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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. 6 |
June 2008 |
Ÿ High Speed Internet Workshop set for North Lake Tahoe
Ÿ Ad Space Available in 2008-09 Placer County Visitor Guide
Ÿ Tahoe City Festival Welcomes Summer
Ÿ Placer Gold Wine Fest Set for June 14
Ÿ Tickets On Sale for Lake Tahoe Music Fest
Ÿ Placer Women’s Network Plans Annual Business Expo
Ÿ New Habitat for Humanity Store Helps Environment, Homeowners
Ÿ North Tahoe Shop Offers New Summer Styles, Longer Hours
Ÿ H-P Recycling Program Could Save State $2M
Ÿ What’s in Your E-Mail Newsletter?
High Speed Internet Workshop set for North Lake Tahoe
On Tuesday, June 10, the Sierra Economic Development Corporation (SEDCorp) will present a High Speed Internet Workshop at Gar Woods Grill & Pier at 5000 North Lake Blvd., (530) 546-3366, Carnelian Bay, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Both the North Tahoe Business Association and Tahoe City Downtown Association are co-sponsoring this FREE information session. To remain competitive in a global economy, Placer County businesses, institutions, and residents must have access to the most advanced telecommunications technologies and services. This forum is an opportunity to demonstrate demand to service providers and capture community input on the need for broadband access in North Lake Tahoe. Your participation is a critical part of the data collection process – the more demand, the more interest by telecommunication providers to meet Placer County’s broadband needs. If you have questions about the workshop call SEDCorp at (530) 823-4703 or visit www.placer.ca.gov
Ad Space Available in 2008-09 Placer County Visitor Guide
Seventy-thousand copies of the new Placer County Visitor Guide will be ready for distribution by August, 2008. Published annually, the guide is the lodging, shopping, and recreation resource for new residents and tourists. The guide is distributed at the California Welcome Center in Auburn and at 13 other such centers throughout the state. It is available at many county hotels/motels, museums, and tourist destinations, and will also be distributed at the Sacramento Metropolitan Airport and on the Super Shuttle Van Service. Ad space at various levels is available in the new guide. Space reservation deadline is June 16. Placer County Visitors Bureau (PCVB) has chosen Blue Cat Studio, Inc., in Colfax, to design the new guide. Blue Cat is coordinating information, photos, and advertising for the 64-page, full-color magazine. For guide advertising details and rates, contact Blue Cat Studio at (530) 346-7160 or to download a media kit, visit http://www.bluecatstudio.com/. For more about PCVB, visit http://www.visitplacer.com/
Tahoe City Festival Welcomes Summer
Tahoe City business owners and residents have put their hearts and souls into planning the city’s Heart & Solstice Festival June 19 - 22, four days of celebration, music and fun. The festival opens on the 19th with the Tahoe City Farmers’ Market on Commons Beach, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., and continues that day with a Classic Car Stroll, downtown, 6 - 8 p.m., and the Crowning of Solstice King & Queen in Cobblestone Center at 7:30 p.m. Other days’ events include paddle fests, concerts at Commons Beach, art exhibits, and a Solstice Sip & Shop Wine Walk, in which participants can sample premier California wines and local chefs’ delicacies while exploring Tahoe City’s restaurants and shops. For more, visit Tahoe City Downtown Association at http://www.visittahoecity.com/SummerSolstice.aspx
Charleston Lavender Farm, in Colfax, is holding an Open House, Sunday, June 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Farm owner Renee Charleston says the event will include farm tours, “u-pick,” wand making classes, a wreath demonstration, and plants and products for sale. Charleston started growing lavender in 2004 as a balance to her work as an international public health consultant. “My farm products allow me to get out and participate in farmers’ markets and craft fairs,” she said. “I enjoy the freedom to work at my own pace, and the farm allows me to experiment and develop new products and recipes using lavender.” Charleston grows about 700 plants on a half-acre site on Yankee Jims Road. Varieties vary from the early blooming, sweet-smelling Sachet to long-stemmed late-blooming Fred Boutin. Her lavender is available in fresh bouquets (May to September), dried flowers, plants, and in bulk. Lavender products include bath salts, sachets, wreaths, dried arrangements, dryer sheets, and linen spray. For more about Charleston Lavender Farm, contact Charleston at lavender1@wildblue.net or (530) 637-4190 or visit PlacerGROWN at http://www.placergrown.org/farmer_bio.php?nav=104B
Placer Gold Wine Fest Set for June 14
The Placer County Wine & Grape Association invites home winemakers to participate in its 3rd Annual Home Winemakers’ Competition and Barbeque, Saturday, June 14. Entries are limited to wines produced by amateur winemakers. Wines will be judged by panels of three qualified evaluators from wine marketing, food services and commercial winemaking. Wine entries must be received by June 2. All interested persons are invited to an afternoon barbeque, at which the competition wines will be available for tasting. Cost for the barbeque, which starts at 1 p.m., is $20 per person. For barbeque reservations, due by June 9, call Latitudes at (530) 885-9535. For wine competition and barbeque details, visit http://www.placerwineandgrape.org/home_winemaker.htm
Tickets on Sale for Lake Tahoe Music Festival
Tuning up for its 26th season, the Lake Tahoe Music Festival tempts music lovers with another season of diverse musical performances, July 17 to August 9. The performances, all staged outside under the stars, take place at four scenic North Tahoe venues. The non-profit festival and its musical partner, the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, bring a full roster of talent for the 2008 festival including trumpet virtuoso Chris Botti, jazz saxophonist Dave Koz, and music legends Dave Mason (of Traffic fame) and Jim Messina (Loggins & Messina, Poco, and Buffalo Springfield). Adding more depth and diversity this year, the season’s lineup includes classic rock, jazz, big band, Broadway, acoustic world music, and classical. Opening Night Gala is Thursday, July 10. For details and tickets visit Lake Tahoe Music Festival at http://www.tahoemusic.org/
Placer Women’s Network Plans Annual Business Expo
On Tuesday, June 10, Placer Women’s Network (PWN) will hold its 6th Annual Business Expo and Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Roseville. Tickets are $20, and the event includes networking, a business showcase, prizes, and a “fun, sharing atmosphere of professional women.” Guest Speaker Sandy Burton, CEO of Swiss Avenue Partners, will present “Bottoms Up!” or “Building a Better Business Foundation.” Take2 Video, an innovative video messaging service, will be available at the expo to create professional videos live on location. PWN’s mission is to help women succeed. For expo and luncheon reservations, visit Placer Women’s Network at http://www.placerwomensnetwork.com/
CIMBL - It’s in the Bag
On May 3, Citizens Involved Means Better Living, or CIMBL, surpassed 30,000 bags picked up in its 14-year history. Founded in 1994 by rural Lincoln resident Hal Albertsen, CIMBL is a group of volunteers from the community that go out for three hours on a Saturday to pick up roadside litter on Placer County roadways. "Our Loomis clean-up has put us over 30,000 - 30,067 to be exact - with our volunteers having picked up 90 bags of litter and two tires on Saturday," said Dave Albright, executive director of CIMBL. "That equals 270 tons of litter and debris that we've taken off the side of the road." CIMBL schedules two clean-ups a month, 11 months a year, covering roadsides from Roseville to Colfax. The group also helps other organizations plan their own clean-ups on roads and in parks, creeks, or neighborhoods. All ages are welcome. For details
visit CIMBL at http://www.cimbl.org/ or call the CIMBL hotline at (530) 886-5250 or Dave Albright at (916) 652-2135.
New Habitat for Humanity Store Helps Environment, Homeowners
More environmental green and less out-of-pocket green are goals of the county’s Foothills Habitat for Humanity newly opened “ReStore” in Roseville. There, shoppers can find new and gently used building materials, appliances, hardware, furniture, and much more at greatly discounted prices. The use of new material and the reuse of good, used material, all donated from county businesses and householders, keeps that material out of county landfills and affords homeowners an inexpensive way to keep pace with home maintenance. The ReStore, located at 8280 Industrial Ave., is open Thursday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds from the store are used to build affordable homes sold to Placer County families at no profit, with a no-interest loan. All donations to the ReStore are tax deductible. For details, call the ReStore at (916) 797-8673 or visit Foothills Habitat for Humanity at http://www.foothillshabitat.org/
North Tahoe Shop Offers New Summer Styles, Longer Hours
Mountain Casuals, at 475 North Lake Blvd. in Tahoe City, is sporting the season’s latest fashions and new, longer hours now that summer is here. Owner and SEDCorp business loan client Barbara Whitworth has put together an eclectic selection of women’s clothes including everything from dressy dresses to “lots of fun tops.” Among many other labels, Whitworth carries Woolrich, Fresh Produce, and Jams World. “We’re well-stocked with many, many choices and ready for the tourist season,” Whitworth said. “And we’re now open seven days a week,10 a.m. to 6 p.m.” SEDCorp (Sierra Economic Development Corporation) works to help stimulate economic growth, providing small businesses with technical and financial services and resources. For details about Mountain Casuals, call (530) 583-7302. For more about SEDCorp, visit http://www.sedd.org/.
H-P Recycling Program Could Save State $2M
Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to supply the state of California with a print cartridge recycling and environmental printing program throughout state agencies. When fully implemented, the program will cut green house gas emissions by 500 tons per year, according to an H-P news release. The company piloted the program with the state Board of Equalization last year. By offering the agencies free return and recycling services for H-P ink and toner cartridges, the company hopes to keep 100 tons of print cartridges from being dumped in landfills. As agencies purchase and recycle cartridges, they will earn “points” to buy new, more energy-efficient printers to replace older models. The program could save the state as much as $2 million per year, the company said. For more, visit the Sacramento Business Journal at http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/04/07/daily6.html?t=printable
or Hewlett-Packard at
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/recycle/index.html
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/Departments/CEO/EconDev/Business%20News.aspx