“Because you don’t want to press your luck”! Just wanted to share a Saint Patrick’s Day humor to start off your weekend. We wish everyone a wonderful weekend of good luck, good fun and much green fortune$$$ your way. Regardless of your heritage, we can all take a little time out o relax and enjoy the festive Irish holiday. May Happiness, Love, Peace and Prosperity follow your every footstep. As we leave you with more humor below, HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY, from your Neo Design Concepts Team!

Saint Patrick’s Day Jokes

What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a four-leaf clover? A rash of good luck.

Why can’t you borrow money from a leprechaun? Because they’re always a little short.

What’s Irish and stays out all night? Paddy O’furniture!

How is a best friend like a 4-leaf clover? Because they are hard to find and lucky to have.

What do ghosts drink on St Patricks Day? BOOs

Why wasn’t Jesus born in Ireland? He couldn’t find 3 wise men or a virgin.

How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time? He’s Dublin over with laughter!

Knock Knock Who’s there? Irish! Irish Who? Irish you a happy St. Patrick’s Day!

source: http://jokes4us.com/holidayjokes/stpatricksdayjokes/stpatricksdayonelinersjokes.html

According to a 2016’s labor statistic from www.stats.bls.gov , the construction industry employs 10. 3 million people in the US. Of those statistics, only 9% are women. With such workforce disparity for women in construction, there is  obviously much room for growth.

In an effort to narrow the gap and provide support for women in construction, and in celebration of International Women’s Day, the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) partnered with sponsoring companies such as Balfour Beatty, Metro, Turner and many other large corporations to host a Groundbreaking Women Luncheon at the LAX Marriott on Thursday, March 8, 2018. This gave Neo Design Concepts the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and business leaders from all background.

Key Takeaways From Women Leaders In Construction

We were all inspired by a panel of successful women leaders in the construction industry as they shared their advice and experience in climbing the corporate ladder. The women speaking included:

NAWIC President: Prescilla Chavez, Manager of Diversity & Inclusion, PCL Construction | Co-Chair | NAWIC LA

Moderator: Sophia Cavalli, Senior Inclusion & Diversity Director, Balfour Beatty | Co-Chair | NAWIC LA

Panel Speakers: Cathy Orquiola – District Manager, PCL Construction Services, Samantha Bricker – Deputy Executive Director, Los Angeles World Airports, Veronica Soto-Program Director – Emerald Cities, Miriam Long – Director of Small Business and Construction Career Outreach – LA Metro, Terri Mestas – Vice President & Director – AECOM, Jennie Santoro | AIA | NCARB – Senior Project Manager – HNTB Corporation

Thank you to these ladies and others in paving the way for current and future women who aspire to pursue a career in construction. Here are some key advice for building successful careers in the construction industry from our panelists:

• Know the technical aspect of your work to gain credibility in the industry
• Be courageous to address and solve problems that make a difference for the community, which are not popular
• Stand up for yourself to be recognized for your competence
• Speak up in meetings to have your presence and knowledge be known
• Negotiate and ask for equal compensation as male counterparts performing the same role
• Calmly and steadily lead teams while mentoring and providing support to those that work for you
• Show people that you have their backs in order to build trust and integrity
• Grab opportunities before you, as you never know where it will lead

There were more jewels from the meeting, but these stood out. To all women entrepreneurs, business leaders and individuals in the work force, let us stand together to break the glass ceiling within organizations and raise each other up to succeed, for United We Stand!

Hot off the press! Neo Design Concepts is ecstatic to announce that we have just been awarded the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Certification. We have been diligently working on our business certifications since 2017, for which we are now certified as an Emerging Small Business Enterprise (ESBE), Women/Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE), and as of last Friday, Minority Business Enterprise. It was a journey to obtain these certifications, but it is well worth the effort.

Benefits of the MBE and W/MBE are vast, as it opens opportunities for businesses to connect and bid for projects with large majority-owned corporations nationwide. These corporations have set asides to support minority owned businesses by procuring products and / or services from them. As small businesses contribute to their communities by hiring and buying within their local towns and cities, these activities promote the growth of communities as a whole. It is a blessing to have programs such as these to help companies and communities grow. We encourage other businesses to work towards getting these certifications to expedite their business growth.

Thank you to the Southern California Minority Supplier Diversity Council and the Supplier Clearinghouse for encouraging us to get certified.  Your team are all so professional, helpful and resourceful in getting us through the certification process. The programs that you provide are instrumental in getting businesses connected and building relationships with each other. We look forward to all your events and in working with your organization.

Apple’s CEO 2017 Commencement Address At MIT

In an era where we have a computer + phone + camera + video camera + navigation system + so much more, all packed in one small handheld device, to robots aiding physicians in surgery,  to data mining so targeted that it aided in altering an election, it is imminent that future innovators be mindful of the human factor in technologies they develop. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, delivered a conscientiously powerful commencement speech to MIT’s 2017 graduating class, reminding them to use their intellect and ingenuity to create innovative products or services that will serve all mankind and the environment, not just the few elite.  So use it purposefully to do good.

It was a much needed reminder to us all that technology has no moral or ethical codes. It is us humans that add conscience to machines we create. To the Class of 2017, pursue your dreams, but never forget the human factor of moral and ethical conduct in anything you do.  Let that be your guide in your vision to give your life purpose and help those less fortunate than yourselves. Congratulations on completing this step of your education. Go forth and make your mark by applying what you have learned to life and make the world a better place.

Senate Repealed Internet Privacy Rules

On Thursday, March 23, 2017, the Senate approved a joint resolution by Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) to repeal the Obama administration’s Internet Privacy Rules by 50 to 48 votes. These rules were approved on October 27, 2016 by the Democratic majority in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect consumer privacy while surfing on the internet.

The 2017 FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, and the Republicans stated that the current rule placed internet service providers (ISP) or broadband companies at a disadvantage against large data-collecting companies like Google and Facebook. They argued that the previous administration’s FCC ruling created inequality between what internet providers can do and what Web companies are allowed to do. They feel these regulations are too restrictive. Overturning the bill would allow ISP (Comcast, AT&T and Verizon) to profit from data mining activities that search engine companies like Google and Facebook do.

When Does The Repealed Internet Privacy Rule Become Law?

Currently the Senate repealed internet privacy rule is not law yet. It is pending the House vote in which the date has not been determined. If the House approves it, then it is sent to the president to sign it into law.

How Does Internet Privacy Affect Us?

Currently internet providers are prohibited from abusing customer data collected as they peruse the Web on their computers and mobile devices. The repeal would open the door for broadband companies to profit from customers’ usage information to become online advertisers and also sell that data to third party advertisers. Then telecom companies can engage in the consumer data-collection business like search engine companies.

FCC regulations are now limiting the type of data ISP can share and under what conditions. It allows consumers to forbid ISP from sharing “sensitive” information such as mobile data location and app usage history. It also requires internet providers to better protect consumer data from hackers.

Repealing internet privacy laws would remove safeguards established to protect consumers on the Web, thus making customers more vulnerable to hacking, plus having their behavioral data and possible confidential information being sold. Consumers’ entire digital footprint are at risk of being sold and being released into the public domain. When entering confidential financial information, medical history, or personal identity online, customers are more at risk of that information being hacked, because ISP are not bound to making the internet a secure place as is now.

Senator Flake and Republicans maintain that safeguards still remain when these rules are overturned, because there remains recourse in which attorney generals can hold internet providers responsible for future privacy issues. But is it not better to prevent this from happening in the first place so that consumer confidential information does not end up in the public domain or for corporations to profit from? Once that information is online, it resides online. Additionally, if broadband companies are not doing their due diligence to protect customers from cyber security breaches as a service provider, then where is the consumer protection on the internet?

As consumers, do you feel comfortable that your online footprint may no longer be protected and can become public? Tell us your thoughts on the matter. Are you confident that you will have success prosecuting these tech giants, should your personal and confidential data be released? Let your Representative know your thoughts prior to their House vote on the topic.

At the end of January 2017, Sucuri Web Application Firewall (WAF) identified a severe security breach in WordPress template versions 4.7.0 and 4.7.1. For more information, please refer to this link WordPress 4.7.0 – 4.7.1 Content Injection . This content injection vulnerability risk used a REST API to give access to unauthorized users. As such, these users can alter content on any page or post, creating severe security risks to WordPress websites.

Sucuri immediately warned the WordPress Security Team, and the team quickly worked with Sucuri and other security providers to patch the breach before it became public. The security patch was released in the new WordPress 4.7.2 version.

How To Protect Against WordPress 4.7.0 – 4.7.1 Content Injection

To protect against this breach, make sure that your WordPress template has been updated to version 4.7.2. Sometimes template updates can affect the appearance and / or functionality of your site, depending on what the security patch fixed. It may not look or operate as it once did. Having a child theme activated for your site can prevent or minimize these affect.

All websites should have a child theme to minimize damaging affects experienced from WordPress template and plugin updates. If assistance to add a child theme is necessary for your site, feel free to contact Neo Design Concepts at info@neodesignconcepts.com and we can quickly incorporate it.

Why WordPress Website Antivirus & Firewall

As 74% of WordPress websites were breached in just Q2 of 2016, it is highly recommended that WordPress websites have antivirus and firewall installed. Just as we have these security systems for our network, it is important to have it on websites as well. This will help to monitor, scan, notify, and remove malware daily to minimize the destructive effects of security breaches.

For information on how to secure your WordPress websites, call Neo Design Concepts at (949) 682-8518. Protect your websites from malicious attacks to make it safe for your clients’ and your business.

It is hard to believe that 2016 is already quickly coming to an end. During this time of year, we take recess to reflect on what challenges we have encountered, how successfully we handled it, what gave us our wins and losses, what we learned from it, and what we will or will not carry forward. It is an exercise to expand in thinking, strategy and business development while realizing lessons learned, and those who supported us. It helps us evolve mentally and emotionally as individuals, and appreciate things and people we have in our lives.

In 2016, we experienced our fair share of challenges, and successes that have enhanced our ability to deliver quality service and results for clients. We would not have accomplished this without the support of loyal, happy clients who refer new business to us, the wise counsel of good friends / mentors, and a talented team dedicated to deliver impressive services as promised. Thank you to our wealth of supporters who are the wind behind our sails to keep pushing our ship forward in the right direction. Without you, there would be no Neo Design Concepts.

As we plan to embark on a new year. we wish you much success in implementing strategies for a thriving 2017. May you turn challenges into wins with swiftness and ease. And may you have appropriate support systems to propel you to achieve your goals in business and in life. Have a blessed, fortunate, prosperous 2017 and many more to come. Happy New Year!

As we enjoy our holiday season with friends, families, and love ones, your Neo Design Concepts team sends wishes of Much JOY, LOVE, PEACE and PROSPERITY to all. Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Let’s Be Thankful For All Our Blessings

As we gather with friends and families this Thanksgiving after a much divided election and country, we hope everyone will be able to put aside their political differences for the holiday to recognize what kept us all friends and families prior to this turbulent time in the first place. Because although we may look different, we still want the same things for our families and friends. That is to live in peace and harmony as we strive for happiness and prosperity for ourselves and our families.

So let us unite with our love ones, and enjoy a peaceful, joyful, relaxing Thanksgiving holiday, and be thankful that we are healthy, and surrounded by those who love and support us. Happy Thanksgiving from your Neo Design Concepts Team!!