene Phillips, MD, co-director of 

neonatology at Loma Linda University 

Medical Center – Murrieta. 

“It’s well known that babies have 

significant stress when separated from 

their mother because they’re still so 

psychologically connected,” Phillips 

said. “Our new NICU will allow us to keep 

the family and baby together, which will 

reduce stress for parents, and especially 

our newborn patients.” 

Hospital executives said infants needing 

an even higher level of care — such 

as those with congenital heart defects or 

other surgical candidates — will have 

direct access to Loma Linda University 

Children’s Hospital, which has a Level 

IV NICU and access to the highest levels 

of expertise. 

Loma Linda University Medical 

Center – Murrieta already offers labor and 

delivery support, a skin-to-skin bonding 

program following delivery, and a lactation 

clinic. 

Murrieta’s NICU is scheduled to 

open this autumn, after construction has 

completed and licensing requirements 

have been secured from appropriate state 

agencies. 

“We’re pleased to be adding this Level 

II NICU to our complete delivery care 

services,” said Peter Baker, JD, MBA, 

administrator of Loma Linda University 

Medical Center – Murrieta. “Our goal is 

to keep Southwest Riverside County-area 

newborns who may need additional 

care closer to their moms throughout the 

post-delivery care process. We’ll provide 

expectant families the comfort and assurance 

that their child will receive the 

best medicine has to offer, no matter the 

situation.” 

About Loma Linda University Medical 

Center - Murrieta - Located in Southern 

California’s Southwest Riverside County, 

LLUMC – Murrieta is a 106-bed 

hospital that serves the communities of 

Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Canyon 

Lake, Wildomar and Lake Elsinore. 

LLUMC-Murrieta is a part of Loma 

Linda University Health—the umbrella 

organization encompassing Loma Linda 

University’s eight professional schools, 

Loma Linda University Medical Center’s 

six hospitals, and more than 900 faculty 

physicians located across the Inland 

Empire in Southern California. A Seventh-day 

Adventist organization, Loma 

Linda University Health is a faith-based 

health system with a mission “to continue 

the teaching and healing ministry of 

Jesus Christ.”




If you’re not losing 

weight, does that 

mean you aren’t 

getting fit? Absolutely 

not! In fact, this might 

be a sign that you’re 

simply putting on more 

muscle tissue as you 

burn fat. There are 

other signs that you’re 

getting healthier. 

We all know that exercise is a vital 

component of a healthy lifestyle. Yet, 

most people don’t think much about 

exercise unless they’re actively trying 

to lose weight. So, whether you’re following 

a weight loss plan or just trying 

to take care of yourself, you might feel 

perplexed if you’re exercising regularly 

and yet the number on the scale 

doesn’t budge. 

If you’re not losing weight, does 

that mean you aren’t getting fit? Absolutely 

not! In fact, this might be a sign 

that you’re simply putting on more 

muscle tissue as you burn fat. Other 

signs that you’re getting healthier 

include: 

You Feel More Energetic. 

Exercise is one of the best fatigue 

fighters. In fact, people who exercise 

regularly might notice that they 

experience fewer of those annoying 

afternoon energy crashes. 

Your Exercise Routine Feels Easier. 

Alternately, other daily tasks 

might also feel less strenuous to you. 

You might notice that you no longer 

get winded from climbing a few 

flights of stairs, or that bringing in 

the groceries doesn’t feel like such 

an arduous task anymore. As you get 

healthier, your stamina increases. 

You’re Eating Less. 

This seems counter-intuitive, 

because exercise should make you 

hungry, right? But a regular exercise 

routine can actually decrease your 

hunger hormones, so that you experience 

fewer cravings throughout 

the day. 

You Feel Happier. 

Research has repeatedly demonstrated 

a link between regular exercise 

and improved mood. You might feel 

more positive about life in general, 

or experience less anxiety over daily 

stress factors. 

You’re Achieving Goals. 

It’s a good idea to set benchmark 

goals for your exercise routine, so you 

can track your personal health improvement. 

You might see that you’re 

lifting more weight at the gym, able 

to perform more repetitions, or can 

add miles to your daily walk or run. 

Of course, the best way to assess 

your personal health is to keep up 

with your annual physicals. Schedule 

an appointment with your doctor, so 

you can be screened for conditions 

such as high blood pressure, heart 

disease, and diabetes. If you’ve been 

exercising regularly, your doctor will 

probably be able to see a difference! 

Steve Amante is the owner of Amante 

& Associates Insurance Solutions, 

Inc. He can be reached at 951-676- 

8800 - www.amanteandassociates. 

com 

Healthy 

Living 

by presented by 

Tina Steve M. Amante Gottlieb, D.C. 

connect: www.amanteandassociates.com


The Skinny on Waxing 

Healthy 

Living 

by 

Tina Monique M. Gottlieb, deGroot D.C. 

Most people get rid of unwanted 

hair via shaving with expensive razors. 

It seems to be a quick fix and is virtually 

painless. Though shaving is a fast, cheap, 

easy solution for hair removal, waxing 

thrives in spas and salons and continues 

to be a very popular service. Why is that? 

One of the best benefits of waxing is 

that it leaves the skin stubble free. Another 

great benefit is that it removes dry and 

dead skin cells along with the unwanted 

hair. Waxing also lasts longer than shaving 

because is removes the hair from the 

roots whereas shaving just removes hair 

at the surface. In addition, waxing makes 

the hair grow slower and finer and makes 

your skin feel smoother longer. 

Shaving can cause the tips of hairs 

to become sharp and may prevent hairs 

from properly exiting the skin causing 

ingrown hairs. Though ingrown hair can 

occur with any type of hair removal they 

are less likely with waxing. If you’ve 

ever had an ingrown hair you know 



they’re not the cutest (don’t Google it) 

and painful. So you want to do whatever 

you can to avoid them. Here are some tips 

on how to do just that: 

• Apply an exfoliating scrub in the 

shower 24 hours before your waxing 

service. Then adopt a daily exfoliating 

regimen in between each waxing 

service to remove dead skin as the 

hair grows. 

• Apply an ingrown hair serum to fight 

and prevent future ingrown hairs. A 

serum will also calm the recently 

waxed area and reduce inflammation 

and redness. 

• Apply a calming lotion designed to 

be applied after waxing services. This 

will nourish skin and help it keep a 

soft, supple, and healthy appearance. 

With waxing becoming even more 

popular during the summer months we 

have just developed an amazing waxing 

care kit in our MDS Skin Care line. It 

includes our Buff Exfoliating Scrub, 

Smooth Ingrown-No-More Serum, and 

Soothe Recovery Lotion. It’s important 

that wherever you choose to get your 

waxing that you pick up a maintenance 

kit to help protect the waxed area and 

give you the best results. 

Monique deGroot is the owner of Murrieta 

Day Spa which is located at 41885 

Ivy St. in Murrieta. 

21 

“In addition, waxing makes the hair grow slower and finer and 

makes your skin feel smoother longer”




Functional Training for Clients 50 Years 

and Older 

by Steven Gutierrez 

As we age, flexibility, strength and 

balance naturally start to waver and 

without addressing these issues through 

proper physical conditioning we can find 

ourselves doing less in life. With over 10 

years of experience in the fitness industry, 

I special in functional training for clients 

50 years of age and older. My goal as a 

personal training specialist is improving 

the quality of life of every client I work 

with and I let you, the client, define 

what that means - you tell me what your 

goals are and I will be your roadmap to 

achieving them. My programs consist 

of strength, balance, core, flexibility and 

cardiovascular training to achieve optimal 

health and wellness. 

One of the main aspects of 

my training program is balance 

training. Balance is an area of 

physical fitness that is often 

overlooked, even though it is 

the cause of many accidents that 

lead to injury, such as falling. 

Through my balance training 

program you will increase body 

awareness by safely practicing 

real life functional movements 

that cause instability. Through 

systematic training you will 

teach your muscular system and 

central nervous system how to 

react in a safe and appropriate 

manner when faced with movements 

or situations that may otherwise 

result in injury. The result 

is increased balance, strength 

and confidence when performing 

day-to-day activities. 

In conjunction with physical training, 

I work on building relationships with my 

clients that are based on mutual trust, 

accountability and openness. I will teach 

you how to gain control over your health 

through techniques that are not overwhelming 

or intimidating. If you have a 

desire to improve your health and would 

likely try an approach that is proven to 

work, I would be more than happy to 

meet you in person so we can get you on 

the road to a healthier you! 

Stevengtzinc@gmail.com (951) 595- 

5573 www.truestrengthandconditioning. 

com 

A Family’s Journey to Thrift Store Success 

Things We Love Thrift Store recently 

opened in the heart of Old Town Murrieta. 

Our journey began with my mom’s dream 

of wanting to open a thrift store and me 

being able to stay home with my kids after 

giving birth to my second son and being 

able to help her. 

Our family came together researching 

business requirements, finding a store 

front, attending auctions to gather inventory, 

buying and building shelving units to 

put our store together. April 1st marked 

the beginning of an exciting new chapter 

for our family. It was the most thrilling 

and scariest thing we had done yet. 

Things We Love Thrift Store is 

a family owned and operated thrift 

store offering a boutique style atmosphere 

at thrift store prices; such 

as a women’s shirt for $3.99, men’s 

pants for $5.00 and home decorations 

as little as $1.00. Our Inventory 

consists of a wide assortment of 

clothes for the entire family, home 

decorations, sporting goods, jewelry, 

vintage items and collectibles. All of 

our items are purchased by one of the 

family members ensuring the items 

are pre-loved but in great condition. 

We are located in the Murrieta 

Plaza, 248710 Washington Avenue, 

Ste 4 in Murrieta. Our business 

hours are Monday – Saturday 

10:00am-6:00pm. Come visit us to 

find something you will fall in love 

with.




23 

Southwest Healthcare System 

Receives ‘Get with The Guidelines - 

Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement 

Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll’ 

Amy Alonso, Regional Director of Quality and Systems 

Improvement for the American Heart Association, 

presents award to Stephanie Bricker, Southwest 

Healthcare Stroke Coordinator, and hospital leadership team. 

American Heart Association 

Award recognizes Inland Valley 

Medical Center and Rancho Springs 

Medical Center’s commitment to 

quality stroke care. 


which operates Inland Valley Medical 

Center and Rancho Springs 

Medical Center received the American 

Heart Association/American 

Stroke Association’s Get with The 

Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality 

Achievement Award with Target: 

StrokeSM Honor Roll. 

To qualify for the Target: Stroke 

Honor Roll, hospitals must meet 

quality measures developed to reduce 

the time between the patient’s arrival 

at the hospital and treatment with the 

clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, 

or tPA, the only drug approved by 

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

to treat ischemic stroke. 

“This recognition further demonstrates 

our commitment to delivering 

advanced stroke treatments to patients 

quickly and safely,” said Brad 

Neet, CEO. “Southwest Healthcare 

continues to strive for excellence in 

the acute treatment of stroke patients. 

The recognition from the American 

Heart Association/American Stroke 

Association’s Get with The Guidelines-Stroke 

further reinforces our 

team’s hard work.” 

Southwest Healthcare System has 

also met specific scientific guidelines 

as a Primary Stroke Center, featuring 

a comprehensive system for rapid 

diagnosis and treatment of stroke 

patients admitted to the emergency 

department. 

“The American Heart Association 

and American Stroke Association recognize 


for its commitment to stroke care,” 

said Paul Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., 

national chairman of the Get with 

The Guidelines Steering Committee 

and Professor of Medicine at Stanford 

University. “Research has shown there 

are benefits to patients who are treated 

at hospitals that have adopted the Get 

with The Guidelines program.” 

Southwest Healthcare System - 

Rancho Springs Medical Center in 

Murrieta features the region’s largest 

birthing center and only NICU operated 

by Rady Childrens, an OB Physician 

on-site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 

and ER pediatric services for children 

14 and younger. Inland Valley Medical 

Center in Wildomar features the only 

Level II Trauma Center in the region, a 

comprehensive Total Joint Center and 

a Center of Excellence for Bariatric 

Weight-loss Surgery. www.swhealthcaresystem.com 

About Get with The Guidelines® - Get 

with The Guidelines® is the American 

Heart Association/American Stroke 

Association’s hospital-based quality 

improvement program that provides 

hospitals with tools and resources to 

increase adherence to the latest research-based 

guidelines. Developed 

with the goal of saving lives and hastening 

recovery, Get with The Guidelines 

has touched the lives of more than 

6 million patients since 2001. For more 

information, visit heart.org.




Temecula Valley Hospital Receives ‘Get with The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality 

Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite’ 

American Heart Association recognizes Temecula Valley Hospital’s commitment to quality stroke care 

Temecula Valley Hospital received 

the American Heart Association/American 

Stroke Association’s Get with The 

Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality 

Achievement Award with Target: Stroke SM 

Honor Roll Elite. The award recognizes 

the hospital’s commitment to providing 

the most appropriate stroke treatment 

according to nationally recognized, research-based 

guidelines based on latest 

scientific evidence. 

Hospitals must achieve 85 percent 

or higher adherence to all Get with The 

Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators 

for two or more consecutive 12-month 

periods and achieve 75 percent or higher 

compliance with five of eight Get with 

The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures 

to receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement 

Award. 

To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor 

Roll Elite, hospitals must meet quality 

measures developed to reduce the time 

between the patient’s arrival at the hospital 

and treatment with the clot-buster tissue 

plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only 

drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If 

given intravenously in the first three hours 

after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has 

been shown to significantly reduce the 

effects of stroke and lessen the chance of 

permanent disability. 

Temecula Valley Hospital earned 

the award by meeting specific quality 

achievement measures for the diagnosis 

and treatment of stroke patients at a set 

level for a designated period. 

These quality measures are designed 

to help hospital teams follow the most upto-date, 

evidence-based guidelines with 

goal of speeding recovery and reducing 

death and disability for stroke patients. 

“A stroke patient loses 1.9 million 

neurons each minute stroke treatment is 

delayed. This recognition further demonstrates 

our commitment to delivering 

advanced stroke treatments to patients 

quickly and safely,” said Darlene Wetton, 

Chief Executive Officer, Temecula Valley 

Hospital. “Temecula Valley Hospital 

continues to strive for excellence in the 

acute treatment of stroke patients. The 

recognition from the American Heart Association/American 

Stroke Association’s 

Get with The Guidelines-Stroke further 

reinforces our team’s hard work.” 

Temecula Valley Hospital has also 

earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal 

of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American 

Stroke Association’s 

Heart-Check mark for Advanced Primary 

Stroke Center Certification for our commitment 

to stroke and neurological care. 

As a designated Stroke Receiving Center 

for both Riverside and San Diego counties, 

our dedicated stroke program helps foster 

better outcomes for stroke patients in the 

surrounding areas. 

“The American Heart Association and 

American Stroke Association recognize 

Temecula Valley Hospital for its commitment 

to stroke care,” said Paul Heidenreich, 

M.D., M.S., national chairman 

of the Get with The Guidelines Steering 

Committee and Professor of Medicine at 

Stanford University. “Research has shown 

there are benefits to patients who are treated 

at hospitals that have adopted the Get 

with The Guidelines program.” 

Get with The Guidelines puts the expertise 

of American Heart Association and 

American Stroke Association to work for 

hospitals nationwide, helping hospital care 

teams ensure the care provided to patients 

is aligned with the latest research-based 

guidelines. Developed with the goal to 

save lives and improve recovery time, Get 

with The Guidelines® has impacted more 

than 3 million patients since 2003. 

About Temecula Valley Hospital: 

Temecula Valley Hospital, located at 

31700 Temecula Parkway brings advanced 

technology, innovative programs 

and patient-centered, family sensitive care 

to area residents. The hospital features 

140 private patient rooms, 24 hours a day 

emergency care, advanced cardiac and 

stroke care, orthopedics, general medical 

care and surgical specialties. For more 

information on Temecula Valley Hospital, 

visit www.temeculavalleyhospital.com. 

About Get with The Guidelines® 

Get with The Guidelines® is the American 

Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s 

hospital-based quality improvement 

program that provides hospitals with 

tools and resources to increase adherence 

to the latest research-based guidelines. 

Developed with the goal of saving lives 

and hastening recovery, Get with The 

Guidelines has touched the lives of more 

than 6 million patients since 2001. For 

more information, visit heart.org. 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Gene Wunderlich 

Gene Wunderlich has lived in Murrieta 

for 28 years. In addition to his real estate 

and legislative activities, Gene is most often 

heard across the community as the voice 

behind many community events. 

My family moved to Murrieta in 1989 from Scottsdale, 

AZ. Working for a Fortune 500 Information 

Management company, I transferred to manage 

offices in Los Angeles and San Diego. Murrieta 

seemed like a good midway point and the small 

town atmosphere, the architecture and affordable 

homes made this city a natural fit. At the time 

there were about 22,000 citizens in Murrieta and, 

while we have seen it grow fivefold, the area 

still retains its small town charm, a great quality 

of life and the continued opportunity to make a 

difference. 

Affiliations 

I currently serve as Vice Chair of the Board of 

Governors for Southwest Healthcare, a Director 

of the Murrieta Temecula Group and President of 

The Temecula Valley Players, a resident theater 

company at the Old Town Temecula Community 

Theater. I work as an advocate on behalf of real 

estate, property rights and business issues as Vice 

President of Government Affairs for the Southwest 

Riverside County Association of Realtors®, and 

Legislative Liaison for the Southwest California 

Legislative Council. I am also an active volunteer 

and/or Director with both the California and National 

Associations of Realtors®. 

Business Philosophy 

For me, life and business is all about NEXT! You 

have to keep moving forward. Things happen that 

will rain on your dreams and laugh at your plans. 

Learn from the good times, learn more from the bad, 

adjust if need be, and proceed. You’re never too old 

to reinvent. NEXT! 

Resume 

I spent 20 years in the data processing / information 

management industry. Data processing used to be 

done on huge mainframe computers with dozens of 

spinning tape reels and little ‘dumb’ terminals hardwired 

in. I escaped that industry as it was crashing 

because a $2,000 desk top could outperform a $12 

million dollar room full of wires. NEXT! Jumped 

into local real estate in 1994 just before housing 

tanked. NEXT! Got to be part of the growth, the 

formation of local cities, the school districts, the 

Chambers and raising children here. I’ve served 

as Chair of the Murrieta Chamber and the SRCAR 

Board of Realtors. I’ve been involved in local 

government for the past 20 years and was briefly 

appointed to the Murrieta City Council in 2016 to 

fill a vacancy. I can occasionally be seen on stage 

as some minor and forgettable character in an otherwise 

stellar production. 

Favorite Things 

I’m originally from Telluride, Colorado, and own a 

home there that has been in my family since 1908. 

We love to spend time there in the summer when the 

high temp will hover around 75°. In 1955 my Dad 

built a cabin on Trout Lake which is about 12 miles 

out of town and it’s hard to beat that. Family events, 

grandkid things and the view from my backyard 

make local life good. 

Birthplace 

Grand Junction, Colorado. 

Gene Wunderlich


How to Safely Sell Your Car 

AUTO 

by by 

Julie Steve Ngo Fillingim 

Choosing to sell your car on your 

own instead of to a dealership can be 

a good deal — especially if your car 

has high value. Follow these tips for 

conducting a safe transaction. 

Choose a Sales Process - You can 

use newspaper ads and/or various online 

services to post photos and a description 

of your car. Some services, like CarMax, 

purchase your vehicle and resell it for 

you, and others, like Auto Trader, allow 

you to buy ad space to help sell your car. 

Another option includes listing your car 

on local classifieds sites. Regardless of 

how you choose to sell your car, always 

watch out for scammers. 

Find a Good Buyer - Speak with 

serious buyers over the phone to help 

gauge their interest, discuss their payment 

plan and set up a test drive. Kelley 

Blue Book recommends not selling to an 



out-of-state buyer, as it’s often safer to 

sell your car to someone who can meet 

you in person. 

Host a Safe Test Drive - Once 

you’ve found a potential buyer, schedule 

a test drive. Follow these tips: 

• Never go on a test drive alone — ask 

a friend to join you. 

• Schedule the test drive during the day. 

• Meet the driver in a populated area. 

• Check the buyer’s license and proof 

of insurance before they get behind 

the wheel. 

The test drive is not the time to take 

payment, but you can negotiate a price. 

Tip: List your car for a slightly 

higher price, but keep your bottom line 

price in mind as you negotiate suggests 

Consumer Reports. 

Manage a Secure Transaction - 

The safest place to exchange payment 

is at the buyer’s bank. Don’t sign or 

hand over the vehicle title to the buyer 

until you have received the agreed-upon 

payment in full. 

Julie Ngo is a State Farm Insurance 

Agent located at 28410 Old Town Front 

Street in Temecula. She can be reached 

at (951) 695-2625. 

25 

Water, Flood, Fire, Smoke, Mold Damage? 

With Pulido you are family. 

We will get you through this. 

The most trusted Restoration company in 

the Temecula valley since 1989 

Family Owned & Operated 

100% Background Checked Team 

Lic# 710901 

24/7/365 Emergency Service 

Fully Licensed, Bonded and Certified 

Insurance Approved and Preferred 

951-296-9090 

Teampulido.com




Cloud Technology: Are all your Eggs in one Basket? 

TECHNOLOGY 

by 

by 

Tristan Collopy, 

Steve Service Fillingim Manager 

The Cloud, and what is oftentimes 

denoted within the Information Technology 

Industry as Software as a Service 

(SaaS), has developed to the point where 

many small to medium sized businesses 

have come to rely heavily on its infrastructure. 

SaaS offers solutions previously 

only available to large businesses 

to the SMB market by offsetting cost 

through centralized cloud-based hosting. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS), among 

the most popular of these offerings, provides 

hosting even to larger enterprises, 

like Netflix, Reddit, Business Insider, 

and Slack. Although Cloud infrastructure 

like that offered by Amazon, Google, 

and Microsoft is incredibly robust, no 

system has 100% uptime. This became 

very apparent during the recent large 

scale AWS outage. 

The root cause of the outage was 

incredibly banal—a mistyped command 

meant to move some cloud hosted servers 

in one of Amazon’s datacenters was mistyped. 

That typo took down or severely 

impaired the operation of some very large 

companies, including those listed above: 

Netflix, Reddit, Business Insider, and 

Slack—to name a few. A large number 

of SMBs were affected as well. The outage 

was localized, effecting only servers 

and applications hosted in Amazon’s 

East Coast datacenter. Normally, large 

enterprises will spread their infrastructure 

across multiple datacenters, even 

if they’re hosted in cloud infrastructure 

like AWS. That this outage was able to 

cripple a company as large as Netflix—a 

company valued as of this writing at 32.9 

billion dollars—shows a glaring flaw in 

the organizations business practices. For 

SMBs, the trade-off is cost. 

Spreading your infrastructure across 

multiple environments may seem like 

an unnecessary expense, especially considering 

a service with uptime figures 

of 99%, an outage that falls within that 

1% would account for 88 hours. How 

much money would your business lose 

if it was unable to function for three and 

a half days? 

With any technology, it’s important 

to have a backup. NASA and other aerospace 

industries use the term “fail-safe.” 

This means that if any one system goes 

down, it’s capable of safely failing over to 

a backup system. The savvy SMB owner 

of course understands the importance of 

a secure backup solution, to protect their 

business from data loss. What happens, 

however, when the cloud hosted application 

where all of that data is stored isn’t 

available for several hours, or several 

days? Even the best backup isn’t worth 

much if the software needed to utilize the 

data in the backup is unavailable. 

Before considering migrating to a 

wholly cloud hosted solution, it’s important 

to consider the ramifications of 

down time. If you’re hosting directly 

with a service like Google or Amazon the 

additional expense of spreading critical 

data and applications across multiple 

datacenters can be worth far more than 

simple peace of mind. In other cases, it 

may make more sense to consider a hybrid 

or private cloud solution, allowing 

you, the SMB owner, to have far more 

control over where your data is stored, 

what backups are in place for that data, 

and what happens in the event of an 

outage. 

No technology offering is a panacea. 

As cloud offerings like Amazon Web 

Hosting, Google Cloud, and Microsoft 

Azure have centralized more and more 

data into fewer and fewer physical and 

virtual locations, they have also introduced 

more and more single points of 

failure. Before jumping into the Cloud or 

SaaS with both feet, consider if you might 

be allowing a single mislaid keystroke to 

cripple your business. 

Mythos Technology is an IT consulting 

and management firm that provides 

Managed Services including hosted cloud 

solutions. For more information, please 

visit www.mythostech.com or call (951) 

813-2672. 

connect: www.mythostech.com 

“ ...a command meant 

to move some cloud 

hosted servers in one 

of Amazon’s datacenters 

was mistyped. 

That typo took down 

or severely impaired 

the operation of 

some very large 

companies 

CYBER ATTACKS 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 

There are measures, however, that 

can be taken to mitigate ransomware 

vulnerabilities and other malware 

attacks. 

The first step is to be educated. 

Take time to research (i.e. Google 

Search) what the latest attacks are 

and find out as much as you can about 

them. In the case of WannaCry, it targeted 

older versions of the Windows 

operating system. So if these older 

systems are in your environment, give 

attention to them first. Understand 

what an attack will look like and how 

it behaves. For example, understand 

if a “warning” pop-up takes place and 

how an invaded system reacts. Some 

ransomware is only a social engineering 

effort, and others are much more 

malicious. Avoiding getting caught in 

a scam is much easier than resolving 

a true infection. 

After identifying any ‘at-risk’ operating 

systems, confirm that the latest 

security patches have been applied. 

With auto update turned on, there is 

a good chance you’re protected. If 

running Windows systems, their site 

will give a list of released patches 

based on operating system versions. 

Instructions for checking the current 

patch level can be found there as well. 

Other sources with helpful information 

include personal computing magazines, 

websites, your favorite virus detector, 

and hardware vendors. 

Another important line of defense 

is to educate users of potential risks. 

Provide key information from your 

research so that the wrong step isn’t 

taken during an attack. Keep your 

employees on guard and help them 

recognize potential threats. Make sure 

they know who to contact if they suspect 

a problem. 

Other best practices include backing 

up your system regularly and keeping 

multiple versions of the backups. 

Don’t just write over the previous day 

backup set. Malicious activity may 

not show up for a few days, requiring 

restoring to a date prior to an event. 

Review and enforce the policy of 

never opening an email, clicking on a 

link, or attachment from an unknown 

source. Emphasize the importance of 

not visiting unfamiliar websites where 

virus and malware can be downloaded 

unknowingly. 

Finally, whether you have a large 

IT department or one personal computer 

at home, don’t put off securing your 

systems. Time invested now can prevent 

great losses in the future. 

Ted Saul is a business coach that assists 

with Business Plans and Project Management. 

He holds a master certificate 

in project management and has earned 

his MBA from Regis University. Ted 

can be reached on LinkedIn, TedS787 

on Twitter or emailing Ted@tsaul.com. 

“ 

Don’t just write over the previous 

day backup set. Malicious activity 

may not show up for a few days, 

requiring restoring to a date prior 

to an event.




27 

Alice Sullivan Wins ‘Woman of the Year’ 


Nominated by Temecula Mayor 

Pro Tem Matt Rahn and Temecula 

City Manager, Aaron Adams, Alice 

Sullivan’s impact on the region are 

well known and respected. Since 

beginning her career at the Temecula 

Valley Chamber of Commerce (TVCC) 

in 1989, Sullivan worked her way up, 

holding every position at the TVCC 

and has excelled in all capacities until 

she was named President/CEO in 1994. 

Recognizing the need for collaboration, 

Sullivan had the foresight to 

launch several beneficial organizations 

that have greatly impacted and contributed 

to the Temecula Valley and 

the region, including the Southwest 

California Legislative Council, the 

Economic Development Coalition and 

the Temecula Valley Convention & 

Visitor’s Bureau, just to name a few. 

She lends her influence to enrich 

the community and is quick to mentor 

and encourage those around her. Mayor 

Pro Tem Rahn shared, “Alice has been 

an outstanding champion for business 

development and prosperity in Temecula, 

with a true dedication to enhancing 

the quality of life for our community.” 

Sullivan has served on the City 

of Temecula Site Visitation committee, 

Old Town Marketing committee, 

Measure C committee for Parks and 

Recreation, Race for Humanity and 

Community Recreation Center Foundation 

Board and past Secretary to 

the Temecula/Murrieta Group. More 

recently, Sullivan participated in the 

efforts to pass Measure S, a local tax 

initiative, which will provide additional 

fund necessary to sustain public safety 

and vital city services. 

In addition, she spends countless 

hours attending and supporting various 

business and non-profit events, 

growing ever-stronger relationships 

between the Chamber members and 

the Temecula Valley. 

“I am honored to receive this 

award,” said Sullivan. “It has been a 

privilege to be a part of Temecula’s 

growth into an extraordinary community. 

I would also like to thank our 

amazing Board, staff, members, city 

representatives and volunteers at the 

TVCC for all of their support.” 

...she spends countless hours attending and supporting various business 

and non-profit events, growing ever-stronger relationships between the 

Chamber members and the Temecula Valley 

Family First – 

The Family Behind Wilson Creek Winery 

by Tom Plant 

M y relationship with the Wilson family 

dates back to 2009. I had just launched 

my website, WINEormous, and saw Bill 

Wilson on Mornings on 2 on the Los Angeles 

Fox affiliate. It was harvest time, 

and Bill was talking about the grapes that 

had already been harvested and shared 

his thoughts on how he envisioned the 

quality of the 2009 wines. 

At the time, Wilson Creek Winery 

was well established and was among the 

most popular destinations among Temecula 

Valley wine country visitors. Less 

than 10 years old then, the winery was 

already experiencing growing pains. I 

sent an email to Bill, telling him I wanted 

to get together with him to do a feature 

story for my website. He replied almost 

instantly, and we spent more than an hour 

together. He graciously filled me in on 

how the winery came to be. 

I wrote about our visit, feeling certain 

I had learned everything I could possibly 

need to know about Wilson Creek. I could 

not have been more mistaken. Fast-forward 

six years. Bill invited me to join 

the family and staff at a post harvest taco 

party on a hillside above the winery. Over 

tacos and beer, I had the good fortune to 

spend quality time with Rosie Wilson, 

Bill’s mom. Over the course of our visit, 

Rosie told me about a series of interviews 

that had been done with members of the 

Wilson family as well as their spouses. 

The hope was to turn those interviews 

into a book. 

My mind instantly started to spin. 

What a remarkable story it was, and what 

an amazing book it could be. I told her I’d 

love to take a look at it and perhaps write 

a chapter and see if we could possibly 

work together on bringing the dream to 

reality. Nothing more came of that conversation. 

I mentioned it to Bill on a few 

occasions, and he seemed interested, but 

had too many other things on his plate. 

In January of 2017, I was asked to 

meet with Gerry and Rosie to write their 

love story for the February (Valentines) 

issue of The Valley Business Journal. It 

was a lovely visit. Among other things I 

learned they had been married 63 years, 

and that Rosie knew within five minutes 

that she was going to marry Gerry. Afterwards 

I brought up the interviews and 

reminded her about the time we met at 

the harvest party. Two weeks later, I held 

a six-inch thick binder of interviews in 

my hands. 

Gerry and Rosie encouraged me 

to get to know their son, Mick. We got 

together for lunch, and when I brought 

up the interviews, he lit up. He said, 

“Maybe we can work on this together.” 

It’s a compelling story, and Mick will 

share it with you. It’s been my honor and 

privilege to get to know this remarkable 

family. I’m delighted to help Mick tell 

this incredible story. 

“ 

Among other things I learned 

they had been married 63 

years, and that Rosie knew 

within five minutes that she 

was going to marry Gerry.




Diego de Jesus Mondragon 

Guests Wined, Dined & Laughed at 

Rancho Damacitas’ Intimate Evening 

D 

iego de Jesus Mondragon didn’t 

choose to become a violinist. “Music 

was a requirement for the children.” 

His father played violin in the San 

Diego Symphony for 23 years. He 

and his two older sisters endured a 

regimen of violin, chess, reading, 

drawing and painting before school, 

after school and every weekend. “That 

was it every day.” 

The children weren’t allowed to 

play. Diego would watch longingly as 

his friends played outside. Sports were 

absolutely forbidden because of the 

risk of an injury to his hands. 

When he was seven, he found 

a red and white record player in his 

dad’s closet along with a stack of Herb 

Alpert albums. He picked up his violin 

and began playing along, realizing he 

had an “ear” for music. He first began 

wanting to play after his first concert 

at age 10 when he performed a violin 

concerto by Vivaldi at Southwestern 

College. At the time, children were to 

be “seen and not heard.” It was then 

he realized the violin was his voice. 

All three children home early and 

Diego ran away from home at age 15. 

He put down the violin, eventually 

joining the Marine Corps for eight 

years. He returned home after his stint 

in the Marines and got back on good 

terms with his father. It was when he 

first heard Jean-Luc Ponty play the 

electric violin that he realized there 

was no limit to what he could do with 

his instrument. Another influence was 

violin virtuoso Stephan Grapelli. 

Although his father hoped he 

would follow in his footsteps, Diego 

decided to go in a different direction 

and got his master’s degree in school 

counseling and psychology. His first 

position was in the Ontario Montclair 

school district and he would travel 

every weekend to see his children. 

In between San Diego and Ontario 

he discovered Temecula. In 1993 he 

purchased a home there and brought 

his son to live with him. 

by Tom Plant 

He found himself disappointed 

initially by the lack of musical entertainment 

in the valley. Today he loves living 

here and watching it grow. He calls his 

style a mixture of Latin, Gypsy, jazz 

and Flamenco. He released a CD of his 

original music nine years ago including 

a piece called Temecula Mist, which 

he hopes, will someday be the city’s 

official song. Last year he released a 

Christmas CD called Latin Beat Christmas. 

Both are available on his website, 

www.diegomondragon.com. 

He plays most Friday evenings at 

Bamboo House in Temecula, Sunday 

afternoons at Carter Estate Winery and 

Resort as well as Fazeli Cellars and 

other venues throughout the valley. 

He told me he has “another life” 

in Mexico. He has a place outside of 

Puerto Vallarta and he is involved with 

CK Productions, working with staging 

and lighting and hiring local musicians, 

Flamenco and belly dancers and putting 

on what he calls “grand” shows. 

He realizes there’s a very small 

niche for violin in Temecula, but says 

it’s “my therapy. I enjoy bringing pleasure 

to people with my music.” 

connect: www.diegomondragon.com 

“ 

When he was seven, 

he found a red and 

white record 

player in his dad’s 

closet along with a 

stack of Herb Alpert 

albums. He picked up 

his violin and began 

playing along, realizing 

he had an “ear” 

for music. 

100% of proceeds benefits former 

foster youth - Rancho Damacitas’ exclusive 

event, Intimate Evening, was 

a huge success. Guests provided rave 

reviews and looked forward to next 

year’s event. The event began with 

VIP transportation on the Dream, Hope, 

Inspire, Courage and Believe Shuttles 

provided by Stryder Transportation 

and Temecula Winery Transportation. 

Guests’ first stop was at Ponte Family 

Estate Winery where they were entertained 

with live music by Desert Rose 

and nibbled on gourmet appetizers and 

wine. Their next stop was at Peltzer 

Winery, where guests enjoyed a farm 

fresh dinner by Southfork Catering, 

wine and the beautiful music of local 

entertainer, Brian Stodart. The last 

stop on the adventure was Pechanga’s 

Eagles Nest, where guests had dessert, 

signature cocktails & were entertained 

by a private comedy show put on by 

Dustin Nickerson, 2015 finalist of San 

Diego’s Funniest People. 

One of the many highlights of the 

evening was the program hosted by Rob 

and Trish Shea, teachers in Temecula 

Valley Unified School District for the 

past 22 years and long-time advocates 

for foster youth. Rob and Trish shared 

the importance of programs that help 

former foster youth as they transition 

from foster care to adulthood. Trish 

shared passionately about how Rancho 

Damacitas programs offer transitional 

housing, college scholarships, employment 

readiness, and mentorships 

that help young adults with a history 

of child abuse move from dependency 

into independency. With 50% of former 

foster youth remaining homeless or 

unemployed after two years of leaving 

foster care, there is a great need for 

these programs. 

The event couldn’t have been a 

success without our generous sponsors 

including Pechanga Resort & Casino, 

Ponte Family Estate Winery, Peltzer 

Winery, Paradise Chevrolet Cadillac 

Buick GMC, Pacific Western Bank, The 

Humanity of Justice Foundation, Michael 

Brewer, Stryder Transportation, 

Wilson Creek Winery, Abbott, Bennett 

& Bennett, CR&R, Der Manouel Insurance 

Group, Temecula Winery Transportation, 

Valley Printing and Grape 

Escape Balloon Adventure.




29




Celebrate the Beginning of Summer at the Night of the 

Luminaries Event at Rose Haven Garden 

The City of Temecula Community 

Services Department and the Temecula 

Valley Rose Society invite you to join 

us as we celebrate the beginning of 

Summer with the annual Night of the 

Luminaries at Rose Haven Garden on 

Saturday, June 24th from 7 pm to 10 pm. 

Everyone is invited to leisurely 

stroll through the fragrant gardens, 

decorate luminaries, and enjoy live 

music and refreshments. Kona Shaved 

Ice will cool off the crowd on this 

warm summer evening with their delicious 

shaved ice, free to the public 

while supplies last. 

The Temecula Valley Rose Society 

works tirelessly all year to 

maintain the grounds and make the 

gardens available for everyone to enjoy. 

Visitors at this magical event will 

enjoy the gentle aroma of the many 

rose varieties and plantings wafting 

through the warm summer air, and be 

entranced as the garden alights with 

the glow of hundreds of luminaries. 

This event is free to all who wish 

to participate. 

Rose Haven Garden is located at 

30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula, 

CA 92592. There will be no 

parking at the event site itself. Free 

shuttle service to and from the event 

is available at the corner of Ynez and 

Santiago Roads. 

For more information about 

this event or others within the 

City of Temecula, call the Community 

Services Department at (951) 

694-6480. 

Murrieta Receives Special Award 


Temecula’s 4th of July Parade Entry 

Applications Now Available 

The City of Temecula will be hosting 

the annual Temecula Community 

Pride 4th of July Parade on Tuesday, 

July 4th located in the heart of Old Town 

Temecula. Application for Parade Entry 

are available online for download at 

http://temeculaca.gov/4thofjuly. 

The application and fee deadline 

is Friday, June 3rd. Notifications of accepted 

applications will be sent on or before 

June 9th. All entries are encouraged 

to show patriotism by incorporating red, 

white, and blue colors and Community 

Pride theme onto the entry. 

For more information, please call 

the Community Services Department 

at (951) 694-6480. 

The special award reads: “for 

outstanding contribution to regional 

job growth by supporting U.S. exports 

and foreign direct investment”. 

International business advisor for 

Murrieta, Juha Kiesi, understands the 

importance of foreign direct investment. 

He joined with Finland based 

manufacturers to create his company, 

Yepzon, which helps locate children 

with Autism. Yepzon is just one example 

of a Murrieta based start-up 

born in the spirit of foreign direct 

investment. 

For more information, please contact 

Bruce Coleman, Economic Development 

Director at bcoleman@MurrietaCA.gov 

or Hildur Sam at hsam@ 

MurrietaCA.gov 

Related links: “American Entrepreneurs expand 

overseas”:http://californiaceo.net/ 

international-trade/ 

“California Exporters seeing positive signs” 

http://californiaceo.net/california-exporters-seeing-positive-signs/




31 

Kelly Orchard Releases Her 2nd Book - 

‘Apple a Day’ 

When you discover that your 

purpose is to grow, life takes on 

new meaning. Like tending a garden 

in each of the four seasons, 

your personal growth process needs 

nurturing to thrive. When you learn 

how to plant and tend these “seeds 

of growth,” they create potential for 

growth in your personal and professional 

life. 

Local speaker and author, Kelly 

Orchard’s ‘Apple a Day’ provides 

practical tools, daily morsels of wisdom 

along with journal pages for you 

to write your thoughts as you open 

your mind to change. Kelly offers 

four books, one for each season of 

growth, beginning with Spring Apple 

A Day. 

It’s available on Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Orchards-Apple-Day 

Nourishment/dp/1544125798/ref=tmm_ 

pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UT- 

F8&qid=&sr= 

Printing and the Environment 

MARKETING 

by Tracey Papke 

The printing industry has worked 

very hard to remain environmentally 

conscience while producing top quality 

“green” products. Many programs 

have been put into place to support 

this effort. 

Much of the paper we use today 

comes from sustainable forests or tree 

farms. Trees are grown, harvested 

and replanted; similar to other crops, 

like wheat or corn. According to an 

article published in the Boston Globe 

in May of 2007, by Professor Edward 

Glaesner, “the print [industry] gives 

landowners a financial incentive to 

renew forests rather than convert them 

for other uses, such as agriculture or 

development.” The forest area in the 

U.S. increased by 14 million acres 

between 2007 and 2012. That’s the 

equivalent of 5,800 NFL football fields 

per day! 

According to the USDA report, 

2012 Forest Resource Tables, most 

pulpwood harvested in the U.S. (89%) 

comes from private land. Landowners 

receive income from the trees grown on 

their land. This is an important incentive 

to maintain, sustainably manage 

and renew this valuable resource. 

This is especially important where 

landowners are facing economic pressure 

to convert forestland to non-forest 

uses, such as residential housing, according 

to the World Business Council 

for Sustainable Development and 

NCASI. Continued use of paper and 

other wood products may therefore be 

a key factor in maintaining a forested 

landscape for future generations. 

The United States E.P.A. Office of 

Solid Waste reports that one third of the 

fiber used to make paper comes from 

wood chips and sawmill scraps; another 

third comes from recycled paper. 

According to the American Forest 

& Paper Association (AF & PA), there 

are 200 mills in the United States that 

use recovered fibers exclusively. 

87% of Americans have access 

to curbside or drop-off recycling programs. 

Because of their popularity 

currently 63% of all printed materials 

in the United States are recycled. That 

number is growing each year. 

The AF&PA have partnered with 

the EPA in an effort to grow the recycling 

programs in America. Recently, 

after reaching an annual recovery rate 

of 56% of all printed materials, the 

industry has raised the bar and set the 

goal at a very attainable 60%. 

Recycled paper is used to make 

everything from construction materials 

to consumer goods, and it can also be 

recycled more than one time. 

The goals have been set, the programs 

put in place, and the printing 

industry as a whole has embraced the 

idea of producing environmentally 

conscience products. See, a printer can 

be an environmentalist! 

Tracey Papke is the owner of Potamus 

Press, a commercial print shop that 

specializes in digital printing. For more 

information please visit www.potamuspress.com 

or call (951)693-2136 

Much of the paper we use today comes 

from sustainable forests or tree farms. 

Trees are grown, harvested and replanted; 

similar to other crops, like wheat or corn.



32 June 2017

June 2017

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