B U C K L E S & A S S O C I A T E S, I N C. The Buckles Bulletin Volume 1, Issue 3 September 2013 As the Leaves Come Falling Down... Fall has arrived. Behold the changing leaves, and enjoy the crisp breeze. Let your eyes take in the bursts of color. Buckles & Associates, Inc. celebrated its nine year anniversary over the summer, and is now gearing up for the season of transformation and change. Over the past nine years, the company has grown tremendously. What started as a small office inside of the garage of the founder s home has developed into one of the leading architectural consulting firms with offices in five different states. To date, the Buckles & Associates, Inc. staff of AIA architects (LEED certified), licensed General Contractors and technical support staff have successfully provided service for hundreds of assignments in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Colorado. The combined efforts of the B&A team and the unwavering support of their loyal clients have been the driving force of the success and good fortune of the company. Buckles & Associates, Inc. intends to continue providing the highest quality service to the construction defect industry in order to maintain their reputation as a leader in the field. With client focus, honesty, and professionalism as the backbone of the company, their commitment to excellence ensures a bright future. Happy Birthday, Buckles & Associates! Inside this issue: Colorado News 2 Construction Corner 2 Pacific Northwest News 2 Fun Around the Office 3 Happy Anniversary 4 Hard Work Pays Off 5 Tips for Homeowners 5 Special points of interest: Welcome, Sebastian Wanatowicz and Melanie McArthur! Buckles Restoration begins new remodel project Creativity in the office Happy Birthday, Buckles & Associates, Inc.! Tips for homeowners
Colorado News The Denver, CO office continues to grow with exciting new projects as well as new staff members joining the Buckles & Associates, Inc. team. A warm welcome is sent to the newest addition, Sebastian Wanatowicz, who began working in the Colorado office in July. Sebastian (pictured to the right) is a licensed architect and a general contractor with over 15 years of experience in the construction industry. He studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder where he earned his Bachelors Degree in Environmental Design and Architecture in 1997. That same year, he also earned the National Deans List Award in Architecture and Planning. Sebastian has an impressive list of professional experience consisting of: cost control, project management, cost estimation, project oversight and leadership, quality control, scheduling, sustainability, value engineering, sourcing and procurement pre-construction, owner coordination, supervision, as well as project design. His accreditations include: Licensed Architect, AIA, Licensed General Contractor B.E.S.T. and PSMJ Certification. Sebastian is joining the amazing staff in the Denver office, whose hard work continues to uphold the Buckles & Associates, Inc. professional reputation as a leader in the construction defect industry. All of the B&A offices from California to Colorado have high hopes for Sebastian and are happy to have him on their team. What else has the Denver staff been up to lately? Check out the article on page 5 titled Hard Work Pays Off to see how the Colorado staff celebrated Buckles & Associates, Inc. s ninth anniversary! Pacific Northwest News The Seattle office welcomes their newest B&A team member, Melanie McArthur (pictured to the right). Melanie is part of the technical support staff assisting with various tasks such as preparing field evidence as well as assembling necessary items and documents for inspections and projects. She grew up in Detroit, Michigan, relocated to California in 2007, and then moved to Seattle in order to be closer to her two daughters. Melanie was previously employed with the Department of Defense at Selfridge ANG Base located in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. She worked in the Finance area as a Budget Analyst for the Air National Guard, and then the Air Force Reserves for a total of 33 years of service. Melanie joins the B&A team just in time to help with all of the new projects coming through the Seattle office. Business is booming in the Pacific Northwest and everyone from Buckles & Associates, Inc. could not be happier to take on all of the exciting new tasks. A heart-felt welcome is sent to Melanie McArthur who seems just as thrilled as the rest of the staff to be a part of the company that holds the reputation as a leader in the construction defect industry. Construction Corner Buckles Restoration has been tackling their latest project, 350 West 5th Avenue in Escondido, CA. Buckles & Associates, Inc. owns the first floor of this three story building which is undergoing a remodel and repairs related to water damage. Buckles Restoration was brought in to remodel the restrooms on the second floor as well as the exterior building fixtures such as windows, awnings, and brick veneer. The brick veneer is being torn out and will be replaced with a beautiful dark stone tile. The sun shade awnings will be repaired and remounted to prevent water damage. The windows have been proven to be one of the sources of water damage to the building, so they will be replaced as well. Buckles Restoration is still in the demolition phase of the remodel, but the whole process is expected to be completed within a few months. Keep in mind that Buckles Restoration offers a full range of 24/7 services other than remodels such as property damage repair, upgrades, design/build, estimations, cleaning services, and much more! Visit www.bucklesrestoration.com for more information or call 866-506-4815 to speak to a friendly representative. Page 2 T HE BUCKLES BU LLE TI N
Fun Around the Office The employees at Buckles & Associates, Inc. are known not only for their work ethic, but also for their creativity. These unique minds make for a fun and energetic atmosphere in the workplace. One of the most inventive people in the office is Dick Clemons, Director of Forensics and a partner of Buckles & Associates, Inc. Among his many endearing qualities, Dick has a clever wit, entertaining personality, and great artistic abilities. On his free time, he has constructed several projects which are displayed throughout the B&A offices. One of his most comical projects is his personally designed line of Inspector Action Figures (pictured above). Dick made these action figures based on the Buckles & Associates, Inc. staff of field inspectors. It put an amusing spin on the everyday jobs and tasks that the inspectors perform while out on inspections. He took candid pictures of the inspectors, fit them onto small cardboard cut-outs, and constructed boxes with funny descriptions of each action figure. These characterizations hint at the personalities and quirks of each employee as well as their job descriptions. Along with the action figures, Dick also constructed a Litigation House out of balsa and plywood as a setting for the action figures (pictured below). Described as the perfect place to display all your Inspector Action Figures, it is a great backdrop to illustrate the life of a B&A inspector out in the field in a way that only Dick Clemons can portray. Another of one of Dick s projects is the King Kong Tower (pictured below). Made out of Styrofoam with a King Kong gorilla toy holding an airplane at the top, Dick Clemons used a famous scene from the 1933 King Kong movie as his inspiration. In the scene, a giant ape, King Kong, goes on a rampage, climbs the Empire State Building and knocks a military plane out of the sky. Dick added a comical spin for his re-creation by adding funny speech bubbles at various windows of the tower to represent people inside of the building making jokes related to construction defect litigation. The King Kong Tower is on display in the Escondido Buckles & Associates, Inc. office for clients and employees to enjoy. Dick Clemons s ability to find humor in any situation, such as construction defect litigation, continues to keep the B&A work atmosphere lively and creative. V OLU ME 1, ISS UE 3 Page 3
Happy Anniversary Buckles & Associates, Inc.! Buckles & Associates, Inc. held their anniversary party this summer to celebrate nine successful years in business. The California offices laced up their bowling shoes and enjoyed an afternoon of fun competition at East Village Tavern+Bowl in San Diego, CA. All of the Buckles & Associates, Inc. employees and their families showed up and split into six teams to compete for the title of the Bowling Champs. The top 3 teams with the highest scores won cash prizes and of course, bragging rights. Everyone went home a winner though, with fun awards given out for various titles such as King and Queen of the Gutter, Most Awkward Bowling Stance, and M.V.B. (Most Page 4 Valuable Bowler). The B&A Bowling Competition was a great way to celebrate and honor the nine years of hard work and dedication put forth to build one of the leading architectural consulting firms in the construction industry. After a fun afternoon of bowling, the Buckles & Associates, Inc. team headed to Bucca Di Beppo for dinner. In keeping with the family oriented party theme, the menu consisted of family style servings of delicious appetizers, tasty salads, cheesy pasta dishes, savory chicken entrees, and ended with delectable desserts of tiramisu and homemade cheesecake. Everyone enjoyed digging into the giant portions as they reminisced and shared stories about the past years working at Buckles & Associates, Inc. Each story painted a picture of the warm, tight-knit, friendly atmosphere in the B&A offices. While the day was filled with good times, good people, and good food, the hard work of both the employees and founders of Buckles & Associates, Inc. did not go unnoticed. Scott Buckles made a toast to thank his staff and express his appreciation for their support. In return, a toast was made to honor the founders, Scott and Therese Buckles, for all of their tireless efforts and to thank them for everything they have done for their employees. The toast ended with...here s to another nine years! Cheers! THE BUCKLES BULLETIN
The Colorado office celebrated the Buckles & Associates, Inc. ninth anniversary at the San Diego Padres vs. the Colorado Rockies baseball game on June 7th. All of the Denver employees, their families, and Scott Buckles, founder of B&A, gathered at the Coors Field in Denver, CO to cheer on their home team. Things got interesting as Scott Buckles, a long-time Padres fan, was rooting for San Diego while the Denver staff supported their beloved Rockies. With cold drinks and hot dogs in hand, Scott Buckles began cheering Let s go Padres, let s go! while the Colorado Hard Work Pays Off employees laughed it off and teased him for being the only Padres fan in the group. The Rockies staked out an 8-2 lead after two innings, chasing San Diego's starter from the field in the third, only to see their comfortable cushion disappear along with every ray of daylight dividing the two teams, as the Padres staged a five-run rally in the seventh inning to tie the game at 9. Rockies rookie third baseman Nolan Arenado led off the bottom of the ninth and drilled the third pitch he saw high into the left-field seats for his first career walk-off home run, handing a 10-9 victory to the Rockies. After the Denver staff had their last laugh at Scott when the Padres lost, a toast was made to honor Buckles & Associates, Inc. s ninth anniversary. Scott thanked his employees for all of their hard work noting that the company s success was made possible by the amazing team work and work ethic of they ve demonstrated. The staff then expressed their thanks to Scott for being the best boss and congratulated him on his nine years in business. What better way to celebrate the occasion than with good people, good entertainment, and friendly competition? Tips for Homeowners Damage to your home or property is a sad and unpleasant experience bringing disruptions and anxiety about returning to the way it was." In order to be prepared before a home emergency, Know your policy. What is and is not covered, deductibles, amount of coverage, agent phone number, claims contact information, etc. Inventory your personal property with photos, videos or written descriptions. Keep all receipts of purchased items with the documentation. Keep in a safe place. Lastly, Evaluate the general condition of your property and keep in good repair. As the old saying goes, it s one of those unfortunate things that happen, so in the unfortunate event of a home emergency, there are several steps to be taken to ensure the restoration process goes smoothly. First and foremost, make sure all family members and pets are safely evacuated from the home. Secondly, contact your insurance agent to inform them of the damage. After contacting your insurance agent and Buckles Restoration has been contacted, this sequence of events will begin: 1) Written Estimate. A Buckles Restoration estimator will promptly meet with you on-site to write an estimate of the cost of repair and restoration. They use Xactimate software which is the industry standard for fair and accurate insurance restoration estimates. Once approved by V OLU ME 1, ISS UE 1 the insurance provider, a copy of the estimate will be sent to you. 2) Work Authorization, Emergency Fees and Repair Materials. After the estimate receives insurance provider approval, a Work Authorization will be issued by the insurance provider. To begin work, a signed Work Authorization is required. Additional discussions may include applicable emergency fees and repair material selection (materials need to be available to ensure on-schedule project completion). 3) The Project Schedule. A Project Schedule is then set by the Buckles Restoration Project Manager with the property owner and work begins. 4) Project Completion. Required at project completion: 1) a signed Job Completion form 2) full payment. The loss recovery process can be frustrating and time consuming. Buckles Restoration works directly with all insurance companies to restore normalcy to your life as soon as possible. The goal is to manage the restoration process and minimize disruptions to your daily life. This information along with many more helpful tips and advice are available at www.bucklesrestoration.com. There are also coupons to help you save on home repairs and design/build projects. Nobody understands the stress of home emergency better than Buckles Restoration which is why their goal is total customer satisfaction with minimal disruption. Page 5
Buckles & Associates, Inc. is an architectural consulting firm specializing in construction defect litigation services, general contracting and architectural design. The firm consists of licensed architects, general contractors and a professional support team. They share years of experience in the dispute resolution process from building inspections through data analysis to Expert Witness support. Their clients are insurance carriers, development companies, construction companies, builders, home owners and the attorneys who represent them. In 2004, Scott Buckles, AIA founded Buckles & Associates, Inc., a full service architectural consulting firm specializing in Construction Defect services, Architectural Design and General Contracting with a special focus on client service. To date, the Buckles & Associates, Inc. staff of AIA architects (LEED certified), licensed General Contractors and technical support staff have successfully provided service for hundreds of assignments in California, Colorado, Washington and Arizona. Mission Statement: Buckles & Associates, Inc. will provide the highest quality service to the construction defect industry, based on integrity, honesty, professionalism and a commitment to excellence. We are committed to using the latest technology and current research to maintain our position as a leader in the field. Our work product will meet the highest standards of professionalism and ethics. Our cost structure will be sound and competitive so that our clients maintain a high level of satisfaction with all facets of our relationship., Inc. will provide the highest quality service to the Temecula, California Seattle, Washington Portland, Oregon San Francisco, California 27381 Via Industria 1402 Third Avenue, Suite 1324 121 SW Salmon St. Suite 1100 71 Stevens Street Suite 400 Temecula, CA 92590-3699 Seattle, WA 98101 Portland, OR 97204 San Francisco, CA 94105 (951) 506-4815 (206) 659-4461 (503) 471-1399 www.bucklesassociates.com Escondido, California Denver, Colorado Tempe, Arizona www.bucklesconstruction.com 350 West Fifth Avenue Suite 101 1745 Shea Center Dr. Suite 400 60 El Rio Salado Pkwy Ste. 900 www.bucklesrestoration.com Escondido, CA 92025 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 Tempe, AZ 85281 (760) 432-0700 (720) 344-4905 (480) 366-5972