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IN PROGRESS ONLINE |
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Office of Economic Development, Placer County, California |
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Vol. 10, No. 1 |
January 2009 |
Ÿ PlacerGROWN Conference Set for Feb. 7
Ÿ Auburn Home Depot to Host Final Job Talk Sessions
Ÿ Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts Sport New Projects, Programs this Winter
Ÿ Sierra College Offers Spring Travelogue Series
Ÿ Tools for Business Success in Tough Times Available Online
Ÿ Women Business Owners’ Group to Hold Educational Seminar
Ÿ Twelve County Businesses Recognized as ‘Sustainable’
Ÿ Foundation Aims to Treat, Train and Transition Veterans
Ÿ Historic Grocery Now Houses New York-style Deli
Ÿ Squaw Valley Announces $1.2 Million Remodel of Mid-Mountain Restaurant
Ÿ California Bank & Trust Opens Roseville Branch
Ÿ What’s in Your E-Mail Newsletter?
PlacerGROWN Conference Set for Feb. 7
The 14th Annual PlacerGROWN Food and Farm Conference will be held Saturday, February 7, at Lincoln High School in Lincoln. Keynote speaker is Michael Dimock, president of Roots of Change, a collaborative of leaders and institutions pursuing a sustainable food system in California. A longtime advocate of sustainable agriculture, Dimock lectures on high-value marketing strategies to help small and medium-size agricultural producers survive amid global corporate consolidation. As the founder in 1992 of the Ag Innovations Network, Dimock has been a central player in the Slow Food movement, and has served as the chair of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, the state’s oldest organization dedicated to sustainable family farms. For details, visit PlacerGROWN at
http://ceplacer.ucdavis.edu/2009_PlacerGROWN_Farm_Conference/ or Roots of Change at http://www.rocfund.org/
Auburn Home Depot to Host Final Job Talk Sessions
In anticipation of opening its Auburn store in February, Home Depot has been holding Job Talk sessions on working at Home Depot and company expectations. Six sessions were held in December and two on January 5. Two more are scheduled on January 15, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Those sessions are filled, but the company is still accepting registrations, hoping to find room for anyone who wants to attend. Adam Lauder, who will be operations manager at the Auburn store, said he expects to interview 800 to 900 applicants for the 120 to 130 jobs available. For details and to be added to the Job Talk sessions list, call the One Stop Career Center at (530) 823-4631 or visit the Auburn Journal at
Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts Sport New Projects, Programs this Winter
The seven Ski Lake Tahoe resorts have entered the winter season amid a new period of lake-wide improvements and new programs that enhance recreation options and the mountain lifestyle. On the slopes, new ski trails are open and new lifts are going into service. Expanded snowmaking and grooming operations and new technologies will make getting through lift lines more efficient. Also being offered are new clinics, ski schools, and women-specific initiatives. Guests are enjoying added lodge amenities and new restaurants, shopping, and services. Expanded environmental programs at Ski Lake Tahoe resorts, representatives say have reduced the resorts’ environmental impact. For details, visit Ski Lake Tahoe at http://skilaketahoe.com/cms/
Sierra College Offers Spring Travelogue Series
Each fall and spring semester, Sierra College sponsors the Travelogue Adventure Film/Lecture Series at the Rocklin Campus. The series presents feature-length color travel films narrated live by experienced photojournalists. Offerings for the spring 2009 series include Egypt’s Treasures and Cruising the Nile (Feb. 6), Postcards from Italy (March 13), and Sea to Sea in a Model T (April 17). All travelogues are held on campus at the Dietrich Theatre at 7 p.m. Season tickets are $22 per set; individual tickets are $9 each. For details, visit Sierra College at http://sccommed.homestead.com/Travelogue.html
Tools for Business Success in Tough Times Available Online
“To say that times are tough for small business is an understatement. Reduced Credit, wary customers, and longer payment cycles are causing many small business owners to lose sleep. But the good news is your small business is in a group likely to start the recovery.” So says the Tools for Business Success website assembled by the county’s Economic Development Office. The site offers a wealth of resources and links that can help businesses during this difficult period. These include a workshop called 8 Marketing Tips for Recession Stressed Entrepreneurs; a free Cash Flow Calculator provided by BizPlans.com; professional appreciation cards using a link to the US Postal Service’s Cardstore; a free, email Customer Survey Tool; a website grader to optimize websites for the highest web traffic; an online bookstore on sales training; free and low-cost online classes on professional selling; and many other tools. For details, visit Tools for Business Success at http://www.toolsforbusiness.info/success/index.cfm?action=tough&cx=placerco
Women Business Owners’ Group to Hold Educational Seminar
Each spring, the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) hosts the Entrepreneur’s Edge, a day of educational seminars and connections for business owners and potential entrepreneurs. This year’s event, Striving & Thriving in a Challenging Economy, will be held Tuesday, February 10, 3 p.m., at 700 Ikea Court in West Sacramento. The cost is $39 for NAWBO members by Feb. 6, $49 after; $49 for non-members by Feb. 6, $59 after. Topics will include honing marketing skills, improving employment management, new growth strategies, business capital resources, and impacting public policy for business. Break-out sessions will cover, among other subjects, Information Technology for Small Business Owners, Taking Your Business to International Markets, and Revving Up Profits with Free Publicity. For details and to register, visit http://nawbo-sac.org/entrepreneurs-edge-2008/54
Twelve County Businesses Recognized as ‘Sustainable’
The Sacramento Sustainable Business program now 13 years old, promotes and assists businesses that take voluntary actions to prevent pollution and conserve resources. Businesses must apply and be verified for the “sustainable” designation. Over the past two years, a dozen Placer County businesses have made SSB’s list. They are, in Roseville, Dos Coyotes, Fairway Carwash, Gamboa’s Body and Frame, LPA, Inc., Mechanics Bank, and REI; in Rocklin, Five Star Bank, Mechanics Bank, Solarecity Electric, and United Natural Foods; in Lincoln, Eco-Chic Design; and in Auburn, American Home Sales. Businesses recognized by Sacramento Sustainable Business receive many benefits, in the form of assistance, advertising, and promotion. For more, visit Sacramento Sustainable Business at http://www.sacramentosustainablebusiness.org/
Foundation Aims to Treat, Train and Transition Veterans
The Veterans and Families Foundation, founded in 2003 by the father of a combat veteran, helps veteran’s transition home from military deployment to their families and civilian life. Supporting the foundation in that transition are employers, mental health professionals, academics, philanthropists, and community leaders. Recently, Bobbi Park, previously CEO of the Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce, was named the foundation’s executive director. Park had served on the foundation board for two years and had been a foundation volunteer since 2003. Lately, Park has been working with law enforcement and Veterans’ Services to create a plan to assist veterans who find themselves suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. And the foundation has been linking veterans and employers through the Employment Training Panel, which has funding to help veterans receive job training. “Supporting our veterans and their families is a gift we can all share,” Park says. The foundation is seeking donations to cover administrative costs such as website maintenance and free homecoming preparedness guides. For details, visit the Veterans and Families Foundation at http://www.veteransandfamilies.org/home.html or contact Bobbi Park at bobbi@veteransandfamilies.org
Historic Grocery Now Houses New York-style Deli
Tsuda’s Grocery, an Old Town Auburn fixture since 1951, has become a deli. This summer Auburn resident Alexandra Hastings Carnahan leased the building and began remodeling it for her Tsuda’s Old Town Eatery. In doing so, she preserved the site’s heritage while adding a New York accent. She has brought on two chefs, both culinary school graduates, who offer up sandwiches, salads, soups, bagels, and pastries. “What we’re looking to do is provide an authentic New York deli experience,” Hastings said. That means Boar’s Head meats, including navel-cut pastrami shipped from New York. The H&H bagels are also from New York - boiled, par-baked, and delivered flash frozen so they can be finished at the restaurant. Other breads arrive daily from Acme in Berkeley, famous for its sourdough. Salad dressings and mayonnaises are made in-house. Customers can choose eat-in or carryout, including purchasing deli meats by the pound. Kids’ items are on the menu, too. For more, visit Tsuda’s Old Town Eatery at http://www.tsudaseatery.com the Auburn Journal at http://www.auburnjournal.com/detail/101578.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=Tsuda%27s+Old+Town+Eatery&search_filter_mode=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=stories&town_id=6
Squaw Valley Announces $1.2 Million Remodel of Mid-Mountain Restaurant
This winter Squaw Valley USA is introducing skiers and riders to a new dimension in food service with the $1.2 million Gold Coast Mid-Mountain restaurant project. The 14,000-square-foot space, located at the top terminal of the Funitel (Squaw Valley’s 28-person cabin gondola), the new restaurant was constructed from 100 percent recycled and locally-produced building materials. Under the direction of a new executive chef, the restaurant will offer fresh, healthful, dishes to complement the new “natural” décor. For details, visit Squaw Valley USA at http://www.squaw.com/restaurants-bars-nightlife or Snowboard magazine at http://www.snowboard-mag.com/node/32888
California Bank & Trust Opens Roseville Branch
California Bank & Trust opened a branch in Roseville on December 15. The bank, which has three branches in Sacramento, will be managed by Doris Manning, who was hired as Roseville vice president. California Bank & Trust has hired Gene Marcucci Bell as senior vice president and regional manager for the Sacramento region to lead the bank’s growth in the region. The bank operates on a regional-headquarter system to encourage local decision making and relationship-based banking. The bank, at 925 Highland Point, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. For details, visit the Sacramento Business Journal at http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/12/01/daily29.html?t=printable
or California Bank & Trust at http://www.calbanktrust.com/locations/locations.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