Orange man killed when ladder breaks
The 51-year-old man was replacing light bulbs at the Budget Inn in Whittier, police say.

Thursday, May 29, 2008
By DENISSE SALAZAR
The Orange County Register


MEMORIAL: Mike Willis, 51, from Orange, died Wednesday when
a hydraulic ladder he was using to change fluorescent light bulbs
in a Whittier motel sign collapsed, authorities said

A 51-year-old man from Orange died Wednesday when a hydraulic ladder he was using to change fluorescent light bulbs in a Whittier motel sign collapsed, authorities said.

Mike Willis was replacing the light bulbs at the Budget Inn at 14030 Whittier Blvd. shortly after 11 a.m. when the 55-foot hydraulic ladder he was using began to accelerate downward, said officer Jason Zuhlke of the Whittier Police Department.

It appears that when Willis was coming down and the ladder was retracting, a cable snapped and the portion of the ladder he was on began to accelerate downward, Zuhlke said.

"Willis fell from a height of about 40 feet and landed head first on the concrete," Zuhlke said.

Willis was pronounced dead at a hospital.



Willis worked for A&M Signs and Lighting, a family-owned business. His brother, who worked with him, was there when the incident occurred.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the death.

The death was the second industrial accident in the past 10 days involving an Orange County man.

Randy Ribota, a 49-year-old from Garden Grove, will be buried today, a week after he was crushed to death in an industrial accident at an Anaheim work site.



Investigators believe that Ribota was working near a metal bin filled with rocks and rubble when it toppled over and pinned him. A fellow worker found him face down and unconscious; he was dead by the time paramedics arrived.

Neon enthusiast grows trio of businesses
Passion for neon leads entrepreneur to launch trio of businesses

Patricia Bathurst
Special for the Republic
May. 19, 2008 12:00 AM


A class in creating neon pieces fired John Perry's imagination. Then the light bulb went on, and the former sales manager for a large trucking company in Southern California realized how dissatisfied he was with corporate life. Perry soon opened a neon shop in Anaheim. "I hit the streets (selling neon signs), and didn't have a day off for six years," Perry said.

Over time, he moved to Phoenix and established three different businesses built on neon.

First came Neon Nightscapes in 1989.

Relocating to Phoenix from Anaheim in 1990 gave Perry the opportunity to build a stronger business model as a wholesaler. Neon Nightscapes soon began to compete in a thriving local market that had more than 25 companies bending glass to create neon signs.

Focusing on larger accounts with higher-end sign companies allowed Perry to become one of the largest neon wholesalers in Arizona. Today, Neon Nightscapes sells more than a thousand pieces monthly.

"In 1990, there were about 25 competitors in this market," he said. "We went after higher-end companies, larger accounts including some work for other wholesale companies - and we began doing some art pieces as well."



Making a neon sign begins with hollow glass tubes that come in 4-, 5- and 8-foot lengths. The tubes are scored while cold and then snapped apart and bent while hot. The air is pumped out, and the tube is then filled with neon or a mixture of neon and another gas like argon, mercury or phosphor. These mixes allow neon lights to glow with more than 150 possible colors.

Although neon signs declined in popularity during the 1960s, by the late '70s there was a major surge in interest, partly fueled by the use of neon in discos.

Disco helped feed a consumer demand for home-decor neon, which Perry met by creating Neon Now in 1990. The company sells an array of seasonal, whimsical and thematic neon art, and also creates custom pieces. It focuses on delivering within tight timeframes, on occasion designing and delivering custom pieces within a week or less.

In recent years, the neon market has been significantly affected by increasing imports from China and by the emergence of LED, or light-emitting diode, technology for lighted signs.

"LEDs have taken a huge chunk of the market and of lighting in general," Perry said. Neon and LED signs have a comparable cost and a comparable life span, he explained, but neon is more complicated to install.

However, "neon is brighter, and the colors are true. In fact, we just had a big job, with 4-foot letters for a business that had installed an LED-lighted sign. They took it out, and put neon in."

The LED sign wasn't bright enough for either owner or customers.

Nonetheless, "it's a changing industry," Perry said.

It's a changing company, too. Ever the businessman, Perry's looked to diversify to build a stronger business.

First, his continuing interest in creating glass art led to establishing an online business selling dichroic glass. A high-tech spinoff of the space industry, dichroic glass is a vivid glass of multiple colors, especially when viewed from different angles.

This past year, Perry moved the entire show to 8,000 square feet of refurbished space at 16th and Jefferson streets. There's space for a new gallery, dubbed J Street Glass, to showcase art glass work by Perry and other local artists.

Perry and his partner, Tamara Meyer, are offering classes in fused-glass work, as well as special commissions in neon work, such as signs and other major pieces for corporate events.

Corporate team building events can also be scheduled, during which business teams create fused-glass quilts appropriate for display.

With the city's new light-rail system about to glide past the company's front door, Perry anticipates increasing numbers of people will be drawn to the gallery and perhaps to classes in glass work.

He'd also like to focus more on his own glass art.

"I've always got art on my mind, a whole list of things I want to do, and a whole set of drawings," he said. "This (business) isn't a money thing. It's what I love to do."

Good timing for new clock and sign at bank

By DONETTA GODSEY



Friday afternoon with its sunny mild temperatures and slight breezes was a perfect time for the Union State Bank to get a fashionable new accessory. The recent addition was installed by crane as USB updated their original downtown location with a new sign on the southeast corner of the building. The 28X4-foot metal fabrication and neon sign with a clock at the bottom was designed, created and installed by Miracle Signs of Wichita.

According to Mike Walker, USB senior vice president of marketing, the sign was custom designed to fit the decor of the building architecture and downtown Winfield in general.

"The design was intended not only to be functional and efficient, but also to reflect the values of an earlier time," said Walker.

Local contractors were Rob Carroll's Sandblasting and Painting Inc./Sign Solution of Arkansas City and Pike Construction.

"We enjoy bringing new signs to downtown buildings," said Janet Carroll. "This one takes colors and designs from the building and incorporates it into the sign. It's kind of retro. These kinds of things help bring a sense of pride to a community."

Fernandina Beach inn owners file suit over sign code

They claim they have been unfairly treated by historic district rules.


By KEVIN TURNER, The Times-Union

FERNANDINA BEACH - After more than $50,000 in fines for neon signs in their front windows and years of complaints about noise from a bar next door, the owners of the historic Florida House Inn bed and breakfast have filed a lawsuit against the city, its code enforcement board and one of its code enforcement officers.



As of Wednesday, city officials had not been served with the suit, City Clerk Mary Mercer said.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville last week, says the city has harassed, intimidated and unfairly treated inn owners Joe and Diane Warwick and has violated their First Amendment constitutional rights with its sign code that restricts neon signs in the city's historic district.

Cincinnati attorney Jennifer Kinsley, who represents the inn, said Wednesday the city's sign code is tantamount to censorship.

The suit also says the Warwicks' 14th Amendment rights to due process and equal protection have been violated through a lack of enforcement against alleged violations of the city's noise ordinance by the neighboring Green Turtle Tavern.

The neighboring bar has an outdoor patio and sometimes features live music. The resultant noise is the focus of the Warwicks' complaint, Diane Warwick said in a statement Wednesday.

"Because the city has not enforced its noise ordinance, it has damaged the Florida House's business," Kinsley said.

The Florida House, built in 1857, is a cornerstone in the Fernandina Beach Historic District. Two years ago, a sign committee recommended the city ban neon signs in the district.

After protests from downtown businesses, the city instead adopted a sign code that allows neon signs to hang 10 feet behind windows. That's not possible at the inn's Frisky Mermaid Bar & Grille, Diane Warwick said.

So, the Warwicks have kept their neon signs in the windows and have racked up more than $50,000 in fines since June 9.

Code Enforcement Board Chairman Jose Miranda said Wednesday fines against the bed and breakfast continue to increase by $250 a day.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges the City Commission violated the state's Government-in-the-Sunshine Law when Florida House's code violations were discussed Jan. 22 during a closed attorney/client session on another matter.

Hilton Hotels Corporation Focuses on the Environment
4/22/2008 4:53:53 PM

At Hilton Hotels Corporation, protecting the environment is a top priority. Responsible environmental activity is good for both our business and the community. Hilton has developed a comprehensive company-wide policy to promote business practices that help preserve the environment. We provide guidelines for all of our facilities, and our goals are to “Reduce – Reuse – Recycle” as much as we can.

Water Conservation
Nearly every hotel within our Family of Hotels takes part in our “Green Program --Conserve to Preserve.” By asking our guests when they would like their sheets and towels changed, we save over 12 million gallons of fresh water a month while also reducing waste water and the use of chemicals and energy resources. The Green Program enables our guests to decide when the room attendant will change the bed linens. Upon check-in to the hotel guests are informed (usually by a card placed on the side of the bed) that the bed linens are fresh and clean and that the sheets will typically be changed on each third night of their stay. If a guest elects, they can request to have their sheets changed daily by simply placing the card on the bed or calling housekeeping or the guest service hotline. Thereafter, the room attendant will provide a change of sheets daily.

As part of the Green Program, another information card is placed on the towel rack along side clean towels. If a guest elects, they can re-hang the used towels on the rack and they will not be laundered daily. If the guest would like the towels changed, they simply place the towels on the floor or in the bathtub. The room attendant will then replace the used towels with clean fresh ones daily.

Laundering linens for our hotels uses an enormous amount of water. Hilton continues to implement programs to provide the latest in laundering equipment that utilize the greatest water reduction technologies. By investing in state-of-the-art equipment we have reduced the amount of water used to clean every pound of linens from approximately two (2) gallons of water downward to one (1) gallon. For example, full service occupied rooms on average use 11.5 pounds of linens per room, so a single large, fully-occupied hotel (1500 rooms) with a typical stay of two nights can reduce water usage, through implementation of these programs, by over 17,000 gallons during the two day period.

HHC also has installed restricted-flow showers in thousands of guest rooms within its hotels, as well as automated faucets and toilets located within restrooms dedicated to public areas of hotels.

Electrical Energy Conservation
Several years ago, Hilton implemented an energy efficient lighting retrofit program for its guest rooms. By using state-of-the-art compact fluorescent and other lighting technology, we provide an environment that our guests desire while significantly reducing our use of the natural resources that are utilized to power these products. As an example, the average guestroom has 750 watts of lighting using incandescent bulbs. After our retrofit the room has approximately 220 watts for a reduction of 70%, while actually increasing the level of light, making the room brighter for our guests. These company-wide efforts over the past decade have allowed us to conserve millions of watts of electricity, on an annualized basis, without impacting the comfort of our guests.

Hilton is also actively evaluating and implementing additional “green” technologies in our facilities including solar technology, co-generation, and fuel cells use as they become increasingly more affordable and reliable. These technologies will allow us to further decrease our dependence on current energy providers and resources.

The Family of Brands Exterior Identity Program has moved completely away from completely away from neon tubing which can contain Mercury. Building signs are now virtually 100% LED which is environmentally friendly. Further, we are moving toward electronic ballasts to power fluorescent sign lighting which reduces energy consumption and in some instances, circuitry.

We are moving toward R-134A refrigerant in large chillers which is an HFC refrigerant rather than a CFC which contains chlorine and will be phased out over time. We are evaluating R-410A which is a refrigerant for the future.

Central Plants for new large hotels use Variable Frequency Drives to reduce power consumption in off peak hours;

HGVC hotels use water source heats pumps on specific projects which inherently have heat recovery capabilities.

Recycling

Hilton is committed to preserving our environment and in the early 1990’s, instituted the initial company recycling program guidelines, which provided training and specific instructions on how to start and manage a successful recycling program. This program has recently been incorporated into our Engineering manual, and remains in the Housekeeping manual. Both are available to all our Family of Hotels through our internal Intranet site.

One area that is getting increased attention is in-room recycling. Most of the materials collected in guest rooms are recyclable items such as cans, bottles, newspapers, magazines, and office paper. We recently formed a team to re-examine our current efforts to see how we can improve these in-room programs, and give our guests the opportunity to participate.

The hospitality industry has the potential to dramatically reduce the amount it contributes to our landfills. Hotels generate large quantities of recyclable plastics, cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, glass and cooking oil as well as foodstuffs that can be recycled. Through our combined efforts we can all make a substantial and favorable impact on our environment, reducing the waste stream to landfills and related energy usage transporting and processing these products.


Preserving the Environment
Our team members also play a role by participating in various communities outreach projects, such as planting trees, cleaning beaches and undertaking other activities that help restore our natural resources. We believe that all Americans should take action to protect our environment for today and for the future.

We Care
Hilton's Environmental Program in the
U.K., Europe, Asia Pacific & Africa

The idea developed within the Europe & Africa executive team towards the end of 2005. A need was felt to focus more on containing escalating energy bills. At the same time, an environmental cultural initiative needed to be developed. It was decided to develop a program that would involve all Team Members at all levels.

The program:
Educates Team Members and makes them more aware of environmental issues and how to relate to them personally.
Inspires them enough to take concrete action around the hotel, helping to reduce energy waste, identifying areas of improvement, focusing more on environmental related issues - becoming more proactive instead of relying solely on the hotel engineer for such initiatives.
.
The program has four focus areas:

1. Energy efficiency
2. Waste reduction
3. Water efficiency
4. Chemicals


The five pillars of the we care! program are:

1. Environmental Policy
2. ITP Guidelines for Sustainable Siting, Design & Construction
3. Eco-learning
4. HER (Hilton Environmental Reporting)
5. HiWay (intranet) as a communication tool

An overall target was set:
2006: reduce energy consumption by 5% compared to 2005
2007: reduce energy and water consumption by 10% compared to 2005
2008: target chemicals, energy & water
2009: target waste, chemicals, energy & water

Just in the U.K. and Ireland, 30,141 low-energy lamps were fitted and 10,645 water saving devices have been installed. In 69 of its properties in the greater region, the company offset electricity equal to 64,000 tons of CO2 emissions – 56% of the properties’ carbon footprint -- by introducing carbon-free electricity.

Hilton Reservations and Customer Care
Work at Home Initiatives

Hilton Reservations and Customer Care (HRCC), Hilton’s worldwide network of reservations and customer service contact centers has begun a rapid expansion of their Work at Home initiative. Effectively utilizing advances in technology, HRCC is growing its Work at Home telephone representative workforce to 700 team members by end of 2007 and 1,600 team members by the end of 2008.

The vast majority of these Work at Home team members are from the dense traffic urban areas of Dallas, Texas and Tampa, Florida. This initiative will eliminate the daily commute of over 1,500 team members – saving fossil fuels, reducing auto emissions, and relieving traffic congestion.


Individual Hotel/Regional Efforts - International
With 6,500 guest rooms, properties including the Waldorf Hilton, the Trafalgar Hilton and Hilton London Tower Bridge have committed to change to carbon free electricity following an investment of £4 million in 2006. The 2006 activation led to a reduction of energy consumption of more than 25% in certain hotels across the UK and Ireland. Specifically, the London Hilton has started work on a £1.25m project that will lead to an estimated £314k savings.
Hiltons in the U.K. and Ireland plan to reduce their carbon footprint by more than 50% in 2007.

Individual Brand/Hotel/Regional Efforts – U.S.
Hilton Hotels Corporation has partnered with the California Green Lodging Program, sponsored by the California Integrated Waste Management Board and the California Environmental Protection Agency. More than 50 hotels in the state have achieved the Leadership or Participation level.

Hilton Eco-Friendly To-Go Packaging
The Hilton brand in spring 2008 announced eco-friendly to-go packaging available to its hotels systemwide, including a 12 oz. Dixie Insulair EcoSmart Coffee Cup for use in lobby complimentary coffee programs (where available) and all restaurants where the Hilton Breakfast is featured and offers a To-Go menu.
Additionally, the Hilton Food To-Go Box is 6½ X 9 X 4 and is made from 100% recycled board, and the inks and varnishes are biodegradable. Additionally, it is poly-coated on the inside and is FDA approved for direct food contact.
Complementing this packaging is a very upscale Eco-Friendly Hilton Food To-Go Bag measuring 13 X 7 and made from a revolutionary new product called TerraSkin. A tree-free paper made of stone minerals degrades back into its original source, the powder of stone. TerraSkin uses 20-30% less ink and all inks are environmentally friendly (non-toxic). There is no bleaching involved, and the water used in the process of production is a closed loop. The TerraSkin bag is also waterproof.


Doubletree Hotels: Reaches 200,000 Tree Planting Milestone With
National Arbor Day Foundation, Interactive Museum, Recognition
Doubletree Hotels has worked with the National Arbor Day Foundation since 2002 to engage nearly 100,000 team members and grade school students from more than 150 U.S. and Canadian cities in environmental education and awareness. Through a comprehensive series of educator-approved lesson plans, Doubletree team members continue to encourage a new generation of kids to “think trees” in an active effort to re-green America and reinforce the importance of trees in our everyday lives. Because of these efforts, students have learned the importance of the environmental 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and have planted thousands of seedling trees to re-green their schools and neighborhoods. Along with reinforcing promotions with the general public, Doubletree proudly has reached a milestone of planting and donating 200,000 trees through environmental projects that continue to grow with The National Arbor Day Foundation.

Doubletree has an exclusive sponsorship of a three-year, nationwide environmental education project with Arbor Day to offer an interactive museum exhibit that connects tens of thousands of kids with the importance of nature and respect for one of our earth’s most vital resources through the Exploring Trees Inside and Out traveling tree museum exhibit.

More than 25 Doubletree hotels and growing have been certified by either their respective state green lodging programs, Green Seal GS-33 certification, Energy Star ranking by the EPA, Green Key program in Canada or Green Hotels Association affiliation.


Hilton Garden Inn® Announces ecotainerTM Cup
Hilton Garden Inn, the award-winning mid-priced hotel brand, in November 2007 announced the introduction of the ecotainerTM, an environmentally friendly coffee cup, in more than 340 locations across North America. Developed by International Paper, the cup is the only all-natural hot beverage paper cup available that is coated with a corn-based plastic that requires less energy and generates less greenhouse gas during manufacturing. The corn-based coating also allows the cups to be composted, rather than landfilled.


First LEED-Certified Hotel in the Industry
The Hilton Vancouver, Wash. is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating, becoming the first LEED-certified major hotel in the country.

Energy Star Certification
Doubletree Club Hotel Las Vegas, Doubletree Guest Suites Boston and the Doubletree Hotel Downtown each have Energy Star certification.

First Fuel Cell Installed Atop a Hotel
Hilton New York, a prime 1,980-room property of Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) in New York City, completed the rigging of a PureCell™ Model 200 Commercial fuel cell power system, one of the cleanest power generating technologies available today. Nearly three times more energy efficient than the electric grid when used in combined heat and power applications, the fuel cell will operate without combustion to continuously provide power and domestic hot water for hotel operations. Hilton New York installed the PureCell system on May 20, 2007, as part of Hilton Hotels Corporation global green programs.

Hilton in the Walt Disney World® Resort
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today welcomed the Hilton, located in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort, to the Florida Green Lodging program. The voluntary state initiative provides the lodging industry with technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving ‘green’ practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources. The Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort uses ENERGYSTAR® appliances to conserve energy and has implemented paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel can, magazine, plastic, ink cartridge, kitchen grease, fluorescent lamp and soap recycling programs to reduce waste. In addition, the property installed low flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads as well as charcoal air filters.

Hilton LaJolla Torry Pines
The hotel has received a Certification of Recognition from Energy Star Buildings recommended by NALMCO, IESNA and LDDS and the California Green Lodging Program award.

Doubletree Portland Lloyd Center/1st in Oregon with Green Seal Designation
The Doubletree® Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Portland-Lloyd Center created an innovative carbon offset program with The Climate Trust. This carbon offset program is the latest accomplishment in the Doubletree’s systematic efforts to build sustainable practices into its entire operations. The 476-room Doubletree is the first lodging property in Oregon and one of the largest hotels west of the Mississippi to be certified with a Green Seal “green hotel” designation.
To further reduce their environmental impact and overall energy consumption, the Doubletree Portland-Lloyd Center is beginning to take the following steps:

* Retrofit property with high-efficiency condensing boilers, high-efficiency centrifugal chillers, and low-flow showerheads.
* Install demand-based ventilation systems controls, DDC controls and dry-bulb economizers on air handling units, and VSD’s on room fan coil unit supply fans.
* Install hydronic economizer for off-season cooling and de-coupled chilled water pumping system.

Allergy-Resistant Rooms/Indoor Air Quality
The Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport, Conrad Miami and Doubletree Hotel Tucson at Reid Park, Ariz., are focusing efforts on combating air pollutants. All three hotels have created allergy resistant rooms—the Conrad and Doubletree use PURE air purification systems, mattresses and pillow covers that protect from dust and bacteria, specially treated carpet and upholstery and a filtered shower system in several rooms, while the Hilton has 11 rooms it deems “99 percent free of particles and gases”. The hotel uses a cork-underlayed hardwood floor, breathable wallpaper, VOC-free paint (volatile organic compounds), particle-board free furniture, chemical-free showerheads, etc., and a 24-hour, real time monitoring system that lets hotel engineers know if air quality changes.

Solar water heating is done at Pointe Hilton Resort Tapatio Cliffs.

Energy Star
In the U.S., HHC continues to work with manufacturers and the Environmental Protection Agency, through its EnergyStar® program, to identify further opportunities and then develop and test new lighting technologies to continue to reduce energy/natural resource usage.

HHC was the first company in the travel industry to receive the EnergyStar® award from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. We continue to look for new ways to reduce energy and improve the environment in which we live.

Hilton Hotels Corporation Headquarters
All glass, plastic, paper and aluminum are recycled in Beverly Hills. Team members can use recyclable cups in the common coffee areas.

Sponsored by Hilton Garden Inn, team members in Beverly Hills now can deposit used items into special boxes around the office, including batteries, cell phones, calculators, cameras, PDAs and cordless tools.

HHC makes sure the items are recycled to help protect the environment and the safety of the community.

Hilton is proud to introduce a new incentive to using public transportation in the Los Angeles Metro Area. The Premium TransitChek Program will allow team members to pay for their commute, tax-free, by electing up to a $110 per month for your transit expenses. This elected allowance is taken out of team member paychecks on a monthly basis.

Memphis Operations Center
The Memphis Operations Center has retrofitted with more energy efficient overhead lighting and is installing sensors in the copy rooms, conference rooms, selected offices and restrooms so that the lights will go off when these rooms are not in use.