Swap Negotiators Educates Seminar Attendees on Hidden Interest Rate Swap Fees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Commercial borrowers are informed of a simple way to save hundreds of thousands of dollars  

Winter Park, FL., - February 26, 2013 – Swap Negotiators, an advocate for commercial borrowers, recently attended The Commercial Real Estate Financing 2013 seminar in New York which explored major issues, problems and recent changes in how lenders and borrowers negotiate commercial real estate loans in the lingering shadow of the recent financial crisis.

The two-day seminar provided an overview of many topics of interest and importance to commercial real estate attorneys, executives, in-house counsel, asset managers and acquisition managers.

“One subject, in particular, was mentioned in the published materials attendees received, but not fully covered during the conference due to time constraints,” said Andy Johnson, an Associate with Swap Negotiators. “We felt it was important to further expand on the topic of hidden interest rate swap fees and we are in the process of educating seminar attendees and others about this topic.”

Interest rate swaps are commonly used when executing commercial real estate loans. Swaps are an effective way to hedge against the interest rate risk associated with floating rate debt; it allows the borrower to replace the floating rate index in their loan with a known fixed rate. This is a great way to manage risk and obtain predictable cash flows.

“The swap provider (usually the bank) will add a mark-up in basis points to the fixed rate. This mark-up can equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. What's more important to know is that this charge is undisclosed, often excessive, and can be negotiated. This is where Swap Negotiators comes in,” Johnson stated.

Swap Negotiators acts as an intermediary between borrowers and their banks on all types of swap transactions (executing, modifying, unwinding and assigning). An important part of their team consists of former bankers that worked on the derivatives side of the bank and, because of this, they are able to create transparency and bring expertise to ALL borrowers when considering strategies and executing interest rate hedges.

“While banks are due a fee when booking a swap to cover the element of risk, the borrower should be represented so that he may competently negotiate a reasonable price. This can only be done when a borrower has access to live market data, which ensures that the contract is concluded in accordance with negotiation,” added Johnson. “With our help, other commercial borrowers have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.”  

About Swap Negotiators Located in Central Florida, Swap Negotiators provides advocacy, expertise, and advice on interest rate swap contracts for commercial borrowers and works in partnership with banks to provide transparent pricing, valuations and ongoing support for the life of a swap. Additional information about Swap Negotiators can be obtained by calling (877) 218-8016 or by visiting www.swapnegotiators.com.

Media Contact
Andy Johnson
Swap Negotiators
Phone: (407) 264-7264
Email: andy@swapnegotiators.com

Why Should I Hire a Commercial Floor & VCT Cleaning Company?

Vinyl composite tile (VCT) cleaning is a job best left to professional floor cleaning companies. This type of contractor can provide the floor cleaning experience, proper equipment, and reduce the time in-house maintenance personnel must spend keeping floors and equipment clean and in good repair.

Vinyl composite tile is an excellent choice for high traffic areas in commercial facilities; however, any facility manager can attest that foot traffic, shopping carts, merchandise display movement, and other objects passing over a VCT floor day after day will have a deteriorating effect on this type of flooring. Without proper maintenance, VCT floors can lose their luster and begin to show wear.

A commercial floor cleaning company that has had experience with VCT cleaning can not only help keep your floors clean, they can also help extend the life of your investment. They will understand the proper cleaning methods, what equipment to use, and will have experience in not only cleaning, but also stripping, waxing, sealing, polishing, buffing, burnishing and performing other necessary maintenance.

Here are a few of the maintenance tasks that a commercial VCT floor cleaning contractor can performed for vinyl composite tile floors:

Vinyl Composition Flooring Stripping and Refinishing
1. Sweep floor with untreated dust mop.
2. Apply stripping solution liberally to floor and allow to dwell up to 10 minutes.
 3. Agitate solution with propane or electric stripping equipment.
4. Pick up stripping solution with wet vacuum.
5. Rinse floor with clean cold water.
6. Recoat floor with 5 coats Sealer / Finish.

Scrubbing and Burnishing – This is the process of high speed polishing a vinyl composition floor to remove light scratches and scuffs on a floor, to bring back the shine. VCT floors should be burnished as often as needed to return the floor to the appearance desired. Many commercial facilities will burnish at a frequency of every day to once every 2 weeks. Frequency depends on foot traffic and daily in-store maintenance, however, before burnishing, the floor should be properly prepared by removing all loose dirt, machine scrubbing and mopping the entire surface.

Burnishing helps maintain the clean glossy appearance while enhancing durability and slip resistance. A good commercial floor cleaning company will make sure that they never burnish a dirty floor; after all, this only leads to a dirty, shiny floor!

Sticking to a regular maintenance schedule and using the right cleaning products and equipment is the best way to maintain the look of any VCT floor. Hiring a VCT floor cleaning company to protect and clean your facilities flooring is ideal in that it is easy, fast and cost-effective. Free up time, budget and personnel by using an experienced floor cleaning company that can increase your maintenance staff’s efficiency and delivery the best floor appearance using less labor and potentially lowering costs.

About A Mug You Can Trust 
With more than 35 years of floor cleaning experience in the Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Tempe, Scottsdale, Ahwatukee, and Phoenix, Arizona areas, A Mug You Can Trust uses state-of-the-art equipment providing exceptional results for homes, commercial and retail businesses. A Mug You Can Trust values their customers by doing what they say they'll do, on time, for one guaranteed price, with no hidden charges. Call A Mug You Can Trust at (480) 626-3492, or visit www.floorcleaningaz.com for a floor cleaning estimate.

Hiring a Local Asphalt and Paving Company

Hiring the right local asphalt and paving company is as important, if not more important the overall price of the job. A job well done can last as many as 40 years with proper maintenance; however, a poorly completed project can easily increase your problems and cost!


Tips to Select the Right Asphalt and Paving Contractor

1. Beware of any contractor who approaches you and claims to have some leftover materials from another job.
2. Always be sure your paving services company is licensed, bonded and adequately insured.
3. Get a list of local references and check them. Be sure to ask the references about the quality of the asphalt and paving company’s work, their attention to detail and if the work was completed on time.

Free Site Inspection

A site inspection is an important part of the process of interviewing an asphalt and paving company. As you both walk the site you can go over any questions and concerns before the work is started.

Your local asphalt paving company should perform a site visit to determine the condition of your existing parking area, size of the parking lot, and make note of any obstructions and areas of specific concern. Whether you are looking to install a new asphalt parking lot, make asphalt repairs or need asphalt patching, during this site visit it is important to make sure the paving services contractor understands the requirements of the job. Discuss the desired footprint of the project, budget, and time frame for completion. Additionally, drainage and proper sloping should also be discussed with the asphalt contractor prior to any work being started.

A local asphalt and paving company will provide you with not only a free estimate, but they should also detail the type of materials that will be used for the job, equipment and educate you on the process. If your parking area needs to be operational during the course of the asphalt and paving project, the paving services company can make arrangements with you and discuss the best options for getting the job done in a timely fashion with minimal disruptions to your business.

Having a local paving services company to perform your new installs, asphalt repairs and asphalt patching as needed, takes the stress of maintaining your parking lot off your shoulders. One quick call and the local representative can be over within hours.

There are few things that you can do to make the exterior of your business more appealing than having fresh, new asphalt pavement. For the most professional, high quality job, be sure to hire a local asphalt and paving company.

About ABC Paving and Sealcoating

With more than 20 years of experience, ABC Paving and Sealcoating is Florida's leading paving contractor. ABC Paving and Sealcoating provides commercial organizations with the highest level of customer service, professional workmanship and services including: asphalt paving, asphalt repairs and prevention, pothole repairs, sealcoating, line striping and marking, thermoplastic, crack filing, signs and safety devices, concrete sidewalks, concrete curbs and site preparation. We use our experience and the latest equipment available to get the job done right the first time in a timely, cost effective manner. For more information about ABC Paving and Sealcoating, visit our website at http://pavingandsealcoating.com or call 866-934-7623 for a free estimate.

Common Asphalt and Paving Terms

Unlike concrete, an asphalt pavement is both strong and flexible. It is also a cost effective choice over other paving options. Asphalt pavement is known for its durability and resilience. It is this strength which makes asphalt pavement the best and most popular choice for a variety of applications including: driveways, roadways, parking lots and airport take-off and landing strips.


Should asphalt repairs or asphalt patching be required, an experienced asphalt paving company should be able to affordably provide these asphalt services. So that you are familiar with some of the jargon used within the asphalt and paving industry, here are some common terms and their meanings:

Subgrade - The subgrade is the soil, or foundation, that is prepared to support the asphalt pavement.

Base – The base is the material installed on top of the subgrade prior to the asphalt paving company installing the asphalt pavement. Recycled based, consisting of asphalt or concrete that has been crushed, works for a great subbase.

Asphalt pavement – Sometimes called blacktop, asphalt pavement is made up of aggregate (stone), sand additives and petroleum (liquid) asphalt. The liquid asphalt is what is used to bind the materials together in asphalt pavements. Once mixed, the pavement consists of up to ninety-five percent aggregate and sand and five to ten percent asphalt which is also sometimes called bitumen.

Asphalt Mat – During the laydown and compaction phase of construction, the asphalt mat is a term most commonly used to refer to the new asphalt surface behind the paving machine.

Asphalt Rolling or Compaction - Before the newly laid asphalt mat can cool down, the final step of the paving process is to compact or roll the asphalt pavement with an asphalt roller. This is a very important step for an asphalt paving company to manage as the final quality of the asphalt pavement relies heavily on this process.

Asphalt Overlay – A new layer of asphalt that is placed on an existing asphalt pavement surface making it look brand new is called an asphalt overlay. An asphalt overlay can be done when the existing asphalt is in good overall condition but may have some problem areas. Depending on the degree of cracking, crumbling or sunken areas, those areas can have asphalt repairs or be fixed through asphalt patching. However, an overlay should never be done on an asphalt pavement that is severely cracked, crumbling, wavy or has sinking, soft sports otherwise the new layer will exhibit the same signs very quickly.

About ABC Paving and Sealcoating

With more than 20 years of experience, ABC Paving and Sealcoating is Florida's leading paving contractor. ABC Paving and Sealcoating provides commercial organizations with the highest level of customer service, professional workmanship and services including: asphalt paving, asphalt repairs and prevention, pothole repairs, sealcoating, line striping and marking, thermoplastic, crack filing, signs and safety devices, concrete sidewalks, concrete curbs and site preparation. We use our experience and the latest equipment available to get the job done right the first time in a timely, cost effective manner. For more information about ABC Paving and Sealcoating, visit our website at http://pavingandsealcoating.com or call 866-934-7623 for a free estimate.

Parking Lot Sweeping Services

Why should you keep your parking area clean?


Well maintained parking areas and sidewalks are a key to attracting customers. Studies have shown that cleanliness ranks as one of the top factors in determining where people shop. Many people consider exterior cleanliness to be as important as interior cleanliness.

Protect Your Pavement

Sand, rock and debris act as an abrasive. Removing them regularly assists in preventing pot holes, cracking, and striping erosion. Resurfacing costs are tremendous! By sweeping outside of office and other buildings, inside floor maintenance can also be reduced through the removal of the street-based abrasive material.

Protect Your Environment

Storm water runoff is fast becoming a factor in our environment. Sweeping your parking area on a regular basis can help to minimize pollutants in your storm water stream. Sweeping leaves, debris, and litter also prevents storm drain system clogging. Removal of trash by sweeping also helps to control insects and rodents. Have a sweeping company eliminate excessive expense by performing the job properly and efficiently, as well as in the timeframe specified.

Protect the Appearance of Your Business

When your parking lots are clean and maintained, customers have a positive perception of your business. It is recommended that a facility combine routine parking lot sweeping with a day porter service to augment the cleanliness level of your property. Day porter services will enhance your commercial property's overall appearance.Day porters offer many services that can be custom tailored to meet your needs, including litter removal, cobweb removal, windowsill cleaning, trash receptacle cleaning and oversized debris removal.

Nightly power blowing of your stores sidewalk & islands eliminates sand, cigarette butts, grit, grime, and other debris items. This can add to the appearance of your facility by keeping it clean.All trash cans should be emptied nightly to prevent odors. Special measures should also be taken to help prevent cans from leaking.

What Else Can You Do to Protect the Value of Your Asset?

Did you know? One of the most cost-effective ways to raise your curb appeal is to have your windows professionally cleaned. It is a simple way to project a polished image for your company and even raise its resale value. But, that’s not all, selecting a facilities maintenance company that can provide a wide range of services enables you to place one call and have a multitude of facilities maintenance issues resolved. Custom designed services are available for commercial property managers and owners to have the convenience of working with a single provider for all their commercial property maintenance needs from sweeping services, to porter services, bulk debris removal, janitorial services, pressure washing, commercial painting, parking lot maintenance and even asphalt paving services.

When you choose a facilities maintenance service company to handle all of your facilities maintenance needs there's something you'll get at no extra charge - peace of mind.

About American Facility Services

Providing both interior and exterior commercial building services throughout the state of Florida since 1993, American Facility Services (AFS) has built a solid reputation based on safety, quality and customer service. With offices in Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa, AFS offers a wide range of services that can be customized to meet the needs of each client. AFS provides a complete range of services, so our clients have the convenience of working with a single provider for all their commercial property maintenance needs. Contact AFS today at 866-793-3735 or visit our website at http://afsflorida.com for an online proposal.

How to Help Your Child Become a Singer

Since a child could talk, he or she has been belting out lyrics to popular songs on the radio. Does that sound familiar? Maybe like you’re child? Perhaps your child is a bit older and has expressed an interest to become a rich and famous chart topping singer? So, how do you help them achieve their goal, or help them discover if a singing career is really for them?

First, your child must learn how to sing. Obviously, this is the foundation of any career as a singer. While there are some performers that are indeed making a career more out of their performing, than their singing, most great singers have well-crafted their singing talent.

As your child grows, their voices will mature and their personal styles will begin to develop. Have your child discuss with you who the singers are that they admire and why. What type of music do they sing? See if you both can learn how their favorite singers become popular. Look at the type of audience that follows that particular singer. Also, have your child tell you what the artists’ signature style is. Having your child see a performer for their individual talents, look and sound will help them see how everyone is different and help them learn that they should develop their own style as well.

Becoming a famous singer may be a pipe dream for some children; however, singing and performing in public can be a self-confidence building activity. Even if your child never achieves a hit on the top ten charts, the lessons he or she will learn by performing are invaluable life lessons.

If your child has stage fright, a music studio teacher can help them get over their fears. By giving your child some practical experience singing wherever and whenever they get a change to do so in front of a group of people, is the best way to build self-confidence.

No matter where they are in their singing abilities, a voice coach can help your child hone their skills. A vocal coach will teach your child how to breathe properly so that they have full voice support. With a voice coach, students can extend their vocal ranges and abilities giving them further confidence as a performer.

Finding a music studio that provide singing lessons for children may be a bit of a challenge; however, ask friends, search the internet and check with your child’s school teachers.

About Wagner Dance and Music

Since 1989, Wagner Dance and Music, a performing arts school, has been teaching East Valley students. Our 3600 square foot Gilbert facility is conveniently located on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe in the Big Lots plaza. We offer classes for ages two to adult in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, Tumbling, Cheer, Musical Theater and Voice as well as adult classes. For more information about Wagner Dance and Music or to sign up for a class, visit http://wagnerdancearts.com or call 480-892-7179.

Piano Lessons for Children - What to Expect

Learning how to play the piano is a skill that can provide joy and enrichment for a lifetime. One of the most enjoyable parts of learning how to play the piano is the opportunity to perform in front of others.

In the first lesson, the piano teacher will ask questions and start with exercises that help gauge the student's interests, musical capabilities, and goals for piano lessons. With younger students, the teacher may play copycat games, where the teacher plays short patterns and asks the student to imitate them.

The student will be assigned exercises that build skills like finger dexterity, identification of the fingers by number, rhythm, connecting one note to the next, and correct hand position. With these skills the student will be ready to learn simple melodies by ear. Note reading comes next, starting with identifying notes by letter on a page, and then learning to identify the same notes on the keyboard. Five-note scales may be introduced at this point, first with the hands separately and then together.

As the student advances and is ready to start working on pieces, the structure of lessons will begin to vary depending on the student's musical preferences. A student wishing to learn popular music, for instance, might begin learning to read chord charts and learning chord progressions rather than focusing on reading sheet music. For classical piano, scales and arpeggios along with music theory will be important tools for learning repertoire.

In a lesson, the teacher will listen for correct notes and expression, and help the student learn to adjust their hand position or fingering so that the notes flow easily without straining the hands or wrists. No matter the style or level, the piano teacher will encourage the student to listen to recordings and attend live performances. Listening can help in every aspect of learning, from learning notes to enhancing expression to developing musical taste.

Piano lessons can be started at almost any age. Each student will progress differently depending on their age and previous musical experience. Very young students might stay at a beginner level for several years, as the physical coordination and cognitive skills required to play the piano are still developing. For an older student, it might take a year or so for a student with no previous musical experience to become comfortable with music reading, playing with the hands together, and playing chords in addition to melodies. Don't be discouraged if progress seems slow at first.

Learning how to play a musical instrument is an exciting activity. A great piano teacher will make sure that your child’s piano lessons are fun and will provide positive feedback and praise.

About Wagner Dance and Music

Since 1989, Wagner Dance and Music, a performing arts school, has been teaching East Valley students. Our 3600 square foot Gilbert facility is conveniently located on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe in the Big Lots plaza. We offer classes for ages two to adult in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, Tumbling, Cheer, Musical Theater and Voice as well as adult classes. For more information about Wagner Dance and Music or to sign up for a class, visit http://wagnerdancearts.com or call 480-892-7179.

Is Your Child Interesting in Learning How to Play the Guitar?

The guitar is one of the most popular instruments students want to learn how to play. One of the interesting things about playing a guitar is that it can be used to play almost any type of music, from classical to rock to folk to jazz and blues.

A student can start on any type of guitar, so it is generally useful to pick the type that corresponds to the type of music the student is most interested in be it classical for classical, electric or acoustic for rock, and acoustic for jazz and blues. Your child’s guitar teacher can make recommendations to help with your selection.

A few important things to keep in mind when selecting a guitar are: has it been inspected and adjusted for playability, tuning, and tone production? Also, important is to select the appropriate size and to selecting the type of wood and finish the student prefers. It's best to try out several guitars and rely on the experience of playing them more than on price or brand name.

Beginning guitar lessons start with learning the names of the parts of the guitar, how to hold the guitar properly, and the names of the open strings, how to tune them, and how to hold and use a pick.

Once these basic skills are mastered, the student is ready to learn some scales and simple songs using a few basic chords. As the lessons progress the teacher will focus on having the student practice exercises that strengthen the fingers on the fretting hand, the hand that presses on the neck of the guitar to form chords, learning new chords and songs, and learning basic strumming patterns. Maintaining a steady rhythm while changing chords will be important to learn before moving on to more advanced techniques like chords where one finger covers multiple strings at once, finger picking or strumming individual notes or chords with the fingers of the picking hand rather than using a pick, and more advanced techniques and different ways of picking one note then playing another without re-picking.

Throughout these stages of technique the student will be learning songs appropriate to their level in different styles. The student will soon be ready to branch out into the style that most interests them.

Learning the guitar can be tough at first, but once a few basic techniques are mastered, progress happens fairly quickly. Within a year or so the average student can reach an intermediate level and has learned enough to play and improvise in several styles. With a little patience and practice, learning how to play the guitar can be an extremely rewarding experience.

About Wagner Dance and Music

Since 1989, Wagner Dance and Music, a performing arts school, has been teaching East Valley students. Our 3600 square foot Gilbert facility is conveniently located on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe in the Big Lots plaza. We offer classes for ages two to adult in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, Tumbling, Cheer, Musical Theater and Voice as well as adult classes. For more information about Wagner Dance and Music or to sign up for a class, visit http://wagnerdancearts.com or call 480-892-7179.

Different Styles of Dance

For those that really love to dance, it’s hard to choose a favorite style; however, most student dancers will hone their skills towards one particular style. Before making that decision, many students will take several different classes to find the one that they really love.

Ballet Dancing
Ballet serves as a backbone for many other styles of dance in that these other dance styles are based on the fundamentals of ballet. Ballet techniques have been developed over centuries and incorporate music and dance together to tell a story. Often performers will transport their audience to another world as they watch the dance unfold, like a good book.

Tap Dancing
Tap dancers create rhythmic patterns and tap out beats with their feet. Tap dancing is a very exciting form of dance that comes to life with metal taps attached to special shoes. Often young children will be drawn to the sound of the clicky-clack of a tap dancers shoe and will want to give this dance style a whirl.

Hip-Hop Dancing
Many popular movies have been made in the last ten years that featured hip-hop dancers. Hip-hop includes energetic moves including breaking, popping, locking, and krumping. Hip-hop dancers usually dance to much that evolved from the hip-hop culture. An important part of any good hip-hop dancers’ routine is to incorporate improvisation and personal interpretation of the music.

Jazz Dancing
Many jazz dancers express themselves through this form of dance by adding their own artistic style into their dance. Jazz is an entertaining dance style that relies heavily on personal expression and interpretation of the music into body movements. Bold dramatic movements and body isolations are key to a good performance.

If you are considering having your child take dance lessons to learn how to dance, selecting a style can be a tough decision. The age of the student, interests, and music selection typically associated with a particular dance style, can help narrow down your options.

Many people become inspired to learn how to dance after seeing a performance, movie or someone simply dancing on a dance floor. Be sure that you and your son or daughter visits the dance studio in which you are thinking of enrolling your child. Often they will be enthralled with a class currently in session and your decision will be an easy one!

In the long run, if you still don’t know what type of style to select, the best thing to do is experiment. If you can’t make up your mind between two types, have you child try one or both of them! Your child will never really know until they try it. You may be surprised what kind of dancing best suits them!

About Wagner Dance and Music

Since 1989, Wagner Dance and Music, a performing arts school, has been teaching East Valley students. Our 3600 square foot Gilbert facility is conveniently located on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe in the Big Lots plaza. We offer classes for ages two to adult in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, Tumbling, Cheer, Musical Theater and Voice as well as adult classes. For more information about Wagner Dance and Music or to sign up for a class, visit http://wagnerdancearts.com or call 480-892-7179.

Personalization Software for the Funeral Industry

As the industry’s premier funeral software provider, Frazer Consultants offers Tribute Center Software to death care professionals to produce not only stunning funeral video tributes but also, the most personalized funeral stationery products and live or recorded webcasts. Creating each product is simple and affordable. With just the click of a mouse a funeral professional can create a completely personalized service. All of these products are completed in-house, enabling the death care professional to have what they want when they need it.

Let’s take a look at each of the software components individually and discuss the features and benefits:

Tribute Video Software – Frazer Consultant’s Tribute Center video creation software is top notch. Featuring full network capabilities, live preview, the fastest compiling and burn time, this software is one hundred percent dependable.

Every day, thousands of funeral home professionals rely on Frazer Consultant’s Tribute Center application to produce world class tribute videos. Isn’t it time to find out what you’ve been missing?

Funeral Stationery Software– Known as the BEST personalization software in the funeral industry, Frazer Consultant’s Life Journey Celebration Stationery has over 500 coordinating themes to assist client families in their life celebration. With the new print-on-demand system, using blank stock and the Tribute Center Software, funeral directors are able to provide families with personalized funeral stationery that mates any interest, hobby, occupation, or religious background.

Each theme includes a layout for a funeral register book, memorial folder, prayer card, acknowledgement, book mark, DVD packaging, and a candle. Frazer Consultant’s Tribute Center Software stores all the themes electronically. Simply inventory the blank stock and print-on-demand what is needed, when it’s needed.

Funeral Webcasting Software – For families with guests that are unable to attend a funeral in person, whether it’s due to finances, health reasons or other obligations, funeral webcasting offers a solution. Using the internet and funeral webcasting software, funeral directors can provide client families access to view the funeral online live or on a delayed stream.

Taking funeral services online through webcasting will not only help client families but will increase a funeral homes business. With this easy to use software program, all that’s needed to go online is a simple video package including HD camera, tripod, wireless microphone and USB video capture device. Plus, with no long term contract, no upfront costs, no equipment to buy and no support fees, funeral webcasting software features a simply pay as you go system.

Integrating these three heavily requested software packages into one all-in-one personalization suite couldn’t be more convenient, affordable, and provides a excellent value-added benefit to offer client families.

Frazer Consultants primary products and services include interactive funeral home website design, funeral tribute video software, funeral webcasting, funeral candles, funeral keepsakes, funeral register books, personalized funeral stationery, temporary grave markers and funeral holiday remembrance ornaments. For more information, please visit http://www.frazerconsultants.com or call 866-372-9372.

Frazer Consultants Adds New Video Clip forTribute Video Software

The ability to personalize a life celebrationgrows with the addition of the newly released ‘Stitching Memories’ video clip for the intro and ending for a DVD tribute video

Waunakee, WI.,January 28, 2013 – Frazer Consultants a personalization, technology, and consulting company for the funeral industry recently released another new tribute video clip intro and ending entitled 'StitchingMemories'. This new video clip can be used with Frazer Consultants Tribute Center, tribute video software.

Watch the video now: http://thetributecenter.com/tributeplayer/default.aspx?webvideoID=7683#/WebPlayerPage

Frazer Consultants' enhanced technology built into the Tribute Center enables funeral professionals to easily create DVD video tributes using tribute video software to merge images, music, and video clips.

With the addition of this new serene video clip, client families have the option to create a more fitting tribute video for a grandmother, aunt, sister, mother, or anyone who liked to knit, stitch or sew, thereby increasing funeral personalization.

“StitchingMemories’, is ideal to use in a tribute video for that special person in your life who could always be found knitting, sewing or stitching something,” said Matt Frazer, Consultant with Frazer Consultants. “Adding one of these customized intros and endings to a tribute video and then matching the theme of the tribute to the stationery and even the funeral candles, really pulls the whole life celebration together into one well-coordinate service.”

Tribute Center is an easy to use funeral software that enables funeral professionals the ability to completely customize a funeral service in minutes, all in-house.

Funeral professionals can easily create a stunning tribute video in minutes with just a few clicks of the keyboard. “It’s easy and affordable,” said Frazer. “Plus, families love these tribute videos.”

Frazer Consultants offers funeral professionals the most robust tribute video software that offers no long term contracts, no upfront costs, no equipment to buy and no support fees. "It's an ideal solution and the results are amazing," added Frazer.

About Frazer Consultants

Frazer Consultants primary products and services include interactive funeral home website design, funeral tribute video software, funeral webcasting, funeral candles, funeral keepsakes, funeral register books, personalized funeral stationery, temporary grave markers and funeral holiday remembrance ornaments. For more information, please visit http://www.frazerconsultants.com or call 866-372-9372.

Frazer Consultants ‘Precious Boy’ and ‘Precious Girl’ Register Books

Specifically designed for the life celebrations for children, these two new personalized funeral register books come complete with their own coordinated keepsake boxes

Waunakee, WI., January 28, 2013 – Frazer Consultants a personalization, technology, and consulting company for the funeral industry unveiled two new funeral register books, the ‘Precious Boy’ and ‘Precious Girl’ series, designed specifically for children.

“These great new books add to our already amazing line of register books that include a bookshelf keepsake box,” said Matt Frazer, Consultant with Frazer Consultants. “The bookshelf keepsake box allows the family to stylishly display the book within the home or office.”

Frazer Consultant's new Life Journey Celebration Stationery has over 500 coordinating themes to assist your families in their life celebration. With the company’s new print-on-demand system, using blank-stock and our Tribute Center Software, funeral professional now able to provide their families with personalized funeral stationery that matches any interest, hobby, occupation, or religious background.

“With the addition of the ‘Precious Boy’ and ‘Precious Girl’ series, parents will have a special, personalized funeral register book and keepsake box to memorialize their cherished child,” added Frazer.

Each theme includes a layout for a funeral register book, memorial folder, prayer card, acknowledgement, book mark, sign, dvd packaging, and a candle. Frazer Consultant's Tribute Center Software stores all the themes electronically. A funeral home would simply inventory the blank stock and print-on-demand what they need, when they need it.


“The initial purpose of the funeral register having changed from a simple record of names, to a more complete memorial keepsake book, keepsake boxes to permanently store and protect these registers are needed,” stated Frazer. “A funeral register keepsake box can be coordinated to match the register book and all the other funeral stationery. A photograph of the person who passed away can be included on the cover of the box and presented to the family at the conclusion of the services.”

About Frazer Consultants

Frazer Consultants primary products and services include interactive funeral home website design, funeral tribute video software, funeral webcasting, funeral candles, funeral keepsakes, funeral register books, personalized funeral stationery, temporary grave markers and funeral holiday remembrance ornaments. For more information, please visit http://www.frazerconsultants.com or call 866-372-9372.

Grave Markers and Temporary Grave Markers

Throughout time while many things have changed, specific customs for honoring the dead remain pretty consistent. In fact, one death related thing in particular is pretty constant across most cultures – the placement of grave markers on or near the ground where their descendants are buried.

From the earliest days graves have been marked in one fashion or another. For instance, the Greeks had time-honored rituals emphasizing the necessity of a proper burial. They built monumental earth mounds, erected rectangular tombs, and created elaborate marble slabs bearing an inscription or design to serve as a grave marker. Statues were also often erected to mark the grave and to ensure that the deceased would not be forgotten.

On the other end of the spectrum, early Quakers did not believe in marking their graves with tombstones, using fieldstones or round stones instead. But again, grave markers still existed.

The purpose of a grave marker is to mark the burial place of a loved one to help cemetery workers, historians and family members located the graves of family members.
Funeral directors have the privilege of sitting down with client families and helping them create a beautiful and unique funeral service as well as offer keepsakes and mementoes in honor of their loved ones. A relatively new funeral product that funeral directors can now offer is actually an old traditional item renewed and revitalized with new purpose – the temporary grave marker.

Before a headstone or permanent grave marker can be created and installed, a temporary grave marker is put in place. Temporary markers are usually designed to be in place for only a short period of time, usually up to six months. Typically they are constructed of a simple plastic stake attached to a card holder. The plain white card would bear the deceased’s name, cemetery plot number and maybe the date of birth and death typed in black ink. Once the permanent grave marker was finished, these flimsy markers would be discarded.

Newly developed funeral software put an end to the outdated and unattractive temporary grave markers. Funeral directors now can create personalized, attractive grave markers that convert to a photo keepsake for their client families. This can be done in-house and is as easy as clicking a few buttons on the computer.

Utilizing the same colorful theme selected for the funeral stationery, this new temporary grave marker can include a photograph of the person who has passed away. It can also include the person’s name, dates of birth and death, a favorite poem, special verse or favorite quote. Both the front and back side of the temporary grave marker can be personalized using the funeral software pre-formatted templates. The grave marker will help loved ones honor their family member and help others locate the grave.

Once the permanent marker is in place, the stake can be detached from the temporary grave marker and the family can be presented with a beautiful photo frame keepsake for families to display and treasure for generations to come.

Frazer Consultants primary products and services include interactive funeral home website design, funeral tribute video software, funeral webcasting, funeral candles, funeral keepsakes, funeral register books, personalized funeral stationery, temporary grave markers and funeral holiday remembrance ornaments. For more information, please visit http://www.frazerconsultants.com or call 866-372-9372.

Governor Scott Congratulates Hernon Manufacturing on Growth and Job Creation

During his tour of the adhesives production facility in Sanford, Gov. Rick Scott congratulated the staff and the executives of the company on its growth.

Sanford, FL., January 28, 2013 – Hernon Manufacturing, the innovator in adhesives, sealants and dispensing equipment, hosted Governor Rick Scott on Friday to not only highlight his commitment to eliminating sales taxes for investments on manufacturing equipment, but also congratulate the company on its growth and manufacturing job creation efforts.

Governor Scott was joined on the facility tour by founders and brothers Harry and Josef Arnon, as well as other employees who have contributed to the company’s success. Watch the tour video now.

Earlier this month Governor Scott announced his Building Up Florida Manufacturing Jobs proposal, intended to help small manufacturing business grow and offer more opportunities for Florida families.The governor is well known for his promise of 7 years, 700,000 jobs. It's a promise Mr. Scott plans to keep.

Touring Hernon Manufacturing, a maker of sealants and adhesives, the governor says removing the tax on new equipment purchases would go a long way towards creating jobs.
“When manufacturers purchase equipment in our state, they are investing in Florida for years to come. We want more manufacturers to move to Florida, and our existing manufacturing companies, like Hernon, to buy the equipment they need to grow and create more jobs to support Florida families,” said Governor Scott.

Hernon Manufacturing Inc., founded in the basement of Harry and Josef’s Arnon’s home in Queen’s New York, has been headquartered in Sanford, Florida since 1990.

“Smaller companies struggle to get the funds needed to purchase equipment, which in turn will enable them to hire more Floridians,” said President of Hernon, Harry Arnon. “I applaud Governor Scott for his Building Up Florida Manufacturing initiative and I hope the legislature will support it so more companies can move and expand here.”

Hernon'sowner say they would have saved between $15,000 and $20,000 during the expansion they made last year, if the tax were not in effect. They are holding up the next round of equipment purchases in the hope the governor's plan can pass the Legislature.

“Hernon Manufacturing is in the process of expanding and growing their business, and I look forward to the legislature supporting their efforts by eliminating the tax this coming session,” added Scott.

HERNON Manufacturing has been committed to delivering world class adhesive, sealant, and impregnation solutions along with precision dispensing systems for nearly four decades. A long-time member of Central Florida’s industrial manufacturing community, HERNON offers strong brands and technologies, all made in the United States, for a diverse range of industries including: Energy/Power Generation, Medical, Electronics, Electrical, LED, Automotive, Appliances, Sporting Goods, Ammunition, Communications, Aerospace, Aviation, High Tech Audio, Defense, Fire Suppression, Transportation, and Marine. HERNON Manufacturing is proud to be an ISO-9001 registered company whose products meet or exceed Mil-Specs. HERNON Manufacturing has been recognized as a top company in Orlando and is listed in the Orlando Business Journal’s Book of Lists. The company also was awarded the 2012 ThinkGlobal Exporter of the Year, named one of Florida's Top Companies to Watch in 2012, and has received the 2012 William C. Schwartz Industry Innovation Award for its advanced process for ammunition sealants. Visit http://hernon.com for more information.

Frazer Consultants Tribute Video Clip'Fishing Memories' Honors Fisherman

For the avid fisherman or individual who, in life, would rather be fishing, this cinematic quality video provides the ultimate personalized intro and ending for a life celebration tribute video

Waunakee, WI.,January 24, 2013 – Frazer Consultants a personalization, technology, and consulting company for the funeral industry unveiled the latest tribute video clip intro and ending entitled 'Fishing Memories'.

“In this latest release, ‘Fishing Memories’, families who wish to honor the fisherman in their life with a tribute video will certainly be pleased with the professionally crafted results,” said Matt Frazer, Consultant with Frazer Consultants. “Our online library is filled with video clips and stationery themes for a completely personalized funeral service. From the tribute video, right down to the memorial folders and funeral register books. Client families can select one theme, personalized to the individual, for the entire line of funeral products. The personalization makes all the difference.”

Watch the video now: http://thetributecenter.com/tributeplayer/default.aspx?webvideoID=7613#/WebPlayerPage

Frazer Consultants funeral software, called Tribute Center, makes video tribute creation easy and affordable for the funeral professional. Creating video tributes provides an additional revenue stream for the funeral home with minimal effort.

"Families are seeking more and more personalization options," said Matt Frazer, Consultant with Frazer Consultants. “Tribute Center’s tribute video software provides a complete range of options to personalize a life celebration, right down to the tribute video.”

Funeral directors can utilize Tribute Center to create cinematic quality tribute videos and burn them to DVD, all in-house. These video tributes are a powerful combination of personalized photos, funeral music, and video that help tell a life's story.

"Outsourcing is no longer the only option, in fact, it's not even a good option," stated Frazer. Thousands of funeral home professionals currently rely on Frazer Consultant's Tribute Center funeral software to produce world class tribute videos. This robust application will automatically set transitions, sync music, and create a stunning DVD menu at a click of a button. Adding professional motion effects to each photo only takes a few seconds and will bring life to each photo. From the highest quality burned DVD, to the most professional online tribute player, Frazer Consultant's Tribute Center is unmatched by anyone.

"If you would like to learn more about how your funeral home can take your tribute videos to the next level, contact us," added Frazer.

About Frazer Consultants

Frazer Consultants primary products and services include interactive funeral home website design, funeral tribute video software, funeral webcasting, funeral candles, funeral keepsakes, funeral register books, personalized funeral stationery, temporary grave markers and funeral holiday remembrance ornaments. For more information, please visit http://www.frazerconsultants.com or call 866-372-9372.