The Brentwood Clarion
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Vol. 45, No. 7
JULY 2009
Thank You to Our CornFest Sponsors! 110 Magazine Addus HealthCare Allan Frank, MD, MS American Legion Post 202 Beacon Home Care BeautiControl Best Buy Biglow Insurance Agency Black Sheep Design Borden Junction Brentwood Auto Parts-Napa Brentwood Bike Co. Brentwood Funeral Home Brentwood Golf Club Brentwood Press Brentwood Self Storage Bud Light California Diesel & Power California Payroll Casey’s Auto Body Chuck E. Cheese Citadel Broadcasting City of Brentwood Coast Radio Company Coca Cola Bottling Co Comcast Crème Dela Gem Jewelry Dallas Shanks Chevron Deer Ridge Golf Club Delta Black Bear Diner Delta Sun Times Diamond Hills Sports Club and Spa Discovery Professional Services Dwelley Farms East Bay Muscle Cars East County Insurance Agency ECC Bank Extreme Motorsports F.A. Maggiore & Sons Far West Sanitation Fremont Bank G&S Farms Got U Covered Got-A-Party Hampton Inn of Brentwood Harvest Park Bowl Holiday Inn Express Home Depot Home Loan Preservation Home One Mortgage Express
John Muir Outpatient Center Kendall Automotive Kohl’s Department Stores Les Schwab Tires Mary’s Delicacies Mazzy’s Fire Protection Specialists McCurley’s Abbey Carpet MedSolutions Mickey’s Magic Mike’s Auto Body Mimi’s Cafe Minuteman Press Nancy Kaiser, Consultant Pacific Gas & Electric Quick-Deck Quik Stop #149, Brentwood Rave Motion Pictures Red Door Dance Studio Ron Nunn Farms Safeway Shadow Lakes Golf Club Simoni & Massoni Farms Special Events Streets of Brentwood Sutter Delta Medical Center The Monthly Grapevine Travis Credit Union Tri Delta Transit Trucks Training Tummies to Tots Twin Tigers Academy of Self Defense Vornhagen Body & Paint Wayne E Swisher Concrete Wine…Oh! Magazine Wineshop At Home Wiretech Electric Zeigler Insurance Group
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CornFest 2009 Co-Chair’s and Chamber Director’s Message Well, we just finished CornFest 2009 and what a CornFest it was! Attendance was up across the board. We had a greater selection of vendors and a wide variety of entertainment that was enjoyed by all. We again had a huge and rousing Fireworks display, sponsored by The City of Brentwood. The City has worked closely with the Chamber this last year, through the efforts of Hazel Wetherford, to ensure that this event would be successful, even in these current Economic Times. A Special Thanks to the Liberty High School District for allowing us to use their facilities to present these Fireworks, and also for allowing us to use their grounds for numerous activities throughout the CornFest. Also, thank you to G & S Farms and the Brentwood Fire Dept. for setting up and monitoring our sprinkler safety system for the show. Thank You to Aldo Ghiozzi of Wine…Oh! Magazine and Becky Bloomfield of CoCo Wine Store for heading up the Wine Garden for us. Also, thanks to Joe Peterson of Coca-Cola and Joe Marin of Budweiser/Markstein for providing us with a generous supply of beverages and sponsorships for the event. Thank you to the all of the Non-Profit organizations that ran these booths for us. Also, thank you to all of the local residents who attended this event, and invited their friends, making it successful, and all the Downtown Merchants. Thank You to all of the Sponsors that came forward to help us out! Many of our Vendors also help out with sponsorships. Their efforts and dollars are greatly appreciated. Last, but certainly not least, THANK YOU to all of the Volunteers that made this event possible. We have a core group of Volunteers that work on this event almost year-round. Starting in January, they spend many hours in meetings & planning sessions so that The Community has this event to look forward to. This involves Chamber Staff and Board, Local Non-Profits, and Community members that just plain kick in to help.
For the Chamber Board & Staff, Thank You all for your participation. Ken Seamann, Director and Co-Chair CornFest 2009
Yogurt Pizazz A unique dessert experience has recently opened its doors in Brentwood. Yogurt Pizazz is a self-serve frozen yogurt shop that allows customers to customize their own yogurt creation by piling on their own toppings and then paying by the ounce. Flavors and toppings are rotated on a regular basis, so the possibilities are endless. The shop is located at 3860 Balfour Road and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Plans are in place to open a second location in the Streets of Brentwood. For more information, call (925) 626-7840. 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.
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The Red Door Dance Studio A fun and exciting new dance studio has just recently opened its doors on in beautiful Downtown Brentwood. A Ribbon Cutting to celebrate the Grand Opening of The Red Door Dance Studio on June 20, 2009 was attended by Chamber officials; owner, Cozette Hileman; and Red Door Dance instructors. The studio offers Belly Dance classes for all levels, including a “Sassy Pants Belly Dance Workout”. The studio also offers Ballroom, Latin and Swing dance lessons; yoga and Zumba Fitness classes. Instructors are certified and highly experienced. The Red Door is located at 817 First Street in Dowtown Brentwood. For more information call (925 516-3667 or visit their website at www.reddoordance.com for more information and class schedules.
All Sports Trophies Advertising Specialties Custom & Corporate Awards
(925) 516-8880 • Fax (925) 625-5316 Email: starawards@sbcglobal.net
Bob & Sharon Sherriff, Owners
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Rival states hope California's economic woes will send businesses their way Taken from the Sacramento Bee Published Thursday, Jul. 02, 2009 California's budget crisis is turning into a worldwide spectacle that could harm the state's business climate – and chase companies away. Rival states are revving up their economic-development efforts as global news outlets fixate on the $26.3 billion deficit and the IOUs the state is expected to issue today. California companies are making inquiries to out-of-state groups like the Economic Development Authority of Northern Nevada. Besides asking about tax rates and other expenses, many are worried about California's "general overall chaos, that uncertainty," authority marketing director Julie Ardito said from her office in Reno. The recession is freezing many companies in place. But as the economy begins to stir, CEOs are starting to compare the costs of doing business in California vs. going elsewhere. Ardito said the volume of calls to her organization – from California and other states – has jumped 40 percent from a year ago. Jack Boyd of the Boyd Co., a relocation consultant in New Jersey, predicted "a new wave of companies … leaving California." Many other firms looking to reach California consumers will do so from locations just outside the state, he said. Boyd said Sacramento's budget problems are feeding the perception that California is a high-cost, overregulated, out-of-control place to do business. "The California business climate has always been difficult," he said. "This is a whole new overlay to that." The media aren't helping California's cause. On Wednesday, former Gov. Gray Davis was interviewed on CNBC over a headline that said, "The IOU State." London's Financial Times ran a lengthy piece on the IOUs, while a Washington Post column was headlined, "California: A Dream Decimated." An Associated Press story said that because California is so big, its economic woes could delay the national recovery. And assorted California pundits were fielding calls from the world's media. "Even the BBC is calling me," said Chris Thornberg, head of Beacon Economics consulting in Los Angeles. Thornberg, for one, said the image issue is overblown, especially with other states facing big economic and political problems, too. Four other states have unemployment rates higher than California's 11.5 percent. "I don't think we're worse off than anybody else," he said. Asked at a news conference Wednesday if he was embarrassed for California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "I'm proud of California, even though we have our crisis. No one can point fingers, because as you can see, there are 30 states right now that have their fiscal year starting today that also don't have a budget, so, I mean, let's not get carried away and just look at California as (if) we are the only state that cannot manage the budget." A 2007 study by the Public Policy Institute of California dismissed the notion of a mass business exodus. The study said California's share of the national job market, just under 11 percent, has held steady over the years. For all its recruitment, the Reno-Sparks area just across the Nevada line has lured only 35 companies and 1,200 jobs from California the past six years, Ardito said. And there seem to be companies still interested in moving to California. Barbara Hayes, head of the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization, said the "pipeline" of companies inquiring about Sacramento hasn't waned.
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Yet others say California’s image is causing it real economic headaches. Even if other states have problems, California "is the big gorilla in the room," said Boyd, the relocation consultant in new Jersey. "Turning around the California business climate, getting the fiscal house in order, is like turning the Queen Mary around." The budget is only part of the story. Recruitment consultants say businesses are frightened by a possible 24 percent hike in workers' compensation premiums, as recommended by a key advisory panel. Workers' comp expenses are a huge issue for many businesses. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is to decide on the increase next week. Meanwhile, other states are using workers' comp and other issues to cash in on California's problems. The Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. just persuaded a medical- device maker from El Segundo in Southern California to relocate its headquarters. The Denver organization is planning an in-person blitz in California in August or September. Earlier this year, the organization sent Valentine's cards to 500 California CEOs. The Nevada Development Authority, which serves the Las Vegas area, just hosted a visit by a Los Angeles area manufacturing executive who has vowed to leave California because of the costs. "That's the kind of calls we're getting, without any advertising by us at all," said Somer Hollingsworth, the authority's chief executive. For good measure, his group plans to launch an ad campaign targeting California later this month. Tina Sumner, the city of Clovis' economic-development director, got a firsthand glimpse of California's problem while attending a trade show in Las Vegas recently and meeting an economic-development official from Phoenix. "One of the things that struck me was how enthusiastic he was about how easy the pickings were, for taking businesses from California and bringing them over to Arizona," Sumner said. "He was kind of almost giddy."
In Local News…. Walnut Creek, Calif. (July 16, 2009) – John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek Campus has again been ranked one of the nation’s top hospitals by U.S.News & World Report in its annual list of America's Best Hospitals, that will appear in the July 21 issue of the magazine. The only non-academic medical center in northern California to appear in the Top 50, John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek Campus is named #49 in Digestive Disorders and #39 in Orthopedics, making the hospital one of the top-ranked facilities in California in these specialties.
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CornFest 2009 Picture Gallery
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Lyle Miller Membership Services Director By Lisa Hurt The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce welcomes Lyle Miller as Membership Director. Lyle brings with him a wealth of experience in sales, marketing, volunteerism, baking and “Chambership”. His planning, organization, customer-service and task-master skills make him a great asset to the Chamber. Lyle’s story begins as an eight-year-old boy watching Yan Can Cook and experimenting in his kitchen. At 16, he began working in the bakery at Safeway where his artistic ability was not unnoticed—sales increased in the bakery by 40%! At 19, he traveled to Canada on a two-year mission to convince Canadians to join his church. Lyle worked at Costco in Concord as a Baker and went on to become their Marketing Representative. In this capacity, he became involved with the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce where he chaired the Ambassador Committee. He has also worked in marketing and sales at Scheer Security in Oakley and Bust-A-Bug in Brentwood. He has been in sales for the last eight years. This year, Lyle also took a very big step and volunteered to serve as Co-Chair of CornFest 2009. Along with Ken Seamann, Brentwood Chamber CFO and CornFest Co-Chair, Lyle worked countless hours in charge of vendors, permits, set-up and tear-down. CornFest 2009 was very lucky to have him on board. In addition, Lyle serves as the Chair of the Downtown Brentwood Committee, which is a group of downtown merchants committed to promoting Downtown business. Today, Lyle’s life consists of family, church, baking and serving the local community of Brentwood. Lyle still bakes in his spare time. His specialty is wedding cakes. You can find him in the Brentwood Chamber directory as The Pastry Chef. Lyle Miller is happily married to Janet Miller, and has a 7-month old daughter named Sophia. Lyle’s mother, Robin Evenson, along with his sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, volunteered to head up the Kids Zone at this year’s CornFest and did an amazing job. As Robin says, “You get one, you get all of us.” His wife, Janet, tells us that when she and Lyle met, “They did not like each other at all.” They met in church, where they are a very active family, and took two years to begin speaking to each other. This is very typical of Lyle and all who meet him, but don’t worry, just give him a chance and he will amaze you.
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Lisa Hurt Support Services Director By Lyle Miller
NEW STAFF MEMBERS AT THE BRENTWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Lisa’s story starts as a Bay Area resident growing up in Union City and attending James Logan High School. She then attended the Haas Business School at UC Berkeley. She earned her degree with a Major in Business, and a Minor in Accounting. Lisa has worked for Wells Fargo in San Francisco and the Contra Costa Times. Lisa was then a Household CEO from 1999-2009. Lisa has been married to her husband Paul since August of 1993. Together they have two daughters – Analisa, age 11, and Danielle, age 9. The Hurt family has lived in the Apple Hill area of Brentwood for the last 5 years. Lisa enjoys volunteering at her daughters’ schools, leading her daughter’s Girls Scout Troop 30487, and being involved in the Community. Her hobbies also include Photography, Scrapbooking, and Reading. She is according to her husband Paul, very organized and an exercise fanatic, and Lisa loves her family.
Phone: 925-625-0278 P.O. Box 406 Oakley, CA 94561 www.linmarkltd.logomall.com
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Ambassador’s Corner By: David Mengel Gemini Staffing I’ve had the privilege of serving as an Ambassador for the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce for a little over four years now, and I’m constantly amazed at the positive steps we seem to take every single year. Now that our biggest event (CornFest) has passed, it has become very clear how organized and productive the Chamber’s leadership team has become. I wonder at times if some of our members have a direct line to the man upstairs, as Kathi Reed has been speaking 85 degrees for CornFest for almost a year, and sure enough… it was 100 degrees the day before, 100 degrees the day after, but held steady around 85 all weekend long bringing in one of the largest crowds in recent memory. As a business owner with two booths in Info Alley, I’ve never received as many leads in past years as I did this year. But most impressive to me was walking out on Saturday night and seeing our esteemed leader Harry York, standing at the exit shaking hands with everyone who left, thanking them for coming out. As the Ambassador in charge of Ribbon Cuttings and Grand Openings, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and develop relationships with many of the new businesses in town. Even though everyone is impacted by the economy, many of the businesses that have closed their doors have already been replaced with new and exciting companies that will hopefully be able to step in and serve the community into the future. If you have not had the opportunity to have a formal ribbon cutting for your business locally, give me a call directly and we’d be happy to get you on the calendar and bring a small crowd out to celebrate your future success. Brentwood Library Ribbon Cutting The much-anticipated reopening of the Brentwood Library in its new, permanent location in Downtown Brentwood was celebrated with a Ribbon Cutting on June 22nd. Chamber officials, city management, and local residents were on hand to watch Mayor Bob Taylor cut the red ribbon. Leonard Roudman, the Senior Community Library Manager, is very proud of the new facility and tells us the new library boasts 6000 square feet, five additional Internet computers, and a new color printer. The same great programs the library has always offered will continue. The library will expand to 18,000 square feet at its new location when construction of the new City Hall/Civic Center is completed. The new address is 104 Oak Street, across the street from City Park. The number is (925) 516-5290 or visit their website at www.ccclib.org.
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15th Annual “Fun Scramble” Golf Tournament Friday, September 18, 2009
Roddy Ranch 1 Tour Way Antioch, CA 94513 Please visit our office at 8440 Brentwood Blvd., Suite C or our website at www.brentwoodchamber.com for an application.
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John Muir Pediatric Center Open House The newly expanded pediatric practice at John Muir Health in Brentwood held an official “open house” in June. On hand to cut the ceremonial red ribbon were Chamber officials, John Muir executive staff, and pediatricians, Dr. Goldman, Dr. Rood, and Dr. Paz They are located at 2400 Balfour Road in Brentwood. For more information call (925) 308-8100.
2009 CALENDAR OF EVENTS August 6
Chamber Lounge
August 13
Brown Bag Lunch—Working with the Different generations
August 20
Mixer—Harvest Park Center
August 27
Good Morning Brentwood Greg Benner, Les Schwab Tires, “Customer Service”
September 3
Chamber Lounge
September 10 “Ask the Experts” “The new I-9 Rules & Immigration Issues September 17 Mixer—First Bank
Highway 4 Bypass Renaming
September 18 Golf Tournament
In June, the Highway 4 Bypass was renamed the John Marsh Heritage Highway after Brentwood’s October 15 famous settling founder. Mayor Bob Taylor cuts the October 24 gold ribbon on this historic highway easing traffic through Brentwood for thousands of travelers every November 7 day.
Mixer—John Muir Health Hometown Halloween A Taste of Brentwood
November 19
Mixer-Scary Larry's
November 21
Holiday Parade
December
Holiday Gala
Mixer Locations (or Ribbon Cuttings) can (and do) change at any time. Check the Calendar of Events on our website for updated information: www.brentwoodchamber.com
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Prevot’s Oyster Bar and Grill Dorise Prevot 613 First Street Brentwood,CA 94513 Phone: 925-626-7461 Email: prevotshome@hotmail.com
Pho Vietnam Sandra La 622 First Street Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-516-5654 Email: s.la@sbcglobal.net
Tummies To Tots Jeannette Hemenway 3860 Balfour Road, Ste A Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-864-9685 Email: tummiestotots@gmail.com A big APOLOGY to one of our new members, we had not only his name spelled wrong but his email and web site information was wrong. The following is correct: PRE-PAID LEGAL SERVICES Allen H. Myles, Sr. 1399 Sunflower Lane Brentwood, CA 94513 Res. Phone: 925-516-9964 Cell Phone: 408-406-9521 Fax: 925-516-9864 Email: amyles1@prodigy.net Web Site:
www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/allenmyles1
Brentwood’s First Winery will open its doors September 1st! Upcoming Events Movie Nights in the Vineyards Saturday, July 25th Doors open at 7:30 p.m. “Miss Congeniality” Movie is free-no outside food or drinks Bring your blankets and chairs Saturday, August 22nd Movie TBD Saturday, Sept 26th Movie TBD Saturday, Sept 12th Grape Stomp and Blessing 6-9 p.m. New….Ladies Night Out beginning in October Visit website at www.hnvwines.com or e-mail wineinfo@hnvwines.com
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Bonnie’s Retirement Party A retirement party for Brentwood Chamber’s beloved Bonnie Lucchese was held on June 7th at The Nines. The festive farewell was attended by hundreds of Chamber members, directors, staff and long-time friends. Bonnie served the Brentwood Chamber for over fourteen years and has been a valuable part of Brentwood’s growth in the business community. She will be sorely missed, but we wish her a very happy retirement. She certainly deserves it.
Page 15 BRENTWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2009 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Karen Spann, President The Monthly Grapevine
Kathi Reed, Past President WineShop at Home Shayn Cutino, President-Elect Anja Wellness
Ken Seamann, CFO Discovery Professional Services
Joe Trebino, Executive Committee Delta Pure Water, Etc.
Brent Aasen, Director EQUUS Group
Greg Benner, Director Les Schwab Tires
Bill Fee, Director Mazzy’s Fire Protection Specialists
De-De Hays, Director Prudential California Realty
Paul Kelly, Director Home One Mortgage
Sean McCauley, Director McCauley Olive Groves
Richard Perez-Pacheco, Director Black Sheep Design
Marlon Smith, Director Best Buy
Olga Vidriales, Director Travis Credit Union
The Chamber Ambassador Team
t——————————————————
Harry York, CEO Lyle Miller, Membership Services Dir.
Pat Trombino, First Bank 2008 Ambassador of the Year Michael Hernandez, Chair, New York Life Paul Roman, Window Innovations Amy Alvis, Living Trusts by Amy David Mengel, Gemini Staffing Vicki Sexton, First Bank Olga Vidriales, Travis Credit Union Donna Zickerman, Fifth Avenue Ed Gutierrez, Certa Pro Painters Lori Knudsen, California Payroll
Lisa Hurt, Support Services Dir. Jilda Fairhurst, Event Coordinator Bill Putman, Volunteer Pat Trombino, Event Coordinator 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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At-Home Tastings •Premier Wine Gifts Custom-Labeled Corporate Gifts
Kathi Reed Independent Wine Consultant
925-240-8382 www.winealongwithme.com wine@kathireed.com
The Brentwood Clarion Brentwood Chamber of Commerce 8440 Brentwood Blvd. Suite C Brentwood, CA 94513
Phone: 925-634-3344 Fax: 925-634-3731 Email: info@brentwoodchamber.com www.brentwoodchamber.com