the honker - National Capital Pond

Vol. 3 The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
THE●HONKER
Vol.5 | November 2011
●Donna Digman | 707370
SERVPRO of Hunt Valley | P.O. Box 100 Cockeysville, MD 21030 | donna@servproofhuntvalley.com | 410-229-0012
-
● OFFICERS ●
Most Loyal Gander
Supervisor of the Flock:
Ian Jenkins
Restronics
ijenkins@restronic.com
301-682-9887
Custodian of the Goslings:
Jimmy Lanham
lanham1@verizon.net
301-904-9944
●
Next Gathering ●
Guardian of the Pond:
●
Location ●
Dave & Busters
7000 Arundel Mills Cr.
Hanover, MD 21076
www.daveandbusters.com
Patrick Bergin
patpanera@aol.com
Keeper of the Golden Goose
Egg:
Chip Cunningham
Evans Garment Restoration
Chip@EvansMA.com
410-579-1145
Thursday 3/21/2013
6pm – 11pm
See Flyer Below
Wielder of the Goose Quill:
Michelle Fitzwater
CRDN of Baltimore and Southern
MD.
michelle@schroedlcleaners.com
443-717-4143
2013 UP COMING EVENTS ● SAVE THE DATE
03/21
21st
2013
MAY
05/02
2
MARCH MADNESS
Annual Meeting Initiation &
Elections Dave & Busters
2
04/18
Open Meeting Brewers Alley – Frederick MD
www.brewers-alley.com
06/10
Golf Outing Montgomery Country Club
12 pm shot gun start www.montgomerycc.com
Information on events will be in future News Letters
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
Fellow Ganders and Friends of the National Capital Pond:
Due to an overwhelming response for Sponsors for the Blue Goose March Madness Social on 3/21/13, I am happy
to announce the ACE Sponsorship (Gaming Table Sponsor) and Queen Sponsorship (Dessert Sponsor) are
SOLD OUT.
ACE Sponsors: Gaming Table Sponsor – SOLD OUT - Restronic, Belfor of Maryland, Paul Davis Restoration
of Gaithersburg, South River Restoration, Infinity Restoration and Bergmann Cleaners.
Queen Sponsor: Dessert Sponsor – SOLD OUT – CRDN of Baltimore
The following sponsorship opportunities are still available and the National Capital Pond needs your support to
make the event a success:
King Sponsor: Gaming Prize Sponsor – Minimum value $100.00
Possible suggestions of Gaming Prizes are: I-Pad, Wine Basket, Spa Basket, Sports Tickets, Night on the Town
Basket with a gift certificate for a Hotel and Restaurant or a “Service Prize” (ie. seven hour day of Handyman
Services, seven room Carpet Cleaning Service, $100 towards Dry Cleaning, etc.)
Jack Sponsor: Bar Sponsor - $250.00
Each Sponsor receives exclusivity in their vendor category (ie. GC, Mitigation, etc.)
Prompt Restoration, Service Master of Baltimore, Harford Cleaners, Gross Mendelson, Catanzaro Engineering,
IRRS and Niles, Barton & Wilmer.
Please drop off your Gaming Prize to Evans Garment Restoration, 6610 Amberton Drive, Elkridge, MD 21075 by
3/15. If you are unable to drop off the gift by 3/15, please contact Sheri Oughton/Evans, 443-955-8063, to make
arrangements to get your Gaming Prize picked up.
We will also be collecting door prizes at Dave & Busters on the day of the event. Ultimately, we would like to get
at least 40 door prizes.
In order to have a sign made for your Gaming Prize and have your name displayed in the venue, I need to know
what your Gaming Prize will by March 15th which is when sponsorship opportunities are cut off.
Thank you in advance for helping make the Blue Goose March Madness Social a success. If you have any
questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at either wfletcher@keykleaning.com or 443-962-0115.
Tote Fare,
Wendy Fletcher
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
Blue Goose National Capital Pond
The Annual March Madness Party at
Dave and Busters
NCAA Basketball
7000 Arundel Mills Circle
Hanover, MD 21076
Casino Night
50/50 * Gift Drawings * Raffles
When: Thursday, March 21st 2013
Time: 6pm-11pm
Cost: $65.00 – Check payable to National Capital Pond & send to:
Barb Markuski
8550 Veterans Highway
Millersville, Md., 21108
Details: Buffet Dinner and Open Bar
RSVP: By Friday, March 15th, 2013
Barb Markuski
Barb@CapezioContractor.com /301-404-5758
Please bring a Door prize and cash to gamble in exchange for gift raffle tickets
Note: if purchasing 8 tickets -a table will be reserved for you
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
A TRIBUTE TO LIFE MEMBER ALAN “BUSTER” LEVINE
1935 – 2013 - HAIL AND FAREWELL MY FRIEND
On January 17, 2013 Alan passed away at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore due to complications following
his back surgery in November 2012. He was 77 years old. Over the last 27 years as a member of the National
Capital Pond Alan owned or worked for the following companies. Capezio Contractors, Inc, Elite Restoration,
Toepfer Construction Co., Gelberg Signs, Hallmark Restoration and Diplomatic Services Inc.
His funeral service was held on Sunday January 20, 2013. The following is a portion of the eulogy I was honored
to deliver that day to the many friends and family gathered to remember him. Sincerely, Bill Olson PMLG
We meet here today to honor and remember our father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and good friend. We
are sad and grieve because we miss him very much. We are comforted by the belief he is free of pain and is in
heaven with the loved ones who have passed before him. Although our friend no longer responds to our greetings
he will forever abide with us in tender and affectionate memory. We will never forget the charm of his
personality. We will recall all his good qualities and generosity. We will forget all the bad. Alan was a Life
Member of the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, International and a gander of the National Capital Pond for
27 years. The Blue Goose is all about promoting Character, Charity and Fellowship. Alan was quite a character,
who believed in charity and fellowship.
Fellow gander Alan Albrecht posted on Facebook this week after hearing the news, that they broke the mold after
they made Alan. This is very true. I never met anyone else quite like him. He was equally comfortable talking
with a group of executives as he was with a group of carpenters and laborers. And boy did he like to talk and tell
stories. We will remember his great sense of humor and bad jokes, over and over again. Alan would say to me”
did I ever tell you the one about … and I would say probably, but I loved to hear him tell them anyway. We may
or may not miss the hundreds of emails he sent us. After receiving a barrage of a dozen emails from Alan one
afternoon, PMLG Bill Clem replied to all this warning” look out everyone Alan is up from his nap and emailing
everybody.”
Alan was very generous with the charities he supported. Over the last 40 years the National Capital Pond has
donated over $ 300,000 to Children’s Hospital from proceed of our annual Charity luncheon in December each
year. Alan loved this event and donated every year. This charity was very important to Alan since he was a
patient there with a serious illness as a child living in Washington DC.
The officers of the HOBGI have some funny sounding
names like Most Loyal Gander and Keeper of the
Golden Goose Egg. Although Alan never served as an
officer of the National Capital Pond, he did have an
unofficial title sometimes, Royal Pain in the Ass. Alan
was very active and served on many committees.
He really loved to tell the rest of us what to do. He was
co chairman of the 2000 Grand Nest Convention in
Baltimore with PMLG Ed Noye, one of the most
successful Grand Nest Conventions ever.
His contribution to the National Capital Pond
will be greatly missed.
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
Interesting Article from the Insurance Journal
Superstorm Sandy Challenges Definition of Basement in New Jersey
Irene Sobolov believes the first floor of her house in Hoboken, N.J., is just that. The federal government and her
insurance company say it’s a basement. The semantics, Sobolov has learned, are very expensive. Sobolov and others
whose lower-level apartments or businesses sustained water damage during Superstorm Sandy say the property they
own is being classified as a basement, severely limiting what is covered under the National Flood Insurance
Program.
“It’s the battle of the definitions,” said Sobolov, standing on concrete that a wood floor once covered. She says the
damage to her home came when the sewer overflowed, sending a repellent brew of sewage, condoms and garbage
water up through her toilet and drain. “No one told us about this basement thing.”
The basement classification has become a point of contention in Hoboken, a city of 50,000 across the Hudson River
from Manhattan. Hoboken sustained major flooding when the Hudson jumped its banks and roared into the city
during Superstorm Sandy, one of the strongest storms to ever hit the area. It is one of the densest cities in the
country, and there are about 1,700 below-ground units that house people or businesses, according to Mayor Dawn
Zimmer.
People whose homes or businesses were classified as a basement are eligible for grants that are part of the $50.7
billion Sandy aid package approved by the House of Representatives last week, a spokesman for Senator Frank
Lautenberg said. It is unclear how much will be allocated or what the rules will be.
While there may be some relief coming, the classification is leading some to call for changes to the National Flood
Insurance Program, saying the basement definition unfairly punishes people who own property in cities.
The flood insurance rules “do not reflect the reality” of urban living, Zimmer told Congress last month.
“A store or apartment that requires you to walk down one or two steps is plain and simply not a basement,” Zimmer
told the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
“For many people, that’s their primary residence. It’s where they have the kitchen, the bedroom,” Zimmer said in an
interview. “It’s their home.”
A basement is classified as “any area of the building, including any sunken room or sunken portion of a room,
having its floor below ground level (subgrade) on all sides,” according to a spokesman for the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
Basement flood coverage is limited to items including central air conditioners, hot water heaters and “cisterns and
the water in them,” according to the program’s website.
Floors, paneling and most personal property in buildings classified as basements are not covered. Jersey City
resident Patrick Donnelly is suing a number of insurance companies, saying he and others were denied damage
claims after Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Sandy. A judge will decide if the suit can move forward as a class action.
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
Superstorm Sandy Challenges Definition of Basement in New Jersey Continued.
“We’re seeing situations where the insurance company is denying claims in buildings we do not believe met the
definition of a basement,” said Jeffrey A. Bronster, Donnelly’s lawyer.
Jersey City mayor Jerramiah Healy said he thinks the lawsuit is a “valid argument.”
Elsewhere, “traditionally a basement is where you throw stuff. It’s 8 to 10 feet below the ground,” Healy said.
“Here in Jersey City we have a lot of places that are ground level or 3 feet below. It’s living space.”
Property owners with a mortgage are required to have federal flood insurance. The policies are issued by private
insurance companies.
Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America and former federal insurance
administrator, said insurance is typically calculated on the ground level of a structure. Anything below that is
typically classified as a basement, he said.
The basement issue rarely came up after Hurricane Katrina, Hunter said, because so many Gulf Coast homes were
built on slabs.
“I’ve been fighting this battle for a long time,” Hunter said. “I think they’re too stringent in how they interpreted
those basement rules.”
Sitting at her kitchen table recently, Sobolov looked at a bathroom that no longer had walls, a sink or a toilet. Its
door was propped up against a wall in her living room, a decades-old brown sign reading “please keep this door
closed at all times” in both English and Spanish hanging from a nail. Previous owners put the sign on the door and
added on the living room, which was deemed a porch by the insurance company. The floors and bottom of the
walls are ripped up. The back door opens onto a few steps up into the backyard.
Sobolov said she is challenging the assertion that her home was flooded because of her claim that what came up
through the toilet and drain damaged her home. But because the insurance company declared her home flooded,
she is also fighting the basement classification. There was about a foot of water and sludge in her home.
She and her husband have owned the home for 12 years and pay about $2,500 a year in flood insurance, Sobolov
said.
“They collect our money for 12 years and only now it’s, `Oh, I forgot to tell you, we don’t cover you?”’ she
asked.
Sobolov received $5,000 from FEMA, she said, and is supposed to get another $6,000 under her flood insurance.
She said she has a $250,000 flood insurance policy. Contractors estimated the damage will cost $60,000 to
$80,000 to fix. Additionally, many of the family’s possessions, including the stove, dishwasher and furniture,
were destroyed.
A basement, Sobolov said, would be an amenity in cramped Hoboken.
“How many people in Hoboken,” Sobolov asked, “have the luxury of having a basement in their house?”
View this article online: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2013/01/21/278060.htm
(Article was used for the purpose of information only)
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Community Board
Vol. 3 | March 2013
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
Community Board
The Blue Goose Directory will be available to members via E-Directory this year and will no longer be in print
form. Another change is with advertising, we will not be offering advertising in connection with the Directory.
Instead, it will be offered in the monthly Honker and will be available in a variety of sizes ranging from business
card to full page to suit your marketing budget. This is a much better ‘Bang for your Buck’ because the honker is
sent out each month to all of our Members with your ad in it each and every time!!
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
Community Board
Now Soliciting Blue Goose Advertisers
“Are you looking for an affordable way to advertise to
the Insurance Restoration Industry? The National
Capital Pond publishes their newsletter monthly, 12
times per year. The newsletter is distributed to all of
our members, over 140 people, each month. This is a
great way to support our Pond and to make this
marketing opportunity enticing we are offering several
levels to fit each marketing budget:”
Advertising can be as small as a business card up to a full page.
Advertising Fees are as follows per year:
 Business Card $ 240.00



(For only $20.00 a month you can get your information to how many people?)
Quarter Page
Half Page
Full Page
$ 600.00
$ 900.00
$1,200.00
If you would like to advertise your company in The
Honker; please contact Barb Markuski at Capezio
Contractors, Inc.
301-404-5758
Barb@CapezioContractor.com
We NEED You in the
HONKER!
Money for advertising should be sent to Barb Markuski
C/O Capezio Contractors
8550 Veterans Highway
Millersville, Md., 21108
Include with your check: ad size, duration of ad and check made out
to: National Capital Pond. In order for your ad to be placed in next
month’s Honker your information and payment must be received by
the 20th of the month. Late submissions will be placed in the
following months Honker and will run for the duration.
Send your business card via jpeg to Donna Digman @
donna@servproofhuntvalley.com along with a hard copy to Donna
Digman 1203 63rd Street Rosedale, MD 21237
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
The National Capital Pond
would like to WELCOME the
following NEW MEMBERS!
Happy Birthday to YOU!
3/2 – Allan Albrecht, Mike Shilling
3/5 – Bill Kinney, Jeff Schloz
3/8 – Patrick Bergmann
3/11 – Dennis Donnelly
3/12 – Martha Batterton
3/13 – Jon Haas, Wayne Odachowski
3/14 – Chris Nardone, Chris Nespor
3/27 – Scott Hoppe
Alexander Bergmann – Bergmann’s Cleaning
Scott Dustin– Belfor USA Group
Erickson Flynn – Puroclean
Alan Sadowski – Capezio Contractors
David White - MDD
If you have
not paid your
2012 / 2013
dues; please
pay your dues
ASAP.
Reinstated: Thomas Galanos – Chesapeake Air
Support
YOUR
Pond!
Transferred from Penn Pond: Chris McManamon – Accord
Restoration
☺ Have you ordered your tickets for March Madness?
☺ Have you contacted Wendy in regards to being a sponsor at the March
Madness?
☺ It’s not too early to start thinking golf. Work on getting your foursome together
now for our Annual Golf Outing.
The National Capital Pond
web site is getting a face lift
an ALL NEW WEB PAGE!
Exciting information will now
always be at your fingertips!
This is great news for our
advertisers in the community
board section of The Honker;
not only will you be in The
Honker every month you will
be listed on our web page. If
your company has a web site
we will also have a click link
for anyone visiting the web
site to check out your site!
See the new roll out at March
Madness!
☺ Please pay your 2012 - 2013 dues.
☺ If possible always RSVP to meetings and functions.
☺ Did you notice the monthly meeting in April will be in Frederick?
☺ Read your Honker and send us feedback.
☺ Have you contacted Barb to become an advertiser for the National Capital Pond?
☺ Always remember to pay it forward with a SMILE!
WE need to hear from you! Along with the new
web page the National Capital Pond will also have
a Facebook Page, LinkedIn Page, Tweeter and
RSS Feed. We are always looking for ideas!
National Capital Pond
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
Daylight Saving Time (DST)
DST this is what America and much of the rest of
the world calls 'Summer Time'. It's interesting
that the USA uses the abbreviation DST, whereas
the United Kingdom employs the full phrase
'Summer Time'.
DST starts on the second Sunday in March
(not the last), and end ends on the first Sunday in
November, (not the last Sunday in October).
Another difference is that DST lasts for three
weeks longer than Summer Time.
Saturday Nite of March 9th, 2013 THIS YEAR
☺ Don’t struggle to find the needle in the
haystack–just buy the haystack. - Jack Bogle–
Founder of Vanguard Funds
☺ Keep in mind that is generally takes less effort
to avoid a mistake than to recover from one!
☺ The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the
greater is their power to harm us. - Voltaire
A Special THANK YOU goes out to Gina Valerio for speaking at our February Meeting!
The Restoration Industry Association serves and represents the interests of the commercial and residential
restoration and cleaning industries by promoting the highest ethical standards; providing education and
certification opportunities; positively influencing regulation and governmental actions; and advancing the
safety, image, efficiency and competitiveness of industry members.
Gina Valerio is the Director of Industry & Member Relations, and has been working with RIA since
2009. She creates awareness of the association and its members through attendance at industry events,
social networking, and direct communications, as well as helping to bring greater value to membership
through vendor programs and participation. Her more than 25 years of experience in sales and marketing
in several industries including banking,
hospitality and restaurant management
make her a perfect fit to take on exhibit
and sponsorship sales for the annual
RIA Leadership Summit & Industry Expo,
ad sales for C&R Weekly, and fund
raising efforts such as the recently
announced Restoration Industry Legal
Fund. Feel free to contact her for
information regarding the association
and its members.
The Honker | A National Capital Pond Publication
Vol. 3 | March 2013
The Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, International collectively donated over $170,000 to over 40 different charities last
year.
The Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, International was founded in 1906 has 3,800 members in the United States,
Canada and Australia.
The Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, International cardinal principles are Charity, Character and Fellowship.
The Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, International has a website www.bluegoose.org , a Facebook page and a Linkedin
group.
The 7 Eastern Region Ponds collectively donated over $50,000 to charity and scholarships last year.
The Penn Pond won the International Charity Award in 2012.
The Eastern Region Ponds are the Bay State Pond, Garden State Pond, Hartford Pond, National Capital Pond, New York
City Pond, Penn Pond, and Westchester Pond.
The National Capital Pond donated $19,155 to 6 different charities last year.
The National Capital Pond has donated over $100,000 to charity in the last 10 years.
The National Capital Pond has won the award for best increase in membership in the Eastern Region for 3 years in a row.
The National Capital Pond is now the 8th largest Pond in the Order and the 2nd largest in the Eastern Region.
The National Capital Pond has 136 active members and 20 Life members.
The National Capital Pond is hosting the 2015 Grand Nest Convention.
John Ellis of Infinity
Please join us ! For a membership application go to: www.nationalcapitalpond.comRestoration Receives Most
Loyal Gander Plaque!
Sincere Apologies. Due to computer issues and a over
sight on my part Woodmoor Cleaners was not placed
in the Community Board section in February’s News
Letter. We want to Thank Woodmoor Cleaners for
their support to the National Capital Pond and also for
bringing this oversight to our attention!
♫ In every job that must be done, there is an
element of fun. You find the fun and—SNAP—the
job’s a game! ♪ ~ Disney
From all of us we would like
to say Thank you for all your
support
time
youdo
have
If you have not yet paid
yourand
dues
please
so ASAP.
You can bring your payment
to THE
NEXT
given to the
National
Capital
MEETING or payments
be sent
to:
Pondcan
/ Blue
Goose!
NATIONAL CAPITAL POND
C/O MICHELLE FITZWATER, PMLG
2536 RICHFIELD LANE
CHESAPEAKE BEACH, MD 20732
you ahave
questions
We hope you have enjoyed this copy of The Honker. WeIfhave
busyany
year
ahead ofconcerning this, please
contact
your Wielder
Michelle
us and will be working hard to keep you informed on current
information
along
with Fitzwater @
michelle@schroedlcleaners.com
what is happening in the future.
Two Grand Nest Officers Visit Blue
Goose's Heart of America Pond Golf
Outing on June 29th 2012
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED MEMBERSHIP!
Donna Digman SERVPRO of Hunt Valley 410-229-0012