The Brentwood Clarion
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The Brentwood Voice of Business AUGUST 2008
Vol. 45, No.8
Why Downtowns are Important? For years I've heard, why does a city and the Chamber spend so much time, money, and effort on a community's downtown? My answer is always the same and pretty simple. In a city of any size, when the downtown dies, eventually the whole city can die. A city is very much like a human body, with the business district being the heart of the city and the outskirts of the city being like the arms and legs of the a body. And like a body if the heart slows or fails, ultimately, the rest the body will fail and die. It seems like every community in the U. S, no matter what its size, goes through the transition of moving out of the old downtown to the new modern areas with new housing and shopping centers, and before most communities do anything about the shift, a change in downtown has already happened. As the downtown deteriorates the community's business activities move to the new areas and downtowns begin to look abandoned. Brentwood, like what other cities have gone through, is going through a evolution. But even with some storefronts vacant, the downtown is still busy and bustling with activity Monday through Saturday, but it would not take much more loss of businesses for change to happen in a negative way. So how do communities stop the negative change and re-energize the downtown? It is done with outlay of public funds from the city, partnered with private investment. The City of Brentwood is set to move forward with millions of dollars in investment in the downtown to build a new City Hall and community center. This is exactly what the downtown needs. As a city invests in its property the investment will generate private investment dollars in the currently underutilized city blocks across from the park and the city center. This combined venture will create a new look and bring more people back to the area in the center of our community and therefore strengthen the whole city. As the heart it will be strong and allowing for the rest of the community to continue to grow and prosper. For those people in the community that have lived and worked here for awhile, you will have to continue to be patient. Look at the continuous building of downtown Walnut Creek; it has been years of continuous improvement. Look at the new area south of Market Street in San Francisco, it also didn't just happen overnight. This process can takes years, but look at those areas now. These changes can and will happen in downtown Brentwood. In the very near future, with the combined investment of city funds for the City Hall and community center; and the commitment of private dollars in the surrounding area, the rest of the downtown will prosper, and grow, and the whole community will be strong.
Harry York, CEO Brentwood Chamber
TEAR OUT THE CENTER SECTION OF THIS NEWSLETTER AND GET INVOIVED!
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CornFest 2008 Executive Director’s Message By Ken Seamann, Chamber & CornFest Director
Welcome to CornFest 2008! A lot has happened since last year at this time in East County, Brentwood and the CornFest. Many more new people have moved into Brentwood and East County, but many people and businesses have also had setbacks due to the economy. The second stage of the Bypass , Lone Tree to Balfour, has been in full operation, photoconstrucby the first stage, Highway 4 to Lone Tree, recently opened and what a timesaver they are. The final planning and Generations Photography tion are going on now for the third and final stage, Balfour to Vasco Road. All of this has brought many new people to our area. Brentwood has grown tenfold since I first arrived here in 1981! Growth may be temporarily slowed, but more people will come in the not to distant future. All of this has brought changes to our everyday lives and also to the CornFest. Fireworks will once again be on Friday night instead of Saturday night, so make sure that you plan your family gettogethers and parties for the correct day. BUT, the fireworks will be bigger and better than ever! Don’t miss them. All of your friends from outside the area are very much welcome and encouraged to attend! The last two year’s changes produced exemplary behavior on the part of all attendees so we had few issues to deal with! THANK YOU ALL! The entertainment will be as good as ever. We will have Caravanserai (a Santana Tribute), Public Eye, Minor Dischord and Ralph Woodson, A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix, on Friday night just before the Fireworks Display. Rootz Underground, Alameda Allstars, California Dreaming, Lovin’ Spoonful, Spirit of ’29, Brentwood Blues Band, Steelin’ Dan, and Ventana on Saturday, and Joey Altman of Bay Area Café, California Cowboys, Juice Newton, Dave Rocha Jazz, Ashley (R&B), and Los Del Pueblo (Ranchero) on Sunday. This is only a part of the lineup, so please join us for the whole show. Also, let’s not forget the local farmers. There has been some consolidation of farms, but new ones have been added, the U-Picks are going strong and the wineries are taking off with a new tasting room on the way! We have a strong participation of the farmers in providing the corn for the CornFest and produce for the Farmers’ Market. Don’t miss the Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings on 1st Street between Oak and the Chestnut. Many storefront merchants are having specials during the Farmer’s Market, so come on down and participate. The Farmer’s Market will be open on Saturday of CornFest and we will have corn available inside the event. I want to thank all of the people who have come forth to help with this year’s event! Many new members have come forward to help out where needed. The success of this event will be because Chamber Members and the Citizens of Brentwood have put their best foot forward. I wish to thank you on behalf of the Chamber and CornFest Boards.
FOOD
FUN
&
FAMILY
Mission Statement: The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary organization dedicated to the promotion of the civic and commercial progress of the community. We will continuously strive to maintain and foster a healthy business climate for Chamber members and the entire community.
The Brentwood Clarion
Page 3 The Brentwood Chamber office is now able to provide you with all your Human Resource materials. We have copies of the 2008 California and Federal Posters, 2008 California Labor Law Digest, California Labor Law Administration, and the 2008 Employee Handbook software.
Now on sale in the Chamber office is a pictorial history of Brentwood by author Carol A. Jensen
Delta Accounting Services offers outsourced accounting solutions for start-up and small businesses in East Contra Costa County. In addition to our accounting services, we specialize in computer software technology. We can help you select the right software, install, configure and maintain it. If you have existing software, our background in computer programming and experience in numerous accounting systems allows us to easily step in and fill your accounting functions inhouse or remotely. The value to you is that we can help you save both time and money. If you are interested in outsourcing your accounting function, please give us a call. Remember our business is your solution.
Cell 925.813.1319
The Brentwood Clarion
Page 4 DOWNTOWN THURSDAYS MORE THAN SHOP, WINE & DINE
The Downtown Brentwood Merchant committee, a group of shop and restaurant owners, has come together to make downtown a happening place. “Downtown Thursdays” started with a commitment from merchants to stay open every Thursday evening from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., offering specials and appreciation, as a way to draw more business into the quaint and historic downtown area. “We are very excited about the downtown businesses joining together to help attract more walk-around activity,” said Kathi Reed, President of the Chamber of Commerce. Today, “Downtown Thursdays” is an event onto itself. A classic car show has been added with great success, with more than 50 cars arriving each week. Vintage models, and fully restored classics can be viewed in the parking log on Second Street across from the City Park. Walk down Oak and First Streets, and you’ll hear DJ’s playing 50’s and 60’s rock-n-roll music, and you’ll see arts and craft vendors set up on the sidewalks. The Fridley/Weber Art Gallery on First Street offers another way to relax while viewing the creativity of many local artists. Of course, there is always great food and beverage experiences in the restaurants around the historic center. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Merchant Committee meets every two weeks to discuss “Downtown Thursdays”, the classic car show events, and many other ideas for downtown venues. For more information, call Kerry Marvel at 240-6830 or Donna Ross at 5166200.
PRO-TECH HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING Bob & Sheri Dickson - Owners P.O. Box 2001, Brentwood, CA 94513
925-978-1776
925-516-1776 925-673-3776 Fax: 925-673-3777
www.protechheating.com
email: bob@protechheating.com Lic #705148
The Brentwood Clarion
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JUNE COMBINED MIXER A HUGE SUCCESS Dr. Richard Pierce of Pierce Chiropractic had signed up two years ago to have a mixer and thought the time would never arrive. However, on June 19th the mixer was held at his lovely office at 2489 Discovery Bay Blvd., Ste. 401. Richard decided to combine the Brentwood Chamber Mixer and the Discovery Bay Chamber Mixer into one. Many people belong to both Chambers, but there were enough strange faces on both sides for some serious networking. Due to the number of members who came to the mixer, it was an indoor/outdoor affair with parking spaces used for the crowd. Pop-up tents were erected for shade and they were welcomed by those outside as the temperature was in the high nineties. Kathi Reed, President of the Brentwood Chamber and Tim Mobley, President of the Discovery Bay Chamber welcomed everyone then introduced our host, Dr. Pierce. Dr. Pierce along with his young son introduced his crew and stressed the importance of chamber members doing business with each other and encouraged those in attendance to join both chambers and participate in the events.
Four new members of the Brentwood Chamber were present to tell about their business:
From left to right we have Bobbi Michalski of Brentwood Bike Company located in the Sunset Plaza on Brentwood Blvd. David Lu from Smith Barney in Pleasanton, but lives in Brentwood. Rose Relich with Dow Credit Union and Onezime Biagas with the soon to open It’s a Grind Coffee House . Jennifer Fink won the Share-the-Pot drawing of $123.00 and since she is the one taking the pictures of the event for the Brentwood Chamber we didn’t get a picture of her happy face. Both Chambers would like to give many thanks to those businesses that donated prizes for the raffle: Aadvantage Carpet Cleaning Discovery Bay Dessigns Dow Credit Union Hospice of the East Bay Ruggiero’s Italian Chef for Hire Shutters Restaurant & Brockman Engineering The Monthly Grapevine WineShop at Home
(photos provided by Generations Photography)
Income Tax Preparation Financial and Tax Planning Business Management Bookkeeping
8440 Brentwood Blvd., Suite H 925-240-1242 “Best of Brentwood” 2002-2007 Business of the Year, 15th Assembly District
www.reaganmanagementservices.com
The Brentwood Clarion
Page 6 The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce Invites you to participate in the
14th Annual Golf Tournament (Scramble format) TEAR OUT THIS CENTER SECTION MAIL IT ALONG WITH YOUR PAYMENT TO THE CHAMBER OFFICE !
DATE: TIME:
FRIDAY, September 19, 2008 CHECK IN—11:00 A.M. SHOTGUN START—12:00 P.M. NO-HOST BAR—5:30 P.M. WITH DINNER TO FOLLOW. (Additional dinners—30.00)
LOCATION:
Shadow Lakes 401 W. Country Club Drive Brentwood, CA 94513
COST:
$155.00 PER PERSON
(EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION $135.00 MUST BE IN CHAMBER OFFICE BY August 22, 2008 at 5:00 P.M.) Special Early Bird Drawing for a chance to win Free Gold Membership Initiation Fee to Shadow Lakes or Deer Ridge. The winner of this prize will only be required to pay the monthly dues fee).
FEE INCLUDES: GREEN FEE, CART, RANGE BALLS, TEE PRIZES, LUNCH AND DINNER TEE PRIZES :LONG DRIVE FOR MEN AND WOMEN, PUTTING CONTEST TEAM MEMBERS 1. ___________________________________________SHIRT SIZE_______________________ 2. ___________________________________________SHIRT SIZE_______________________ 3. ___________________________________________SHIRT SIZE_______________________ 4. ___________________________________________SHIRT SIZE_______________________ CONTACT PERSON:_________________________________PHONE NO:__________________ Additional Dinner:#_______________________ $30.00 MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Brentwood Chamber of Commerce 240 Oak Street Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 634-3344
Payment Information MasterCard______ Visa_____ Credit Card # _________________________ Expires:______________ ___ Billing Zip Code:___________ Signature:___________________
The Brentwood Clarion
August 28, 2008 Panama Bay Coffee Company 4431 Balfour Road, #A
TEAR OUT THIS CENTER SECTION FOR FUTURE REFERENCE! STAY INFORMED---STAY INVOLVED!
August 7, 2008 Gooseberry Fool 622 First Street
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The Brentwood Clarion
TEAR OUT THIS CENTER SECTION FOR FUTURE REFERENCE! STAY INFORMED---STAY INVOLVED!
Page 8
JOIN US FOR THE
August Mixer
BRENTWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
2008 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
hosted by:
August August 7
Chamber Lounge—Gooseberry Fool
Arbor Ridge Apartment Homes
August 21
Mixer at Arbor Ridge Executive Apartments
August 28
Coffee Club—Panama Bay Coffee Company
Location: 642 Shadow Willow Brentwood, CA 94513 DATE: TIME:
Thursday, August 21, 2008 5:30-7:30 p.m. *Raffle Prizes *Share-the-Pot Drawing
Anyone wishing to sign-up for the Golf Tournament see Jilda Early Bird Special Ends August 22, 2008
At-Home Tastings •Premier Wine Gifts Custom-Labeled Corporate Gifts
Kathi Reed Independent Wine Consultant
925-240-8382 www.winealongwithme.com wine@kathireed.com
September September 4
Chamber Lounge
September 18
Mixer at Discovery Professional Services
September 19
Golf Tournament—Shadow Lakes
September 25
Coffee Club
October October 16
Mixer at Shepherd’s Gate
October 25
Hometown Halloween
November November 1
A Taste of Brentwood (restaurant tour)
November 20
Mixer TBA
November 22
Holiday Parade
December 11 Holiday Mixer
Mixer Locations (or Ribbon Cuttings) can (and do) change at any time. Check the Calendar of Events on our website for updated information:
The Brentwood Clarion
Page 9
110° Magazine
Dallas Shanks Chevron
A-1 Transmission Service of Brentwood
Delta Sun Times
A&A Auto Parts & Sales
Discovery Professional Services
A.C. Delco/City Auto Supply
Dow Credit Union
All American Rentals
Dr. Michael A. Arrow, Oral Surgery
Biglow Insurance Agency
ECC Bank
Black Bear Diner
East Bay Muscle Cars
Black Sheep Design
Extreme Motorsports
Borden Junction Garage
Got U Covered Upholstery
Brentwood Fine Meats
Greg Harris Photography
Brentwood Funeral Home
Harvest Park Bowl
Brentwood Napa Auto Parts
Healthy Life
Brentwood Press
Home Depot
Bud Light
Hot Line Construction
California Payroll
In-N-Out Burger
Carol Carey Couture Salon
John Muir Health
Casey ’ s Auto Body
Kendall Automotive
City of Brentwood
Les Schwab Tire Center
Coca Cola Bottling Co.
Longs Drug Store
Comfort Suites
M&M Communications
Contra Costa Endodontics
MAG Playgrounds, Inc.
Creative Curb & Landscaping
Marsh Creek Electric
Crown Trophy
Mickey ’ s Magic
Dallas Shanks & Sons Automotive Repair
Minuteman Press
Nancy Kaiser, Consultant New York Life Perfect Smiles Family Dentistry Pinn Brothers Fine Homes Quik Stop #149 Safeway SDG Architects, Inc. Senior at Home Services, LLC Sutter Delta Medical Center The Monthly Grapevine The Weathervane Western Wear Travis Credit Union Tri Delta Transit Vornhagen Body & Paint WineShop at Home Window Innovations
All Sports Trophies Advertising Specialties Custom & Corporate Awards
Phone: 925-625-0278 P.O. Box 406 Oakley, CA 94561 www.linmarkltd.logomall.com
(925) 516-8880 • Fax (925) 625-5316 Email: starawards@sbcglobal.net
Bob & Sharon Sherriff, Owners
The Brentwood Clarion
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WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST CHAMBER MEMBERS! Perfect Smiles Family Dentistry Family Dentistry Dr. David Cartago 4510 O’Hara Street Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-634-9118 Fax: 925-634-9102 Custom One Offs T-Shirt Silk Screening Jeremy Jones, Owner 695 Flemish Court Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925 308-4092 Cell: 510-952-6268 Fax: 925 308-4092 Email: jjones@customoneoffs.com Brentwood Seawolves USA Swimming & Water Polo Team Steve Brix, President 1645 Rockingham Terrace Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-634-7574 Email: steve.brix@brentwoodseawolves.com www.brentwoodseawolves.com Bust-a-Bug Pest Management Pest Managements Alex Bustamonte, Owner Lyle Miller, Contact P. O. Box 651 Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-382-4369 Cell; 925-584-5148 Fax: 925-240-9870 Email: lyle@bust-a-bug.com www.bust-a-bug.com
Bay Area Drug Test Consultants Drug Testing, DNA Testing, Background Checks Rhonda Villasana, Owner 2420 Sand Creek Rd., C-1 #294 Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-207-1210 Cell: 925-207-1210 Fax: 925-513-8963 Email: info@BayAreaDrugTestConsultant@.com
Liberty Mutual Insurance Group Auto, Home & Life Insurance Loretta Holder, Agent 201 Sand Creek Rd., Bldg. 1, Suite A Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-308-7978 Cell: 925-522-1232 Fax: 925-516-3917 Email: Loretta.Holder@libertymutual.com The Commons @ Oak Grove Apartment Rentals Stacy Smith Rosalla Fuertes 59 Carol Lane Oakley, CA 94561 Phone: 925-625-4161 Cell: 909-648-3407 Fax: 925-625-0848 Email: SSmith@beaconpm.com www.beaconpm.com
Citslinc International, Inc. Leo Liu, President 108 N. Ynez Avenue, Ste. 205 Monterey Park, CA 91754 Phone: 626-571-0616 Fax: 626-571-7916 MB: 949-637-6688 Email: citslinc@aol.com New members continued
The Brentwood Clarion NEW MEMBERS CONTINUED. Delta Accounting Services Accounting Service Lynn Shroyer, Owner P. O. Box 1014 Discovery Bay, CA 94505 Phone: 516-6608 Cell: 260-4073
Page 11 BRENTWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kathi Reed, President WineShop at Home
Shelly McMahon, Ex-Officio Shelly’s Garden
Shayn Cutino, Director Anja Wellness
Bill Fee, Director
The Chamber Ambassador Team Paul Roman, Window Innovations 2007 Ambassador of the Year Amy Alvis, Living Trusts by Amy De-De Hays, Prudential California Realty Chris Krohn, The Emerging Soul Richard McDaniel, Mutual of Omaha David Mengel, Gemini Staffing Vicki Sexton, First Bank Pat Trombino, First Bank Olga Vidriales, Travis Credit Union Susanna Wahl, Edward Jones Renee Woodruff, MAP Donna Zickerman, Sarah Coventry Clarissa Perez-Pacheco, Black Sheep Design Shirley Freeman, America’s Best Choice John Fink, Delta Ranch & Homes Susan George, Ayurveda Knowledge For Life Liz Andrade, Ribbons & Roses Margarita Arroyo, Certa Pro
Mazzy’s Fire Protection Specialists
Toni Grimes, Director Notary Public
De-De Hays, Director Prudential California Realty
Richard Inglis, Director Reagan Management Services
Paul Kelly, Director Home One Mortgage
Richard Perez-Pacheco, Director Black Sheep Design
Ken Seamann, Director Discovery Professional Services
Karen Spann, President-Elect The Monthly Grapevine
Joe Trebino, Director Delta Pure Water, Etc.
Lyle Miller, Alternate Director Bust-A-Bug Pest Management t——————————————————
Harry York, CEO Bonnie Lucchese, Support Services Director Jilda Fairhurst, Event Coordinator Bill Putman, Volunteer CHAMBER HOURS Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Phone (925) 634-3344 Fax (925) 634-3731 email: info@brentwoodchamber.com
www.brentwoodchamber.com
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The Brentwood Clarion
The Brentwood Farmers’ Market is OPEN every Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon Downtown Brentwood
The Brentwood Clarion Brentwood Chamber of Commerce 240 Oak Street Brentwood, CA 94513
Phone: 925-634-3344 Fax: 925-634-3731 Email: info@brentwoodchamber.com www.brentwoodchamber.com
TEAR OUT THE CENTER SECTION OF THIS NEWSLETTER AND GET INVOLVED!