An SOS From Travelers, Expectant Mothers and Cancer Patients

WOODSIDE BIOMEDICAL COMES TO THE RESCUE

By Sara Pentz

Carlsbad-based Woodside Biomedical Inc. has recently found itself in the enviable position of holding a number of patents regarding the treatment of illnesses based on stimulating nerves with electricity. “These patented products can now be applied to a wide variety of illnesses which are currently only treated with drugs,” explains Dave Swenson, Executive Vice President of Marketing for the company.

Probably the most exciting product is the ReliefBand^® technology, the only drug-free remedy to have received FDA clearance for treatment of nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy, chemotherapy, motion sickness, and for post-operative nausea, according to Swenson.

I was introduced to the ReliefBand recently when I boarded the "Sea Ya", owned by Steve Tarantino, Commodore of Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. He had made his yacht available to the media covering the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race. I was concerned that I would not be able to complete this small voyage without being overcome by motion sickness. I can report that I suffered no seasickness (much to my relief) after having donned the device. Worn like a sports watch, only on the underside of the wrist, the ReliefBand features five settings to ensure the correct amount of stimulation for the individual.

Technically, the device uses gentle electrical signals to stimulate nerves in the wrist. This wrist stimulation, according to the theory of action proposed by some researchers, causes natural nerve impulses to travel up the arm into the spinal cord and brain. It is believed that these natural nerve impulses interfere with the nausea messages going to the stomach. However it works, it is easy to use, does not cause drowsiness and has no drug-like side effects. The effects last as long as the band is worn.

Woodside Biomedical was founded to develop non-drug, non-invasive medical devices, thanks in part to Stanford-trained physical therapist, Larry Bertolucci, an avid deep-sea fisherman with a serious seasickness problem. In the late 1980’s he was trying to find a better way to treat his own bouts of seasickness. He ‘fiddled’ with electrical current stimulation used in other forms of physical therapy, and Voila! the precursor of the ReliefBand was created.

From that point on, Woodside Biomedical has been gaining patents and investor funding in staggering proportions. Woodside is a privately owned, venture-financed company. To date, Woodside has raised approximately $32 million from investors.

In mid-June 2001, Woodside announced that an additional United States patent has been issued for its ReliefBand device, covering the potential application in the regulation of blood pressure.

The ReliefBand device will be available in approximately 10,000 drug stores by the end of this summer. Many insurers nationwide currently cover it, including Aetna/U.S. Healthcare and Blue Shield of California.

“We are always exploring the possibility of additional applications for our innovative nerve stimulation technology, and we believe that our patent strategy will help us, if appropriate, to be well-positioned to do so,” explains Greg Gruzdowich, Woodside’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

The market potential for the device is considerable, with the U.S. prescription chemotherapy and pregnancy markets alone likely to exceed $400 million. Add to that the consumer marketplace -- estimated to be in excess of more than $1 billion -- and Woodside Biomedical is talking about a significant opportunity.

So what spells ‘relief’ in today’s over the counter market? The answer is on your wrist.

Intuitive Robots - Article

INTUITIVE ROBOTS
Marching into the Operating Room
By Sara Pentz

Just imagine having kidney removal surgery at 9:00 a.m. one morning and eating lunch the next day at home feeling relatively robust, relaxed and pain free. That scenario is the present reality at UCI Medical Center in Orange, California, where the use of the robotic da Vinci^® Surgical System allows surgeons to perform complex operations in less time, with less bleeding, less pain, less hospital stay and much less trauma to the body of the patient.

Actually, the device promises to transcend surgery beyond the limits of the human hand. "Robotic systems are expected to become the surgeon’s most valuable tool," explains Dr. Ralph Clayman, chairman of the UCI Medical Center Department of Urology. “The practice of surgery has changed,” he adds. “It has become less morbid, less dangerous and more patient-friendly with equivalent results.”

The da Vinci robot, created by Intuitive Surgical®, was the first operative surgical robotic system in the world cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Its unique robotics provide the doctor with mechanical hands and unprecedented vision, precision and dexterity during surgery performed through incisions no wider than a fingertip. The da Vinci is the first totally intuitive—meaning instinctive or having a natural tendency—laparoscopic surgical robot in existence. It mimics what one would do naturally in one of the most complex settings of human endeavor. The da Vinci Surgical System provides the surgeon with 3-D imaging of the operating field and intuitive hand movement. Traditional laparoscopic surgery has only 2-D imaging, and the movement of instruments is counter-intuitive—similar to doing surgery while looking into a mirror.

During the surgery the physician sits at an ergonomically-designed consol a few feet from the patient. His head is comfortably supported, as he looks through highly-magnified opticals at the patient’s surgical site in 3-D. He uses hand and foot pedals to maneuver the surgical tools. The robotic device addresses the problem of neck and back pain often suffered by surgeons who spend long hours hunched over an operating table. Even the steadiest hands can’t match those of the surgical robot. The da Vinci system is programmed to compensate for the muscle fatigue and related hand tremors that sometimes develop when surgeons perform long operations.

"Having robotic-assisted surgery, the surgeon positions the robot’s three mechanical arms over the patient. One arm holds a miniature camera, which is inserted through an opening no larger than the diameter of a pencil. The camera transmits highly-magnified 3-D images to the console. The robot’s other two arms hold miniature surgical instruments, which are inserted into another puncture-sized port of entry. Surgeons use their thumbs and index fingers to grasp joystick-like handles on the console that can be rotated, tilted, advanced or retracted.

The da Vinci system gives doctors unprecedented control over the tiny instruments they use during minimally-invasive surgery. The surgeon’s view of the operating field is enhanced by zoom-in/zoom-out capabilities, which, when coupled with the motion-scaling feature of the robotic system, allow the surgeon to perform very fine reconstructive and dissection procedures. The robotic controls enable surgeons to make natural hand movements so that procedures feel more like open surgery. Cables, replicating the manner in which the wrist is maneuvered by tendons, guide the robotic arms. "It’s as instinctive and as comfortable as driving a car," says Clayman.

Right now UCI surgeons are using the da Vinci system for minimally-invasive procedures in urology, gastroenterology, pediatrics, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery and gynecology. The da Vinci robotic technology consequently aids in reducing trauma, postoperative pain and surgical complications for patients—but maintaining the operating flexibility of open surgery. Certain procedures are too difficult to perform with standard minimally-invasive techniques. Robotics changes that.

Unlike conventional surgery, the doctor’s hands never touch the robotic instruments. Large motions made by the surgeons are translated into micro-movements at the surgical site. Now doctors have more depth perception and the ability to use pitch and yaw robotically-driven hand movements. ** STOP **Repetitive or add some of info to second par. above. As well, certain safety features are built into the system. “In every respect this robot makes the surgeon comfortable,” explains Dr. Clayman. “He doesn’t even need a mask, a gown or gloves.

Eventually, the robotic system can be operated from a separate room or a separate country and, in effect, perform surgery via uplink to a satellite that beams down on the other side of the world. The practical import is that surgeons at a base camp during war could operate on a soldier or sailor at sea. That way the patient does not have to be evacuated and the doctor’s time is used more efficiently. “We will save the taxpayer money and it will potentially save lives. It’s a big change in the assault on the body needed to render a surgical cure for disease,” adds Dr. Clayman.

“Having a robotics-assisted surgical system establishes UCI Medical Center as a leader in minimally invasive surgery," says Dr. Clayman. "We already have surgeons at UCI who are internationally renown leaders in developing minimally invasive techniques in their specialties. Now we also have the very latest in technology." In 1990, Dr. Clayman performed the world’s first laparoscopic nephrectomy—the removal of the kidney through an opening the size of a dime. Until then, the procedure involved a large incision and occasionally the removal of a rib to extract the kidney. Since then, Dr. Clayman and others have applied minimally invasive surgical techniques to dozens of other procedures.

Additionally, UCI Medical has a da Vinci teaching robot used to educate surgical residents and medical students in the technology. Today, the physician must first learn how to be a surgeon and then learn how to manipulate the robots. It is not an easy science or technique to learn and requires sensitive coordination.

In line with that philosophy, Dr. Clayman has pulled together with others an astonishing complex of equipment to teach these procedures to physicians throughout the county as well as recertify them for robotic procedures. With an unusual no-strings-attached underwriting from Tokyo-based, Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., UCI Medical is on the leading edge of advanced education for such instruments as Intuitive Surgical’s (NASDAQ ISRG) unique da Vinci robot. “We began the teaching post-graduate program in July 2003,” explains Dr. Clayman. “Because of Yamanouchi’s underwriting, urology doctors come here free of charge to enhance their knowledge. Otherwise it would cost up to $10,000 per doctor. Our educational program is beginning to have an impact. We are booked through October 2004.”

Other medical manufacturing companies have joined the underwriting team to assist the teaching center financially or with donated equipment. ‘This generosity allows us to help doctors cross the educational gully from maximum open surgery to this minimally invasive surgery,” explains Dr. Clayman. Intuitive Surgical® created the da Vinci Surgical System based on foundational robotic surgery technology developed at Stanford Research. In addition to developing its own fundamental technologies, Intuitive later acknowledged key contributions through relationships with IBM, MIT and Johnson & Johnson.

With all that superpower behind it, this marvelously efficient intuitive da Vinci robot, fashioned of metal, glass and mechanical pulleys, has brought to the operating room a peace of mind for both the patient and the surgeon—a never before imagined possibility in our lifetime.

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Tanner's Remorse? - Press Release

HAVE TANNER’S REMORSE?
Science, Nutrition and Adrienne Brennan’s “Freschezza”
Skin Care Line Provides a Remedy

(Newport Beach, CA -- June 2001) Skin care specialist, TV personality and former LAPD cop, Adrienne Brennan has a love/hate relationship with the Sun. Today, she’s on a rampage to inform sun worshipers about the damage incurred while playing in the Sun.

“Recent scientific evidence has demonstrated that we can literally reverse sun damage,” she points out. “Nevertheless, this is not a license to over expose the skin to the Sun. At the end of the summer when sunbathers are back indoors, some of them will have what I like to call Tanner’s Remorse.”

In order to help these people, Brennan has a simple RX: “Basically, you want to increase the cell turnover deep in your skin, and you want to cause your body to create internal collagen and elastic production.” All that can be accomplished with certain anti-aging and moisturizing skin care products like the ones offered by Adrienne Brennan’s skin care line, Freschezza, which uses exclusive botanical extracts to revitalize and nourish the skin.

It has only been within the last 15 years that we have discovered the damaging effects of UVA, a killer light responsible for about 15-20 percent of sunburn. UVA penetrates deep into the dermis and damages the cellular DNA. Over time UVA will weaken collagen and elastin tissue, crucial to young, firm and wrinkle free skin. UVA is present during summer and winter and is a serious problem when the sun is strongest (between 11am – 2pm). UVA also increases with altitude!

If there are still any sun-worshiping doubters left, they should raise their arms to the Sun for evidence. Says Brennan: “If you look at any part of your body that is not exposed to the sun, for example your underarm, you’ll see this skin, obviously the same age as the skin on your nose, is for the most part plump, supple and unwrinkled. That is how the face would look, science tells us, if we avoided direct Sun exposure.”

There is no better skin comparison test used to underscore the point that the Sun is the number one cause of skin damage and aging. Actually, there is one more chilling comparison. People in Ireland do not have the same incidence of skin cancer as they do in the United States. That fact is the difference between a sunny and an overcast climate.

While Brennan ranks the Sun as the major villain, she lists other culprits. 1) Environmental toxins because these critters carry free radicals. 2) Vitamin deficiencies in A, C and E, because so many of us eat processed foods. 3) Smoking and even second-hand smoke, which some say is more damaging than first-hand smoke. 4) Stress. 5) Excessive alcohol consumption because it is dehydrating. 6) Sleep deprivation.

Add to the list the physiological reasons that create unhealthy skin. In our 30s, the glands that produce the critical skin oils begin to go on strike. By age 40 or 50 the skin thins and loses the critical fat layer which keeps it so plump. Furthermore, fibroblasts, which constantly replenish the elastin and collagen in our skin, lose their ability to function.

“Basically, your body loses it’s ability to repair free radical damage and automatic cell repair,” adds Brennan. “Under the age of 30, skin cell turnover occurs every 28 days. A little more than a decade later skin cell turnover is between 45-50 days.

The use of topical creams with antioxidants (included in the Freschezza line) can stop or reverse the free radicals by actually rendering them harmless. Cells use oxygen to produce energy in our body. In the process, they produce free radicals which are unstable oxygen molecules. Free radicals are also produced by excessive sunlight, environmental toxins, and smoke pollution. In fact, today many scientists believe that free radicals are the cause of aging internally as well as externally.

The good news! Acting on scientific information, we can correct the damage.

Brennan: “We can modify what we eat by increasing the intake of vitamins A, C and E; or by supplementing our diets with those vitamins. Eat foods that are rich in those vitamins, by selecting fruits and vegetables with a high color intensity. Foods like broccoli or cantaloupe possess high amounts of antioxidants.”

What Brennan advocates is not difficult to ingest: avocados, berries, cantaloupe, pineapple, tomatoes and green vegetables. “The very best food you can put in your mouth is salmon because of the omega 3 fatty acids and high protein,” she says. “Switch from chicken to salmon Caesar salad when you lunch with the ladies.”

According to Brennan, sugar is absolutely lethal to the aging process of the skin. Today, many agree with her. According to Nicholas Piricone, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, the glucose acts like a toxin directly attacking the collagen. When the glucose attaches to the protein area of the collagen, it causes the collagen to cross-link, becoming stiff and inflexible. That’s what leads to wrinkling.

Brennan offers a simple RX for Tanner’s Remorse:

Use a topical exfoliate. You must exfoliate the old dead skin from your body by using a loofa or exfoliating scrub. Combine this process with a chemical exfoliate such as Retinal, the purest form of Vitamin A. This will reduce the visible signs of aging by stimulating collagen and elastin production and acceleration of cell turnover. You can actually return your skin cells to the youthful activity replicating the 28-day turnover if you follow this routine.

Use topical antioxidants. By reversing the free radicals damage with the most effective Vitamin C Ester, ascolbyl palmitate, the skin is protected by the inherent liposomes. Vitamin C is essential for production of collagen, and can absorb past the outer skin layers, penetrating and nourishing the new cells.

According Olga Marko, Ph.D., a cellular biologist, Vitamin C stimulates the growth of fibroblasts, those essentials which constantly replenish the elastin and collagen in our skin.

With the combination A and C used in Brennan’s skin care product line, Freschezza, the collagen and elastin in the skin are routinely stimulated. In addition, Freschezza products provide soothing anti-inflammatory ingredients, including green tea extract, the natural anti-inflammatory Aloe Vera plant and chamomile, all of which help calm any irritations from the Retinal. Freschezza products include olive oil, a natural emollient and a wonderful source of fatty acids.

Skin damage is most easily seen in the brown spots on the back of hands or on the shins. In order to reverse these, Freschezza has a fade-away cream which includes all those ‘age reversing’ ingredients, with the addition of hydroquinone. The natural bearberry acids yield the prerequisite amounts of hydroquinone.

Finally, Adrienne Brennan is a fanatic about exercise. “You can actually live to be more than 100 years if you keep your body running like the machine it was meant to be.”

Protection

1) Wear a broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) sunscreen.

2) Wear protective clothes (hats, long sleeves, and umbrellas).

3) Seek shade especially between the hours of 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; or if the skin is very fair, remain out of the sun between the hours of 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Sunburn Facts

1) Sunburn peaks in 20 hours

2) It become visible 8 hours

3) It begins healing in 48 hours

About the Freschezza Skin Care Product Line

Freschezza, www.freschezza.com, is a skin care beauty line that is simple and efficient as well as pure. Its development is the result of intense market research, which combines proprietary scientific technology with pure nature to help achieve perfectly balanced skin protection from further environmental damage. Each Freschezza product contains a unique blend of active ingredients designed to reverse the signs of aging, prevent future signs of aging, and create perfect skin health. Freschezza fights free radicals (as an antioxidant) and helps to boost collagen formation. While minimizing fine lines and wrinkles, the Freschezza products stimulate the growth of healthy new cells.

Freschezza uses exclusive Botanical Extracts to revitalize and nourish the skin. For example, Panthenol is an intense moisturizing and balancing agent. Other major ingredients such as olive oil and Vitamin E also help to moisturize and nourish the skin. Freschezza’s antioxidant products protect the skin, requiring the use of sunscreen on a daily basis.

Adrienne Brennan and Salon & Spa owner Scott Fontana teamed to create the skin care line known as Freschezza (Fresh-ay-za), an anti-aging skin care line targeted for women over 40 years.

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Genomics: Through the Looking-Glass - Article

GENOMICS: THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS
“Curiouser and Curiouser,” said Alice

By Sara Pentz

The Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series at the Newport Beach Library recently led me to an intellectual awakening. Dr. Gregory Stock spoke on the Human Genome Project, and the audience was as intensely interested as I was in his commentary. At the very least, we were certainly intellectually stimulated about the implications and ramifications of the study of genes. As his literature states, “From genetic engineering to ethics, Gregory Stock has explored the evolutionary significance of humanity’s recent technological progress.” Dr. Stock currently directs the program on Medicine, Technology and Society at UCLA’s Medical School, where he is a visiting professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavior. He is also a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life. His talk tugged at my curiosity so I began some research into the Human Genome Project.

Begun in 1990, the U.S. Human Genome Project is a 13-year effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The Project originally planned to last 15 years has accelerated the completion date to 2003, due to the current speed of technological advances. Project goals are to identify all the approximate 30,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA, store this information in databases, improve tools for data analysis, transfer related technologies to the private sector, and address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the Project.

While this is a huge mouthful, we can witness at least one immediate result of these stated goals, as a small number of convicted felons are being released from unjust imprisonment when the forensic use of DNA is used to review their cases. For this, alone, we should be eternally grateful to the scientists and entrepreneurs who devote their lives to this fascinating and revealing investigation. It introduces the possibility of real legal justice for all mankind.

A critically important feature of this project is the federal government's absolute dedication to the transfer of related technology to the private sector. The Project is catalyzing the multi-billion-dollar biotechnology industry. All this has encouraged predictions that biology will be the foremost science of the 21st century. Sales of DNA-based products and technologies in the biotechnology industry are projected to exceed $45 billion by 2009, according to the Consulting Resources Corporation Newsletter, Spring 1999.

In order to grasp how these scientific investigations will impact your own life, you must think in terms of 75 to 150 years into the future. This is a science where much of the technology has yet to be invented. Of course, there are short-range applications already transferring into the commercial arena. They include an assortment of results from research into microbial genomics, risk assessment, bioarchaeology, anthropology, evolution, and human migration, DNA forensics, agriculture, livestock breeding, and bioprocessing.

Molecular Medicine identifications, alone, could improve diagnosis of diseases, provide earlier detection of genetic predispositions to disease, create rational drug design, understand gene therapy, and control systems for drugs. Increasingly, detailed genome maps have aided researchers seeking genes associated with dozens of genetic conditions, including myotonic dystrophy, fragile X syndrome, neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2, inherited colon cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and familial breast cancer. Do any of these diseases hit you in your solar plexus?

This research will impact the lifespan of your children’s children and their children. The potential of living without inherited disease will benefit everyone, no matter what the individual’s philosophy, politics, or religion. As one immediate example demonstrates, a new era of molecular medicine is characterized less by treating symptoms and more by focusing on the most fundamental causes of disease. The impact on medical costs, hospital care, medical insurance and medication will be tremendous. Rapid and more specific diagnostic tests will make possible earlier treatment. Medical researchers also will be able to devise novel therapeutic regimens based on new classes of drugs, immunotherapy techniques, avoidance of environmental conditions that may trigger disease, and possible augmentation or even replacement of defective genes through gene therapy.

The continued study of genomics will help us understand human evolution and the common biology we share with other life species. Comparative genomics between humans and other organisms, such as mice, already has demonstrated that we share similar genes associated with diseases and traits, as spelled out in the research materials I read in preparation for this intensely complex subject.

As recently as April 2001 Gemini Genomics, a world leader in clinical genomics, announced that it has been issued a patent for a gene that can identify a predisposition to the type of high cholesterol that leads to the development of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Paul Kelly, Gemini's President and Chief Executive Officer, states: "This invention is extremely significant because it can be used as the basis for developing a diagnostic kit allowing physicians to identify patients with this disease. Physicians can then work with their patients to implement lifestyle changes or drug treatment. The discovery exemplifies the future of gene-based diagnostics."

Like Alice In Wonderland we are all on a curiouser and curiouser adventure into a wonderland world. Alice triumphs in the end. She retains a fundamental reason, fair-mindedness and sense of justice.

Reference: http://genomics.phrma.org/lexicon/

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WINNING AT WEDDINGS

Or, Is the Spice in the Sauce to Your Taste?

By Sara Pentz

You don’t have to be a wise old prognosticator to know that the wedding catering business, if not booming, is surely busting out all over.

Kelly Troxel, Catering Manager, at San Francisco’s Union Street Catering, www.unionstreetcatering.com verifies this fact. “Our wedding business has tripled in the last three years. We attribute this increase to a strong economy and a greater interest in larger scale weddings. The bride’s expectations are higher, and her budget is bigger.”

Special event planners, wedding coordinators and caterers are experiencing the same phenomenon. It’s part of the trend that began with big budget Hollywood blockbusters, $1M jet setter parties, high tech digital rock shows, and the social pressure to outdo the latest big bash! It is also part of the need to be noticed in the enormous clutter of today’s avalanche of information about celebrity.

So why wouldn’t we expect to hear that brides are requesting one of a kind venues, with exotic ethnic foods, designed to resemble nothing before seen, at the (mostly) once in a lifetime, fantasy day of their lives?

These brides expect, and receive, first class hand holding, explicit time lines, production value food tastings, edgy or elegant venue choices, streamlined flow charts, and analysis of ethnic heritage, just to ensure that the spice in the sauce is created exactly to suit their taste.

The more the wedding caterers outdo the last bash and create the next perfect catered affair, the more the clients will need to use them because they are “in”. And, so unfolds the success of the wedding business.

The Nature of Success

Essentially, the caterer must be savvy about the tradition of the wedding event, knowledgeable about available venues, creative about the food preparation and display, and in tune with the flow of the particular wedding party and their guests. According to our panel of caterers, if these particulars are accomplished, the wedding will be flawless, the wedding party will have peace of mind, costly mistakes will be avoided, and their catering business will boom.

Customer service is at the heart of the wedding caterer’s success, more so than in any other type of off-premise catering. Handholding is essential because the bride and her mother are ripe with anxiety. For them the wedding must be absolutely perfect so that it will live forever in their memories. This requires that caterers be wise, sophisticated and part-time psychologists.

The Conductor

Gail Garceau (Ggweddings@aol.com) is known as The Wedding Coordinator in Newport Beach, California. In fact, she describes herself as the wedding day conductor. She brings professionalism to the planning, guides the budget expenditures, and is the non-biased referee, if necessary, among family members.

Garceau creates the majority of high end, high profile weddings in this affluent Southern California area. In fact, her weddings range up to, and above, $500,000, including wedding, reception, dresses, tuxedos, flowers and catering. Flowers alone may cost up to ¼ million dollars.

From her perspective Garceau enumerates the basics. “A successful wedding means a seasoned caterer with an eye for design, layout and the flow of staffing,” she says. “The movement and flow of guests is even more critical to the success of the wedding. The three negatives about a wedding are bad food, bad music and bad flow of events.”

The Business Plan

The wedding business is flourishing whether the catering is related to a large wedding and reception or to the simple reception after a private marriage or elopement.

“Most people don’t have the time to plan their wedding,” explains Greg Casella of San Jose-based Catered Too, http://www.catered2.com/. 50% of my work comes from wedding planners. There’s been a big shift in the past two years in Silicon Valley. People from Internet start-up companies are too busy.”

On the other hand, Ann Lyons, of Melons Catering, www.melonscatering.com, in Sausalito, in the San Francisco Bay Area, says, “We have it down to a fine science. Weddings are more structured than corporate events. You have to guide them through it. I have several meetings with them and then create a detailed time line.”

Lea Rae Brockner, of Bold American Catering www.boldamerican.com in Atlanta, began her career in the county club catering profession with Club Corp, like many successful caterers. That background in restaurant quality food services and amenities gives her a leg up in the business.

Brockner also follows a strict business approach. “We are a small company so we try not to compete as a high volume company. Yet, the demand for our catering services is great because we eliminate the number of events we do. We are also the most expensive catering business in town. We put a premium price on our premium product. That’s how we can hit higher dollars.

“It’s all about working smart instead of working hard,” she adds. “We know our demographics, and we focus on our client’s needs. Right from the beginning we agree with the bride to move forward or we’re not the right partner. We can do business this way because the demand is out there.”

Kathy Mezrano, of Kathy G. & Company, http://www.kathyg.com, Birmingham, Alabama, explains, “You are a hostess; you must be gracious. I view the entire business that way. I treat every wedding party as if they were my own guests. You have to look at it that way in order to enjoy the process, or you can suffer from amazing burnout. I’ve always had a love of entertaining and a passion for great food.”

Guaranteed Results

Melons Catering custom designs menus to fit the taste, whether it’s Asian Pacific, Russian or Persian. “You have to listen to what people want,” explains Ann Lyons. “We send out sample menus. We invite the bride in and spend time with her. Sometimes they call me five and six times a day. I take every call until I reach my max. Then I politely tell them not to call. For that reason, my brides can’t have a wedding for under $100-$150 a head.”

Lyons has developed a sure way to capture the rapport between her food offerings and her client’s taste. She does on location tastings. “Recently, I invited three couples to attend a wedding that we were doing. It was being held at the very site of each one of the couple’s upcoming weddings. They were invited to see the wedding and the reception set up. They tasted the food. It was very successful because brides tend to be emotionally stressed out, and they can’t remove themselves from their anxiety or visualize what the wedding will look like. Seeing another wedding at their site helps them to make faster decisions and be less anxious.”

On the other hand, Kelly Troxel, at Union Street Catering, provides the wedding couple and their parents with a full sit down tasting in the company’s commercial kitchen in San Francisco. The wedding party meets with the executive chef who prepares a sample meal. The chef answers all their questions and makes adjustments. “They can even decide if they want more spice in their sauce,” says Troxel. “They are always happy with the end results because they have personally customized their menus based on their tastes and their needs.”

Food Flexibility and Flow of the Crowd

While many brides still prefer sit down dining receptions there is a growing trend for more food stations. This kind of reception increases the natural flow of movement, allowing guests and the bridal party to circulate. “It also allows for more flexibility in the food,” Kelley Troxel explains. “It’s more fun because the bride does not have to commit to formal seating or food styles. You can make everyone happy by presenting a large variety of different cuisine.”

Shelley Pederson’s Atlanta brides are interested in food quality and menu design. She does her own intensive menu research. “I read lots of consumer magazines because that’s where my clients get their ideas. I also do a lot of dining out because my clients tell me about a dish at a specific restaurant, and I have to know what they’re talking about. I need to know consumer dining experiences.”

Coping with Angst, TMI and Budgets

Shelley Pederson, owner and president of Beyond Cuisine, Inc., in Atlanta, is a frequent seminar speaker and the immediate past president of NACE. 60 to 65% of her business is weddings. “99% of the time it is a happy occasion. The other 1% is made up of angst, the gnashing of teeth and the wringing of hands. If the mother of the bride did not have the wedding of her dreams, she wants her daughter to have one. Sometimes that can get ugly if the bride wants rustic décor, and the mother wants traditional white and satin.” This is when the catering referee steps in.

Then there are the brides who are on information overload because of the increase in the number of wedding magazines, consumer publications with advice to the bride, and books on the subject They come in for the first meeting with a three-inch thick, three ring binder with all their ideas. “I’ve seen ring binders that would make NASA happy,” laughs Pederson. “They have sections on floral designs, wedding dresses, food suggestions and, of course, their Martha Stewart book. What is fundamentally important is not the three ring binder, but what kind of wedding the bride prefers. Will it be formal, romantic, edgy or contemporary? Or does it fall in between?”

Or is it strictly driven by a budget? “I’ve learned that it’s where they put their value. It could be a very expensive wedding without flowers because the bride is allergic, or a wedding with a $9,000 band because the bride and groom like to dance. Maybe they place a high value on the venue, and then they don’t have money left over for flowers, food or me.”

“You can take the bottom line and wriggle it however you need. This is the first time the bride and groom will imprint their style on a social event. They have to find the right person who can help them determine what that unique style will be.”

The Aging of the Bride

Kathy Mezrano has noticed another trend. “Brides are a little older. The average age is 30 years. These brides know what they want. Usually, there is only one bridesmaid and maybe a child. These brides are a little more focused and independent. People are designing the wedding to suit themselves and not to conform to a mold.”

In fact, says Mezrano, most of these more mature brides do not necessarily want crème and ivory weddings. “Many are digressing from traditional colors to more vibrant fun colors. We did a wedding in Napa Valley with vines and wine bottles as centerpieces. The tablecloths were a rich sheer melon with a bronze overlay.”

Even in food preference, according to Mezrano, these ‘older’ brides are more knowledgeable. “They know ethnic dishes and want them as a mix to their wedding. Sushi is a favorite. I try to introduce the ethnic background in the family. We might have a Greek and Italian wedding, or a Scottish and Italian one.” Mezrano recently coordinated a museum wedding with a Scottish influence, complete with bagpipes and kilts.

Pride in the Details

Shelley Pederson says that success lies in the details. “We take pride in great fabrics. No two parties look the same when I’m involved. I use food vessels and containers that are not necessarily traditional. They are more edgy and trendy. I have trays and platters from TJ Max and Pier One. I use a lot of wrought iron and glass that you can’t find at wholesale wedding commercial outlets.”

One point made by Perry Butler, of Union Street Catering in San Francisco, is worth noting. “I credit our increased business to Dale Moul, President of the company. He’s in charge of cooking, organizing and supervising everything. He has a good reputation because he leaves a site in better shape then when he found it. He’s a fastidiously neat person. It does endear you to the venues. It speaks to your professionalism.”

Talk About Venues

Perhaps nothing about weddings has changed so much in the past several years as the venue. Museums, art galleries, private homes and historic mansions, public and private gardens, seacoasts, and renovated factories. The religious venue is still important. However, with the emphasis on individuality these exotic venues are becoming more popular.

Additionally, being a preferred vendor stabilizes the catering business. Smart owners are solidifying their relationships with a variety of venues.

Talk about the importance of venues, Lea Rae Brockner, with her three partners Robby Kukler, Steve Simon, Kris Reinhard, of Bold American Catering www.boldamerican.com in Atlanta, have gone one step further. Instead of finding unusual venues, Bold American is one.

“We represent the culinary arts in the King Plow Art Center. The special event Art Center studio is a renovated concrete factory with a contemporary art collection. It is a raw, unique, non-traditional environment. The ceilings are 35 feet high. There are over-scaled factory windows. It allows people to be married in a museum, a garden and a historic building.”

“Nobody competes with us in this area,” she states flatly. “There might be something like King Plow in New York City or Chicago where there are interesting lofts and factory spaces, but nothing around here.

Proof of her company’s success is in the stats. In l996, Bold American did two weddings. This year they completed 30 weddings. “We have demand for 2001 already,” she says. “We’ll probably max out at about 40 weddings per year unless we grow into another facility.

Birmingham’s Kathy G founder Kathy Mezrano has a staff of 35 employees because she has become the exclusive caterer at five venues in the City. As a result she has increased business by 38% over the past year. She is the exclusive caterer for, to name a few, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and for the Zoo Lodge, a stone cottage that originally housed the zookeeper.

Greg Casello of Catered Too has 200+ sites in his location database “Whether you're looking for a mountain top winery, wooded park setting, historic building, elegant mansion, or something unusual, Catered Too offers the most unique locations in Silicon Valley and beyond. If we don't have it available, we'll find it for you!” is the sales pitch from his Web site.

Finding a Niche

Perhaps one of the most unique success stories in the catered wedding business is that of Chef and Catering Company owner Michael C. Flowers, C.F.S.A. of Marietta, Georgia. Flowers and co-author Donna Bankhead collaborated via the Internet on a recently published book How to Cater Your Own Wedding Reception.

The book has step-by-step reception plans complete with recipes, shopping lists, timelines, and diagrams. It claims to cut the catering costs by at least ½. The book sold 3000 copies in the first 2 ½ weeks. Mike and Donna have still never met in person!

“The secret to accomplishing what seems to be an overwhelming task is organization,” explains Chef Mike, www.chefmike.com. “Any bride who can recruit a group of family or friends to pitch in and help for a few hours, can pull off a terrific wedding reception.

“Most people have not decided whether they can afford a caterer. If they’re on that borderline, I can show them how to do it themselves. I still get paid for the book,” he says. “The people who are going to cater for themselves, I don’t want them as my customers. There are two groups. One can afford a caterer. Those who cannot will bug you to death.”

Minus a complete collapse of the world economy, these trends and business philosophies will continue to bring success to the wedding caterer who is talented, business smart, and a savvy, sophisticated psychologist.

Brides will expect bigger, better, best, from their wedding caterer, -- call her the hostess with the mostest. And caterers will bustle to create the special effects needed to make the bride happy and leave her mother with the satisfaction of the perfect wedding.

Good advice for caterers, as well as those who want to make sure the spice in the sauce is to their taste.

Turning Simple Green into Pure Gold - Article

TURNING SIMPLE GREEN INTO PURE GOLD
Cleaning Up Big through Event Marketing
by Sara Pentz

Todd Bradley is riding a double crested wave of success as Director of Sales for Simple Green Pacific International, a Division of SUNSHINE MAKER, INC., Huntington Harbour, and as a World Champion in Outrigger Canoeing. But that wasn’t the case in the early 80’s when Bradley was stuck in hotel management in his home state of Hawaii.

His life changed dramatically when Bradley accidentally learned about a product called Simple Green, an all-purpose cleaner/degreaser/deodorizer used as a safer alternative to hazardous and toxic cleaners for removing grease, oil and dirt. Ironically, a friend gave him a sample on St. Patrick’s Day. He discovered the product was literally “pretty neat stuff.” He began handing out samples to friends at big companies and they ordered drum loads before he could even say ‘environmentally safer cleaner.’

Bradley decided he wanted to be the exclusive distributor for this amazing product in Hawaii. “I went to Simple Green headquarters in California and met owner Bruce Fabrizio in this tiny office in Sunset Beach. The company had not yet made $1 million in sales.”

Fabrizio told Bradley he’d have to sell four 40-foot container loads a year. That didn’t faize Bradley who, on the spot, put together his first order; then borrowed warehouse space from a friend and some money from the bank. That first year (l982) Bradley sold almost twice his first order and was off to the races.

That’s when success got in his way. The more Simple Green he sold, the deeper in debt he got. His expenses were outpacing his sales. So he sold his company to Fabrizio and became head of international marketing for Simple Green, opening a regional office in Hawaii.

“The product started to sell itself because we were in sync with the environmental movement of the 80’s,” explains Bradley. By the late 80’s Simple Green was a huge success in the Continental US, and it was time to target the international market, Asia in particular.

The Simple Green story began over twenty years ago, when Bruce FaBrizio and his father developed a safer alternative to the toxic cleaners originally designed to remove tannic acid, a by-product of coffee roasting, from roasting machinery.

It took three years to perfect the biodegradable, non-toxic, non-flammable, non-abrasive formula. After its initial success, Bruce began selling Simple Green to industrial customers in 55-gallon drums, which he delivered in his van, for use as a cleaner on equipment and floors.

"The world’s environment is too precious to ignore and the time is now to make a difference, even if it is one step at a time,” says Fabrizio. This position is at the core of the business.

By 1979 the initial retail marketing efforts were beginning to pay off. In 1981 Fabrizio formed Sunshine Makers, Inc. Simple Green was then introduced nationally into several new markets including hardware, consumer grocery & drug, GSA (government) and industrial classes of trade.

In the early 90’s, Fabrizio introduced the Environmental Technology Division in an effort to define the cutting edge of today’s cleaning solutions and set high standards for environmental responsibility. Today, over $3 millions have been spent to prove the safety and efficacy claims of Simple Green.

Back in Hawaii, Todd Bradley helped launch Simple Green internationally. With headquarters in Huntington Harbor, satellite offices have opened all over the world.

Simple Green is manufactured in Garden Grove as well as Georgia, New Zealand and Switzerland. There are distribution centers in Honolulu, France and Australia, and sales offices in Chicago and Philadelphia.

The Simple Green family of products has expanded to include lime remover, disinfectants, wheel cleaners, foaming BBQ, grill and microwave cleaners, scrubbing pads and hand cleaners. There is a professional strength automotive, marine, and bike cleaners. From floors and walls to pots and pans, from windows to sinks and drains, from stained carpets to greasy tools, Simple Green was everywhere.

The Original Simple Green and the entire family of Simple Green products are now a part of everyday life in millions of homes and industrial sites, not only in the United States but all over the world.

Still there was, for Bradley, more markets to target. “By l997 we had reached a saturation point. We knew that of every ten people who actually used our samples, seven became loyal customers. We had handed out millions of samples. There comes a point when you can’t hand out any more samples.”

The next step in the international marketing of Simple Green takes us back to Todd Bradley’s love of outrigger canoeing and the concept of increasing the number of impressions, and strengthening branding through event marketing.

Enter Tim Dougherty, Canoe Sport California, Inc., Mission Viejo, race promoter and builder of outrigger canoes. He created the Catalina Challenge race in l996. Once he met Todd Bradley and the other members of Team Green, the top outrigger canoe team racers in the world, (check out their race records) Simple Green became a sponsor of the race.

It was a natural match. Simple Green with its squeaky clean image teamed with a rising sport. The two would grow together feeding off each other’s reputation.

“About the time Simple Green got involved the outrigger canoe racing sport took off,” explains Dougherty. “They put together and sponsored clinics to outrigger communities teaching intermediate and novice paddlers. This group of guys are highly respected throughout the outrigger world with their knowledge and acomplishments. Simple Green gave the guys the freedom to travel and spread the word. It is the first company to drop major money into the sport. The exposure Simple Green is getting has turned their company into a household name. what they get out of it - the exposure - they brought four boats of guys over in April ’99. It’s brought the outrigger community into the 21 century as far as getting corporate sponsorship.”

Todd Bradley knows you don’t just throw your logo on some canoe and hope it works. “You have to make sure you get that logo right in the face of the public and the media,” he adds. And he has! With the Irish green outriggers with the Simple Green logo showing up in news stories and TV sports coverage, he’s achieved his goal. “And don’t forget,” he reminds us, “you’ll see those Simple Green outriggers not just on the water, but on the roads as they are hauled from race to race where they will create a kind of moving billboard.”

Dougherty chronicles the industry’s growth: “By 1993 there were over a dozen one man canoes in Southern California. In 1994 the sport was starting to take off. Hawaiian manufactures were back ordered for as long as six months. By 1997 there were over 100 canoes in Southern California. By 1999 the number of canoes in California tripled and the 1 man canoe became the watercraft of choice over surf ski's.”

Potential growth for Simple Green and outrigger canoe racing is simply enormous.

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CORPORATIONS, LLCs, or PARTNERSHIPS

Play Golf and Put Your Business on the Right Track

By Sara Pentz

As a mini-storage sole proprietor, or, hopefully, prior to beginning your business, you realize you can't handle everything yourself. You need to attract investors, take on a few associates, and protect your personal assets from your potential liabilities. It's time to start running your company in a more formal manner.

The question is should you set up the business as a corporation or partnership? The answer may be neither. There are a variety of choices including a Sole Proprietorship, General Partnership (G.P.), Joint Venture, Limited Liability Company (LLC), “C” Corporation or “S” Corporation. Each of these form should be selected based on your individual financial, tax and liability requirements. Adopting or changing your form of business requires careful consideration of your needs, your business associates, and the legal risks involved.

One word of caution: Many States have different statues governing the way of doing business in that particular State. For a glossary of business legal terms you can search the Internet using key words ‘incorporation law” or ‘business law’. The following are general statements made for the purpose of giving a general overview.

“Assuming that you have a business plan and a good business idea, you’ll want to consider what sort of entity you want to be,” explains Newport Beach, Calif.-based Gil Lasky, Law Office of Gilbert P. Lasky Professional Corporation. You may select either a “C” Corp or an “S” Corp, or if other people are involved, you might choose a LLC.”

“I think the LLC is probably the best form for multiple parties. It has all the benefits of a corporation and yet has favorable tax benefits in terms of passing profits and losses through to the members of LLC, so that they don’t have the problem of double taxation. The essential difference in most entities is one of tax benefits.”

“Critical to the form of your entity,” Lasky explains, “is whether or not you have some plan down the road to go public. Then you might want to consider using a “C” Corp, depending upon the growth prospects of the business and the kind of cash flow and the value of the real estate. There are some tax benefits by eventually turning your “C” Corp into a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT),” he adds. “The mini storage business throws off a lot of cash, there is very little owner involvement, and it is a very good candidate for going public, especially in the form of a REIT.”

“No matter which form or entity you select,” says Lasky, “if you go into business you will incur some liability. You should have sufficient liability and casualty insurance to cover any losses - even if you have a corporation or an LLC.

Self Education

Like most business plans, yours must include your long-range goals. Check out www.selfstorage.org, the Self Storage Association’s Web site, and you’ll find the Association cautioning “…like any other real estate industry, no one place has all the information necessary to be successful. It is the accumulation of knowledge and continuing education that will best help you make it in self storage.”

No one knows that better than Alan Gamache owner of Sacramento, Calif.-based Self Storage Management Service. Selfstorage@onebox.com. After 16 years working for an assortment of mini storage companies, Gamache is going independent. He spent five years with Seattle, Wash.-based Shurgard Storage Center, seven years with Sacramento, Calif.-based Public Storage and three years with Walnut Creek, Calif-based Pegasus Group.

“I began in accounting, then went to field management and finally became VP of property management and development,” he explains. He knows the financial side, how to work with third party owners, he understands the reporting needs of the owners, and he has field experience running the individual mini storage locations. “I’ve been to school,” he adds. “The LLC is the right entity for me, because it’s an inexpensive way to start your business and it provides a limited liability and the lower amount of taxation.”

“Once your ‘entity’ is formed, you have to put together your entire infrastructure, set up employment agreements, and operations policies. There is a lot of information out there that’s already prepared or in the form of templates. One of the nice things about running your own company is that you can pick and choose the best ownership structure and operations format. It’s all about customization.”

Gamache cautions: “The competition out there is getting tough. As each market becomes saturated, owners will need to have a more focused management. A lot of developers who have no self storage experience are probably going to have to hire an outside manager. I want to fill niche.”

The LLC

An LLC, a form of business organization popular among small business owners, is one that combines some advantages of a corporation and some of a partnership.

Dallas, TX-based Cyndy Montgomery and the Lincoln Financial Advisors specialize in organizing businesses. As a CFP, CPA, McDonald is a Registered Representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. “LLCs can offer a competitive advantage over corporations and partnerships in three areas: taxes, liability protection, and flexibility,” she explains.

McDonald explains that if the LLC is structured properly, it will be taxed like a partnership for federal income tax purposes. “That means no tax at the company level. Like partnerships, LLCs distribute income and losses directly to owners who then report these items on their personal income tax returns. Being taxed like a partnership also avoids the double taxation problem faced by shareholders in a corporation. Corporate earnings can be taxed twice -- first as income to the corporation, and again as a dividend income to the individual shareholder. This combination of two levels of tax can mean a much higher tax cost than the single tax available through ownership of an LLC.”

“In general or limited partnerships, general partners can be held personally liable for the partnership's debts and obligations, as well as other partners' mistakes -- a big deterrent to many would-be entrepreneurs and prospective investors,” McDonald explains.

“Additionally, in certain situations, limited partners who become actively involved in running a partnership can be reclassified as general partners and lose their limited liability protection. But LLC owners, like corporate shareholders, are shielded from personal liability beyond the value of their investment. Their personal assets are generally not subject to the claims of business creditors. LLCs avoid the threshold problem in forming a limited partnership -- finding a general partner willing to be exposed to the business's liabilities.”

Partnerships

Long Island, NY-based Kenneth Piken, of Kenneth Piken and Associates, is a corporate attorney working as a real estate trial lawyer. He was the first general counsel of the New York State Self Storage Association, and has been around the mini storage business for about 15 years.

Piken explains that the Limited Partnership is historically reserved for professionals like actors, doctors and attorneys. “The entity insolates one partner’s errors from the other, unless it’s an error committed by the firm itself. It is created so that the partner’s assets can not be attached in the event of a court case. For limited partners the tax benefits are better historically than in any kind of corporation,” he adds. “The general partner is the one in control, and generally speaking, the limited partners are investors.”

Piken gives sound preplanning advice: “Plan a protracted meeting with an attorney and an accountant at the same time. The different uses of a facility create greater liability exposure. There is a trade off between profit and potential for liability, as well as the tax consequences.”

“I had a client who did business with our firm for many years. He invited his accountant and his attorney to play golf. When the game was over he had about $10,000 worth of free advice that he didn’t have the day before.” Lesson learned: play golf!

Newport Beach, Calif.-based Mike Linkletter, grandson of TV personality Art Linkletter, is the CEO of Linkletter Development, a General Partnership. The company has been in the mini storage business as Linkletter Self Storage since l970. He uses the General Partnership entity because, he says, “….it allows for the flow-through of taxes.

“In California you end up paying twice with an LLC. You pay on the gross revenues and then the partners are also taxed. By using the General Partnership we brought in outside investors as well as family members. This entity gives our lenders personal guarantees regardless of the structure of the company. We use Slip and Fall insurance to cover other liabilities.”

Corporate Alternatives

Generally, a corporation is a legal entity owned by people, usually referred to as shareholders or as the "limited liability" of its shareholders. For example, if a corporation files bankruptcy, shareholders are not liable for the debts of the corporation. The corporate entity is responsible for its debts and liabilities, not the shareholders. The shareholders only stand to loose their initial investment.

In some cases the owners of a corporation can loose their limited liability privileges because the courts will "pierce the corporate veil" and treat the incorporated entity as a sole proprietorship or a partnership. This can happen if the corporate entity is basically an alter ego for its owner, or when there is shareholder misconduct, or if corporate formalities are not performed in a timely manner.

A "C" Corporation is the traditional form of corporate entity. It provides limited liability to its shareholders and is subject to double taxation. There are no limitations on the size of a "C" Corporation.

A Close Corporation, as a type of corporation, is also known as a "closely held" corporation. A Close Corporation is generally comprised of a limited number of shareholders, and is usually subject to restrictions on the transfer of stocks that are typically not traded on the major stock exchanges. Most of the shareholders participate in the management therefore the transferability of shares is restricted.

An "S" corporation is a "C" corporation with a special tax designation that allows it to avoid double taxation. A Corporation seeking such tax designation must first satisfy certain qualifications and than file a special form with the IRS.

The main advantages of incorporating are the limited liability of the owners, perpetual existence, ease of transfer of interest by the shareholders, and professional centralized management.

Final Advice

Help of an attorney is not required to form a corporation. However, the complexities of the process make professional assistance highly advantageous. Lack of professional assistance may result in errors and omissions, which could result in serious legal consequences, including the invalidation of the corporate status and loss of the limited liability privilege.

If you have questions about which form of business structure is best for your business, please contact an experienced attorney for legal guidance.

Whatever form of entity you chose, beware, research, and educate yourself. Check with your attorney and CPA -- together. You might try a round of golf with them!