Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Its been nearly ten years since the start of the great recession the recession that wiped out many a home builder. Not Peter B. Rotelle, who leads his familys business, Rotelle Development Co.

We revamped ourselves, I think, to take a step towards a more conservative business model in a risky business already, Rotelle said during our Executive Q&A interview published in the Sunday business section of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

I guess I can say it this way. Ive always been conservative in business. Im in a risky business, land developer and home building. So, my business demeanor has always been very conservative, because Ive always hedged against the down market. So, we made it through 2008 and we paid every bill. It wasnt peaches and cream, but we made it through, kept staff and we did it.

Gosh, I would say a tremendous amount of conservative decisions in a half a decade prior to 2008, not getting caught up in the hype of having to feed the engine and grow ego. Probably ego is the big thing. Check it at the door. I watched a lot of companies my size double or triple, quadruple. All of them disappeared.

Actually, we grew from 20 houses to 100 houses a year. Could we have gone to 200? Im sure, but it was a conscious decision not to.

Oh, yeah, we experienced great growth. But, once again, conservative cash flow management, prudent decisions. Someone in the land development business whom I respected at the time said, `Let me tell you: The best deal Ive ever done is the deal I never did. That stuck with me.

That was just great because you get caught up in a bidding war and you end up buying something, forecasting out three to five years when its going to come online and get approved and ready to go. You put the infrastructure in and borrow big money from the bank, and lets say its a four-year build out. Youre looking at almost close to a decade [before you get a return]. Who can predict that length of time for the economy. Economists are only right half the time. So, how am I going to do that?

Well, something that seemed as if it was a battle with the township, as far as the approval process going into litigation and drawing it out even further.

The price point, it was just rising too fast. You buy a piece of ground for say $10,000 an acre and the next time it was $12,000 and then it was $15,000 and $20,000. At some point, I looked at our inventory and I said, `We have enough inventory right now. I dont think we should be purchasing any more ground to put into land bank. And, thank goodness, we had a really good loan to value ratio on all of our assets. So, when 2008 hit, we were not really crushed on one single project. Probably half of it we owned and half we had debt on. So, thats pretty much not customary in our business.

Im entrenched in the business. Im passionate about it. I was president of the Home Builders Association of Bucks and Montgomery Counties. I know a tremendous amount of land developer and builders. Im part of a 20 Group.

Its a national group, sanctioned by the National Association of Home Builders. We will get together and compare financials and notes. We had the same chart of accounts. So, we know exactly what our profit margins were against other people in the country. Same industry, same size, but not in our geographical area.

Yes. We had a floating CFO and wed put all of our financials on the same chart of accounts that we could compare apples-to-apples. Granted, there were market conditions that were particular to certain areas, but theyre easy to find and discount. But, it was a great way to measure yourself against [similar] companies, and to figure out how you can better and get good ideas.

So, through that, I was aware of what other organizations were doing as far as land acquisition. And, a lot of times, it was the land acquisition without money down, and then youre banking on the rise in the ground. Youre going to go ahead and improve it. Youre going to increase the value by taking it through the approval process. You may get gap financing for the next piece to put in there. Then, at the end when the music stops, the door knocks. Its the bank saying, `Hey, were looking for our money.

Well, thats a great question. I put together a board for my company back in the late 1900s, early 2000s. I was in my early 30s, and probably when I was in my late 20s. I was doing multi-million dollar deals. I put together what I thought was a highly decorated group of gentlemen from different disciplines. No one with building experience, because I felt we were experts in that. But, all with great minds, who had run their own companies with a different perspective.

So, I put together an advisory board of five. So, if there were large decisions that I wanted wisdom on, we met quarterly. I presented them financials and so on and so forth. So, I think with the conservative nature of this business, I never really felt that I was stomaching a lot.

Things seemed to always work out. I think Id be a fool to believe that its just hard work. Theres definitely luck, but you have to be in the game, and you have to create your luck and recognize it or opportunity. Weve had some tremendous things happen. It doesnt matter how intelligent you are or how articulate or how conservative, how savvy. The chips fall your way, and Im a big believer in being grateful for that, and recognizing that. It kind of comes around and goes around.

It was like a faucet.

Humming along, musics loud, everybodys dancing and then theres just a screeching halt. Sales just come to an end.Traffic dies. There are no sales. It just rips through the media, which then crushes consumer confidence. If you think about it, there was a time before the recovery when it was absolutely a tremendous time to buy a home. But consumer confidence was decimated, plus the lending institutions werent lending money. It was a great time to buy. It was the best time to buy.

If you had money and you werent upside down on your home.

Published: August 5, 2017 3:01 AM EDT | Updated: August 6, 2017 4:07 PM EDT

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Peter Rotelle: Surviving the recession. - Philly.com

On Friday, Aug. 4, 2017, the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley lost one its finest home builders. Roderick Neil Thomas passed at his Clarkston Heights home after a short battle with congestive heart failure. He was 88.

Rod was born June 9, 1929, in Bowman, N.D., to Ethel and Guy Thomas. In 1934, the family moved to Baker, Mont., where Guy worked as an electrician. During his school years, Rod was active in Boy Scouts, football and basketball. Summers were spent working hard on the family homestead in Mott, N.D.

Shortly after his graduation from Baker High School in 1947, Rod followed the suggestion of his cousin, Jeannine, and moved to Clarkston, where he apprenticed with his uncle, Harold Ebert, a local builder. To his delight, he found a charming community, loving family, a vocation for which he was well suited and no mosquitoes.

On June 30, 1950, Rod married Nancy Marie Plunkett of Clarkston. She was the love of his life. Together, they raised three lovely children: David, Don and Diane. Rod spent his spare time improving their home, hunting, traveling across the country to church conventions and spending time with family. Eventually, he built three custom homes for the family.

Rod had a genuine faith in the promises of God, the great hope of the Bible for all who have died, that they shall live again. For Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man, a ransom for all. Christ's millennial kingdom will bring the restitution of all that was lost in Adam.

Over the years, Rod worked on many local projects, including bridges, schools and churches. In time, he became a self-employed contractor, building quality homes with unique touches. Rod spent many years building homes across the Pacific Northwest for Capp Homes. Job sites were frequently in remote locations. The family spent summer months living out of a travel trailer - David and Don building alongside their dad, Nancy and Diane taking care of their boys and the family cats supervising it all.

In 1983, Rod and Nancy moved to Gresham, Ore., where Rod spent many years building the Bible Student's Retirement Center for his church. During this time, they also devoted themselves to caring for their son David, who had become severely handicapped.

Rod and Nancy returned to Clarkston in 1999 when Rod was diagnosed with lymphoma. The prognosis was grim, but he beat the odds and resumed building. Rod successfully fought several additional cancers over the years, but it was Nancy's sudden death in 2010 that was most devastating. Rod continued on with his faith, the support of his family and the sense of accomplishment he gained by serving others.

From 2011 to 2017, Rod did volunteer work for Interlink, Inc. He gave rides to the elderly and those with disabilities. He donated more than 6,000 hours of service and more than 35,000 miles of transportation.

Rod is survived by son Don (and wife Becky) Thomas of Fontana, Calif.; daughter Diane (and husband Dave) Bennett of Asotin; granddaughter Lusha (and husband Jason) Evans of Colton; and sister Carmen of Jonesboro, Ga. He was preceded in death by wife Nancy and son David.

Those who knew Rod well will remember his good looks, his big, blue eyes, vise-grip handshake, love of family, friends and the Lord, quality built homes, willingness to help others, honesty and integrity. As his Interlink clients so often told his sister Carmen, "He's the best one."

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Merchant Funeral Home in Clarkston. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations are made to Interlink, Inc., 817A Sixth St., Clarkston, WA 99403.

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Roderick Neil Thomas - Lewiston Morning Tribune (subscription)

There is a little bit of Philly cheese steak intrigue in downtown Columbus.

Philly-osophy The Art of Cheesesteak, a popular downtown restaurant in the 1200 block closed late last month. The sign on the door states that is being remodeled and will reopen in September.

Owner/chef Mark Jones, who owns about a dozen restaurants in the Chattahoochee Valley and five in downtown Columbus, will only say it is being remodeled.

Well reopen the first part of September, Jones said when asked about the restaurant.

Will it still be Philly-osophy? Hes not saying. But he plans to move the three most popular Philly-osophy menu items the original, triple pepper and the dipper to Flip Side Burgers & Tacos, a Broadway restaurant he owns one block north.

They should be on the Flip Side menu next week, Jones said just before the lunch hour Wednesday.

Philly-osophy, which has been open for more than five years at 1207 Broadway, started as a joint venture between Jones and his son.

Other downtown restaurants with Jones seal on them are the Black Cow on 12th Street, Smoke on Broadway and Plucked Up Chicken on First Avenue.

Read more here:
Downtown Philly-osophy closed for 'remodeling,' to reopen in September - Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Officials have released a rendering of the renovated West Carrollton library branch. (Photo: Dayton Metro Libraries)

WEST CARROLLTON, Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) - The West Carrollton branch of the Dayton Metro Library will be closed beginning September 2 at 6 p.m. as port oft he countywide improvement project.

Officials are planning to add 5,000 square feet to the building, and add in few features that include a quiet reading room, a large community room and group study rooms, a fireplace and dedicated spaces for children and teens.

The project is part of Libraries for a Smarter Future, where multiple branches are getting renovations as part of a bond issue Montgomery County approved in 2012.

We have completed eight new or renovated Branches as well as the new Main Library in downtown Dayton, Jayne Klose, Dayton Metro Librarys Community Engagement Manager, said. Now its time to begin major work at the West Carrollton Branch Library, so that we can to provide state of the art Library service in that community.

A groundbreaking ceremony on the expansion will be September 12 at 2:30 p.m., and officials expect the renovated branch will be re-opened in the fall of 2018.

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West Carrollton library branch to close for expansion and remodeling - WKEF ABC 22

House of Hope remodeling eyed; Council asks for written estimates

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House of Hope remodeling eyed; Council asks for written estimates - Harrison Daily (subscription)

President Trump reportedly compared the war in Afghanistan to the renovation of Manhattans upscale 21 Club during a meeting with his military advisers.

Trump was discussing a war strategy for the beleaguered country when he mentioned how the posh restaurant botched their restoration in the 1980s by hiring an expensive consultant, according to NBC News.

The president said the 21 Club had shut it doors for a year only to learn that they needed a bigger kitchen.

The restaurant closed for two months in 1987.

The anecdote was meant to stress how people with experience in the day-to-day operations of the venture may have better advice then so-called experts.

The clear message if you heard the story was: high-priced consultants or high-priced anybody, expensive supposedly-big-brained people, but who are physically far from the source of the problem, often give you much worse advice than the supposedly low-ranking guys who are right there, an official told NBC.

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Trump compares Afghan war to remodeling of 21 Club - New York Post

GLEN ROCK - While 14 individuals representing various causes protested Congressman's Josh Gottheimer's(D-Wyckoff) vote for a defense funding bill late in the afternoon Aug. 8, his staffers were inside meeting with those concerned about veterans whobriefedthem on the benefits of the bill.

According to an Aug. 8 press release, "The bill contains key resources to support service members and veterans."

"I think CongressmanGottheimer'sopposition to some of the bill provisions, including the border wall funding, should be noted," Matt Fried, Gottheimer'sdistrict press secretary said.

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Gottheimervoted in favor of thedefense appropriations bill that recently passed the House of Representatives. The bill included appropriations for the border wall.

Protesters were specifically angered by the funding for the border wall President Donald Trump promoted during his campaign and continues to support.

With a mock wall in front of them, one protester who addressed the group said, "We got rid of Scott Garrett because he did not represent the needs of New Jersey. Mr. Gottheimershould be on notice we're concerned."

"Our bottom line, brothers and sisters," Analilia Mejia, a representative of the Working Families Party, said, "is actions in DC impact us here in New Jersey."

One of the organizers of the protest, Matt Smithfrom Food & Water Watch, a non-profit organization out of New Brunswick, said Gottheimer'svoting record during his short tenure as a congressman (since January 2017), "has not represented many of his constituents."

Smith was concerned about energy infrastructure and Gottheimer'ssupportof the Midnight Rules Relief Act,which expands the power Congress has to overturn regulations by allowing lawmakers to bundle together rules adopted in a presidents final year in office and overturn them at once.

Gottheimerwas one of four democrats who supported the bill which passed 238-184.

The New Jersey congressman defended his vote stating "unnecessary and out-of-date regulations have been able to pile up on the books, burdening businesses large and small, and passing hidden costs along to families."

Support of Veteran's issues

Gottheimer's Director of Veterans Affairs met with local veterans in the Glen Rock office on Aug. 8 where the group discussed Gottheimer's support for resources to improve military readiness and the Veterans Administration, provisions formental health and traumatic brain injury treatment to veterans, resources to fight opiates,pay raises to the nation's armed services, and plans to defeat ISIS and other terrorist organizations.

Further details of the legislation include:

More details on this bipartisan legislation's provisions are availableHERE.

No wall support

"While a number of Jersey priorities and national security programs are resourced in this funding measure, Gottheimer does not support every provision of the bill and voted to remove allocated resources for a wall along the nation's southern border, something he has said will not make our families or communities more safe while hitting taxpayers squarely in the pocketbook," the press release said.

Gottheimer said he supports "common sense" efforts to reform theimmigration system.

"He isproud to defend Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and cosponsor the Encourage New Legalized Immigrants to Start Training (ENLIST) Act, bipartisan legislation to help qualified undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children earn legal status through service in the U.S. Armed Forces," his representatives said. "He also stood with mayors and police chiefs by voting against H.R. 3003, which would punish state and local law enforcement for prioritizing protecting public safety."

In a direct statement, Gottheimersaid, "I am in Israel this week seeing first hand our nations' collaborative efforts to defeat terror, stand strong against Iran, and strengthen America's national security. I am grateful to these local veterans for serving our country and meeting with my team to discuss the vital provisions in the defense appropriations bill I recently voted for."

"Our government's top priority must always be the security of our country and communities and having the backs of those who risk their lives to keep our families safe," he said.

I thank Congressman Gottheimer for always standing by New Jersey veterans and making sure our service members have the resources they need abroad and the support they need when they return home,David Pearson, Assistant Director of Veteran Services, Catholic Family and Community Services, said in a statement.

Originally posted here:
Gottheimer Responds to Protest Regarding Mixed Appropriation Bill ... - TAPinto.net

Kenan Baldridge, Rose town supervisor

I hope you have been enjoying this fine summer weather, rain and all. It is better than snow.Speaking of water, our new water treatment plant on Catchpole Road is finally under construction. Many of the underground pipes and foundation blocks have been finished, along with some valves and a new hydrant. This includes the diversion of the main 24-inch diameter pipe from the well to the treatment plant. These are the parts that dont show much, but are necessary preliminary items before the aboveground parts can be constructed. The buildings walls are up, and the cement floor was recently poured and is curing now. We should take delivery of the interior equipment, including the actual treatment vessels, in August. They need to be lifted over the walls for placing. Then the roof can be completed and the equipment inside all connected and made ready for use. We are making good progress on this project and look forward to bringing it into service this fall.We have been logging the Salter Road gravel pit area in preparation for the construction of the solar array. Although this has taken us a while, due in part to inclement weather, this logging operation has netted the town over $21,000 to date, which will help to defray any local costs of the project. I expect that the last of the red tape should be completed on this fairly soon so we can begin construction. Once construction commences, it does not take long to complete it, so am looking forward to having this done by fall. Stay tuned.As you know, the coastal towns continue to suffer from flooding due to high lake levels. Although Rose does not have a coastline, this will still affect us indirectly. Many of the lake and bay shore businesses have been unable to open. If open, their business volume is lower than usual. This means that their sales tax collection is lower than usual. ince this tax is shared with the towns, it seems likely at this point that we will receive less sales tax revenue than usual. Fortunately, when we prepare the town budget we try to figure these things conservatively, but it is unclear how long or how severe this problem will last. We are in full swing with the lawn mowing season, and the rain has made things grow. Please note that the local town law requires lawns to be kept below 10 inches in height. Those households not complying will be given a written warning. If needed, 10 days later the town will mow the lawn. If this is needed, the bill will include a $75 administrative fee in addition to the mowing expense. We have not had to mow many lawns in the past few years, but we have done it and will continue to do it as needed.Dont forget the wonderful live concerts at Rose Union Community Building in Rose every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. This season is in full swing and will continue every week until the end of August. Please join me there, youll enjoy it.

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From the supervisor: Water treatment plant now under construction - Wayne Post

NEW JERSEY -- Two area hospitals, Hackensack University Medical Center and Valley Hospital, ranked high statewide in U.S. News & World Report's annual list of Best Hospitals in the U.S. per state.

Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, ranked number one in New Jersey, andis nationally ranked in threeadult specialties and onepediatric specialty and high performing in eight procedures/conditions.

Valley Hospital,Ridgewood, is tied for number five in New Jersey withAtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City. Valley Hospital is high performing in seven procedures/conditions.

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According to U.S. News & World Report, the analysis reviews hospitals' performance in clinical specialties, procedures and conditions. Scores are based on factors including survival, patient safety, and nurse staffing, among others. The rankings also looked at treatment of specialties and conditions, such as cancer and heart bypass surgery, hip and knee replacement and COPD.

"Covering nearly every hospital in every U.S. community, U.S. News offers deep, rich data that patients can use to help them make informed decisions about where to receive surgical or medical care," Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis for the magazine, said. "We know outcomes matter most, which is why U.S. News is committed to publishing as much data as possible on patient outcomes."

New Jersey's Top Hospitals (according toU.S. News)

#1 in New JerseyHackensack University Medical Center (Hackensack, NJ)Hackensack University Medical Center is nationally ranked in 3 adult specialties and 1 pediatric specialty and high performing in 8 procedures/conditions

#2 in New JerseyMorristown Medical Center (Morristown, NJ)Morristown Medical Center is nationally ranked in 2 adult specialties and high performing in 9 procedures/conditions

#3 in New JerseyRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick, NJ)Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is nationally ranked in 1 pediatric specialty and high performing in 7 procedures/conditions.

#4 in New JerseyJersey Shore University Medical Center (Neptune, NJ)Jersey Shore University Medical Center is high performing in 8 procedures/conditions.

#5 in New Jersey (tie)AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (Atlantic City, NJ)AtlantiCare Regional is high performing in 6 procedures/conditions.

Valley Hospital (Ridgewood, NJ)Valley Hospital is high performing in 7 procedures/conditions.

#7 in New JerseyVirtua Voorhees (Voorhees, NJ)Virtua Voorhees is high performing in 5 procedures/conditions.

#8 in New Jersey (tie)Ocean Medical Center (Brick Township, NJ)Ocean Medical Center is high performing in 4 procedures/conditions.

Overlook Medical Center (Summit, NJ)Overlook Medical Center is high performing in 2 procedures/conditions.

Riverview Medical Center (Red Bank, NJ)Riverview Medical Center is high performing in 4 procedures/conditions.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (Somerville, NJ)RWJ in Somerville, NJ is high performing in 3 procedures/conditions.

University Medical Center of Princeton (Plainsboro, NJ)University Medical Center is high performing in 4 procedures/conditions.

Nationally, U.S. News ranked the Mayo Clinic inRochester, Minnesota as the best hospital in the country.

The 2017-18 Best Hospitals Honor Roll (according to U.S. News)1. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.2. Cleveland Clinic3. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore4. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston5. UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco6. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor7. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles8. New York-Presbyterian Hospital, N.Y.9. Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital, Stanford, Calif.10. Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian, Philadelphia

U.S. News estimates that nearly 2 million hospital inpatients a year face the prospect of surgery or specialcare that poses either unusual technical challenges or significantly heightened risk of death or harm because of age, physical condition or existing conditions.

U.S. Newssays its rankings are a tool that can help such patients find sources of especially skilled inpatient care and that its methodologiesin most areas of care are based largely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and readmission rates, volume, patient experience, patient safety and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators. For the 2017-18 report, U.S. News also examined:

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US News Announces 2017-18 Best Hospitals in New Jersey and Nationally - TAPinto.net

Dreamstime/Tribune News Service

Caption

Many of us have had that moment when we just couldnt hold it anymore and urinated on the lawn.

Then we were left to wonder, did we harm the grass?

If that sounds familiar, ... maybe you should seek medical treatment or at least learn to hold it until you can reach a bathroom.

But the question remains: Is peeing on a yard bad for the lawn? Any chance that it could actually help?

An article in the September issue of Popular Mechanics examined the science and concluded: It comes down to your, umm, technique.

Urine contains a number of beneficial nutrients also found in commercial fertilizer, such as nitrogen, a little bit of phosphorus and potassium, which are all needed for a healthy lawn, Owen Duckworth, associate professor of biogeochemistry at North Carolina State University, told Popular Mechanics.

A Lifehack.org article adds that plants generally need more nitrogen than any other element, as its used to synthesize amino acids, enzymes, proteins, and chlorophyll.

But pee also is high in salt and could burn and kill plants at full strength.

The solution, if you may, is to dilute the urine.

So rather than wildly going about your business in the yard, how about urinating in a watering can (your neighbors certainly will be much happier), then adding water before pouring it through the containers spout.

I generally recommend a 2-to-1 [water-to-urine] dilution to be safe, Ray Weil, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland, told Popular Mechanics. Urine is simply too concentrated for most plants to withstand when either applied to the leaves or even to the soil around especially younger plants.

Remember, practice makes perfect.

Just practice on your yard and not anyone elses.

2017 The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.)

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Peeing on your yard: good or bad? Science has the answer - SaukValley.com