Business News: Jazzercise donates to Laura’s House

JazzWithMe.com of Tustin made a year-end donation to Laura's House shelter for women and children. The donation includes $2,100 worth of complimentary Jazzercise classes and $400 in checks and cash from JazzWithMe customers.

Two tickets to the Michael Jackson "Immortal World" tour by Cirque du Soleil were donated by Karen Cawley and raffled off to raise money for Laura's House. 

Jazzercise instructor and owner Shawn Masse delivered the donation to Laura's House in December. The group selects one charity each year for its donations.

Phil Adams of Tustin opened a home inspection company, Pillar to Post, on Dec. 1. The business is run out of Adams' childhood home in Tustin and is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. by appointment.
In 2007, Pillar to Post was named the leading home inspection company in North America by Entrepreneur Magazine's annual franchise rankings. Read More ........

Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Rob Sauvé - PTP Franchisee in Halton Hills ON - He's a survivor and an entrepreneur

Orangeville resident Rob Sauve and wife Melanie opened their own Pillar to Post franchise last November 1st, serving the Halton Hills area as a comprehensive home inspection company.

Pillar to Post is a leader in home inspection for both the U.S.A. and Canada for anyone buying or selling a home.

Mr. Sauve, 42, is looking to the future of his new business with a positive attitude and forwardthinking outlook on his life, but it wasn’t always like that for him.

He was living on his own after the divorce of his parents when he was 17. Following the loss of his 18-year career due to downsizing, Mr. Sauve found himself motivated, and looking back on his time working construction with new hope for his future.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this but I’ve just been struggling financially,” he said. “When I was young I had to get out on my own right away. At 17 years old I was on my own, so you fall into a path and whatever comes available is what you take and to start over it’s a big fear of doing something different.” .... Read More.

Posted on Thursday, January 12, 2012

From Drop-Out to Monrovia Small Business Owner

Joseph Tharpe, a married father of two daughters, left school and began working at a young age.

Joseph Tharpe dropped out of high school in South Carolina and took a job when he was 16 to support his mother after she fell ill.

While he was growing up in Charleston, his mother suffered from diabetes, and complications from the illness impacted them financially. His first paycheck came from toiling in the fast food industry.

"At a very young age, I just kind of had to man up, as much as it broke her heart. I brought home about 520 bucks a week," Tharpe said.

Over the years, Tharpe also took construction jobs and worked in the automotive field as a manager, mechanic, salesperson and tire technician in order to make ends meet.

Tharpe eventually earned his high school diploma when he was 25. After living in South Carolina for some time, the couple and their two daughters moved to Michigan and then relocated to California. Tharpe said that he has enjoyed living in Monrovia for the past three years."I've lived here for as long as I've lived in California. If you know anything about Charleston, you know how you can get that small town feeling? It's got the same thing," he said .........Read more

Posted on Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Pillar to Post calls Rehoboth home

MONROVIA - A home is only as strong as its foundation.

And that's also true of a career.

Joseph Tharpe, 29, has been gainfully employed - by others - for the past 15 years. But during all of that time he was looking ahead to the day when he could open his own business.

Tharpe dropped out of high school at age 16 to help support his ailing mother. It's been an adventure ever since.

"I felt I had to help my mom, as a single parent she had taken care of me," Tharpe said. "So working is just something I've done. My mom had diabetes, and eventually passed away. But then I got married so I just kept on working. I never really had the time or the finances to go back to school."..... Read more

Posted on Monday, December 12, 2011

Business Spotlight: Local man starts up own home inspection business

Buying a new house can be stressful.  It's a big step in anyone's life, and is not taken lightly.  But how can one know a particular house is right for them?

That is where local man Jeff Klingenburg comes in with his home inspection business.  Pillar to post is Klingenburg's new business venture as he inspects homes for the buyer or realtor with a 16-point visual inspection.  He inspects the ins and outs of a home, making sure no stone is left unturned.

For 17 years, Klingenburg worked for Sara Lee Bread company.  After a recent shoulder surgery he could no longer successfully perform his job.

That is when the home inspection business came into the picture.

"I had always had an eyeball for things that were out of place, or maybe not built correctly," he said. "I had always thought about being a home inspector.  I have some background in construction and carpentry."

Hedicided to jump on Google and look into home inspection franchises.

He stumbled upon Pillar to Post.

Pillar to Post is a nationwide home inspection company that serves the U.S. and Canada, they have over 300 branches.  Klingenburg's individual branch is based out of Spencer.  He services 12 counties throughout northwest Iowa, including Dickinson County.

"I had two weeks of every day training in Toronto, Canada, " he said. "I learned about the A/C, roofs and everything I needed to know."

Since he was still in his first year in the home inspection business, Klingenberg has to take a weekly webinar for the next six months.

His 16-point visual inspection includes checking the attic crawl space, and checking the utilities and the overall upkeep of the home.  He will provide the potential buyer with a report in a three-ring binder.  At each location he will take along a laptop and print out a report as well.

"I'm not an alarmist and not an educator,"  Klingenberg said.  "It's a visual inspection.  I understand it's a big step, and I hope to be a value to buyer.  Anything I find can be fixed. I try to eliminate surprises."

Klingenberg works seven days a week by appointment and strives to be thorough.

"It's pretty cheap compared to the surprises down the road," he said.  "Most people don't know everything about the house, there may be a problem with the attic or something in that nature."

He attributes his passion and detail of his business due to being in the customer service business for 17 years.

"I enjoy talking to people," Klingenberg said.  "I am a handy man, a jack-of-all trades.  I've done lots of carpentry and I get along with the customer and they know they're getting the best.  I don't let anything go by."

His inspections usually last around three hours.

He understands the importance of buying a new home.

As far as what he has planned for the future, Klingenberg says he would like to hire one or two employees and keep his office at home.

"I would like to stay busy," he said. "I just want to be a value and meet new people."

To get ahold of Klingenberg for a future inspection and set up an appointment, his office phone is (712)240-3333 and he can be reached at http://jeffhomeinspector.pillartopost.com as well.

Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2011