|
IN PROGRESS ONLINE
|
|
Office of Economic Development, Placer County, California
|
|
Vol. 9, No. 4
|
April 2008
|
Ÿ Sierra College Awarded Grant for Solar
Training
Ÿ North Lake Tahoe Celebrates Earth Day
April 26
Ÿ Local Shop Helps Women Dress for
Success
Ÿ Art in the Garden Tour Set for May 3
Ÿ Sutter Auburn to Get $18.6M Upgrade
Ÿ Yes! Solar Sells First Franchise
Ÿ Wine Superstore Opens in Roseville
Ÿ Bountiful Buffet Offered in Upscale
Setting
Ÿ 2008 Waste Reduction Award Applications
Available
Ÿ Kids’ Salon Makes Haircutting Fun
Ÿ EPA Offers Funding for Small
Business Innovation Research
Ÿ What’s in Your E-Mail Newsletter?
Sierra College Awarded Grant for Solar Training
Sierra College has been awarded a $470,000 grant to develop a
training program for solar panel installers. The California Community College
Chancellor’s Office provided the grant for the college to create a photovoltaic
technician training program. The grant will allow Sierra College
to educate future “green collar” workers for solar companies, contractors, and
local governments. Through a partnership with the City of Roseville, the city’s corporation yard will
serve as a hands-on classroom to train the region’s building inspectors and
firefighters in photovoltaic technology. The goal is to streamline and
standardize the inspection process and add to area firefighters’ basic skills,
to improve their ability to respond to fires in houses or businesses using
photovoltaic technology. Solar companies, the North State Building Industry
Association, and the area’s three utilities -- Roseville Electric, PG&E,
and SMUD -- will all participate in supporting the program. For details, visit
Sierra College at http://www.roseville.ca.us/civica/press/display.asp?layout=1&Entry=639
Go to top
North Lake Tahoe Celebrates Earth Day April 26
A film festival, an eco
parade, a haute trash fashion show, a planetary circus, day-long children’s
activities, and an eight-act, three-stage line-up of music -- all these
elements and more fill North Lake Tahoe/Truckee Earth Day Festival, set for
Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at The Village at Squaw Valley. All
planned activities reflect the festival’s theme: Giant Steps Towards Smaller
Footprints, Reducing Our Impact on the Environment. Organizers say they are
striving to make Earth Day 2008 a zero waste and “carbon neutral” event. New
this year is the Earth Capades Planetary Circus, a group that weaves water
awareness and waste reduction with comedy, circus acts, and audience
participation. In the Haute Trash Fashion show, a troupe of resourceful artists
from the area model runway styles made from society’s trash. For the Push, Pull
or Pedal Eco Parade, open to all ages, participants create non-motorized
vehicles from recycled materials. For festival details and to volunteer to help
or sponsor events, visit
http://www.tahoetruckeeearthday.org/
Go to top
Local Shop
Helps Women Dress for Success
Roseville’s dressbarn, a women’s clothing store, is now
affiliated with Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization that helps
underprivileged women with one aspect of landing an interview or a job -- a
business outfit. The Roseville
dressbarn accepts donations of skirts and jackets, pantsuits, and other work
attire that will be given, through Dress for Success, to women throughout the
community in need of professional outfits. “We want everyone to realize that
when they make a donation, they are giving another woman the confidence to
enter or return to the workplace, make a professional first impression, and
land a job that could change her life,” said Vivian Behrens, senior vice
president for dressbarn. Roseville’s
dressbarn is located at 410
Roseville Square. For details, call the store at
(916) 782-2155 or visit the Roseville
Press Tribune at http://www.rosevillept.com/detail/80782.html?content_source=&category_id=9&search_filter=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=8
or Dress for Success at http://www.dressforsuccess.org/
Go
to top
Art in the
Garden Tour Set for May 3
Roseville Arts’ 8th
Annual Art in the Garden Tour, May 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., takes in some of South Placer
County’s most beautiful
homes and gardens. At each tour site, local artists will demonstrate and
display for purchase their works of art -- everything from painting and sculpture
to photography. Live music, along with food and wine tasting, hosted by area
wineries and restaurants, complement the art in colorful spring garden
settings. Tour proceeds will support the new Blue Line Gallery, in downtown Roseville, and the many
art-related activities Roseville Arts provides for children and adults. Tour
tickets, $30 each, are available at various local outlets or online at
Roseville Arts. For details and tickets, visit http://www.rosevillearts.org/tours.html#garden
Go
to top
Sutter Auburn to Get $18.6M Upgrade
Sutter Auburn
Faith Hospital will get an $18.6 million upgrade over the next three
years, hospital officials recently announced. Funding for the plan, which will
modernize the hospital’s four operating rooms and refurbish 61 patient rooms,
was approved by the health system board on March 21, 2008. The renovation, to
start in May 2008, will be done in phases and is expected to be completed in
mid-2011. The 97-bed hospital was founded in 1966. Operating rooms will get new
equipment, lighting, and ventilation. Most semi-private patient rooms will be
converted to private rooms; all will get new furnishings. The hospital-wide
renovation will replace ceiling tiles, floors, lighting, and wall coverings.
Mechanical upgrades will be made, and new patient safety equipment installed.
For details, visit Sutter
Auburn Faith
Hospital at http://sutterauburnfaith.org/
Go
to top
Yes! Solar
Sells First Franchise
Yes! Solar Inc., the retail
division of Solar Power Inc., has sold its first franchise. The franchisee is
the McCarthy/Myers Investment Group. The group will open a store in Orange County
to serve an 800-square-mile territory. The first Yes! Solar store opened in Roseville in October 2007, and in December Solar Power
Inc. received approval from the state to start selling franchises for retail
stores in California.
The company’s management anticipates eventually rolling out 125 to 200
franchises in the U.S.
The Yes! Solar stores target homeowners and small-business owners seeking
rooftop solar power systems. Inside the Roseville
store, customers can use a touch-screen computer to learn how solar energy
systems work, and talk to sales reps about tailoring a system for an individual
home. For details, visit Solar Power Inc. at http://www.solarpowerinc.net
or Yes! Solar Inc. at http://www.yessolarsolutions.com/
Go
to top
Wine
Superstore Opens in Roseville
An East Coast chain of wine
superstores has made its West Coast debut in Roseville. Total Wine & More recently
opened a 25,000-square-foot store, at 5791
Five Star Blvd., as part of an aggressive push
across California and Arizona
over the next few years. The Maryland-based chain brings to the region
the largest selection of wine, spirits, and beer under one roof. The Roseville store stocks
nearly 10,000 different wines, more than 1,000 beers, and 2,000 spirits. The
store has 40 employees. Total Wine aims to set itself apart with its selection,
prices, and service based on an extensive employee training program. Employees
“know what they’re selling,” said company spokesman Jeff Bartlett. “One of our
goals is to demystify the wine-buying experience.” Total Wine president David
Trone said the company chose Roseville for its California debut because “the demographics in Roseville are
spectacular.” For more, visit the Sacramento
Business Journal at http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/02/04/story14.html
or Total Wine & More at http://www.totalwine.com/Main.aspx
Go
to top
Bountiful
Buffet Offered in Upscale Setting
With the idea of bringing
upscale buffet dining to Roseville, co-owners Ric Cheng and Brandon Quang
created Eastern Max Buffet, a restaurant that offers more than 150 menu items
daily -- including Mongolian barbeque, stuffed mushrooms and shrimp, fresh
sushi, and traditional Chinese food such as fried rice, chow mein, egg rolls,
and dim sum. With one head chef and about 15 others in the kitchen, Eastern Max
produces food for hundreds of people a day, Cheng said. The 8,600-square-foot
restaurant is divided into eight sections, each designed differently with
varied color schemes, wallpaper, and an upscale atmosphere. Additional touches
include a large shark tank at the entrance, a waterfall feature, vaulted
ceilings, custom woodwork, and decorative columns. Eastern Max Buffet, at 731 Pleasant Grove Blvd.,
Ste.100, is open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more visit Roseville Press Tribune at http://www.rosevillept.com/detail/79851.html?content_source=&category_id=9&search_filter=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=8
or Eastern Max Buffet at http://www.easternmaxbuffet.com/
Go
to top
2008 Business
Waste Reduction Award Applications Available
All businesses and private
nonprofit organizations with California
facilities are encouraged to apply for an annual WRAP award. WRAP -- Waste
Reduction Awards Program -- is administered by the California Integrated Waste
Management Board. The program rewards businesses for outstanding waste
reduction programs and lets the community know about those efforts.
Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, for instance, through various innovative programs,
including Blue Bag recycling, has won a WRAP award for the last 11 years. Each
business is evaluated individually, based on its own accomplishments. Award
winners receive authorization to use the WRAP winner logo with their products,
advertising, and business websites. WRAP provides businesses with examples of
successful waste reduction techniques, which they can adapt for their
workplace. Applications are available through May 31. For details and
applications, visit California Integrated Waste Management Board at http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WRAP/
and http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WRAP/search.asp?VW=APP&BIZID=757&YEAR=2007&CNTY
Go
to top
Kids’ Salon
Makes Haircutting Fun
At Donna Fogarty’s Jack n
Jillybeans Salon, in Roseville,
each of 10 haircutting stations is equipped with a DVD player. Five stations
have raised toy cars kids can “ride” while getting a haircut, and the other
five have video games for older children and dads. At the moms’ station, kids
can dress up in a firefighter outfit and play with a train set. Fogarty opened
her salon in September 2007 offering services such as a child’s first haircut
(with certificate), formal up-dos for special occasions, and, most importantly,
fun. Patience and a knack with kids are key, Fogarty says, and she has come up
with tricks to make the experience short and sweet. Boys can have colored gel
in blue or green, and girls leave with a complimentary barrette and, with
parent permission, sparkle spray. Jack n Jillybeans won the Sacramento Parent magazine’s 2008
readers’ choice for kids’ salon. The salon is located at 212 Harding Blvd., Suite V. For details,
call Jack n Jillybeans at (916) 786-3888 or visit the Granite Bay
Press Tribune at
http://www.granitebaypt.com/detail/80771.html?content_source=&category_id=9&search_filter=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=14
Go
to top
EPA Offers
Funding for Small Business Innovation Research
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is inviting small business firms to submit research proposals that
meet the EPA’s needs or mission. The proposals may include advanced
technologies that address the following: Innovation in Manufacturing,
Nanotechnology, Green
Buildings, Drinking Water
and Water Monitoring, Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation, Monitoring and
Control of Air Pollution, Biofuels and Vehicle Emissions Reduction, Waste
Management and Monitoring, and Homeland Security. A business may submit
separate proposals on different projects, or different proposals on the same
topic. Proposals are due by noon local time on May 21, 2008. For details and
proposal information, visit the National
Center for Environmental
Research at http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2008/2008_sbir_phase1.html#I
Go
to top
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