|
IN PROGRESS ONLINE |
|
|
Office of Economic Development, Placer County, California |
|
|
Vol. 9, No. 1 |
January 2008 |
Ÿ Eco:Logic Ranked One of Country’s Fastest Growing Companies
Ÿ County’s First Joint Wine-Tasting Room Opens
Ÿ Renowned Young Russian Pianist to Perform with Auburn Symphony
Ÿ Unify Corp. is Moving to Roseville
Ÿ PlacerGROWN Conference Set for February 2
Ÿ World Trade Center Hosts International. Business Certificate Program
Ÿ Emma’s Bed & Breakfast Furnishes Country Comforts, Quiet
Ÿ Federal Technology Center Offers Free Government Contracting Classes
Ÿ SnowFest Returns to North Tahoe February 29 - March 9
Ÿ Homewood Resort Adds to Kids’ Ski & Ride Programs
Ÿ Local Foothill Farmers’ Market Still Open
Ÿ What’s in Your E-Mail Newsletter?
Eco:Logic Ranked One of Country’s Fastest Growing Companies
Recently ranked on the Inc. 5000 index of the country’s Fastest Growing Private Companies, Eco:Logic Engineering in Rocklin was founded in 1993 by five people and now has 160 employees. The company specializes in water and wastewater engineering. “Our objective has always been to produce top-quality, high-value engineering work,” said Eco:Logic principal David Bennett. “Growth has simply been a byproduct of that focus.” The company will generate about $30 million of engineering revenue in 2007, he said. “We’re one of just a few water/wastewater firms in California that isn’t a multinational engineering conglomerate. The folks that own Eco:Logic live here in Placer County and work on projects at Eco:Logic every day. Our overhead is lower, and the revenue that doesn’t go to taxes gets spent locally.” The company focuses on helping medium-sized and small agencies “because their water issues are every bit as complex as big agencies’, but money is short. They need more creative, beyond-textbook solutions, and we can bring that.” For more, visit Eco:Logic at http://www.ecologic-eng.com/ or the Inc. 5000 list at http://www.inc.com/inc5000/
County’s First Joint Wine-Tasting Room Opens
Four Placer wineries have teamed to open the county’s first joint wine-tasting room, a venture called Wine Rack, located in Auburn’s Bowman area. Vina Castellano principals Gabe Mendez and Teena Wilkins invited Dono Dal Cielo (William and Karen McGillivray), Green Family (Charlie and Marcella Green), and Mt. Vernon (Jim and Linda Taylor) wineries to participate in the unique shop. “We offer full flight or partial flight tastings,” said Wilkins. “Each winery is allowed four wines, and the varietals from each winery will rotate. If you make a purchase or are a member of these wine clubs, the tasting fee is waived.” Wine Rack will soon start its own wine club, she said, and also once-a-month women’s wine tasting events. Wine Rack is open Wed.-Sun., 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Fri. until 8 p.m. A Wine Rack Web site will be available soon. For details about the shop, call (530) 885-7225. Visit Vina Castellano at http://www.vinacastellano.com/, Dono Dal Cielo at http://www.donodalcielo.com/about.html, Green Family at http://greenfamilywinery.com/, and Mt. Vernon at http://www.mtvernonwinery.com/.
Renowned Young Russian Pianist to Perform with Auburn Symphony
Guest artist Alexandre Moutouzkine, a young, prize-winning, world-touring Russian pianist, will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 (Elvira Madigan) at Auburn Symphony concerts January 26, 7:30 p.m. & January 27, 3 p.m., at Placer High School in Auburn. Also on the program is the Overture to Don Giovanni by Mozart and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6, called “an epic symphony of rich treasures.” Now in its 21st year, Auburn Symphony, led by Maestro Michael Goodwin, has been recognized as one of the best community orchestras in the country. Under Goodwin’s leadership, the Auburn Symphony season has grown to include three subscription series concerts, Messiah Sing-Along, KinderKonzert, Music on the Green, and a performance at the Mondavi Center in Davis. The symphony also brings music to thousands in the community through its senior outreach and school assembly programs. Individual concert tickets are available online. For details and tickets visit Auburn Symphony at http://www.auburnsymphony.com/
Unify Corp. is Moving to Roseville
Unify Corp.’s move from Sacramento to 1420 Rocky Ridge Drive in Roseville will be effective April 15. The software company cited the high job-growth rate of Placer County -- 128 percent over the past 15 years, according to the California Budget Project -- as a reason for the move. “One of the fastest-growing areas in California is the high-tech corridor that runs between Roseville and El Dorado Hills,” Todd Wille, chief executive officer, said in a news release. Wille said more than half of Unify's (OTCBB: UFYC) employees live within a 10-mile radius of the new office. He also said the move would reduce the company's facility expenses by almost 50 percent a year. Unify Corporation is one of the early developers of database management systems and tools for database development. Unify has been in Sacramento since it was founded in 1980. As of 2006, it employed 60 people worldwide. For details, visit Sacramento Business Journal at
http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/01/07/daily19.html or Unify Corporation at http://www.unify.com/.
PlacerGROWN Conference Set for February 2
Farmers and “wannabe” farmers are invited to attend the 13th Annual PlacerGROWN Food & Farm Conference February 2, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Lincoln High School in Lincoln. This year’s conference will focus on a wide range of agricultural marketing issues, from growing organic to getting started. Workshops are scheduled for beginning and experienced farmers, ranchers and gardeners, and for those interested in learning about their local producers and the bounty of food grown in Placer County. Keynote speakers are Ted Carey and Katherine Kelly of Growing Growers, a Kansas City business that trains organic growers. Participants will hear a farmer panel discuss the joys and challenges of farming, and will help create a vision for the future of the county’s local food system. For more information contact Molly Johnson at (530) 889-7398 or mollyjohnson@sbcglobal.net. To view the workshop schedule and download the registration form, visit http://ceplacer.ucdavis.edu/ Visit PlacerGrown at http://www.placergrown.org/
World Trade Center Hosts International Business Certificate Program
Business executives can learn about all aspects of international trade at the Northern California World Trade Center’s International Business Leadership Certificate Program. Starting in February, the NCWTC will host nine monthly workshops geared to supply participants with the knowledge, skills and connections needed to successfully compete in the global marketplace. Participants must complete six of the nine core courses to earn the certificate. The courses are Exporting to the Global Marketplace (Feb. 7), Importing 101 (March 6), Understanding Inco Term (international terms of sale) Applications (April 3), International Supply Chain Strategies (May 1), Intercultural Communications (June 5), Building International Business Partnerships (July 10), International Finance and Risk Management (Aug. 7), Legal Issues Affecting Your Global Business (Sept. 4), and Building Your International Business Plan (Oct. 2). Courses are held at NCWTC, in Sacramento. For details and to register, call (916) 319-4277 or visit http://www.norcalwtc.org/leadership.htm.
Emma’s Bed & Breakfast Furnishes Country Comforts, Quiet
Horses, chickens, and Barbados sheep find a farm-like home on the tranquil 45-acre grounds of Emma’s Bed & Breakfast, near Loomis. Walking trails loop through old orchards planted with apples, mandarins, and kiwis. A small bass pond attracts Canadian geese and other water fowl. Inside Emma’s, a restored country farmhouse, three comfortable rooms and two luxurious suites are appointed with down comforters, feather pillows, and a host of other amenities. A “full farm breakfast” is served, said Emma’s manager Sharon Fondren -- “eggs, meat, fruit, hot cakes or French toast -- the real deal.” And fresh ingredients for the breakfasts come from the inn’s “pretty” new vegetable garden, planted in raised redwood boxes. Emma’s patrons come from near and far, Fondren said, for business or pleasure, and some international guests come back each year. Connected to Emma’s is the Gathering Place, a site for weddings and receptions for up to 140 guests. “It feels like we’re out in the country, but we’re close to towns, very accessible,” Fondren said. “People come here to get away, and they do.” For details and reservations, visit Emma’s at http://www.emmasbnb.com/index.html
Federal Technology Center Offers Free Government Contracting Classes
The Federal Technology Center (FTC) is a not-for-profit public benefit corporation that promotes economic development in California by teaching small businesses how to successfully compete for government contracts. The Federal government spends more than $500 billion on goods and services every year, and the FTC works to help bring those dollars to California. In February, the FTC is presenting five free seminars on government contracting: Getting Started with Government Contracting, Responding to RFPs (Request for Proposal), E-Commerce for Government Contracting, Getting Started with Government Contracting (repeat), and Federal Contract Negotiation. The classes are held at various locations from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. For details, contact Jack Toney at jack@Theftc.org or visit the FTC at http://www.theftc.org./
SnowFest Returns to North Tahoe February 29 - March 9
SnowFest of North Lake Tahoe & Truckee packs 10 fun-filled days with special events, parades, races, parties, concerts, contests, theatre, wining and dining. The annual family fest features on-snow activities for all ages at half-a-dozen North Tahoe ski resorts. New events this year include expanded nightlife and music events, such as the Mardi Gras party at Jake’s at the Lake in Tahoe City, and more children’s activities, such as the Tahoe Tots Disco Afternoon Dance Party, for kids six and under. The coronation of the Snow Fest Queen will be held on February 29, 6:30 p.m., at the Village at Squaw Valley, followed by a grand fireworks display. For details, visit SnowFest at http://www.tahoesnowfestival.com/ or the Tahoe City Business Association at http://www.visittahoecity.com/
Homewood Resort Adds to Kids’ Ski & Ride Programs
Consistent with a long-standing tradition of maintaining community-minded winter programs, Homewood Mountain Resort is again offering its well-known Ski and Ride program to local kids. “Quite literally, this mountain was started for kids,” said Rick Brown, vice president with JMA Ventures, LLC. “My grandfather bought it in 1938 and designed the ski area in 1961 for his five grandchildren.” Among its many kids’ options, Homewood offers Super Sliders, in which school-aged children hone their skiing and snowboarding skills with an experienced coach, Local Student Lift Tickets, Youth and Teen Season Passes, and the new Honor Roll Incentive Program. “We want community members to know that Homewood will forever be a great place for their kids to spend the winter,” Brown said. For details, visit the Tahoe World at http://www.tahoe-world.com/content/view/10947/95/ or Homewood Mountain Resort at http://www.skihomewood.com/
Local Foothill Farmers’ Market Still Open
Even though most county Farmers’ Markets are closed for the season, residents can still purchase fresh local produce at the Foothill Farmers’ Market in Old Town Auburn. The Auburn market is open year-round on Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the corner of Auburn-Folsom Road and Lincoln Way. For details visit the Foothill Farmers’ Market Association at http://www.foothillfarmersmarket.com/Home.html. To buy directly from the farm and to find out what’s in season, visit http://www.placergrown.org/
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.