Brodie Tyler, Author at Idaho's Best

The Golden Rule

Brodie Tyler on May 9, 2019

Treasure Valley Exteriors

2019 BoTV Winner – Best Home Remodeler, Best Contractor

When you need help with a home project, you don’t always know where to go. It needs to be done well and you want to get a fair price on it, too. This can be especially tricky with work you might not be familiar with, like roofing, windows, or installing solar panels. I think people are wary when looking for companies to work on their most important investments, and this often leads to a referral from someone they know that some guys that can hook you up.

But if the work isn’t done by licensed and insured professionals, you might actually be putting your home, your money, and your safety at risk. That’s why I’m here to tell you that I know some guys that can hook you up, and they are top-notch home renovators in the Treasure Valley.

Max and Kelly had been working on homes together for years, but they weren’t satisfied. The company they worked for was like so many others, attempting to squeeze every possible penny out of every job. Even worse, they weren’t nice. The guys in charge weren’t nice to their customers; they weren’t even nice to their employees. Max and Kelly brought their heads together with one thought — “We could do this better ourselves.”

Treasure Valley Exteriors is Boise’s Best

And so they did. Treasure Valley Exteriors was founded by Max and Kelly in 2011 and in a few short years, they have seen tremendous success. They are the Treasure Valley’s source of home improvement value. They’ve had this success by establishing trust, doing quality work, and being nice.

I can say from personal experience that Max is right when he says that treating people well is their secret to success. He says, “It comes down to that first interaction. I’m creating a friendship with somebody and thinking, ‘I frickin’ like this guy.’”

For homeowners that want to feel more confident when choosing a contractor, Kelly recommends getting a second opinion. “It’s the people that don’t get a second opinion that get hosed,” he explained. Treasure Valley Exteriors is happy to give you a second opinion on your roofing, siding, and just about any type of exterior renovation your home needs.

But even if you’re going to them just for a second opinion, I’m pretty sure Treasure Valley Exteriors will become your first choice.

Whatever it Takes – A Real Life Comeback Story

Brodie Tyler on April 30, 2019

Like millions of Americans, Bret Adams suffered due to significant back pain. And just like many of them, he had been down the medical rabbit hole, going through many doctors and physical therapists with no success. Their collective prognosis? “We’re sorry. You’re broken and there’s nothing we can do.”

Not satisfied with that response, the young accounting major changed courses to pursue physical therapy. He thought, “That can’t be the end of it. A musculoskeletal problem like this should be treatable with the right musculoskeletal approach.”

Bret understood a fundamental truth about the human body. His best chance to defeat chronic back pain was to set his body up to heal itself, and he was going to learn how to make that happen.

Years later, Bret Adams (PT, MPT, ATC, CSCS) shares his hard-won knowledge and finely tuned technique in his practice, Idaho Spine and Sports Physical Therapy (ISSPT). His troop of highly trained therapists operates out of three locations in the Treasure Valley.

I found a comrade in Bret Adams. Like him, I was a strength athlete whose path was altered by a significant back injury. I’ve also been through a quagmire of medical intervention that has only been minimally effective. I can describe Bret and the ISSPT team with one word: precision.

Precision is what makes a great physical therapist. The ISSPT team believes you should be perfect at what you do. Their ability to accurately diagnose an injury and follow through with hands-on techniques can give your body the re-education it needs to heal itself.

The skill of ISSPT has led to a tremendous success rate. Of patients that stick with their treatment plans, more than 9 of 10 are successful in treatment.

Whether it’s chronic pain or an acute injury affecting your life, Bret recommends seeing a therapist early. Most people wait far too long before seeking help.

A Reason to Swipe Right

Brodie Tyler on March 25, 2019

You know… the dating app where if you like what you see, you swipe right? I’ve long compared real estate to online dating. Are those pictures real and recent? Does the description on the profile reflect reality? Am I about to meet a crazy person? Will I have regrets tomorrow?

The real estate market often feels like the Wild West, and I thought that’s just the way it was. Brokers often see their clients and customers as a number rather than people who are likely making the biggest purchase of their lives.

Outdated technology, bad photography, and rolling the dice on getting a decent real estate agent have all been accepted as normal. Even more than most businesses, real estate is an industry that leans heavily on the character of the people involved. When Nick Schlekeway formed the Boise real estate agency Amherst Madison in 2013, he wanted to do things differently.

The culture of any company starts at the top. If you know Nick and the values he holds, you’ll know what to expect from Amherst Madison. He’s a forward thinker who expects the best from himself, and the 70+ agents at his brokerage aim for the same standard.

Founder of Amherst Madison – Nick Schlekeway

At a glance, Nick is one of those high achievers who seem too good to be true, but I can attest that he is the real deal. We are the same age and attended the same high school and college, so I’ve been Nick-adjacent for around 20 years. He was a star athlete, valedictorian, and Hall of Famer in high school. In college he was an Academic All-American who graduated with honors, First Team All Conference selection, and a team captain the season Boise State won the famous 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. If you’re still not impressed, he was a top-notch Boise firefighter for several years, completed a master’s degree at Georgetown, and started a very successful company in competitive niche.

Oh, and he’s nice.

Despite his success, what makes Nick and his brokerage an inspiration is the focus on other people. To that point, the agency isn’t named after the founder, but after a brother-and-sister pair he knew who battled cancer and won. Their ability to persevere inspired him, and when it came time to put a name on the company’s founding documents, the team believed their names deserved the honor. So if you’re in the market for a new real estate agency, skip the online dating period and meet the Amherst Madison team in person. The pictures are real.

~Matthew Biss

Amherst Madison is a client-centric brokerage that focuses on community involvement and building relationships. Customers appreciate the updated, cloud-based technology the firm uses, with standards of quality in photography and listings that won’t be found anywhere else in Idaho. The agents operate with the belief that clients deserve more from their realtor, realtors deserve more from their brokerage, and the community deserves more from us all.

Best of Treasure Valley 2019 Winners Announced

Brodie Tyler on January 4, 2019

Meridian, ID — The Best of Treasure Valley™ introduces a new way of identifying and recognizing the best businesses in the community. Using a combination of online reviews and community votes, winners were determined across nine categories and 184 subcategories. In all, 104,210 votes were cast during the voting round by Treasure Valley residents.

Local businesses and attractions were nominated last fall, and the top 10 nominees in each subcategory moved on to the voting round in October. In addition to votes, online reviews from Google, Yelp, and Facebook were included in scoring. Overall ratings and the number of 5-star reviews from the previous 12 months helped determine the winners. Details about scoring can be found on our FAQ page.

The winners were announced at the Best of Treasure Valley Awards Banquet, held on December 4th, 2018, at the Zion’s Bank Ballroom. They will also be featured in the Best of Treasure Valley Magazine™ that is scheduled for publication this month. A complete list of all finalists and winners of each category can be found here.

The Best of Treasure Valley™ would like to thank the following local businesses for their support: Rocket Express Car Wash, winner of Best Car Wash; Paramount Childcare & Early Learning Center, winner of Best Child Care; Anesthesia Associates of Boise, a finalist for Best Specialty Doctor; and RevenueJump, an online review and referral software company.

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Best of Treasure Valley™ is an awards contest that is owned and operated by Inbound Systems.

Best of Treasure Valley Votes Are In!

Brodie Tyler on November 1, 2018

Big news, everyone! Ballots for the 2019 Best of Treasure Valley Awards are in, and it looks to be a phenomenal success.

The businesses and attractions that were up for voting in their respective categories were nominated by Treasure Valley residents in August and September. Those that received enough nominations to land in the top 10 earned their spots on the ballot.

A total of 104,210 votes were cast to show support for your favorite businesses and attractions in our community. We were overwhelmed with the enthusiastic response and can’t wait to share the finalists of each category.

What Happens Now

We want the Best of Treasure Valley to be as fair as possible, so our team is working hard to calculate the results and verify the findings. The BoTV uses a scoring system that relies on a combination of online votes, online ratings, and online reviews from Google, Yelp, and Facebook.

Count Ballots
Who had the most votes? While technology makes counting easy, we still need to verify the results. Other contests may allow spamming or daily voting. For optimal results, we’re only counting unique votes for each subcategory.

Count Reviews
The BoTV isn’t like most “Best of” contests, which simply count votes. We realize that the community has already been showing their support for the best by leaving reviews all year long, so we’re going to count those too! We’re counting every 5-star review published on Google, Yelp, and Facebook within the last 12 months.

Calculate Rating
Overall ratings on Google, Yelp, and Facebook also tell us how nominees have served their customers over the last year. The mean rating from these platforms will be used in conjunction with 5-star reviews and votes to determine the winners.

Announce Finalists
The top 3 of each subcategory will be publicly announced next week once we’ve verified our results. Finalists will also be notified by letter and email as soon as possible.

Announce Winners
Winners will be announced at the Best of Treasure Valley Awards Banquet, on December 4th, 2018. Finalists will be invited to purchase tickets for the celebration, with Jeffrey Paul and Austin Von Johnson, of Open World Comedy, hosting the show. The banquet includes a red carpet entrance, a fancy dinner, and photos, as well as other special prizes and opportunities.

Thank You

We’re grateful to everyone for the support and participation in the Best of Treasure Valley Awards. It’s been a lot of fun, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s contest!

Best of Treasure Valley Voting Now Open

Brodie Tyler on October 1, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1st, 2018

Best of Treasure Valley™ Voting Open Through October 31, 2018

Meridian, ID — The Best of Treasure Valley™ is an awards contest that aims to recognize the best businesses in the community. The contest includes nine categories, with 180 subcategories, and uses a combination of 5-star reviews, online ratings, and community votes to determine the winners of each respective subcategory.

Voting takes place online at www.BestofTreasureValley.com from October 1, 2018 through October 31, 2018. Anyone with a valid email address and a Treasure Valley zip code can vote.

The nominees were selected by the community during September. After thousands and thousands of submissions, only the 10 nominees in each subcategory with the most nominations were retained for the voting round.

In addition to votes, the winner of each category is also determined by their online reviews from Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Overall ratings and the number of 5-star reviews from the previous 12 months are counted. Details about scoring can be found on the Best of Treasure Valley™ website.

The Best of Treasure Valley™ finalists for each subcategory will be announced in early November. The winners will then be announced at an awards dinner on Tuesday, December 4, 2018. This will be followed by the winners being featured in the Best of Treasure Valley Magazine™ in January, 2019.

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Best of Treasure Valley™ is an awards contest that is owned and operated by Inbound Systems.

Contact

Brodie Tyler
(208) 246-8982
[email protected]

Mailing Address

Best of Treasure Valley
c/o Inbound Systems, Inc.
6700 N Linder Rd #156-143
Meridian, ID 83646

BoTV Nominations Are In!

Brodie Tyler on September 13, 2018

The nomination period for the 2019 Best of Treasure Valley awards is over, and the response was incredible!

The community showed their support for their favorite businesses with a tsunami of nominations…We were blown away as they came in, thousands and thousands of them!

But it’s not over yet!

Nominations are just the beginning. The companies with the most nominations in each subcategory will move on to the voting round, where the community can choose the cream of the crop.

We will publish nominations when voting begins on October 1st. Voting will take place throughout the entire month, ending October 31st. Voting is done online on this website. Anyone with a valid email address and a Treasure Valley zip code can vote for their favorite companies. To retain the most reliable results, participants are restricted to one vote per category.

Remember, the BoTV is Unique

The Best of Treasure Valley contest is different because it’s not just about the votes. The community has been recommending their favorite businesses all year by leaving reviews on Google, Facebook, and Yelp.

That’s why the Best of Treasure Valley factors in online reviews from the previous 12 calendar months, up to October 31, 2018. Your overall rating and the number of 5-star reviews your business has earned on Google, Yelp, and Facebook are factored in with the number of votes received during the contest.

5-star Reviews x Average Rating + Votes = BoTV Score

The higher your rating and the more 5-star reviews you have, the better your chances of winning. That means that even if you didn’t get the most votes, you could still win by having a great online reputation. Alternatively, a business that doesn’t have as many reviews as they’d like still has a great chance of winning if they receive a lot of votes during the contest.

How do I know if my company was nominated?

If your business received enough support, we’ll be notifying you shortly via letter by mail about your nomination. The letter will include instructions for claiming your nomination, details about the contest, and resources to help you pick up more votes. You’ll even have an opportunity to download our free guide “Winning the Best of Treasure Valley”.

If you think you were likely one of the top-ten nominees in your subcategory, you can get a head start by contacting us to provide your business details and point of contact for the contest.

$500 Amazon Giveaway

Now that the nominations are in, we’ll find out the five winners of our $100 in Amazon gift cards. Winners will be announced and published on this website by 9/30/18.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS: By entering this giveaway, entrants agree to these terms. Companies nominated by entrants are subject to BoTV approval to ensure the category is relevant to the company. Limited to one entry and one winner’s prize per person. To be eligible to win, entrants must live within Idaho’s Ada or Canyon Counties and be at least 18 years old. Acceptance of a prize for this giveaway constitutes your approval to use your name, photo, and city for promoting BoTV and announcing the winners on our website. A minimum of five unique and valid entrants are required, otherwise, the giveaway will be cancelled with no prizes awarded. Employees and family members of employees of Inbound Systems, Best of Treasure Valley, and RevenueJump are not eligible to win. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

Wanted: 2019 BoTV Nominations

Brodie Tyler on August 16, 2018

It’s time to let your voice be heard! Whether it’s your favorite restaurant, an auto shop with exemplary customer service, or a sole proprietor with an amazing backstory, you can voice your support for businesses that do things right by nominating them as the 2019 Best of Treasure Valley in their category.

The Best of Treasure Valley awards are different because they aren’t just a popularity contest. Winners are chosen by a combination of votes, online reviews, and ratings (from the last calendar year) on Google, Yelp, and Facebook.

To make sure we are comparing apples to apples, there are nine primary categories and 184 subcategories. Businesses will only be competing against one another in their respective subcategories.

Nominations are open until September 12th, 2018. That’s right around the corner, so hurry up and act now! Users that nominate ten or more businesses will be entered into our $500 Amazon GIveaway with 5 chances to win!

All you need is an email address and ten valid nominations to participate.

How It Works

Nominations for the 2019 Best of Treasure Valley accepted Monday, August 27 – Wednesday, September 12th. Nominations can be made online of the Best of Treasure Valley website.
The top 10 businesses (determined by number of nominations) in each subcategory will move on to the voting phase.
Voting will take place from Monday, October 1st – Wednesday, October 31st.
Finalists will be announced by November 16th.
Winners will be announced December 4th.
The Best of Treasure Valley magazine will be published in early 2019, which will feature all the winners.

For more information, please see the FAQ page on our site.