Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is Sandro Menasci.  Please keep this member top of mind this week for referrals. 

Ryan Bohlander shared his recent photo radar experience.  Members had many thoughts on the matter, sharing their own experiences and advice.  I won't name names in case the Paradise Valley Police Department monitors this site.

Membership Update
Althea Bussert has resigned from MABE. 

We all have people in the group that we are close to and can talk to.  You are encouraged to share any concerns you have as your membership is important to us.

A list of open categories is posted at the bottom of this page.  Members can skim through the list for ideas of potential members they may know.

Leads & Introductions
Members introduced themselves and shared leads. 

Herb Stokes - Southwest Portraits
Herb's company works with school contracts.  This means that if students wants to be in the yearbook they have to use his services.  He explained how the Senior portrait process works.  The underclassman works differently as they go to the school for the shoots.  They put in a lot of labor hours with schools as part of their contracts including helping with the yearbook layout and attending events to take photos.  They have grown quite a bit over the last few years.  So much in fact that they outgrew their last location.  Herb is very excited to be in his new building. 

His dad bought him his first camera, a very basic one.  When he was a sophomore he bought his first SLR.  He worked as a NASA staff photographer right out of high school.  A photographer took him under his wing and taught him a lot.  He has two degrees in photography.  He eventually began working for Reg and Jean Batt of Portraits by Reg, former MABE members. 

There has been talk of going to digital formats for yearbooks.  But the reception has been lackluster.  The problem is that technology changes.  Their format could become obsolete (zip drives).  People still like having their hard copy.

Does anybody really know what photography is?  It is painting with light.  It is art.  The digital era has helped us but it has also hurt us.  Our biggest competition are the "Digital Debbies".  They are stay-at-home parents that buy a camera and take photos of the kids.  But they don't pay taxes or have liability insurance. 

We have a photography team, a production team and a sales team.  I try to capture the emotional side of it during the photo shoot so I can make the sale.  If I can make a mom cry during a photo session than I have done my job.  My sales people are not paid commission.  I don't want them to be cut throat.  We will listen to a client's needs and fit them with the best package.

Social media is a frustrating issue for us.  We have caught people taking pictures of their photo off our screen.  We will use a really long lens so they can't get a good picture or we just tell them "that's not nice".  This is how we make our money. 

We don't do special events anymore like weddings.  Again, we would be competing with the Digital Debbies.  There is too much in labor costs.

Open Categories
If you have any suggestions for additions to this list (or corrections) please contact Melissa Matthews.

Actuarial Services
Advertising & Marketing
Answering Service
Antique Dealer 
Apartment Locator
Appliance Store 
Appraisers Audio Store 
Auto Body Repair
Auto Parts Store 
Auto Glass Repair
Aviation (Maintenance / Sales) 
Awnings, Canopies 

Bagel Shop
Baker 
Barbeque Supplies
Beauty Salon/Barber Shop
Bedding and Mattress Store
Bicycle Shop
Boarding Kennel 
Boat (Sales / Service)
Bookstore 
Business Broker
Business Machines 
Butcher Shop 

Camera (Retail/Repair)
Camper & RV Sales & Rentals 
Car Wash
Card & Stationary Shop
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning
Ceiling Fans 
Cellular Equipment/Services
Chiropractic Physician
Cleaning Services
Clocks 
Clothing (Formal / Kid's / Men's / Western / Women's)
Coffee Services 
Coin/Stamp Dealer
Communications (Cable TV / Publishing / Radio / Television) 
Compressed Air 
Computer Hardware (Leasing / Programming / Software / Training)
Consulting (By Specialty) 
Contractor (By Specialty)
Convenience Store
Copiers & Fax Machines
Cosmetics
Counselor, Specialty
Courier Service
Creative Services
Credit Counseling
Culinary Consulting

Dance Studio
Dry Cleaning, Laundry
Day-Care Center
Dentistry (General)
Dentistry (Specialties)
Donut Shop

Electrician
Engineer, Specialties
Exercise Equipment

Fabric Store
Florist & Floral Design
Franchise Broker
Fragrance Shop 
Furniture (Finishing / Home / Office / Unfinished)

Garage Door Installation & Repair
Garden Sales (Lawn Equipment / Supplies)
Gift Shop
General Contractor/Remodeling & Residential
Glass Repair (Home)
Glass Store (Auto / Home) 
Golf &Tennis (Instruction / Sales)
Grocer Specialty Store 
Guns, Collectors 

Hair Stylist
Hardware Store 
Health Club 
Health Foods 
Hearing Aids 
Hiking/Backpacking 
Hobby Shop 
Home Accessories
Hot Tub & Spa's 
Hotel, Motel, Resort 

Insurance
Insurance & Investments
Interior Design

Janitor (Service / Supplies) 

Knife/Cutlery Shop 

Lawyer (By Specialty) 
Leather Goods Store 
Lighting Fixtures
Liquor, Beer, Wine 
Locksmith
Luggage 
Lumber Yard

Machine Shop 
Mailing & Packaging Store 
Mailing Services & Direct Marketing Information
Marketing
Masonry
Motorcycle Dealer 
Moving & Storage
Musical Instruments

Nursery (Plants)  

Office Furniture
Office Supplies
Organs, Pianos 
Ornamental Iron 

Paging Services
Painter
Paper Products 
Patio
Party Supplies
Pediatrics
Personnel Services
Pest Control
Pet Shop 
Pharmacy
Physician - Medical (By Specialty)
Picture Framing & Gallery
Plastics
Printing
Private School (Art / Beauty / Drama / Music / Trade)
Property Management

Rentals (Equipment / Medical / Party)
Restaurant (By Specialty)
Riding Stables

Safety Equipment
Scuba Diving Store
Secretarial Services
Security – Electronic
Security Guard Patrol
Shoe Store
Swimming Pools (Installation / Repairs)

Travel Agent
Trophies/Awards

Video
  
Website Design
Website Hosting
Wine Merchant