In 1937, brothers Dick and Mac McDonald opened a hotdog stand call the Airdrome in Arcadia.  In 1940, the brothers moved the Airdrome building to San Bernardino where they opened the first McDonald’s on Route 66.  The restaurant became very successful and its fame spreads by word of mouth.  Over the next few years the brothers began to franchise their restaurant and open three more restaurants.

In 1954, 52-year-old entrepreneur Ray Kroc invested his life savings including mortgaging his home to become the exclusive distributor of a five-spindled milk shaker called the Multimixer.  Ray became fascinated by the McDonalds’s restaurant during a sales visit where they used eight Multimixers.  This intrigued him, so he packed up his car and moved to California.  Upon arriving at the hamburger stand, Ray was amazed to see so many people served so quickly. Seizing the day, Ray suggested the idea of opening up more restaurants to the McDonald brothers, all along thinking about how he could sell eight Mutimixers to each and every one.

In 1955, Ray opened the Des Plaines restaurant.  The first day’s revenue was $366.12. The location is no longer a functioning restaurant, but is now a McDonald’s museum containing memorabilia and artifacts including the Multimixer. The original building was torn down in 1984 and replaced.  The present building was built according to the original blueprints with some modifications to accommodate museum visitors and staff.  The customer service and food preparation areas contain original equipment used in the days when fresh potatoes were peeled, sliced blanched and then fried; milkshake mix and syrup were whipped up on the Multmixer; Coca-Cola and root beer were drawn from a barrel, and orangeade from the orange bowl.  The basement features a historical display of photos, memos, early advertising, memorabilia and a short video presentation.

There have been changes through the years to the menu.  In 1968 the Big Mac was introduced, and in 1973 the Egg McMuffin was developed, and of course the ever- popular Happy Meal came along in 1979. In 2007 McDonald’s started offering lattes and other gourmet coffees.

In 1974, Fred Hill of the Philadelphia Eagles teamed up with McDonald’s to create the Ronald McDonald House.  Here, the families of critically ill children have a place to call home while they undergo treatment for their conditions.

McDonald’s is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving 52 million people in more than 100 countries daily.  More than 70% of McDonald’s restaurants are owned and operated by independent local men and women.

Temple City is proud to say we have a McDonald’s Franchise located at 9831 Las Tunas.  The M. Pernecky Management Corp. has owned Temple City McDonald’s, since 1987.  Originally opening in 1965, the Temple City location is the 731st McDonald’s ever built.

McDonald’s is open 7 days a week for your convenience, with a wide range of food including more healthy choices, and of course the original hamburger is still on the menu.

*In 1948 hamburger sold for $.15.  Today they sell for $.79

San Gabriel Vallry Network is a non-profit organization that helps businesses get organized.  They specialize in coaching, consulting, clutter control, filing, activity and paper management, space planning, seminars, and office systems.  Speakers can also be provided.
It’s so hard for ADD people to concentrate on tasks some times, because every time something is touched, they think of something else to do. So just trying to say out loud to yourself, “Focus, focus, focus”—easier said than done, but give it a try.
Having an organized environment for ADD people is certainly recommended in keeping control of their daily activities. It’s a “Catch 22” for the classic symptoms of ADD: inattention, impulsivity, distractibility, overfocusing and hyperactivity, to name just a few. Everyone says “time management” but I like to call it “activities management.” What we actually do is manage our “activities” within the “time” we have everyday.  Makes sense?
So here are 10 simple focusing strategies for ADD clients:

1. A common characteristic of a person with ADD is that he/she likes new things to keep them interested, so it’s difficult to stay on task for very long—sometimes it ranges for 15-60 minutes. A simple strategy of using a timer to start and stop can help insure completion of the project started.
2. Offering the client a reward for staying on task could be taking a short breaks and doing something else for 10-15 minutes. It’s important that a reward is set up that the client wants and sometimes never finds the time to do.
3. Using your internal clock (like the feeling someone knows when something should take a certain amount of time to do), is not an effective way for an ADDer to keep track of time. Using a clock to do something within an allotted period of time that has an auditory sound from a timer or a cell phone, for instance, is a way for the mind to be interrupted, so the individual can stop, look at their calendar, and/or “to do” list to do something else. It’s a challenge for an ADD individual to calculate how long something takes and/or will take their time to do. Planning is important to keep on task and learning not to “overschedule” one’s day.
4. Approach a project by breaking it down into little pieces. So ask yourself, “How do you eat an elephant? Answer: “One bite at a time.” If you can VISUALIZE this question and answer it each time when tackling a task and/or project, you will be able to manage your daily activities better so you can feel good at the end of each day.
5. To control your daily activities as well as managing your time, it’s important to say “no.” Reward yourself each time to saying “no” to everyone’s request if it will keep you from doing what YOU need to get done. Always acknowledge that person who asked you by saying, “I appreciate your vote of confidence, but I just can’t work it into my schedule at this time. Sorry.”
6. Remind the client that complex organizing projects shouldn’t be set up when he/she is not at their best. Setting up for “success” is the best. By working on a project that requires deep concentration, should be done during the time of day when the highest level of energy is felt.
7. Staying healthy is very important to the ADD individual. Exercising helps relieve the stress for both physical and mental issues that is caused by daily activities and interruptions. By exercising and good nutrition, frees up the mind to take a much needed rest I call a “brain break,” so a person can “refocus, regroup and rejuvenate.”
8. Sometimes letting calls go into voicemail will help insure concentration on the project at hand. By setting 2 times a day to return calls, will help put a “system” in place of creating a habit that can be a win-win situation for everyone.
9. Keeping a notepad on a night stand, in your pocket, purse, etc., is extremely useful when ideas pop into one’s head. It clears the mental clutter out, so you can focus on the task at hand that needs to get done by a certain timeline.
10. Studies have been conducted that chewing gum can help one focus. I like to use clear Silly Puddy with sparkles that smells really good when I’m in meetings.

Helping clients understand their focus limitations and how to work within their abilities, will help prevent them from getting caught up in the cycle of “never finish anything” syndrome. “Making it fun until it’s done” is my strategy in helping my ADD clients feel good about themselves by keeping them inspired that they can accomplish anything if they have the right tools and the right attitude.
“If you can’t find it in 30 seconds, it’s in the wrong place”

Evelyn Gray, CPO-CD
Productivity Expert & Organizing Coach
ADD & Chronic Disorganization Specialist
(626) 576-2059 PST
www.evelyngray.com

Play Smarter Basketball helps young man get to UC Berkeley.

Xu (Max) Zhang, right, with coach Richard Marquis, has realized part of his parent’s dream, to one day have the possibility of playing at a university, where he can develop the skills to play pro-basketball somewhere in China’s CBA or perhaps the NBA. Max is now headed to UC Berkeley on a basketball scholarship.

In October 2006, Temple City Life printed a story about a young Chinese man coming to America looking for a better life with a brighter future and the successful career of his coach, Chamber member Richard Marquis, who wanted to help his student realize that dream.

Xu (Max) Zhang has just recently signed a full scholarship to play for the University of California in Berkeley in the Pacific-10 Conference.

Under the direction of Coach Marquis, owner of Play Smarter Basketball, Max's training began approximately 18 months ago. At that time Max was 17 years old and 7'0" tall. He was thin and had very little basketball experience, starting to play only after he was 15.

Now, a year later, Max has adjusted to American lifestyle, polishing his English and working very hard to develop his around basketball skills at Coach Marquis’s basketball classes where he was a student and then became a coach working with the younger kids in Coach Marquis’s basketball classes. During this short time, Max has grown to 7'3".

His new college coach at Berkeley, Coach Ben Braun said, “Max is going to fit in very nicely with our returning players and with his size and new basketball skills; we are looking forward to his future here at Cal. We believe Xu (Max) Zhang is going to be an outstanding college player here in America.”

This is a dream come true for Max’s parents and the opportunity of a lifetime for Max. Because of his height, Max had skill you can't teach: being closer to the basket. But his parents wanted Max to improve his basketball skills, in hopes of one day playing at a university and possibly returning home to play pro-basketball somewhere in China’s CBA, China’s version of the NBA.

His mom and dad became aware of the coach’s background because he has been coaching in Asia for many years. For the past ten years, Coach Marquis has been very actively coaching throughout China while training their men's and women’s Junior Olympic teams and also training at two different universities: Sias International University in the Henan Province in Zhengzhou City in central China and Xiamen University on the Island of Xiamen in Southern China in the Fujian Province.

Now, with the University of California, Coach Marquis’s protege is on his way. And that is much  smarter basketball — and education.

Founded in 1976 as the West San Gabriel Valley Consortium, Career Partner’s legal name, the original consortium of four cities and one school district has grown to seven cities and two school districts.  Over the past 30 years, Career Partners has helped thousands of people who were looking for employment, training, and an opportunity for a better life.  They have assisted many businesses with their employment needs, economic development, workshops and training seminars.

An Executive Board comprised of following member entities, including the cities of Alhambra, Bell, Montebello, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel and Temple City, along with the Alhambra, Montebello, Baldwin Park, South El Monte, Temple City Unified School Districts, governs Career Partners.

In addition, an Advisory Council, comprised of representatives of various private and public entities, as well as the One-Stop Partners’ Strategic Planning Committee, provide guidance and oversight for all activities and programs.

Career Partners is a One-Stop Career Center, recognized by Los Angeles County, the State of California and the U.S. Government, that joins with employers, employees and job seekers to optimize workforce solutions under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

As a Worksource Center, Career Partners is continually expanding and augmenting its primary mission of preparing unemployed persons and displaced workers for their return as productive members of the labor force.

Career Partners provides a comprehensive system of training, placement and career planning for job seekers throughout Southern California.  We also offer an array of services for businesses and employers, such as human resources and consulting services, labor market information, and economic development resources.

Career Partners provides workshops on topics ranging from new business ventures to career enhancements skills.  We offer vocational classroom training and work related programs.  A network of public kiosks connects users in local cities to our Web site, where they can search for business, training and supportive services, look for jobs, or access the vast resources available on the Internet.

Funding for Career Partner’ programs are derived from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) as administered though the Los Angeles County Department of Community and Senior Services.  These funds primarily support the adult and youth employment training programs and service as the foundation of Career Partner’s Activities.

Teaming with Career Partners in this endeavor are the state’s Employment Development Department, the County’s Department of Public Social Services, the State Department of Rehabilitation, Springboard credit counselors, the American GI Forum, the National Council on the Aging, the Job Corps, adult schools and local community colleges, and Community Service Block Grant and Native American Programs.

If you would like more information on the services Career Partners offers, please contact Martha Cerda, Business Services Specialist at 626-572-7272 ext. 1213 or email at mcerda@careerpartners.org.

Rita Padilla is a Realtor Associate with Dickson Podley Realtors in their newer Monrovia office. Being a Temple City resident for 23 years. Rita specializes in Temple City and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley communities. She has been working buyers and sellers specializing in residential, income and probate properties. She holds the designation “Senior Real Estate Specialist” (SRES) which qualifies her to counsel seniors 55+ through major financing and lifestyle transitions involved in relocating, refinancing or selling the family home. Rita is also is a “Certified Residential Specialist” (CRS) which is the highest designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field and recognizes professional accomplishments and education.

Rita has a reputation within the industry for being a hardworking, enthusiastic and honest professional. Her full attention is given to being prepared and taking care of the necessary details in each transaction. The sales transactions of her clients are of the utmost importance. “I am truly grateful for the trust and confidence my clients have shown me.”

Rita also has an extensive background in public service and marketing/sales especially in her previous careers in Hospitality and Premium Wine sales. Her past experiences have provided her with proven marketing techniques and attention to details.

She is an active member of the Arcadia Association of Realtors, the California and National Association of Realtors. When time permits, Rita enjoys being a Temple City volunteer and in July participated at St. Luke’s Church Vacation Bible School as a volunteer assistant. She describes herself as a “people person” and says, “I receive immense gratification and enjoyment when serving and caring for people.”  Rita also traveled to China last November with the Chamber group.

You can “RELY ON RITA” to get the job done!  You may contact her at (626) 408-1430 or on her website at www.RitaPadilla.com

While working as a barber back in 1979 John Ridgel owned two salons but always enjoyed the teaching aspect of cosmetology.  This is when he decided to open John Ridgel’s Beauty College located at 9526 Las Tunas.  During the early years John would often have his young daughter Dawn, tag along, thus sparking her interest in the field of cosmetology also.  Like father, like daughter.

Years later, while attending high school Dawn attending beauty school through her ROP class at age sixteen.  Eventually, Dawn became a licensed cosmetologist and even worked at one of her father’s salons.  In 1991, John retired and Dawn took over John Ridgel’s Beauty College.  For twenty-eight years this beauty college has been offering students a variety of classes to help them ultimately obtain a cosmetology license.

Classes are offered in the fields of; Cosmetology, Esthetician and Manicuring.  To complete the cosmetology classes, students are required 1,600 hours, 600 hours are required to complete the Esthetician classes and 400 hours are required to complete the Manicuring classes.  Once these classes have been completed John Ridgel’s Beauty College issues their students Certificates of Completion, and then the student can apply to take the State exam to become a licensed Cosmetologist.

John Ridgel’s offers all services to the public where the students perform the work, supervised by instructors at moderate prices.

Hours of operation are Tuesdays through Fridays, 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.  Walk-ins are welcome, but you may make appointment by phoning (626) 285-7112.

John Ridgel’s has two full time instructors and three part time instructors and the supervisor is Olivia Jimenez.  Owner, Dawn Crabtree is one of the full time instructors.  But, being a mother of four is also another full time job which keeps Dawn a very busy woman.

Owner of TM Studios Production, Tom McIntee is proud to say he has been a mobile D.J. since 1980.

Tom has lived in Temple City his entire life and went to St. Luke School as well as Temple city High.  Since he was a small boy Tom always enjoyed music especially around Halloween.  His love of music led to his career choice, which he adds is a very busy one.  Tom is a party event coordinator for his business but always finds time to do volunteer work for the community of Temple City. He also does lighting along with the PA system when needed.  Many people will recognize Tom from the Concerts In The Park where he sets up his PA system.  Tom was even awarded Volunteer of the Year in 2003, by the Chamber of Commerce.

Some of the events Tom has been involved in are: Weddings, car shows,  Camellia Festival, St. Luke Festival, the Chamber Miss Temple City Pageants, Chamber’s Annual Installation, the Kiwanis barbecue, Republican functions, grand-openings, just to name a few.

Tom will be happy to plan your next event.  Tom can be reached at (626) 286-3175.

Community service clubs used to abound in Temple City. Jerry Jambazian, who is a member of Temple City’s largest and most distinguished service club, the Temple City Kiwanis Club, believes his club is even more important these days because it continues to build and serve Temple City.

Chartered by Kiwanis International on August 6, 1939 with 25 members, the club strives to build a better community through service to youth.

“Thousands of Temple City youth have benefited from the efforts and goodwill of dedicated Kiwanis Club members,” Jambazian said.

“We are primarily comprised of men and women who live or work in Temple City,” Jambazian said. Our club has been a fixture in this community for more than 67 years. We also participate in worldwide projects with an emphasis on our local youth,” Jambazian said.

The foundation of the Club’s fund raising includes an annual July barbecue and a pancake breakfast the morning of the Camellia Parade in February.

The Kiwanis Club of Temple City meets every Tuesday from noon until 1:25 p.m. at Sir George’s Restaurant, 9 Las Tunas Drive, Arcadia. Meetings include socialization, club business, and guest speakers on timely topics. Residents are invited to come for lunch to see first-hand what the Temple City Kiwanis is all about!

“I joined Temple City Kiwanis at the invitation of a local businessman in 1970. I questioned why I should join Kiwanis. I was told that the movers and shakers of Temple City were in Kiwanis.

“If you were to ask me, what has changed since then, I would tell you that we once had 75 active members, we had members who were school administrators, council members, mayors, city managers, fire captains, law enforcement, school board members, postmasters, clergy, Chamber of Commerce managers.

“I miss the times when all the service clubs in Temple City would meet at the Women’s Clubhouse for a yearly joint meeting. Sadly, almost all the service clubs in Temple City have disbanded.”

In the 1960s and 70s Temple City Kiwanis participated in the March of Dimes to help with birth defects. Pop and Ralph Gunst began what was known as the “Line of Dimes.” The intersection of Temple City Boulevard and Las Tunas Drive was temporarily transformed into a toll road with Kiwanis members asking motorist for donations. “We were able to collect more than $100,000 to benefit the March of Dimes.”

The Temple City Kiwanis Club invites all service-minded men and women of the community to consider joining them.

Formed back in the era when Temple City was being founded and developed, the Woman’s Club of Temple City has 81 years in service to the community and nation.

The Woman’s Club of Temple City was organized Dec. 4, 1925, in the home of Mrs. Samuel Lester.
There were seven charter members: Mrs. W.J. Husong, Mrs. Ray Cromley, Mrs. Samuel Lester, Mrs. Harry Lester, Mrs. Raymond Swartz and Mrs. Charles Tandy. Their objective was to promote cultural and philanthropic work among its members and to develop interest in civic, social and educational areas of the community.

Mrs. Tandy, the first president had to move away before her term was completed. Mrs. McNab finished the term and was elected for the following year.

Walter Temple, Sr., founder of Temple City, needed help in attracting residents to his new development. These first two presidents helped Mr. Temple to have the red car continue its run from Alhambra to Temple City, which brought rural mail delivery from Los Angeles to Temple City.

They also canvassed for telephone service; assisted on committees working on building a new school, sponsored a Girl Scout troop and collaborated with all organizations in Temple City.

Between 1926 and 1929 the group grew in number. The Woman’s Club talked about having a clubhouse of their own. They started a building fund by having bake sales, silver teas and parties. It was during this time that they began decorating the community Christmas tree under the direction of Mrs. Husong and Mrs. Dunlap. This was continued for many years until the city merchants took this annual event over.

In 1929, the club became a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, which was founded in 1890 by Jennie June Croly. This is the largest and oldest nondenominational, nonpartisan, international volunteer service organization of women in the world. It has a membership of ten million in forty-five countries.

The General Federation was chartered in 1901 and the headquarters are located in Washington, D.C. The archives contain hundreds of linear feet of records dating from 1890 to the present with special collections devoted to women’s history with an emphasis on women in volunteerism.

In 1931, the Temple City Woman’s Club purchased a lot on the corner of Kauffman Avenue and Woodruff Street under Mrs. F. M. Van Houten’s presidency.

The club membership was divided into eight groups, one for each month of the club program year, each serving a luncheon and having one fund-raising project. This plan was in effect for several years and enabled the club to purchase this lot.

Money was not plentiful in those years but the club enjoyed a profitable year and was able to pay the remaining amount due on their lot.

Jorge Lopez has been named manager of the new Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1827 Walnut Grove in Rosemead.  Lopez has more than fourteen years of retail experience, and led the store to its grand opening this past fall.

“This company has provided me with incredible opportunities to develop my skills,” said Lopez.  “It is a great company to work for and my career path is proof.  I’m excited to be here in Rosemead and look forward to getting involved in the community.

Lopez began his career with Wal-Mart in 1991 as a department manager in Redlands.  He was promoted to assistant manager in Victorville; to co-manager in Pittsburg; and to store manager in Panorama City.  He later served as manager in Laramie, Wyo., which was his last position prior to being named store manager in Rosemead.

“Jorge is a great example of the seventy six percent of Wal-Mart store managers who began their careers as hourly associates,” said Wal-Mart Market Manager David Riggs.  He has developed strong leadership skills and will be a great asset to the store and the community.

In previous locations, Lopez was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.  He also actively supported diversity projects in the Los Angeles area.  As part of Wal-Mart’s commitment to helping enhance the communities it serves by being personally involved in the community, he plans to pursue civic minded opportunities in Rosemead including supporting the local community through the company’s “Good Works” community involvement programs.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Club locations in the United States.  The company has operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom.  The company’s securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and NYSE Arca, formerly the Pacific Stock Exchange, under the symbol WMT.  More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartfacts.com.  Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.