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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. 12
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December 2008
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Ÿ Urbano’s Pledges Good Food at Fair
Prices
Ÿ Tahoe City’s Holly Days Jubilee Fills
December
Ÿ Quarry Ponds Town Center Offers Event
Planning, Catering
Ÿ ‘Tis the Season for Mandarins
Ÿ Dutch Flat Hotel to Hold Victorian
Christmas Open House
Ÿ Surewest Announces Launch of Bonded
DSL
Ÿ Nutcracker Ballets Performed at North
Tahoe and Auburn
Ÿ Collectibles Shop Evokes Owner’s
Foray into Fashion World
Ÿ Galleria Mall Revamp Opened in
November
Ÿ Local Bank Among Fastest-growing
Firms in Region
Ÿ Destination Diva Event to Benefit
PEACE for Families
Ÿ What’s in Your E-Mail Newsletter?
Urbano’s
Pledges Good Food at Fair Prices
Restaurant owner Urbano “Dave” Tovar appreciates the sophisticated digs of
his newest venture, Urbano’s Mexican Restaurant in Twelve Bridges. But he
doesn’t let the upscale atmosphere distract him from the reason he’s there.
Tovar is on a mission to bring Lincoln
the same brand of simple, fresh Mexican food that has been his family’s
livelihood for the past two decades. “Our food is not complicated or exotic,”
Tovar said. “It’s just a simple menu - enchiladas, tacos,
tostadas - that’s what people want to eat. That’s been the key
to our success, and we’re applying the same principles here.” And Tovar strives
to keep the prices as palatable as the food. Urbano’s is the family’s third
location. The first two are in Carmichael,
where they were started by Tovar’s father, Urbano Sr. Urbano’s is at 855 Twelve Bridges Dr., Ste. 150.
For details, visit the Lincoln
News Messenger at http://www.lincolnnewsmessenger.com/detail/91698.html?content_source=&category_id=9&search_filter=&search_filter_mode=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=12
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Tahoe
City’s Holly Days Jubilee Fills December
Starting with Shop Local
Week, Dec. 1 - 7 and ending with a visit from Santa on Dec. 20, Tahoe City’s
Holly Days Jubilee looks to be a jolly time for holiday shopping and family
fun. Participating retailers will be offering Shop Local discounts with
purchases. A Shop Local contest and raffle promises prizes from North Shore
businesses. Jubilee events include Tahoe City’s Town Tree Lighting, Family
Winter Wonderland (Heritage Plaza) and Holiday Shopping Soiree (Boatworks
Mall), Jazz Band Concert (Jake’s on the Lake), Holiday Craft Bazaar (Rideout
Community Center), Rotary Santa Sled Day (Granlibakken Resort), and Community
Christmas Caroling. Parents can avail themselves of Parents Night Out, Dec. 5,
or Holiday Babysitting Day, Dec. 14. For details and a list of participating
retailers, visit Tahoe City Downtown Association at http://www.visittahoecity.com/
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Quarry Ponds Town Center Offers Event Planning, Catering
A unique,
upscale specialty center, Quarry Ponds, overlooking the picturesque six-acre
Quarry Ponds in Granite
Bay, houses five
chef-owned-and-operated restaurants, several one-of-a-kind boutiques, and,
opening this month, a fine jewelry store. The center also has a private meeting facility and a full off-site
catering kitchen that can produce anything from box lunches to extravagant
sit-down dinners. “We work with businesses throughout the area, assisting them
with their company events - board meetings, retirement
parties, holiday parties,” said Rachel Linfor, event account manager at Quarry
Ponds. “We feel it’s important right now to help make it possible for
businesses to continue their company events to ensure employee morale and
loyalty through a tough economy. We work within the guidelines of each
customer, private or business, to create a special and unforgettable event each
and every time.” Quarry Ponds is located at 5550 Douglas Blvd. For details, call
Rachel Linfor at (916) 749-2087 or visit http://www.quarryponds.com/
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‘Tis the
Season for Mandarins
Now that November’s Mountain Mandarin
Festival has ushered in this year’s mandarin season, the more than 30 members
of the Mountain Mandarin Growers Association are opening their farms and
orchards for visits and sales. From November through January, the growers
invite visitors to enjoy a day in the Placer County
countryside touring both large and small mandarin orchards, where they will
find, besides mandarins, other winter fruits, vegetables, and mandarin-related
products, such as marinades, syrups, and salad dressings. A handful of orchards
also have picnic areas. “Mandarins make a wonderful holiday gift for friends,
family, and business associates,” reminds the growers’ website. And many
growers also provide shipping. For details visit Mountain Mandarin Growers
Association at http://www.mountainmandarins.com/home.htm.
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Dutch Flat
Hotel to Hold Victorian Christmas Open House
Tom and Sussy Flanigan, owners of the venerable Dutch Flat Hotel, will
open the restored bed and breakfast inn to the public Saturday, December 20, 6
to 9 p.m. for their 4th Annual Victorian Christmas. Musicians and
singers will entertain during the event as visitor’s tour the inns’ six guest
rooms and spacious public areas, all fully decorated for the holidays. The
hotel, open every day of the week, has also become an event center and
entire-inn rental for parties, family reunions, and weddings. “We do summer
weddings in our backyard garden, where we’ve recently done extensive work,
adding a pond and stream and outdoor kitchen patio,” Sussy noted. “And now is
the time to book weddings for next summer.” Sussy has just opened a gift shop
in the inn, filled with handmade gifts done by local artists, and early next
year the Flannigan’s are adding a concert series to their busy event schedule.
For details, contact Sussy at beautifuldutchflathotel@yahoo.com
or visit the Dutch Flat Hotel at http://www.a1vacations.com
property number 140969.
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Surewest
Announces Launch of Bonded DSL
SureWest Communications
recently announced the launch of its newest technology, Bonded DSL, an advanced
technology that will increase the download speeds for eligible DSL subscribers.
“Bonded DSL allows us to provide faster Internet speeds,” said SureWest senior
vice president and chief technology officer Bill DeMuth in a news release.
“Demand for higher speeds is swelling, and we are pleased to offer this upgrade
to our DSL customers.” In addition to higher speeds, SureWest’s subscribers
using the bonded DSL technology receive up to 1 gigabyte of e-mail storage and
up to 10 gigabytes of personal Web space and optional home networking. For
more, visit the Roseville Press Tribune at http://www.rosevillept.com/detail/97226.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=Surewest&search_filter_mode=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=8
or SureWest Communications at http://www.surewest.com/
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Nutcracker
Ballets Performed at North Tahoe and Auburn
The last two performances of
Placer Theatre Ballet’s Nutcracker will be held Saturday, December 6 at 2
p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 12 noon, at Placer High School Auditorium, in Auburn. The cast includes
students and professional guest dancers. The company is known for its fresh,
lively take on this seasonal classic and its excellent dancing. Tahoe Dance
School, a community dance
academy, presents its adaptation of The Nutcracker on Sunday, December
7, 3 p.m. at the North Tahoe School Theatre. The ballet will be staged with
students and adults in a beautifully costumed and staged production. For
details and tickets, visit Placer Ballet Theatre at http://www.placertheatreballet.org/index.htm
or Tahoe Dance School
at http://www.tahoedanceschool.com
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Collectibles
Shop Evokes Owner’s Foray into Fashion World
If customers find something
eye-catching at Casa in Old Town Auburn, chances are there’s a story behind it.
The antiques and collectibles - from wall-mounted taxidermy to
leather-bound classics and Chinese-blue porcelains - are a reflection of the decorating sense and life experience of owner
Mora Rowe. Born and raised in Auburn,
Rowe had a chance encounter in the late 1980s with Katie Ford, daughter of Ford
Models magnate Eileen Ford. That led to a working relationship and friendship
that eventually took Rowe into the world of high fashion, where she worked in
various capacities for about 10 years. Many of the items she collects for Casa
are inspired by things she saw during visits to the estates and grand homes of
associates in the New York
fashion world, she said. Mora also works with her mother, Jacki Rowe, in the
Casa of Auburn home design business, designing and remodeling home exteriors
and interiors. For details, visit the Auburn Journal
at
http://www.auburnjournal.com/detail/98120.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=Casa+decorating&search_filter_mode=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=6
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Galleria
Mall Revamp Opened in November
Just in time for the holiday
shopping season, Westfield last month unwrapped
the first phase of a massive, $240 million expansion project at the Galleria
mall in Roseville,
bringing 48 new stores and eateries - many new to the
region - to the already outsized retail juggernaut. Arrivals
included a Louis Vuitton boutique and the Swedish clothing chain H&M,
neither of which previously had stores in the area. The expansion project adds
about 450,000 square feet to the mall, currently at 1.1 million square feet.
That doesn’t include a five-story parking garage also opened in November.
Filling up the leasable space are stores such as Juicy Couture, Hot Topic, and
BCBG Max Azria. Starting early next year, the mall will start to roll out about
50 more stores including Tiffany’s, as they open as part of Phase 2. For
details, visit the Roseville Press Tribune at http://www.rosevillept.com/detail/98928.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=Galleria+Mall&search_filter_mode=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=8
or Westfield Galleria Mall at http://westfield.com/galleriaatroseville/
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Local Bank
Among Fastest-growing Firms in Region
Granite Community Bank, N.A.
was recently recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the greater Sacramento region. The
bank, with offices in Granite Bay, Roseville, and Auburn, ranked number 34 among the fastest-growing
companies in the Sacramento region in a study
done by the Sacramento
Business Journal. The region includes Sacramento,
Placer, El Dorado,
and Yolo counties. Since opening its doors with nine employees in June 2002 at
its Granite Bay location, the bank has rapidly
expanded to three branches with 43 employees. For more, visit the Roseville Press
Tribune at http://www.rosevillept.com/detail/97216.html?content_source=&category_id=9&search
or Granite Community Bank at https://www.granitecb.com/index.html
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Destination
Diva Event to Benefit PEACE for Families
A holiday shopping party
featuring local vendors offering the latest in fashion, jewelry, beauty, and
home décor is all about the spirit of giving say its creators, Isabel Bishop
and Anne Vassion. Destination Diva, is set for Thursday, December 4, 6 to 9
p.m. at the Blue Goose Event
Center on Taylor Road in
Loomis. This is “a girls’ night out, complete with food and wine
sampling, dedicated to giving back to Placer County,”
explained Bishop. “There will be raffle prizes generously donated from local
businesses to help benefit PEACE for Families, a private, non-profit
organization that provides services to victims of domestic violence.”
Participants in Destination Diva can receive mini-makeovers, hair styling tips,
complimentary massages, and do holiday shopping all under one roof, said
Vassion. “This is a perfect opportunity for women to get out, get pampered, and
shop!” The event is free; but a monetary donation to PEACE for Families is
encouraged. For details, call (916) 300-3121.
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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.