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IN PROGRESS ONLINE
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Office of Economic Development, Placer County, California
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Vol. 8, No. 10
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October 2007
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Ÿ Mountain Carpets Moves to New, Larger
Location
Ÿ North Tahoe Business Group Plans
Holiday Party
Ÿ Placer County -- A Great Place for
Grapes
Ÿ Old Town Roseville’s Owl Club
Re-Opens
Ÿ North Tahoe’s Moonshine Ink
Celebrates 5th Year Anniversary
Ÿ New Nursery Owner Has Roots in
Landscaping
Ÿ Innovative Roseville Eatery Opens
with Charity Luncheon
Ÿ Roseville Arts Offers New
Memberships, Chance for Prizes
Ÿ Squaw Valley USA to Host Winter Job
Fair
Ÿ Bring the Olympics Back to Tahoe?
Ÿ Businesses Invited to Participate in
Labor Market Survey
Ÿ What’s in
Your E-Mail Newsletter?
Mountain Carpets
Moves to New, Larger Location
Owners of Mountain Carpets,
Brent and Tamara Gould, have moved their growing business into their own brand
new, 6,500 square-foot building at 3670 Grass Valley Highway, in Auburn.
Previously, they had been leasing a space near the new structure. The couple
started Mountain Carpets in 1992 in Elk Grove, and moved it to Auburn in 2001. The business sells and
installs all kinds of flooring -- ceramic tile, vinyl, laminates, hardwoods,
and carpet. During the recent move, the Gould’s had the help of the County’s
Business Advantage Network. “Now we have a whole new showroom, a whole new
look, with the same low prices and great service,” said Tamara. “We’re giving
back to the community by building this beautiful building on Highway 49 and
creating a fun, comfortable place to shop.” Mountain Carpets will host
the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce Mixer at
their new location on November 15, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. For details call
(530) 887-0587.
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North Tahoe
Business Group Plans Holiday Party
Visitors and residents can
kick off the Holiday Season on Friday, November 30 at the North Tahoe
Conference Center,
5 - 8 p.m., joining the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, North Tahoe
Public Utility District, and North Tahoe Business Association. The festive
family event will feature holiday music, hot chocolate, and shopping at the
Holiday Fair. Among the many businesses to be represented are Jai-Yen, offering
treasures from the Far East; Tahoe Mountain
Sports, showing the latest outdoor gear; and Lakeside Gallery, whose
representatives will help visitors make their own holiday ornaments and other
craft items. Of course, Santa will be there to help light the Holiday Tree. For
details on the Holiday Party and the new “Shop Early, Buy Local” holiday week
of specials, visit North Tahoe Business Association at http://www.ntbamainstreet.org/
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Placer County -- A
Great Place for Grapes
Throughout Placer County
there are homes and properties with enough open space to grow grapes. But
how do interested parties get started? Where does one go for information on
creating a vineyard? How much space and time is needed to manage three vines,
30 vines, or even 300 vines? The Placer County Wine and Grape Association
(PCWGA) is the first resource of choice. PCWGA is a nonprofit group “committed
to informing and educating the public about Placer County
wines, wineries, grape growers, and grapes.” Lisa Mann, who recently retired
from a real estate career, was one beneficiary of PCWGA’s
information and advice. Mann owns the newly named Fortezza
Winery in Auburn,
just down the road from Mt. Vernon Winery. “You can learn as you go, and the
members really support each other,” Mann says. For the full article in the Granite
Bay View, visit http://www.granitebayview.com/article/2007/6/1221
For more information visit
Placer County Wine and Grape Association at http://www.placerwineandgrape.org/
or Sierra Wines at http://www.sierrawines.com/ava.aspx?id=22
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Old Town
Roseville’s Owl Club Re-Opens
Construction crews roam the
streets by day, and the roads and sidewalks are lined with orange cones and
caution tape. The scene is all part of the $9.4 million upgrade to the streetscape
and infrastructure of Old Town Roseville. And while the big picture takes
shape, with new landscaping, lighting, and street furniture for a more visually
attractive, pedestrian-friendly area, a smaller yet no less ambitious remodel
within this historic district stands complete. The Owl Club, a Roseville landmark established in 1934, is
once again open for business. New Owners Ellia and
Bianca Karres have given the popular hangout an
upscale upgrade, where guests can relax an overstuffed couches while they
sample micro-brews, ales, lagers, and, on Wednesdays, martini specials.
Thursday is live piano music night; Fridays and Saturdays are dance nights,
with a disc jockey spinning ‘80s rock in the upstairs lounge. For more, visit
the Roseville Press-Tribune
at http://www.thepresstribune.com/articles/2007/10/13/news/top_stories/01owl.txt
or the Owl Club at http://www.owlclub.com/about.htm
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North
Tahoe’s Moonshine Ink Celebrates 5th Year Anniversary
It’s party time at Moonshine
Ink. The independent, monthly, community-based newspaper covering Truckee
and North Tahoe is celebrating five years in
business. The party is free and open to the public. Since it was started
in 2002, Moonshine Ink has grown to a circulation of 8,000 copies
available free at more than 130 North Tahoe
locations. The paper estimates that it has 12,000 print readers and 3,000
online readers, a majority aged 36 to 55. Its target audience includes both
English and Spanish readers. The paper has a strong advertising base and keeps
its ratio of ads to editorial to less than half. For more, visit Moonshine
Ink at http://www.moonshineink.com/
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New Nursery
Owner Has Roots in Landscaping
It had been a lifelong dream
of 38-year-old landscaper Derek Gilliland to start a nursery. His dream
came true with the grand opening in April 2007 of Bella Fiore Nursery &
Gardens in Applegate. Gilliland said he started working with plants right after
high school when he was hired at Pleasant Valley Landscape in Penn Valley.
Soon afterward, he became manager at A&A Stepping
Stone in Newcastle,
selling landscape products and working six days a week, 14 hours a day, and
learning about retail, he said. Now, Derek manages the landscape supplies while
his wife, Heidi, is in charge of indoor plants. The couple lives in Colfax. The
business offers landscape-design consulting services and specializes in “softscape” materials -- natural materials such as river
cobbles and boulders. Bella Fiore also sells about 30 varieties of Japanese
maples, sunset maples, dogwoods, pond liners and koi.
The garden shop carries everything from iron gazebos and wooden birdhouses to
skin lotions. Pumpkins, chrysanthemums, and other fall items are available now.
For more, call Bella Fiore at (530) 878-7906 or visit http://www.bellafioregardensinc.com/
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Innovative Roseville Eatery Opens with Charity Luncheon
Paul Martin Fleming’s new American
Bistro restaurant opened on October 22 at 1455 Eureka Road in Roseville,
and is a casual, contemporary urban loft serving wholesome, seasonal dishes in
a stylishly rustic Napa
Valley atmosphere. Paul
Martin Fleming is perhaps the country’s most successful developer of restaurant
concepts. His line includes PF Chang’s China Bistro, Pei
Wei Asian Diner, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and
Wine Bar. For details on American Bistro, visit http://www.paulmartinsamericanbistro.com/
or Paul Fleming Restaurants at http://www.paulflemingrestaurants.net/
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Roseville Arts Offers New Memberships, Chance for Prizes
Roseville Arts is offering
anyone who joins as a new member before November 15th a chance to win tickets
for two to the following Roseville Arts-sponsored tours -- The
Nutcracker Ballet, December 22, 2007; the 8th Annual Art in the Garden Home
& Garden Tour, May 3, 2008; and The Phantom of the Opera, June 12,
2008 -- a value of over $400. Current members will receive a chance to win for
every new member they refer. “Members receive some great benefits,” said
Roseville Arts’ executive director Barbara Dolder,
“and they may choose to get involved as active participants in our vibrant
organization just in time to enjoy the grand opening of our new Blue Line
Gallery in early 2008.” For a full list of membership levels and benefits call
(916) 783-4117 or visit http://www.rosevillearts.org/involved.html
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Squaw Valley
USA to Host Winter Job Fair
“Set yourself up for a fun
and exciting winter with a job at Squaw Valley USA.” The invitation comes from the
well-known Olympic ski resort/recreation area for a Winter Job Fair to be held
November 3, 4 & 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Olympic Village Lodge in Squaw Valley. Managers from all hiring departments will
be on hand to meet prospective employees. “If you’d like to work at a superb
mountain resort this winter, with other high-energy and fun people, plan to be
at Squaw Valley for the Winter Job Fair.” For
details call (530) 583-6985 or visit Squaw Valley USA at http://www.squaw.com/winter-job-fair-0
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Bring the
Olympics Back to Tahoe?
A regional group wants to
bring the Olympic Winter Games back to Tahoe in 2018. The effort to host
another winter games in America
is being headed by the Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition, a bi-state group
whose members include Brian Krolicki, Nevada’s Lt. Governor
and California Assemblyman Ted Gaines. At a recent town hall meeting in Truckee, coalition members discussed the potential
benefits to the region of hosting an Olympics. Those benefits include revenue
and improved infrastructure, said Jim Vanden Heuvel, the coalition’s chief executive officer. Among the
region’s strengths in an Olympic bid, proponents say, are its largest
concentration of world-class winter resorts in the world; transportation
infrastructure; and double the hotel rooms that Salt Lake City had in place for its Olympic
Games. Vanden Heuvel said
more information on the proposal, addressing questions and concerns, would come
out in the creation of the bid proposal over the next year. For details, visit
the Sierra Sun at http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20071017/NEWS/71017020
http://www.renotahoewintergames.org
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Businesses
Invited to Participate in Labor Market Survey
Placer County
Office of Economic Development in partnership with the Golden Sierra Job
Training Agency, are requesting Placer
County businesses with 49
or fewer employees to participate in a labor market survey. The survey will
help assess the needs of area employers as a first step to solution strategies
such as workforce retention, lay-off aversion,
financing, or growth opportunities. An on-site visit from a county
representative will give employers an opportunity to learn first-hand about the
business services, resources, and referrals connected to the Workforce
Investment System "One-Stop Career Centers" in Placer County.
To participate in the survey, email Susanne McCabe at smccabe@placer.ca.gov For more information, visit Business Advantage Network at http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CEO/EconDev/BusinessAdvantageNetwork.aspx
or Golden Sierra Job Training Agency at http://www.goldensierra.com/
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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