Cvbj sept2016 lowres new by Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

SEPTEMBER

2016 VOL 12 • NUMBER 1

@cvbizjournal

SERVING SAN JOAQUIN, STANISLAUS

& MERCED COUNTIES

Broadband Barriers

Hundreds of households still access the internet through a dial-up service. How one organization is helping them realize their need for speed. cover story on pg 26 WHAT’S WHAT’S INSIDE INSIDE Publisher’s Notes...........................Page 2 On the Web.....................................Page 4 Real Estate...................................Page 32 Jobs & Economy..........................Page 36 Briefs....................................Pages 48, 49

Spotlight

pg. 10

Fastest Growing Company

pg. 8

Mediocre Candidates

pg. 39

Visit our website at www.cvbizjournal.com & “like” us at facebook.com/CVBIZJOURNAL

PERMIT NO. 305

SACRAMENTO CA

PRTSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Central Valley Business Journal

Cool transitions: festivals and fun I just love fall with its cooler nights and drop in daytime temperatures. You can actually drive around town with your windows down. What a relief ! This summer seemed to drag on with too many 100-plus degree days. I found myself actually swimming in the American River in front of my cabin quite often, something I rarely do. It was refreshing, really. That water never seems to warm up. Not so this summer. Another hot summer side note: our grapes are being harvested early. I can’t remember ever picking in August. One thing’s for sure — more wine is on the way! Mark your calendars. The 79th Annual Lodi Grape Festival starts Sept. 15 and runs through Sept. 18. There’s lots of great entertainment, food, wine tasting, vendors, exhibits and a funfilled carnival. I love going to the grape festival. The Ferris wheel is my favorite ride, but I get such a thrill out of the squirt gun game, always racing to fill the balloon and pop it first! Some people never grow up! We’ve been taking our kids there for years. It’s a fun family time. Hope to see you there. Here comes the 57th Annual Greek festival at St Basils Greek Orthodox

Church in Stockton, Sept. 9 - 11. It’s a real people pleaser. I love Greek food, music and dance. So if you’re like me, save the date and bring your appetite. The spirit of Greece. Opa! We want to say congratulations to Opportunity Stanislaus, formerly known as the Stanislaus Business Alliance. The organization has exceeded its five-year fundraising goal of $5 million in less than a year! Opportunity Stanislaus has come up with a compelling strategy for nurturing existing businesses and attracting new ones to the area. The business community is certainly buying in. Dozens of businesses have pledged to invest. It will be exciting to watch the county’s business environment flourish. You can read more about Opportunity Stanislaus’ plan in our story on page 5. A couple of mentions to my family — happy 90th birthday to my hero, my loving father! Congratulations to my sister, Carol, and her new husband Tim Fontaine. May you share many happy years together. Welcome to our family, Tim. Happy Labor Day! God bless America, Sharon Alley Calone

Ray Benson and Sharon celebrate Ray’s 90th birthday.

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Modesto tries again to start air service By KENT HOHLFELD Business Journal writer khohlfeld@cvbizjournal.com

MODESTO — Modesto’s ramped up efforts to return air service to the city was discussed at the Aug. 18 Airport Advisory Board meeting. The city commissioned a study by Texas-based Trillion Aviation on the feasibility of re-establishing air service. “With that report, we can get information to the airlines,” said Airport Manager Mark Germanowski. The last time Modesto had airline service was in 2014 when SkyWest Airlines provided daily service to San Francisco. Trillion Aviation’s report states, “it is feasible for Modesto to re-establish air service.” Modesto has a “relatively large population base nearby with little-to-no service,” according to the report. It also has what would be the seventh-largest Latino market in the United States. “There is interest by airlines,” said Germanowski. “There is a lot of dynamics involved.” The study also pointed out that many of the same problems that doomed SkyWest’s efforts are still present. Airlines have moved service away from smaller markets toward larger hubs. There are also factors within the airline industry that make it challenging to

BUSINESS JOURNAL PHOTO

Modesto last had passenger air service with SkyWest Airlines in 2014.

profitably service a market like Modesto. “The airlines are using a different model than in the past,” Germanowski said. “Airlines are going to larger aircraft these days. There are also only so many pilots to go around.” Then there is the competition. Not only does an airline have to keep its costs down to keep customers from going to airports in the Bay Area or Sacramento, Stockton is also trying to

land air service. Despite those factors, airlines are interested in Modesto, according to Germanowski. “We are looking at every potential,” he said. “We are looking at the branded or regional carriers. We are not excluding any carriers.” One airline that has particular interest in both Stockton and Modesto has been Great Lakes Airlines. The Cheyenne, Wyoming-based airline

has discussed providing service to Los Angeles. L.A. was the top-requested market in the feasibility study. “We’ve had promising discussions with Great Lakes, but we are in talks with other airlines as well,” said Germanowski. “We are communicating with other airlines, but we are farther down the line with Great Lakes.” Great Lakes Airlines also has history in the Central Valley. It provided service from Merced Regional Airport for seven years. Great Lakes Airlines has struggled with canceled flights and financial hurdles in recent years, however. But the airline is not requiring a revenue guarantee, and that is a big advantage. “In the industry what typicality happens is a community will have a minimum revenue guarantee,” said Germanowski. “Hopefully they can cover their costs during the initial two-year start-up.” Guarantees can cost over $1 million. Despite the challenges, Germanowski believes that factors such as cheaper parking and easier access to the airport can make Modesto a viable travel option. “About two-thirds of our travelers fly out of our Bay Area,” he said. “There is some optimism with some airlines that we are talking with. If we can get a connection, it will be nice.”

September 2016

ONLINE EXTRAS The Lists for October ► Law Firms ► Accounting/CPAs

STOCKTON • TRACY • LODI • MANTECA • LATHROP MODESTO • CERES • TURLOCK • OAKDALE • SALIDA

► Financial planners ► Stockton & investment brokers

4512 Feather River Dr., Suite E • Stockton, CA 95219 Phone: (209) 477-0100 • Fax: (209) 477-0211 Web: www.cvbizjournal.com Columnists Peter Johnson Jason Harrel Dan Natividad David Darmstandler John Parker Bruce Sarchet

Editor Elizabeth Stevens Sales Manager Ron Posey Research Danette Conley Creative Director/ Subscriptions Desiree Arias Administrative Assistant Chelsee Reynolds Accounting Sal Calone Printer Southwest Offset Printing

Contributing Writers Craig W. Anderson Kent Hohlfeld Patricia Reynolds Sim Risso Nora Heston Tarte Melissa Hutsell Photographers Wayne Denning Philip Johnson Legal Adviser Calone & Harrel Law Group, LLP Richard Calone

► Alternative energy

If you have a business in one of these industries and haven’t been contacted, you can request a survey by emailing Danette Conley at research@cvbizjournal.com.

Slideshows & Video (Find these in our Media Gallery) ► Grow & Play

News Tips

► Idol Beer Works

Contact our editor directly with story ideas, new hires or promotions, business expansions or information about events. Email Elizabeth Stevens at editor@cvbizjournal.com.

Events: If your business has an event you would like added to our CVBJ calendar, email the information, including date, time, location and cost to editor@cvbizjournal.com.

► Industrial & Technology BBQ

Receive 12 months of the issue mailed to you  Gain online access to special business content  Enjoy a copy of our annual Book of Lists  All for a FULL Year 

Annual Subscription

Name:__________________________________ Company:_______________________________ Address:________________________________ City:___________________State:____Zip_____ Check one:

Check enclosed

Charge my:

Visa Discover

MasterCard American Express

Card #:_____________________ Exp. Date:____ Signature:__________________Sec. Code:_____ Business Phone:___________________________ Email Address:____________________________

For advertising information, call 209-477-0100.

Sept. 15-18, Modesto

► Lodi Grape Festival

Sept. 15-18, Lodi Grape Festival and Event Center

Digital and Social Media

(Find details on our calendar at www.cvbizjournal.com)

► Twitter: Follow us at @cvbizjournal

Notable Quote

► Find us: LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook

“Those days of thinking the American palate isn’t good enough to produce good beers? That’s ridiculous. “

► Daily newsletter: Sign up for our free daily

digest of local business news.pinSend your m grow their business, to readers by hel g the ue val ing vid Pro s. ntie news in San Joaquin email addresssoutorceeditor@cvbizjournal.com. Stanislaus cou of positive, local business ss news in San Joaquin and

— Grant Hamilton, Idol Beer Works owner

and of positive, local busine l events.” “The most trusted line through print, digital “The most trusted source ough print, digital and loca and increase their bottom thr s ss eer line ine car tom bus ir l bot the ir loca w e, the gro se itiv ss, rea st trusted source of pos g them grow their busine grow their careers and inc tom line nislaus counties. “The mo bot Sta value to readers by helpin ir the ing and se n vid rea qui Pro inc s. Joa ntie and San s in cou and Stanislaus iness, grow their career e, local business news viding value to readers trusted source of positiv ping them grow their bus Stanislaus counties. Pro local events.” “The most and ing value to readers by hel n vid qui Pro Joa s. San ntie in s cou rce of posinew aus Stanisl .” “The most trusted sou positive, local business news in San Joaquin and t, digital and local events e most trusted source of counties. prin “Th h ” . aus oug nts nisl thr eve l Sta line loca and n tom and qui bot ir through print, digital l business news in San Joa ir careers and increase the loca the e most e, w itiv “Th gro ” . pos ss, nts of ine eve rce l bus sou ir loca trusted e mostCOUNTIES h print, digital and nties. “Th by helping them grow the couSTANISLAUS SANaus JOAQUIN, & MERCED Stanisl grow their case their bottom line throug quin andSERVING ss, rea Joa ine inc San bus and in ir s s the eer w new car ss gro ir ine m the the grow tive, local bus ue to readers by helping them grow their business, n and Stanislaus viding valand by helpin nties. Pro San Joa readers source aus cou ue totrusted ss news invalue most ofgpositive, local business news in San Joaquin, Stanislaus Merced Providing to qui readers by Stanisl ing val local busine Provid“The quin and e,counties. Joa itiv San pos of in s rce new sou ss ine sted and bus tru l ital ” local events.” t, dig e, loca “The mosttheir bottom line through h prin nts.” increase of positiv througand l eveand them grow theiroug business, grow their careers print, digital local events. line loca tom and trusted sourcehelping bot ital ir dig the t, se prin rea iness, h inc bottom line thr ping them grow their bus grow their careers and reers and increase their ing value to readers by hel them grow their business, g vid quin pin Pro Joa hel s. San by ntie s in s cou der rea new aus ss to nisl San Joaquin and Sta of positive, local busine counties. Providing value e, local business news in “The most trusted source print, digital and itiv ” . h nts pos oug of eve APRIL thr l rce line loca sou tom and sted bot ital tru ir “The most ough print, dig and increase the w their 2016 rease their bottom line thr iness, grow their careers ir bus ders by helping them gro grow their careers and inc by helping them grow the s. Providing value to rea s ntie der San cou in rea s to FOLLOW US aus ue new nisl ss val Sta ine ing bus and vid s. Pro countie this $75 membership, you get 1 new year s in San Joaquin & source of positive, local Stanislaus and With MAYsted ough print, nts.” “The most tru of positive, local business thr eve rce l sou line loca sted tom and tru bot st ital ir mo dig the e t, se .” “Th through prin eers and increa 2016 local eve w their car their bottom line ofntsthe Central Valley Journal, increaseBusiness readers by helping eers and grow their business, gro nties. Providing value to business, grow their car FOLLOWcou aus readers by helping them US to nisl ue Sta busival and ing n vid qui Pro Joa s. countie & source of positive, local More restaurants, fewer l business news in San e mo stores e, loca delivered toaus your business or home, as well quin and Stanisl : st trusted Joa events.” “Th tom lin and loca bot trusted source of positiv ital ir st dig the Howlthe Internet is t, mo se e rea prin “Th h ” inc . oug nts and thr s eve l careerRKING w theirWO digital and loca se their bottom line changing real-li iness,fegro and increa retail to reader eersLists their carof as the annual Book directory ping them grow their bus grow counties. Providing value coverSta story nisl on pg. 24aus ing value to readers by hel them grow their business, and vid n Pro qui s. Joa ntie San cou in s aus rce of positive new nisl sou ss Sta ine sted bus and tru l n st qui loca mo e, e Joa itiv “Th San ” . pos ness news in (retail value of $50). trusted source of ir digital and local events local events.” “The most ir careers and increase the tom line through print, through print, digital and w their business, grow the eers and increase their bot gro car m ir ing the the vid g w Pro pin gro s. hel ss, ntie by ine s bus also have accessProviding value to reader them grow theirwill quin and Stanislaus cou by helping Members Stanislaus counties. business news in San Joa e most trusted source of positive, local ss news in San Joaquin and sted ital and local events.” “Th tru dig st t, mo e local busine prin h “Th ” . oug nts thr eve to all premium website content, l line loca tom their careers and bot w ir ital gro the dig ss, se t, ine rea bottom line through prin w their careers and inc ping them grow their bus gro hel ss, by s ine der bus ir rea to the w Stanislaus ue gro val and them monthly issue. nislaus counties. Providing ders by helpingeach including news in San Joaquin value to rea of positive, local business San Joaquin and Sta l events in rce s loca sou new and ss sted ital ine tru st dig bus l t, mo e loca prin hnia could learn “Th throug Califor source of positive, ir bottom lineWhat the digital and local events.” se t, rea iness prin inc bus h ir oug and the s thr w WHAT’S WHAT’S eer INSIDE INSIDE gro line car ir tom to receive a subscription, g theumm ’s minim their botlike helpin byOregon s wage rease readerfrom their business, grow the and If inc you would compromise. ss news in San Joaqui nties. Providing value to s by helping them grow cou der rea aus to nisl ine ue Sta val bus l and ing n loca vid e, in San Joaqui counties. Pro source of positiv cover story on pg. 24 ss news477-0100 l busine please contact Desiree by: phone (209) e, loca of positiv through print, digital a l events.” “The most trusted “The most trusted source increase their bottom line ough print, digital and loca and thr s WHAT’S eer WHAT’S line INSIDE INSIDE w th car tom ir bot the ir w the gro se ders by helping them gro s and increa ir careersubscriptions@cvbizjournal.com. m grow their business, theemail growor s. Providing value to rea s in Sa to readers by helping the aus countieWWW.CVB ue new nisl ss val Sta ine ing bus and vid l n Pro loca qui IZJOURNAL s. e, Joa .COM ntie itiv San and Stanislaus cou business news in FACEBOOK trusted source of pos source of positive, local local events.” “The most .COM/CVBIZJOURNAL increase their bottom line through prin trusted most nts.” “Theus out or sign up for a daily blast through print, digital and eers and local eve*Check line car ir tom the bot w ir gro the se ss, rea ine ue to readers by helpin ir careers and inc w thenews ping them grow their bus groour hel by s counties. Providing val business,of der aus rea to nisl ue at www.cvbizjournal.com Sta val ing n and WWW.CVBIZJOURNAL vid qui Pro Joa itive, local bu .COM s. San ntie in s rce of pos cou new sou aus ss ZJOURNAL Joaquin and Stanisl nts.” “The most trusted FACEBOOK.COM/CVBIse of positive, local busine eve l rce loca sou and sted tru ital ir bottom st dig the t, mo e l events.” “Th *Like usand onloca Facebook - faceboook.com/cvbizjournal w their careers and increa ir bottom line through prin digital grow their business, gro ue to read m ir careers and increase the val the the ing g w vid pin gro hel Pro ss, s. by ine s ntie bus der cou ir rea them grow the Joaquin and Stanislaus nties. Providing value to San cou in s aus new nisl ss ” . Sta ine nts bus and l eve n l ness news in San Joaqui h print, digital and loca ed source of positive, loca

Subscribe to us today!

April 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

VOL 11 • NUMBER 8

@cvbizjournal

SERVING SAN JOAQUIN, STANISLAUS

MERCED COUNTIES

May 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Shopping shifts

VOL 11 • NUMBER 9

@cvbizjournal

SERVING SAN JOAQUIN, STANISLAUS

MERCED COUNTIES

WAGES

TUNNEL VOTE?

pg. 6

FEEDING ORGANICS

Publisher’s Notes...........................Page 2 On the Web.....................................Page 4 Close Up.......................................Page 14 Startup Spotlight..........................Page 18 Health Care..................................Page 22 Education....................................Page 23 Jobs & Economy..........................Page 32 Briefs....................................Pages 42, 43 Legals...................................Pages 44, 45

PRTSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Subscribe Today!

Advertise with us

► Modesto International Architecture Festival

PERMIT NO. 305

DETACH AND MAIL OR FAX

Call 209-477-0100 and ask for subscriptions.

Sept. 14, 5-9 p.m., University Waterfront Hotel, Stockton

SACRAMENTO CA

The Central Valley Business Journal, LLC published monthly at 4512 Feather River Drive - Suite E, Stockton, CA 95219. Circulation 17,000 verification letter available upon request. Contents copyright 2016 by the Central Valley Business Journal, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced, reprinted or placed on any electronic medium, without strict, written permission from the publisher.

pg. 8

SELLER’S MARKET

NEW CHAIRMAN

pg. 14

TINKER TANK

pg. 5 Health Care....................................Page

2 On the Web.....................................Page 4 Education.....................................Page 18 Startup Spotlight..........................Page 22 Jobs & Economy..........................Page 28 Opinion........................................Page 38 Briefs....................................Pages 42, 43 Legals...................................Pages 44, 45

STOCKTON STATE?

Scan to visit “Like” us at

pg. 12

pg. 23

SENATE DEBATE

PRTSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Publisher Sharon Alley Calone

► Payroll services

PERMIT NO. 305

Business Journal

Central Valley Business Journal

SACRAMENTO CA

pg. 7

STARTUP: ROAD FINCH

pg. 22

Scan to visit

“Like” us at

SAVE THE BEES

pg. 14

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Opportunity Stanislaus raises $5.1 million MODESTO — Opportunity Stanislaus, the successor organization to the Stanislaus Business Alliance, has surpassed its fundraising goal of $5 million after just eight months. “It does not surprise me because we had a great plan,” said Opportunity Stanislaus CEO David White. The investment that put the organization over the top came from Savemart Supermarkets, which joined 21 other businesses in giving at least $25,000 a year for five years. That put the total raised at $5.1 million. Dozens of other local businesses invested in amounts ranging from 1,000-$10,000 a year.

Opportunity Stanislaus will use that money to fund its strategic economic development plan for Stanislaus County. The first step was to transition the publicly run Stanislaus Business Alliance to a private organization. During a series of interviews with the business community conducted by the group Funding Solutions, the Business Alliance found business owners liked its staff and new leadership but thought the organization was ineffective. “We were also perceived as a government-centric organization, and because of that, the private sector was wary

about getting involved,” White said. He added that Opportunity Stanislaus’ new structure allows for more accountability. White credits Funding Solutions for guiding the transition and setting up the new organization for success. It led the exhaustive survey of the business community, which helped get stakeholders on board and identified four key areas of focus. Those areas are business development, workforce readiness, messaging and innovation. While Opportunity Stanislaus is working on all areas, it will put a big focus this year on workforce readiness

by opening a training center in the next 12 months. The center is similar to one in Everett, Washington that trains people to work at Boeing. “That program is private sector driven. Their tagline is ‘12 weeks to a career,’” said White. “It’s a very intense program, in a short time frame.” Opportunity Stanislaus has not yet decided which jobs the center will focus on, but White said they will be jobs in the manufacturing sector which are in high demand and have been difficult to fill. Possibilities include maintenance mechanics, forklift drivers and electricians.

Latinos looking for a party to engage them STOCKTON — Latinos are the fastest growing segment of California’s population and now number nearly 15 million. Forty-six percent of Hispanics are eligible to vote. So, why isn’t the group a bigger force in politics? The registration rate is high, but voter turnout is low, and Republican consultant Mike Madrid says that’s because both the Republican and Democratic parties are failing to resonate with Hispanics. That was the message Madrid delivered during the Leaders Luncheon pre-

sented by the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 4. “To a large extent what we are seeing is Republicans openly hostile to the Latino community, and Latinos being taken for granted by the Democrats,” Madrid said. Part of the problem, according to Madrid, is that neither party is addressing issues that are the most important to the Latino community: education, jobs and health care. “Immigration is important but not the deciding issue that the media says

it is,” Madrid said. The fact that Latinos don’t hold many elected positions is also a factor because there is no strong voice for the Hispanic community. Madrid says the problem is especially acute at the local level — school boards, city and county government. In California, Latinos are best represented in the Assembly. “The only way this gets rectified is if there’s a stronger business voice for the Latino community in our government at every level, beginning with the local level,” Madrid said.

Madrid urges businesses to identify, recruit and support candidates. Madrid also believes Republicans and Latinos should take another look at each other. The Republican party is overly reliant, he says, on aging, white voters. Latinos, as a group, are younger and care very much about economic and education issues. “There is 70-80 percent overlap on the issues -- except for the immigration stuff, largely, and except for some of these social issues -- they they absolutely need each other,” he said.

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Organic agriculture goes mainstream Why going organic is a slow transition for Valley farmers By KENT HOHLFELD Business Journal writer khohlfeld@cvbizjournal.com

MODESTO — Organic farming was once seen as a fringe market, and many producers questioned its long term viability. That view has turned around completely in the last decade. “We had an organic plot about 15 years ago and didn’t think it would last,” said Frank Ratto, who owns and operCalfo ates Ratto Bros. Inc. The Modesto grower’s doubts prompted him to take his original 40 organic acres back to traditional farming. Fast forward to 2016 and Ratto Bros. has more than 60 acres devoted to organic crops and fully expects that number to grow. “Obviously that’s the trend in the market,” he said. “Especially in leafy greens.” The operation currently has more than 1,400 total acres devoted to kale, table beets and collards as well as other assorted crops. Ratto has seen firsthand the growth of the organic market. “The organic segment is growing at a pretty good clip,” said Ratto. “It’s up 15 to 20 percent. It’s something that we want to be a part of.” Ratto Bros. is not alone. In 2014, there were 14,093 farms in the United States that produced organic products according to the latest USDA Census of Agriculture. California led the country in organic production with 2,805 farms that devoted at least some of their production to organic products. Those numbers are growing.

“In the 2014-15 year we saw a 20 percent increase in applications (for certification),” said Cathy Calfo, executive director of California Certified Organic Farmers in Santa Cruz. “We have seen about a 20 percent increase in this last year.” California Certified Organic Farmers is one of the organizations that agricultural companies use to become officially certified as organic. It currently certifies about 60 percent of organic farms in California. The process is not an easy one. To become certified, growers must prove that the land has not been exposed to any synthetic pesticide or herbicide for three years. If they can’t do that, they must begin a transition period in which they use organic practices. During the three-year period, they can sell products grown on the land but can’t label them as certified organic. The challenges involved have slowed the growth of organic production the Central Valley. A 2012 state study that broke organic farming down by county reported 123 certified growers in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties. Merced County led production with 33,835 acres devoted to organic products. Stanislaus came in second with 11,410 and San Joaquin had 1,293 acres devoted to organic crops. “They are going where they can find land that can be transitioned quickly,” said Calfo. “In the Central Valley there is a tremendous amount of land, but not a lot of land that can be transitioned. It’s more expensive and requires more inputs. Farmers get a lower yield in the beginning. As you are transitioning, you are not getting the organic premium. It’s not something that people get into quickly.” Climate also makes a difference. The summer heat of the Valley is a perfect environment for weeds and

PHILIP JOHNSON/CVBJ

Frank Ratto’s Modesto operation includes more than 60 acres of organic crops.

The organic segment is growing at a pretty good clip. It’s up 15 to 20 percent.

Frank Ratto, Ratto Brothers Inc.

bugs. Traditional farmers use chemicals to keep weeds in check. Organic farmers generally have two options. They can use a process called solarization in which they moisten the ground and cover it, letting the heat destroy the weed seeds. That process can take weeks during which their land is out of production. Their other option involves a hoe and a lot of weed pulling. The largest concentration of organic operations is in the North Coast region which includes Del Norte, Humbolt, Lake Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties. Humbolt led the state in the 2012 survey with 79,897 organic

CREDIT: PHILIP JOHNSON/CVBJ

Ratto Bros. has 1,400 acres devoted to organic kale and other assorted crops.

acres followed by Sonoma with 40,224. “Organics rely on info shared between growers,” said Calfo. “The wine production has moved more and more toward organics. It’s an area Please see ORGANIC Page 11

employers.org 800.399.5331

WE BUILD STRONG BRANDS.

Call today and mention CVN to receive your free gift of:

HR Advice • Training • Recruiting BRANDING | MARKETING | WEB | GERBODESIGNS.COM

• HR Webinar, or (valued at $109), or • 2016 Labor Law Poster (valued at $39)

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Modesto businesses among fastest growing MODESTO — Four Modesto businesses have been ranked among the fastest growing private businesses in the United States by Inc. magazine. The businesses are Principal Service Solutions, an agency that provides staffing for tech companies; commercial real estate company NAI Benchmark; medical supply company Home Oxygen Company; and IT company Datapath. “It’s the hard work and unwavering dedication of the Datapath team that allows us to gain accolades like these,” said Datapath CEO David Darmstandler. This is the sixth year Datapath has

been ranked on the Inc. 5000 list. This year the company ranked No. #3,401 with a three-year growth rate of 96 percent and $2.8 million in revenue last year. Inc. magazine publishes its Inc. 5000 list annually. It ranks the 5,000 fastest growing privately held companies in the United states. Principal Service Solutions was the highest ranked local company. It came in at No. 728 with a three-year growth rate of 542 percent and $19 million in revenue in 2015. It is also the newest local company on the list. It was established in 2010. (Read more about the

company on page 8). This is the company’s second consecutive appearance on the Inc. 5000 list. “We are excited to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for the second year in a row. It validates the strength of our technical talent and dedication to service excellence,” said CEO Tim Wylie. NAI Benchmark ranked 1,329 on this year’s list with a three-year growth rate of 291 percent and 2015 revenue of $2.3 million. NAI Benchmark was established in 2009, and co-founder and principal Ryan Swehla credits much of the com-

pany’s success to grit. “We started during the worst economic downturn of our time,” Swehla said. “We’ve grown through tough times.” Home Oxygen Company ranked 3,343rd on Inc’s list. It has grown 99 percent over the past three years with $2.8 million in revenue last year. The company was established in 2007. “We are fortunate to be included on this very prestigious list along with some of America’s strongest brands,” said CEO Andrea Ewert. “Since our doors opened, we have enjoyed doubledigit growth year-over-year with high patient satisfaction levels.”

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown’s twin tunnels project continues to create controversy. The latest battle is over dueling interpretations of the project’s cost versus its possible benefits. Michael The project would build two 35-mile long and 40-foot wide underground tunnels that would divert Sacramento River water from flowing into the Delta. The

water would instead be sent to cities and farms in the southern part of the state. The project is hailed by those in Southern California as a needed fix to protect water supplies. Agricultural and environmental interests in Northern California fear it will lower the Delta’s water quantity and quality. An analysis by economist Jeffrey Michael released Aug. 24 says that under the most optimistic scenario, the project is likely to provide only 39 cents worth of benefit for every dollar spent. Michael, the executive director of the Center for Business and Policy Research at the University of the Pacific,

said a more probably scenario has the project providing only 23 cents worth of benefits for every dollar of cost. “The primary economic problem for the WaterFix is its low water yield, that is the difference in water supply with and without the WaterFix, relative to its $16 billion construction cost,” Michael said in the report’s summary. Michael, like many in the Central Valley and Delta region, has been a vocal opponent of the project. His work was applauded by the Delta Counties Coalition, a group opposed to the tunnels. Not surprisingly, tunnel proponents blasted the report.

“The author and funders of this study are longtime opponents of WaterFix. There is nothing independent or objective about this report,” said California Alliance for Jobs Executive Director Michael Quigley. “Failing to implement the California WaterFix because of short-sighted opponents will hurt the 25 million Californians who rely on our state water supplies.” The tunnel project also faces state scrutiny that could delay or derail it. In early August, state legislators, spurred by those representing Delta and Central Valley constituencies, forced a state audit that will begin in April 2017.

Report says twin tunnels project doesn’t pencil out

Give Today

”

“Students are the future. There are those with the potential to really do great things and a One Purpose scholarship can make it possible to get a great education.”

csustan.edu/one-purpose (209) 667-3131 AUGUST 25-SEPTEMBER 22 The One Purpose campaign helps outstanding students succeed through academic scholarships – join us in uniting the campus and the region!

Daniel Costa Hometown: Turlock Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics

Giving Back. Going Forward.

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Modesto staffer among fastest growing firms By PATRICIA REYNOLDS Business Journal writer preynolds@cvbizjournal.com

MODESTO — Principal Service Solutions, Inc., a technical service and staffing provider that services the high-tech manufacturing industry, was named to Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest growing private companies in America. This is the second year in a row the company has made the list. Based on a three-year revenue growth rate of 542 percent, the firm ranked 728 in the top 5,000 companies on the 2016 list. In 2015, the Modesto-based company ranked 289 and posted a whopping 1,580 percent revenue growth rate over three years. Principal Service Solutions launched in 2010 and offers technical services and staffing solutions. The company specializes in flexible workforces, functional outsourcing, traditional staffing and principal workforce options. Its customers are large semiconductor and solar manufacturers as well as companies in adjacent industries, including makers of flat panel displays. The company employs 200 people located in 12 states and six foreign countries. The vast majority of those workers are full-time Principal Service Solutions employees. “We’re not like your typical staffing

company that’s going to hire somebody and just provide them the bare minimum benefits,” said President and CEO Tim Wylie. “We’ve got vacation time, health, dental, vision, 401K, the full gamut.” Wylie was born and raised in Modesto. For 15 years, he commuted to his high-tech job in the Bay Area. When he started his company, he had to choose between Modesto and the Bay Area. It was his wife, Gina, who is from Gustine, who said she wanted to live in a smaller city. So, Modesto it was. Principal Service Solutions’ corporate office is in Modesto, but only eight employees work there. The rest of the staff live all over the country. More than half of Principal Service Solutions’ employees are assigned to clients as flexible workers, who focus on specified projects that can last anywhere from three to 24 months. “The large semiconductor or adjacent market customers have really adopted the flexible workforce model,” said Wylie. “So a lot of these major companies have a certain ratio of their own full-time workers to what they call contingent workers.” An example of a flexible workforce assignment is the installation of semiconductor capital equipment at a computer chip manufacturing facility in Israel. Approximately 25 Principal Service Solutions engineers will travel to Israel.

PHOTO COURTESY PRINCIPAL SERVICE SOLUTIONS

Principal Service Solutions provides workers for semiconductor and solar manufacturers.

They will help the original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, install, set up, test and validate the tooling. “At the end of the 18 months, my people will pull out, and then my customer’s people will stay there to sustain it,” said Wylie. Principal Service Solutions engineers will then be assigned to new projects. “We have enough business so that when a group of engineers or techni-

cians is done with one project, we put them on another,” Wylie said. The company also provides functional workforce staffing solutions for clients that need to outsource a specific area of expertise. About 25 percent of Principal Service Solutions employees are functional workers who provide support to those clients for Please see PRINCIPAL Page 11

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

CHEVROLET

BUSINESS EL IT E

,.,.,

Highest Ranked Large Heavy Duty Pickup* *The Chevrolet Silverado HD received the highest numerical score among large heavy duty pickups in the J.D. Power 2015-2016 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Studies. 2016 study based on responses from 33,560 U.S. original owners of 2013 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership about problems experienced in the past 12 months, surveyed in October-December 2015. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Business Journal CEO Spotlight Gutierrez has a foot in business and politics CENTRAL VALLEY

By ELIZABETH STEVENS Business Journal editor estevens@cvbizjournal.com

STOCKTON — Bob Gutierrez wears a lot of hats. He is the director of government affairs for PAQ, Inc., which includes Food 4 Less and Rancho San Miguel supermarkets. Gutierrez recently became president of the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is also vicechairman of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, and he is chairman of the San Joaquin Partnership. He says all those positions connect with each other and are part of his mission to serve the Latino community as well as the wider business community. In August, he met with Business Journal editor Elizabeth Stevens to talk about the growing influence of the Latino community and the priorities of the Hispanic Chamber. CVBJ: What was your first job? Gutierrez: The first job I ever had was mowing lawns. That kind of allowed me my first interaction with folks from a working sense — how to be responsive and communicate and talk about all the things that needed

> IN A NUTSHELL Hometown: Stockton Education: Attended Lincoln

High School, San Joaquin Delta College and Questa College

Personal: Girlfriend: Brenna

Butler Garcia. Gutierrez also has two sons. His parents and siblings all live and work in Stockton

What about you would surprise your colleagues?

I know how to make balloon animals, and I enjoy listening to old records. to be talked about to get the job done. Finding out what they needed done and then figuring out how I was going to get it done for them. Then that kind of lent itself to my first few jobs in high school doing cus-

PHOTO COURTESY SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Bob Gutierrez works as a liaison between government and business community.

tomer service, working in concession stands. I had a paper route. I worked in a pizza restaurant here, Dave’s Pizza, for a couple years. So all those jobs were now interactive jobs, customer service jobs. I think that’s been the core foundation of my working experience.

CVBJ: How did you get to work for Richard Pombo? Gutierrez: I got recruited. I had just taken a political science class. This was in 2000. I was in a Delta College class,

Strong Today. Strong to Stay.

100 years ago, F&M Bank opened its very first branch. A lot has changed since then, but one thing remains constant: our personal dedication to the communities we’re proud to serve. Just like a century ago, our commitment rests in the belief that we’re far more than a financial institution. We’re a partner. A friend. Someone you can count on to always be there –– with old-fashioned courtesy and modern convenience that makes banking easy and rewarding. Discover the F&M difference for yourself.

Member

fmbonline.com | 800-888-1498

Please see GUTIERREZ Page 24

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

PRINCIPAL Continued from Page 8

indefinite periods of time. “They’ll contract us to bring in a workforce to handle certain pieces of their contractual obligation, working side by side with their people over the long term,” Wylie said. Employing flexible or functional workforces benefits clients within the cyclical high-tech industry and offers them cost efficiencies in labor overhead. “The larger the company, the larger their burden,” said Wylie. “So, oftentimes it’s actually cheaper for them to get a person from me with the same skill set as opposed to hiring that person directly.” One key area that Wylie says sets his firm apart from other staffing companies is the firm’s Principal Workforce. Roughly 15 percent of Principal Service Solutions employees operate in this category. Principal Workforce contracts with manufacturers of large semiconductor manufacturing equipment and acts as that OEM’s service provider to its customers. Principal Service Solutions builds a team, gets the team members trained on the particular piece of equipment and then assigns them to the manufacturing site. That team is involved through the length of the warranty, typically two years. “We are the face to their customer on their behalf,” Wylie said. “We fully manage every aspect of the operation from safety to operations to engineering to customer management. We call that principal workforce.” The balance of the company’s employees provide traditional temporary staff-

ing solutions or are involved with project management related to flexible workers. When searching for talent to fill its 200-member workforce, Principal Service Solutions is able to draw upon its leadership team’s background. Director of Business Development Neal Landsburgh, Director of Operations Michael Dill and Wylie have decades of combined industry experience. “Our network of people, again with varying levels of experience, different

tool sets, is probably 10,000 to 15,000 people,” Wylie said. Wylie estimates that the $360 billion semiconductor industry and related industries will experience steady and stable growth over the next two years. That translates into good news for Principal Services Solutions. “I do expect our employee base to increase by probably 40 percent or higher over the next year,” he said. Principal Service Solutions invests

YES, IT INl!HE,\SES PHO D II I:TI\' IT\'.

HUT �IDSTLY, IT'S ,HIST HE,\LLY l!DDL.

ORGANIC Continued from Page 6

where there is more expertise in the organic farming.” For those who take the plunge into organics, the payoff can be significant, but depends on crops and location. Some organic products see prices that are twice that of traditional products. “We did well on apples,” said Jeff Ferrari who owns Ferrari Farms in Linden. “Some of our markets are very price-driven. It depends on the area and customers around.” Ferrari, who has been growing certified organic products since 1982, devotes 344 of 480 acres to organic products. He said the biggest change has been the markets now open to organics. “Whole Foods (supermarket) has been our biggest customer,” he said. “Cherries, apples and walnuts are what they want.” The market has expanded as people become more concerned about their food safety. Ratto said that whether a customer buys organic or not, their food is safe. “Organic food is not a panacea,” said Ratto. “We tell people, ‘Wash your food properly.’ All fruits and vegetables are healthy and nutritious. I do think you will see more and more organics. They are not going away, and we are happy to be a part of it.”

,\ PEEH ,\T THE PDHT Head to the Port, and you might think we're launching semis into space. But what's really happening is even cooler. DTE Stockton, one of our partners and tenants, operates one of the cleanest energy producing facilities in the US. Those trucks are dumping scrap vegetation onto conveyor belts to be turned into clean energy. That white "smoke" you see coming from the

Port? It's actually clean steam from the process.

888.635.8143 PORTOFSTOCKTON.COM/PEEK3

Chair R. Jay Allen, Vice-Chair Elizabeth Blanchard. Commissioners Sylvester Aguilar, Gary Christopherson, Michael Patrick Duffy, Stephen Griffen, Victor Mow. Port Director Richard Aschieris.

in its employees to a greater extent than the firm’s direct competitors, according to Wylie. “They are utilizing their employees like Kelly Services, dispatch and forget,” Wylie said. “What we’re really, really proud of is our reputation in the industry amongst our customers and amongst our employees or our future employees. We gained the reputation as being the company the employees want to work for.”

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Little chip saves big on computer power By SIM RISSO Business Journal writer srisso@cvbizjournal.com

STOCKTON — The Central Valley may not be Silicon Valley, but innovative technologies are still emerging from here. One potentially groundbreaking innovation comes from Current RF, which produces chips that reduce energy emissions from electronic devices. It also recycles the energy that does come out and provides cybersecurity at the same time. “The biggest thing about this is nobody knows it exists, so we’re sort of working our way out of a small pinhole into the world,” said Current RF founder Michael Hopkins. “We’re projecting really being profitable sometime next year.” Hopkins, who works out of Huddle Co-Work in downtown Stockton, is close to securing a partnership agreement with a company in Texas to mass produce the chips. Hopkins got the idea for the Current RF technology about four years ago when he was on an airplane. He was thinking about the fact that every time there’s an instruction instituted in a

computer, which is called CMOS logic, there’s a surge of current. That surge is what Hopkins wanted to harness. “I was thinking, if there’s any way I could get ahold of that, that source of power that everyone’s struggling to reduce by every possible method, but they’re not hitting root cause,” said Hopkins. “If I could hit root cause on that, then I start winning the game.” From there, he began developing the chip, which is called CC100 technology IC, to harvest that energy. Initially, he wanted to connect the chip to a computer’s motherboard. But over time, he realized the technology could be adapted to other forms and has developed a product called Powerstick Exodus. Now, Current RF has configured the technology to fit in a USB port, a lightning connector, an SD card or a cellphone case. With the chip technology developed, it can be executed in other forms too. Essentially, the chip takes in that current, reprocesses it and puts it back on the same supply line. After doing some tests with his daughter, who enjoyed computer gaming, he found his chip could extend her laptop’s battery life by 30 minutes. He gave it to other contacts who saw similar results.

ELIZABETH STEVENS/CVBJ

Michael Hopkins holds the Powerstick Exodus, which fits in a USB port and can save power, extend the battery life and increase cybersecurity on a computer.

“It started out as anecdotal,” said Hopkins. “Then we sort of applied what we could apply until we had a meter that we plug in that can measure the power

that’s drawn out of this computer.” By harvesting and recycling the Please see CURRENT Page 23

HELPING VALLEY BUSINESS GROW

Deep Roots ~ Strong Branches

866.844.7500 • www.ovcb.com Grupe Commercial Company Senior VP, Dan Keyser and President/CEO, Kevin Huber, pictured with World Peace Rose Garden Director, Sandy Huber and Oak Valley’s SVP/Commercial Real Estate, Cathy Ghan, 209.320.7867 and VP/Stockton Branch Manager, Karrie Johl, 209.343.7605 209.343.7605.

Oakdale • Sonora • Modesto • Turlock • Patterson Escalon • Ripon • Stockton • Manteca • Tracy

“We appreciate the commitment and collaboration we’ve received from Oak Valley Community Bank. Time and time again, they have shown their support for us and the community by crafting customized financing solutions at every stage of the University Park Development.” - Kevin Huber, Grupe Commercial Company

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Complete Technology Management

Companies, schools and government agencies use Datapath for complete IT management. We know every organization's technology needs are different and having the right IT support in place is mission-critical. With Datapath Managed IT services, we can ensure your day-to-day operations continue to run smoothly. Visit mydatapath.com to learn more about the service, support and cost savings from Datapath Managed IT services.

MYDATAPATH.COM

CLOUD • DATA PROTECTION • MANAGED SERVICES • VOICE SIX-TIME HONOREE 2011-2016

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

IT & NETWORK CONSULTANTS

In San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties. Ranked by Number of Employees. Ties are Listed in Alphabetical Order. Rank

Company Name Address

Local Contact

Number of Employees Web Address Phone

Days and Hours of Operation

Services Offered

Year Est.

David Darmstandler, CEO (209) 521-0055 mydatapath.com

Mon. - Fri. 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Emergency Services

Managed IT services for agriculture, business and education. Cloud services, data protection, backup and recovery, continuity and storage, phone systems, network security

2005

Adtech-IT 1571 E. Whitmore Avenue Ceres, CA 95307

James Lawson (209) 541-1111 Adtech-IT.com

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. 24/7 Emergency

I T services, managed outsourced IT, virtual CIO and help desk support, IT installation and repair. Data/voice cabling, WAN/LAN consulting, local and ofsite backup with data centers in CA and NV, VoIP telephon and circuit, medical/dental HIPPA compliance.

1986

TechSol4U, Inc 95 W 11th Street, Ste. 206 Tracy, CA 95376

Suneel Ravi, COO (209) 833-3212 (510) 637-8066 techsol4u.com

Mon. - Fri. 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

IT Services java, .net, jQuery, AJAX, ORACLE, php and functional areas.

2007

Solid Networks 5686 Pirrone Road Salida, CA 95368

Joe Cram,CEO (209) 338-1400 solidnetworks.com

Everyday 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. 24/7 Emergency

Provides managed services and information technology solutions to organizations of all sizes. Our team can act as a small-to-mediumsized companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entire IT department or supplement the in-house IT team of larger operations including enterprise corporations, school districts and government agencies.

1999

IT Solutions/Currie 1801 Tully Road, Ste. E Modesto, CA 95350

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Technology solutions, computer network services and monitoring, upgrades, project and maintenance service.

1979

Verve Networks 246 E. Main Street Stockton, CA 95202

24/7 Emergency service

Cloud services, IT support, help desk, network implementation, proactive maintenance, network monitoring and management.

2006

Advent Technologies, Inc. 503 Bangs Avenue, Ste. J Modesto, CA 95356

Heath Couchman (209) 530-1750 adventtechnologies.net

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Emergency service

Help desk, computers, networking, cloud hosting, backup services, spam filtering, IP phone systems, cloud/hosted phone systems, voice and data cabling, fiber optics, camera systems

2009

EZ Network Systems 4203 Coronado Avenue, Ste. 1 Stockton, CA 95204

Raymond R. Smith (209) 477-4390 ez-netsys.net

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 24/7 Emergency

IT support, cloud services, local help desk, network monitoring and management, VoIP, DSL, T1, colo, back up solutions with off-site data center, hosting, virus & malware removal and protection

2001

Network Builders IT, Inc. 4623 Mc Henry Avenue, Ste. B Modesto, CA 95356

Bill Bunnell (209) 985-4745 networkbuildersit.com

24/7 Emergency service

Provide enterprise level outsourced IT help desk service to small and medium size businesses, VoIP and Cloud.

2006

Computer Link, Inc. 4343 Pacific Avenue, Ste. E-2 Stockton, CA 95207

Anthony Wilson (209) 474-0530 comlnk.com

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Computer sales and service, remote management, network installation/repair, apple certified service center, Iphone, Ipad services, carry in and onsite repair available.

1994

Coneth Solutions 574 Commerce Court Manteca, CA 95336

Chris Doyle (209) 824-8727 coneth.com

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Emergency service

IT managed services, consulting and support

2001

Ayera Technologies 801 Tenth Street, Ste. 702 Modesto, CA 95354 Heida Computers 410 West Main Street Ste. C Ripon, CA 95366

Matthew Ford (209) 579-3000 ayera.com

24/7

Collocation, hosting (shared/dedicated) email hosting, database services, wireless internet, cloud computing and SaaS, LaaS.

2001

John Heida (209) 599-1500 heidacomputers.com

Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Managed services for small business and home users. Computer repair, sales, web design, web hosting, data backups and Voip phone service

2004

Katherine Kennedy (209) 369-3733 qglobal.net

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

IT management, installation and support for IT environment from communications to servers to workstations and peripherals.

2002

Tim McFall (209) 833-9988 compumonitor.com

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Managed IT services, data recovery, website design and hosting.

2002

Brandt Pemberton (209) 368-4400 computer-impressions.com

Mom. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Emergency service

Commercial, residential computer and technology services

2005

Datapath 318 McHenry Avenue Modesto, CA 95354

12 13

Quasar Global Broadband, Inc. 6333 Pacific Avenue, Ste. 99 Stockton, CA 95207 Compumonitor 672 W 11th Street, Ste. 335 Tracy, CA 95376

James Dempsey (209) 578-9739 itscurrie.com Chad Sublet and Jeff Gilbert (209) 244-7111 vervenetworks.net

Computer Impressions 1420 W. Kettleman Lane, Ste. C Lodi, CA 95242

Tracy Computer Services 3117 N. Tracy Boulevard Tracy, CA 95376

Shawn Hughes (209) 835-8096 tracycomputers.com

Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

IT solutions, software installation, data backup and transfer, PC support, virus and spyware removal, wireless networking and more.

2001

Cantrell Networks Inc. 1103 Val Gardena Street Lodi, CA 95242

Kevin M Cantrell (209) 331-6700 cantrellnetworks.com

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Emergency service

Computer, server, and network repair, maintenance, monitoring and planning.

2011

SoHo Networks 1766 Fleabane Lane Manteca, CA 95337

Joe Sarinana (209) 649-3892 sohonets.com

Mon. - Sat. 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. 24/7 Emergency service

Point of sales systems, network design and deployment, small business server, direct attached storage, network storage, backup and data recovery, communication wiring and digital security.

2006

Serv3 Networks Inc. 4807 Greenleaf Court Ste. D Modesto, CA 95356

NA (209) 824-0025 serv3.com

Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Hosted server, exchange, file management and PBX, network and computer security, data back up and disaster recovery. Central Valley Region

These lists are provided as a free service by the Central Valley Business Journal for our readers. As such, inclusion is based on editorial consideration and is not guaranteed. If you would like your business to be included in a list, please write to: Research Department, Central Valley Business Journal, 4512 Feather River Drive, Ste. E, Stockton, CA 95219, fax your information to Research Dept. at (209) 477-0211 or email us at research@cvbizjournal.com. Copyright Central Valley Business Journal. Researched by Danette Conley 08/2016

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Making the right IT decisions for your business is crucial.

We’re here to guide you.

Schedule your FREE Technology & Network Analysis today and find out, in plain English, how we can immediately improve your network and get your business the performance it needs to stay ahead of the competition.

Improve your Business Today

Our backup and disaster recovery is a comprehensive and reliable solution to ensure your data will always be available.

Disaster proof your Business

► 20% of all tape backups fail ► More than 70% of external hard drives crash, within 2 years

Is your organization legally compliant?

Employee Security Awareness Training

We specialize in making sure your employees understand the mechanisms of spam, phishing, spear-phishing, malware and social engineering and how they can apply this knowledge in their day-to-day job. ► Free Phishing Security Test ► Free Email Exposure Check ► Free Domain Spoof Test

Managed IT Services

www.QGlobal.net

Security Assessment |

(209)369-3733

Cloud Solutions

Call for a FREE Network Analysis Today

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Virtual visits may help poor access dentists By PATRICIA REYNOLDS Business Journal writer preynolds@cvbizjournal.com

MODESTO — Poor dental hygiene can lead to medical and social problems including asthma, poor nutrition, infection, and low self esteem. For children, these translate into missed school days, low academic achievement and poor peer integration. In California, the problem is sizeable, according to Paul Glassman, professor of dental practice at University of the Pacific’s Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. “We know that most children in our society are not getting regular dental care, and a much higher percentage of low income and ethnically diverse children are not getting dental care to the point where more than a quarter of children in California finish elementary school without ever having any dental care,” he said. Hoping to reverse the trend locally, organizations within Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties are working to improve access to dental care for area children. The Stanislaus Dental Society en-

courages members to volunteer and provide dental screenings for third graders in Stanislaus County. California requires such screenings but does not provide funding to schools. “So we take the initiative to go out and provide the service so schools don’t get penalized,” said Cesar Acosta, a Turlock general dentist and chair of the Stanislaus Dental Society community outreach. The group screens between 10,000 and 14,000 third graders attending 97 elementary schools each year at a donated cost ranging between $250,000 and $350,000. Each student is given a visual exam without X-rays. The goal is to identify untreated dental or orthodontic issues that need immediate attention. All exams are documented and parents are notified of the results. “We’ve started to see the trend that there is more awareness, and the awareness has become more active, I’ve noticed since 2008,” said Acosta. “Even in the less affluent areas, there’s much improvement.” Awareness is the key to proper dental care and is the focus of Health Plan of San Joaquin’s Oral Health

PHILIP JOHNSON/CVBJ

Dr. Andrew Soderstrom examines patient at his practice in Modesto.

for Children Starts at Birth initiative launched last January. “The goal of the initiative is to empower our pediatricians to be able to provide good preventative dental care and to message to both the primary care providers and to our members about the importance of preventative dental care,” said the health plan’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lakshmi Dhanvanthari. The initiative stresses that starting preventative dental care at the onset of life is not too early. “Our pediatricians are going to see that child an entire year before they’re

even thinking of seeing a dentist at age 1,” said HPSJ Manager of Health Promotions and Cultural and Linguistic Services Jenny Dominguez. “So that first year of life that we are able to talk about prevention and keeping their teeth healthy or just their gums is important because it sets them up to have good conversations with their dentists.” While the initiative focuses on preventative messaging, HPSJ is using the relationships it has with primary care providers to offer some dental measures Please see DENTAL Page 18

“The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local Ron & Colleen Winter, Owners events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Direct Appliance Inc. and Direct by Flooring & Home Inc. their business, Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers helping them grow 2424 McHenry Ave., Modesto, CA 95350 grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, Advertising in the Business Journal getsprint, ourdigital message grow their careers and increase their bottom line through and local events. “The most sourcebuyers, of positive,and localalso business news in San in” front of trusted qualified supports a Joaquin news and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, the local that and arelocal growmedium their careersdedicated and increase to their bottom linebusinesses through print, digital events.”the “Thebackbone most trusted source local business in San Joaquin of ourof positive, communities. Wenews always see and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, salesand results the Business grow their careers increasefrom their bottom line throughJournal! print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careersCENTRAL and increase VALLEY their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and

Positive, local business news

Your Benefits Plan…Your Way. Strategic Network Design I Customized Employee Communications Reducing Barriers To Access Quality Care I Population Health Management Fully Insured To Self-Insured I Wellness Initiatives

Workers Comp I Agricultural I Health & Benefits I Professional Crop I Commercial Packages I Home & Auto

Business Journal www.cvbizjournal.com

MODESTO (209) 529-3480 l TURLOCK (209) 667-0995 l LIVINGSTON (209) 394-7925

wintonireland.com l Since 1913 l Lic # 0596517

STOCKTON • TRACY • LODI • MANTECA • LATHROP • ESCALON • RIPON MERCED • LIVINGSTON

MODESTO • CERES • TURLOCK • OAKDALE • PATTERSON LOS BANOS • ATWATER

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Craft beer adding to Lodi beverage scene Company already has 200 founders By SIM RISSO Business Journal writer srisso@cvbizjournal.com

LODI — Lodi’s reputation for wine has been growing, and now craft beer makers are joining the town’s beverage scene. Grant Hamilton, who owns Woodbridge’s Flight Lounge with his wife, Angela, is working to open his new venture, Idol Beer Works, in the former Giant Discount Tires building on Sacramento Street. He has a target date some time in November. Hamilton says American craft brewing is coming into its own. “A lot of it is because of these small breweries popping up,” Hamilton said. “The public wants it.” Hamilton is bringing some interesting ideas to Idol Beer Works. He is putting in an outdoor patio area that will include giant hops spread around the garden. Some of those hops will eventually be harvested and included in the beer production. The patio will also include a stage for live music. There will also be indoor seating as well as a tap room.

ELIZABETH STEVENS/CVBJ

Idol Beer Works brewer John Brunet, owner Grant Hamilton and general manager Scott Romine share a beer in the tasting room’s future garden.

Idol, which is “Lodi” spelled backward, is also offering what it’s calling The Founders’ Wall. The first 400 people who are interested invest $500 will get their names on The Founders’ Wall, discounts on swag and a custom beer growler that they can fill up 52

times, which comes out to about $700 worth of beer. Additionally, members of The Founders’ Wall will get a share of profits. According to Hamilton, 5 cents from every pint sold will go into a kitty that will be distributed among

the founding members. So far, about 200 people have signed up. “Those first 400 people, they haven’t tasted the beer yet, and we’ve got hundreds of people who are willing to step up to the plate because they so desperately want this,” said Hamilton. “It’s pretty impressive that they’re doing that for us.” Of course, none of this would be possible without the beer, which Hamilton has been producing privately with John Brunet. They’ve entered and won some competitions and are meticulously working on it so it’s ready for mass production when Idol opens to the public. Hamilton and Brunet are setting everything up so they can brew on-site. They will have a commercial-sized mixing kettle, boil kettle and fermentation tanks. Eventually they are planning to sell kegs to local restaurants and bottle the beer for distribution. Idol will be closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for special functions, to focus on beer production. The brewery will be open to the public Thursday through Sunday. They’re producing Hefeweizens, IPAs, session beers, brown ales and stouts. Hamilton, who is from Scotland, is pairing his old world tastes with Brunet, a Californian who’s Please see IDOL Page 18

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

IDOL Continued from Page 17

New Modesto Office Open to Better Serve our South San Joaquin and Stanislaus County Clients

• Tax Litigation (and Controversies) • Tax Planning to Avoid Controversies • Estate and Wealth Management Planning • Post Mortem Estate and Trust Administration • Trust and Estate Litigation • Business and Commercial Transactions • Real Estate Law/Exchanges • Bankruptcy Planning and Filing

Calone & Harrel Law Group, LLP Es tate Pl anning , Ta x a nd Busi ness At t o r n ey s

WWW.CALONEANDHARREL.COM 3509 Coffee Rd., Ste. D-10 Modesto, CA 95355

209.300.7493

1810 Grand Canal Blvd., Ste. 6 Stockton, CA 95207

209.952.4545

accustomed to West Coast IPAs and kind of grown a sense of a lot differhops. So far, they’ve got 12 finished ent types of hops out there, different recipes, most of which have gone types of flavors, different types of through eight vertaste and you go sions to get where into them, you go they are now. out of them. He’s “We’ll get the done the same Hundreds of people are willing basic profile of thing with this to step up to the plate because the beer we’d Idol stuff. He’s like to produce not afraid to try they so desperately want this. down, let’s say something a little an IPA, and then different, and I we’ll look the hop think the outGrant Hamilton profiles. We’ll come has always Idol Beer Works owner put that together. been wonderful. We’ll start brewGreat taste.” ing it the way we Idol Beer think,” said Hamilton. “Then we’ll Works is part of a boom of craft brewchange, depending on how that beer eries in recent years. According to turns out, temperatures. We’ll change Forbes magazine, craft brewers saw a the amount of grain that we’re using. 13 percent increase in volume in 2015. We may change the types of hops that That’s the eighth year in a row the we’re using. We’ll keep doing that unindustry has seen a double-digit intil we get a balance where we want for crease. Craft breweries now represent that particular beer.” 12 percent of the total beer market, up Idol is planning to only sell its own from 5.7 percent in 2011. beers at the brewery. But Hamilton Lodi itself is seeing a boom in craft hopes to collaborate with other local breweries In addition to Idol Beer breweries down the road. Works, there’s also the Lodi Beer Com Jay Reese and his wife are foundpany in downtown Lodi. According to ing members. Reese met Hamilton Hamilton, another small brewery has through Flight Lounge and liked the proposed downtown as well. varieties of beers sold there, which “America’s definitely got the best made him want to become a founding beer in the world,” said Hamilton. member of Idol. He’s also had an op“Those days of thinking the Ameriportunity to try some of the beers Idol can palate isn’t good enough to prois producing. duce good beers, that’s ridiculous. I “I was your typical Lagunitas IPA think the big Budweisers and Coors guy, and he introduced me to a lot are having a harder time now. They’ve of different IPAs,” said Reese. “I’ve lost a lot of their market.”

DENTAL Continued from Page 12

involving the use of fluoride. Neither Stanislaus nor San Joaquin Counties have fluoridated drinking water provided, so children have no exposure to fluoride, a proven cavity preventer. Health Plan of San Joaquin primary care physicians can apply fluoride varnishes in their practices as well as prescribe fluoride drops or tablets. The initiative also boosted physician reimbursements for varnishes as well as extended the duration of oral fluoride prescriptions. “This allocation of fluoride is so the child is at less risk of cavities and that carries until they happen to get in to see a dentist through the Denti-Cal program,” said HPSJ Vice President of External Affairs David Hurst. Improving dental care access through tele-health methods also has proven effective according to a recently concluded University of Pacific demonstration. The 2010-2016 project involved 8,000 virtual dental home visits with 3,000 patients in 50 locations across 13 communities. Trained dental hygienists traveled to community sites and using portable equipment, collected a full set of digital dental records including X-

rays. An offsite dentist later reviewed the records and made diagnoses and treatment plans that the hygienists then implemented. “We found in the six-year demonstration, particularly for children populations, we were able to keep about two-thirds of the kids healthy in the community location such as the school or Head Start Center, with only about a third that actually had to go to a dental office and be seen,” said Glassman. While area children did not participate in Pacific’s initial demonstration, a new phase of the project beginning this fall will include Banta Elementary School near Tracy. “We think this is a system that has tremendous potential for reaching people who are not getting dental care now, and my prediction is that a decade from now you’ll see this kind of delivery system in widespread use across California and other states,” Glassman said. The demonstration was funded through grant money, but the system’s success prompted passage of legislation and regulations in 2014 and 2015 expanding the scope of hygienists’ work as well as requiring Denti-Cal to pay for interactions done using the tele-health system.

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

MARKETING

GRAPHIC DESIGN

ADVERTISING WEB DESIGN

CUSTOM SIGNS & FLEET GRAPHICS FILM & MULTIMEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA

PUBLICATIONS PR When you can get all the tools you need in one place, why go anywhere else? It isn’t just about having an ad or logo—it has to be creative. It has to be Never Boring.

Four locations to serve you. neverboring.com

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

ADVERTISING & GRAPHIC/WEB DESIGN FIRMS

Social Media

Web Design

Year Est.

Graphic Design

Address

No. Phone of Staff Web Address

% Percentage of business thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Marketing Plans

Rank

Company Name

Top Executive

Public Relations

In San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties. Ranked by Number of Staff. Ties are Listed in Alphabetical Order. Services Media Specialties

Never Boring Associates 1016 Fourteenth Street Modesto, CA 95354 445 W. Weber Avenue, Ste. 124-A Stockton, CA 95203

David Boring, President Julie Orona, VP (209) 526-9136 neverboring.com

1983

Yes

50%

20%

15%

Advertising marketing, public relations, graphic design, branding, web development, social media, film & multimedia, publications, custom signs and fleet graphics. Outdoor, TV, print, broadcast, digital and social media.

Palmer Ad Agency 343 E. Main Street, Fl, 10 Ste. A Stockton, CA 95202 466 Geary Street, Ste. 301 San Francisco, CA 94102

Drew Palmer Agency Principal (209) 472-2904 (415) 771-2327 palmeradagency.com

1983

Yes

Full service ad agency providing inbound and outbound marketing. Advertising, social and digital media.

Jason Roth, CEO (855) 438-8853 tuleburggroup.co

2012

Yes

10%

20%

30%

05%

Digital innovation, corporate identity, brand experience, social strategy and management consulting. Social strategy and local features

Marcia Herrmann, Owner (209) 521-0388 mhdgroup.com

1987

Yes

20%

30%

20%

Brand strategy, graphic design, web design, packaging, advertising and marketing. Strategic communications (PR)

2006

Yes

50%

25%

05%

20%

Advertising, marketing, graphic and Web design, social media, event planning, marketing consultation. Business launch, ground-breaking, public relations consultation.

1987

Yes

20%

70%

05%

Packaging, Logo design, branding, story, coupon/IRC, sales support material, wev, illustration, copy writing, video, photo, print broker. Food, farm/grocery. Packaging, identity development.

1989

Yes

75%

12%

08%

05%

Strategic development and implementation of public outreach programs, event coordination, branding, graphic and web design, multi-media programs, research, advertising, photography and social media. Print, direct mail, outdoor and photography.

2000

Yes

30%

25%

15%

Strategic planning, marketing plans, graphic and web design. Social media, search engine optimization, market research and branding.

2007

Yes

40%

20%

Boutique digital media and branding shop, serving the agriculture and professional services industries. Digital and social media.

2010

15%

60%

20%

1986

Yes

100%

20%

30%

50%

Roberto Carlo Chiesa (209) 571-2306 alexandriaperrin.com

1987

Yes

50%

15%

20%

Marketing and public relations integrating traditional and digital media.

Andy Soares (209) 531-3111 digitalsignnetwork.net

2014

Yes

50%

Digital billboards Billboards

Sally Gerbo, Owner (209) 918-2944 gerbodesigns.com

2007

20%

40%

20%

10%

logo, branding and Identity, Web site design, marketing materials Cohesive branding business collateral, brochures, signage, apparel & Web

Steve Airola, President (209) 518-1491 minslapmedia.com

2012

10%

30%

55%

05%

Video production, website design, print, logos/Identity, presentation, production, labels and apparel. Taking your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand to the next level.

Shawn Crary, Owner (209) 932-9252 (888) 289-0521 bigmonkeygroup.com

1999

20%

80%

Graphic design, marketing plans, marketing consulting and printing. Print and digital advertising, annual reports, logos, identity collateral.

Ken Fernandes (209) 948-4343 fernandesadvertising.com

1992

25%

40%

25%

10%

Graphic design, web design, radio-tv production, digital marketing. Radio, TV, newspaper, magazine, billboard and online.

1975

Yes

80%

20%

Consumer product and service marketing National, regional broadcast and print. Spanish and national food advertisers on Univision TV Network

2013

40%

20%

Website and graphic design, IT. Building custom designed websites and branding material.

Tuleburg 401 N. San Joaquin Street, Ste. 212 Stockton, CA 95202 MHD Group 1127 12th Street, Ste. 203 Modesto, CA 95354

SASS! Public Relations, Inc. 374 Lincoln Center Stockton, CA 95207

Nishihara/Wilinson Design Inc. 737 East Main Street Turlock, CA 95380

Carrie Sass, Owner (209) 957-7277 sasspr.com Darice Nishihara Ron Wilkinson (209) 668-7627

Judith Buethe Communications 445 W. Weber Avenue, Ste. 221 Stockton, CA 95203

Judith Buethe, CEO (209) 464-8707 buethecommunications.com

Port City Marketing Solutions 216 Dorris Place Stockton, CA 95204

Ali Cox and Company Marketing 202 West Main Street, Ste. 199 Turlock, CA 95380 Hill Media Group 1295 N. Emerald Avenue, Ste. C Modesto, CA 95351 Orbit Creative Media PO Box 4093 Modesto, CA 95352

Erin Diego, Kristen Dyke Dan Natividad (209) 965-PORT portcitymarketing.com Ali Cox, CEO (209) 214-8686 alicox.com Jerad Hill, President (209) 222-8422 hillmediagroup.com Kevin Aguirre (209) 529-4835 orbitcreativemedia.com

Website, search engine marketing, online marketing, search engine optimization (SEO). Video production, commercial photography. Strategy development, digital and social ads, websites, microsites, content and Video marketing and productions, email, SEM and SMM. Marketing, online Video productions.

Alexandria Perrin Company 915 14th Street Modesto, CA 95354

Digital Sign Network 9619 Grayfox Way Oakdale, CA 95361

Gerbo Designs 710 Northwood Drive Modesto, CA 9350

Mindslap Inc. 11 S. San Joaquin Street, Ste. 301 Stockton, CA 95202

Big Monkey Group 10 E. Alder Street Stockton, CA 95204

Fernandes Advertising 6507 Pacific Avenue, Ste. 307 Stockton, CA 95207

Younnel Advertising 3137 Fareway Drive Stockton, CA 95204

Straight Path Designs 1037 Tim Bell Road Waterford, CA 95386

Martino Graphic Design, Inc. 1300 10th Street, Ste. F Modesto, CA 95354

Marian Martino, President (209) 579-2165 martinographics.com

1985

30%

50%

15%

05%

Communication Campaigns, Advertising and Marketing. Specialties are graphic design and communication.

Allusions Designs 905 Nolte Lane Modesto, CA 95355

Laurie Ann Leer-Martinez (209) 523-1481 allusionsdesigns.com

2002

10%

60%

30%

Graphic design, web, SEO, print.

Creighton Younnel, President (209) 948-9339 younneladv.com Jacob Keiper (209) 840-2585 straightpathdesigns.com

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

[LIZAQ[rn [LIZAQ[rn [SAU [SAU

TA�A TA�A �USWING �USWING

CA��I[ CA��I[ SASS SASS

ST[PWANI[ ST[PWANI[ rn�gus rn�gus

ANNA ANNA SASS SASS

ADD A

LITTL�

SASSI

TO YOU� N�XT

CAMPAIGN

r sass! L

public public relations, relations, inc. inc.

II @l @l CJ CJ

sassPr.com sassPr.com

PUQLIC PUQLIC �[LATIONS �[LATIONS [V[NT [V[NT PLANNING PLANNING ADV[�TISING ADV[�TISING && MA�V[TING MA�V[TING CO�PO�AT[ CO�PO�AT[ Q�ANDING Q�ANDING QUSIN[SS QUSIN[SS COLLAT[�AL COLLAT[�AL M[DIA M[DIA ST�AT[Gl[S ST�AT[Gl[S SOCIAL SOCIAL M[DIA M[DIA MANAG[M[NT MANAG[M[NT G�AP�IC G�AP�IC && W[Q W[Q D[SIGN D[SIGN

#1 PPUQUQLICLIC m1A m1ATTIONS/ IONS/MMAA�K[ �K[TTININGG �l� �l�MM 5 �V�NT PLANNING CO COMPANY 5 �V�NT PLANNING MPANY

(209) (209) 951-sass 951-sass

• SanJoaqum SanJoaqum

if'� if'�f' f' 2015 2015

374 374 uncoLn uncoLn cenTer, cenTer, STOCKTon STOCKTon

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Leaders launched in Chamber program By MELISSA HUTSELL Business Journal writer mhutsell@cvbizjournal.com

MANTECA — Leadership Stockton, an annual course offered by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, launched its 36th cohort this August. Throughout the class, students learn leadership theory, participate in team building activities, and visit various state and regional institutions. Building bonds with open-minded people who share a passion to improve their community is part of what inspired Stockton native TaShante McCoy-Ham to join Leadership Stockton. She wants to deliver, not just services, but hope. “I love Stockton,” she said. “The goal is to create a positive light within our community. Especially on ours (because Stockton gets) a little bit of bad press. I know a lot of good people and businesses here.” McCoy-Ham is the founder of the OWL Movement and Stockton Angel Mothers. She said team building exercises have been especially effective. The first team meeting included an obstacle course with activities such as sorting items blindfolded or balancing on a teeter totter. “It took us out of our normal environment,” McCoy-Ham said. “We

PHOTO COURTESY GREATER STOCKTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Members of Leadership Stockton’s 2015-16 class clean up around Stockton’s police station.

were strangers at that moment in time. After that, call us family.” Leadership Stockton is the first continuous leadership organization of its type west of the Rockies, according to Program Director Timm Quinn, who was a member of the class of 2008. In 1981, its 15 founding members decided to create the leadership program. The closest national program was in Denver, Colorado, so the group

headed there to observe. “They liked what they saw,” Quinn said. “But Leadership Denver got people involved in public office. (Leadership Stockton) wanted to focus on the community service aspect.” Upon their return, the co-founders formed the West Coast’s inaugural leadership course, which focused on community involvement rather than political participation.

It has since become a model for others throughout California. Today, more than 800 participants have completed the program and countless Stocktonians benefit from its continual efforts. The course gathers professionals from a diversity of fields, including law enforcement, health care, social services, education and business. From August until June, they come together once a month to work on a project aimed at benefiting the city they share. “We look for people (who are ready to) get their hands dirty and get something done,” Quinn said. “(We help them) find leadership qualities in themselves.” Leadership Stockton matches participants with the information and tools needed to make a collective impact. Each September, participants choose a project or series of projects after assessing the needs of the city. Members create their plan of action and raise the funds and resources necessary. Previous ventures have included renovations of South Stockton’s McKinley Center, Emergency Food Bank, the Gospel Center Rescue Mission and the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless. The class of 2016, which just ended, Please see LEADERS Page 23

UC Davis report: 2016 drought less severe so your audience hears you

br a n d str a te g y g r a p h i c de si g n w eb d e s i g n pub l i c r e l a ti o n s ad v ert i s i n g soc i a l m e d i a mar ci a h er r man n desi g n

mhdgroup.com | 209.521.0388 1127 12th street suite 203 | modesto, ca 95354

DAVIS — California still faces drought conditions, but the impact on agriculture this year is less severe than it was the previous two years, according to the annual report from UC Davis. The report, released Aug. 15, said the wetter winter and spring helped the state partially replenish surface water storage and increased recharge to some aquifers. Still, statewide storage in reservoirs remains below historical average and groundwater is substantially overdrawn in many areas. The report estimates the 2016 drought will result in $247 million loss of farmgate revenues as well as 1,815 full and part time jobs statewide. Most of those losses are occurring in the Central Valley south of the Delta. Agriculture losses impact other sectors of the economy as well. When those impacts are taken into account, UC Davis estimates total output losses

CALIFOR N DROUGHT IA

of $600 million and 4,700 jobs statewide. There was a modest recovery in contract labor growth during 2014-15, mostly because of favorable prices for the state’s commodities. No significant drought related impacts are expected for livestock and dairies this year because that sector is more affected by market conditions than drought this year, according to the report. Economists say California’s diversified and global economy has dampened the adverse effects of recent water shortages in agriculture. “Losses from water cutbacks to irrigated areas, revenue losses, and statewide impacts have been large, but economic losses have been much less severe than water cutbacks statewide,” the report said. About 80,000 acres, or 1 percent, of agricultural land has been fallowed in California. About 90 percent of that fallowed area is in the Central Valley, south of the Delta and west of the San Joaquin water basin. Groundwater is is offsetting about 70 percent of the statewide surface water shortage for agriculture. In addition to losses, farmers are paying $303 million in additional pumping costs to access groundwater. That brings the total of direct costs to $550 million.

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

CURRENT Continued from Page 12

energy, the technology also cuts down on the use of AC power and can reduce utility costs. Current RF hopes to partner with internet payment company, PayPal. He has run tests on its systems and found how much it could save on electricity. “It’s a roughly $3 to $4 per server per month reduction in the utility bill, which is pretty substantial,” said Hopkins. “It’s roughly 3-5 percent essentially.” Another big benefit of the technology is cybersecurity. Interestingly, that was a byproduct that came about by accident. In February, Hopkins was reading a paper and began to see the possibilities in that realm. The chip blocks the emissions of currents, which reduces the energy. But it can be used to block hackers who also gather those currents and use them to compromise systems. “Every computer has a signature, as far as its operating system, and if you

listen long enough and you know what to look for — and these guys know what to look for — then they can start reconstructing cyberkeys,” said Hopkins. “We’re taking the edges off, so they can’t really recognize anything.” The technology is a potential step forward in cybersecurity. “Cybersecurity companies will tell you they can’t prevent a hacker from getting in,” Hopkins said. “We’re really the only solution that can block that initial entryway. That’s key.” Hopkins grew up in North Carolina

and graduated from NC State with a degree in engineering. Conceptualizing and developing the technology was right up his alley. But he needs help to mass-produce it. He hopes that’s where the partnership with the Texas company will come in. He’s not naming the company, but he said it has industry contacts and can help facilitate the process. “The biggest business problem we have is not the technology, it’s getting in front of the right people that can make decisions,” said Hopkins. “The bottom

introducing kaiser permanente’s new plan hospital in stockton.

LEADERS Continued from Page 22

raised nearly $40,000 for its project PEACE, or Police Encouragement and Public Engagement. Part of that money paid for an exterior “face-lift” of the Stockton Police Department and sponsored an event for 100 school children and officers at Sky Zone Trampoline Park. To strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the public, PEACE also released the documentary “Hearts of Blue.” Trevor Womack, a second-generation Leadership Stockton graduate, 2011 alumni and a deputy chief with the Stockton Police Department, said his participation in the program was “significant” and helped advance his career. He said it strengthened his ability to serve the community in a way his formal education and training couldn’t do alone. “(The course) teaches and applies leadership skills in a hands-on way right here within the community,” he said. Womack, who is also an active Leadership Stockton Alumni Association board member, said that although he grew up in Stockton, the program opened his eyes, and established connections through the community project. It was the first time he and many other participants had ever taken on such an endeavor. The fundraising, planning, and coordination exponentially raised his level of his skillsets. McCoy-Ham is looking forward to elevating her skills and understanding of the community as well. “Leadership Stockton provides (us) with the knowledge needed to be connected to the community,” she said. “The more knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of the city that we possess, the more tools we have as leaders to implement growth and prosperity.” For more information about Leadership Stockton, its projects and/or the alumni assocciation, visit: LeadershipStockton.com or LSAlumni.com.

Now members can access emergency services as well as other services recommended by your doctor, including labor and delivery. The high-quality care you expect hasn’t changed. It’s just under another roof. 1800 N. California St., Stockton, CA 95204 | kp.org/stockton

line is we’re looking for corporate contacts to initially get this in front of that can see the benefit of saving power, or cybersecurity or battery-life extension.” Hopkins said that if that partnership works out, Current RF could be profitable next year. “Then it goes up from there into the millions in the next couple of years,” he said. “So in five years, we really should be raking in a lot on the return on the investment we’ve put in so far.” For more information on Current RF, visit its website, www.CurrentRF.com.

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

GUTIERREZ Continued from Page 10

and I was taking a political science class in the spring, and I met one of his staff members at a social event. We started talking and he said, ‘Have you ever thought about doing an internship?’ I worked in his office from 2000. Worked on campaigns in the 2000 election cycle from August through November, and then fell in love with it and worked there until 2004. I enjoyed every minute of it. That’s where I got to meet folks from the Council of Governments and I really got engaged with the business community. CVBJ: What do you think are some misconceptions about Latinos as a political group? Gutierrez: I don’t know if it’s necessarily a misperception, but the perception over all sometimes has been that they’ve been less engaged in years past. I will tell you today there’s a lot of folks in the San Joaquin area that are beginning to realize the impact that the Latino community is having on the business community in an influential way. And also the impact from organizations like the Hispanic Chamber being as that we’re very active on the advocacy side. One of the things that have learned being a part of this (Hispanic Chamber) organization, there’s not necessarily always a level of knowledge coming from the business owners of

different business practices that are needed, whether it be ADA issues and compliance to different permitting processes to how to obtain licenses for various types of jobs. CVBJ: I’m not sure that’s only a Latino thing. Gutierrez: There’s not a whole lot of differences when you walk into a store if it’s owned by a Latino business owner versus anybody else. I think there’s a lot of commonality in how we operate from a business perspective. But I do see tendencies of just kind of a general awareness factor. Awareness factor isn’t always necessarily about the owner and the operator, it’s about what they’re connected to that’s providing that source information. So, (that would be) the chambers of commerce or partnerships or business councils. A business that’s inclined to be a participant in the process is typically a part of a larger organization because that’s where they get their information from. CVBJ: Is that what you do as director of government affairs for Food 4 Less? Gutierrez: I work with the Legislature. I work with Congress. Part of my operation, and how I have to manage information or work advocacy, is to be a part of a larger group. It provides kind of a coalition to get our message out as far as where

2016 CLA250

PHOTO COURTESY SJCHCC

Gutierrez works to increase the impact of the Latino community.

we’re standing on a particular bill or how we operate in the community. We’re part of a group to do that, not necessarily just the company. That’s why I also sit on the state Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board as a vice chair. The other part of it is is that my involvement with the community has been one that I’ve naturally wanted to be a part of. I enjoy working partnerships with other industries and folks in the community to make sure we have common goals and common purpose. CVBJ: What are the priorities for

the Hispanic Chamber? Gutierrez: Finding someone to be CEO to be in this chair day to day and continue that course of success, drilling down on what the specific needs are and continuing to build up those programs that have worked and then looking at opportunities to expand to new programs that are more relevant than maybe they were three years ago or 10 years ago,. One of the marriages I see as far as priorities is concerned is to work better with the (San Joaquin) Partnership and the Business Council with the Hispanic Chamber and make them more aware of what we have to offer because when a constituency becomes the majority here in the area, you want to make sure those other organizations that are marketing this area are doing it it relative to their working base, right? One of the things I’m very proud of is this board we have here at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. We’ve got a lot of great talent representing a lot of different industries, a lot of experiences we’ve talked about, they’ve all participated in. I’m very proud of what we are accomplishing together, their investment in the organization. You don’t always get that engagement, and everyone’s very engaged. We have a great staff that helps us facilitate a lot of those things.

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Business Journal Startup Spotlight CENTRAL VALLEY

Reluctant entrepreneur finds success Former Lodi construction worker builds new career in web design By PATRICIA REYNOLDS Business Journal writer preynolds@cvbizjournal.com

ACAMPO — Eric Vaughn hadn’t intended to become a web developer. He put his interest in computers on the back burner after a summer roofing job transitioned him into a career in construction. With 17 years of experience in the construction industry, it was his expertise in construction supply tracking that launched Vaughn, owner of Red Truck Designs in Acampo, back on the path toward his first passion. Vaughn saw the need for a smartphone application that could easily track and cross reference compatible parts used in construction projects. His search for someone to develop one came up empty. “At the time there weren’t any companies interested in building a business app. Everyone wanted to build

games,” said Vaughn. So he spent the next 18 months learning the development language and built one himself. Meanwhile his children’s school, Century Christian School in Lodi, asked Vaughn to help revamp its website. Vaughn discovered that an outside effort would be complicated and expensive, which led the school’s vice principal to propose a different idea. “He looked over at me and said, ‘Do you think you can build it? Come on Eric, you built the iPhone app. You can do this,’” said Vaughn. So Vaughn went back to school, using YouTube, Google, blogs and chat rooms as his instructors. He learned to write code and built the website. Impressed parents and school staff encouraged him to develop websites for a living. The suggestions took Vaughn by surprise. “I said, ‘I’m not going to do this for a living. I’m a salesman. I work

WAYNE DENNING/CVBJ

Eric Vaughn started his web design business at the urging of friends and family.

in construction. This is what I do,’” said Vaughn. Still, with the school’s urging, Vaughn put a name to his hobby, deciding on Red Truck Designs, a moniker derived from a beloved 1963

red Volkswagen crew cab he had once owned. “I threw it out there not thinking that I’m going to be a business, not Please see STARTUP Page 30

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Business Journal Cover Stor CENTRAL VALLEY

No family left behind Stockton has one of the highest rates of dial-up internet use in the country By ELIZABETH STEVENS Business Journal editor estevens@cvbizjournal.com

STOCKTON — Remember the ‘90s? You wished your dad was like Bill Cosby. Even Ross and Rachel never paid $4 for a cup of coffee. And when you logged onto the internet, your computer made a sound like, “Brrrrrrrr, bing, bing, bing, GADONG, GADONG, GADONG.” It was so slow you had time to make a sandwich before you could check your email. For 1,935 households in Stockton, it’s still the ‘90s as far as technology goes. That’s how many households in the city still have dial-up internet, about 2.1 percent. In fact, of the largest 100 cities in the United States, Stockton has the highest percentage of dial-up internet households, according to 2014 statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. But Stockton is not alone. According to Slate.com, 2.2 million Americans were still AOL dial-up subscribers in 2015. Why would anyone still cling to such an outdated service? Many people don’t have a choice. According to a study by the Federal Communications Commission, in 2015, 55 million people in the United States lacked access to high-speed internet, defined as 25 megabits per second download and 3 megabits per second upload. The problem is especially acute in rural areas, where the FCC said 53 percent of households lack access to high-speed internet service -- often because the infrastructure isn’t in place. That finding is supported by research from the California Emerging Technology Fund and the Field poll. According to a survey they released this summer, 16 percent of people in the state don’t have any internet service at home, and most of those people live in rural areas. If you look at the map on page 27, you’ll see the areas marked in red are labeled as “unserved.” Most of those areas are in rural parts of the Stockton region. Lack of affordability But even when broadband service is available, many people don’t use it because they can’t, or think they can’t, afford it.

“Those in low-income, non-English speaking households or communities are the last to adopt because it becomes an economic proposition for them,” said Gladys Palpallatoc, associate vice president for the CETF. That Field poll conducted with the CETF found that just 69 percent of California’s Spanish-speaking Latinos have broadband internet at home, and only 39 percent connect to the Internet through a home computing device. Many people, especially those who are younger, rely on smartphones. Income is an issue as well. Among Californians who have incomes less than $22,000, only 43 percent can access the internet at home through a computing device. Having no or slow internet service at home can hold people back in ways they may not realize. They can’t bank online. They can’t apply for jobs or access services. Their children can’t do research online or get help with homework. Shelby Gonzales works at the Office of Community and Economic Development at Fresno State University. That office distributes grants to local organizations that help lowincome and non-English-speaking

people sign up for broadband access. Since July 2013, her office has served 1,273 people. “Often they have a perception they can’t afford it; they don’t recognize the need for it,” Gonzales said. One way her office reaches parents in homes that lack digital access is by partnering with schools that send devices home with students. “We provide digital literacy courses for the parents so that they understand, No. 1, what their children have and then showing them that mechanism, how it’s important to them, too,” Gonzales said. The digital literacy classes take 18 sessions and start with the most basic steps of turning on a computer. Gonzales says that by the end, parents have a sense of empowerment and find uses for the internet they hadn’t realized existed. “We get that ‘aha’ moment constantly,” Gonzales said. “We teach them how to Skype because a lot them have family in Mexico that they want to keep track of.” In the past three years, workers have also helped 2,343 families sign up with internet service providers. Gonzales’ office used to partner

SOURCE: UniXL, Education and Career Information Portal

with the Great Valley Center to help families with internet access in the Stockton and Modesto area. However, that partnership ended last year. Accessibility issues The California Emerging Technology Fund is also working to increase accessibility throughout California. According to that Field poll released this summer, 21 percent of people said they didn’t use the internet at home because it wasn’t available where they live. Currently, broadband infrastructure is in place for 84 percent of California’s population. That’s up from just 55 percent eight years ago.

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

ry > NEED FOR SPEED Stockton • Xfinity 122.08 Mbps up/12.21 Mbps down • AT&T U-verse 23.06 Mbps up/4.79 Mbps down

Modesto • Xfinity (Comcast) 125.25 Mbps up/12.22 Mbps down • Charter 66.26 Mbps up/4.46 Mbps down • AT&T U-verse 26.22 Mbps down/4.86 Mbps up SOURCE: Ookla Speedtest

SOURCE: CALIFORNIA EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FUND

The California Public Utilities Commission has a goal to provide broadband infrastructure to 98 percent of the state by next year. However, CETF’s CEO Sunne McPeak says the Legislature needs to pass legislation, including the Internet for All Now Act, to make sure the goal is reached. Internet service providers such as AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Frontier and Mobile Citizen all have affordable options for low-income households. Charter is unveiling a similar program soon. Beginning in December, the FCC will provide a $9.25 monthly subsidy to internet companies to help them serve low-income customers.

> BY THE NUMBERS Californians connected to broadband in 2008

Californians connected to broadband in 2016

Californians who use internet to gain job skills

55%

84%

53%

Californians who use internet to bank online

California broadband households with a computer

Californians who use internet to look for a job

70%

60% SOURCE: Field Poll conducted for California Emerging Technology Fund, July 2016

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

TELECOMMUNICATIONS FIRMS In San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties. Ranked by Number of Employees. Ties are Listed in Alphabetical Order. Rank 1

Company Name Address TelePacific Communications 3485 Brookside Road, Ste. 102 Stockton, CA 95219 Utility Telephone 4202 Coronado Avenue Stockton, CA 95204

Top Executive Year Phone Established Web Address Michelle Young (209) 870-6460 telepacific.com

Number of Employees

Products and Services Service Area

1998

Voice and data for businesses, data centers, mobile services, Internet access. California, Nevada, Texas

1996

Business communications solution, telephone, Internet and data. All of California and Northern Nevada

2005

Design, Installation and support of VoIP phone systems with vendor Shoretel. Project design and management of cabling and network infrastructures. Fresno, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, and Madera Counties

1973

Business telephone and data systems, Toshiba and Shoretel distributors. Northern California is served through five offices.

(209) 664-0620 att.com

2002

Phone, Internet, and cable service and sales. United States

CCT Telecommunications, Inc. 1106 E. Turner Road Lodi, CA 95240

Steve Fetzer (209) 365-9500 4cct.com

1996

Telecommunication services voice and data, phone system installation and service, internet access, web hosting, VoIP, data system service and engineering. California and Nevada

Integrated Telecom Solutions 4092 Metro Drive, Ste. 100 Stockton, CA 95215 Advent Technologies 503 Bangs Avenue, Ste. J Modesto, CA 95356 Wilson Technologies 115 Mark Randy Place Modesto, CA 95350

Steven Kim (209) 952-5955 its-co.com

1998

Voice, data and video solutions. Northern California

Heath Couchman (209) 530-1750 adventtechnologies.net

2009

Phone systems, VoIP, cabling, phone, internet, email, and surveillance services Hosted PBX. IT Consultation also available. All of northern California

Brion Self (209) 577-2240 wilson-technologies.net

2000

Allworx, VoIP, video surveillance camera, all Avaya/Lucent products, voice and data wiring. Greater Central Valley, Lodi to Madera, Los Banos to Sonora

Carl Tognolini (209) 549-4900 comtelphones.com

1984

Telephone sales and service including IP, prewire of voice and data. Counties of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and Tuolumne

Datapath 318 McHenry Avenue Modesto, CA 95354 Totlcom 3025 Dale Court Ceres, CA 95307 AT&T 2858 W. Monte Vista Avenue Turlock, CA 95380

Comtel Telephone Systems 1127 Kansas Avenue Modesto, CA 95351

Oliver Communications 485 Treecrest Circle Oakdale, CA 95361

Evans Communications 5225 Pentecost Drive, Ste. 24 Modesto, CA 95356

Jason Mills, President/CEO (209) 940-1000 utilitytelephone.com David Darmstandler Co-Founder (209) 521-0055 mydatapath.com Jerry Greer (209) 572-5000 totlcom.com

Chris Oliver (209) 847-7018 olivercommunications.net

2005

Telecommunications services, NEC, Shortel and Avaya expertise, new installation services, support and design for current VoIP technologies, voice mail & e-mail integration, wireless solutions. California

Tim Taylor (209) 491-4900 (800) 669-7782 evanscompanies.com

1913

NEC, AVST/telecommunications, data and voice systems and other communication services. Central Valley and Coast of California In San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties. Ranked by Year Established.

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS Rank

Company Name Address Fire2Wire 5462 Pirrone Road Salida, CA 95368 Adtech 1571 E Whimore Avenue Ceres, CA 95307 CCT Telecommunications, Inc. 1106 E. Turner Road Lodi, CA 95240 DBreeze Direct, Inc. Modesto, CA 95350 Ayera Technologies Inc. 801 10th Street Modesto, CA 95354 AT&T 5756 Pacific Avenue, Ste. 94 Stockton, CA 95207 Cal DSL 1660 W. Linne Road, Ste. H Tracy, CA 95377 Quasar Global Broadband, Inc. 6333 Pacific Avenue, Ste. 566 Stockton, CA 95207 Velociter Wireless, Inc. 1525 2nd Street Escalon, CA 95320

Top Executive Year Phone Type Of Services Offered Established Web Address William Moreno (209) 543-1800 fire2wire.com

1984

Fixed wireless, DSL, T1, Metro Ethernet, IT/Network consulting, server co-location.

James Lawson (209) 541-1111 adtech-it.com

1986

Fixed Wireless, T1,DS1, DS1, DS3 and Metro Ethernet. C-7 licensed cabling, installing voice, data and fiber cabling through out California. Managed Telecommunications. CLEC providing PUC regulated telecommunication services and VoIP.

1996

DSL, ISDN, TI, Wireless, dial up, EOC, fiber, domain hosting and full carrier services.

2000

Internet sales, service and installation for residential and commercial customers, satellite television, satellite internet, automation for residential and commercial.

2002

Wireless Braodband Internet, web hosting and IT services. Provide services for Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties

(209) 478-8899 att.com

2002

Internet, phone and cable service and sales. Multiple locations throughout three-county areas.

Chau Jasty (209) 832-4420 caldsl.net

2002

High speed internet access, IP voice and surveillance camera systems.

Katherine Kennedy (209) 369-3733 qglobal.net

2002

Provides and supports complete solutions, fitting individual clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; budgets and performance requirements.

Scott Vander Dussen (209) 838-1221 velociter.net

2003

Internet service, wireless networks, and computer repair.

Steve Fetzer (209) 365-9500 cctonline.net Murray Breeze (209) 524-2225 dbreeze.com Mathew Ford (209) 579-3000 ayera.com

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

CCT Telecomm is a local, Central Valley communications company with a nationwide reach, serving our customers and referrals for over 20 years. www.4cct.com 1-888-777-4228

Our two hottest options today are:

Fiber Optic Solutions

Does your business rely on your Internet connection to operate? • • • • • • • •

Bandwidth speeds available up to 1GB! Delivers the ultimate Internet performance and security Symmetrical speeds for upload & download Multiple location office solutions (MPLS/VPN) 99.9% Guaranteed Uptime Service Level Agreement (SLA) Bundled solutions for voice/data Best reliability with 24/7 monitoring Carrier grade Fiber Optic Internet

Wireless Internet Solutions

Traditional High Speed Internet not available at your office? • • • • • • • •

Bandwidth speeds available up to 100MB! Cost-Effective, easy installation, quick activation Advanced Wireless platform with 24/7 monitoring Consider Wireless Internet for primary or secondary access (disaster recovery) Bundled solutions for voice/data Scalable bandwidth Event/temporary Internet Carrier grade Wireless Internet

www.4cct.com 1-888-777-4228

CALL TODAY FOR SERVICE AVAILABILITY AND ASK ABOUT OUR CURRENT INSTALLATION PROMOTION!

CCT also provides, installs, and services business grade telephone systems and hosted VoIP solutions along with infrastructure cabling and network design. Give us 1% of your trust and we will earn the other 99%. One Call. One Bill. One Company.

Foster Farms names new president/CEO LIVINGSTON — Laura Flanagan took over as president and chief executive officer of Foster Farms on Aug. 29. Flanagan is taking over from Ron Foster, grandson of company founders Max and Verda Foster. Foster will remain as a Foster Farms owner and member of the board of directors. Flanagan’s most recent job was president of the ConAgra Foods’ Snacks Division. “The board unanimously selected Laura Flanagan as the ideal executive to guide Foster Farms during a time of significant growth,” Ron Foster said. “She has an impressive record of transforming and growing household consumer brands across an ever-shifting landscape. We are confident that her strategic approach will lead Foster Farms to new heights within the U.S. meat and poultry industry.” Flanagan has also been vice president and chief marketing officer of Tropicana Shelf Stable Juices at PepsiCo. She held brand-management positions at General Mills and PepsiCo. She was also a manufacturing engineer at Saturn Corporation after earning an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1996.

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

STARTUP Continued from Page 25

thinking it’s going to be anything relev ant to what I’m doing now,” he said. Soon Red Truck Designs began receiving calls from people who had seen Century Christian’s website and wanted to hire Vaughn. With advice from his wife to take on one or two projects in order to save money to buy back his coveted truck, Vaughn began picking up side jobs. But he didn’t save any of his earnings. Instead he invested the money back into Red Truck Designs. “It started to become really fun, and I’m super competitive so I wanted to build something bigger and better,” he said. “I started buying better equipment, better computers. And I just kept feeding it back.” His view that Red Truck was just a hobby slowly started to change. In 2013 Vaughn developed a business plan to get him working for himself by 2017. He started building a portfolio, offering a free website to Steve Milliaire of Milliaire Winery in Murphys. Milliaire liked what he saw and hired Vaughn, for pay this time, to design a website for Black Sheep Winery. While still working full time in construction, Red Truck Designs landed a project in late 2014 that yielded enough income to convince both Vaughn and his wife that he could fully commit to web development.

Spend the time and the energy it takes to get something going because that’s the hardest part.

Eric Vaughn, Red Truck Designs

“So it was really at the beginning of 2015 that I was full time with no safety net, working on my own,” said Vaughn. Since then Red Truck Designs has developed websites for a variety of businesses, including Ironstone Vineyards, The Fruit Bowl fruit stand in Stockton and Jug Buggy, a company that builds portable water jug transport devices. Vaughn does not invest in marketing. Instead he relies on word-ofmouth referrals and the quality of his firm’s work. An important aspect of Red Truck Designs is offering clients ongoing website support, something Vaughn finds lacking from other web developers. “I manage the websites I build for my clients. They call me, email me, text me,” he said. “They tell me the

changes they want to make, and I make them, so that sets me apart,” Vaughn said. His clients appreciate his attentiveness. “He’s creative and responsive to our needs. He did a great job on our website,” said Ralph Lucchetti, owner of The Fruit Bowl. Vaughn also focuses on search engine optimization, ensuring his clients’ businesses rank high on Google, Bing and other search engines. “As they thrive, I thrive,” he said. Red Truck Designs partners with other developers that provide services that Vaughn doesn’t, such as graphic design for logo development and social media marketing. “I have relationships with other freelance developers in England, Florida and Berkeley. As I scale my business up, I work with others that will alleviate that workload and help me to grow,” said Vaughn. Vaughn plans to hire full-time inhouse web developers within the year. For those hoping to launch startup businesses, Vaughn’s advice is to keep on course. “Stay focused and don’t give up,” he said. “Spend the time and the energy it takes to get something going because that’s the hardest part. You also have to know that you’re not working for a paycheck, you’re working for a future.”

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

CHEF program teaches healthy eating By NORA HESTON TARTE Business Journal writer nhestontarte@cvbizjournal.com

MODESTO — Food is something Modesto mom, Luz Jimenez, is passionate about. Feeding her family healthy meals is important to her, but until recently she didn’t know much about it. Now Jimenez is learning, along with her children, to provide healthier meals thanks to the CHEF program, which was launched last year by United Way of Stanislaus County. “Now my children are the ones … looking into the (nutrition pyramid),” Jimenez said. “They look into the calories.” United Way started the CHEF program at Bret Harte Elementary and Caswell Elementary schools in the Modesto area. The goal was to get school-aged children to eat healthier food. CHEF stands for Cooking Healthy Eating Food. The program provides healthy cooking lessons, nutritional education and bags of fresh food. Each bag includes 15-18 pounds of food made up of 50-75 percent produce, 25-50 percent shelf-stable food and healthy cooking recipe cards. During the last school year, 108,852 pounds of food was distributed to students and their families.

PHOTO COURTESY UNITED WAY OF STANISLAUS COUNTY

The CHEF program distributes bags of fresh and shelf-stable food to participating students at two Modesto-area elementary schools.

Jimenez’s children, ages 8 and 9, attended the CHEF program last year as part of Bret Harte’s after-school program. They received the food bags, and on select Saturdays, Jimenez attended the parent cooking class. During the class a representative taught adults how to make a nutritious, budget-friendly meal using the items inside the grocery bag, and children participated in a nutrition lesson.

“I would go straight home, and I would do the meal I learned that day and cook it for the family,” Jimenez said. She added that being supplied with the ingredients made a difference because she didn’t have to stop at the store on her way home. It was convenient. Jimenez also learned how to make simple swaps in her family recipes to make them healthier. “Maybe because of our culture, we

INSTITUTE FOR FAMILY BUSINESS

Call today to see how we can help you! Succession Planning • Preparing the Next Generation Board Governance • Communication

used a lot of oil,” Jimenez said. Now she uses the same recipes but alters them to reduce oil and add more vegetables. Steve Hurst, who runs the After School Program for Modesto City Schools, said the partnership with United Way has been positive for both the school and the community. The CHEF program aligns with one of Modesto City School’s 12 guiding standards — teaching children about a healthy lifestyle. Hurst said it was a perfect fit for their after-school program, and the after-school program provided a good control group for the pilot CHEF program. Over the course of the school year, the program used 572 volunteer hours, served 287 students and adults at workshops and distributed 6,318 food bags. It was run with the support of Second Harvest Food Bank, Ceres Highs School District and Modesto City Schools. Hurst said the program addressed the needs of the community in two key ways. First, it brought in food deliveries twice each month. “It benefitted those families directly,” he explained. “They had access to a good, nutritious meal or items for meals.” At a school where 98 percent of students qualify for meals in the free and Please see CHEF Page 37

WESTGATE CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP

success doesn’t

Are you part of a Family Business?

happen by accident. It takes high performing leaders. For 25 years the Westgate Center has helped thousands of leaders and managers become more effective. Our Management Certificate Program is made up of the top issues facing managers today including: • • • •

Creating a Competitive Strategy Exceeding Customer Expectations Building Leadership Effectiveness Designing Innovative Organizers

and more.. 19 years of helping families work together to build their business and relationships FOR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT

For more information: 209.946.2956 • Pacific.edu/IFB • Pacific.edu/Westgate

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Business Journal Real Estate CENTRAL VALLEY

> FORECLOSURES

Foreclosures down in Valley MODESTO — Foreclosure rates continue to drop in the Central Valley. Modesto’s rate dropped to just 0.41 percent of all mortgages in June, down 0.17 from a year ago. The rate in the StocktonLodi region dropped to 0.39 percent, down from 0.62 percent in June 2015. Both cities’ rates were slightly above June’s state foreclosure rate of 0.35 percent, down from 0.49 percent last year. Nationally, 0.95 percent of home mortgages went to foreclosure in June, down from 1.3 percent the year before. Both Stockton and Modesto’s delinquency rates dropped as well. In June, just 1.90 percent of Stockton-Lodi home owners 90 days or more late on their mortgage. In Modesto,1.91 percent of homeowners were 90 days late. Nationally the delinquency rate was 2.96 precent in June.

Central Valley houses moving fast The Stockton-Lodi and Modesto markets were two of the hottest real estate markets in the country in August according to realtor.com. The Stockton-Lodi market stayed at No. 5 from July, nationally. Modesto dropped one spot to rank as the 13th hottest market in the country. “Hotness” is defined by the age of the market’s inventory. The faster houses move, the hotter the market. The median time a house stayed on the market in Stockton-Lodi was 38 days. In Modesto, it was 40 days. California dominated the top-20 list with 11 markets in the top 20, including VallejoFairfield which topped the list

> COMMERCIAL SECTOR STOCKTON — Three new businesses are opening soon in Stockton’s Lincoln Center. All three are going into the old Rasputin Music building in Lincoln Center South,

for the fourth straight month. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington; Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo.; San Francisco-OaklandHayward and Stockton-Lodi rounded out the top 5. Sacramento-RosevilleArden-Arcade, Yuba City, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Santa Cruz-Watsonville and Santa Cruz were the other Northern California markets to make the list. Waco Texas was the biggest mover on the list, jumping in at No. 8. Nationally, the median listing price for August reached a record $250,000, an 8 percent jump during the last 12 months. In San Joaquin County, the median price for a house was

$308,000 in July, up 5.3 percent from last year. In Stanislaus County, it was $270,000, up 8 percent from last year. Inventory is expected to show

a 1 percent decline in August from July as the real estate buying season begins to wind down. Inventory has dropped 8 percent in the last year.

New businesses coming to Lincoln Center which is getting a makeover. A Chase bank branch will occupy about 4,800 square feet. It will have multiple teller windows and a walk-up ATM. The bank will be joined by

two restaurants: Cafe Rio, which will feature a southwestern menu, and Pieology, a pizza restaurant. All three are scheduled to open this fall.

Here for Usl San Joaquin General Hospital and County Clinics are here for you and your family with: • Primary, Pediatric & Specialty Medical Care • Women's Services & Maternity • Emergency & Trauma Care

Were Here for You!

Visit Our Booth at the Upcoming FAMILY DAY AT THE PARK! Saturday, September 17, 2016 9:30a.m. - 3:30p.m. University Park, Stockton

� �

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

OUTPATIENT SURGERY CENTERS

In San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties. Ranked by Square Footage. Ties are Ranked in Alphabetical Order. Company Name Rank Address Medical Director

Kaiser Permanente Stockton Medical Office 7373 West Lane Stockton, CA 95210 Manteca, 1777 Yosemite, Ave. Modesto, 4601 Dale, Rd.

Web Address Local Phone Fax kaiserpermanente.org 209-476-2000 Fax 209-476-3526 209-825-3700 209-735-5000

Director or Area Manager

Affiliated with/ Owner Group

Types of Insurance Accepted

Square Footage

Hours

Year Est.

Mon. - Fri. Deborah Friberg, VP and Area Manager

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente members

18,000

6 am - 6 pm 6 am - 8 pm 24 hours

1992

St. Joseph’s Surgery Center 1800 N. California, Ste. 1 Stockton, CA 95204

stjosephs-sc.com 209-467-6316 Fax 209-461-6895

Kippy Pogue, Admin.

St. Joseph’s Medical Center

All major carriers

16,800

Mon. - Fri. 6 am - 5 pm

2005

Sutter Gould Medical Center Stockton Ambulatory Surgery Center 8011 Don Avenue Stockton, CA 95209

sutterhealth.org 209-955-3001 Fax 209-473-1296

Katrina Holmes, RN

Sutter Health

All major carriers

13,000

Mon. - Fri. 6:30 am - 4 pm

2009

Emanuel Medical Center 825 Delbon Avenue Turlock, CA 95382

emanuelmedicalcenter.org 209-664-2700 Fax 209-664-2707

Dr. David Canton, MD (EMC); Bernadette Khanania, Director Outpatient Surgery

Covenent Ministries of Benevolence

Most carriers including Medi-Cal and Medicare

10,000

Mon. - Fri. 7 am to closing

1985

memorialmedicalcenter.org 209-569-7542 Fax 209-572-7049

Kathy Tuck, RN

Memorial Medical Center

All major carriers

10,000

Mon. - Fri. 5:30 am - 7 pm

1970

memorialmedicalcenter.org 209-4500 Fax 209-525-5829

Nancy Collier, RN

Memorial Medical Center

All major carriers

10,000

Mon .- Thurs. 5:30 am - 5 pm

2001

Lucia Paniagua

Sutter Health

All major carriers

10,000

Mon. - Fri. 6 am - 6 pm

2000

Dr. Sam Romeo, MD Sandi P Singh, RN

Physician/Medical Center Partnership

All major carriers

9,740

Mon. - Fri.

2005

Dr. Daryl Bailie, MD

Mostly physician owned, small ownership stake by management company Nueterra Healthcare

Most PPOs, HMOs and other carriers

8,400

Mon. - Fri. 6 am - 5 pm

2005

Dr. Phillip Ruhl, DO Medical Director Chief of Anesthesia

Physician owned and USPI Partners Inc.

Most health plans

7,824

Mon. - Fri. 6 am - 5 pm

2001

Kerri Darnell, RN

Stanislaus Surgical Hospital majority owner, minority owner RMC Medstone

All, except CVMG

5,946

Mon. - Fri. 6 am - 6 pm

2004

5,500

Mon. - Fri. 9 am - 5 pm

2007

6,156

Mon. - Fri. 7:30 am - 4 pm

2005

4,140

Mon. - Fri. 7 am - 3 pm

1912

2006

Memorial Medical Center 1700 Coffee Road Modesto, CA 95355 Same Day Surgery Center at Spanos Court 1401 Spanos Court, Ste. 200 Modesto, CA 95355 Short Stay Surgical Center Sutter Tracy 1420 N. Tracy Boulevard Tracy , CA 95376 Tower Surgery Center 1801 Colorado Avenue, Ste 140 Turlock, CA 95382 Northern California Surgery Center 3850 Geer Road Turlock, CA 95382 Ambulatory Surgery Center of Stockton 2388 N. California Street Stockton, CA 95204 Coffee Road Surgery Center 1335 Coffee Road Modesto, CA 95355

suttertracy.org 209-835-1500 Fax 209-832-6076 tower-health.com 209-216-3470 Fax 209-216-3475 northerncalifornia surgerycenter.com 209-668-9866 Fax 209-668-9843 ascstockton.com 209-944-9100 Fax 209-944-9307 stanislaussurgical.com 209-232-2651 Fax 209-572-0151

River Surgical Institute 609 E. Orangeburg Avenue, Bldg. B, Modesto, CA 95350

riversurgical.com 209-527-6700 Fax 209-527-6711

Dr. William Pistel, DO

Physicians’ Surgery Center of Modesto, Inc.

Tracy Surgery Center 2160 W. Grantline Road, Ste. 120, Tracy, CA 95377

tracysrg.com 209-836-5680 Fax 209-836-5778

Nichole Watson, RN

Physician owned

Alex & Faye Spanos Surgery Pavillion Dameron Hospital 445 W. Acacia Stockton, CA 95203

dameronhospital.org 209-944-5550 Fax 209-461-7586

Lorraine Auerbach, CEO

Independent, community owned

All major carriers

Sylvan Surgery Center 2336 Sylvan Avenue, Ste. B Modesto, CA 95355

NA 209-338-0393 Fax 209-338-0292

Dr. Magdy Elsakr, MD

Physician-owned

Most carriers Except Kaiser, Sutter Gould /CVMG

3,500

Tues. - Wed 8 am - 12 pm Thurs. 12 pm - 5 pm Fri. 8 am - 4 pm

Endoscopy Center of Lodi 840 S. Fairmont Avenue, Ste. 1, Lodi, CA 95240

Robbi Kuehne

Lodi Memorial Hospital - 78% Physician Owned - 5% Regent 7%

All major carriers

2,000

Mon. - Fri. 7 am - 5 pm

2009

Kent Wallace, RN

Lodi Memorial Hospital Adventist Health

All major carriers

Mon. - Fri. 6 am - 6 pm

1952

regentsurgicalhealth.com 209-333-0905 Fax 209-333-0219

Robbi Kuehne

Lodi Memorial Hospital - 78% Physician Owned - 5% Regent 7%

Most major carriers

Mon. - Fri. 6 am - 4:30 pm

1984

mercymerced.org 209-564-3000 Fax 209-564-5111

Janet Ruscoe

Dignity Health-Mercy Medical Center

All Insurances

Mon. - Fri. 7 am - 3 pm

2006

Lodi Memorial Hospital Outpatient Procedures 975 S. Fairmont Avenue Lodi, CA 95240 Lodi Outpatient Surgical Center 521 S. Ham Lane Ste. F Lodi, CA 95242 Mercy Outpatient Surgical Services 315 Mercy Avenue Merced, CA 95340

regentsurgicalhealth.com 209-371-8700 Fax 209-369-1262 lodihealth.org 209-334-3411

Most health plans, all out of network BC, HN, Aetna, Medicare, Work/comp

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Live Life Well.

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY & CARE For all types of joint conditions, our experts offer comprehensive care, from cutting-edge diagnostic tools and minimally invasive surgical options, to rehabilitation for your optimum recovery. Our comprehensive approach to orthopedic conditions, convenient locations and trusted specialists combine to help you regain your mobility and live life well again. Visit LiveLifeWellAgain.org to learn more and request a free ice pack.

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Business Journal Jobs & Economy CENTRAL VALLEY

> WHO’S HIRING

Nurses, truck drivers wanted Ads for truck drivers and registered nurses remained the most prevalent in July in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, according to the California Employment Development Department. There were 530 ads in San Joaquin County and 452 in Stanislaus County for truck drivers. For registered nurses, there were 409 in San Joaquin County and 431 in Stanislaus County. The figures for July were released in mid-August. They give insight into job trends in the Central Valley. There were also ads for retail workers and supervisors, teachers and teaching assistants, janitors and maintenance workers in both counties. Local employers looking for workers included Modesto City Schools, Sutter Health, the Stanislaus County Office of Education and Stockton Unified School District.

Jobs figures hit by seasonal changes STOCKTON — The unemployment rate in Modesto was down in July, according to figures from the California Employment Development Department. The jobless rate was up slightly in Stockton. The changes were caused mostly by seasonal hiring increases in food processing and layoffs in public education as the school year ended. In Stanislaus County, July’s unemployment rate was 8.9 percent. That was down from a revised 9.1 percent in June. California’s unemployment rate in July was 5.9 percent. The nation’s was 5.1 percent. Most hiring occurred in the

> AG JOBS There are twice as many farm workers as farm jobs, according to a study released Aug. 23 by UC Davis’ Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Economists analyzed Social

manufacturing sector as the area geared up for its annual surge in food and beverage processing. That sector added 800 jobs in July. Construction also added 300 jobs. That addition was offset by the seasonal loss of 1,100 public school jobs in Stanislaus County. Even so, Stanislaus County has added 600 jobs in that sector over the past year. In San Joaquin County, the unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in July, up from a revised 8.3 percent in June. The county gained 1,000 jobs in manufacturing; 600 jobs in trade, transportation and utilities; 600 jobs in lei-

SOURCE: CA EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT DEPT.

sure and hospitality; 400 jobs in construction and 100 jobs in the financial sector. As in Stanislaus County, San Joaquin County saw

seasonal losses in the public education sector, where 2,700 jobs were lost. In private education and health, 500 jobs were lost.

State’s farm workforce is stable, study finds Security numbers reported by farm employers in 2014. They found the total number of farmworkers employed in California that year was 829,300. The number of full-time equivalent jobs was 410,900.

“We have lots of people who do farm work in California,” said professor emeritus Philip Martin. “If we could use more of them year round, we would not have to always be looking for immigrants.”

The study also found farm employers have started using more farm labor contractors rather than hiring directly. Most farmworkers are attached to a labor contractor, who moves workers from farm to farm.

“The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase bottom line through print, digital and local Andy their Prokop, President/CEO events.” “The most trustedUnited sourceWay of positive, local of San Joaquinbusiness County news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Thecounties. Central Valleyvalue Business a great way Stanislaus Providing to readersJournal by helpingis them grow their business, grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local for our United Way to share our message about the events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing valueback to readers by helping them live grow better. their business, importance of giving to help others grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local is read enjoyed our business events.” “TheItmost trustedand source of positive,by local business news inand San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers helping them grow their business, community leaders in bytwo counties. grow their careers and increase their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, grow their careersCENTRAL and increase VALLEY their bottom line through print, digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Providing value to readers by helping them grow their business, STOCKTON • TRACY • MANTECA • LATHROP • LINDEN • RIPON MODESTO CERES • TURLOCK •print, OAKDALE • PATTERSON grow their careers and• LODIincrease their bottom line • through digital and local events.” “The most trusted source of positive, local business news in San Joaquin and

Positive, local business news

Business Journal www.cvbizjournal.com

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Getting the right kind of job search notice CHICAGO — When you’re looking for a new job, of course you want to go that extra mile and stand out, but how do you know when you’ve gone too far? A CareerBuilder survey released in August provided some insight. It included a list of some of the most unusual things job seekers have done to stand out. The questionable tactics included having a priest contact the hiring manager;

CHEF Continued from Page 31

reduced meal program, food insecurity is commonplace. “For some of the families, it definitely was a needed element,” he said. “There are people out there that need this.” Secondly, Hurst said students who do not feel food insecurity benefitted by becoming aware of the needs of those around them. Feedback the program received suggested nearly everything in the bags was used. The parent and student education element helped many families learn about nutrition and healthy lifestyles for the first time. About 80 percent of incoming students at Bret Harte are learning English as a second language. Sometimes language barriers are the problem, according to Hurst. Jimenez said the tips and tricks provided in class about buying healthy foods on a budget were especially helpful. She had never thought about buying food in-season as a way to save money. The program also introduced those families to new items such as canned chicken that they probably never thought to use before. “We want students to become knowledgeable about … what they eat, why they eat it, (and) where it comes from. It supports that aspect,” Hurst said. About 170 food bags were given out on each distribution day, and 45 parents attended at least one Saturday cooking classes over the course of the year. Childcare is available during the cooking classes for children ages 2 and older. Going forward, Hurst is looking forward to seeing the CHEF program expand outside of the schools. “It’s been a very good partnership,” he said. “I think that the premise of how to we affect the lives in our community to promote better choices in food … it’s moving the right way.” For the 2016-17 school year Bret Harte Elementary is participating in the CHEF program again in the afterschool program. This year, the cooking classes will move to weekdays in an effort to draw more parents. “To me it was a great experience,” Jimenez said. “Whatever I learned I always tell my mom, tell my sister. I would love for parents to just try going because I feel like there’s a lot of parents that could attend and don’t do it.”

showing up for a job interview in a Halloween costume; and asking the hiring manager to share an ice cream cone. “Candidates are realizing that an extraordinary cover letter and resume with strong references aren’t enough,” said CareerBuilder’s Chief Human Resources Officer Rosemary Haefner. “The catch is making sure you do that in a professional, respectful way.” Haefner says the key to standing out

is demonstrating you have the necessary experience and expertise. One way to do that online is to tweet, blog or comment on social media sites about things you know. Haefner also recommends using numbers to illustrate the impact you’ve had at previous jobs. How many people were impacted by your work? By what percentage did you exceed your goals?

When you do get a job interview, Haefner suggests going prepared with questions that show your knowledge of the company and your interest. Ask about the company’s culture or your opportunities for advancement. If you feel the interview went well, follow up with a note telling the hiring manager you believe you can thrive in the role and you are interested in exploring the next step.

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Apps help optimize marketing efforts Instagram is more than just a photo gallery. It’s a marketing tool and opportunity. For community building, there’s nothing as effective as pictures, hashtags and videos. The social network boasts more than 60 million photos and over a billion likes daily. However, just posting and interacting with people isn’t enough. Use the right tools, and Instagram becomes an amazing part of Dan Natividad Partner any marketing Port City Marketing campaign.

SocialRank For marketers and businesses who want a multi-purpose tool, SocialRank is a good application that works for both Twitter and Instagram. It comes with many useful features. For example, you can sort followers according to various traits, from who has the most influence according to engagement levels. You can use that information to target further campaigns by appealing to that group’s sensibilities. SocialRank also allows you to sort followers by location and can help you figure out which of your users are on both Twitter and Instagram.

Brand Building

BestBuddies Every marketing decision made must be based on something, whether it’s past experience, surveys or good practices. You can’t market a product in the dark. It would be like driving somewhere without a map — you’ll move, but it won’t be toward anywhere specific. BestBuddies is a tool that tells you who gives your photos the most likes. All you need to do is log into the site, and it will give you your top 10 list,

BUSINESS JOURNAL PHOTO

along with how many posts they’ve liked. While it seems simple, you can do a lot with this information. For example, you can use this tool to figure out if your pictures appeal to a specific gender. It will also tell you if you have any influencers enjoying your content, which can help you plan future campaigns. Minter.io Minter.io is a gateway to a wealth of

information. It tells you when posts are engaged with likes or comments or which of your many hashtags gets the most attention. It also allows you to examine your community by finding which posts get the most interaction and who contributes the most to the discussion. It even lets you figure out some of these analytics in real time or export all relevant data to a PDF to send to colleagues or bosses.

Yotpo Many Instagram tools revolve around getting enough information to mount a focused campaign, but Yotpo is designed to help you interact with your community better. Think of it this way: Minter.io and SocialRank help you plan campaigns, and Yotpo helps you execute those campaigns. For example, it offers a content curation service. Content curation is powerful on its own; many online personalities have built their reputations on having good taste and sharing their thoughts with people. Yotpo takes it a step further by giving you the tools to search for images Please see APPS Page 50

Data privacy ignorance could cost you big time As a parent, when you hear that your child has gotten into some sort of altercation with another child, you may immediately think the other party was to blame. There’s no way your perfect, well-behaved kin could have caused such a ruckus. Surely you have raised them better than that? When you think of security and protecting your business’s greatest assets, you think about outside threats. Practical You think of attacks and threats Technology that come from David external efforts, Darmstandler like hackers or malicious data Vice President terrorists. of Data Path Similar to how you think of your child’s behavior, some of your greatest data threats are under your own roof — quite possibly working just down the hall. Statistics show, data privacy — ensuring that data isn’t misused, misappropriated, or publicly exposed by those who have authorized access — is a growing concern among IT pros.

There are more and more cases where misused internal data has been the root of a major privacy breach or disaster. I know it’s hard to fathom, but your workforce may be misusing private and/or restricted data right now. You don’t need to be told about the urgency behind data privacy and security. Amid all the news about breaches and mishandled sensitive information, and your own business’s changing infrastructure, government regulations and data growth, it’s hard to keep up with the current state of the market — and what you need to do to stay ahead. According to a recent survey by Dimensional Research, 93 percent of businesses are challenged by data privacy. A recent survey of IT professionals responsible for corporate data in their organizations sheds light on attitudes, approaches, and challenges around ensuring the privacy of sensitive business and customer data. Creating a tangible framework for privacy has never been more relevant. We’re constantly confronted with organizations succumbing to epic data breaches. Target, Staples, Anthem and Home Depot have all been victims of complex attacks that exposed huge amounts of customer health and financial data. But to run a successful business, we

must certainly collect personal data — private information about our employees, customers and vendors. We are forced to capture dates of birth, Social Security numbers, credit card and health information. But the sanctity of this data must be of paramount priority to the organization that is in control of it. Treating private information with anything less than the utmost care isn’t just morally irresponsible, it’s a major legal liability and potential PR suicide. So where do we store this most private information? How many staff members have access? How and where do we back it up? Do we protect the backup as much as the data itself ? These are just a few of the topics that would arise during an examination of an organization’s data practices. In most cases IT is put at the helm of these data practices. While information will circulate through many departments, in the end it’s placed at the feet of IT to safeguard the company against data loss and leakage. Highly sophisticated network attacks, rather than physical breaches, require IT to act as the first line of defense in our modern, data-driven landscape. The chosen security platforms and the IT team managing these platforms are essential. Your team is likely working overtime to ensure a secure environment: enforcing strong pass-

word policy for all users, managing up-to-the-minute anti-malware subscriptions, requiring encrypted VPN connectivity for all remote workers. While this is an excellent start, each one of these systems has break-points that must be fully understood. Security is a fast-moving target with each day bringing entirely new exploits that cybercriminals are thrilled to leverage. We all know it’s possible to lose the forest in the trees — or vice-versa. A compelling solution is to hire an outside firm specializing in security auditing. Nobody likes the idea of an audit — strangers rooting around in your systems to expose weaknesses. However, if you’re in charge of data security for your organization, an annual review by a reputable firm could provide more peace and shut eye than popping two Ambien. Investing resources into real solutions for security will not only protect the organization; it’s just the right thing to do. Don’t be an ignorant parent. Don’t ignore the warning signs or think that your workforce is perfectly well-behaved. People are people and mistakes happen. Don’t let that mistake be with your critical company information. – David Darmstandler is CEO of Datapath, an IT services company with headquarters in Modesto. You can reach him at david@mydatapath.com.

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Greater expectations for elected officials For more than 200 years, the United States has been considered one of the greatest countries on earth by any number of measurements. This has been accomplished by having great leadership during that time. However, in 2016, national polls report that roughly two-thirds (66 percent) do not trust or believe in either of the major candidates in the presidential Peter Johnson election. In Stockton, Pacific - Eberhardt the two finalists School of Business for mayor — while serving on the Stockton City Council — have each been arrested. For one it seems to be an isolated incident. For the other, it is more confirmation of his character. In the past, we elected leaders who demonstrated a certain moral character. When we elected them to office, there was a common belief that we were electing trustworthy and honest people who may or may not have the competency to do a good job. But we expected they would do their best to serve the people. We elected people who from the outside seemed to be strong leaders with good ethics and a track record of making good decisions. Happy marriage? Check. Plays well with others? Check. Respectful? Check. No skeletons leaping out of the closet? Check. Never convicted of a felony? Check. Of course, we have some people who get elected and later, things surface that voters were unaware of when they cast their votes. Sometimes elected officials make bad decisions that end with a limo full of intoxicated people that is pulled over by the CHP. In the past, we have elected politicians but were later disappointed because they had character flaws that kept them from being effective. Today we are electing politicians knowing their faults (some criminal) and hoping that they will become something more than who they are currently. It is as if we are hoping that by electing them, all of their flaws will go away, and they will be the politician we feel we deserve. Yes, many folks elected may not live up to our high expectations as elected officials, but in the past, we didn’t have all the red flags that we have today. Why are we electing (or re-electing) people with so many red flags? Are we that desperate? Why are trust and respect so important? In our democracy, every elected official has a limited amount of power. The more they can build trust and relationships, the greater

power they have and the more they can potentially accomplish. In practice, this means it is critical for the mayor of Stockton to have the trust and support of most of the other council members — four out of the seven in this case. If a mayor or president alienates him or herself from the others who make up their authority, they become ineffective. That which

usually leads to them blaming others. Saying or doing certain things used to be the kiss of death in an election. How many things has Donald Trump said in this election that would have eliminated others running for office? An FBI investigation of Secretary of State Clinton for using a private servPlease see VISION Page 50

Clear Vision

High efficiency motor rebates High efficiency Lighting rebates HVAC HVAC rebatesrebates High efficiency Lighting rebates motor rebates motor rebates Lighting rebates

HVAC rebates

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

RECYCLING & WASTE DISPOSAL COMPANIES In San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties. Ranked by Number of Employees. Ties are Listed in Alphabetical Order. Services Offered

Company Headquarters Year Established

250

Collection, recycling, transport and disposal of waste materials.

Houston, TX 1894

Richard Gilton, Owner (209) 527-3781 gilton.com

200

Waste collection

Oakdale, CA 1947

Kevin Basso, GM (209) 466-3604 disposal.com

120

Trash pick up, recycling and dumpster rentals.

Phoenix, AZ 1972

Ron Crookham (209) 333-8088 dart.biz

102

Foam polystyrene (AKA - Styrofoam) Free PS Foam Recycling drop-off center.

Mason, MI 1985

Steve Holloway (209) 537-8000 bertolottidisposal.com

Transfer station, waste disposal and dump site.

Modesto, CA 1972

Stockton Recycling Center 1533 Waterloo Road Stockton, CA 95205

Jaime Williams, President (209) 942-2267 stocktonrecycling.com

Processing and purchase of recycling, construction and demolition debris.

Stockton, CA 1991

Turlock Scavenger Company 1200 S. Walnut Road Turlock, CA 95380

Alan Marchant, President (209) 668-7274 turlockscavenger.com

Residential, industrial, commercial, recyclable and green waste 15X48 yd rolloff boxes, weekly rental 2 yd front loader bins, storage box rentals 22 - long X 7.5 - wide.

Turlock, CA 1935

California Waste Recovery Systems 175 Enterprise Court Galt, CA 95632

David Vaccarezza, Owner (209) 369-6887 cal-waste.com

125

Solid waste, commingled and separated recyclables and green waste. Residential, commercial and industrial solid waste and recyclables collection. Recyclables processing services for the greater San Joaquin Area

Galt, CA 1927

Jason Antypas, Sr. Buyer (209) 944-9555 (209) 833-3100 usrscrap.com

Full-service scrap metal recycling and processing center Roll-Off, flat bed, endump, ranch cleanup, general metal recycling, demolition projects Modesto and Sacramento locations available

Stockton, CA 1996

Jeff Highiet (209) 522-1435 modestojunk.com

Scrap metals, beverage containers, e-waste, plastic, and cardboard Provide bins and hauling for larger volumes clients, commercial, industrial accounts and farms and ranches.

Modesto, CA 1920

Tony Alegre, President (209) 334-4038 alegretrucking.com/ftg

Recycling of broken concrete and asphalt. The sale and delivery of rock, sand, gravel, etc. To Central Valley and Bay Area. Locations in Stockton, Lodi and Antioch.

Lodi, CA 1973

Ronald Kemp (209) 234-7994 onsiteelectronicsrecycling.com

Responsible local recycling of electronics and appliances.

Stockton, CA 2004

Chris Maschal & Chris Bonnet, Owners (209) 537-4410 americanrecyclingca.com

Recycling of paper, plastics and metals and business to business.

Modesto, CA 2008

Tim Erlandson, GM (209) 546-8000 cencalrecycling.com

Recycling services-primary purchase programs include paper, cardboard, stretchfilm and plastics.

Stockton, CA 2004

Address

Top Local Executive Number Phone of Web Address Employees

Waste Management 1333 E. Turner Road Lodi, CA 95240

David P. Steiner, CEO (209) 369-8292 wm.com

Gilton Solid Waste Management Gilton Resource Recovery 800 S. McClure Road Modesto, CA 95354

Republic Services of Stockton Allied Waste Division 1145 W. Charter Way Stockton, CA 95206

Dart Container Corporation 1400 Victor Road Lodi, CA 95240

Bertolotti Disposal 231 Flamingo Drive Modesto, CA 95358

Rank

Company Name

Universal Service Recycling, Inc. 3200 S. El Dorado Street Stockton, CA 95206 450 N. Tower Road Merced, CA 95340

Modesto Junk Company, Inc. Recycling Center 1425 Ninth Street Modesto, CA 95354

F.T.G. Construction Materials, Inc. 915 W. Anderson Street Stockton, CA 95206

Onsite Electronics Recycling 2331 N. Teepee Drive Stockton, CA 95205

American Recycling Company 2070 Morgan Road Modesto, CA 95358

CenCal Recycling, LLC 501 Port Road 22 Stockton, CA 95203

Clear Planet Inc. 250 Port Road 23 Stockton, CA 95203

Kevin Lowery (209) 463-1067 clearplanet.org

Collect wood, concrete, asphalt, dirt, sheetrock, C&D materials, brush, leaves, and grass.

San Francisco, CA 2003

Sims Metal Management 1000 South Arrora Street Stockton, CA 95206

NA (209) 948-4000 simsmm.com

Ferrous and non ferrous metals, CRV aluminum, plastic, glass and electronic waste.

Richmond, CA NA

K & K Electronics Recycling 1616 Oakdale Road Ste. 3 Modesto, CA 95355

Ken Blacksmith (209) 551-0500 knkelectronics.com

Electronics recycling

Modesto, CA 2007

Alan Marchant (209) 668-6060 turlockrecycling.com

Public recycle center

Turlock, CA 1935

Jim Newell (209) 402-8420 jnmetals.com

Recycling of all ferrous and non-ferrous metals. (No CRV) Buyers of scrap metal, free container service for industrial and ranches

Modesto, CA 1979

Industrial metal recycling, state certified recycler center, large farm land cleanup, locking bins and roll-off bins available.

Modesto, CA 2005

1 18 8

Turlock Recycling 1200 S. Walnut Road Turlock, CA 95380

Jim Newellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Iron & Metal 228 Empire Avenue Modesto, CA 95354

Iron Valley Metals 1248 Reno Avenue Modesto, CA 95351

Paul Francis, Owner (209) 529-7878 ironvalleymetals.com

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

LOOKING FOR A TRUCK THAT WORKS AS HARD AS YOU DO? From vans and wagons to pickups and cutaways, Big Valley Ford has a tough and rugged vehicle that can meet your needs! We specialize in custom contractor bodies, including: flatbed, contractor, welding, service, crane, dump gardener, utility and box bodies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ready for Work!

Stockton Auto Mall | Hammer Lane off 99 Check out our website at bigvalleyford.com or call us at 209.870.4473

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

Work and Pokemon “Pokemon Go” is all fun and games till someone gets hurt

“Pokemon Go” has taken the United States and the rest of the world by storm, with an estimated 75 million downloads in just the first three weeks after its release earlier this summer. For the uninitiated, “Pokemon Go” is an augmented reality game in which users try to capture, train, and battle digitally animated creatures (Pokemon) on their mobile devices. Because users of the game often look at their Bruce Sarchet smartphones or Attorney other mobile deLittler Mendelson vices while walkLaw Firm ing about, there have been wellpublicized incidents of injury and even death, as well as complaints of trespassing. One of the less-discussed impacts of the game, however, is the effect on the workplace and how em-

ployers can respond. This article summarizes several of the legal and practical considerations that small businesses are facing in dealing with the “Pokemon Go” craze in the workplace. However, as always, this article does not substitute for the advice of legal counsel. Many employers complain that employees spend excess time at work looking at their smartphones. It is not always easy to determine what workers are doing when looking at their small screens. In response to one survey conducted by Forbes Magazine, 32 percent of respondents indicated they played “Pokemon Go” for more than one hour at work per day. If this is happening in your workplace, the impact on productivity is obvious. Employers seeking to maintain productivity need to review, and possibly supplement, their social media policies to ensure that they prohibit or limit playing video games at work. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all policy for all workplaces. The policy that works best will depend on a number of factors, including the culture

This month we’re going to look at two examples of customer service and why it’s important for employees to be aware of the big picture when dealing with customers and preserving the company’s reputation. Both incidents were described in a recent customer service training seminar.

muster as the irate guest got it all out. Bill didn’t defend the hotel and fully agreed that there was no excuse for the unspeakable error. At the right moment Bill recalled their history together saying, “You chose to celebrate your honeymoon with us because of the faith you have in our resort. You chose us because you knew this was the best honeymoon resort in John Parker the world.” Professional The frowning Development man reluctantly Adventures nodded his head in agreement. Then Bill, on the spot, made it clear that the hotel would pay for all nine days of the couple’s stay and would cover all meals in the resort restaurants or, if they chose, by room service. The husband leaned around the door to check with his distraught but attentive bride. Sniffling and wiping away tears she also managed a smile while nodding in agreement. Bill and the husband shook hands. Amazingly, the man even thanked Bill

Human Element

PHOTO COURTESY NICHOLAS GIAMBATTISTA

Allowing “Pokemon Go” play at work can help marketing, but it can also hurt productivity.

of the worksite and job duties of the employees in question. The easiest policy to enforce is a complete ban on playing “Pokemon Go” and other games in the workplace. However, if companies are averse to such a ban, they can explore more relaxed policies that allow employees to play during breaks. On the other hand, some employers may decide to fully embrace the fad and allow employees to play for set amounts of time outside of normal lunch and coffee breaks. Employers should keep in mind, however, that enforcement of permissive policies

can be difficult and must be enforced consistently for all employees. Any policy allowing “Pokemon Go” play at the worksite should address the physical movement and activity associated with finding and capturing Pokemon. In addition to being distracting, employees wandering through the workplace while staring at their devices may cause injury to themselves or others. This can also be viewed as unprofessional if an employee is playing the game offsite at a client’s or other worksite.

for helping them through the embarrassing incident. Someone in our service excellence training event asked Bill if he was authorized to give all the hotel comps away. “No and yes,” Bill explained. “No, there is nothing written down about how much I could comp the couple. Yes, our brand and customer service purpose are so valuable that I knew it would be fine.” He added, “The next day my manager thanked me and simply asked if I thought it would be good for him to make contact the couple with an apology as well. I said yes, and that’s what he did.”

“Yes, I do,” the clerk smiled. “But you still need a receipt. It’s company policy. Sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”

Please see POKEMON Page 46

Remembering the big picture in customer service

Bridal suite mixup The young groom lifted up his bride to carry her across the threshold of their luxurious five-star resort honeymoon suite. Laughing, his bride unlocked the door and together they pushed it open. Startled screams and shouts arose out of the other honeymoon couple, who had been assigned to the room just 45 minutes earlier. The distressed couple at the door fled. An outraged phone call from the groom-in-theroom followed. The front desk immediately informed Bill, the hotel’s guest services supervisor, of the awful news that they had mistakenly assigned the same suite to two couples. Bill gathered his courage and knocked at the bridal suite door. The angry husband stood in the open door verbally raging and repeatedly poked his finger on Bill’s chest. Bill lowered his arms and nodded his head to send every body-language message of actively listening he could

At Your Service

The Zorro and Batman suits Bill told a second story to drive his point home. He’d purchased a Zorro costume for his young son to wear for Halloween. Later, the boy changed his mind and wanted to be Batman. On Bill’s way home from work the next day, he went in to make the exchange. The same service representative was at the counter and remembered Bill. While making the exchange, she asked for the receipt which Bill had forgotten at home over 30 minutes away. “You remember me, right? You know I bought this suit here from you, right?” Bill asked hopefully.

Purpose or policy? The point of both stories is the same. In both cases, the company brand and service reputation are at stake. In Bill’s hotel story, company brand and service aligned with company policy. The policy was to protect the five-star brand and service with wisdom and integrity. In Bill’s costume exchange story, company policy completely dominated the company’s purpose. Instead of simply documenting why the exchange lacked a receipt the clerk did the “right thing” which became the wrong thing for her company’s brand and service. The resort hotel won more stars and a story. The costume store lost stars and, sadly, its story gets told too. What great service recovery stories do you have? What stories are being told about your company’s customer service and brand? What is your next step for service excellence? Finally, is your brand and service purpose in charge of your policies — or is it the other way around? – John Parker is a customer service expert with Professional Development Adventures and an instructor for the UC Davis Center for Human Services. You can reach him at coachingparker@comcast.net.

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Partnership audit rules to change soon Last November, President Obama signed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which overhauls how the IRS audits and collects tax from partnerships or entities taxed as partnerships, such as LLCs (collectively referred to in this article as “partnerships”). The new law goes into effect in 2018 and repeals the partnership audit rules enJason Harrel acted back in Calone & Harrel 1982, known as Law Group TEFRA. The prior rules created huge roadblocks that often kept the IRS from auditing partnerships. Passing partnership adjustments through to the partners was a costly and inefficient process, and the IRS does not audit many partnerships because of it. However, the new legislation will soon allow the IRS to collect taxes associated with audit adjustments at the partnership level rather than passing adjustments through to the individual partners. This will likely increase the rate at which partnerships are audited in the future. The new Entity-Level Tax rule allows the IRS to assess the partnership an “imputed underpayment,” which will be subject to the individual or corporate tax rate. The new law also requires the IRS to assess the partnership in the year of adjustment rather than the year under audit. Therefore, it is possible for current partners to be liable for tax errors that benefited former partners. To correct this outcome, the new law allows for two possible exceptions to transfer partnership-level tax liabilities back to the prior-year partners. One option allows partners to file amended tax returns that report their shares of partnership adjustments and pay all applicable taxes. The other options lets the partnership issue what amounts to amended K-1s to the former partners, which reflect the partners’ share of adjustments. Partnership operating agreements should address how any new taxes assessed against the partnership are dealt with. For example, let’s say a majority owner partner sells his interest to a new partner and the partnership is later audited, and a large tax is assessed. If neither the partnership agreement nor partnership interest sales agreement puts the liability on the outgoing partner, the new partner is stuck with the bill for something the old partner did. This situation could cause an expensive lawsuit over the issue. There are a couple ways to prevent that. The

Taxing Matters

partners can add a clause to the purchase and sale agreement, whereby the seller partner remains liable for income tax issues for his period of ownership. Another option is to include a provision in the partnership agreement which states who is liable for the tax. The new partnership audit regime applies to all partnerships. However, partnerships with 100 or fewer part-

ners can elect out of the new audit rules. That only applies if none of the partners are other partnerships or trusts. To elect out, the partnership must opt out on its partnership return each year, must inform each of its partners of the election and submit the names and taxpayer identification numbers of each of its partners. The IRS is not making it easy to

opt out. That may create some problems for partnerships that thought they had elected out but did not meet the requirements. For example, say a partner decided to transfer their interest into an irrevocable trust for estate planning purposes. The partnership would now be subject to the new audit rules and Please see PARTNERSHIP Page 50

Your Future is Our Business At Tri Counties Bank, our breadth of financial services, business knowledge and personalized problem solving provides a unique brand of Service With Solutions. Cash Management Services Merchant Services Small Business Lending including SBA Preferred Lending

Equipment Loans and Leases Commercial Financing Commercial Real Estate Agricultural Financing USDA Business and Industry Loans

Branches located throughout Northern and Central California including Modesto, Turlock, Patterson, Gustine and Fresno. Visit TriCountiesBank.com or call 1-800-922-8742 today. Member FDIC

1-800-922-8742 | TriCountiesBank.com

Central Valley Business Journal

September 2016

WELLNESS CENTERS

In San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties. Ranked in alphabetical order. Rank

Company Name Address Acupuncture and Surgical Artistry 2336 Sylvan Avenue, Ste. C Modesto, CA 95355 Crawford Chiropractic, Inc. 2027 W. March Lane, Ste. 1 Stockton, CA 95207

Dubyak Chiropractic 3008 Geer Road Turlock, CA 95382

Escalon Physical Medicine 1631 4th Street Escalon, CA 95320

Evergreen Professional Hypnotherapy 6820 Pacific Avenue, Ste. 2-B Stockton, CA 95207

Family Chiropractic Wellness Center 1151 W. Robinhood Drive, C-9 Stockton, CA 95207

Health, Healing & Wellness Company 7549 W. Linne Road Tracy, CA 95304

Helping Hands for Health 1019 A Street Tracy, CA 95376

Hill Center for Integrative Medicine 3609 Oakdale Road, Ste. 5 Modesto, CA 95357

Massage Envy 5757 Pacific Avenue, A-155 Stockton 95207

Lodi & Tracy Acupuncture and Herbal Clinic 1816 W. Kettleman Lane, Ste. B Lodi, CA 95240 227 E. 11th Street, Tracy, CA 95376 Romeo Medical Clinic 1801 Colorado Avenue, Ste. 120 Turlock, CA 95382

Stewart Chiropractic 1420 W. Kettleman Lane, K-1 Lodi, CA 95242

Stockton Acupuncture Clinic 1231 W. Robinhood Drive, Ste. C-3 Stockton, CA 95207

Stockton Family Chiropractic 3020 Pacific Avenue Stockton, CA 95204

Tower Health & Wellness Center 1801 Colorado Avenue Turlock, CA 95382

Thomas K. Paige, D.C. 1151 W. Robinhood Drive, Ste. B-9 Stockton, CA 95207

TLC Wellness Clinic 702 Porter Avenue, Ste. M Stockton, CA 95207

Valley Wellness Center 1300 Mable Avenue, Ste. C Modesto, CA 95355

Wellness Connection at Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor Woods 3400 Wagner Heights Road Stockton, CA 95209

Owner/ Manager Phone

Speciality Services Offered

Year Established

Web Address Dr. Calvin Lee M.D. Acupuncture (209) 551-1888 Treatment of allergies, headaches, cosmetic, fatigue, pain, weight loss, modestoacupunture.com smoking and many others Brian W. Crawford Chiropractic and posture correction (209) 474-2252 crawfordchiropractic.com Wellness care, exercise and diet advice Dave and Lisa Dubyak Specific chiropractic adjustments (209) 668-1944, (855) 681-1208 Equine and Canine Chiropractic dubyakfamilychiropractic.net Excepts medical Insurances Dr. John Bystrom Wellness care, adjustments and manipulations, physical therapy, nerve, (209) 838-3434 escalonphysicalmedicine.com vascular and allergy testing, DRX for bulging discs, stem cell injections Ginny and Frank Lucas (209) 472-0722 Weight control, stop smoking, stress reduction and fear phobias egreen.net

2006

1984

1990

2008

1991

Rick Bonar Network Spinal Analysis using light taps on the spinal column to release (209) 957-4000 familychirostockton.com stored tension and increase the bodies ability to self-correct and heal

1998

Rochelle Lawson Massage, detox therapy, health/wellness coaching, meditation, Reiki, yoga (209) 640-3154 healthhealingwellness.com classes, facials, nutrition, weight loss, and wellness packages available

2008

Sharon Gibson, CMT Soft tissue mobilization and rehabilitation from chronic pain, back, (209) 830-1702 and neck injuries. Pre and post natal massage for normal and high risk helpinghandsmassage.net pregnancy. Dr.. Brian Anderson Bio-identical hormones, IV infusion therapy, chiropractic, hydrotherapy, (209) 551-8888 massage therapy, hyperbaric oxygen chamber and more hillwellness.com (209) 478-3689

1992

1986

Massage and facials

massageenvy.com 2001 McHenry Avenue, Ste. L, Modesto, CA 95350 (209) 529-8080 2463 Naglee Road, Tracy, CA 95304 (209) 839-1919 Tan Joseph (209) 334-1576 Acupuncture (209) 832-7271 NA Mike Romeo, M.D. Wellness and disease prevention, illness and treatment for urgent care (209) 216-3456 Chronic disease management and wellness programs romeoclinic.com Licenced Physicians, Open Sundays Dr.. Kevin L. Stewart, D.C. Chiropractic care - specializing in sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, (209) 368-0619 work injuries, disc injuries, arthritis, failed back surgery, shoulder pain, lower back and neck pain. bestyoucanfeel.com Massage therapy, weight loss, lipo laser, and yoga. John C. Lee, L.A.C., D.M.B. and Ph.D. (209) 473-7979 Acupuncture and Chinese herbs medicine None Dr.. Thomas Oliver, DC (209) 466-1234 Chiropractic care for all stocktonfamilychiropractic.com

2002

1983

2002

1993

2001 1998

Sam JW Romeo Surgery, ENT, Orthopedic, Family and Sports Medicine, Pulmonary, Ob/ (209) 216-3400 Gyn, Neurology, lab, Pharmacy, Hearing, Physical therapy, Spa, P.T., tower-health.com Dental Practice, IT, Florist and restaurant.

2005

Thomas K. Paige, D.C. Chiropractic care for people injured in auto accidents, weekend warriors, (209) 487-1482 and sports injuries. Affordable programs for everybody. None

2001

Dr.. Deborah Finck, D.C. (209) 957-0237 tlcwellnessclinic.com Dr. Lisa Hunt (209) 577-2799 drlisahunt.com

Chiropractic care, nutrition, hyperbaric chamber, laser and other wellness plans Integrated Medicine, IV and Bio-identical hormone therapies, HCG weight loss, anti aging treatments, nature Thyroid replacement

Nancy Shaddy Heated indoor pool and spa (209) 956-3470 Aquatic and land group exercise classes. Fall proof balance and mobility oconnorwoods.com training, Tai Chi and wellness coaching

1970/1990 2008

2009

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

Central Valley Business Journal

Play & Grow provides cool place for kids By NORA HESTON TARTE Business Journal writer nhestontarte@cvbizjournal.com

MODESTO — In 2013, Paula Charles moved from Alaska to Modesto when her husband took a new job. She didn’t have any friends or family nearby and quickly realized a gap in the children’s space for safe, age-appropriate, indoor activities for young kids. To fill that gap, Charles, a first-time business owner, opened Central Valley Play & Grow in Modesto’s Roseburg Square shopping center in July. It’s an indoor play studio that caters to children up to 6 years old. “When I moved here my daughter (now 4) was 2 and a half years old, and I had no place to bring her,” Charles said of her predicament. In Alaska, Charles worked outside the home, so being a stay-at-home mom was also new. She didn’t have friends’ houses to go to for play dates, and she felt her daughter was too young to enjoy the arcades and nearby mall. Play & Grow provides a variety of small climbing and play structures, an oversized tire for bouncing, roller coasters, a miniature bounce house, a play kitchen, magnet boards and more. “It’s basically free play,” Charles said. David and Theresa Villarreal, of Modesto, stumbled across the studio when they were driving through the Roseburg Square. They had been on the hunt for a place to socialize their 2-year-old great-granddaughter, Elizabeth. “Most of the places in Modesto (the kids) need to be potty trained,” Theresa Villarreal said. It’s a milestone Elizabeth hadn’t reached. “I went (to Play & Grow), and it was just perfect. I literally have to take Elizabeth home kicking and screaming.” The business is not a licensed daycare so guardians are required to stay at the facility while kids play. “It’s affordable to me,” Villarreal

September 2016

said. “And I get my workout, too!” Play & Grow caps participants at 6 years old to maintain a safe environment for crawlers and small children who can’t hold their own against older children. “I think the one comment that I hear that parents really appreciate is that they can bring their little, little ones to the place and not worry about them getting run over by the bigger kids,” Charles said. Charles’ degree in early childhood education helped her develop the core of the project. She chose items that encourage crawling, build gross and fine motor skill development, balance and more. She also has started teaching hourlong guided experiments on occasion. “Kids come in with autism, and they like the place because it meets their desire for sensory development,” Charles added. It’s one part of the business Villarreal said she appreciates most. “It’s not just toys so (kids) can stay entertained but so they can learn,” Villarreal said. From coming up with the initial idea to opening its doors, the process took two and a half years, mostly because Charles was diligently researching while raising two children. Obtaining permits took about one month. “Children are involved so I guess it was … more steps than what a business that doesn’t involve children (would be),” she said. Charles’ husband’s business degree came in handy in some respects, but owning a business was new to both of them. Perhaps her biggest decision was to go it alone instead of depending on a franchise model. She also spent a significant amount of time looking at competitors. Play & Grow is 3,100 square feet with a capacity of 49 people. “I wasn’t looking to be huge,” Charles said. “It’s not been to the point where I had to turn people away

because of capacity.” The cost is $12 per child per day, plus $6 for a sibling or $5 for a crawler. There are 31-day memberships available for a discount. There are also packages for birthday parties. Charles pointed out that children are welcome to play in the morning, go home for lunch and a nap and come back that afternoon without paying again. “My clientele so far has been parents who stay home with their kids,” Charles said. “Their kids get stir crazy and this is a good place for them to come and play.” Villarreal said she spoke with parents at the facility that came from as far as Waterford and Oakdale. Play & Grow serves a lot of grandparents like Villarreal, as well. Charles said the indoor space is an easier place to chase little ones than the park, and she provides chairs so adults can rest while kids play. “Kids don’t like to play with their own toys at their own place,” Charles said. “A lot of the things that I have

here… kids already have, but they want to come here and play with it.” Right now, Charles and one employee run the business. At all times one of them is on-site, and during peak hours both are present. As the business grows, Charles said she looks forward to hiring more employees. “I would love to be able to help other people with their employment.” –CV Play & Grow is located at 909 W. Roseburg Ave., Suite B in Modesto. You can learn more on its Facebook page at www.facebook/cvplayandgrow.

ever, in other industries including agriculture or construction industry, trespassing can present a safety risk to both trespassers and employees. To reduce the likelihood of players visiting worksites, a business can request removal of any Pokestop or Gym on the premises through the game manufacturer’s website. To play “Pokemon Go,” an individual must sign up through their Google account or create a Pokemon Trainer Club account. For companies

that issue devices to employees or that utilize Google Apps for Business, permitting “Pokemon Go” on the device may present information security risks, including the possibility of data breaches. The International Association of IT Asset Managers has called on companies “to ban the installation and use of “Pokemon Go” on corporate devices. Employers with “bring your own device” programs should consider whether to extend the ban to partici-

pating personal mobile devices. The “Pokemon Go” craze shows no signs of abating and other augmented games for mobile devices may follow. Taking the steps suggested above can help employers address the workplace issues that augmented gaming present today and into the future. – Bruce Sarchet is an attorney with the firm of Littler Mendelson and represents employers in labor and employment law matters. You can contact him at bsarchet@littler.com.

PHILIP JOHNSON/CVBJ

Paula Charles opened Play & Grow in July so young children could have a safe, cool place to play. Play & Grow is designed for babies and children up to 6 years old.

PHILIP JOHNSON/CVBJ

POKEMON Continued from Page 42

Any injury can result in workers’ compensation insurance or possible tort claims. Although an OSHA citation and penalty following an employee injury seems remote, it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility for workplaces with hazardous processes. One of the most frequent critiques of “Pokemon Go” is that it has led to an uptick in trespassing on private property. Some companies may encourage such as retailers and restaurants may encourage such visits. How-

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

COME WE COME SEE SEE OUR OUR WE HAVE HAVE A A WORLD WORLD CLASS, CLASS, COME SEE OUR WE HAVE A WORLD CLASS, REMODELED SHOWROOM FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE COME SEE OUR WE HAVE A WORLD CLASS, REMODELED SHOWROOM FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE COME SEE OUR WE HAVE A WORLD CLASS, COME SEE OUR WE HAVE A WORLD CLASS, REMODELED SHOWROOM FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE DEPARTMENT READY TO COME SEE OUR WE HAVE A WORLD CLASS, REMODELED SHOWROOM FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE COME SEE OUR WE HAVE A WORLD CLASS, DEPARTMENT READY TO REMODELED SHOWROOM FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE COME SEE OUR WE HAVE A WORLD CLASS, REMODELED SHOWROOM FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE DEPARTMENT READY TO SERVICE YOUR GM VEHICLE REMODELED FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE DEPARTMENT READY TO REMODELED SHOWROOM FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE SERVICE YOUR GM VEHICLE REMODELED SHOWROOM SHOWROOM DEPARTMENT FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE READY TO DEPARTMENT READY TO SERVICE YOUR GM VEHICLE A Community Since 1936 DEPARTMENT READY TO DEPARTMENT READY TO SERVICE YOUR GM VEHICLE A Driving Driving Force Force in in the theSERVICE Community Since 1936 DEPARTMENT READY TO YOUR GM VEHICLE SERVICE YOUR GM VEHICLE SERVICE YOUR GM VEHICLE SERVICE SERVICE YOUR YOUR GM GM VEHICLE VEHICLE

COME SEE OUR COME COME SEE SEE OUR OUR REMODELED SHOWROOM REMODELED SHOWROOM REMODELED SHOWROOM

I-CAR I-CAR TRAINED TRAINED AND AND OEM OEM I-CAR TRAINED AND OEM CERTIFIED COLLISION I-CAR TRAINED AND OEM I-CAR TRAINED AND OEM I-CAR TRAINED AND OEM CERTIFIED COLLISION I-CAR TRAINED AND OEM I-CAR TRAINED AND OEM I-CAR TRAINED AND OEM CERTIFIED COLLISION CERTIFIED COLLISION REPAIR FACILITY CERTIFIED COLLISION CERTIFIED COLLISION CERTIFIED COLLISION REPAIR FACILITY CERTIFIED COLLISION CERTIFIED COLLISION REPAIR FACILITY REPAIR FACILITY REPAIR FACILITY REPAIR FACILITY REPAIR FACILITY REPAIR FACILITY REPAIR FACILITY I-CAR TRAINED AND OEM CERTIFIED I-CAR I-CAR TRAINED TRAINED AND AND OEM OEM CERTIFIED CERTIFIED COLLISION REPAIR FACILITY COLLISION REPAIR FACILITY COLLISION REPAIR FACILITY

WORLD CLASS, FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE WORLD WORLD CLASS, CLASS, FACTORY FACTORY TRAINED TRAINED SERVICE SERVICE DEPT. READY TO SERVICE YOUR GM VEHICLE DEPT. READY TO SERVICE YOUR GM DEPT. READY TO SERVICE YOUR GM VEHICLE VEHICLE

LARGEST LARGEST GMC, GMC, BUICK, BUICK, AND AND LARGEST GMC, BUICK, AND CADILLAC INVENTORY IN LARGEST GMC, BUICK, AND LARGEST GMC, BUICK, AND LARGEST GMC, BUICK, AND CADILLAC INVENTORY IN LARGEST GMC, BUICK, AND LARGEST GMC, BUICK, AND LARGEST GMC, BUICK, AND CADILLAC INVENTORY IN CADILLAC INVENTORY IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY CADILLAC INVENTORY IN CADILLAC INVENTORY IN CADILLAC INVENTORY IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY CADILLAC INVENTORY IN CADILLAC INVENTORY IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY THE CENTRAL VALLEY THE CENTRAL VALLEY THE CENTRAL VALLEY THE CENTRAL VALLEY THE THE CENTRAL CENTRAL VALLEY VALLEY LARGEST GMC, BUICK AND CADILLAC LARGEST LARGEST GMC, GMC, BUICK BUICK AND AND CADILLAC CADILLAC INVENTORY IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY INVENTORY IN THE CENTRAL INVENTORY IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY VALLEY

90349961_060614 90349961_060614 90349961_060614

90349961_060614 90349961_060614 90349961_060614 90349961_060614 90349961_060614 90349961_060614

90349961_060614 90349961_060614 90349961_060614

ALFRED MATTHEWS ALFRED MATTHEWS ALFRED MATTHEWS ALFRED MATTHEWS

www.alfredmatthews.com ••••• 3807 McHenry (at Union) in Modesto ••• 577-0140 www.alfredmatthews.com 3807 McHenry (at Union) in Modesto 577-0140 www.alfredmatthews.com 3807 McHenry (at Union) in Modesto • 577-0140 www.alfredmatthews.com 3807 McHenry (at Union) in Modesto 577-0140 www.alfredmatthews.com 3807 McHenry (at Union) in Modesto • 577-0140 www.alfredmatthews.com • 3807 McHenry (at Union) in Modesto • 577-0140 www.alfredmatthews.com • 3807 McHenry (at Union) in Modesto • www.alfredmatthews.com 577-0140 www.alfredmatthews.com •• 3807 3807 McHenry McHenry (at (at Union) Union) in in Modesto Modesto •• 577-0140 577-0140 Prices plus government fees & taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document charge, any electronic filing & any emission testing charge. All vehicles subject to prior sale. Offer ends within 24 hours of publication. Prices good through 6/14/14. Prices plus government fees &fees taxes, any finance charges, anyany dealer document charge, & any any emission emissiontesting testingcharge. charge. vehicles subject to prior 24 hours of publication. Prices good 6/14/14. through 6/14/14. Prices plus government & taxes, any finance charges, dealer document charge,any anyelectronic electronic filing filing & AllAll vehicles subject to prior sale.sale. OfferOffer ends ends withinwithin 24 hours of publication. Prices good through Prices plus government fees &fees taxes, any finance charges, anyany dealer document charge, any emission emissiontesting testingcharge. charge. vehicles subject to prior 24 hours of publication. Prices good 6/14/14. through 6/14/14. Prices plus government & taxes, any finance charges, dealer document charge,any anyelectronic electronic filing filing & any AllAll vehicles subject to prior sale.sale. OfferOffer ends ends withinwithin 24 hours of publication. Prices good through Prices plus government fees & taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document charge, any electronic filing & any emission testing charge. All vehicles subject to prior sale. Offer ends within 24 hours of publication. Prices good through 6/14/14.

Prices plus government fees & taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document charge, any electronic filing & any emission testing charge. All vehicles subject to prior sale. Offer ends within 24 hours of publication. Prices good through 6/14/14.

Central Valley Business Journal

www.cvbizjournal.com

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

BRIEFS Health Plan of San Joaquin adds new medical director FRENCH CAMP — Health Plan of San Joaquin added Dr. Satish Kabra as medical director in August. Kabra is board certified in internal medicine and has served as a medical director at Brown & Toland Physicians in San Francisco. He also worked as a hospitalist at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton. He is an internist by training and has clinical experience as a hospitalist in California and Texas. “As a physician, I am passionate about solving America’s healthcare problems with effecKabra tive leadership,” said Dr. Kabra, who is a member of the American Association for Physician Leadership. “As an area resident, I have seen the impact of limited access to quality health care for underserved communities and I’m committed to helping Health Plan of San Joaquin in its continuing efforts to improve this access.”

Visit Stockton announces new hires STOCKTON — Robyn F. Cheshire will take over as the new director of marketing and communications at Visit Stockton. Stephanie German was hired as the group’s new event services coordinator. Visit Stockton, the official destination marketing organization for Stockton, announced the new hires in early August.. Cheshire was the marketing and events coordinator at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music before taking her new job at Visit Stockton. She will oversee media relations and social media activities, develop promotional and marketing communications materials and lead the Visit Stockton marketing team. Cheshire earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior at the University of the Pacific and has also worked for The Grupe Company and Caroline Photography. German worked for the Tampico Terrace Care Center in Walnut Creek before going to work for Visit Stockton. She will manage relationships with hotel partners, support sports and group events held in the city and help facilitate the Certified Tourism Ambassador program. She will work directly with director of Sports & Tourism Development, Tim Pasisz, to enhance the Stockton visitor experience.

Rishwain takes role at Vionic shoes SAN RAFAEL — Connie X Rishwain, a 1979 University of the Pacific graduate and regent member, will join Vionic as its president of Global Business. In her new role, she will oversee product, marketing and sales at the footwear company and joins its Board of Directors. Most recently, Rishwain served as president of UGG Australia from 2002 through 2015. She led that

brand’s growth since 1999 from a niche surfer boot to an award-winning footwear brand sported by celebrities and featured on “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” She has also been group president of Deckers Lifestyle Brands in 2014, a past president of the company’s Simple division and was an executive officer of publicly held Deckers Brands for more than 20 years. She was elected to the UniRishwain versity of the Pacific’s governing board for a three-year term beginning in July.

Stockton chamber to host Annual Industrial & Technology BBQ STOCKTON — The Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce will host the 52nd Annual Industrial & Technology BBQ, Sept. 14 at the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel. More than 300 business people will gather on the outdoor grass area of the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel to honor new and expanding manufacturers and industries in San Joaquin County. PG&E will also present a “Green Award” at the event. A no-host social will begin at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. The program honoring the award recipients will begin shortly thereafter. The event is a partnership among The Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, San Joaquin Partnership, PG&E and San Joaquin County Economic Development Association. It serves to honor major companies that have newly located or expanded their operations within San Joaquin County. Tickets are $45 and will be sold through Sept. 7. For more information and reservations call The Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce at (209) 547-2770.

Lodi winery makes list of 101 best wineries in country LODI — Bokisch Vineyards made the Daily Meal’s list of the 101 best wineries in America. The Lodi wine maker came in at No. 81 on the list and joined 65 California growers on the website’s annual survey. The Daily Meal covers food and drink topics from around the country. The list was compiled from 50 experts in the field as well as wine bloggers, writers, chefs and restaurateurs. The survey looked at the quality of individual wines, each winery’s place in the American wine scene and quality-to-price ratio. Bokisch Vineyards was lauded for its Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing program. The survey also gave the vineyard high marks for its “vivid interpretations of albariño, verdejo, verdelho, garnacha blanca, garnacha, tempranillo, monastrell (mourvèdre) and graciano (a comparatively minor but important red Rioja variety).”

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

STANISLAUS COUNTY

BRIEFS MID hires new general manager MODESTO — Modesto Irrigation District has appointed Greg Salyer as its general manager. Salyer has been servicing as the district’s interim general manager since September 2015. Before that, he was MID’s assistant general manager of electrical resources. “Throughout his 30 plus years of experience, Greg has developed invaluable knowledge of MID and the utility industry,” MID President Larry Byrd said. “We’re confident that under his leadership MID will continue to be a leader in the water and electric industries.” As assistant general manager, Salyer was responsible for planning and acquiring power supply to serve the present and future needs of MID customers. That included overseeing long-term and shortterm arrangements to buy power and secure transmission access and interacting on a daily basis with the California Independent System Operator and Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Salyer holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Sacramento and a master’s degree in electrical power engineering from University of Southern California.

Festival to celebrate Modesto’s architecture MODESTO — Modesto developed a national reputation for cutting edge design beginning in the 1930s when architects began experimenting with what is now known as Central Valley Modernism. The city’s design heritage will be on display during the Modesto International Architecture Festival, Sept. 15-18. The public can also learn more about contemporary world architecture and the recent work of local members of the American Institute of Architects Sierra Valley Chapter. Events include a film night and tours that showcase Modesto’s architectural jewels. To learn more about the schedule of events, visit the festival’s website at modestoarchfest.com.

Transit service changes announced

Golf tournament raises $20,500 for Emergency Food Bank STOCKTON — The Central Valley chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors raised $20,500 for the Emergency Food Bank in its annual charity golf tournament on July 18. The Stockton Golf and Country Club hosted the event, which is organized by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors as part of its campaign to raise funds to promote and support the Emergency Food Bank’s services and programs.

MODESTO — The Stanislaus County Public Works Transit Division, which manages Stanislaus

September 2016

Regional Transit, enacted service changes on bus routes in Stanislaus County on Aug. 22. The biggest change came in the form of a new 45foot commuter bus that will transport riders from the western part of the county to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station. The StaRT Commuter Bus line will begin at the Turlock Regional Transit Center, then travel to Patterson before continuing to the Dublin BART Station. The bus features free Wi-Fi and USB ports for passengers. Commuters in Patterson will find 50 park-and-ride spaces at the Walmart Supercenter at 1030 Sperry Ave. Other improvements include optimizing connectivity to and from StaRT routes as well as other transit operators in Stanislaus County. Route 60 was changed to serve the Crossroad Shopping Center in Riverbank and slight modifications to Route 15 extended service along West Main Street in Turlock. For more information, passengers may contact StaRT at (800) 262-1516 or visit www.srt.org.

www.cvbizjournal.com

MERCED COUNTY

BRIEFS Merced fourth best city for Pokemon players

Local Olive Garden managers honored by company

MODESTO — The managers of the Olive Garden restaurants in Turlock and Modesto have been honored for achieving parent company Darden Restaurants’ Diamond Club status. Irma Bernal, general manager in Modesto, and Ron Ghaffari, general manager in Turlock, were honored by the company for their commitment to delivering the highest level of service to restaurant patrons. “Irma embodies our belief at Olive Garden that everyone who walks through our doors should be treated like family— Bernal from our guests to our team members,” said Dave George, president of Olive Garden in a press release. This year, 42 managers were selected from among more than 800 Olive Garden Restaurants for the honor. It is the highest honor that the company gives to its managers. “He (Ghaffari) demonstrates outstanding leadership of his restaurant as well as passion for the Turlock community, and I am proud to have him represent Olive Garden,” said George.

Power of the Purse to benefit United Way MODESTO — The United Way Women’s Leadership Council is presenting its 19th annual Power of the Purse luncheon with speaker Terrerai Trent as the keynote speaker. The luncheon celebrates the power of women to create a community supportive of women and children’s issues. Proceeds benefit Graduation Coach, an academic mentoring program leading at-risk students down the road to graduation. Trent is one of today’s most internationally recognized voices for quality education Trent and women’s empowerment. Distinguished as Oprah Winfrey’s “All-Time Favorite Guest,” Tererai is a scholar, humanitarian, motivational speaker, educator, author, and founder of Tererai Trent International. As always, a collection of designer purses will be raffled off including Michael Kors, Coach, Kate Spade and many more. The luncheon is Sept. 14. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased by calling (209) 523-4562.

www.cvbizjournal.com

RICHMOND, Va. — If Pokemon were real, Merced would be the fourth best U.S. metropolitan area for Pokemon Trainers according to Chmura Economics & Analytics. The company set out to figure out which cities were best equipped to support players of the popular “Pokemon Go” mobile game. Cities that ranked high were those with a lot of agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting areas, a high number of gyms, veterinarians, retail shops and those with a lot of selected education also scored well. “If Pokemon were real, trainers would be most successful in regions with the greatest concentration of people with the skills to help them become masters,” said Chmura’s CEO and Chief Economist Christine Chmura. The best city in the U.S. for players of the game was Ithaca, New York. It was followed by HanfordCorcoran, Corvallis, Oregon. and Merced. The worst place was Dalton, Georgia. It ranked the lowest primarily due to having the fewest concentrations of gym leaders and professors relative to the nation.

Food bank launches PEACH program MERCED — The Merced County Food Bank launched the PEACH program in late July. PEACH stands for People Eating and Cooking Healthy. The program is a collaboration among he Merced County Food Bank, Merced County Public Health, Human Services Agency, UC Merced Food Pantry, Merced College and Mercy Medical Center Merced staff. The program’s goal is to is to build community capacity to focus on the following unmet health related areas outlined in Mercy Medical Center’s Community Health Needs Assessment. “The Peach Program is modeled after a very successful like-named project www.firstchoiceservices.com at The Food Trust based in Philadelphia,” said food 209.467.4426 bank director Bill Gibbs. “This pilot project will

start at some of our current food distribution sites and will expand as we gather funds and resources.” Among other things, the program will provide free fresh nutritious produce, nuts and other food and teach parents how to provide healthy, affordable meals.

Merced Chamber looking for young leaders MERCED — The Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for Junior Leadership Merced. The program is open to high school juniors and seniors and helps develop leadership skills. It also provides local business tours. Young people also attend local government official meetings and learn about the community. The deadline to apply is Sept. 9. Applications are available at www.merced-chamber.com under “Programs.” For more information, call (209) 384-7092

Castle Air Museum to host Open Cockpit Day ATWATER — The next Open Cockpit Day at Castle Air Museum is Sept. 3. Visitors to the museum will be able to see dozens of historic aircraft. There will also be helicopter rides available, and for an additional $10, visitors can tour the aircraft used by six presidential administrations. Children will be able to build their own models and take part in other activities. Open Cockpit Day is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept 3. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for youth from 6-17 years. Children 5 and under and active duty military are free.

Merced restaurant takes prize at Fresno Food Expo. MERCED — Bella Luna Bistro was one of the restaurants that took home an award from the 2016 Fresno Food Expo. The Merced restaurant received an award for Best Integration of Expo Products. The restaurant is located at 350 W Main St. in Merced. The 2016 Fresno Food Expo today brought together 132 of Central California’s food and beverage growers and manufacturers. There were nearly 950 pre-qualified regional, national and international foodservice and retail buyers and almost 1,000 members of the public looking to discover food and beverages made in Central California.

Central Valley Business Journal

Cal Weber 40

September 2016

Nursing program among best TURLOCK — Stanislaus State University’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is the best program in California according to the website TopRNtoBSN.com. The web site ranked the school’s program as tops in the state, No. 23 nationally and No. 2 in the Western Region. The University of Washington’s program was the only one ranked higher in the West by the web site. The program was the only one in California ranked in the top 50 of accelerated

Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. Those are programs which focus on students who already earned a bachelor’s degree in another course of study. The school’s program for students without a prior bachelor’s degree ranked fifth in California and No. 31 in the nation. UCLA and UC Irvine were also in the top 10. The rankings were based on graduation rates, low student debt upon graduation and overall respect for the program according to admission selectivity.

STOCKTON — Ten Space, a Stockton urban design firm, won the American Planning Association’s 2016 Award of Excellence in Urban Design in California for its Open Window Project. The award is given to projects in the state that exemplify core urban planning principles. The Open Window Project combines active street-level design, urban greening components

and a variety of building and housing options. The goal was to create a diverse tapestry within a downtown built environment. Ten Space will accept the award at the 2016 American Planning Association Conference in October. The honor from the APA California, qualifies the project for a national APA award which will be determined later this year.

Ten Space gets urban design nod

Cal Weber 40, the affordable apartment project at California Street and Weber Avenue in downtown Stockton, was ready to open in late August. All 40 units have been leased in the former Cal Weber and McKeegan buildings.

PARTNERSHIP Continued from Page 43

tax assessment if the IRS conducts an audit, even though the partnership followed the procedures to elect out. Partnerships should draft their partnership agreement to prevent unqualified owners from holding an interest to prevent such a problem or recognize the ramifications of same. The new law also requires partnerships to appoint a person or entity to serve as the partnership representative before the IRS. That person does not have to be a partner. This representative has the sole authority to act on behalf of the partnership. That means partners will no longer have

the right to participate in a partnership audit. In fact, they will not even have the right to receive notice of the partnership audit or be able to raise partner defenses. With that in mind, partnerships should choose their representative wisely to prevent a bad audit outcome due to an ineffective representative. For example, in a situation where the partnership representative dies or sells their interest, unless the partnership agreement states who the replacement is, there could be a disagreement amongst the partners as to who will become the partnership

representative. Presumably, without specifically designating that person or procedure in the partnership agreement, majority rule will control the election of the new person. Therefore, the partnership agreement should address the procedures for establishing the partnership representative. With the partnership audit changes coming soon, partnership agreements should be drafted or amended to take the changes into consideration. While regulations and other guidance will be coming over the next two years, existing and new partnerships need to start thinking how they will

address the new audit rules. I expect it will take many years of litigation for the various rules to be flushed out. Until then, partnerships should plan accordingly by addressing these issues in the written partnership agreement. If you currently own an interest in a partnership or are considering buying into one, we recommend that you seek counsel to make sure that outdated partnership agreements don’t cause costly problems down the road. – Jason Harrel is a partner at Calone & Harrel Law Group, LLP. He is a certified specialist in taxation. He may be reached at jwh@caloneandharrel.com.

Buffer or Hootsuite Online marketers probably know Buffer or Hootsuite from their use in other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. They’ll be happy to know that it’s now on Instagram, ready to make things easier. The problem with many online marketing campaigns is timing and coordination. There’s so much going on that getting posts out on time can be difficult. This can drastically affect your marketing campaign’s performance.

Instagram doesn’t allow you to upload photos with outside apps, so Buffer and Hootsuite decided to approach the problem differently. You pre-write and arrange your post ahead of time, and then it will remind you with a notification that it’s time to post. Tap the button and it will load your photo into Instagram, using your clipboard to bypass Instagram’s third-party block. Granted, you won’t need all of these tools. For some companies, Buffer or

Hootsuite will be more than enough as businesses can get analytics elsewhere. Other marketers may need two or more tools due to lack of information. Figure out what works for you. Many of these apps are free or offer free trials, so you can test them and see if they’re a good fit. – Dan Natividad, a Stockton native, is a partner at Port City Marketing Solutions along with Kristen Dyke and Erin Diego. Dan can be reached at dan@portcitymarketing.com

APPS Continued from Page 38

related to your company and upon your order will send a message to the poster asking for permission to use those images. Those images can then be used in your campaigns. A content curation tool actually does a lot for your campaigns. The average user is suspicious of any branded or company-originated content. Using content from your community lends your advertisements and slideshows the kind of trust you can only get from testimonials.

VISION Continued from Page 39

er for sensitive official emails, some labeled “top secret,” would typically have a crippling effect on a campaign. Recently, the mayor of Stockton was arrested. Many would think that would slam the door on his political career. Not so fast. In 1990, Marion Barry, thenmayor of Washington, D.C., was seen in a videotape smoking crack cocaine. He served six months in jail. After

his release, he was re-elected to serve another four years as mayor. Elected officials being convicted of crimes is so prevalent that even Wikipedia has a section on federal politicians who were convicted of crimes. This raises one very important final question: if George Washington had been caught playing strip poker with Betsy Ross’s daughter, would he had

been our first president? The American public likes to complain about all the problems we face as a nation, state and city. But remember, we elect the leaders who are supposed to fix problems, and if they don’t, we need to look in the mirror. If we are supporting a candidate who is constantly under scrutiny, we need to take a closer look. Sometimes there is so

much smoke that we can’t see the fire, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there. We get the elected officials we deserve. – Peter Johnson is the director of the Westgate Center for Leadership Development and the Institute for Family Business in the Eberhardt School of Business at the University of the Pacific. He welcomes your feedback at peterjohnson@pacific.edu.

September 2016

www.cvbizjournal.com

September 2016

Helping Helping Helping you stay you stay you stay informed informed informed “ In the event of a power outage, “ In the event of a power outage, want ourof customers to “ we Iwe n the event a power outage, want our customers to stay safeour andcustomers stay informed.” we want to stay safe and stay informed.” stay safe and stay informed.” BRANDON GONZALES

BRANDON GONZALES Troubleman BRANDON GONZALES Troubleman

Troubleman

PG&E wants you to always be informed about potential power outages in your area. That’s whywants PG&E offers alerts via email, text and phone that provide up-to-date information about thein cause of anarea. outage PG&E yououtage to always be informed about potential power outages your

and letwhy customers knowoutage they can the That’s PG&Eyou offers alerts viaexpect email, text and phone that provide up-to-date power informationoutages about the cause an outage PG&E wants towhen always be informed about potential in ofyour area. power to be back on.

and letPG&E customers know when they can expect the That’s why offers outage alerts via email, text and phone that provide up-to-date information about the cause of an outage power to be back on. when they can expect the and let customers know PG&E crews respond to power outages 24 hours

power to be backrespond on. a day tocrews restore powertoaspower quickly and safely as PG&E outages 24 hours possible. To staypower informed, sign up forsafely outage a day to restore as quickly and as

PG&E crews respond to power outages 24 hours alerts at pge.com/outagealerts . possible. To stay informed, sign up for outage

a day to restore power as quickly and safely as alerts at pge.com/outagealerts.

possible. To stay informed, sign up for outage alerts at pge.com/outagealerts.

Go online

Stay informed

Go online

Stay informed

Go online

Stay informed

pge.com/outagealerts pge.com/outagealerts

Central Valley Business Journal

“PG&E” “PG&E” refers torefers PacifictoGas Pacific andGas Electric and Company, Electric Company, a subsidiary a subsidiary of PG&Eof Corporation. PG&E Corporation. ©2016 Pacific ©2016Gas Pacific andGas Electric and Company. Electric Company. All rightsAll reserved. rights reserved. Paid for by Paid PG&E for by shareholders. PG&E shareholders.