Glass-News Stories

[COMMENTs id=comme]by Srianthi Perera - Feb. 20, 2009 03:26 PM
The Arizona Republic

Patrice Derbas has an "emergency distraction kit," a Tupperware box filled with new toys, hidden at home to divert her 4-year-old twin girls Hailey and Adison while she can sit at the computer.

Shelley Valdez waits until her 2-year-old daughter Alessandra naps to catch up on her email.

Tisha Marie Pelletier, whose baby son, Caleb, is only 5 months old, text-messaged from the delivery room.

The three mothers aren't hooked on communication; they are businesswomen - or "mompreneurs, as they call themselves" - who operate businesses from their homes in Gilbert.

Tiptoeing around their little ones' schedules, they are experiencing the true meaning of juggling motherhood, family life and a career with limited help from busy husbands.

"I'm thankful I have clients who know I have a baby," said Pelletier, who runs Simply Put, a marketing business, and an event-planning business, is writing a romantic comedy novel, is freelancing to newspapers and holding office in organizations.

"You are trying to find that perfect balance of motherhood and doing work for a client," Pelletier added. "I think they know that family comes first and you're still trying to juggle a business. They never come down hard on me and say 'we're not going to work with you because you have a kid now.'"

Valdez, who runs a photography business from home, admits, "It's tough finding that balance and making it work, but I do feel very blessed that I have my office at home and I have flexibility.

"I don't have to ask for time off to take her to the doctor," Valdez added.

While all are not operated by moms, Gilbert has 2,017 registered home-based businesses, from baby wear manufacturing and floral designs to medical billing and therapeutic services.

Across the country, mompreneurs are increasingly staying connected.

Biz Mom Connections, a community of chapters established two years ago in Florida that supports and refers to each other in business, recently went national. Pelletier is setting up a Gilbert chapter and is looking for members.

Entrepreneurial Mothers Association, a non-profit established locally in 1986 by Kathy Stephens, has three chapters in Arizona. The East Valley Chapter holds 70 of its 100 members, ranging from the pregnant to great-grandmothers.

"The mentoring and the friendships," are the best things it has to offer, said Cathryn Scheeler, state board president, who runs Desert Breeze Glass in Mesa and has been with the group for seven years.

"If I'm having issues, I call up a friend and talk to them. It's fun to get free advice," Scheeler said.

Derbas found it too costly to put her twins to daycare. She created a Web site for her graphic arts business and started getting steady business.

While at work, she constantly hears the announcement, "Mummy, I'm bored." She's still working on the 4-year-olds' concept of time: 20 minutes equals one minute to them.

"I say 'you can't be bored now because mummy has to work,'" Derbas said.

Valdez finds Alessandra "acting up" when she's on the phone.

"One day, she threw the car keys in the dog bowl. She didn't get in trouble because I'm trying to be professional on the phone. I can't say 'excuse me while I go and punish my child,'" she said.

Meanwhile, Pelletier, who wishes for more sleep, has to work around Caleb's napping. "Even though he's on a schedule, you never know. You think you'll have three hours solid for his nap but it could be twenty minutes. You just try to make it work."

Do they miss going to an office?

"I do miss going to an office and having people around. It's just "googoo gaagaa" and "maamaa" and all that. I long to socialize with friends," Derbas said.

The three Gilbert moms agree that the personal satisfaction they gain from their businesses far outweigh the satisfaction they derive from the extra income.

"I just love the sense of accomplishment and the gratification you get when a client calls you up and says 'Oh I just love what you did,'" Derbas said. "If mom is happy, everybody's happy."

ABC 20/20 Report on Danger of Improperly Installed Windshields

Desert Breeze Glass Owner Recognized

Business growth program, Make Mine A Million $ Business selected Cathryn Scheeler of Desert Breeze Glass as one of the 10 awardees from the Arizona event on March 4, 2008 at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. The exciting event featured female entreneurs from Arizona and other regions of the country who will competed for business development packages that include money, marketing, mentoring and technology assistance to help their businesses grow into million-dollar enterprises. The event also included educational and network opportunities in addition to keynote speeches by Governor Janet Napolitano and Special guest Nely Galan, Founder, GalAn Entertainment.

Described as a cross between "The Apprentice" and " American Idol," the competition provided twenty finalists the opportunity to present their business in a 3 minute "elevator pitch" to a panel of business experts and a live audience. Ten winners were chosen by the audience and judges who collaborate on the selection process.

Desert Breeze Glass is the only AAA approved auto glass company in Maricopa County that repairs or replaces' s glass using products like Diamon Fusion Glass Guard with nanotechnology.

Launched in 2005 by Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence and founding partner OPEN from American Express, the Make Mine a Million $ Business program was created to help post-start up, women-owned business grow to one million dollars in annual revenue. Since the inception, the program has hosted 14 competitions in cities around the country and grown into a nationwide movement. For the Arizona event, over 1,000 applications were submitted in hopes of securing one of the twenty finalist openings.

"We thrilled by the eagerness of women in Arizona and across the nation to participate in this event,"said Nell Merlino,founder and president of Count Me In. "The number of applicants mirrors the growth of our entrepreneurs' business and their desire to take them to the million dollar level."

The Make Mine a Million $ Business program has garnered support from organizations who are all joining hands in order to make an impact in women's lives and strengthening the US economy.

The impressive list of blue-chip national sponsors include OPEN from American Express, Cisco, FedEx, QVC, Jet Blue, Marriot, and Dell. Sponsors provide an array of products and services that serve as invaluable tools for growth.

2000 Windshields & 2 Years Later with Diamon Fusion and Nanotechnology add Safety/Value to Arizona

Desert-like weather conditions have a harsh impact on the visibility of Arizona's vehicles. A DFI Treated windshield will be able to prevent Sand pitting, erosion and will be able to deflect small impacts that typically would dent or crack an untreated windshield, due to it's impact resistance properties as tested by William La Course.

It has been proven by independent studies that a hydrophobic coating such as Diamon Fusion applied on the automobiles windshield will improve the visibility during rainy conditions over 30%, giving an additional second of reaction time which results in an extra 58 feet in distance traveling at 40 mph. Visit http://www.desertbreezeglass.com for photos.

Here is a couple of windshield Testimonials from consumers like David Parkerson who added "It was what I needed. For the last year or so, I have had rocks bounce off my windshield without a mark left behind." Fleet owner Chris Callaway from Steamatic of Phoenix adds. "It has reduced the number of windshields that we have had to replace on our box trucks and sales cars, plus they stay clean longer. This is a huge advantage on a large truck with nearly vertical glass.

In the past year Diamon Fusion Has improved it's patented nono-coating and has made it available to apply to both new windshields and existing ones also. Adam Zax, President and CEO of DFI,added "We've always had great confidence in all of our products but we find this an opportune time to further establish our industry leadership by offering an unmatched lifetime warranty on our proven and patented nanotechnology."

Cathryn Scheeler owner of Desert Breeze Glass has had Diamon-Fusion applied on over 2000 vehicles which resulted in little or no damage to the windshields. Some of the publicity resulted in a newspaper article in the Arizona Republic dated May 12, 2005 .It was at that time Desert Breeze Glass invited a reporter from the newspaper to a demonstration of a windshield being shot at with a BB gun from 40 feet away. The results showed no damage to the treated side of the windshield. Desert Breeze Glass was also seen Live on 3 TV and abc 15 to show the safety of Diamon-Fusion hydrophobic coating.

News

Gilbert's 'mompreneurs' redefine business

ABC 20/20 Report on Danger of Improperly Installed Windshields

Desert Breeze Glass Owner Recognized

2000 Windshields & 2 Years Later with Diamon Fusion and Nanotechnology add Safety/Value to Arizona

Seen On Abc15 Smart Shopper

Seen on Arizona's Family - KTVK Channel 3 News

Arizona Republic