Tropical Samba 50% off!

Our new Tropical Samba Collection is 50% off now while supplies last. It has a fun new jar that is available in six bring colors. There are six new tropical fragrances:

* Ocean Mist
* Gardenia Water
* Bamboo Jasmine
* Tangerine Mango
* Passion Fruit Aqua
* Pineapple Banana

Don't miss this sale!

Seven Peaks Water Park

Corporate Alliance is sponsoring an event at Seven Peaks Water Park in Provo tonight from 4 to 8. Several of our employees are going. They have all sorts of things to do. They have huge water slides, and giant swimming pools. It will be fun!

Employee Spotlight #7- Ben

Name: Ben

Job: Marketing Director (In transition to home parties)

What you like best about your job: The people he gets to work with (coworkers and customers)

Born: October 25 in Seattle

Education: BA Marketing

Places lived: Seattle, El Salvador, Utah

Favorite candle: Blueberry Muffin

Favorite place to shop: Home Depot/Lowe’s
Likes to watch: ESPN

Favorite pig out food: Chips and Salsa

Favorite music or artist: All kinds

Person you admire: His wife

Likes to do in your spare time: Play softball

If I've learned something in life, it is: The golden rule

Roadway Express 4th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

Four of our employees participated in a golf tournament sponsored by Roadway Freight at Stone Bridge Golf Course on May 4. The proceeds of the event were donated to Christina Smiles Dental Charity and The John Stacy Hanson Fund, Survivor of the February 12, 2007 Trolley Square Shootings.

It was a rainy, cold day. The temperature at the time of tee off was 44 degrees and the event started at 1:00 PM. In addition to the cold, the wind was blowing and it looked as if it would rain at any time (which it did).

When they arrived at the course, they checked in and had the opportunity to buy some "Mulligan Strokes" for $10.00 each (this money to went to charity). Of course, Mike bought two which was the maximum amount you could buy. He practiced putting for a few minutes and then they were instructed to proceed to their pre-determined holes to start the tournament.

Out of the four of them, Carl and Mike were the only two who did not lose their golf ball off the first tee box. In defense of Ben, he was using someone else's clubs because his clubs were recently stolen. Dan, who freely admits he is not a good golfer, hit a beautiful shot into the "deep rough" (he does not have time to play very much golf). Our approach shot miraculously landed on the green. Of course they missed their birdie putt and ended up with a par on the first hole.

The second hole was when the rain started. Mix that with the cold and the wind, and it was a recipe for one more of Dan's golf balls being sacrificed to the lake. Despite the conditions, they managed a par on that hole as well. Just for clarification, shooting par in a four-man scramble is not that tough. After all, your team has four tries to hit a good shot on every shot.

Soaked and cold we hit our drives on the third hole. Since Mike had forgotten his golf shoes and the ground was now wet, he almost fell during his follow-through of his drive (too bad there were no video cameras). As they were driving to hit their second shots, their faces and hands became so cold that they went numb. It was at this point they said "This is crazy!" and proceeded to the clubhouse to warm up.

After almost an hour of rain delays, the Course Officials said we could go out again and finish the round. It was at this point they realized that they were finally dry and warm. So, they said good-bye to each other, left the golf course and went back to work.

From what I heard, the weather eventually cleared up (slightly) and some people actually finished the entire round. They of course were content with our "even after three" score and called it a day.

The event was for a good cause and frankly that is the only reason they endured the weather as long as they did.

To sum their efforts up, they could all use a few more lessons.

Orlando Show

Here are some pictures from the show in Orlando last week. We had a great show! We promoted our new AbsorbAll odor absorbers and sprays. We had a great response. They will be available this August!

Employee Spotlight #6- Jillyn

Name: Jillyn

Job: Customer Service

What you like best about your job:The people and the job itself

Born: Provo, UT

Education: Went to beauty school at Bon Losee Academy, and also got my C.N.A. at Dixie State College

Places lived: Provo and St. George, UT

Favorite candle: Tangerine Mango from our Tropical Samba Collection

Favorite place to shop: Plato’s Closet or Urban Wear

Last good movie: Smokin Aces

Likes to watch: Food Channel Network

Favorite pig out food: Rootbeer Floats or Rib City

Favorite music or artist: John Butler Trio

Person you admire: My dad

Three words that describe you: Honest, caring and dedicated

Likes to do in her spare time: camping, hiking and painting

If I've learned something in life, it is: No one can make you happy except YOURSELF

The National Hardware Show in Florida

This is our team at the National Hardware Show in Florida last week. From left to right me (Shannon), Josh, Patty, Ben and Larry. We had a good show.

We displayed our new AbsorbAll. It is available in a spray and an odor absorber in two fragrances, citrus and aloe. It has our new Odor Absorbing Molecules technology (O.A.M.). This technology is strong enough to take away skunk odor. AbsorbAll is great for any room in the house, offices, dorms, etc. We had a great response from it.

We also displayed our new Minus Wicks line and our pet line. Both products were successful at the show.

We were at the show everyday from 9 to 6. In the evenings, we had fun going to dinner. We even went shopping one night. We had a good time.

Josh Travels to China II Volume 5

April 30, 2007

Ni Hao from Beijing, China… AGAIN! I was barely able to get out of bed this morning from all the walking yesterday. This was the first morning I slept past 5:45am since I have been in China. Paul and I were supposed to meet at the hotels gym this morning before breakfast, but neither of us made it down there. I feel guilty. Hopefully tomorrow morning I will be able to get down there before we meet for breakfast.

We had another day of tours today. I was really excited for today’s tour. The Ming Tombs and the Great Wall were the stops on today’s agenda. Below you will see what we saw on our tour today. Click on the link to learn a little about each spot. It will take you to a China Travel Guide website that gives a small summary and pictures of each location.

First stop was Ming Tombs:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/ming_tomb.htm

Second stop was the Great Wall @ Badaling
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/beijing/badaling.htm

The Ming Tombs were very interesting, but I was the most excited about the Great Wall. If you tell someone I went and saw the Temple of Heaven while in China, they would say, “Really, that’s cool! What is it?” But if you tell someone you went and saw the Great Wall of China, people know what it is. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen in my life.

We walked some of the wall for quite a while. Trust me, its no walk in the park. Parts of the wall were really steep, and hard to walk up. Bill and I ventured up this one part that we literally had to crawl up the steps on our hands and knees because it was so steep. You know the saying, what goes up, must come down. The walk down was just as hard going up. If you fall going down, there is a good chance you are going to tumble and roll for quite a while. That would not be a happy ending. The wall was so steep, while walking down, your toes feel like they are going to burst through the front of your shoes. Through all the sweat and pain cause by walking the wall, it was definitely worth it. In the end, it was an opportunity of a lifetime that 99.9% of Americans will never get to experience. I can really see why the Great Wall is one of the 7 Man Made Wonders of The World. It is truly amazing.

When we got back from our tour in the late afternoon, we decided to go to the mall under our hotel. I found a store that sold DVD’s that I wanted to buy. You know me, I can never pass up a good deal. The had some fairly recent titles that have just come out. I bought 7 different DVD’s. I was so excited. I got back to the room to try them out, and guess what, none of them work. DANG!!! Well, hold on, let me rephrase that. They work, but they come up as wrong region. Wrong region means they are only formatted to play in DVD players and computers formatted for China. I put my brain to work (I know… I know… I didn’t hurt myself), and was trying to think of a way to make these work. Then I came up with a brilliant idea. Ready for this?..... I am just going to buy a cheap, small DVD player out here in China so my DVD’s will work when I get home. TADA! That way, I don’t have to worry about the DVD’s being the wrong region. Brilliant idea right? The region setting on the DVD player will match the DVD’s I buy in China. I’ll let you know if it works. DVD players are so small these days, I should be able to find one that will fit in the backpack for the trip home.

Well, we are headed to Chengdu tomorrow morning. I will give you an update soon.

Josh Travels to China II Volume 4

April 29, 2007

Ni Hao from Beijing, China! We arrived in Beijing last night (Sat.). This city is really cool. Downtown is so clean. They even have an Outback Steakhouse across the street from the hotel. How awesome is that? I can tell you… its pretty dang awesome. We have eaten there twice already.

We decided to come here for three days to get a little R&R in for all the hard work at the show and visiting factories all last week. Becky and Paul have been gone a total of two weeks now. They were in Japan the week before Ashley and I arrived. So, the stop in Beijing is going to be enjoyable by all.

Beijing is a world famous historical and cultural city. There are so many things to do here and historical spots see. We decided to take a couple of tours to get the real deal behind Beijing. We had a little private tour today put on by the hotel. It was awesome. Our tour guide David was great. He grew up here and knows everything there is to know about Beijing.

Below you will see what we saw on our tour today. Click on the link to learn a little about each spot. It will take you to a China Travel Guide website that gives a small summary and pictures of each location.

First stop was Tiananmen Square:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/tianan.htm

Second stop was the Forbidden City:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htm

Third stop was the Llama Temple:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/yonghe.htm

Forth stop was the Temple of Heaven:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/heaven/

All the stops today were awesome. It was tons of walking though. With all the stops, it had to be 5+ miles of walking around looking at things and taking pictures. All the walking wore us all out by the end of the tour. My favorite stop today would be the Forbidden City. There were a lot of cool things to see, and a lot of history to learn. There was so much to learn, I don’t even know where to begin. That’s why I supplied you with the links.

Tomorrow we visit the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs. I think out of all the stops, I am the most excited about the Great Wall. I can’t wait to see it. Then we are off to Chengdu to meet up with Scott and the Xiamen/Thailand staff. I will send another update real soon. Hope you enjoyed it!

Josh’s Chinese Lesson of the Day:
Bu Yao (boo yah) – No Need

Bu Yao worked well for all the people that walk up to you and try to sell you stuff you don’t want!

Josh Travels to China II Volume 3

April 28, 2007

One last update before going to Beijing!

I woke up early this morning at around 5:45 and couldn’t get back to sleep. So, I checked my emails and found out my mom is signing me up for the St. George Marathon. I am kind of excited, but then again thinking what have I got myself in to… AGAIN! So, I had a little Rocky Balboa moment and decided to go down to the hotels health club to run. This would be my second time running this trip in the little gym. It is actually quite nice. Has everything that the Gold’s Gym back home has, just on a smaller scale. So, I jumped on one of the treadmills and started my usual 30min run. On a side note, the treadmills are a little smaller here. The rotating belt in narrower than the ones in the USA. It’s like being a gymnast and running on a balance beam. I have to focus a lot more to run straight so I don’t be one of the dorky people that fall off treadmills. I have seen it happen, not a pretty site. Funny, but I would hate for that to happen to me. I don’t know if I could stand the humiliation in front of all the people.

While I was running, I noticed a man get on the treadmill next to me. I looked at him and thought, “WOW, that shirt looks familiar!!” He was wearing a SLC Marathon shirt. Same one I had from when I was supposed to run the SLC Marathon last June, but couldn’t because I got sick (Sore subject with me, so we are moving on). I stopped my treadmill, shut off the iPod (I was listening to Metallica if you were wondering), and asked him if he was from Salt Lake. He said he was and was here to visit the show. We got to talking and he works at a company called OC Tanner. They make corporate gifts. I am guessing these are such things as anniversary watches, plaques, and other types of gifts an employer would give to their employees for long term loyalty or a job well done. It’s always nice to meet someone from the states while half way around the world, let alone someone from SLC. So that was cool. In case you were wondering, I did finish my run.

We have been staying at the China Hotel throughout our whole stay in Guangzhou.

Now on to Beijing. I will update you from there!

Employee Spotlight #5- Phyllis

Name: Phyllis

Job: Executive assistant

What you like best about your job: Every day there’s something new or different, some challenge that keeps me engaged and excited to be here.

Born: Massachusetts

Education: Bachelor's of Music, Vocal Pedagogy, BYU

Places lived: Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Italy, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida, Alaska, and Utah.

Favorite candle: Folk Art Cinnavanilla Sundae

Favorite place to shop: Target! I go there at least five times a week for one thing or another.
Last good movie: Breach—I had low expectations, and it really surprised me.

Likes to watch: 24, Heroes, House, Survivor, Medium, ER, and Dirty Jobs.

Mostly get to watch: Dora the Explorer, Barbie, Care Bears, Blues Clues (my granddaughters live close)

Favorite pig out food: Brownies

Favorite music or artist: To play on the piano, Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven; to play on the radio, oldies (60’s and 70’s)

Person you admire: I can’t choose one! I think that every time I get to really know someone and hear their story, I admire them. Everybody is amazing once you know them. I learned this from attending lots of funerals as a church organist. Most were elderly people who I had barely known or known only as they aged. I’d hear their life story and be amazed that this person was living so close to me and I didn’t really know them. Someone I really admire right now is Elia in our accounting department. She is a single mother of two who just earned her master's degree in accounting while working full-time and commuting three hours a day to work! Is that not admirable?

Three words that describe you: (I need four!) “Jack of all trades”

Likes to do in your spare time: Play the piano, read, play with my granddaughters

If I've learned something in life, it is: Never say “never”

Biggest Loser Contest Winner for the Girls

Congratulations to Karrie for winning the biggest loser contest! She lost 8.4%.

Josh Travels to China II Volume 2

April 27, 2007

We just finished our third and final day of the fair. We walked the show for a combined 30 plus hours over the last three days. We are very happy with the progress we have made throughout the last three days. Becky said this is the most productive China trip she has had out of her 12 career visits so far. We ordered mostly home décor stuff that will fill our store, website, and Home Party catalogs. We ordered a lot of rod iron home décor, Christmas goods, spring/Easter decorations, and plenty in between.

We visited a few factory show rooms during the last few days. Visiting the showrooms is a lot more productive. It’s quite, we get more attention from the factory rep’s, and it is a lot easier to concentrate on trends and our needs. Walking the fair can sometimes be overwhelming because there is so much to see. I could go without seeing another home décor item for about six months. I have definitely seen my fair share over the last three days.

After our day at the fair was over today, we decided to go to a street called Beijing Lu. This is where all the street vendors and main shopping is in downtown Guangzhou. We took the subway again to get there. There are normal shopping stores, but then there are the street vendors. I like shopping at the street vendors.

By the way, if anyone wants a watch, purse, computer, or suit.... I know where you can get one! While at Beijing Lu, we honestly had 50 people come up to us with little papers they pulled out of their pocket with pictures of watches, purses, etc. This is my second time to China now. I should be considered a local.

Josh’s Chinese Lesson of the Day:

Ni Hao (Knee How) - Hello
Ni Hoa Ma (Knee How Ma) – How are you?
Wei (Way) – Hi
Tai Gui (Tie Gway) – Too Expensive
Mei Nv (May New) – Beautiful Girl


We leave tomorrow morning for Beijing. I will keep you updated!