Thanks for Everything Gordon

We have lost a very dear co-worker and friend of ours by the name of Gordon. He was known by several names here at the dealership like "Voice of the Customer", "English Professor" and "The Gentle Giant". He was a sales person and then moved over into the position of customer relations (We have all received a call from him at some point following up on our experiences here at the dealership). He will be sorely missed by everyone here and our condolences go out to his friends and family.

Local4Local4Local and Ronald McDonald House Northern Alberta

Over the past couple of weeks we have been talking with a charity called Local4Local4Local who are heavily involved with the Ronald McDonald house. Last night we attended a mixer and were treated to a tour and story of the house. The evening was filled with laughter, excitement and even a few tears as the night went on. We were shown around the house all the way from the quilt room, to the magic room, even seeing where these families are staying.

After our tour we were able to sit down and talk with the businesses that we are going to be closely working with over the next year. My, oh, my, what a diverse group of people: Jitterbee Pancakes, Sandy View Farms, Natural Urban Mom, Revive Wellness, Key Lime Clothing, Bellies, Arbonne, Greys Recycling, Allium Food Works, Memory and Story, couple of photographers, many more. It will make for an exciting year.

The purpose of Local4Local4Local is to bring our community together for the common good. Thus was born the idea to have local businesses be of service to the house on a rotational basis in providing a dinner per month, while also supporting local businesses by purchasing all of the food for the dinner from local providers. Our jumping off point is the Ronald McDonald House. Twice a year we will be doing something called a "Home For Dinner" in which we will come into the house bringing food and we will cook dinner for the house (by "house" I mean 30 suites of individual families). We all know that some days the last thing we want to do is cook a meal. We choose to do these dinners because they know that these families will be tired after spending the day in the hospital, dealing with the emotional roller coaster of their child’s health, and the last thing they want to think about is cooking.

A lot of people may ask, what is the Ronald McDonald house and what do they do? The Ronald McDonald House Northern Alberta has been a pillar charity in our Edmonton community since 1985. They cater to out-of-town families that are dealing with a child’s illness. RMNHA have achieved a safe place for these families and their children. It is a clean, fun and open environment. They are able to come and live in this house while their child is receiving treatment and they have access to all the amenities of the house as well as in the area. Currently the house sits over 100% capacity. The charity depends on donations and support from within our community.

Some amenities that they have are:

-On-site education coordinators, who are able to make sure that the children and the siblings are not behind in their studies during this ordeal.

-“Magic Room” A place where, when children celebrate a treatment milestone or birthday they enter this room and pick a special gift (all donation based)

-Amazing staff, from the cleaning crew, on-site managers, development managers, etc.

-Warm and inviting rooms with welcome bags waiting

-Quilt room. A child can enter the room and pick a quilt that they like the best and are able to keep it throughout and after their stay.

-Teen room, play area, crafts room, TV rooms, gym and much more.

-There are so many nooks and crannies in this place that there is never a dull moment

Please stay tuned as we go along for more updates.

Tires key to saving fuel

Even before gasoline prices began to rise, Ford Motor Company's attention to delivering more fuel-efficient solutions for drivers was turning to tires.

Specifically, the development of specially engineered, low-rolling- resistance tires designed to further improve the fuel economy of its cars and crossovers.

Four of Ford 's vehicles rated below 5.0 L/100km - Fiesta SFE, Focus SFE, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid - come fitted with these special, fuel- saving tires. In addition, the 2011 Ford Taurus, 2011 Ford Edge, 2011 Ford Fusion and 2011 Ford Explorer have tires with enhanced technology that helps improve fuel economy.

Rolling resistance, a measure of the force required for the tire to travel down the road, is a key attribute in improving fuel economy.  A 10 per cent improvement in rolling resistance leads to a fuel economy improvement of as much as two per cent, according to Ford’s tire experts.  Ford’s tire team, a dedicated group of scientists studying the chemistry of tires, is also researching materials found in other products. Such as athletic shoes, to see if there is potential for automotive application.  The team is working with tire suppliers and manufacturers to evaluate these materials and ultimately to bring improved tires to market faster.

The 2011 Ford Mustang coupe, for example, is the first car to achieve a combination of 305 horsepower and 6.4 L/100km (hwy).

Optimal tire pressures can also have a beneficial effect on fuel economy, which is why all Ford and Lincoln vehicles are available with tire pressure monitoring systems that alert the driver when pressure falls below a set level. Under-inflated tires can be a safety hazard in addition to lowering fuel economy.

From: Kamloops- The Daily News