deksia-blog

[deksia-blog]

Keeping Their Apple Heritage Alive

'It's hard to imagine that a fruit as ubiquitous as an apple could qualify for an endangered foods list here in Grand Rapids. After all, you could walk into any grocery store right now in Grand Rapids and be greeted by rows and rows of brightly polished red and green specimens.

Look a little closer, and you'll see that these apples probably belong to one of the eleven apple varieties that make up over 90 percent of apples grown and eaten in the U.S.' (November 11, 2010 by kate walsh)

"Apples are the canary in the coalmine. The decline of traditional, American varieties in Grand Rapids exposes the impact of our industrialized food system. We are losing our delicious, edible history. Local and unique foods are becoming extinct as food designed for travel and shelf life dominate the market," says Ed Yowell of Slow Food NYC.

Sietsema Orchards in Grand Rapids Michigan and other groups around the country are working to keep America's apple heritage alive. Read more about the projects, the stories behind the apples, download Noble Fruits - A Guide to Conserving Heirloom Apples.

[deksia-blog]

From wheelchair lifts to wheelchair van sales and wheelchair van rentals, from hand controls to adaptive equipment, you can find it all at Clock.

30 years experience in understanding the needs of the physically challenged

State certified mechanics and conversion specialists trained to meet or exceed the highest standards

State-of-the-art facilities that are easy to get to and easy to use

Free estimates and semiannual inspections after you've purchased anything from us

Free pick-up and delivery available

Full-service car/van/RV repair

At-home statewide repair services available

Nationwide transportation available

If you or someone you love is challenged physically, you'll find that Clock's driving solutions are unsurpassed

[deksia-blog]

Two Faced

Free speech is a right but sometimes it can get out of hand and there is a lack of self editing and self policing when people post online especially now  on social network sites. There has been a plethora of great social media websites and other ventures created to create organic growth online and connecting people together but some people ruin it for other when they do not watch what they are posting.

Instead of people simply being civilized and sharing their thoughts they are screaming their message at you with CAPITAL LETTERS and useless information that is rarely based on fact. They are using the internet as a mask so they can do what they please with out consequence. 

Craigslist was originally intended for people to post stuff they wanted to sell or give away, so people from all over the internet could engage. Recently the site has been a source of spam, when people post their listings online their inbox instantly becomes filled with people spamming them, sending rude messages that have nothing with the listing they are “responding” to. 

It would be a completely different story if they acting the same way when in a group setting without a computer in front of them.

For example the message “Get paid $1000 a day working from home” used to be in pop ups and banner ads now it occasionally makes it way on to facebook and Craigslist. If you went to a business or social event and while you were chatting with people about work you slip into the conversation “Hey, did you know you can make $1000 a day when you work at home? I do it, it’s great!” You’d be outside the gathering before you could give your fake testimonial.

When people are talking face to face they think about what they say but for some strange reason they lose that common sense when they get behind a computer. 

The next time you engage in with people via your computer, be the same person when your typing that email, social post, or advertisement, as you would face to face.

[deksia-blog]

Michigan Film Reel Event September 2010

You know, I never would’ve expected to be working on real deal full length feature film as I came aboard Deksia’s team back in late June of 09, but here I am, with an opportunity of working with a team of local talent, a location list of local venues, and at a time when our fair city has realized such vivid entertainment industry influence that we have all been witnessing over the past few months. I have come to be exposed to the nature of what it takes for a dream like Chris Penney’s to come to fruition. The road of production is long, the avenue to completion is bumpy, and the path of successful promotion is challenging, but the reward is sweet: The movie, Small Change; the event, Michigan Film Reel at McFadden’s.

  Three months have passed since joining forces with the team of Small Change. Still, leading up to the premier in early October, we attended an event that attracts the who’s who of the West Michigan film community. From directors, to producers, to local talent, it was a packed house. The ability to attach a true virility to an event like this has come from our city’s recent boom in industry presence. As Ben Stiller himself didn’t make an appearance, those who did, did so with a bit more pep in their step than once would have. This is a real deal now; Grand Rapids is on the map and the vibe doesn’t seem to be losing steam. “We’re not going anywhere,” says Chris Penney, director of Small Change. A foot print has been made; now the reality of a trail being blazed is felt amongst all and it shows.

  Not only attending this event, but actually being involved to an extent came with a sense of pride. Standing next to Chris as we were interview about his film and its upcoming premier was exhilarating. Knowing that Deksia had a part in the evolution of where this film will go is rewarding to say the least. I look forward to the opportunity of seeing this project through and having the extreme pleasure of working with Chris and his team on the next of his creations.

[deksia-blog]

In the beginning

In 2000, we started a production framing company; we did a million dollars in labor alone, the first year.  We were amazed, so I started asking people we did work for why they used our company.  Most everyone responded with “branding” (well they are in the construction industry so they probably said things like “it looks cool,” “seems professional,” and “consistent”).  So we started thinking, “well how can we turn our success into money?” Seeing that we were both getting older and neither of us wanted to swing a hammer all our lives, we started up Dentity in 2003, with one of our first clients being Falcon Custom Homes.

I was doing all of the graphic design when I realized that I wasn’t “THE BEST.” I was good, but not the best.  We wanted a company that consisted of the best. In 2005, we found Josh Ryther, an amazing artist; to call him a graphic designer would be to call a Wusthof, a knife.  This propelled us to a new level; one of our first projects we worked on was SHINE.  We then started talking about needing someone to do client relations, seeing as how busy we were starting to get. 

We started to realize that Dentity didn’t really speak to the Informed & Passionate approach that we were using so we changed the name to DEKSIA, which in Greek means the RIGHT DESIGN.  We found that a lot of industries would start their consulting session with, “tell us what you are looking for?” and basically design what the client was asking.  We don’t do that; we find out what your customer wants to see.   We really don’t care what you like or even really what I like.  If you knew what the logo was to look like, you’re either WRONG or in the wrong business.  Why is it that people think they know what their image should look like?  Do you tell your dentist that he is using the wrong tool to clean your teeth, or that you don’t like the look of that spark plug to your mechanic? 

In 2008, we brought on our first sales person; the problem here is we brought on a guy who was just good and not great, so it didn’t work out.  In 2009, we woke up and brought on Will Swets, an amazing relational expert.  If you can make Will mad, I’ll give you a 100 bucks!  In early 2010, we added the next all-star - Michael Yoder - one of the top Social Media crusader in Michigan.  Michael’s passion for social media is such that if you were to ask him about social media, you better have two hours to listen to his answer!

How do we get all of these amazing people?   We give them a piece of the company; we know the American dream is to own your own business.  Once you have achieved a certain level, you are offered partnership, much like what is done in law firms.  All of these decisions continue to help us strive to be the best branding firm in West Michigan; if you or someone you know is the best, we’d love to get to know you.