If you’ve ever had a family member or loved one serve in the military, then you can appreciate how important it is to pay tribute to their sacrifices for our country. That’s one of the many reasons we’re delighted to be working with UCP, LLC. and Benchmark Communities on the East Garrison master plan! This planned community will sit atop Fort Ord on a bluff overlooking the Salinas Valley – a landscape view of history where hundreds of thousands of soldiers prepared for battle in the Civil War era.

Keeping with its heritage, East Garrison will maintain its traditional feel by renovating many of its historical landmarks, including the old barracks and other military buildings that will be transformed into the future arts district of the community. Also, the chapel where soldiers would pray before heading off to battle is being considered for a historical designation that would mark it for preservation. A central community park and town center will also be built where residents will be able to shop at local retailers.

The 244-acre mixed-use community development concept will blend affordable rental apartments and more than 1,400 homes. Since beginning work on the project last fall, hundreds of housing pads have been laid into place and residential streets are nearing completion. Utilities, sidewalks and street lights can also be spotted in their places and the first vertical construction can be seen. Check out this photo slideshow see more of the budding community!

UCP, LLC. is also considering additional ideas to honor the nearly one million soldiers who trained at East Garrison from the Civil War through World War II.

It’s such an honor to be working with UCP, LLC. and Benchmark Communities on the historical East Garrison master plan! For more information about East Garrison, click here.

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We couldn’t escape them. It was impossible to walk by without grabbing one. And once one person pounced, the munching never ended.

OOOhhhh the goodness of chocolate and marcarons!

You know the cliché: “Life is like a bunch of chocolates, you never know what you’re gunna get,” well this quote, made famous by Forest Gump, really does sum up chocolate eating especially when those pristine candies come from France!

The whole team could be heard around the office making a sound track full of satisfying “mmmms”, contemplating “hmmmms” and the occasional an “ick” sound. Biting into these precious bits was a fun activity, where guessing what each piece is filled with inside was always a challenge.

There was no way to walk by without trying out a Chapom Chocolatier.

Lets not forget the French delicatessen that you should never pass up.

Macaron: sweet meringue-based confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar and ground almond.

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it! We were privileged to have these sweet cookies grace our presence! With flavors ranging from rosebuds to chocolate, plum to pistachio and licorice to caramel, every bite was full of surprise, followed quickly by a look of satisfaction!

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As everyone around the office knows, Camy has been working hard to accomplish her goal, so it’s no surprise that she’s super excited to get her MBA! She’s ready to put her knowledge and skills to great use here in the office, and we all can’t wait to see what’s next!

Congratulations on your great accomplishment, Camy!

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It’s crafty. It’s handmade. It’s eco-chic – and it’s inspiring! What is it? It’s a 12-foot-long coral reef. Resting at the Aquarium of the Pacific, here in Long Beach, this coral reef motivates the community to be aware of how delicate a living animal really is!

More than 90 Anthropologie stores across the country recently participated in an Earth Day campaign that had store associates, customers and their children painting, sculpting, gluing, ripping, piling and shredding recyclable material to form these beautiful and creative coral reefs. Items such as plastic, wax, paper, styrofoam, tubes and bubble wrap were used to show the problems we have with keeping our oceans clean and how everyday items considered to be trash can be turned into treasure!

The exhibit will last through next weekend upstairs on the top landing in front of the tropical pacific waters. Be sure to stop by and take a look at this stunning and inspiring creation as you tour the aquarium and learn how we can keep our ocean waters clean and beautiful!

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So who or what do you trust to form your opinion? Well Nielsen asked all the right questions and brought you the results in this handy chart!

It comes as no surprise that ‘people you know’ earned the highest percentage of trust. For instance, if you were to decide to purchase a new home, the first group you’d probably go to for recommendations is your family and friends. They’re the people you trust, so it’s only natural that their opinion matters most.

Of course, not knowing someone doesn’t mean you can’t trust them. ‘Consumer opinions posted online’ scored the second highest on the trust scale–showing that real people, not print or online, is where most people take their recommendations.

But of course, it’s not all about who you know or who’s posting a review. Editorial and branded website content scored pretty high on the chart as well, proving that traditional advertising still has its pull.

Now with Google+, Facebook and other web sources, social media is making it easier than ever to see what others are saying, so you can base your opinion on sources you trust and get the job done in a fast and accessible way.

For more details on the chart, take a look at this article!

So who do you trust when it comes to advertising? Let us know!

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After planning for weeks, the big day came and we literally transported Linda away to Paris. Take a look!

After arriving in Paris, everyone donned their mustache to fully immerse ourselves in the cultural experience.

Everyone enjoyed the vast array of homemade pastries, madeleine cookies and scrumptious cupcakes!

The lesson in painting was both a fun and creative way to celebrate one of the things Linda loves most – art!

As everyone painted, we were treated to the lovely sound of the 508 Jazz Combo. With Kaelan on bass and Aris on guitar, we all swooned to their fantastic music as we sat amidst a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.

Check out our finished masterpieces!

We want to send a special shout out to everyone who helped make the decorations, the yummy treats and to Kaelen and Aris from 508 Jazz Combo for their exceptional music!

Happy birthday, Linda! We wish you nothing less than a year of abundant health, prosperity and happiness!

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After lunch, the G|J team sang our fabulous rendition of the Happy Birthday song. Topping off the festivities, we were all treated to scrumptious strawberry shortcake with some of the largest strawberries we had ever seen!

Happy birthday Laura and Jordan! Thank you for everything you do here at G|J!

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So now that we’ve got that straightened out, you’re probably wondering what’s the best way for your brand to share in the excitement of the games. Well, Likeable Media worked it all out, and here we are to give you the results–March Madness style!

The 8 Contenders

Pinterest vs. Instagram: Pinterest wins thanks to high interaction, influence and sharing.

Tumblr vs. Twitter: Twitter helps spread your message to a broad audience…fast!

Google+ vs. LinkedIn: Big-time SEO means victory for Google+.

Facebook vs. Foursquare: An extensive network and opportunity make Facebook the one to beat.

The Final Four

Twitter vs. Pinterest: Twitter makes it easy to get your voice heard without board and topic restrictions.

Google+ vs. Facebook: Years of growth and increasing user base help Facebook come out on top.

The Finals

Twitter vs. Facebook: And the winner is…Twitter! Greater reach makes Twitter the Social Media March Madness King!

To find out more, check out this article.

Happy March Madness! May the best team win!

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After the seemingly endless lines for last year’s iPad release, it seems many of the technology-wielding fans have headed to the internet (perhaps using their iPad 2) this time around to order the latest and greatest from Apple. In-store lines may be shorter, but rest assured because there’s no shortage of “iPad 3″ buyers out there. If anything, they just can’t get enough.

So what is it they can’t get enough of? What makes the iPad 3 worth waking up at the crack of dawn? Here are three reasons the new iPad makes the iPad 2 look so last year.

1. The Retina Screen: Imagine looking at a screen so crisp and clear you can’t even see a pixel with your naked eye. Yeah, it’s probably one of those things you need to see to believe.
2. Did Anyone Say 4G? Now your internet speed can go up to 4G from either Verizon or AT&T. YouTube here we come!
3. Say Cheese: This is the camera you’ve been waiting for. It’s a 5-megapixel camera with features so high-tech even Hollywood directors would be jealous.

So what do you think? Are you getting the new iPad?

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Our guests of honor selected P.F. Chang’s for our main course today – and boy was it delicious! Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and an assortment of fresh fruits rounded out our afternoon meal. Fun table topics for this festive affair included women’s high heel shoes and the difficulty they pose when walking quickly, taking public transportation to work and the most interesting settings to host business meetings in.

Happy Birthday Maria and Kevin!

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