Image with Placer County Logo and a woman riding a bicycle through the woods

IN PROGRESS ONLINE

Office of Economic Development, Placer County, California

Vol. 9, No. 8

August 2008

 

Ÿ         Area Supermarkets Add PlacerGrown Stands

Ÿ ‘Raising Monet for the Arts’ Event Benefits North Tahoe Arts

Ÿ Rocklin Chamber of Commerce to Host Annual ‘Hot Chili and Cool Cars’

Ÿ City of Roseville Grants Total $725,000, Support 34 Agencies

Ÿ Squaw Valley’s Pinnacle Real Estate Merges with Chase International

Ÿ Rocklin Recognized as One of Nation's 10 Best Towns for Families

Ÿ Placer County Winery to Help Fight Breast Cancer

Ÿ New Auburn Bakery Rolls Out Desserts, Gift Boutique

Ÿ Sierra College Offers Class in Basics of Supply Chain Management

Ÿ Placer County’s Bus Systems Set Passenger Records for Fiscal Year

Ÿ Anatolian Table Set in Rocklin, Turkish Cuisine & Patisserie

Ÿ What’s in Your E-Mail Newsletter

 

 

Area Supermarkets Add PlacerGrown Stands

Enjoying locally cultivated fruit recently got even more convenient. Auburn’s Bel Air supermarket has installed a PlacerGrown “fruit stand” loaded with wooden crates of peaches, nectarines and plums. The Lincoln Raley’s also sports a PlacerGrown stand, and displays will be arriving soon at the Raley’s in Loomis and Auburn, said Amy Johnston, Raley’s communications specialist. “We support local products whenever possible,” Johnston said. The mix of stone fruits comes from Twin Peaks Orchard in Newcastle, a family farm since 1912, now run by Sheila and Raul Enriquez. Their 85 acres produce peaches, plums, nectarines, pluots, Asian pears, and persimmons. Twin Peaks Orchard’s produce is a staple at farmers’ markets in Auburn, Lincoln, Colfax, and Reno. For more, visit the Auburn Journal at

http://www.auburnjournal.com/detail/88302.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=Area+supermarkets+add+PlacerGrown+fruit+stand&search_filter_mode=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=stories&town_id=6

Twin Peaks Orchard at http://www.twinpeaksent.com/back.htm or PlacerGrown at

http://www.placergrown.org/

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‘Raising Monet for the Arts’ Event Benefits North Tahoe Arts

North Tahoe Arts (NTA) invites art lovers to refresh and renew their art collections at its fourth annual art sale and silent auction fundraiser, Raising Monet for the Arts, August 29 - September 22 at the art center in Tahoe City. Inventory will include new and gently used art of all types donated by North Tahoe artists and art collectors. The art can be purchased outright at any time at the estimated market value or bid on over a three-week period. All proceeds help North Tahoe Arts fulfill its mission of supporting the arts throughout the North Tahoe and Truckee communities. NTA activities include monthly art center exhibits, Tahoe ARTour, ARTisan Shop, ART in Public Places, and YouthART Camp. For more, visit North Tahoe Arts at http://www.northtahoearts.com/raising_monet.php

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Rocklin Chamber of Commerce to Host Annual ‘Hot Chili and Cool Cars’

Plans for the 15th Annual Hot Chili and Cool Cars event, September 20, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., are shifting into high gear. Hosted by the Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature a chili cook-off, classic car contest, vendors, live entertainment, crafts, and kids’ activities. “Hot Chili and Cool Cars has many exciting additions to look forward to this year, including new sponsorship opportunities,” said Amber Tillery, chair of the event and owner of Tillery Family Insurance. “We offer a sponsorship package that includes a business booth for not much more than the price of the booth alone. Plus, we've got a few more surprise enhancements up our sleeve so that this year’s event can be the best yet." For details about sponsorships, volunteering, or entering a car or chili in the event, visit Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce at http://www.rocklinchamber.com/

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City of Roseville Grants Total $725,000, Support 34 Agencies

Every year the city of Roseville allots thousands of dollars worth of funding to be distributed among a variety of nonprofit organizations and schools to improve the quality of life for citizens. This year, $725,000 was granted to 34 agencies with funding from three sources: the Citizens Benefit Fund, the Roseville Auto Mall Community Fund, and Roseville Employees Annual Charitable Hearts Fund. Among grant recipients are:  A Touch of Understanding (towards hands-on disability programs for county students), The Gathering Inn (providing housing for homeless people within south Placer County hosting churches), Roseville Home Start, Inc. (transitioning homeless families into affordable and permanent housing), Roseville Parks and Recreation Department (for a universally accessible playground at Mahany Park), and the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Placer County. For details, visit the Roseville Press Tribune at http://www.rosevillept.com/detail/88390.html

or the City of Roseville at http://www.roseville.ca.us/citymanager/grants/

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Pinnacle Real Estate Merges with Chase International

Squaw Valley’s Pinnacle Real Estate recently joined forces with Chase International.  The Squaw Valley office will now operate under the name and brand of Chase International, increasing Chase’s number of Reno-Tahoe offices to eight. Pinnacle founders Jeff Hamilton and Bill Murphy are now partners in ownership of the Tahoe City, Truckee, and Squaw Valley offices with Chase’s Trinkie Watson. Joining Hamilton and Murphy at Chase is Tamara McKinney. Hamilton and McKinney are both Olympians and World Champions (Speed Skiing and Alpine respectively). Murphy has been visiting and skiing Lake Tahoe since the 1960s and is an avid skier. The trio brings a combined 50 years of real estate experience to Chase. Chase International represents homes at all price levels, and currently has one of the top five most expensive properties listed in the nation - a Lake Tahoe property for $100 million. For more visit Luxury Real Estate at http://www.luxuryrealestate.com/scripts/index.php?siteScript=siteNews&cat=MemberPress&ID=1486

 or Chase International at http://www.chaseinternational.com/

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Rocklin Recognized as One of Nation's 10 Best Towns for Families

Rocklin – a city sometimes overshadowed by its bigger sibling, Roseville – has something to crow about these days. The August issue of Family Circle magazine names Rocklin one of the country's 10 Best Towns for Families. The national magazine used New York research firm OnBoard to look at 1,850 cities with populations between 15,000 and 150,000 and an average annual income of $65,000. Using family-friendly criteria that included cost of living, availability of jobs, and quality of schools, the list was whittled down to 800 cities, which were ranked according to their states. The highest-rated communities in the top 10 states were named the winners. Family Circle also considered how environmentally friendly the cities are. Rocklin was the first city in California to participate in Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s ClimateSmart program. By paying an additional amount for its monthly gas and electricity usage, the city helps fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2006, Rocklin also installed solar panels at the Police Department headquarters, reducing energy costs by 40 percent. For details, visit the Sacramento Bee at http://www.sacbee.com/placer/story/1085655.html 

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Placer County Winery to Help Fight Breast Cancer

When people talk of wine in the Sierra foothills, they usually mention the wineries and vineyards of Amador, Calaveras, and El Dorado counties. Jim Taylor, his wife Lynda, and their son Ryan, of Mt. Vernon Winery in Auburn, aim to add Placer County to that list, and they’ve enrolled the help of an energetic and admired ally, Dr. Ernie Bodai, director of breast surgical services at Sacramento’s Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. Bodai is the sparkplug behind the U.S. Postal Service’s rainbow-hued breast-cancer stamp, of which 600 million have been sold over the past eight years, raising $50 million for research into the causes and cures for breast cancer. This fall, that stamp will become a wine label appearing on about 2,000 cases of a Mt. Vernon red table wine selling for $23 a bottle. The Taylors are proposing that 12.5 percent of sales of the wine would go toward breast cancer research. If the wine label is approved in time, the wine would be released in October. For more, visit the Sacramento Bee at http://www.sacwineregion.com/109/story/591.html or Mt. Vernon Winery at http://mtvernonwinery.com/ or Placer County Wine & Grape Association at http://www.placerwineandgrape.org/

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New Auburn Bakery Rolls Out Desserts, Gift Boutique

Opened in April, Petunia’s Bakery, owned by Auburn resident Rachel Brandin, combines traditional baked favorites and desserts with a gift boutique. Cheesecake bites with fresh fruit, eight kinds of cookies, cupcakes, dessert platters for parties, and a variety of cakes - all are made fresh on site. “The German chocolate cake has been a top seller,” Brandin said. “Another is the triple-chocolate-raspberry cake. Brandin’s favorite is the lemon mousse cake, and her three children like the ooey-gooey brownies, she said. The boutique has a baby section, housewares, lotions, cake plates, and other gifts. Brandin and her husband, Greg, had been planning the business for two years before opening. After acquiring space at 510 Auburn Ravine Rd., they did a complete remodel of it. Response to the venture have been great, she said. “We’ve been slammed. It has been wonderful. I’ve just gotten incredible feedback.” For more, visit the Auburn Journal at http://www.auburnjournal.com/detail/88908.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=Petunia%27s+Bakery&search_filter_mode=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=6 or Petunia’s Bakery at

http://www.petuniasbakery.com/

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Sierra College Offers Class in Basics of Supply Chain Management

From September 9 to October 16, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m., Sierra College is offering a class in the Basics of Supply Chain Management at its Roseville Gateway Campus. The class covers basic concepts in managing the complete flow of materials in a supply chain - from internal and external suppliers to and from an organization. The course instructor has 24 years of industry experience. Participants receive a Certificate of Completion after successfully completing the course. Fee for the class is $550 plus books. To register, contact Carol Pepper-Kittredge at (916) 781-6288 or cpepper-kittredge@sierracolege.edu. For details about Sierra’s training and development classes, visit Sierra College at http://www.sierracollegetraining.com/training.php

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Placer County’s Bus systems Set Passenger Records in Fiscal Year

Placer County’s two bus systems attracted record numbers of passengers during the 2007-08 fiscal year. Placer County Transit (PCT) has passed the 300,000 mark for the first time, with 317,783 passengers on its fixed routes for the fiscal year ended June 30. That’s a 15 percent increase over the previous year. PTC provides fixed-route and dial-a-ride bus service to western Placer County Mondays through Saturdays. PCT also operates Placer Commuter Express, a weekday bus service that takes commuters from western Placer to downtown Sacramento and back. It had 56,068 riders in 2006-07, a 39 percent increase from the previous year. Tahoe Area Regional Transit exceeded 400,000 passengers for the first time last year, ending the year with a total of 433,628 riders, a 19 percent increase from the previous year. For details, go to Placer County at http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/Works/Transit/TART.aspx  or

http://www.placer.ca.gov/News/2008/July/PlacerTransitRidershipUp.aspx

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Anatolian Table Set in Rocklin, Turkish Cuisine & Patisserie

To Turks, it's pide. To Italians and Americans, it's pizza. Pizza is all over the area’s landscape these days; pide, not so much. But that changed about a year ago with the opening of Anatolian Table Restaurant in Rocklin. Anatolian serves a large selection of Turkish dishes - hot and cold appetizers, kebabs (including adana kebab, prepared with spicy ground lamb), sigara boregi (pan-fried phyllo dough stuffed with feta cheese), mercimek (red lentil soup), and several fish and poultry selections. “Diners are greeted with a plate of hot rustic bread and a gentle hummus glistening with an exceptional olive oil, “noted one food critic. Anatolian bills itself as patisserie as well as restaurant; trays of traditional Turkish pastries in and on a display case along the exhibition kitchen emphasize that point. Owners Ertugrul and Tugce Hazar make their own yogurt, breads, and pastries. The restaurant is located in Blue Oaks Marketplace at 6815 Lonetree Blvd. For details, visit Anatolian Table at http://www.anatoliantable.com/index.html or the Sacramento Bee at

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/dining/archives/009153.html or Sacramento magazine at

http://www.sacmag.com/media/Sacramento-Magazine/January-2008/Small-Bite/

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What’s in Your E-Mail Newsletter?

In Progress Online (IPOL), our monthly economic development e-mail newsletter, covers the latest news on Placer County business and industry, agriculture, tourism, and the arts. It reports on new projects in our cities and towns and keeps readers up to date on the state of the region’s economy. IPOL posts news of state and local training, incentives, and loan programs that benefit business. It provides links to more information on each item. News about your business is always welcome. Please send items, questions, comments, or suggestions to the Office of Economic Development at econdev@placer.ca.gov or visit the OED Web site at http://www.placer.ca.gov/CEO/EconDev.aspx   For past In Progress Online newsletters, go to Placer County Biz News at http://www.placer.ca.gov/CEO/Econdev/business%20news.aspx