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Ahead of Success

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By Olivia Truesdale (Martial Thevenot  Editor)

Former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has been attributed to saying, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

While the facts are such that he never actually said anything of the sort, it would have been very fitting to his reputation if he had!

Many of us know him for the position he held during World War II, but it is a little-known fact that he also was actively involved in the first World War. History probably wants you to forget about that part because it did not go very well.

He actually helped plan several *UNSUCCESSFUL* battles. Of course, today we only remember him for the leadership position he held during the early 1940s and the important role he played in helping the Allies win World War II. So how did he go from a seeming failure to a national (and international) hero and inspiration?

In a simplest of ways, he “had the courage to continue”. He didn’t let his failures define him. If he had, we would not likely be living in the world we know today.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true, as expressed by this (misquoted) quote: “Success is not final.” Often, after succeeding in something, we find ourselves “coasting”.  After a “big win”, many people tend to slow down, relax, and “celebrate”. Now, there is nothing wrong with congratulations when they are in order, but it becomes a problem when we use our success as a reason to take our foot off the gas. “Oh, I finished that yesterday. I don’t have to worry today.”

Of course, it’s perfectly acceptable to take a break after a big success, sharpen the axe so to speak… unless it becomes a constant excuse. Sometimes we push ourselves so far backwards after a success that we wind up worse than before!

The easiest and most common example of this can be found in dieting. “I was really healthy yesterday. I did all my workouts; I ate well. I guess that means that I can have junk food and skip my workout today!” And when that attitude drags on for days, we can end up undoing all of our hard work. Yikes!  Sound familiar?

So how do we overcome this?

While the answer can be simple, it can also be much easier said than done. “Just do it.” (Huh, that sounds coincidentally like the motto for a popular brand of athletic wear.) I know it’s cheesy, but hear me out.

No one can force you to persevere after you succeed. Others can motivate you, but you are the biggest determiner of whether or not you are going to continue to evolve after a big success (or a big failure, for that matter).

You are the only one who has control of your actions. All that to be said, it is helpful to have a strong support system surrounding you, encouraging you to keep going and persevere towards reaching your next goal and your next success. This could be friends, family, or anyone else who has the same goals as you.

At Team Perka, we would love to be a part of helping you achieve your building goals!

Whether you need a building for your new startup business, are looking to build your dream home, or trying to find a place to store animals or equipment or toys, we can help. While we can’t say that we have seen everything, we can say that we have definitely seen a thing or two! 

Contact us for a consultation! Even if you don’t purchase from us, we love to help, as we know that good begets good.

(Of course we would also love it if you did purchase from us, because we want to get to know all the super cool we can and collaborate on great dreams and successes!)

Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook, visit our website, and let us know how we can become part of your next big triumph, as we would are always happy to support and help ensure that you keep succeeding in whatever is important to you!

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Building Dreams

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https://www.biography.com/activist/martin-luther-king-jr

Every year our family and friends remember and celebrate a man who “had a dream”.

This holiday, observed the third Monday in January, is more than just a day off for some folks … (typically and a day when banks, libraries, and post offices are closed).

During our many current social challenges, Martin Luther King Junior’s messages become even more significant for us all to reflect on.

I’m sure we all have a basic idea of the life and work of this famous man, but just why do we get/take that day off, especially when a lot of people still barely even acknowledge the day’s purpose?

Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to a pastor and former teacher. At age 15, he skipped high school and went directly to college, where he studied law, medicine, and eventually theology. Though he had not planned to, he followed the legacies of his father and grandfather, eventually becoming a pastor in 1954. That same year, the Supreme Court decided the Brown vs. Board of Education case, ultimately concluding that segregation in schools was unconstitutional. The next year, on December 1, Rosa Parks was arrested for a display of protest when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white person. In 1956, the Supreme Court determined that segregated buses were unconstitutional as well. At that time, Martin Luther King, Jr., was already becoming well-known for promoting civil rights and racial equality.

There had already been one attempt made on his life, as well as attacks to his home. But MLK didn’t let that stop him. Throughout his life, he organized several boycotts and peaceful protests to raise awareness for his cause and even won a Nobel Peace Prize. He also led hundreds of people from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama, to promote voting rights and discourage racism in the state. He was quite successful in his cause, as his “Selma to Montgomery March” prompted Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which further promised voting rights to African Americans.

But, of course, Martin Luther King, Jr., was a man most famous for his dream, that is, his “I Have a Dream” speech. Delivered in 1963, this speech displayed MLK’s optimistic outlook and hope for the future, a future that would be better than what came before him.

He “had a dream” that people’s value would be based on what kind of person they were, not on how they looked. Though he was assassinated in 1968, that dream lives on, and that is why, on the third Monday of January, many take a day off to contemplate a man who never got to see his dreams fulfilled but continued to hope in them anyway.

Whatever your dream may be, we here at Team Perka want to help you build it into a reality. Our teammates are always happy to consult on any and all of your building needs, (and they are full of fun facts and relevant anecdotes, much like the ones you read in this article).

For more interesting articles like this one, be sure to check back regularly on our blog and to stay up to date on what we’re doing.

Be sure to contact us to let us know how we can help you. And don’t forget, in the words of MLK, that “the time is always right to do what is right”. Have a blessed day!

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Peace on Earth, One Customer at a Time

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3… 2… 1… Happy New Year!!! That’s right, folks. 2021 is almost here, and no doubt most of us feel that we are sure ready for something new – and that is not going to be too hard since so much this year has been “new”!  YES?

Check out these last minute DIY ideas for a stay at home type of celebration! 

2020 seems as though it has brought about one messy situation after another. But is it the calendar year’s fault!?  Is it a curse or can it be a blessing?  How we respond and deal with it can make a huge difference.

(Does anyone even remember those Australian fires from January? How about those murder hornets?)

Just because the Earth has made another rotation around the Sun does not mean that everything will just “go back to normal”. Humans have always been faced with challenges and problems (aka opportunities), ever since the very first people walked the Earth.

That is why it is so important to stay connected to friends and family.

This year, more than ever, we might be most served by and for each other in order to keep ourselves positive (and sane). Your friends and family may be a phone call away, a long car ride away, or even a socially-distant-and-masked airplane ride away. No matter the distance, we believe in the significance of strong, caring relationships. The slower times around the holidays are the perfect time to reach out to our loved ones and let them know how much we care.

But maybe this message doesn’t necessarily apply to you. Maybe your loved ones live too far away, and you are unable to be with them. Perhaps the pandemic of 2020 has taken its toll on those who are dear to you. Maybe you even lost a loved one.  May Peace be with you. 

It is possible too that you have just grown apart. Change and pain can be quite problematic aspects of human life (even though very normal), and we would like you to know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and all those who are facing challenges this holiday season.

At Team Perka, we care deeply about our teammates, our friends, our neighbors, and our families. Do you know who else we deeply care about? You!!! You, our fellow man/woman, our potential new personal friend-to-be, are one of the driving causes of what we do.

You are the highest priority of our business.  You are at the TOP of our Team’s organizational chart! 

If there is ever anything we can do from and with the growing resources of experience, “tools” and solution seeking creativity related to almost any sort of “building” question – that we can share, to give you a better experience in any way shape or form, feel free to contact us. Do you need help with a building solution or consultation, even if a Perka Hybrid Building is NOT your first choice? Let us know.

Or you are just not sure where to start? We can help!

Also have you had great a great experience while working and co-creating solutions with us? We would LOVE to hear it! And even if your experience was less than the best, please let us so we can improve. One of our inner team hashtags is #CSI!! Standing for Continuous Sustainable Improvement.  So we welcome ALL the feedback we can get to be able to do that to the MAX!!

We would love to partner with you to make your building project simpler, more stress free and/or easier so you are happier and freer to do what YOU love to do best.

After all, another of our many guiding mottos is “Keep It Simple and Stress-free (K.I.S.S.)”!

In other words, and in the spirit of the holidays, we hope to make as big a contribution to “peace on earth and goodwill to all” as we possibly can — even by one client at a time.

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Harvest: Reaping What We Sow!

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By Olivia Truesdale (Martial Thevenot  Editor)

As autumn “falls” upon us, it’s typically a time where we get to harvest or consume some of our favorite fall foods! 

Today, we’ll be cooking up some pumpkin, apples, and squash to launch us into the fall festivities.

Do you care to join us for some tasty recipes and a “side” of wisdom, too?

Oh, but before we begin, do you want to hear a funny fall joke? “

Why didn’t the chef want to use the pumpkin? 
Because it had been squash-ed when the car ran over it!” 

A groaner I know…   
Maybe, let’s focus on those fall recipes.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Yes! You can eat pumpkin seeds! And they’re quite delicious and simple to make. They only require a few ingredients, and you can flavor them however you want.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Scoop out the “guts” and seeds from the inside of your pumpkin. Separate them by placing them in a strainer and rinsing. Deposit your seeds into a bowl and determine how you want to flavor them! You could use salt to enhance the flavor, cinnamon, and sugar (or pumpkin pie spice!) for a taste of fall, or any of your favorite spices.

Mix the seeds with whatever seasoning(s) you want; place them on a baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes. Pumpkin seeds are best when eaten shortly after they’ve been baked, but they’ll stay good for at least a week, when stored in an air-tight container. Enjoy!

Homemade Apple Cider
 A quintessential autumn treat this is. And now you can make it at home! All you need is a gallon of apple juice, an orange, a teaspoon of whole cloves or ¾ teaspoon ground, and a half teaspoon (or half stick) of cinnamon.

Cut the oranges into slices, being sure to leave the peel attached. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could even add a splash of orange juice to the drink. Dump all the ingredients into a slow cooker and simmer, stirring occasionally. Leave the drink in the slow cooker until it is warm enough to serve and all the ingredients are mixed well. Voila!  Serve warm for a great cozy – fuzzy feeling.


Apple Cake
Here is something you can do with all those extra apples! For this recipe, you will need the following: 4 cups of diced apples, 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of flour, 2 eggs, ½ cup butter or oil, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and an optional cup of nuts.

Mix all the ingredients, and place in a 350 degree oven, allowing to bake for 35 to 45 minutes. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. You’ll need 6 ounces of cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of butter, 1½ cups of powdered sugar, 1½ teaspoons of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Combine the frosting ingredients, and when the cake has cooled, top it with the cream cheese mixture. Can you taste it yet?  Yum!

Spaghetti Squash
Yes, I know that this is just a plain squash, with no fancy recipe. That’s because spaghetti squash is so delicious and creative on its own!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, cut the squash in half, and remove the innards from each half. (But don’t throw out the seeds! You can follow the recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds, using those from your squash instead.) Drizzle the halves in olive oil, place them skin-side up, and bake for 30-60 minutes. Check them every so often to make sure you don’t overcook it. To make sure your squash is done, poke it with a fork to see if it is tender enough. Once it reaches the desired doneness, flip the halves over and scrape out the insides of your squash. It will look just like noodles! Top with your favorite pasta sauce or serve with butter and seasonings.  Simple and healthy too.  Bon Appetit!

Well, now you know what to do with some of your bountiful harvest.  Reaping what you sowed!  But you can only eat so much at one time.

So, if you are a grower, gardener, a seller, or just plain PUMPKIN ADDICT, you need a place to store all your delicious fall fruits and vegetables.

Perka has a solution for you! Our unique wood-and-steel building frames and structures have been used numerous times as barns for both produce and livestock. They can also be set up as additional living quarters, right with your “shop”.   Whatever you need!

They make for a very safe, comfortable, stress free place to sow good seeds, good thoughts, good deeds and good harvest.

Feel free to Contact us or visit our website, or our facebook page, and ask us to help in any way we can. And do not worry, we always shoot for “Keeping It Simple and Stress-Free” (#KISS) so that you can get back to doing what you love most with the people you cherish as soon as possible. 

Maybe even head on back to the kitchen and whip up some more tasty treats with your family, while resting assured that we are taking care of the stuff we LOVE TO DO MOST! 

So, we would be more than happy to help you reap MORE of the good things that you sow!  For your building. For your family. For you.

 

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Farms, Food, and Finances

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Farms, Food, and Finances

All of us with Team Perka really LOVE OUR FARMERS! Since our founder “ET” began the TEAM PERKA journey way back in 1981, he always stayed rooted in his own humble beginning as a son of a farmer.  And so, men and women workers of the earth’s fields, always held the highest stature in his eyes! We just can’t exist without our food supply chain… and they are right at the ROOT of it all – (puns intended!)

Perka’s Hybrid Buildings can be used almost anywhere around the farm yard or even in the fields, as farmers have been one of our most valued clients over our near 40 year history.

Unfortunately, and it is sad to see, farmers are struggling right now. There are a lot of questions surrounding farmers and the food they produce. People are ever more curious to know where their food comes from… how it is grown, and then where is it going!? Fear not, O wise ones who read this blog. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the main questions about what’s happening in the food industry.

Farmer looking at his big farmLet’s begin at the farm, the actual source of our entire food supply chain. (No, it’s not the “store”!!)

Farmers are currently being forced to eradicate months’ worth of work because the demand for their services is not as the same and therefore not as timely as it once was and therefore not as “great”.

But wait… if anything, shouldn’t their demand be greater? One might think that at least the same if not even more people are still hungry and possibly even without supplies or access now than they were before quarantine/shelter protocols. Schools have been shut down, and most restaurants are only open for a drive-through or curbside pickup. People are eating at home more often.

Food that goes to restaurants and schools is packaged much differently than food that gets distributed to the public. Meat, cheese, fruits, and vegetables are transported to restaurants in much larger quantities than that same cuisine being bought at a grocery store. The problem is, sadly for the moment, is that the farmers don’t have the capacity or resources to package their own goods, and much food has been left to rot. That said there have been some bright lights standing out in the darkness of current uncertainties as we try to figure this out.

dairy cattleOne Pennsylvania farmer, Mr. Ben Brown, came up with an alternative to dumping the milk from his many cows. He was fortunate to have access to equipment that would allow him to process the milk himself. He worked long and hard to make sure he wouldn’t have to waste an ounce of his milk… even if that meant waking up at midnight to continue bottling. His farm opened up for people to come buy his milk, and he sold out in a matter of hours.

Pretty inspiring, isn’t it? Thankfully, more of those sort of pivots are happening as we speak!! In our home town here of St. Joseph, MO – people have organized a FREE farm-to-family distribution by volunteers to GIVE AWAY the food that might otherwise get wasted. They meet in our shopping center parking lot – three times a week and cars line up to take fruits, vegetables, dairy products they can use or pay forward themselves.

The next link in our “food chain” is the processing plants. What’s happening there? Unfortunately, over 14,000 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to meat processing plants across the United States. It seems that it has been difficult to maintain social distance and take other safety precautions when working in a meat processing plant. New measures have been slow to implement. If any sick person continues to work at such a place, they not only expose their co-workers, but potentially anyone who eats the food that may have been handled by the sick person. As such, companies like Tyson Foods, https://www.tysonfoods.com/ Smithfield Foods https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/, and JBS https://jbssa.com/ have closed one or more of their plants around the country. Since these processing locations have closed, farmers have had no way to slaughter and distribute the meat they produce; millions of animals have gone to waste.

So as we see this happening, we also see that there is by no means a shortage of food; there is only an insufficiency of processing and handling. Because of the causal difference in a lower supply and still the same demand, meat prices have skyrocketed, and we may not see as much of certain foods (the healthier kind) on the shelves at the grocery store in the coming months.

Rustic Silverware

And this brings us to the final link in the food supply chain: you. The consumer. The “eater”!! What can we do to help your local farmers?

Wherever you can, buying locally grown food, like from the people who supported Ben Brown – can make a huge difference – right up front.
Also, we can mindfully choose to follow recommended quarantine protocols, so that we can aid in mitigating and hopefully ending the spread of COVID-19; if there could come a day, sooner than later, where we can confidently say that we have contained the spread (till safe medicine is available) this will most definitely help our farms and food industry bounce back sooner.
And if you decide to plant some of your own fruits and vegetables while you’re more at home these days with more telework and certainly less travelling, we would love to help you with any possible building add on needs! Perka’s hybrid buildings work well for greenhouses, crop storage, or any form of agricultural, farmer, rancher needs.
If you are interested in more information about the food shortages in America, check out these related articles: Tyson, pigs, vegetables, plants closing.
And, as always, for more information about Perka Buildings, contact us. We’d love to help you as and if you embark on your new or next food, farming and financially friendly adventure!  

Welcome to our Blog… again.

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It would be so easy to get really frustrated right about now…

Some of this really started about 7 years ago now. Our founder, long time leader and most friendly mentor to so many people, passed away suddenly, and very astonishingly, leaving a fairly HUGE void in many lives. I for one, his son, his business partner of 30 years, an avid student of his wisdoms, guidance and leadership and most importantly a LIFE LONG friend, was virtually devastated.  I not only lost my “dad” who I treasured and loved, I lost three other important “personalities” as well!!!

If you’ve ever experienced a loss of a very close and dear loved one (similar to this), you no doubt know that one never really gets “over” it. Sure time heals some of the pain… it can, however, be a frequent struggle keeping the mind from falling into the pain traps… – but, what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger, right? … and it is… still.

I, and we as a Team, did whatever we could, with whatever resources we could manage, to cope, adapt and persevere. The challenges since then have been quite heavy at times indeed, after all, we lost our “strongest” carrier. So we had to reach out, step up and dig deep! As a collective of family, friends, caring neighbors and even the occasional kind angelic stranger, we were better able to handle the loads and are still here today.  Thriving. Again.

Much like our buildings, (which is as much a PHILOSOPHY as it is STRUCTURE) … we put into practice the virtues and positive product ideals of synergy, optimism, honesty, appreciation, faith, integrity, efficiency, accuracy, quality, durability and flexibility! And never will we compromise on these. While we may be able to give you all the various options in quality and price, to make a well informed choice – we will always first put forward our absolute best, and do so with all the conviction and faith that my dad had when he came up with it and all that his loyal team can put behind it!

Now, why am I saying we could really be feeling frustration right now? Well if you’ve been following our blog on our main website (http://perkabuildings.com/blog) over the past few years you will have noticed that about 6 month ago – it disappeared again —  for a 2nd time!!  While the first time was apparently we were “hacked”, compromising certain security levels and we had to “amputate” the blog to save the site!   This time it was a site rebuild which somehow LOST the blogs….  again.  With that – we lost some 50+ blog entries dealing with all kinds of “building”, motivational, anecdotal and even the odd socio-political issue.

So here we are now – having to start over and re-write many of these that were not saved, including our previous WELCOME memo!  (I kidded often when I was younger, – learning various trades under my dad’s sometimes ”sink or swim” tutelage: “If we didn’t do it twice – we didn’t do it right – but by God – we ALWAYS did it right!!” – Thanks again Dad!)

So for now, as we begin the task of reposting the blogs, I just want to extend to you a warm welcome (or welcome BACK), and to also express our Team’s sincere and most humble APPRECIATION for your interest in not only our product and our company, which we truly believe will really SERVE you well, for a multitude of reasons, but also about being and doing the RIGHT thing… After all – that is the only rule any successful person, business or organization ever lives by…THE GOLDEN RULE!

Cheers,

Martial