N EWS LETTER, EDITION 1, 2016

Be sure to check the Calendar of

Events at www.jacksonhole.com

and www.starvalleychamber.com

for upcoming community events

in your area.

Blue Sky would like to take a moment to thank the communities of Jackson, Moose, Wilson, Teton Village, Pinedale,

Cora, Daniel, Bondurant, Moran, Alpine, Etna, Thayne, Bedford, Afton, Auburn, Fairview, Turnerville, and Smoot,

WY, as well as, Driggs and Victor, ID. We appreciate your support of local businesses and the opportunity we have to

assist you with, not only your disaster related needs, but also, your remodeling needs. It is truly our pleasure to work for

you, become more involved in these communities, and meet you face to face as we discuss what is best for you and your

home. We feel privileged to live and work in this part of the world and to share this area with each of you.

The winter cold is back and Blue Sky wants to

remind everyone not to underestimate the

damage winter can do to our homes.

* Make sure chimneys

are clean. We have

already seen a few

chimney fires this

winter.

* Keep curtains, clothing, furniture, etc. away

from electric heaters. This is a real fire

hazard that can create extensive damage.

* Know the signs of

smoke damage in your

home and of any

malfunctioning heater

or exhaust.

Have a safe winter free from any worries and

mishaps, but if you become

concerned about damage in

your home be sure to call

Blue Sky at 307-734-7678.

PLAN AHEAD!

Are you already thinking “SPRING!”?

Sure we all feel like Wyoming winters are the

best. The snow and the cold, the outdoor

activity, the hum of snowmobiles, and

drinking hot cocoa!

Winter is also the season for so many of us

to plan everything we would like to do to our

homes once the snow clears.

The problem with winter planning?

Spring hits and there are so many warm

weather activities it is hard to get to the list.

If you share in this dilemma remember Blue

Sky when the weather gets warmer. We are

not just for mold, water damage, and fire clean

ups. Call us about your projects like building

a new set of steps, a small porch, a storage

shed, installing new tile at your worn out

entry way, replacing carpets muddied by

years of spring times, and the list goes on.

Blue Sky can handle these projects and

so much more. Call now for a free estimate

and start planning your spring/summer project.

It would be impossible for us to list all of our

services, but be assured if we can’t help you

we can refer someone who can.

One of the most exciting growth steps for a

small business is the hiring of key personnel.

As part of the local communities, we want to introduce to you some of the key people that make Blue Sky successful. These are

the men and women you will meet, work with, vent to, and turn to for important information when you choose Blue Sky.

We would like to first introduce Brian Beck. Brian is the newest member of our management team and joined us in June 2015.

Brian is a Wisconsin native who traveled extensively after earning his degree in Economics. Brian’s travels and his work in Real

Estate Finance eventually brought him to Jackson, WY in 2001. Brian fell in love with Jackson. He is an avid fisherman who

loves the Snake River. Brian also loves skiing, hiking the Tetons, and fly fishing.

Brian’s background was in real estate. He started out on the finance side of things putting his Economics degree to good use.

As he grew professionally he took on new roles and bigger roles, all of which groomed him in one way or another for life at Blue

Sky. He spent years in management, learning the art of oversight. Brian eventually moved into a more hands on aspect of Real

Estate by jumping into property management. Prior to his employment at Blue Sky, Brian

had spent 7 years managing 16 Home Owner Associations. In this career, Brian learned the

ins and outs of Rocky Mountain construction. He also developed relationships with

contractors and other construction professionals in the Jackson area.

At Blue Sky, Brian is our Construction/Repairs Manager. He personally inspects each

potential job site and investigates all damage. Brian is then able to use his network of skilled

tradesmen to restore homes and businesses to pre-loss condition OR to renovate, expand, or

otherwise improve a structure. Blue Sky is fortunate to have Brian as an addition to our team.

Brian says he sees “the potential for growth” in the company and is happy to enjoy the laid

back, community focused culture of Blue Sky Services and Restoration. Welcome Brian!

MEET THE EMPLOYEES OF BLUESKY RESTORATION

Blue sky wishes

you and your

family a happy

new year!

We hope you all had a

fantastic holiday season

filled with

family & fun,

love & laughter.

Mark and sarah uptain

The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration

Certification (IICRC) is the institution that sets the

standard for cleaning and restoration work. Any

company you use for disaster related work should be

certified by the IICRC. The IICRC just announced the

election of five members to the 2016 Board of Directors.

New Board of Directors members include Jeff Bishop,

Matt Cole, Craig Kersemeier and Lonnie McDon-

ald. New to the elections this year is the inclusion of an

IICRC instructor as a Board member. Doug Heiferman

will serve in that role. This decision was made in an

effort to increase transparency and improve the instructor

program. “This is going to be a year of exciting change

for the Institute,” said IICRC Chairman Pete Duncanson.

“...the IICRC is in a good place to take the Institute to the

next level and continue its role as a leader in the

Industry.”

WHAT COULD EL NINO MEAN FOR US?

It may translate to "the child," but this year's El Niño is shaping up to be anything but

child-sized, according to meteorologists' observations. As the cyclical weather phenomenon

increases in strength, what could it mean for us?

A disruption of standard weather patterns, El Niño refers to a warming of water in the eastern

Pacific Ocean that occurs once every two to seven years. When this happens, the tropical

rainfall that usually hits places like Indonesia and Southeast Asia occurs farther east instead,

changing the direction of the jet stream as it flows over North America. "The wind patterns at

jet stream level across the Pacific Basin are strongly controlled by rainfall patterns across the

Pacific," said Gerry Bell, a meteorologist. "By shifting those rainfall patterns, it also affects

the winds and the jet stream, and that's how the weather over the U.S. is impacted."

Specifically, warm water and resultant precipitation in the eastern Pacific causes the North

American jet stream to move farther south than it usually flows. As a result, moisture that

usually enters the United States from Washington state or British Columbia instead enters

through California. "There's a southward shift in the storm tracks and in the main winter

precipitation," Bell said. "As a result, more of the southern U.S. has above-average

precipitation, while the northern U.S. has below-average (precipitation)." But while El Niño

may be a semi-regular occurrence for the United States, this year's pattern is anything but.

Through the years, El Niños tend to vary in strength; the last peak was in 1997-98. This time

around, all indications again point to a stronger-than-normal pattern that could persist well into

next spring. That's backed by a report published by NOAA last month, which states a "greater than

90 percent chance" that El Niño will persist through the 2015-16 winter, with "around an 85

percent chance" it will last into early spring 2016. "At this time, the forecaster consensus

unanimously favors a strong El Niño," the report concluded.

So what does that mean for the West? First and foremost, Bell said, it means there will

probably be more snowfall, from the Sierra Madre Range in Wyoming to the Sierra Madre

Mountains in California. "The whole intermountain region tends to have a lot more snowfall

because you have more precipitation," he said. "It depends exactly where that jet stream is

lining up, but central Wyoming, southern Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, western Nebraska - that

whole area tends to have above-average snowfall with El Niño." Richard Emanuel, a

meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, agreed with that assessment,

adding that El Niño patterns also tend to make southeast Wyoming winters a little warmer,

albeit not enough to turn the snow to rain. "Just because it's warmer doesn't mean it's going to

be warm," he said. But Emanuel noted that El Niño isn't a standalone phenomenon, and there

are many factors that could change how it impacts” this region Emanuel said. "In the absence of

other factors, El Niño years tend to produce somewhat warmer-than-average conditions here,

though there are exceptions." For example, he said, there's something called the North Atlantic

Oscillation that can bring colder air down out of Canada, which may enhance any warming effects El

Niño has on Wyoming.

Blue Sky Services &

Restoration

1405 Gregory Lane

Suite 4

Jackson WY 83001

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

We have all made them. We have all promised

ourselves we would make some big improvement

beginning January 1 of the new year. Blue Sky would

like to suggest a new years resolution that may really

benefit you and your family and is easily reached.

REVIEW YOUR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE POLICY.

It is possible that your policy has gaps in coverage or

limitations in coverage that could be costly.

Insurance is the ultimate “out of sight, out of mind”

situation. We only think about it when we need it.

Unfortunately, when you need insurance, it’s too late

to make changes that improve your situation. Once

you report a loss and the claim is filed, any change

you make to your policy only impacts future claims.

Many people find out when they file a claim that they

did not have the scope of coverage they believed they

had. This is also a bad time to realize that you do not

fully understand how a claim works.

What is your deductible? Who collects it? What is

your responsibility? What work can you have done

prior to meeting with an adjuster? Once you have a

claim you will have these questions and others. In

fact, you will have so many questions that come to

mind so fast, you may forget them before you ask

them. So, ask them now. Call your agent or

insurance company if you do not work with an agent.

Have your policy reviewed to make sure it covers any

upgrades to your home, any additions, new decks, the

hot tub you had installed over the winter, the

expensive gifts that were Christmas presents, and the

list goes on and on. Find out what your insurance

company requires of you and expects of you in the

event of a loss. Ask what their process is when you

have damage. What is their turn around time? Ask

them if they have an approved vendor list. Research

those vendors now so you can make an educated

decision as to whether or not you want to use their

vendors (YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE). Save yourself

a lot of time and trouble later by resolving to get the

facts you need—NOW.

Check out our website at www.blueskyrestoration.com for an article about vendor programs and an article about

Disaster Recovery Plans. Please contact us with any questions or for more information.