Dino's Random Chat Corner
 

My beginnings in this business...

I love to talk. Indeed I do! The folks in the office are tired of hearing me, so I thought I would inflict myself on you. This is a place for you to get to know me better and hopefully, for me to meet you through email or phone at some time in the future.

I would like to share how I got into copper sink manufacturing. I was a credentialed kitchen designer for over 20 years. My studies revolved around ergonomics and space planning. Actually, I graduated from Duquesne University in 1974 with a degree in Psychology. I quickly decided that career choice would not fit my personality. You have to listen more than you talk. As you heard above, I love to talk. Anyway, back to my story. I became frustrated with the ridiculous sink design choices I had to offer my kitchen remodel clients. Double bowl sinks did not make sense to me, neither did single bowl sinks with the drain smack in the middle. The story is a bit more involved, but I will spare you the details. In short, I decided I could design a better sink! You see, I came into this business with a different mind set than most sink manufacturers. I was a kitchen designer, not a sink maker. 10 years later, I am still learning!


 

 

Update February 2010

Wow, we are having a busy year already! Lead times are getting up to 6 weeks, but we always try to leave slots open for those of you who wait till the last minute. I attribute our activity, in this horrible economy, to the fact that more and more people are doing research before they purchase a copper sink. I have tried to put as much information as possible on our site so everyone can make an informed decision. (Update 4/10) We are back on track with our lead times. Most orders are shipped in 2 to 4 weeks.

 

 


February 10, 2010

My hat is off to my hero - Louis Vuitton. I have to say that I am more impressed with that company than any other on the planet. Their marketing is nothing short of genius. I am looking at a "Galliera" Bag online by Louis Vuitton. The price is $1480. It is made of canvas. The material cost can not possibly be more than 10 dollars, yet they can ask for, and get $1480 for it. Amazing. Based on the cost ratio between a Louis Vuitton bag and our sink, our sink should sell for $94000. Those of you out there with expensive bags and purses, don't you dare quibble about what we charge for a solid copper sink. Hey, I am not mocking at all. Our household has more than its share of overpriced shoes and bags. We need to put things into perspective though. It seems like the choice for spending a few hundred on a pair of shoes (with a material cost of about $3.00) verses a couple of thousand for a copper sink where the material cost is hundreds of times more is somehow on par.

 

April 1, 2010

Check it out...

NEW YORK—Recent clinical tests demonstrate that antimicrobial copper is effective in significantly reducing the bacterial load in intensive care unit (ICU) patient rooms and on many individual objects in those rooms. Results from a U.S. Department of Defense-funded clinical trial assessing the ability of antimicrobial copper to reduce the amount of bacteria on surfaces commonly found in hospital rooms was reported in at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections in Atlanta, GA.

Exposure to organisms that were found in ICU rooms may lead to healthcare-acquired infections that can result in illness and death. Michael Schmidt, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina, and an author of the poster, said, “It is well known that hospital-acquired infections have a high cost, both in terms money spent treating them and lives lost. One in twenty hospital patients will develop a hospital-acquired infection; that number increases to thirty percent for patients in intensive care units.”

The first phase of this study showed that the most heavily contaminated objects are those in closest proximity to the patients. High levels of Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were found on common objects, such as bed rails, call buttons and visitor chairs. Because these bacteria can survive for extended periods of time, contaminated surfaces can act as a means for spreading bacteria to patients, visitors and healthcare workers.

In the second phase of the trial, copper bed rails, tray tables, chair arms, call buttons, monitors and IV poles replaced the stainless steel and plastic versions in ICU rooms of three hospitals: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, both in Charleston, SC.

The phase two trial results were very positive. Copper was effective in significantly reducing the total bacterial load in ICU patient care rooms and on many individual objects within those rooms. Further study is needed to assess whether copper touch surfaces can play a role in preventing cross contamination and the transmission of hospital-acquired infections. Credit for article: www.copper.org

April 22, 2010

Texting while driving is a serious problem, just listen to the news. My sister, Lisa,  is involved in a brand new program that is nothing short of amazing.

Want to make sure that your child can not text while driving? Want to keep your child safe from online predators? Read on…

WebSafety is a security solution designed to safeguard our children. Learning by their mistakes is how our children grow. This is how we as parents, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers and grandparents learned, right?. But what happens if they make the wrong choice with electronic communications? By the time parents learn of the mistake, all too often the damage is done and it is too late. WebSafety helps parents to teach their children to make the right choices on the internet, to respect the power, limitations and dangers of the internet. For instances when children make the wrong choice, parents are alerted immediately so they are able to step in to provide guidance.

WebSafety products contain the world's largest word recognition library. It is the most comprehensive and advanced database ever compiled, capable of searching more than 4,000 words, terms and phrases that spell danger for children. Once WebSafety content analytics determines a child is in harm's way, it sends an alert to parents via email and/or cell phone, empowering them to take action “proactively”. Visit 
www.mywebsafety.com/pisces  to learn more about this powerful content analytics and alerting technology.

July, 2010

Wow, it has been a long time since I wrote in this forum. Lots of new things going on. We now have a Facebook page. We also have a monthly newsletter. Two of my granddaughters have been visiting while their parents were out of the country for a wedding. We have had such a great time. We took them for photos and had their nails and hair done up! I just have to share a photo. You can click on the photo for a larger image.

We have also added a "customer story" section to our site. This is a place where customers can share photos and stories about their projects with others. There are some great ideas that can be gleaned. Hope you enjoy!

Well, the kiddies are still here, so have to go...

 

 

 


74 West 2nd Street Apopka, Florida 32703 1-800-881-9044 (407-496-3596) Fax: 1-800-538-5359