Page 14 April 2014 Arcadia coach named Youth Sports Coach 2014 By Nick Smith Troy Gerlach’s move to Arcadia High School can officially be declared a success. After moving from Ohio, Gerlach spent years teaching at an elementary school in order to part time coach high school baseball. He was officially hired to be the head coach of Arcadia before the start of the 2012-2013 season. The team surprised everyone by winning 18 games and making it to the second round of the season. Now the finishing touches on the season are complete, as Gerlach has been awarded the Youth Sports Award 2014 Coach of the Year. “It’s a true honor to be recognized in only my second season,” Gerlach said. “It just goes to show what kind of school Arcadia is.” Besides being a beloved coach by both his players and their families alike, Gerlach is an active volunteer within the community. He has spent time with his players working with local little league clinics, the Boys Charity League, as well as other organizations. “You’re only as good as your players,” Gerlach said. “The players are just as much a part of this award as I am.” Gerlach has spoken in the past about how much he loves the Arcadia school and its community. “The administration and families have been awesome, the neighborhood is great. The school and boosters have done an outstanding job at upgrading the field,” he said. “The principal (John Biera) wants excellence in the classroom and success on the field. What more could you want?” It is a certainty that the students and community Gerlach loves so much are thrilled to see him receive the recognition he deserves. Look Cool as a Cucumber Imagine Looking your Natural Best Barbara Sellick bare essentials permanent makeup tm Permanent Cosmetics are the Answer Hypo Allergenic Pigments • Completely Comfortable 480 580-9795 bareessentialspermanentmakeup.com Certified SofTap tm Permanent Make-up Artist for 13 Years (SofTap is the method used at Mayo Clinic & Cleveland Medical Clinics) FREE Mention this ad for a consultation and custom colors blended just for you Hypo Allergenic Pigments • Completely Comfortable Make-up Artist for 13 Years Troy Gerlach has been head coach of Arcadia baseball for two years. NMLS# 179446 / BK0902429 / NOVA NMLS 3087 Real Estate is often complex and any transaction can have a number obstacles to overcome. It is vital to have a lender who can rise to the occasion and deliver at the finish line. I feel confident referring my clients to Tom and the Ross Team at Nova ® Home Loans. ~ Cheri Reeves, REaLToR ® / North & Co. Green Street Realty, LLC Serving Arizona for over 32 years! Senior Loan Officer 602.791.5861 www.asktomross.com TOm ROSS Why Top Agents In Our Market Trust Us: Photo Credit: Craig Richardson

Page 15 April 2014 The Purkiss’ turned their nightmare into a way of helping others. Behind the Business Sometimes life gives you lemons. And sometimes it gives you tumors the size of lemons. Somehow, Ed and Mary Purkiss got both – and managed lemonade all the same. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mary Purkiss was a busy mom who co-owned a successful group of call centers with her hubby, Ed. Their center allowed them to travel the world and help oversee the careers of more than 500 employees. “It all seemed so perfect back then,” said Mary, who was also raising three children under age 10 at the time. “Until ‘that night.’” The night Mary Purkiss is referring to was the couple’s annual company holiday party. While eagerly getting ready for their big night, Ed Purkiss noticed a lump in Mary’s breast. “It had never been there before – almost as if it appeared overnight,” said Ed Purkiss, who urged Mary to feel it and make a doctor’s appointment at once. Somehow, both scared, they made it through the holiday party. When Mary visited her doctor, she ended up having to have a needle biopsy. Still healing from it, the doctor called days later and gave Ed news that would rock their world forever. “He told me to tell my wife she has breast cancer and needs a mastectomy immediately,” said Ed Purkiss. Terrified, the couple didn’t know where to turn. Mary didn’t know enough about cancer to decide if it was the best option for her or the next steps. So, less than three weeks later, she was on the operating table having a mastectomy. “The healing process, and resulting reconstruction, took two years,” says Mary Purkiss. “During that time, we decided to sell our business to focus on our wellness and the wellness of our children.” Selling the business was a blessing in disguise as it turned out Mary needed six surgeries during the reconstruction process, and her father was diagnosed with lung cancer. “Our family, as so many great ones do, persevered and got stronger by the day,” says Ed, who found himself mystified at how busy Mary’s specialists and doctors were dealing with the business of cancer – and its technologies – and how it took precious time from his wife’s care. Did it really have to be like this, he thought? “At that time, with the current state of medical records online and in hard copy – and all of the security issues surrounding both – it initially seemed so, and that is when we were motivated to action,” says Ed Purkiss. For several years, both the Purkisses and their children got to know all too well the perils the medical industry faced with impending mandatory regulations, including the movement toward electronic records – and how it directly impacted patient care at the scariest times in their lives. “Armed with experience in running a highly efficient business, and comfortable with rapidly changing technology, as ARCADIA HOME SELLERS! DON’T FALL FOR THE ILLUSION! “We only show and sell our own listings!” “We’re #1 in the universe!” “We have all the buyers!” Find out the TRUTH before you list! Shawn Bellamak, Designated Broker, Bellamak Realty Mary healed, we actually got friendly with some doctors and eventually ended up as a paid consultants to radiation oncology practices,” says Ed Purkiss. As they quickly found, many medical practices were being taken advantage of by technology companies and others charging 20 times as much as they should for simple storage, upkeep and usability of medical information and records electronically. “Doctors got into business to save lives, not to deal with this,” said Mary Purkiss. So, as they consulted in business matters with several local doctors, they studied the issues each had over and over with “the cloud,” online storage, and more. By 2008, the Purkisses had a good grip on the process and were increasingly handling their doctor clients’ technology needs as well. The time seemed right to launch their own venture: Iron Medical Systems. In that first year, the Purkisses had three clinics as clients. “By this April – we project more than 70, and we are even expanding our center into New Jersey to help doctors on the other side of this country operate more efficiently too,” says Ed Purkiss. Mary Purkiss lives in the Arcadia area and is the past-president of the Arizona Institute of Breast Health.