Member News

In today’s digital workplace, employee social media activity can affect your brand, workplace culture, and legal exposure. At Koegle Law Group, we help business owners, HR professionals, and managers develop clear, enforceable social media policies that protect their companies and align teams around shared expectations.

To support local businesses in remaining compliant, Koegle Law Group has created a Social Media Policy Assessment Tool—a downloadable questionnaire designed to help employers identify policy gaps, clarify roles and responsibilities, and highlight high-risk areas.

✅ Understand what employees can and cannot post
✅ Identify outdated or unclear policy language
✅ Learn to train managers to enforce policies consistently
✅ Reduce legal and reputational risk before issues arise

Proactive policy design starts here.
👉 Download the assessment tool

This article was originally published by Koegle Law Group, proudly serving businesses in Santa Clarita and beyond. This communication may be considered advertising material under the rules of professional conduct governing lawyers in California.

Elevate Business Solutions was honored to be named one of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Top 100 Small Businesses in America in 2025. 

We received the CO-100 recognition in the category of Culture Champions, a designation that is especially meaningful because of the time, care, and intention we put into building a culture where women can build a sustainable, important career. 

Today, we’re sharing some behind-the-scenes from our trip to Washington, D.C., to celebrate with other honorees and pulling back the curtain on how we earned this monumental honor. 

What is the CO-100 list? 

Each year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognizes the top 100 small businesses in America.

According to the U.S. Chamber website: 

“This exclusive list recognizes 100 of the best and brightest small and mid-sized businesses across America, celebrated for their remarkable contributions in driving innovation, growth, and ingenuity both locally and globally. These businesses shine through their inspiring ideas and the ways they overcome challenges, enrich community impact, foster vibrant company cultures, and engage customers.” 

Elevate was specifically honored as a Culture Champion, a category reserved for small businesses that intentionally create a culture where people thrive, and success is achieved because of a shared commitment to goals and purpose. 

We are so proud to be recognized and honored as one of the best and brightest small businesses in the U.S. in 2025. 

Celebrating our small business success

Our team sets big goals, maps out the specific action steps we need to take, and celebrates when we reach our goals. 

When we were invited to Washington, D.C., to celebrate with the other CO-100 list honorees, it was an immediate yes! 

Our CEO and founder, Ashley Carlson, attended the Small Business Forum alongside Amanda Godwin, one of Elevate’s first team members, who has been an integral part of our success every step of the way. 

We toured our nation’s Capitol, met some incredible business owners, and heard powerful stories from founders who’ve built businesses rooted in purpose, resilience, and service. 

This experience reinforced the why behind everything we do at Elevate.

Ashley started this business to: 

• Help entrepreneurs achieve their vision without burnout.

• Create a place where women could find meaningful, flexible careers.

• Build a culture that wasn’t just a buzzword, but the foundation of everything we do.

Being named to the CO-100 affirms and celebrates our commitment to our vision. 

How to achieve small business success

Here at Elevate, we support small business owners with executive assistant services, full-service bookkeeping, and strategic consulting designed to simplify operations and free up time.

We have a highly successful internal team, and we help our clients strengthen their operations and improve their own systems and processes, so we know what makes a small business successful and what keeps small businesses from scaling. 

If you want to grow your own small business, here are the three things we have done ourselves and continue to help our clients do:

1. Focus on culture.
   Success is always a team effort. When you intentionally create an environment where people feel seen, appreciated, and supported, you will get better results. Culture isn’t an afterthought. It should be the foundation of every choice you make and every action you take within your business.
    

2. Delegate like a pro.
   Too many small business leaders think delegating is just giving other people their work to do. In reality, delegation is a complex skill that directly impacts the level of your success and growth. 
    

3. Take time to reflect.
   If you’re always looking forward, you’re missing out on serious opportunities for improvement and growth. We have built reflection and feedback into our internal and client-facing systems because they are powerful drivers of success. 

Building a successful small business doesn’t happen overnight. Long-term success comes from showing up consistently and putting in the work when no one is watching. 

Years of working hard to build a positive culture, learning to delegate, and always making time to reflect on your wins and opportunities for growth can all add up to being named one of the best 100 small businesses in the U.S.! 

Want help achieving your own small business success?

Elevate is here to support you every step of the way!

Click to learn more about how we can specifically help you in one of these key areas:

• Executive Assistant services

• Bookkeeping

• Strategic Planning

• Operations Consulting

• DFY Operations Projects

SCV Water is asking customers to pause all outdoor water use from December 14-22, 2025, while scheduled maintenance at Castaic Lake temporarily limits the Agency’s imported water supply. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) will be repairing a pipeline at Castaic Lake, which requires closing SCV Water’s connection. SCV Water does not have any maintenance or repair work planned during this shutdown.

CALL FOR CONSERVATION

SCV Water is taking steps to prepare for scheduled maintenance and is asking customers to work together and do their part to save water from December 14-22, 2025. During that time, outdoor water use should be completely turned off so available supplies can be reserved for indoor needs, health and safety, and emergencies. The shut-off request extends to all outdoor water uses including, but not limited to:

• Irrigating personal landscapes or common areas in business parks or HOAs
• Washing vehicles by hand
• Filling or refilling pools
• Using water for grading in new developments
• Any other major uses of water that can be postponed until the following week

This conservation effort will help ensure reliable water service for everyone during the repair period.

OUTDOOR WATER USE PRIOR TO THE SHUTDOWN

Prior to the shutdown customers can do a few things to prepare:

1. Irrigate your landscape before December 14. SCV soils are mostly clay, which absorbs water slowly and can cause runoff if overwatered. To prevent runoff, run your irrigation in several short cycles (usually 5 minutes or less), allowing about an hour between cycles for the water to soak in before repeating the cycle one to two more times.
   
   Most landscapes can go longer without water than you might expect. At this time of year, it’s common to water only one to two days per week during hot weather, and one day or less with normal winter conditions.
   
   And before you go to bed on Saturday, December 13, take a moment to shut off your outdoor irrigation system.
    
2. Check for and repair any noticeable leaks in and around your home or business.
   1. How to do a home leak investigation: https://youtu.be/W_xCndTSDbs
   2. How to fix a toilet leak: https://youtu.be/VQ66-n3GoKQ

Everyone plays an important role in using water wisely and saving it when they can, where they can.

Outdoor water use can resume after 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Monday, December 22, 2025.

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SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AT CASTAIC LAKE
A few things customers should know about the project:

Water Supplies
During the shutdown, SCV Water will rely on local groundwater and stored imported water, with storage facilities filled to capacity in advance.

About half of the Santa Clarita Valley’s water supply is local, while the other half comes from imported sources like the State Water Project. Water in Castaic Lake will remain, but it won’t be available during maintenance.

This conservation effort addresses a temporary delivery interruption—not a shortage—and normal water service will resume once maintenance is complete.

Why Maintenance Matters

Routine maintenance is essential for keeping SCV Water’s system safe, efficient, and reliable. Skipping or delaying maintenance can reduce system performance and increase the risk of infrastructure failure, leading to costly emergency repairs and widespread service disruptions.

Municipal water systems operate 24/7, so annual maintenance helps extend infrastructure life, improve performance, and lower future repair costs.

This work is scheduled in two phases – December 2025 and February 2026 – to complete repairs smoothly without straining the system or significantly impacting customers’ water supply. A second outdoor water use pause notice will be issued prior to the February shutdown.

To learn more, visit: yourSCVwater.com/castaic-lake-maintenance

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About SCV Water:
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV Water) is a full-service regional water agency located in the Santa Clarita Valley. SCV Water provides water service to more than 75,000 business and residential customers. It was formed on January 1, 2018, when local water suppliers combined into one integrated, regional water provider. More information can be found at www.yourSCVwater.com