Engeniate can help your company finally reach that next level of success
Running a business is more than just providing a service or churning out a product. The working atmosphere and business culture plays a big role in how productive and efficient employees can be. Engeniate is a company for companies that will come to your workplace and help develop comprehensive team training, leadership development, and much more to assist your business in reaching its fullest potential.
“In the U.S., employee engagement is typically low—about 32 percent—which means only 32 percent of employees overall are actually productive and committed to their job,” said Liz Ramos, Founder and Senior Organizational Consultant for Engeniate. “Lack of engagement causes lower profitability, really high turnover rates, all kinds of money leaks; it’s a huge financial impact to have such low engagement in the workplace. That’s what I help turn around.”
Engeniate can help your business in a variety of ways: it can help with a speaking engagement—where Ramos comes to your office—or business retreat to discuss topics such as building cohesive teams, leading with your strengths, and communicating effectively, or by a team of Engeniate consultants coming in and digging deep to help you find any missed opportunities or hidden talents within your team to help better your working environment.
“We focus on organizations that are looking to have their teams function more cohesively, to be more productive and collaborative,” said Ramos. Leadership and team development are Engeniate’s primary fortes, which means they can come with both an employee focus and a management focus. “We’re working for an engineering firm right now who is looking at their next level of leaders they’ll be offering ownership to,” she added. “So as part of that process we’re developing a whole leadership program for them to get them ready to be part owners of the company.”
Engeniate customizes their approach based on the wide variety of variables that each company comes with. Generally, they first administer a number of assessments to identify what the company’s strengths are, then go from there. Those strengths provide the foundation from which they conduct a variety of team-building workshops, as well as providing ongoing coaching with the leadership and management to help them implement what they’ve worked on after the workshops conclude.
“One of the biggest issues that I see is when people are promoted into leadership and manager roles without being provided any tools or training for them to be able to do that effectively,” Ramos explained. Engeniate truly excels at providing tools and training, as they have gotten tremendous feedback after their visits. “Teams that were dysfunctional are able to work collaboratively afterwards, and are able to have a strong culture,” she said. Ramos also explained how teams that work remotely often don’t have honest communication with each other, so Engeniate helps them find more collaborative and transparent ways of working.
Ramos has an internal background spanning more than 10 years working in human resources management for a variety of companies, especially in the wine industry. She is a triple-certified business coach—which includes being a Gallup Certified StrengthsFinder Coach—and is also bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish, so if you have a largely Spanish-speaking workforce, Engeniate can still meet your needs.
Engeniate began just four years ago when Ramos decided to start helping those companies of certain sizes, usually those with under 1,000 employees, that may have a solid structure and may be doing well, but aren’t big enough to have an in-house specialty trainer on hand at all times. “A big void that I hope to fill is bringing in a specialty that is a lot less expensive than having someone internally, but that understands the breadth of their entire business,” she explained. “To add value and help them build something sustainable that they can run with after we’re done with their work.”
Naturally, Ramos has found that she works best with leaders that are willing to go the extra mile, as sometimes that lack of employee engagement occurs in the upper levels as well. “Organizations that benefit the most are those with leaders that are really committed,” she said. “Leaders who understand that they are part of the team, and really run with whatever we do with their teams.” Without that follow through after Ramos and her Engeniate team come and visit, only so much can change.
You probably won’t ever meet Ramos at her office, as it’s she who comes to you; however, if you do, you’ll find it fitting that Engeniate’s headquarters are located within the Green Hive Spaces in Vallejo, a building that provides workspaces for a variety of businesses. You may also notice that this location is right next to the offices of the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce, which is quite literally the hub for business in Vallejo. “It’s nice to have the hustle and bustle of local entrepreneurs booking up space and having workshops here. And it’s great having the chamber next door,” said Ramos. As an entity that touts a productive business atmosphere, Engeniate is sure leading by example.
Ramos has done a lot with her company in just four years, and she looks forward to evolving her approach in years to come. One particular outlet for change that she’s noticed is embracing the newer workforce of millennials and discovering the best ways to manage that generation in the professional realm. Mainly, however, she just looks forward to furthering the work she’s done so far so that business leaders can fully embrace what she’s offering.
The main objective: “To teach managers to be coaches,” said Ramos. “And, as organizations continue to track the loss of the impact from their engagement levels, that they start to trust things like that and see the turnaround it can have on their bottom line.”
So if you or someone you know has a business that can benefit from Engeniate’s guidance—which is basically every business—reach out to Liz Ramos by calling (415) 952-0130, emailing info@engeniate.com, or visiting www.engeniate.com.
Matt Larson is an actor/comedian/director from Vallejo who lives a double life between the Bay and LA. When he’s not writing for Local Happenings Magazine he could be editing a short film or working on his next rap album—who knows! Keep up with all things Larson at
www.MarsLegstrong.com.
All of our winners have been selected by you, our dedicated readers. You have helped not only to vote for them but to nominate them as well. Cheers to you, and thank you for voting! If your favorite did not win, stop in to these local businesses to discover why they did.
We are marching toward spring at a feverish pace. The days are getting longer as the earth slumbers under our not so gentle rain of late. Soon, though, it shall awaken and the plants and trees will once again come to life. The birds will sing and bees will buzz and cold nights will give way to warmer days for all of us to enjoy. We are so lucky here in California and the Bay Area; the rest of America is not quite as lucky as we are.
The Bay Area has so many various pockets of beauty and Local Happenings Magazine readers get to enjoy the spring and the promise it holds. Mustard plants in the vineyards will soon give way to bud break and before we know it fruit will be on the vine. That is how quickly it will all come, and we’ll all be lamenting the speed at which the year inevitably comes to a close. We sure needed and enjoyed the rain that Mother Nature bestowed upon us this year. With the warm days ahead there is lots to do and our calendar of events is growing every day! We have a new partner with our calendar, CitySpark. They are helping us to find even more events for you, bringing them to you more easily via your phone or computer. Let us know what you think of our changes. As always, if you are helping to put on an event please share it with our readers. It’s free and it’s the reason we created this magazine and website. Local Happenings Magazine’s goal is to get everyone out enjoying this little slice of heaven we call home.
In this issue, in addition to welcoming the spring, we are also announcing the winners of our Local’s Choice awards. This is our 6th edition of winners—all selected by you, our readers. It has been wonderful to see the number of votes grow each year and the interest all of our readers take in being a part of our awards. I know that there has been a call to add more categories and we will certainly look at those as we do every year when we get ready to open voting again. If you feel that others should have won please make sure to keep a keen eye out for when we will open voting for 2018, which is typically in early September. Your vote counts! As we all became more aware of the importance of voting last year…
Here are some birthday wishes for the coming months. We would like to start with our oldest brother Larry: “May you have a very Happy Birthday!” We would also wish some birthday cheer to Stephen, Megan, Jo Ann, Mars, Marco, Tracey, Johnny, Myrna, Judy, Askari, John, Gary, Marc, Socorro, John Troupe, Louise, Betsey, Tim, Erin, Shane, Rafaela, Christina, Patti, Dennis, Elizabeth, Judi, Dalia, Uncle Gabe, Frank, Francis, Raymond, Judi, Dennis, Louise, Reyna, Judy, Liz, Eric, Juanita and all those others!
We hope all of you enjoy our upcoming spring season. Cheers!
Robert Briseño
& Deanna Baillie
You could try with The Leaven, or anywhere else
Over the years, we at Local Happenings have introduced you to a wide variety of organizations whose sole purpose is to better their communities, especially when it comes to the children. It’s pretty incredible when you think about how many organizations are specifically dedicated to helping others who are in need, or less fortunate. We’re proud to be able to help promote these organizations, if not just to give you an idea about what goes on below the radar. As positive news rarely makes the headlines, we do out best to help fill that void.
Despite so many nonprofits and community service organizations that are out there, there’s a pretty significant lack of community support, relatively, across the whole spectrum. We’ve spoken to these organizations time and time again over the years, and we’ve noticed a very common theme: they’re all in need of support. Specifically when it comes to volunteers and donations … Which is more important: volunteering or donating? It’s a fine line, indeed.
Probably donations are the way to go. Right? Definitely helpful! But there are many grants available, and in most cases some of the larger businesses and/or corporations in town are often helping to support these humanitarian organizations. Not to discredit donating—if you’re in a position to do so, do so—but it is arguably the easier option. Donating your time will feel like a much greater investment. If you’ve got some disposable income, making a donation is a great way to feel like you’ve done your good deed for the day, but the true effort, the love, comes from volunteering.
For example, say a local nonprofit is holding a major fundraiser. They need to be able to afford to put it on in the first place, sure, but what if all they got were donations and nobody showed up to help the show go on? They need people on the ground, at the event, helping to make it as successful as it can be. Helping to contribute toward a positive experience for attendees of these events, making people smile and feel welcome, so they’re happy to donate to the cause, so they’re excited to get involved because of all the great volunteers they meet, and so they look forward to coming back for future events.
Time is more valuable than money. Or not. But getting out of the house and taking on the responsibility of being a volunteer is a surprisingly infrequent activity. Think back, how many times have you asked someone: “So, where do you work?” A lot. We all have. But, have you ever asked someone: “So, where do you volunteer?” They’d probably turn their head slightly, like a confused cocker spaniel, responding accordingly to your ridiculous question. It shouldn’t be a ridiculous question, but it does sound a little judgmental already. “Do you volunteer?” sounds a little friendlier.
Is volunteering a luxury? It’s strange to think that, but many people simply don’t have the schedule, or the budget, that allows for it. Totally understandable. But volunteering truly needs to become a stronger aspect of our lives. “Where do you volunteer?” should become a regular part of conversation. If not just for the greater good, but to remind us that in this severely divided nation, there are many good people doing very good things. If Facebook has been depressing you as of late, after a day of volunteering, chances are you’ll be in a pretty good mood.
This isn’t to preach. Everyone’s situation is different and we all like to believe we do what we can. But it’s something worth considering—implementing volunteering as a primary facet of your life. One day a week, two days a month, it’s honestly something we should at least think about a little bit more. That’s all.
Speaking of preaching, The Leaven is a local community service organization that happens to be grounded in the Christian faith. Its mission is to “share the love and compassion of Christ through acts of mercy and help to our neighbors.” Its model is pretty simple: to target at-risk elementary-aged students in a proactive effort to prevent negative behavior before problems occur.
Based in Fairfield, The Leaven is all about impacting their local community. Whether it’s in Solano, Napa or San Bernardino counties, including The Leaven’s new Vacaville center—they’ve got the kids at heart. In fact, since the inception of the new Vacaville Center in May of last year—officially deemed the Alamo Gardens Leaven Center—the neighborhood, consisting of more than 800 Alamo Gardens residents, have made 47 percent fewer calls to the police for assistance and have filed 54 percent fewer crime reports. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. But The Leaven has certainly made an impact. The Leaven credits this success to the ministers and congregations of their Vacaville church partners for rolling up their sleeves—you know, volunteering—to help the center open its doors, and for praying for change. Always helpful.
As the new year is fully upon us, The Leaven looks forward to some pretty exciting events like the Solano Great Race and their annual golf tournament. With plenty going on throughout the year, they’re always in need of volunteers. These “volunteers” are also known as tutors, mentors, and friends. It takes a village to do pretty much anything these days, so if you’re in need of a feel-good outlet, and are all about promoting Christian ideals, The Leaven could be a great place to get started.
They want you to know that volunteering with The Leaven demands no long-term commitments or quotas or anything like that. Even a few hours a month would make a world of difference. Doesn’t sound like much, but in reality it’ll be harder than you expect. So maybe challenge yourself, and your friends, to give a few hours this month. If not with The Leaven, then with another local service organization. Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, Relay For Life, you’ve got plenty of options. As The Leaven says, by volunteering you’re giving back to the community and helping to change the lives of local children and families! And it’s not an exaggeration. You really can make a difference. Forget making a difference on the national scale, and start thinking about your local community.
The Leaven makes it very clear that their board members are not employees, have zero conflicts of interest and receive no compensation. It’s all clearly stated on a “Transparency” page on their website. Also, donations are not shared between branches of The Leaven. Each area is independently funded and any donations provided to a particular branch of The Leaven stay with that branch. An independent auditor reviews their financial records every year, publishing an audit that notes discrepancies, if any, and they file an annual report to the IRS that publicly communicates their finances and policies. 75 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to their programs. The other 25 percent of donations is reserved for administration, management and fundraising costs.
Some of the activities that would be involved with volunteering for The Leaven include homework assistance, tutoring, skills building, reading enrichment, nutrition and physical activity that promotes health in efforts to reduce obesity, and conducting programs like Zumba, Farm to Families, and cooking classes to help strengthen communities inside and out.
Farm to Families is a very proactive effort conducted by The Leaven. It’s basically a neighborhood health program that they provide in partnership with Kaiser Permanente. Other community collaborators include the City of Fairfield, Solano Coalition for Better Health, Solano Public Health and Nutrition, BabyFirst Solano, and First5. This is a multi-faceted health program that promotes health and wellness to families in a variety of ways. First of all they provide health resources and materials to help educate families on healthy choices—including tips on health insurance, nutrition, stress management, and more. They also provide affordable fresh produce via a farmer’s market, which also offers buy-one-get-one-free incentives. They administer health screenings like blood pressure checks and body fat screenings, and this year they plan to add additional health and even dental services.
Positive efforts conducted by The Leaven run deep. If you’re at all interested and support their ideals then look them up at www.myleaven.com or call 855-622-5439 to learn all about what they’ve done and how you can participate. See if by the time our next issue comes out you can answer that aforementioned question: SO … where do you volunteer?
By Matt Larson
Matt is a writer/actor/comedian native to Vallejo who travels back and forth from Los Angeles way too much. He’s desperate for attention and urges you to follow him on all social medias @MarsLegstrong.
He lives for likes, please keep him healthy.
Benicia storeowner Stan Houston has found a way to double-up when it comes to helping local kids exceed at music, science, and art. His store — aptly called Mozart, Einstein & Me — sells instruments, art, board games, science kits, and music lessons. All the profits get donated to local music programs, and music lessons for children in need.
“You’re not going to find a store like this anywhere, with people working for free,” Houston said. “I’ve never taken home a dime in 10 years.”
Houston took over Mozart, Einstein & Me a decade ago, when it was known by a different name and occupied a different building in town. When Houston took over the business, he had a solid income from his work in the plastics industry. He saw the music store as a opportunity to help others. He has since expanded the store, opening a branch in downtown Livermore.
“For 10 years, we’ve donated all the profits to the school districts that we have stores in.” Houston said. “We do it either with band programs or scholarships. If your son needs a trumpet, and he can’t afford a trumpet, we’ll give it to you. We want to make sure that any extra money goes to the community.”
Recently, the store has helped sponsor a local band program at St. Patrick’s in Benicia, as well as other local schools.
Mozart, Einstein & Me used to be known as ABC Music Store & Academy, and it has been in Benicia for twenty years, and now occupies a slot on First Street. Many locals bought their first instruments there, when the store was located at the Southampton shopping center, back when it was almost fully dedicated to peddling instruments, sheet music, and lessons at a variety of instruments.
“Up until three years, it was strictly a music store,” Houston said.
But then the industry changed; after the recession hit, instrument sales went down. But as they decreased, music customers started switching over to the online shopping, making it harder for independently owned stores to make a profit.
“As our sales went down, internet sales went up, and it was like, ‘Whoa!’,” Houston said. “This chasm just started to widen.”
Once it became clear that a majority of instrument sales were happening online, Houston said he was faced with a choice: evolve the store or close his doors.
“We have a lot of obligations to meet, so that wasn’t an option,” Houston said.
But Houston and his wife didn’t want to betray the original mission of the store: to boost performing arts and creativity.
“Music activates the right side of the brain, so we asked, ‘Well what else does?’” Houston said. “We settled on music, science and art, and then we needed a new name that reflects the new platform.”
Now, while the store still has walls covered with guitars and ample studio space for private lessons, it also has sections dedicated to kids, from toddlers to early teens. There are plenty of science kits, do-it-yourself projects, and games, like easy-to-assemble motion detectors, dartboard sets and 3-D puzzles.
“It has turned out to be grandma or grandpa’s favorite store,” Houston said. “Right now we have a lot of people who are struggling to raise a family, but the grandparents have discretionary income. We have a lot of grandparents who pay for music lessons, but are also looking all the time for gifts for their grandkids. It’s a great way to be the cool grandparent!”
Mozart, Einstein & Me also creates and stocks its own art, as well as showcasing the work of local artists. They’ve even designed and etched their own series of glasses and other glassware.
A good chunk of the store, though, is still dedicated to music. In addition to having instruments and sheet music available, more than half of the store’s surface area has been split up into various studios for private lessons. The two branches have hundreds of students, and offer lessons in just about every brass or wind instrument, as well as a multitude of others. They’ve even got a percussion room though, according to Houston, for whatever reason drumming is a lot less popular than it used to be.
“We have about 175 private students who come through the Benicia store,” Houston said. “We cover all the major band instruments, and we do a lot of guitar, violin, piano, voice, lots of things.”
It wasn’t just the instrument industry that took a hit after the recession—local music programs did too. In Houston’s efforts to help buoy art and music, he has total control over which programs or people he chooses to help. Any folks in need are welcome to come in or call and ask for help paying for something to bolster his or her creative spirit.
“If someone comes to us and says, ‘My daughter wants to take dance lessons, but we can’t afford it, is there any way you can help us out?’ We just ask them for their first page of their tax form. If we make a decision that they don’t have enough money, then we take care of it,” Houston said.
Mozart, Einstein & Me has two locations and, coincidentally, both are on First Street in their respective cities. After another expansion, the Benicia branch is located at its new home, 620 First Street, and is open Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed Sunday and Monday.
The Livermore branch is located at 2156 First Street and open seven days a week. It is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, or to schedule music lessons, call (925) 443-1244 to reach the Livermore store, or call (707) 746-7565 to reach the Benicia store. You can also learn more information by visiting Mozart, Einstein & Me at www.abcmusicstores.com.
Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track.
Have you ever wondered why a medical assistant takes your blood pressure every time you are at the doctor’s office? Have you ever wondered why your primary care provider asks you to get blood work, specifically a lipid panel, done at least once a year? The reason is simple: they care about your heart. Let’s explore heart health through the lens of blood pressure and blood lipids.
Blood Pressure
What are the causes of high blood pressure (hypertension)? Most people who have high blood pressure would fall into a category called essential hypertension, meaning there is no known cause by one identifiable factor. Poor lifestyle and genetics play a role in its development. Another category – secondary hypertension – links to a specific cause, e.g., renal disease or drug-induced.
What are the symptoms of high blood pressure? High blood pressure usually does not exhibit symptoms; thus, it is called a “silent killer” and often is untreated. Throbbing headache, fatigue, and/or shortness of breath might occur if blood pressure is very high. Uncontrolled high blood pressure for long periods of time can lead to stroke and heart attack.
How would I know if I have high blood pressure? High blood pressure can be diagnosed when two separate blood pressure readings at or above 120/80 are obtained on two different days. Blood pressure medication is usually started when readings are at or above 140/90. Pre-hypertension-blood-pressure readings are between 120/80 and 139/89.
How is high blood pressure managed? In addition to blood pressure medications, lifestyle modifications are often encouraged to help optimize blood pressure control. Lifestyle modifications include weight management (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2), diets high in fruits and vegetables with low-fat dairy products, limiting sodium intake (less than 2.4 grams per day), increased physical activity (e.g., brisk walking 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week), moderate alcohol consumption (women 1 drink per day; men 2 drinks per day), and smoking cessation.
Blood Lipids
What are the causes and consequences of high blood lipids (hyperlipidemia)? Untreated, elevated high blood lipids (e.g., LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol) can lead to heart attack and stroke. The most common causes of elevated LDL cholesterol levels pertaining to diet are excessive intake of saturated or trans fats and weight gain. Genetics also plays a role in elevated cholesterol levels.
What are the symptoms or signs of high blood lipids? High blood lipids are largely asymptomatic. When the levels are very high, some patients might have fats built up under the surface of the skin, deposits of cholesterol on the eyelids, or a formation of rings with lipids around the edge of the cornea in both eyes.
How would I know if I have high blood lipids? Oftentimes, people find out they have high blood lipids through routine blood work, called a lipid panel. Lipid panels looks at total cholesterol, LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol, HDL (or “good”) cholesterol, and triglyceride.
How are high blood lipids controlled? High blood lipids can be managed by lipid reduction medications, largely by a class of medications called statins. In terms of lifestyle modifications, the management of high blood lipids is very similar to the management of high blood pressure. The emphases are consuming a diet high in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains; aiming to have only 5% to 6% of calories coming from saturated fat; engaging in aerobic physical activities; maintaining a healthy weight (same BMI goal stated above); and avoiding tobacco products.
Maintaining a healthy heart requires work. It takes a daily effort plus having reminders and constant lifestyle modifications. A cliché, perhaps, but very true: prevention is better than treatment. The actions are simple to prevent the consequences from high blood pressure and blood lipids, but they are very hard to maintain: be adherent to medications, monitor daily blood pressure, get annual blood work done on time, be mindful of what we eat, stay active, and stop smoking. After all, high blood pressure and high blood lipids are largely preventable. Be our own self-advocate: take control of our own blood pressure and lipids!
By Clipper F. Young, PharmD, MPH, CDE
Assistant Professor and Clinical Pharmacist
Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine & College of Pharmacy
The Best Humanitarian distinction in Napa County couldn’t have gone to a better organization than Canine Guardians, awarded for the second year running no less. This is an organization that’s dedicated to breeding, training and placing service dogs with wounded veterans, veterans with PTSD, diabetics, children with cancer, children with autism and children with reading difficulties. “Our dogs are trained to learn over 90 commands,” said Rochelle Heskett, Founder/Executive Director. “Some are: turning on and off lights, picking up dropped items, opening refrigerator doors, and retrieving bottles of water.” These dogs are literally changing people’s lives. Scratch that, Canine Guardians is changing people’s lives, although Rochelle feels otherwise. “The veterans and the service dogs are really the stars,” she said. “We are just the mediators.” Dogs are trained with the help of local volunteers, aka Puppy Raisers, many of whom are high school students, who socialize the dogs by taking them out into the world for a year to places like work, school, restaurants, etc. They also have a R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) program. “Our dogs visit elementary schools to help children who have reading difficulties,” said Rochelle. “Children find it less intimidating to read to a dog than an adult or other child.” Canine Guardians is always in need of donations and volunteers, and a facility as well. If you can help in any of those areas, please do, and then maybe you’ll become a Humanitarian’s apprentice!
2300 Arthur Street, Napa, CA 94559
707-363-0773
www.canineguardians.org
For Solano County we don’t have one individual, but rather a group of humanitarians that have earned the honorable distinction together. The Solano Napa Firefighters Foundation (SNFF) is a local charity comprised of a team of fire department personnel from the IAFF Local 1186 Union, who have dedicated themselves to serving their community, even when they’re off duty. They provide financial assistance to local charities, individuals and families, offer scholarships to local youth, and, well, a whole lot more. From helping a child build a lemonade stand after a traumatic experience, to helping a family regroup after losing everything in a house fire after Christmas, SNFF always puts the greater good at the forefront. “To be able to help someone when they feel like life is too much, like their situation is bleak—it’s a beautiful thing,” said Jennifer Cluney, Secretary/Administrative Assistant for the SNFF. “The firefighters come together to create this amazing way to continue helping beyond the 911 call.” The SNFF currently has no website, but to keep up you can follow Local 1186 on Facebook. If you want to get more info or to get involved, Jennifer invites you to email her directly at j.cluney.snff@gmail.com.
445 Nebraska St, Vallejo, CA 94590
707-648-1186
www.facebook.com/local1186
