Today I met with Rick from Family Martial Arts Center, a local Martial Arts School in Brookfield, CT 06804.  Their studio offers kids classes for a variety of disciplines including Taekwondo, Karate and much more.  I'm not an expert in throwing punches or kicking, but after sitting down with Rick for an hour I learned that FMAC is much more than that.

Family Martial Arts Center or FMAC has been a part of the local Brookfield Community for years.  They regular have Karate Classes for Kids, Teens and Adults.  

Karate Classes, Martial Arts Classes, Taekwondo Classes, the list goes on and on.  I learned during our conversation that many times the words karate, martial arts and taekwondo mean the same thing to many parents, but those different arts are much different in the world of martial arts.

I thought that Karate and Martial Arts was simply the same thing, but that Taekwondo was something completely different, similar to Muay Thai.  Rick, the owner of FMAC corrected The Danbury Review many times during our conversations about this martial arts dojo (as I called it) that there's a big difference between the different kinds of techniques. 

I asked him repeatedly what term is used the most frequently for this martial arts school, because like the terms taekwondo or karate, the words school, dojo and studio often mean the same thing.  He explained that many people are looking for "Martial Arts Schools in Brookfield" but often the same people search for "Taekwondo Academies in Brookfield" or "Karate Dojos in Brookfield".  

Our conversation was long and confusing, but what I learned is that Rick really knows his stuff.  He's been working with kids at FMAC for a number of years and has a great group that he works with on a regular basis.

Often times kids will enroll in their very first martial arts class and work with FMAC until their teen years.  He says it's a wonderful thing seeing kids he's worked with as toddlers grow up with the help of martial arts discipline. 

Family Martial Arts Center is conveniently located on 14 Del Mar Dr in Brookfield, CT.  It's in the same plaza as John's Pizza, Computer Trouble Shooters and Massage Mend Me.  Del Mar Drive is off of Federal Road in Brookfield.  

Rick explains that many of the kids from New Milford, Bethel and sometimes Danbury attend his classes as well.  It seems that parents will drive a little ways for a good instructor like Rick.

You can learn more about FMAC's Class offerings, Class Schedule or Try a FREE Martial Arts Class by visiting his website at www.family-mac.com or calling 203-441-0808.

Today I met with Corby from Pro Landscaping of Brookfield.  Their Lawn Care Company offers many services including mowing, trimming, pruning, mulching, bed maintenance and much more.  He was right on time to the interview unlike most of the other landscapers I've had the pleasure of sitting down with in the past.  

​He helps many residents in Brookfield, Southbury, Newtown and other Fairfield County towns with their property maintenance.  

I started Pro Landscaping of Brookfield two years ago and we're rapidly growing due to the hard work our team has been putting in.  One of the best choices I've ever made was handpicking my staff.  I'm lucky to have such a great team to work with on a daily basis.  Landscaping Companies make or break depending on how good their staff members are.  Many of them reside locally in nearby towns such as Danbury, Newtown and Oxford.

Opening up any business is difficult.  There's always hoops to jump through and often unexpected obstacles.  We've been more fortunate than most Lawn Care Companies in Connecticut because of my personal business experience.  Having business experience in the past definitely gave Pro Landscaping of Brookfield a distinct advantage over the competition.  

Corby was a great guy to get to know.  He and I traded laughs as he explained the humble beginnings of Pro Landscaping of Brookfield.  Not all Landscapers are full service.  He explained that Full Service meant that he not only offers mowing and trimming like the other landscapers in Brookfield, but he always offers mulching, pruning, weeding, mosquito control, property maintenance, tick spraying and much more.  See all the service offered at www.prolandscapingbrookfield.com!  If you're a resident of the Town of Brookfield you should definitely give Pro Landscaping of Brookfield a call.  They've got the one stop solution for all your lawn care needs. 

Pro Landscaping of Brookfield
24 Farview Rd
Brookfield, CT 06804
​(203) 769-9835

I met with Adam, the owner of Connecticut Fence and Landscaping LLC which is out of Brookfield, CT.  CT Fence & Landscaping provides Fencing, Landscaping and Masonry for much of Connecticut.  After coming out of the Marine Core Adam knew that he wanted to start his own business.  At first he only handled landscaping, but one day one of his clients asked him to a build a fence.

The local homeowner who tasked Adam with building him a fence fell in love with the results.  Adam started building fences for homeowners throughout Brookfield, and that's how Connecticut Fence and Landscaping started. 

Connecticut Fence and Landscaping is setup to handle every job in house without having to depend on outside contractors.  He has a 2 Masonry crews that stay busy year round working on pools, patios, outdoor kitchens and that kind of stuff.  Adam also has landscaping crews that handle bigger planting jobs, landscaping and a bit of maintenance.  

Connecticut Fence is doing much more than just regular fencing.  They are breaking into Glass Fencing, Gate Automation, and do all the welding on site.  

During the winter like any Landscaping business they handle snow plowing, and snow removal.  

The toughest thing I went through when opening Connecticut Fence and Landscaping was definitely the time away from my family.  We're still in growth mode here at Connecticut Fence, and I'm working nights, Saturdays and Sundays.

We may have 18-20 full-time employees here at CT Fencing, but we're just getting started.  Recently, we've gotten into gate automation and glass fencing.

Competition is growing.  When I first started with fencing there was just three of us.  Now there are tons of landscapers that also do fencing.  The added competition brings the overall costs of the work we do down while the price of trucks, gas and rent is always going up.  

Not matter our costs I always make sure to do the job 100%.  The outstanding work we provide sets us apart from the rest of the competition in CT.  I've got a lot of friends in the industry; they give me work because they know I do good work not because they are friends of mine.  

The best thing about Connecticut Fencing and Landscaping is that our loyalty is unparalleled.  If a customer from 5 years ago calls me to complain about a fence post that is leaning then I'll make it my priority to get over there.

I won't sleep well unless I know that my customers are taken care of.  Growing up my father was in the car detailing business, and his business grew through his high quality work alone.  Here at CT Fencing we believe in the same values: high quality work, fair pricing, and lifetime customer service.

Meeting Adam of Connecticut Fence & Landscaping was a refreshing experience.  He built a great fencing business from scratch, but hasn't let the growth of his business change what he does on a daily basis.  Adam is on site to make sure the jobs are done by CT Fencing's high standards.  He's working weekends, nights, and continually reinvesting into the business.  

Connecticut Fence and Landscaping, LLC
27 Station Rd
Brookfield, CT 06804

(203) 885-0251
​www.ctfenceandlandscape.com

I met with David Ruhs, owner of Brookfield CT’s uBreakiFix location.  uBreakiFix is a repair everything franchise dedicated to changing the perspective that people have on throwing away their expensive electronics, buying new ones, and then repeating this vicious cycle that is continuing to fill up landfills throughout the country. 

In Brookfield uBreakiFix literally fixes everything under the sun.  They fix electronics in Brookfield from PS4s, XBOXs, Computers, TVs, iPhones, Androids, iPads, Tablets, and many more electronics.  Everything that has a power cord can be fixed at uBreakiFix in Brookfield, Connecticut.  The only thing they were unable to fix was a 1964 Tandberg audiotape reel because after scouring the internet for weeks they couldn’t find a replacement motor. 

uBreakiFix attracts many people from Danbury, Bethel, New Fairfield, Ridgefield, Brewster, and as far up as Rocky Hill or Griswald.  When I was invited into their back office I noticed a ton of different electronics being repaired including a 70 inch TV, a mini ATV, a control panel for a snowplow, the console for a lexus, and they even take care of drones.  

Trying to get people to understand the type of services we offer.  We don’t just fix phones on tablets and screens, but instead we fix everything with a power button. uBreakiFix of Brookfield also has the exclusive right to fix the new Google Pixel phone, and when the Google Pixel is repaired at a uBreakiFix location then the warrenty stays intact.

Asurion is the insurance agency that Verizon, Walmart, and Target use for their phone & tablet repairs.  Through Asurion we handle all their repairs in house.  When your verizon phone breaks you simply bring it to our shop in Brookfield (2 minutes from Danbury), and we’ll have it repaired for you in two hours. 

We do a free diagonstic on your broken phone so it doesn’t cost you anything for our repair techs to look at it.  All of our repairs get a 90 day no hassle warranty which includes parts & labor.  On top of all that we focus on customer service so if you’re device is not repaired then you don’t pay.

Our massive inventory of parts in stock – no one can compete.  Our parts are of the highest grade quality available.  Most repairs are done same day.  We have over 275 stores in 32 states including Canada, and your 90 day warranty covers you in all locations. In fact, we get a lot of snowbirds that come up from Florida to Connecticut, and they love that their warranty lasts in both areas.

According to one customer on their facebook page “After being turned down by the geek squad over at Best Buy in Danbury, and the apple store located in the Danbury Mall – I was shocked to see Ubreakifix be able to repair my phone in 12 minutes.”

People should know that we do more than just repair phones, ipads, xboxes, playstains, drones, and anything else that has a power cord.  uBreakiFix is very involved in the local Greater Danbury Community.  We work with Ability Beyond Disability to get their people into our workshop from 2-5pm for a whole week.  They get to learn hands-on skills with high precision tools. 
​
uBreakiFix has only been here in Brookfield for 4 months, but we love to engage with the local community.  We have many people that depend on our ability to repair the impossible from Danbury, Bethel, and into NY.