Quest for Innovation

You know what grinds my gears? When small businesses and startups become successful because they are incredibly good, and then that quality disappears as their success grows. American-made Craftsman tools were replaced with cheap, foreign knockoffs. The incredible Pyrex cookware now fractures or explodes (true story — I almost killed my prom date with Pyrex glass shards). ESPN is basically just MTV now, but for sports. And MTV hasn’t shown music videos for years!

Before I shake my fist at the sky and scream at kids to get off my lawn, let me tell you that we don’t have to go back in time to find quality companies. We have some great ones right now, right here in Idaho. Just look at Express Plumbing Service, who’s had great success and just keeps getting better as they grow.

Express Plumbing Service (EPS) is owned by Brad Jordan and Ben Davis. I love these guys, as they are hard-working and honest. They like to get their hands dirty, take great care of employees, and even better care of customers. What started as a one-man operation in 2006 has grown to the biggest plumbing operation in Idaho, all without any compromises in quality.

I talk to business owners every day and I can tell you what makes EPS different. One of the first things Ben said about building their business was “The most important thing is to be honest.” Karma is the energy of life, and if you surround yourself with good people and do good things, good things will follow for you.

Also important: Take care of the people that take care of you. That philosophy doesn’t just apply to EPS customers, but also their employees. They offer very competitive pay and benefits, providing books, training, and continuing education for employees as well. Consider this brain nugget: EPS — a plumbing service — is rated as one of the Top 10 Places to Work in Idaho!

Ben appreciates his plumbers because he IS one. He leads his team of service technicians by example and from the front. Brad is the Leonidas of plumbing, but instead of a sword he wields a wrench, and instead of hordes of angry Persians, his foe is a clogged sink drain!

It’s my belief that plumbing is one of the most under-rated professions out there. We live very well and fail to appreciate our modern amenities until they stop working, which always seems to be at the worst possible time. But EPS understands and they don’t hold it against us. They’re available for those inconvenient emergencies 24/7 and they boast a 60-minute response time, like the DoorDash of toilets! They work so hard because, as Ben says, “We want to be that hero for the customer.”

So the next time you’re on the john and reminiscing about when History Channel actually had shows about history, you can thank a plumber if it all goes well. And if it doesn’t go well, call Express Plumbing Service (or a gastroenterologist, whichever seems right for your situation).

At first, Eagle Vision One seemed too good to be true, such that it might be the setting for a modern Pleasantville film. Their offices are beautiful and could pass a white glove inspection any day of the week. The staff seem empowered and confident. Patients were even smiling after doing the new gentle eye pressure test that replaced that dreaded eye-puffer thing!

I sat down with Dr. Adam Warner and Dr. Shawn Sorenson, co-owners of Eagle Vision One, to learn more about how they’ve built such an impressive practice.

After handily winning “Best Optometrist” in the 2019 Best of Treasure Valley and then winning “Best Eye Care” in this year’s Idaho’s Best, Eagle Vision One has firmly planted their flag atop the eye doctor hill.

Everywhere you look, Dr. Warner and Dr. Sorenson have done more than was necessary. Continuing education, more staff, better training, extended hours, and advanced treatment — they go as far as they reasonably can to provide the best service for their patients.

I work with many small business professionals across the country — doctors, dentists, and lawyers that own their practices. Few have achieved such near-perfect execution as Eagle Vision One. And while they’re not necessarily perfect, they seem to have few (if any) weak areas. Plus, you’ll never see them cut corners. They believe their patients deserve and should receive the best available treatment.

When I asked the doctors what was most important to them, Dr. Sorenson said seeing his patients every year. Even if your eyes seem fine and your prescription hasn’t changed, there is still a lot of value in a checkup. Most insurance plans cover annual exams, and that’s because early detection of glaucoma and macular degeneration is incredibly important.

There are even other health conditions that may be revealed with an eye exam, making them even more important as we age. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia can be evaluated and detected by visible changes in the appearance of the retinal blood supply and blood vessels.

Some eye conditions may not be a serious threat to your health, but can be incredibly annoying. Eagle Vision One has a dedicated dry eye center in their clinics, which provide testing, imaging, and treatment for a widespread problem that is often ignored.

Eagle Vision One is proof that the who is as important as the what in eye care. You don’t have to deal with years of poor vision, glasses that don’t fit, poor service, or high pressure sales. Do your research and you’ll clearly see the right choice is Eagle Vision One.

One look at me and it’s obvious that I know everything about fashion. I’m the Ru Paul of white, middle-aged, strong-fat guys. OK, so I don’t actually know anything about fashion. That’s why I learned so many new terms by interviewing Erin, like “haute couture”, “boutique”, and “ruche”. Now I’ll be able to blend in when I’m shopping with my better half!

Erin Rigel is the founder and owner of Fashion 15 Below, newly-crowned as the best clothing store in Idaho. Going in, I wasn’t sure I could steer the interview or contribute to conversation, but I perked up when she explained the basic principle of her business — they offer a wide range of boutique clothing and nearly everything is under $15.

Erin has always been a savvy shopper. She loved her childhood experiences of looking for great deals with her mom, and her shopping sprees just never stopped — they just grew in scale.

“Our goal is to make every woman feel beautiful and empowered whether they bought something from us or not.”

Her operation began as the first mobile boutique in Idaho. But her growth and success has been such that Fashion 15 Below has two locations with a third on the way and a separate warehouse to handle online orders in just its fourth year. Customers have their choice of 15,000 hand-picked products in a wide range of sizes, with new fashions arriving every day.

I know what you’re thinking, because it’s what I thought. Over 15,000 items priced at $15 or below; so it’s just piles of Chinese imports, right? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Quality is very important to a fashionista like Erin, and 85 percent of Fashion 15 Below’s stock is made right here in the USA (insert Eagle’s cry). After all, it’s not a good deal unless what you’re getting is worth having.

And I’ll tell you what…Erin is impressive because she’s industrious and she’s a hustler. She’s constantly attending all the shows, building relationships with manufacturers and designers, and shopping for fantastic deals for her stores. She uses her magic shopping powers for good, passing the savings on to her customers.

Even if you don’t live in Twin Falls or Pocatello, you can still take advantage of the great deals that Fashion 15 Below is able to find for you by ordering online. Erin’s club of savvy shoppers can access the store plus six big sales every day through the Fashion 15 Below app, available for Android and Apple devices.

Let’s take a field trip back to a time and place that few of us remember well. In 1963, the communities of the Treasure Valley were quite different. Boise’s population was only about 40,000 and had just opened its second high school. Boise College was still years away from becoming Boise State University. Meridian, Idaho’s fastest growing city for the last 25 years, had a population of only 2,000, and it’s lifeblood since the Great Depression was the creamery run by a local cooperative of dairy farmers.

It was in this time and place that Gerald Cope saw a need that he was well suited to fill, opening Cope Auto Repair in Meridian. Thus began a journey that continues to this day, more than 56 years later. The business has grown, moved, rebranded, and has been passed from father Gerald to son Rick, but one thing hasn’t changed — the Cope commitment to quality work.

It is, in fact, the Cope name that has become synonymous with auto body repair in the Treasure Valley. The Cope Collision Center, as the business is now called, is a family-run affair. Many of the Cope lineage have dedicated their talents to the family trade. But Rick Cope is not one to turn down talent when he finds it, rounding out their needs with skilled and dedicated operators wherever they find them.

Cars have become incredibly more complicated than they were when Rick’s father first started the business, with new models having more lines of code in their computer systems than most airliners.

That’s why the Cope team is very dedicated to continuing education. The technicians are constantly taking classes and receiving instruction, always updating their education. Their team has the highest possible rating in the industry as I-Car Gold Class certified professionals. Outside of the Honda dealer, they have the only shop in town that is Honda certified. You can add to that virtually every other major car manufacturer, including Nissan, Ford, Dodge, GM, Chevrolet, and more.

Danielle, the Vice President of Cope Collision Center, also emphasized that consumers have a lot more power than most realize. If, like me, you’ve ever been steered to one business or another by an insurance adjuster, she stressed that you don’t have to listen to them. In Idaho, consumers are legally free to take their vehicles to be repaired anywhere they want. Get that estimate; get that second opinion, and make an informed choice!

Cope Collision Center happily works with all insurance companies and agents, but won’t allow themselves to be influenced by them. Cope will return your vehicle to you in pre-accident condition and document it so that insurance will cover it, and their work will come with a lifetime guarantee.

Cope Collision Center might be an old dog, but it’s a reliable one that has learned all kinds of new tricks to stay modern and relevant. It’s how they’ve been an essential part of the community for more than 50 years, and in all likelihood will still be going strong in 50 more.

I am grateful for people like Brian and Jodie Rencher, owners of Advanced Dental Care of Twin Falls. I could use this space to tell you how successful their business is (very), how advanced their technology and treatments are (impressively so), or even how incredible the view is from their treatment rooms (majestic), but I’m not going to do that. Instead, I want to tell you about their service.

You see, while we all have our difficulties, most of us here in Idaho are lucky enough to live so well that we fail to appreciate some of the great luxuries and opportunities we have. Most of us don’t realize how life-changing dentistry can be.

When a new patient showed up to Advanced Dental Care for a consultation, she asked Dr. Rencher to pull all of her teeth and prepare her a set of dentures. She’s a young mother who is in fact beautiful, but the poor condition of her teeth led her to covering her mouth to hide them from view. Working in food service without great benefits, replacing her teeth with dentures was the only solution she could afford.

She may not have asked for charity, but she got it. Dr. Rencher saw that the young lady’s teeth might be discolored and not quite straight, but they were otherwise healthy. Advanced Dental Care provided cleaning, whitening, and orthodontic care, asking her to pay only what she could afford. That act of charity has changed her life!

Brian and Jodie are a model in this regard, not taking their blessings for granted and always quick to help others. They are very focused on giving aid where they can. In cooperation with the LDS Dental Academy, Dr. Rencher has made multiple trips to China to provide humanitarian aid. There he provided free dental care for children from orphanages and the elderly, and also provided dental training at a local university.

The practice hasn’t lost sight of the fact that there are also people right here that could use a little help. They provide service, cash, and material donations to a variety of local causes, including the Valley House, animal shelters, the Special Olympics, victims of domestic violence, the list goes on and on!

But the event that may be the cause for the most excitement is Advanced Dental Care’s Dentistry from the Heart Day. At last year’s event, the team provided free dental care to more than 70 local residents. It was a smashing success, and they are looking forward to their next Heart Day, which is slated for next fall.