When You Need Some Assistance

Jessica Smith, the person behind the business.

Sometimes those who own businesses, who have founded businesses, or who work in business, need a little extra assistance. That's where the services of a life coach or business consultant comes in. Located in Atlanta, JLS VISION SERVICES can provide help you set up a strong foundation to fulfill your vision of what your business ought to be.

Jessica Smith, the brainchild and driving force for JLS, has lived in Atlanta for about 11 years, with her family. She started out as a wealth advisor with a financial services firm, but earned her associates degree in corrections and became a Certified Professional Life Coach. Her biggest talent is listening to her clients, helping them come up with goals for what they envision in their business or project, and assisting them in developing a strong foundation on which to proceed. In the midst of helping clients to achieve their vision, she leaves them delighted with their own creative solutions.



There are five steps to success when you work with JLS. First, make contact; find out the services available, whether JLS is for you; and you've taken off from the starting gate. Second, make an appointment. During your contact, you have found that you are a good match with JLS. Now, schedule a date and time; it doesn't necessarily have to be a direct physical meeting. It could be through an appropriate digital method. Third, analyze your profile. That's together with JLS, looking at how you do business, what works, what doesn't work. Fourth, apply changes. Okay, you've identified areas for improvement. The JLS team helps you a framework to make changes and a plan to put it into effect to make your project successful or help your business to grow. Fifth, result. How do you know whether what you did works? Well, you check the results, whether they met your expectations, whether there was improvement, or success. Measured in an objective way, the results will tell you. Of course, each client has different goals, different needs, and knowing you have an experienced team with you does make a difference.

JLS has been in business for long enough to have accumulated some success stories. Dr. Aja Nichols, owner of Lifestyle Dentistry stated, "Coach Jessica is by far one of the greatest life coaches/consultants I've encountered. Her insight to life and business is unmatched. If you are looking to create a life of possibilities and full expression, LOOK NO FURTHER."

Erin Nassif reported on her experience, "Jessica-Morgan Smith has a unique coaching style. She knows how to inspire and encourage an individual's top potential. She has a very kind spirit which makes it easy to trust her guidance. In my life she has added so much by just being authentic and adding advice that is constructive and caring. She models her advice in her own life. She's always striving to educate and better herself through many avenues. I can't praise her abilities enough."

It's about taking you through the steps to make your life/business/project better.

Here's Tina Tyson of Tina Tyson Bookkeeping Services on her experience, "I started working with Jessica when I first started my bookkeeping business. Jessica helped me with goal setting and accountability."  Ms. Tyson continued, "I was able to create a strategic plan to achieve my goals. She understood my vision and was a tremendous contribution to its success. I recommend this business to anyone that would like to prosper as an individual or grow their business."

The logo.

Thanks for information from this page on Charter For Compassion: https://www.charterforcompassion.org/jls-vision-services-llc; and from the JLS Vision Services homepage.

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Catching Up With Vectorworks

Vectorworks employees participating in Earth Day cleanup.

Located in Columbia, Maryland, VECTORWORKS, INC., part of Nemetschek Company, provides the software framework for the expression of design creativity in the fields of entertainment, architecture, and landscape. The company believes in providing the best and most powerful tools for designers to make their visions real. They are experts in CAD and BIM software across various platforms, supporting more than 650,000 designers who use their software.

Just this past Wednesday, Vectorworks provided an online webinar specifically for entertainment design professionals in the areas of theater and set design, The focus was on rendering, customizing layering techniques to give a more realistic look to designs. The presenter was Michael Helms, professor of theatre arts at Appalachian State University. Although the date for the live presentation has already passed, the webinar can still be viewed online. The webinar utilizes Vectorworks Spotlight software.



Vectorworks is still promoting its 2017 design scholarship. It involves students submitting a design proposal in pdf, .mov, or .mp4 file format, at under 100 MB, along with answering a few questions. October 2016 was the date of call for entries, and submissions are due by July 15, with winners announced on August 18. This scholarship is designed to promote excellence in design, while seeing how entry level students envision transforming the world.

Round 1 provides the Vectorworks Design Scholarship, $3,000 towards tuition, housing, textbooks, study abroad, conference fees, or any other educational purpose. Free Vectoworks software is provided to the winner's school lab, and virtual or in-person training for faculty and students. Round 2 provides The Richard Diehl Design Award, named after the founder of Vectorworks. The award of $7000 goes towards the same expenses as the previous award. There is also exposure for the winner in industry publications and public media, as well as through Vectorworks' network. Additional benefits also are presented to the winner's school lab, with software licenses and instruction by a company expert, plus even more.

Meanwhile, Vectorworks is represented at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2017 in Orlando, where the company has a booth, giving attendees a chance to sample the software and find out what can be accomplished utilizing these products. The information booth particularly showcases Vectorworks Architect, which has the largest import/export capabilities of any software in the industry.

From one of the design scholarship entries, a student at Cambridge University.

Daniel Monaghan, vice president of marketing of Vectorworks, explained, "Depending on the types of projects or the phase of design, an architect's workflow can vary greatly. This can lead architects to use many different software programs to get jobs out the door. Although BIM is essential in today's processes, the truth is, as an architect you need more than BIM, and Vectorworks offers more."

Besides demonstrations and sneak peaks at new technology, the company also has a schedule of specific presentations at the Vectorworks booth. And if you aren't able to attend, just check out the website at vectorworks.net/architect..

The Vectorworks booth at the AIA Conference on Architecture.

Thanks for information from this page: http://www.vectorworks.net/company; this page: http://www3.vectorworks.net/webinar-renderingtechniques?utm_campaign=webinar&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_content=rendering042617; this page: http://www.vectorworks.net/scholarship/en/about?utm_campaign=scholarship&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_content=illuminatingsubmission; this page: http://planet.vectorworks.net/2017/04/looking-future-bim-beyond-a17-conference/; and the above link.

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Boldly Moving Forward In The Field Of Radiology

The Annapolis facility, with its rooftop solar panels.

What has eleven locations in Maryland, is not owned by any major medical center nor by nonmedical professionals, has some of the most experienced healthcare professionals in the field, and utilizes the best quality equipment? That would be CHESAPEAKE MEDICAL IMAGING (CMI).

Anyone who doubts the usefulness of solar panels probably hasn't seen CMI's Annapolis facility. Boasting state-of-the-art imaging equipment, the facility certainly needs a reliable power source. Along came SolarGaines, a Maryland company, to install the solar energy equipment. If you take a look at the roof of the Annapolis facility, you notice an array of solar panels, 176 of them, all facing south. Those panels are equipped to generate more than 59,000 KWH annually, enough to power four average homes.



Not only do the solar panels provide an excellent source of sustainable energy, they are also estimated to be able to reduce energy costs by $30,000 each year. Another bonus is that utilizing this energy resource will decrease negative impact on the Chesapeake Bay, for which this company is named.

Steve Linhard, COO and CFO of Chesapeake Medical Imaging, noted, "While we knew this would be a major undertaking, given the amount of power it takes to run our operation, it was an obvious and important next step." He went on, "We really couldn't have asked for a better process or outcome. Beyond the financial benefits of electricity savings, tax credits, and other incentives, we're doing something to benefit our namesake, the Chesapeake Bay."

Dr. Mark Baganz, the Founder and Medical Director, indicated his approval of the project, "As we continually strive to improve our service to Maryland families and their care providers, we will always honor our roll as community members and global citizens. This is who we are, and what we want our legacy to be."

As all good workplaces do, Chesapeake Medical Imaging added more employees to the mix in mid-February, with the addition of six board-certified physicians, For those who wonder, board certification is indication of additional learning and expertise beyond the medical degree and licensure. The six new additions included Dr. Heidi M. Cooper, Dr. Arthur G. Kane, Dr. Rachel Ann Lagos, Dr. Amit Newatia, Dr. Shawn A. Schreiner, and Dr. Satre Stuelke.

Representing for CMI at the 10K crossing the Bay Bridge.

Dr. Mark Briganz commented, "As we continue to expand our services to patients and providers, we are thrilled to officially welcome these esteemed doctors to our dedicated team. Each of them brings impeccable credentials, skills, and experience, that together personify the high standards of patient-care and commitment that have become synonymous with our organization."

Employees having some decorative fun in honor of the Preakness last year.

Thanks for information from this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/cmirad/about/?ref=page_internal; this Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/cmirad/photos/a.637854329570775.1073741826.151831171506429/1257077877648414/?type=3&theater; this Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/cmirad/posts/1351136638242537; and the above link.

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Raising Awareness Of The Fate Of Homeless Animals

An artist, who paints pet portraits, participated in the exhibition and continues to create works like this.

Do you know how many animals are killed every day just because they've been discarded? These are stray animals, dumped animals, unwanted animals, and abused animals. There is basically nothing wrong with them, except that a human let them down. They're not defective and most aren't aggressive, although a certain number of them may have injuries. In 2014, almost ten thousand healthy animals were killed because they were considered to be "too many".

Charlene Logan Burnett, an animal welfare advocate, was quite aware of this issue. She had worked in an animal hospital, where part of her job was holding animals, who were being euthanized. Given her experiences, she wanted to raise awareness of how many animals were executed, simply because they were homeless and unwanted.



So, in 2014, she opened an art benefit in Davis Arts Center in Davis, California. The plan was to showcase the work of 40 artists from around the country for a one-month period. Mixed in would be photos of animals, with their descriptions, and the shelters where they were located. All sales were to benefit designated animal welfare groups.

Ms. Logan Burnett's objective was to provoke viewers to think harder about the fates of other creatures in the community. It would also encourage thinking of animals as fellow creatures and then stimulate people to think about how to treat them more humanely.

Charlene also explained why she is so dedicated to this issue, "Today, I am overwhelmed, viewing social media photo feeds of cats and dogs red listed for euthanasia. If they aren't adopted or pulled by a rescue, I know what lies ahead. I want to change that outcome. I want every child and adult who [visited] Davis Art Center during SHELTERED to stop, feel, and then think about what they can do to change the future for one, and hopefully, a thousand more animals."

Although the art benefit itself ran for five weeks, the existence of the internet allows the works a permanent home online. In addition, the exhibition's site has some resources for those who want to host their own benefit, including graphic posters with statistics, along with posters that have quotes about animals. Some of the artists in the original show share pertinent artworks on the exhibition's Facebook page, and there is also room for smaller, more focused art exhibit events to be shared.

"Roolie", one of the paintings in the 2014 benefit.

Those who advocate for animal welfare know that this is an ongoing issue, and there are gains and losses. There are communities and community shelters that come together and share resources, tips, fundraisers, and even space for animals. More and more, the shelters that work together are making headway and really saving the lives of homeless animals through adoptions. In some areas, live release rates are now above 90%, which is considered a no-kill rate. More can happen, the more interested and involved people keep bringing attention to the lives of these animals who need homes.

A more recent art show shared by Sheltered's Facebook page.

Thanks for information from this article on Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/charlene-logan-burnett-sheltered-art-benefit-for-animals/; this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC1rXdyICxs&feature=youtu.be; and the above link.

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Keeping Rural Grocery Stores Sustainable

The Onaga Country Market, one of the stores that benefits from the Rural Grocery Initiative.

Certainly, most of those who live in urban areas are familiar with the concept of food deserts, those areas of the city that lack access to fresh, healthy foods. But the same thing also happens in rural areas, despite the fact that people often associate rural areas with farming.

Back in 2007, Kansas State University (KSU), the Center for Engagement and Community Development (CECD), the Kansas Sampler Foundation, and the Huck Boyd Institute for Rural Development, came together in the Rural Grocery Initiative. Essentially, CECD had identified approximately 200 grocery stores in rural areas and started discussions with them. They then developed models of how these stores could be sustained, while maintaining customer loyalty with local residents, and providing a way for these residents to continue to have access to these sources of retail food products.



Some of the long-term goals of the initiative were to develop a rural grocery website, where these rural stores could share information together, to develop and distribute a survey of customer wishes and wants, to research grocery best practices, and to develop a "buy local" campaign.

In June of last year, this consortium of organizations held their fifth National Rural Grocery Summit, which took place over a two-day period. Various stakeholders, including store owners, citizens, funding organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, food suppliers, university researchers, and business leaders, gathered together to discuss the benefits of maintaining grocery stores in rural areas.

Included on the Summit's agenda were such issues as the latest and best thinking regarding sustaining rural grocery stores; some of the latest models providing sources of healthy foods for rural residents; networking and sharing information among store owners and the other stakeholders present; rural grocery best practices; and a path forward in healthy food access. Plans include another Summit that will meet in 2018.

David Proctor,  Director of CECD, speaks at Summit IV.

One of the developments arising from the Summit, is the creation of another initiative, involving programming at Kansas State. CECD, which runs out of Kansas State; the department of sociology; and the Food Trust have all come together and formed the Center for Healthy Food Access. This effort does not just address the issue of availability of healthy foods and drinks within rural areas, but also among low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. By examining the issues common in under-served populations, the plan is to provide easy access to affordable healthy foods to every child in the State, a commendable objective, since access to healthy foods is so tied into children's growth and development.

Some of the employees at Hired Mans Grocery & Grill, Inc.

Thanks for information from this page on KSU: http://www.ruralgrocery.org/about.html; this article on KSU: http://www.ruralgrocery.org/events/; this article on KSU: http://www.ruralgrocery.org/CenterforHealthyFoodAccess.html; and the above link.

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Ex-Offenders Given An Assist To Become Employed

Terri Roeber at an event, promoting AMF in the community.

Sometimes, just the right person moves to a city and begins to shake things up. That's true in Austin, Texas, where Terri Roeber decided to make her home back in 2007. From the beginning she has been involved with men, women, and youth with criminal backgrounds, starting as a probation officer, and then completing a training class to become a Certified Offender Workforce Development Specialist.

With a few others who had also completed certification, she co-founded AUSTIN M.O.V.E. FORWARD (AMF), a nonprofit which relies upon volunteers to help ex-offenders enter, or re-enter, the workforce; recover their dignity; and provide for their families. In return for the services provided, the individuals working with AMF are required to engage in community service, as a form of paying it forward.



Ms. Roeber discussed her organization, "This is not a hand-out, but a hand-up program." The program's clients are required to attend a Workforce Development Orientation before they can access anything else. At the orientation, clients enhance their interview skills in preparation for interviews with offender-friendly employers. They also learn about the community service component of the program.

Funds are raised via community fund-raiser events and those convert into the ability to assist more clients. Ms. Roeber sees it as a win-win, "It is not only about building a stronger economy, but a safer community." Not only that, but it also brings hope to those who have made mistakes and committed crimes, that they are capable of changing themselves, along with the circumstances in which their families live.

One other obvious way that AMF utilizes is to keep their clients informed, because it could be difficult to get hired when you don't know when various hiring events are scheduled. Clients can keep informed by checking the organization's social media sites, where they post hiring events and job fairs, with locations, times, and category of worker targeted. Various temporary or daily work agencies also get in touch with AMF, so that clients interested can begin working and receiving a paycheck when jobs are listed as available.

Some of the awareness information that AMF provides at community events.

The youth component of the program was launched in conjunction with The African American Youth Harvest Foundation and is known as B.E.A.C.O.N. Workforce Development Program. It is involved with providing job placement, job readiness training, career guidance, and life skills training.

One of the hiring events promoted by AMF.

In addition, the program addresses how youth manage such issues as their criminal history, transportation problems, lack of permanent housing, not enough food or clothing, and any other issue with which the youth are dealing.

Thanks for information from this article on Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/terri-roeber-austin-m-o-v-e-forward-motivating-offenders-to-value-employment-amf/; this article on AMF: http://www.austinmoveforward.org/?page_id=165; this page on AMF: http://www.austinmoveforward.org/?page_id=5; this article on AMF: http://www.austinmoveforward.org/?page_id=176; and the above link.

Connecting With Consumer Health Savings Accounts

Staffing an information booth at Employee Health Care Conference in New York.

Many of you in the work world are familiar with the various types of healthcare savings plans, such as Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA). These types of accounts help to pay the expenses that health insurance doesn't cover and are put together out of each year's earnings. Some can turn over from year to year; those that don't require a bit of a crystal ball to estimate health expenses each year, because any access to that year's funds becomes lost to the consumer at the end of the year.

CONNECTYOURCARE (CYC), based in Hunt Valley, maintains these accounts for consumers and businesses, providing an efficient interface that serves the stakeholder groups - consumer, business, healthcare provider. They provide their services in a way that maximizes return on investment, while satisfying each base.



At the beginning of this year, ConnectYourCare released new technology, in the form of ClaimsAlly, which streamlines and simplifies access to, and payments from, the three types of healthcare savings plans. It speeds up the process of submitting and deciding appropriateness of claims, so payout, or denial, becomes quicker. Claims can be verified for eligibility much more quickly, as well, through electronic means. Steve Grieco, CEO of ConnectYourCare, said, "The pilot results for ClaimsAlly point to substantial improvement in approval speed, nearly 80 percent in testing, which ultimately will increase participant satisfaction."

ClaimsAlly has been designed to fit into CYC's existing platform. According to Mr. Grieco, "We are pleased to be able to offer another technology to our smartCDH platform designed to help employees save more of their hard-earned money. while reducing the frustrating and time-consuming pay-and-chase that has been associated with FSAs, HRAs, and DCAP (Dependent Care Assistance Programs) accounts in the past."

This new technological innovation also picks up on CYC customers' expressed desire to decrease the needed documentation to determine expense eligibility. In addition, ClaimsAlly also decreases documentation requests, employers' administrative burdens, and amount of transaction correspondence.

On March 30, CYC partnered with Devenir to produce an online Webinar, Industry Outlook: Emerging Trends In Consumer Driven Health Care, which is still available on demand. The market for consumer-driven healthcare accounts has been continuing to grow. As more individuals reach retirement age, they are looking for ways to continue the benefits of these types of accounts.

A little change in work environment provides some fun for ConnectYourCare employees.

Two speakers, Barbara Boudreau, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at ConnectYourCare, and Eric Remjeske, President/Co-Founder of Devenir, come together to discuss industry trends, and information from the reports developed by both companies. They cover the growth potential of these consumer healthcare savings plans, trends in adoption, and ways of increasing employee participation.

Inside the Customer Care Center.

Thanks for information from this page: http://www.connectyourcare.com/about-us/our-company/; this article: http://www.connectyourcare.com/news-post/connectyourcare-streamlines-cdh-management-with-new-claimsally-technology/; this article: http://www.connectyourcare.com/news-and-events/webinars/; all of which are found on ConnectYourCare; along with the above link.

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