Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 25, 2012

17

HOMES AND PROPERTY

 Mountain Views News Saturday, February 25, 2012 

One Of A Kind: Featuring unique homes and gardens and the people who create them. Story and Photos by Chris Bertrand


LOCAL CONTRACTORS BEGIN 
SIERRA MADRE’S 1ST GROUND UP 
BUILD SINCE 2007


Sierra Madre Community Medical’s 
new facilities construction began 
just last week at 147 W. Sierra Madre 
Boulevard. The construction fences went up, as the first step, 
new handicapped ramping to the current building’s entrance 
began. It’s the long awaited first ground up construction in 
five years for the city of Sierra Madre. 

Carol Jones is CEO at ACME Construction of Pasadena. 
The ACME selection has been viewed as a “plus” by many, 
a highly qualified “hometown” selection, generating income 
and jobs for and in the San Gabriel Valley community.

At the recent groundbreaking, Jones acknowledged the trust 
Dr. Sami, CEO of SM Community Medical, the architect and 
the community put in them. She also pledged to bring the 
long awaited project to fruition on time and on budget, with 
respect and sensitivity for the residential and commercial 
neighbors around the tight fit, in-fill project. 

She also put faces and names to the project managers who 
will be onsite day in and day out for the project, (L to R in 
photo) Robert Anguiano, Project Manager and Gary Muller, 
General Superintendent. In a small town community as 
Sierra Madre, it’s very much about the personal connections 
that make this town work. And ACME seems to understand 
that.

Though the ACME entity is relatively new, created in 2007, 
Carol and David Jones’ combined experience brings decades 
of diversified knowledge and expertise in construction and 
commercial building.

Their long history in the commercial real estate and 
construction industry traces back to Carol’s ten years at 
Dynamic Builders, a downtown LA-based firm focused on 
owner occupied, build-to-suit, ground up construction and 
her husband, Dave’s 32 years licensed in the industry. . Carol 
also spent a decade with Grubb and Ellis commercial real 
estate, so offers the ability to see transaction, projects and 
builds from both sides of the table, a rare perspective.

In addition to the string of affiliations with US Green Building 
Council, Construction Management, Project Management, 
LEED certified professionals, other councils and investment 
associations, Jones is part of a growing, but still very small 
band of women-owned construction businesses. 

“Women are in the minority in the construction industry”, 
she said, “but I don’t feel shut out in any way. I think it’s great 
to be a breath of fresh air; to be a woman in a sea of men.”

“The reverse is much more common here in LA,” she 
continued. “We first build the personal relationship here, 
and base the rest of the business relationship on the basis of 
that foundation. I love it. It plays directly to our strengths, to 
work as partners with our clients, sharing our knowledge and 
expertise for the best outcome for all.” 

I met Carol Jones at the site of one of their recently completed 
projects in downtown Pasadena, a new restaurant, 
Settebello, at 625 E. Colorado. It was clear the post 
project relationship remained strong and positive, 
as owner, Brad Otton, happily reflected on the 
project’s challenges and successes amid the lively 
lunch crowd.

“The thing that most impressed me about ACME,” 
Otton reflected, “was the care they showed towards 
my project. Most contractors that I have worked 
with are interested in getting done on time and 
on budget but do not spend a whole lot of time 
worrying about making sure the project comes 
out the way the client wants it. From the very 
beginning I felt like they really cared about the 
final product and doing whatever it took to make 
the restaurant fit our initial vision.”

The project did present some significant challenges. 
Since the building was already completed when 
the restaurant site was chosen, x-rays and core 
samples were needed to confirm the strength of the 
floor, located above the building’s 
parking garage in order to bring in 
Settebello’s signature 5,000 pound 
wood fired pizza oven. Handcrafted 
in Italy, and shipped to Los Angeles 
by container ship, the cost to bring 
the oven the last twenty miles into 
the restaurant, exceeded the cost 
to send it across the ocean. But 
everyone was pleased in the end.

According to David Jones, the 
required tests climbed to 60 
concrete cores and 120 x-rays in an 
excruciating process. Eventually, 
all parties were comfortable to 
perform the installation, a tribute 
to the patience and care ACME 
commits to each project. 

To everyone’s relief, the floor was 
properly and substantially capable 
of handling the load, and the nail 
biting exercise was successfully 
completed without incident. The 
Pasadena restaurant, Otton’s third, 
in addition to Henderson, Nevada 
and Salt Lake City locations, opened in October, 2011.

In another 2011 project in Torrance, clients Western 
Psychological Services, a publishing and testing company, 
were equally pleased with ACME, posting praise in the 
business networking site, LinkedIn. 

“ACME recently completed a total renovation of our new 
office space updating it from a drab five decades old building 
into a sleek and modern office environment” said Jeff Manson 
of Western Psychological Services. “Although the job was 
challenging at times, as all major construction projects are, 
Carol and her team were patient, professional and extremely 
knowledgeable in overcoming any and all obstacles. Their 
ability to think flexibly and provide economical/practical 
solutions were fantastic. Never did they make us feel rushed 
in our decision making and were there as true partners in 
our important project. Lastly, it is clear that Carol and her 
team at ACME really care about the work they are doing. 
They understand the buildings they are working on are 
environments for people to work/live/play and their attention 
to detail really shows they care about the end results.” 

More information about ACME Construction, 80 S. Lake, 
Pasadena, can be found at www.ACMECos.com or by calling 
626-227-1188.

CEO Carol Jones at Sierra Madre Community Medical groundbreaking 
(above). Project site managers (below)


THINKING OF SHRINKING?

It's not just the economy - there are lots of reasons 
that people choose to downsize. It could be 
retirement, a recently emptied nest, or just plain 
"maintenance fatigue." Whatever the reason, 
plan your new lifestyle carefully.

When you search for a smaller home, don't forget 
that Location is still the key ingredient. Even 
if you don't have kids or they've flown the coop, 
a good school district and proximity to public 
transportation and recreation are still the best 
bets for retaining value.

If this will be a retirement move, think about 
the future and seek out homes on one level, or at 
the very least, with the master bedroom on the 
ground floor. For practicality's sake, at least one 
bathroom should be handicap-accessible or easily 
remodeled as such. Even if you don't think 
you'll need it later on, your visitors might appreciate 
the convenience.

If downsizing to you means less maintenance, 
you may be tempted by town home or condominium 
living, but be aware of "hidden costs," 
like annual or monthly homeowners association 
fees. Check recent association meeting reports 
to see if there is a building renovation planned, 
as you could be hit with an assessment fee in the 
future, too.

There are a lot of considerations in advance of 
your move, so ask an agent for more advice and 
enjoy your new lifestyle!

LOVELY SIERRA MADRE LOCATION,

READY TO MOVE IN, PRIVATE CORNER LOT

304 Sunnyside Ave., Sierra Madre | Offered at $739,000

BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques

Beautiful, bright, open floor plan. Located in lovely Sierra 
Madre. This is a large corner lot; the home is 3 good sized 
bedrooms, 2 baths. The kitchen is open to dining room. 
There is an indoor laundry room located off the kitchen. The 
home has just been painted inside and out, pretty hardwood 
floors, the roof was put on in May 1999. All the windows 
have gorgeous wood shutters-. This home is ready for 
you and yours! Showing is easy, just call me!!! No need to 
preview, great condition!

Features: 1,590 sqft | 9,647 Lot Size | 3 BR | 2 BA


CAROL 

CANTERBURY

Prudential 

California Realty

626-252-6322 Cell

CarolCanterbury@
hotmail.com


By La Quetta M. Shamblee, 


EMPLOYMENT IS MOVING ON UP! 

 
Recent economic indicators 
from the State of California’s 
Employment Development 
Department point to a 
slight improvement in the 
unemployment rate. At the 
end of Jaunary, California’s rate 
had settled to 11.1%. This is 
an improvement compared to 
a little more than a year ago 
when the rate hit an astounding 
12.5% in December 2010. 
The Los Angeles County 
unemployment rate of 11.6% is 
only lagging ½% behind that of 
the state. However, the current 
8.5% national unemployment 
rate is outshining us here in the 
Golden State by a whopping 
4%.

 Residents in the San Gabriel 
Valley have several reasons to 
be optimistic about the future 
of the employment market as 
the region continues to attract 
major investments positioned 
to capitalize on the extension of 
the Metro Goldline. The new 
line is driving property values 
upward as astute investors 
make purchases adjacent to this 
corridor. 

 After voters approved a tax 
for transportation projects, last 
year officials in Los Angeles 
County proceeded with the 
announcement of a broad-
based employment program. 
This will provide another 
boost to employment in the 
San Gabriel Valley as new jobs 
become available to residents 
who live in the proximity of 
new transportation projects. 

The tide seems to be headed in 
a positive direction overall, and 
the saying goes, “A rising tide 
raises all boats in the harbor.” 
The Golden State has weathered 
the recent years of economic 
storms along with the other 49 
states, but it is time to regroup 
and refocus on identifying , 
pursuing and building upon the 
economic opportunities that 
being presented. 

 New unemployment data for 
January 2012 will be released 
on Friday, March 9th and for 
February 2012 on Friday, March 
23rd. The complete schedule 
for the announcement of 2012 
employment data is available on 
the Labor Market Information 
section of the EDD website 
at www.labormarketinfo.edd.
ca.gov.

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE!

Call Patricia - 626-818-2698