We are excited to announce that the Federal Tax Credit has been reinstated for 2012 – 2013 as a part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. As a result, you may qualify for a federal tax credit of 10% – up to $500 – on purchases of select Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades and the LiteRise® TrimKit for select Duette and Applause® honeycomb shades.

You now have “Two Ways to Save. . .”

Buying Hunter Douglas window fashions can be an easy decision with the following savings opportunities on Duette Architella honeycomb shades: (1) Up to a $500 Federal Tax Credit (2) Reduced energy loss through window by up to 40%, which can help to lower energy bills!

The details.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The maximum credit is for 10% of the purchase price with a maximum of $500 – excluding sales tax, measuring and installation.
• Select Duette Architella honeycomb shades and the LiteRise TrimKit qualify for the tax credit. You can see the Manufacturer’s Certification Statements at www.hunterdouglas.com/taxcredit for information on qualifying products and restrictions. Certification Statements can be downloaded and printed to keep as a handy reference.
• Make sure to keep your detailed receipt as proof of your purchase of a Hunter Douglas product that qualifies for the tax credit. You should keep a copy of both your receipt and the Manufacturer’s Certification Statement(s) associated with the purchased product(s).
• Consult your tax advisor to determine of you are eligible to claim this tax credit. to claim the federal tax credit, you will need to complete the applicable IRS forms and submit them with your 2012 or 2013 tax returns, depending on when your purchase is made.

For more information or answers to other questions, please call Aria On-Site: 855-261-ARIA (2742).

We hope you enjoy the full advantages of the extended opportunity. There’s no better way to add beauty to a home – and save energy – than with Duette Architella honeycomb shades.

We’d like to take a moment to consider how you can maximize safety in your home without sacrificing style or quality. As anyone with small children or pets can attest, the little ones in our homes are constantly exploring the world around them. “Childproofing” is essential to ensure safety, as many household items, including window coverings, can present a possible hazard for children and pets. Aria On site, as an exclusive dealer of Hunter Douglas blinds, has many solutions to offer our customers, with the goal of improving safety for the little ones at home.

Aria On-Site can offer a wide variety of stylish and safe options. For example, corded blinds can present a possible tangling hazard, so LiteRise cordless lifting systems eliminate the cord risk altogether, because you use only your fingers to raise or lower the window covering.
We also offer a wide variety of Hunter Douglas products that are cordless by design, such as customer shutters or roller and screen shades. The UltraGlide design features a retractable pull-cord to maintain a constant length and reduce access to the lift cord. The Vertiglde operating system is an excellent solution for side-to-side openings, sliding glass doors, or even as a room divider, and this system does not use a cords, chains, or wands, for built in standard of safety.

At Aria On-Site, not only do we care about providing excellent quality products and services, but we look to provide our customers with the best possible experience with blinds inside the home for each customer’s unique daily life.
If you have little ones in your home and are looking to improve their safety without sacrificing style and substance, give us a call. We will be more than happy to help find the perfect blinds for you!

The rising cost of natural gas, electricity, and home heating fuel hit most all of us this time of year.  Heat is lost through the roof, gaps around doors, through the walls and floor and through your windows.  We’ve learned to add insulation, caulk, and keep the thermostat lower.

Windows, especially older ones, are highly emissive.  Emissivity is the ability to absorb certain types of energy (especially infrared) and radiate that energy through itself and out of a room.  An older window with one pane of clear glass can transfer over 80% of the infrared energy from a warm room outside into the cold. This is what window companies are referring to when they advertise a “low e” rating.  Double paned, coated, and filled newer windows provide a lower “e” rating.

Taping plastic to your window can help as well as insulated draperies.  We here at Aria On-Site would like to tell you about patented Hunter Douglas Duette Architella honeycomb shades. These can also help you save money on your heating and cooling bills.  Check out the pictures below and remember the red color indicate significant energy loss.

There are special rebate offers now through April 2nd.  Give us a call today!  1.855.261.ARIA (2742)

This award-winning orchestra, conducted by Nan Washburn,  is in its 67th season, the second under its new name.  You may have known it as the Plymouth Symphony.  The Michigan Philharmonic plays a full season of concerts from October to May, with additional special concerts and events throughout the year.  The organization also sponsors the Michigan Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which provides an enriching and exciting musical experience for young players throughout Southeastern Michigan.

Check out the Michigan Phil at: http://www.michiganphil.org ,  http://twitter.com/michiganphil or  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michigan-Philharmonic/199802143384907

And as always, our very own Michigan Phil – head technician and resident Hunter Douglas specialist here at Aria On-Site – would be happy to come out and take care of any window blind needs you may have.

Just give us a call!  Toll Free: 855-261-ARIA (2472).

What a great place!  The people are wonderful and the food is fantastic.  Jumps opens at 8AM and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  They specialize in American Cuisine with an accent on the basics.  As their website states, ” Fresh, clean, simple gourmet food – that’s the Jumps creed.”  Owner and chef, Chad Stewart “maintains an uncompromising quest to both put out the freshest food with creative flair and to pair that food with great, friendly service.”

And now they also have the perfect window blinds!  Thanks, Jumps, for allowing Aria On-Site to help make your windows picture perfect!

Check out their website: http://www.jumpsrestaurant.com/index.php

And Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jumps-Restaurant/110341422332957

 The Jackson Symphony Orchestra is under the direction of Stephen Osmond and provides performance, listening, and learning opportunities in a variety of venues.

The orchestra has a rich and vibrant history serving the Jackson area for over 60 years.  As their website states, “Our mission is to add value, joy and enrichment to the lives of all Jackson area residents through music.  The Jackson Symphony strives to impact the lives of everyone in the community either directly through performances and education programs or indirectly by offering positive programs and arts support in collaboration with community agencies, educators and other arts organizations.”

This season they will be presenting works by Mahler, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Prokofiev, and Julian Pollack. You can find out more information on their concerts, community music school program, buy tickets, and much more at http://www.jacksonsymphony.org .

Aria On-Site’s head technician, Phil, earned his master’s degree in cello performance and plays regularly with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra.

 ”Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.”  Victor Hugo

Remember your choir teacher in school encouraging you to sing “from your belly”?  Well, that’s an informal way of telling you to use your diaphragm (the large muscle that separates your heart and lungs in your chest from your abdominal cavity).  Singing from your diaphragm is a great way to promote a healthy lymphatic system, which then promotes a healthy immune system.

There have been several studies confirming the benefits of singing – from improving mood and lung capacity, to increasing alertness and confidence, to toning your abs.

One, conducted at the University of Frankfurt in Germany, found that choral members had higher levels of immunoglobulin-A and cortisol – markers of enhanced immunity – after they sang Mozart’s “Requiem” than before.  Just listening to the music didn’t have this effect.

In another study the results were just as impressive, “singing increased subjects’ levels of immunoglobulin-A protein, an antibody associated with lower risks of everything from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer, by to up 250%!” says Kathleen Hall, Ph.D., author of Uncommon H.O.P.E.: A Powerful Guide to Creating and Extraordinary Life.

Finally, Professor Graham Welch, Chair of Music Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, sums it up for us:

“The health benefits of singing are both physical and psychological. Singing has physical benefits because it is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the blood stream and exercises major muscle groups in the upper body, even when sitting. Singing has psychological benefits because of its normally positive effect in reducing stress levels through the action of the endocrine system which is linked to our sense of emotional well-being. Psychological benefits are also evident when people sing together as well as alone because of the increased sense of community, belonging and shared endeavour.”

So, what are we waiting for?  Let’s go sing!

. . . Umm, have we mentioned lately, an Aria is a song . . .

Every single function performed by every single person in the company must be wholly performed with the thought and BELIEF that we are serving the customer.

The guy fixing the blind

The guy getting the oil change done on the service vehicle

The office worker entering the invoice from our supplier

The accounts receivable person making sure that the customer is paying their bills on time (yes this is actually serving the customer)

The person in charge of cleaning up the vehicles and warehouse space

The guy that takes the trash out to the dumpsters from our office or from our warehouse must BELIEVE that he is serving the customer.  His role has a direct upstream connection to the customer service that is provided, and whether he does his duty or not and how well he does it or not has an immediate impact on someone who in turn has an immediate impact on someone else, eventually affecting how the customer is served.

It’s not just the person answering the phone or the front line staff performing duties or the customer service rep following up with the customer, although these are the first and front lines of communication and obviously are very important as they form the perception the customer has of our business. But without the support people behind the scenes understanding that their job duties serve the customer, the first priority of serving the customer will become harder and harder and will eventually fall down the list.

Serving each other serves the customer:

It is commonly understood that companies have a role to serve the customer, but how many companies understand that everyone serving each other within the company ultimately serves the customer?  There are various ways to serve each other – some are obvious, and some seem honestly backwards at times.

The traditional role calls for the employee to serve the boss.  Not so traditional is the thought that the boss must serve his employee.  Read on…….We all have job descriptions, with a particular goal in mind. True service requires that we drop our job description boundaries for the sake of the common goal:

Analogy – there are 11 guys on offense in football. All 11 guys have a particular role or responsibility. One guy goes here, the other guys goes there, they all have their plan and their job.  The hiker hikes the ball to the QB every single time, then he guards the QB. That is his job, that is how he makes his living, if he does this really well, his QB will love him.  The hiker does not catch passes, run the ball, kick the ball, he hikes and blocks-simple.  But if the QB gets in trouble and fumbles the ball, and the hiker is the closest guy to the ball and he chooses to say “I’m a hiker and a blocker, I don’t touch the ball, don’t run, not paid to do that” – rest assured he will be visiting the head coach immediately after the game and he will be sent packing regardless of how well he performs “his” duties. Obviously the team’s goal is to put the ball in the end-zone and score points, therefore in order for the goal to be accomplished the hiker must remember that his role to serve the QB is only a part of the bigger role which is the serve the team and he must do WHATEVER it takes to serve that team when his QB is in trouble. He must go outside the boundaries of his job and pick up the ball and become a 300 pound running back and freight train his way toward the goal line no matter how hard it is and no matter how much oxygen he will need when he gets to the bench.  If he is going to serve then he needs to serve, the QB, the other guys on the field, the guys on the bench, the team, the franchise, the fans, the city, etc…

So when the boss fails to provide the appropriate leadership, communication, fairness, boundaries, structure, freedom, etc… for his employees to do their job well, then the boss has failed in serving his staff.  He must do all these things well, serving his staff with their needs and requirements, in order for them to serve him, serve each other, serve the company and serve the customer.

Bottom line here at Aria On-Site: we are all here to serve the customer, in everything we do.

Dust mites feed on dead skin cells that have sloughed off people and pets.  They thrive in temperatures between 65° and 76° F and 70-80% humidity.   While it’s almost impossible to completely stop them, they can most certainly be contained.

The following recommendations will help:

1. Clean dust from hard surfaces (window sills and frames, blinds, baseboards, tables, and door frames) with a damp microfiber cloth.  Microfiber cloths will pick up more dust than other types of cloths, and using them wet will hold the dust and prevent it from circulating.
2. Thoroughly vacuum all upholstered furniture and other soft surfaces
3. Wash all human and pet bedding in hot water at least once a week.  Replace items that are not washable with ones that are.
4. Put dust mite-proof covers on all mattresses and pillows.
5. Vacuum and mop all hard surface at least once a week
6. Consider replacing carpeting with hard-surface flooring.  If you can’t or choose not to, vacuum thoroughly at least once a week and steam clean regularly.
7. Replace curtains or drapes with shades or blinds.  If you can’t or choose not to, wash them often in hot water.
8. Keep your home cool and dry.  Turn down the thermostat and get a dehumidifier.
9. Get rid of all unnecessary items that collect dust, such as books, magazines, stuffed animals and knick-ckacks.
10. Get an air-cleaner with a HEPA filter.

If you would like further information on just about everything concerning these critters, you can visit http://www.dustmites.org .

Why the trip down memory lane?  A while back, I needed a new mattress, so I went to the “number one mattress dealer” in Michigan.  The salesperson greeted me as I came into the store and asked how he could help me.  I explained what I was interested in and why.  Over the course of the next ten minutes I was told how I was completely wrong about what I wanted, that there was no way that I could possible understand what I needed, and that he would proceed to guide me to the only solution possible.   Needless to say, I politely excused myself and walked out of the store.

It’s fun to reminisce (and vent!).   The point is that we at Aria On-Site understand in this modern, often impersonal day and age that trust is important and should still be earned.

The above is an example of what Aria On-Site technicians will not do.  We are asking you to invite us into your home.  We will not make you feel like a prisoner in your own home with overly aggressive sales tactics.  Yes, our technicians are knowledgeable about the finest and most up to date products in window blind fashions.  But, your Aria On-Site representative is trained to listen, answer your questions, and offer you choices based on your needs – not to tell you how mistaken you are in what you really want or need.

We want to be a part of a positive experience, to develop a long-term professional relationship, so you will be happy to have us back to clean and maintain your new blinds.

Give us a call, we’d be happy to get to know you!

Ruthann (Marketing)