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IN PROGRESS ONLINE |
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Office of Economic Development, Placer County, California |
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Vol. 9, No. 5 |
May 2008 |
Ÿ Lincoln Business Expo Set for May 8
Ÿ Medical Office Building Construction Underway in Roseville
Ÿ Placer County Grant Helps ACE Hardware Test Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology
Ÿ Persimmon Café Opens in Lincoln
Ÿ Loomis Basin Artists Host Mother’s Day Weekend Studios Tour
Ÿ Students Receive Environmental Stewardship Lesson from Local Businesses
Ÿ La Provence Restaurant Now Offers PlacerGROWN Foods
Ÿ Ceronix -Thunder Valley Partnership Helps Launch New LCD Line Internationally
Ÿ North Tahoe to Celebrate Opening Days at the Lake
Ÿ Placer Wine Tasting Set at Latitudes Restaurant
Ÿ PlacerArts Celebrates Silver Anniversary in 2008
Ÿ What’s in Your E-Mail Newsletter?
Lincoln Business Expo Set for May 8
The public is invited to Lincoln’s Annual Business Expo, Thursday, May 8, 3 to 7 p.m. at McBean Park Pavilion, in Lincoln. The free expo will feature more than 80 exhibitors showing what Lincoln Area businesses have to offer. Presentations by Caltrans at 4, 5, and 6 p.m. will acquaint attendees with progress on the Highway 65 bypass project and its economic and contracting impact on the community. Special expo guest is Ruthie Bolten, a world champion in women’s basketball. Bolten is a gold medal recipient on the U.S. team and also played with the Monarchs, Sacramento’s WNBA Women’s basketball team. She retired from the team two years ago and is currently a coach at William Jessup University in Rocklin. For expo details, call the Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce at (916) 645-2035. For more about the chamber, visit http://www.lincolnchamber.com/
Chehrazi Medical Office Building Construction Underway in Roseville
Construction on the Chehrazi Medical Office Building in Roseville is well underway. Located just northeast of East Roseville Parkway near the Sutter Roseville Medical campus, the two-story, steel-framed, 11,200-square-foot building is scheduled for completion in October of this year. “Despite the slowdown and holding of many construction projects in the region, the owner is continuing to move forward, and we are excited about being part of this development,” said Mark Davis, president of Sierra View Company, Inc., general contracting on the project. The project’s owner and developer is Secret Ravine Development Company, LLC. Established in 1979 in Roseville/Granite Bay, Sierra View Company, Inc. has grown to an organization with an annual gross volume of $50 million. For details about the project, contact Steve Sopinski, Sierra View’s general contractor, at (916) 774-7000 or stsopinski@sierraview.com. For more about Sierra View Company, Inc., visit http://www.sierraview.com/
Placer County Grant Helps ACE Hardware Test Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology
ACE Hardware Corporation is testing pallet trucks powered by zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cells at its Placer County Retail Support Center, one of the company’s 14 U.S. distribution centers. As the first operator of this type of equipment in the state, ACE’s Sunset Industrial Area facility received a $10,000 grant from Placer County Air Pollution District to help fund the ongoing testing. The initial test, which started in February, consisted of replacing lead-acid batteries, which take about six hours to recharge using electric power, with hydrogen fuel cells – requiring less than three minutes to refill – for six out of the 41 pallet trucks and forklifts at the facility. “By using hydrogen fuel cell technology, ACE has increased productivity, lowered operational costs, and created a safer work environment, and additional commercial space,” said Bill Bauman, vice president of retail support for ACE Hardware. “Our goal is to roll out this technology to the entire fleet at the Placer County facility and perhaps at other distribution centers.” For more about ACE Hardware, visit
http://www.acehardware.com/home/index.jsp?cid= or Placer County at http://www.placer.ca.gov/News/2008/April/HydrogenCellsTestedatAce.aspx
Persimmon Café Opens in Lincoln
Lincoln’s newest eatery features food made from fresh, locally-grown produce and meats, and fresh-daily pies made with local fruits and berries. All Persimmon Café pies are handmade using only in-season produce grown within three miles of the café, located at the corner of McBean Park Dr. and East Ave. Currently being served are rhubarb and strawberry pies, along with Meyer lemon torte, and a plum-blueberry pie. As soon as local trees and vines are producing ripened fruit, owner Joanne Neft said, the café will be making peach, nectarine, pluot, plum, apricot, triple-crown blackberry, raspberry, and Tayberry pies. Starting this month, the café will host a farmers’ market every Friday morning from 8 a.m. to noon. Locally grown vegetables and fruits as well as local beef, pork, lamb, chickens, eggs, freshly-caught fish, baked goods, nuts, and flowers will be available. “I want to connect the people of Lincoln with the agriculture and open space that surrounds them,” said Neft, former agricultural marketing director for Placer County. For details, call Neft at (916) 663-9126 or (916) 645-3322.
Loomis Basin Artists Host Mother’s Day Weekend Studio Tour
The work of 12 artists in a wide variety of mediums will be displayed at eight studios all within a ten-minute drive from each other. That’s the format for “Spring in the Loomis Basin - A Showcase for Art,” the 2008 Loomis Art Loop Open Studios Tour, May 10 & 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The tour is free and self-guided. Participating artists have kept their group small so that all the studios on the tour may be visited in a few hours. Their aim in hosting the tour - this year’s is the fifth annual - is to share the bounty of creativity and the blooming spring beauty of the area. For tour details, artists’ profiles, and detailed descriptions of artists’ work, visit Loomis Art Loop at http://www.loomisartloop.com/
Students Receive Environmental Stewardship Lesson from Local Businesses
The third grade class at Skyridge Elementary in Auburn recently received a lesson in environmental stewardship. Lincoln-based non-profit Wildlife Heritage Foundation (WHF), along with Rocklin’s Restoration Resources, hosted a three-day field trip experience for the youngsters last month. During the outing, the students received lessons in animal habitats, endangered species, native plants, and other conservation-based topics. They visited Silvergate, a private mitigation bank in Sheridan, for hands-on biological experiences, and, at the end of the trip, watched a live bird demonstration. The partnership of Wildlife Heritage Foundation and Restoration Resources will continue to bring environmental education to local students and families. Both entities work with credentialed teachers, who coordinate and lead the field trips and other education programs. “The partnership will allow us to reach students all over Placer, Sacramento, Yuba, and Butte Counties,” said Kelly Velasco, WHF’s education programs coordinator. “Our goal is to educate the next generation about the wonders of wildlife.” For details, visit Restoration Resources at http://www.restoration-resources.net/ or Wildlife Heritage Foundation at http://www.wildlifeheritage.org/
La Provence Restaurant Now Offers PlacerGROWN Foods
In April, La Provence Restaurant and Terrace in Roseville recently launched its new spring menu, which includes dishes made with PlacerGrown meat and produce, such as lamb from Flying Mule Ranch, and Meyer lemons and oranges from Snow’s Citrus Court. “Our chef, Shane McMahon will be working with area farmers and vendors,” said marketing spokesperson Lisa Sudbeck. “We’ll use a lot more Placer-grown ingredients in summer as things come in season.” Every month, Sudbeck said, the restaurant does a special PlacerGrown dessert presentation. May’s dessert is Fraises et Chocolat Blanc, a white chocolate mousse in a pastry barrel with Placer-grown berries. La Provence currently serves wines from two Placer County wineries - Dono dal Cielo and Secret Ravine - and will be adding more. In its Take Away Deli, the restaurant sells several other PlacerGrown items such as Charleston Lavender Farm lavender products. La Provence plans to feature a PlacerGrown tasting monthly through the summer. For details about La Provence, its spring menu and special events, visit http://laprovenceroseville.com/. For details about PlacerGrown, visit http://www.placergrown.org/
Ceronix -Thunder Valley Partnership Helps Launch New LCD Line Internationally
A recent and flourishing local partnership has resulted in the profitable launch of a new international technology line. Auburn-based Ceronix, Inc. has for over 20 years manufactured a variety of custom-made, Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) color video touch screen monitors for gaming industry video slot machines. Recently, Ceronix launched an entirely new line of Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD). Designed to be direct, “drop-in” replacements for existing CRT monitors, the new LCDs are more vibrant, weigh less, and require less power and expense to operate than traditional CRTs. Ceronix launched this new line with encouragement from Thunder Valley Casino (located in the Sunset Industrial Area), which originally contacted Ceronix requesting the as-yet undeveloped LCD line. Thunder Valley now features over 700 Ceronix monitors on its floor. And Ceronix now ships over 2,000 new LCDs a month to such ports as Russia, Australia, South America, and Slovenia – all thanks to a partnership between companies only about twenty miles apart. For more, visit Ceronix, Inc. at http://www.ceronix.com/
North Tahoe to Celebrate Opening Days at the Lake
On May 23 - 26, the West Shore Association will officially open Lake Tahoe for the summer. Events scheduled Friday through Monday include an Opening Party at Chamber‘s Landing, opening and tours of Vikingsholm (Emerald Bay) and Ehrman Mansion (Sugar Pine State Park), grand opening and kids’ activities at the new Tahoe Maritime Museum building, in Homewood. Live jazz on the deck of West Shore Café, and a Swing Band Dance at Granlibakken Resort will help spark the summer music scene. Visitors can prepare for summer water sports at water skiing demonstrations, boat shows, and wake boarding/surfing demos at various locations. For details and an Opening Day passport visit the Tahoe West Shore Association at http://www.tahoewestshoreassoc.com/Calendar/Opening-Day. For museum building opening details, visit Tahoe Maritime Museum at http://www.tahoemaritimemuseum.org/. For more information about North Shore events and activities, visit the Tahoe City Downtown Association at http://www.visittahoecity.com/
Placer Wine Tasting Set at Latitudes Restaurant
Placer Wine will be pouring at Latitudes in Auburn, on Tuesday, May 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., to introduce many new releases, award winners, and some old favorites. Latitudes, located at 130 Maple St., will provide “mouth-watering” appetizers to accompany the wine from 11 area wineries: Baumbach Wines, Dono dal Cielo, Fawnridge, Green Family, Lone Buffalo, Mt. Vernon, Ophir, Pescatore, Rancho Roble, Secret Ravine, and Vina Castellano. Award winners for tasting include 2006 Barbara, 2004 Estate Sangiovese, 2004 Syrah, 2005 Tempranillo, 2005 Chardonnay, and others. Wines will be available for purchase at a special below retail price. Tickets are $25 each for reservations, $30 at the door. For reservations, call Latitudes at (530) 885-9535. For event details, visit Placer County Wine & Grape Association at http://www.placerwineandgrape.org/events.htm.
PlacerArts Celebrates Silver Anniversary in 2008
From modest beginnings twenty-five years ago in Auburn’s Carnegie Library, PlacerArts has grown into a respected county-wide organization dedicated to promoting arts and culture. Today, PlacerArts operates out of The Arts Building in downtown Auburn with a full-time staff and a legion of volunteers. PlacerArts’ many programs include the Auburn Art Walk, Roseville's Music-In-the-Park series, Arts for Schools in North Tahoe, Lincoln’s Feats of Clay, and the Library Garden Series in Auburn. PlacerArts publishes Perspectives, a bi-monthly arts magazine distributed countywide and mailed directly to members and supporters. Through an innovative partnership with the City of Roseville, PlacerArts has established a satellite office in downtown Roseville. Recently, PlacerArts launched two Internet programs designed to help bring artists and patrons together - the Regional Artist Registry and Public Arts Registry. An Arts Events Calendar is also available online. PlacerArts will host the first Jazz at 808 Concert May 8, at The Arts Building. For details, visit PlacerArts at http://www.placerarts.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.