Visalia Chamber of Commerce 220 N. Santa Fe, Visalia, CA 93292
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FALL 2012 Vol. 1 Issue 2
Business Connection
“No one manufactures anything in California (or America) anymore!” While that may be the prevailing wisdom, it’s simply not true … at least not in Visalia! In addition to being the agricultural capital of the world, and an important link in the logistics chain for goods and products coming into and leaving our country, Visalia is also proud to be home to a number of unique, dynamic, and successful manufacturers. While these companies may not all be household names, they represent a critical base for our local and regional economy, providing well paying jobs, sustaining a wide range of support services and businesses, and creating wealth which supports our community, nonprofits, and families. Business Connection is proud to launch a new profile series, Made in Visalia, which will highlight the manufacturers – and the wide range of products they produce – that make Visalia their home. Some of the products are common place, while others will surprise you! As the series unfolds, our guess is that most of us will be surprised by the sheer number and impact of these businesses. As we continue to develop and improve Business Connection, we hope you’re finding the information useful in operating your business. Our columnists cover a wide range of themes and topics. Our sponsor profiles share some of the “behind the scenes” stories of leading businesses in our community. Our new members and advertisers represent local companies that deserve your support and, in many cases, offer a wide range of products and services designed to help your company do your job better. Business Connection, however, is still a new and evolving publication, so if you have ideas about how we can improve it so it’s more useful to our business customers, please share! We hope you enjoy this edition of Business Connection. We are pleased to be able to bring this new resource to you.
Stephen Peck
Glenn Morris
Peck Planning & Development Board Chair, 2012-2013
President & CEO
Visalia Chamber of Commerce The Visalia Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in Tulare County. Its members include small businesses, corporations, associations, and individual professionals. Since 1899, the Chamber has worked diligently with local government, education, private industry and a host of other agencies and organizations to improve the business environment and promote Visalia as a premier community in which to live, work, and do business. The Chamber organizes and directs the efforts of all who share the desire to improve the conditions under which business is conducted. Through participation in the Chamber, members are able to accomplish collectively what they could not do individually. Businesses that join the Chamber receive a multitude of benefits and advantages ranging from networking, marketing and advertising opportunities, to legislative advocacy, educational forums to benefit business, and economic opportunities. The Mission of the Chamber The mission of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce is to: • Promote a strong local economy • Provide opportunities for business leaders to network and build relationships • Deliver programs which help businesses grow and improve • Represent business and advocate on its behalf with elected and appointed decision makers • Enhance business opportunities through community leadership
3
Business
in this issue
Connection Volume 1, Issue 2 • Fall 2012
2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman of the Board Stephen Peck Peck Planning & Development
Chair-Elect / Vice Chair, Membership Matt Graham Hyde Commercial Real Estate Immediate Past Chair Rick Wehmueller Visalia Community Bank Vice Chair, Advocacy Matt Seals Seals/Biehle General Contractors
Skip Nugent Best Buy Markets
Samantha Rummage Mathias Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center Patrick Salazar State Farm Insurance
Karen Tellalian DMI Agency
Anil Chagan Infinite Hospitality Dena Cochran Kaweah Delta Health Care District Richard Feder Visalia Mall Judy Fussel Buckman-Mitchell Financial & Insurance Services William Martin Martin & Martin Properties E. William Maze American H20 Systems Norris McElroy Kawneer Company
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OKTOBERFEST
Vincent Salinas Financial Advisor
Vice Chair, Finance Michael Gunning, CPA
Stan Carrizosa College of the Sequoias
MADE IN VISALIA
Rick Remillard VF Outdoor
Tom Seidler Visalia Rawhide Baseball Club
Karen Bruce Visalia Ceramic Tile
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Richard Nunes, Jr. Buckman Mitchell, Inc.
Vice Chair, Economic Development Kerry Hydash Family HealthCare Network
Vice Chair, Programs & Services Colby Wells The Gas Company
F E AT U R E S
Ex-Officio Director Steve Salomon City of Visalia PUBLISHED by Visalia Chamber of Commerce 220 N. Santa Fe Visalia, CA 93292 (559) 734-5876 www.visaliachamber.org GRAPHIC DESIGN by Cary Schein The Schein Company 559.553.5077 cary.schein@gmail.com ADVERTISING SALES by Mike Cox 559.734.5876 mikecox@visaliachamber.org PRINTING by Jostens Commercial Printing Phone: (559) 651-3300 Fax: (559) 651-9098
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SALES BUSINESS PRACTICES leadership AGONOMICS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY BUSINESS FINANCE EMPLOYMENT LAW TECHNOLOGY hr practices law @ WORK WORKPLACE SAFETY
ADDRESS CHANGES
Please send to Visalia Chamber of Commerce, ATTN: Business Connection, 220 N. Santa Fe, Visalia, CA 93292. Business Connection is an official publication of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, published quarterly and distributed to business and community leaders throughout the Visalia trade market. Views expressed in columns are those of the columnist and not necessarily those of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, its officers and directors, or its membership at large. Every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is correct and accurate as of the publication date. Business Connection does not warrant the accuracy or claims of its advertisers. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute support or endorsement for any product, person, cause, business, or organization unless specifically noted. Please send comments, questions, article suggestions, or requests for information to info@visaliachamber.org, or fax them to us at 559.734.7479. The online version of this publication can be viewed at www.visaliachamber.org. ©Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means of the entire contents or any portion of this publication without written permission is prohibited.
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
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NEW MEMBERS
Editor’s Note: The Visalia Chamber of Commerce is pleased to introduce this first installment of an ongoing series focusing on manufacturing in Visalia. “Made in Visalia” explores the products made in the Visalia Industrial Park, the businesses that make them and the people behind the success stories. The Visalia Industrial Park is home to small, privately owned businesses and
West Coast locations of large national companies. An estimated 5,000 people work in the Industrial Park and it has been the recipient of millions of dollars of infrastructure improvements to enhance its physical condition and its marketability. Yet most Visalians are unaware of the global business being done here – and the local economic impact.
“Made in Visalia” is written by Nancy Lockwood, owner of The Lockwood Agency, a public relations and marketing firm in Visalia, and serves as Executive Director of the Visalia Economic Development Corporation.
Visalia businesses impact the world in ways we never could have imagined.
Screw Conveyor Corporation: Manufacturing Jobs in Visalia since 1973 Visalia has proven to be a very effective location for Screw Conveyor Corporation, an international company headquartered in Wisconsin, because of its central location and access to the world’s largest agricultural economy. Screw Conveyor Corporation’s V i s a l i a p l a n t m a nu f a c t ur e s massive carbon and stainless Drew Baker, general manager Randy Smith & Javier Jasso. steel pieces specifically designed to move agricultural commodities, including grains, seeds, nuts, rice, animal feeds, grape and citrus byproducts, materials, recycled materials and many other products, covering over 17 industrial codes. The company name comes from the screw-shaped iron implements that move products either from the rail car or truck into the processing facility and inside the facility at various stages of processing. General manager Randy Smith noted that the Visalia plant recently completed a large order from Australia, which has a new and rapidly growing nut industry. “They planted nuts and had to now do something with them,” Smith noted. “We were responsible for setting up two almond processing plants, receiving nuts from the field and ultimately getting them into bags. All of the equipment needed to move the nuts through the process was manufactured in Visalia and shipped to Australia.” While agriculture constitutes about 50 percent of its business, Screw Conveyor Corporation also manufactures bulk handling equipment for the mining and ethanol industries, and recycling has become a new and growing component of its business.
Smith oversees a staff of 30, including 20 employees directly involved in manufacturing. From detailed blueprints, the staff develops the computer programs needed to direct the equipment that cuts the metal to meet each customer’s specifications. Food processing requires stainless steel for ease of cleaning and sanitation. Conveyors used to move abrasive materials such as sand and asphalt require special modifications so they will last longer, Smith explained. The steel used in manufacturing comes from sources in the Central Valley primarily, as well as southern and northern California. Labor has not been a concern, according to Smith, but California’s air quality regulations have hindered the Visalia operation’s growth. Certain jobs are instead handled by one of the company’s two domestic locations or the company’s Mexico plant, where the regulatory environment is not as restrictive as California’s. “California is a more costly place to do business, but the lower cost of living in Visalia and good labor availability is important, and our customer base is here,” Smith explained. Smith started with the company while a high school student. His father managed the plant, then located in Santa Clara, and hired Smith to “push a broom.” He earned a degree in ag economics from the University of California, Davis, and continued to work with Screw Conveyor Corporation after the move to Visalia. Upon his father’s retirement, the family-owned company offered the younger Smith the job. He has served as general manager for 26 years. “Visalia was the most helpful in working through the relocation and our customer base had moved out of the Bay Area,” Smith explained. “The location works due to the customer base, but the company has to produce where it is most advantageous for the bottom line and that is not always Visalia.” Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
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Riding out the dairy Everything about California Dairies, Inc., in Visalia is BIG. The company’s 260,000-square-foot Visalia plant is the single largest powdered milk-producing site in North America and California Dairies, Inc., is the second largest dairy processing cooperative in the United States.
Huge, stainless steel robots package bags of powdered milk with precision that humans cannot match. These mechanical wonders stand in stark contrast to the image of one of those bags being delivered by bicycle in the Philippines.
The company’s core businesses are selling fluid milk products and manufacturing and marketing milk powder and butter. The Visalia operation is the most modern and efficient of any of the six plants in California, with an investment that exceeds $250 million.
According to Dave Bush, senior vice president of operations, much of the domestic powder is sold in oneton packages, and the smaller, 25 kilogram, packages are needed in thirdworld countries with underdeveloped transportation systems. The milk must be in powder form because there is no refrigeration.
The Visalia plant receives 10,000,000 pounds of milk every day from co-op member dairies throughout the Central Valley. The two dryers that make milk powder are more than 100 feet tall and, combined, produce one million pounds of powder every day. The Visalia plant churns 420,000 pounds of butter every day. Salted and unsalted butter is marketed for retail and commercial uses, and is sold under 180 different labels, including Costco’s Kirkland and Smart & Final’s First Street. California Dairies’ butter recently earned 47 gold medals at the Los Angeles International Dairy Competition. Big production requires a big market. Products from the Visalia plant are shipped across the nation and around the world, to Southeast Asia, Mexico, the Mideast and China. 6
“In the United States, milk is being taken out of school lunches, but in thirdworld countries milk consumption rises with income,” Bush explained. “Milk products are considered very important to a family’s nutrition.”
California Dairies has invested $250 million in its 260,000-square-foot Visalia plant.
While the raw product, the plant and the products are impressive in size, much attention is paid to particles invisible to the naked eye.
looking for tiny pieces of metal that may have been shed during the many steps of the processes. Rarely is anything found. No product leaves the Visalia plant unless it passes all tests for safety and purity.
Milk loads arriving from California Dairies farms are tested at the unloading dock and a load is rejected if the milk fails these tests. After the milk is processed and packaged into butter and powder, it is tested again by both California Dairies and an outside lab to ensure that the products meet all requirements and regulations.
“This facility has an exceptional quality record,” plant manager Hector Ochoa proudly noted. “Our employees don’t come in direct contact with the product because of the technology, but we stress sanitation because they do handle the equipment.”
A metal detector analyzes every bag of powdered milk and package of butter,
B u s i n e s s C o n n e c tio n | www.visaliachamber.org
The sprawling plant is heavily mechanized, though it employs 138 people. Prospective employees already trained at this level
roller coaster
20 to 25 million pounds of milk powder can be stored in the Visalia warehouse awaiting shipment around the globe.
These machines churn 420,000 pounds of butter each day.
Bulk butter is provided for food service and baking, where butterfat is used as an ingredient.
of food processing are hard to come by, Bush says, so most are internally trained. Maintenance mechanics are in chronically short supply.
California as a location, however, poses very real challenges. The air quality regulations, the price of fuel, low milk prices and the coming carbon credits requirements all pose significant challenges to doing business, according to Bush. Dairy farmers are being “squeezed” by the rise in fuel costs, the increase in feed costs and regulated milk prices that don’t reflect operating costs.
“We were pleased that California Dairies purchased the former snack foods plant, and today we are grateful to have the company as a quality employer,” noted Stephen Peck, chairman of the board of the Visalia Economic Development Corporation. “They are exactly the type of industry we like – supporting our ag economy and putting Visalia on the map in a positive way.”
Still, Visalia has proven to be a good location for California Dairies, due to its location near the dairy farmers who make up the cooperative, Visalia’s wastewater capacity and its “phenomenal” work force. “Our employees are dedicated to their craft and the Visalia plant has the best safety record of all six plants in California,” Bush said.
Looking to the future, California Dairies is considering an aggressive expansion in Visalia because of the potential growth of the region’s milk supply and the city’s ability to handle the additional processing. Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
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U.S. military missiles, the scoreboard at Yankee Stadium, slot machines at Tachi Palace, displays at Chicago’s O’Hare airport and ultrasound machines in Visalia all have one thing in common.
Li shares concerns regarding availability of raw materials and increasing costs, but an even more pressing concern is the availability of engineers.
They rely on small electronic components manufactured by Tri-Mag, Inc., a 32-year-old company tucked away in Visalia’s Industrial Park.
He had success finding trained technical employees from the Lemoore Naval Air Station in the past, and College of the Sequoias had an electrical technician training program. Neither of these resources provides the skilled personnel he now needs.
Owner Jia-Ming Li and two partners started the company in 1980. Today, Li is the sole owner and employer of 30, including five electrical engineers. Li came to the United States after completing his undergraduate degree in Taiwan. He earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and took a job with Sprague Electric in Boston, and that job led him to a position as chief engineer with Sprague’s Visalia operation. Li and two partners bought a product line from Sprague and started their own business, focusing first on the production of filters that reduce the noise produced by computers – noise that can affect the electrical appliances around them. An FCC regulation requiring that filters be installed in all electronic equipment proved to be a boon for the fledgling company. Later, Ming and his partners saw the trend to produce highfrequency power switching supplies, which allow AC to be converted into DC at different voltages. Today, these power supplies and converters are manufactured in Visalia and through a joint venture with a firm in Taiwan, and distributed throughout Europe and the United States.
“In the United States, we train 60,000 engineers a year,” Li says. “In China, it’s 250,000 a year. In India, it’s 200,000 a year. Engineering requires math and Americans don’t like math. We have smart people, but they become attorneys or doctors or they choose Wall Street. And computer software is the focus now.” Another challenge for the small business is the national economy. Li notes that while the stock market may be high, the economy is “actually not so good, based on orders worldwide.” His company saw a 50 percent drop in orders in 2009. Business picked up in 2010 and 2011, but 2012 saw another drop. So, like many small business owners, Li works long hours and weekends. On recent Saturdays, Li took calls from a local packinghouse and a telecommunications company, both asking if he carried the components they needed immediately to get their equipment working again. Li had them in stock and delivered them himself.
The lower-cost products are manufactured at the Taiwan facility, which employs 1,000 people. However, the more advanced devices are manufactured in the 25,000-square-foot Visalia operation, particularly devices designed and manufactured for U.S. military use.
Tri-Mag lights up Hershey Park 8
B u s i n e s s C o n n e c tio n | www.visaliachamber.org
Owner Jia-Ming Li
Tiny components deliver big power
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“$elling”
S A L ES
Time Isn’t Free
There may be many ways to increase sales, but there are really only two ways to increase the profitability of your sales department. This can be done by (a) increasing sales revenues without disproportionately increasing sales costs; or (b) decreasing sales costs without disproportionately decreasing sales revenue. Seems simple, right? For both A and B to be successful, effective opportunity management skills are essential. Every leader wants to beat the competition and make the sale, get the account, or win the contract. Time is the key resource for any salesperson. And yet, spending a tremendous amount of time gathering data, creating proposals, quotes, etc. – without a reliable method of quantifying our potential for success – is simply working too hard. Making the effort to evaluate and determine whether an opportunity warrants pursuit requires identifying the time, effort, and needed resources. That’s working smart. Here’s a rule: Not every prospect is qualified to be a customer. A lot of disqualifying should happen before a suspect becomes a prospect and a selling conversation begins. Once the dialogue has begun, both the prospect and salesperson will gain from a direct, open discovery process to determine if there is sufficient reason for the two entities to do business, and why. As the seller, asking questions and learning about the prospect prioritizes my opportunities and provides insight on how best to position my company to win the sale. For the buyer, the discovery process creates comfort with my credibility as a seller and an opportunity to communicate my expert problemsolving abilities. In the end, both buyer and seller save valuable time.
If you Google “selling is like dating” you’ll find that plenty has been written on this basic truth. Moving too quickly or popping big questions too soon is a surefire way to turn off the other party. So is beating around the bush and never getting to the point. Buyers are people too, so it’s no surprise that the psychology of courtship applies to the selling process. And salespeople shouldn’t invest lots of time on a courtship that has no chance of blossoming. Being honest and transparent with your prospect from the start will either build strong relationships or expose the truth that you’re not compatible (at this time). And either is a good thing for all parties. If your instinct is to qualify more deeply and bring things to a conclusion sooner, yet you find yourself struggling to implement this, you’re not alone. Just like conditioning your body to be in top shape for a competitive sport, practice making small improvements regularly, and give yourself permission to take a year to develop a more productive set of habits. The time will pass whether you systematically grow or not. Why not grow? Think tortoise, not hare. Some people throw up their hands and simply look at sales as a numbers game, but I tend to disagree. While it’s good to have many opportunities, most companies can’t afford to pursue every single one. Managing those opportunities by implementing the psychology of qualification and courtship can make the numbers work more efficiently for us. We can systematically decrease selling costs and increase selling revenues – always a popular outcome.
Happy Selling,
Dale
dale Bierce Sandler Training
work smart! time effort resources opportunity
Dale Bierce is the President of the Sandler Training Center in Fresno. For comments or questions, email dale@sandler.com or call 559-412-8178.
Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
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b u si n es s prac t i c e s
Play Now, Pay Later!
With the holidays approaching, it’s time to think about year-end celebrations and staff bonuses. Doing the right things now can help you enjoy the holidays while minimizing the possibility of future legal claims.
Carol Halajian, MBA Verla Oliver, SPHR-CA Triad Solutions/ SinglePoint Outsourcing
Holiday Parties For many businesses, throwing an employee holiday party is a tradition. But be warned: 2011 topped the previous record for EEOC complaints, many of which followed holiday celebrations. Sexual harassment and discrimination made up a large number of claims. To avoid a post-party complaint, have a well-written, published Harassment Prevention Policy in place and take these steps before your celebration:
• Re-publish the company’s sexual harassment policy, dress code and code of conduct.
• Remind employees that holiday festivities do not offer an excuse for violating policy.
• Train managers to respond to complaints and
address any problems they see at the party. Remind them that non-employees (guests, caterers, etc.) can be harassees or harassers.
• Remind managers that they must set a professional example.
• Determine your position on alcohol –
consider limiting it, monitor usage, and arrange for safe transportation.
• Consider creative options (early in the day, at If you are interested in support for the Human Resources function of your business, call SinglePoint Outsourcing at (559) 625-4800 or visit www.single-point.com for information.
a zoo or other public location, volunteer at a charity).
Holiday Bonuses: Discretionary, Performance, Incentive In the spirit of generosity, many companies elect to give year-end bonuses.
Discretionary bonuses include sums paid as gifts, year-end bonuses, or payments made on other special occasions as rewards for service. The California Labor Commissioner interprets a bonus as discretionary only when there are “no objective criteria” involved and the bonus is “not routine”. A discretionary bonus is not determined by the hours an employee has worked, production, or goals achieved. A performance bonus is determined by the hours an employee has worked, production, or goals achieved. It is based on a formula and is announced to employees to entice them to work more rapidly, accurately, or efficiently. This type of bonus must be considered in overtime calculations, including the “regular rate of pay” (divide the bonus amount by hours worked and any overtime during the period in which the bonus was earned). An incentive (or flat sum) bonus is given to incentivize the employee’s continued employment until the time the payment is to be made. This type of bonus must be included in the regular rate of pay (divide the bonus by the non-overtime hours worked throughout the period in which the bonus was earned). Bonuses and Tax Implications Under the IRS and State tax codes, supplemental wages such as bonuses must be taxed at a different rate than the standard tax tables. See the IRS website for more information. The holidays bring enjoyment and fun. Careful planning and attention to employment guidelines can help reduce your risk and free you up to enjoy them!
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l e ade r sh ip
The New Look of
Temporary
There’s been a fundamental shift in the way companies do business today. Staffing services have become a more vital part of business and hiring strategies. Since the great recession, U.S. staffing firms have created more jobs than any other industry and are expected to grow faster and add more new jobs in the next decade, according to American Staffing Association (ASA). Business owners are increasingly using temporary and contract staffing as a means to help them quickly react to changing market conditions.
Work
life. Because of this freedom, more workers are using temporary work to stay effective in their specific fields. By working in different environments, social settings and businesses, workers have to adapt their specific skills and training to fit in the everchanging company cultures. This is one reason contingent workers are becoming more effective and experienced in the workplace.
Another trend sees staffing employees working for firms longer than ever before. The staffing industry has seen an increase in tenure This change in hiring preference compared to previous years. can be seen in recent data from While employers cautiously wait Staffing agencies ASA, which confirms that the to see if the economic growth will number of Americans employed be sustained, they are keeping are allowing by staffing companies rose 6% contract workers for extended in the first quarter of 2012 to periods. Workers are seeing businesses an average of 2.78 million daily. this as a great way to potentially the flexibility to Express Employment Professionals be hired on permanently with recently conducted a survey of companies later. A study by expand & decrease 665 employers throughout the U.S. ASA in 2011 found that when their workforces and Canada and found that many the economy is growing at a planned on adding temporary normal rate, 53% of staffing to meet demand. workers in the third quarter, employees who remain in the especially in the commercial and workforce bridge to permanent light industrial sectors. employment. This is why temporary work is becoming Staffing agencies are allowing businesses the so attractive to top talent. It provides them more flexibility to expand and decrease their workforces opportunities while giving employers a first-hand look to meet demand. Like employers, workers are at their potential to thrive in a company. also seeing the benefits of flexible employment. Temporary employment is a good way to get a foot In the next 10 years, the U.S. staffing industry is in the door with a company in a down economy. expected to grow faster and add more new jobs Contingent workers also have the freedom to travel than nearly any other industry, according to ASA. and work in different fields. Working on a temporary The staffing industry is growing and becoming a basis for different employers allows individuals more vital aspect of the business environment, an opportunity to increase their skill sets, widen and temporary workers are on the front end networking circles, and have flexibility in their work leading the change.
Kris Brokaw Express Employment Professionals
For more information about Express Employment Professionals, call (559) 738-7822 or visit visaliaca.expresspros.com
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Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
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AG O N O M I C S
THE
Ag Value Chain Promotes Business Opportunities Most everyone who lives or works in Tulare County knows that agriculture is the big business here. How big? Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner Marilyn Kinoshita recently released the 2011 Tulare County Crop Report – a detailed review of the $5.6 billion in food and fiber-related goods local farmers produced last year. Eric Coyne Tulare County Economic Development Corporation
For more information on business opportunities in Tulare County,visit tularecountyemap.com. Countywide tourism: filmtularecounty.com. Economic development tularecountyeconomic development.org.
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One could reasonably conclude that if you work in Tulare County, your livelihood is in some part influenced by our local agriculture production, or spending generated by this food production and the resulting ag-value chain. A reasonable analysis will show almost all local business is driven by farming or farm-related spending. Realizing this, County leaders created the Tulare County Economic Development Office – a rapid response team within the Resource Management Agency designed to quickly focus on ways to encourage new business development while strengthening current businesses. Our charter from County leadership is to research and develop strategies that can help attract business investment in the unincorporated areas of the county that fall under our land use and permitting policies. Business development within cities generally focuses on promoting industrial or commercial development in business parks, or focusing on retail commercial – such as new restaurants and storefronts. The focus for economic development and business attraction in unincorporated areas of a rural county is different – largely because many of our most rural areas lack adequate infrastructure for large scale retail commercial. But the County has several
B us i n e s s C o n n e ctio n | www.visaliachamber.org
competitive advantages for business development that cities are often challenged to provide – such as large scale food processing and the shipment of farm products to market. It wouldn’t make much sense to process and package produce in the middle of downtown, and there are limited opportunities to place a business with the need for lots of truck traffic in many urbanized areas. The County Economic Development Office sees its forte in accommodating large scale ag-processing facilities or locating large scale distribution – with heavy truck traffic yet limited walk-in traffic – along highway corridor communities. We see our market for growth in industrial and commercial development centered around the ag-value chain. But what exactly does that mean? The ag-value chain is defined by four industry clusters: businesses that support the growing of food and fiber; businesses dedicated to actual farm production; companies that process and package food and fiber commodities, and firms engaged in the distribution to market of these goods. Simply put, if we grow something here, why ship it halfway across the state or the country to be processing and refined into a higher value product? Why not bring in that processing here to Tulare County, and attract the jobs that support those activities? The County also wants to show businesses interested in locating here, or existing businesses thinking about expanding their operations – that “It’s all About You.” We want to be business-friendly and help our prospects grow here – and by doing so, we want to grow our local economy.
SOCIAL M E DI A
The Hard Part Appealing To Prospective Customers
Virtually all businesses use some aspect of social media. In the beginning, your staff, family, friends, and best customers are usually the first ones to “like” you or “follow” your account. Then comes the hard part – attracting a new audience. The easiest way to do this is by listening! Relationship experts may tell you that communication is 50% talking and 50% listening. For years, businesses allocated a large majority of their marketing and advertising budgets on the “talking” part. Social media gives us a tremendous opportunity to listen to prospective customers like never before. Here is a great example of how listening can generate a sale for a company. I was at a friend’s house recently and he wanted to watch a baseball game on ESPN. He flipped the channel to ESPN only to discover the game was blacked out in our area, because the game was being televised on a local network. My friend has Dish, which does not provide the local network. Unable to watch the game, he shared his frustration via twitter. He tweeted: “Can’t even watch my team play on ESPN because @dish doesn’t even provide the local channel! So mad! #Fail”. Within minutes of this tweet, @xfinity_tv responded to him with “We’re sorry you are not having a good experience. We hope you can catch your team next time.” The tweet by Xfinity was not a marketing or sales message. They were just acknowledging that they were listening! Guess who switched to Xfinity the next month? Always stay in tune with your competitors on social media and see what people are saying! Opportunities like this come around all of the time.
Secondly, you have to think and act like a customer on social media. Facebook, for example, is a fun place for customers to interact with each other. However, it can be extremely difficult for marketers. If you think like a marketer instead of a customer, you won’t even show up in people’s news feeds. Facebook uses an equation for news feed optimization. In other words, Facebook shows us what we want to see. The more “Likes” and “Comments” received on a Facebook post, the longer it will stay on people’s news feed. If we simply threw up an ad on Facebook that said “Thirsty Thursday is tonight at the ballpark!” it is not going stay in people’s news feed for very long because it looks like an unattractive commercial advertisement.
Josh Jackson Visalia Rawhide
For more information on business-related social media, email josh@rawhidebaseball.com
Instead, we may post a picture like the one below and say, “How many baseballs are in this basket? Closest guess OR first one to guess correctly gets 2 FREE tickets to Thirsty Thursday tonight!” We actually did this, and received over 60 “Likes” and almost 300 comments while drawing 36 new fans! It stayed near the top of over 4,000 news feeds all day long. The post was interactive, and it raised awareness about the Thirsty Thursday promotion, without even making us sound like a marketer. So be sure to listen, respond, think/act like a customer, and be creative!
Facebook’s EdgeRank: News Feed Optimization
How many baseballs are in this basket? Closest guess OR first one to guess correctly gets 2 FREE tickets to Thirsty Thursday tonight!
U
Affinity score between viewing user and edge creator.
W
Weight for this edge type (create, comment, like, tag, etc.)
D
Time decay factor based on how long ago this edge was created.
Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
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mark e tin g s t ra t e g i e s
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According to Bob Garfield, in his book The Year in Ad Review (1999), “We were grateful to be reminded what advertising, when it is unafraid to simply sell, has the power do.” Isn’t that the truth!
Karen Tellalian DMI Agency
For more information about DMI AGENCY, call (559) 739-1747 or visit dmiagency.com
Advertising, when done correctly, is still one of the most powerful selling tools available. Certainly advertising can inform, but it also has great power to motive people to perform. See the difference? Many times businesses, and even agencies, lose sight of this – opting instead to use valuable space or airtime as nothing more than a way to laundry list for their products or services. Informative? Yes. Inspiring? No. Consumers don’t really care what you do, unless there’s some benefit to them. Using a bullhorn concept of “buy, buy, buy” has a much greater effect when followed with “because.” The reasons why can be as varied as the products themselves, but one thing never changes; there’s a reason why people buy … to make their life better in some way. When they imagine their life as better after using your brand, it creates a positive, lasting impression. Where we run into trouble is when we expect immediate success. Rarely does even the most persuasive ad create a situation where someone jumps from a chair and heads to the nearest store. Rather, what should be happening is the ad establishes a positive memory and/or feeling that will influence buying behavior … over time. It motivates us to buy in the future, when the need arises. But even when need meets opportunity, it’s not really the specific ad that matters at all. Instead, it is the positive feeling the consumer has about your brand that motivates them to perform. Any positive memory they have about your brand is most likely recalled when decision time comes.
DESIGN (PROOF)
Client: Visalia Imagine Open MRI do we tend to forget the most basic selling strategy of all? This is in no way a scientific fact, but I often So why Designed by: Cribbsproject - Newif Media wonder it’s notDesign a symptom of our egocentric society? Have you ever known someone who spent the entire Project: Ad for Chamber evening Directorytalking about only themselves and pausing only long enough to think about what they were going to Size: 8x2 say next? Hours went by and they didn’t even ask you a simple question. They were not at all interested in Date: 9.24.12 improving your life because they were too preoccupied with their own. It’s quite possible these are the same people in charge of advertising and marketing for their companies.
So much of the advertising we see lacks the same amount of interest as the bore mentioned above. In your advertising, remember to always use the powerful combination of “what” to inform and “why” to motivate someone to perform. Why? Because when used together they help sell goods and sales is where the future of your business lies.
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Use water wisely. It’s essential. Proudly serving Visalia since 1927 216 North Valley Oaks Drive • Visalia, CA 93292-6717 (559) 624-1600 • www.calwater.com
Short term stay. Long term results. Come by for a tour of Visalia’s premier provider of short term recovery programs. (5 5 9 ) 7 3 3 - 0 9 01 4 5 2 5 West tul ar e av e .
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19
business finance
BDCS: THE NEW INVESTMENT VEHICLE high yields with low leverage
Right under our noses is an unseen investment opportunity that has had little exposure until now. It is an arena where anyone is welcome, when before only the millionaires and well-connected could participate. Now, the opportunity to invest in the future Amazons, Googles, and Microsofts are open to the most modest of investors by way of Business Development Corporations (BDCs) – specialized investment vehicles that facilitate capital formation for small and mid-sized companies.
Dick Stanley
Mesa Management
A few hundred dollars will buy you a “seat at the table” and an opportunity to invest in some of the best private companies that have not and probably will not, ever go public. The best news is that you can buy them directly as they are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and on NASDAQ. “Today, there are roughly 30 or more of these publicly traded corporations that engage in lending at high yield rates to small fish,” explains Gary A. Gordon, MS, CFP®, President of Pacific Park Financial, Inc., and a registered investment advisor with the SEC. According to Seeking Alpha.com, “BDCs offer dividend investors an attractive option because they combine generous yields with relatively low leverage.” BDCs invest in a wide variety of companies and provide financing for the future Apples, Staples, and Netscapes of the world. More good news is the conservative guidelines BDCs are required to maintain - low leverage rates of 1:1 (a dollar of capital for every dollar lent). Moreover, no single investment can represent more than 25% of the corporation’s portfolio. To preserve their tax status, BDCs are required to pay out 90% of their earnings as dividends (though most pay out 98% of their earnings). “Business Development Companies are similar to venture capitalists and private equity firms. The SEC requires BDCs to invest 70% of assets in U.S. companies, while distributing a minimum of 90% of taxable income in the form of dividends,” Gordon describes. Best of all, typical performance statistics are high, with yields ranging from 7 - 12% and dividends in the 4.5 7% range for shareholders. For a look at the top 20 BDCs, check out these stocks: TCAP, BKCC, CODI, and ARCC (please remember these are not recommendations). If these investment vehicles helped Mitt Romney, Bill Clinton, George and Jeb Bush earn millions, why not have a look?
to consider investing in BDCs:
•
Required payout is 90% of earnings as dividends to shareholders.
•
Payouts are stable during economic expansions.
•
Payouts hold up well during economic downturns (no BDC has filed for Chapter 11 and only four have suspended dividends).
•
BDCs hold very diverse assets - 50 different loans and 20 different industries on average.
•
Low leverage 1:1, Banks are 10:1, Investment banks 30:1.
•
Capital is available through SBA at very attractive rates.
•
BCD industry is growing and attracting investment interest similar to the early days of Real Estate Investment Trusts.
•
Many BDCs are sponsored by top tier asset managers.
•
Very transparent financial reporting with quarterly independent audits.
(courtesy of Seeking Alpha.com)
BDCs invest in a wide variety of companies and provide financing for the future Apples, Staples, and Netscapes of the world.
For questions about this or other investment strategies, call Mesa Management at (408) 599-8295 or visit mesamgmt.net. 20
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21
Employm e n t L A W
Failure to Provide Meal & Rest Breaks Costs Employer $90 Million In the recent case Augustus v. Amer. Commercial Security Services Inc., a Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted a motion for summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs and issued an award of nearly 90 million dollars. The case was brought as a class action on behalf of nearly 15,000 employees who alleged they missed meal and rest breaks.
Patrick Moody Barsamian & Moody
. he plaintiff class in this case was made up of security guards T who sued their employer alleging that they were “on call” during breaks. The employees alleged that they were required to carry radios in case of emergencies during their breaks, and were not relieved of duty. The defendant argued that the interruptions to the guards’ breaks were rare, that there was no evidence that a guard who stopped his break could not restart his break and that the guards were free to engage in non-work related activities during the breaks.
NO W
ON
$9 LY 0 MI LL ION
. he defendant brought a motion for summary adjudication and sought to have the class T decertified, and plaintiffs moved for summary judgment, arguing that there was no genuine issue of material fact. The judge agreed with the plaintiffs, and stated, “put simply, if you are on call, you are not on break” and “these on-call breaks are legally invalid.” The judge denied the defendant’s motions, and granted summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs in the amount of $89,741,426. What This Means for Employers . s the recent ruling in the Brinker case made clear, the employer must affirmatively relieve A their employees of all work duties during the time allotted for their breaks. Once the employer has done this, they have “provided” a break, and they do not have a further obligation to police their employees during their breaks. However, employers must actually “provide” a break free from duty, which was not the case in this situation. The defendant has vowed to appeal the decision, and we will continue to keep you updated. This article is for education and information purposes only; it should not be construed as legal advice. For specific legal assistance, contact Barsamian & Moody at (559) 2482360 or toll-free at (888) 322-2573.
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t e c h n ology
FOR YOUR
BUSINESS YouTube is the number one online video site, and the second largest internet search engine. Do a Google search and YouTube results often appear in the first few listings – something most business owners dream about.
testimonials can be very powerful). Video can provide customer training and support and be used internally to train employees. Video offers a more personal experience and seeing you in action can gain your prospect’s trust.
A YouTube channel is a dedicated web portal for your videos and will boost your business if used effectively – at no cost to you. Video can be created and uploaded directly from most smartphones and tablets. Free software enables you to create video of your computer screen (screen capture), add voice and annotation, and produce an online video.
Claim Your YouTube real estate Even if you don’t plan to produce videos right away, create your YouTube account and claim a URL that matches your business name. Like Facebook and Internet domain names - once the name is taken, it’s gone. Create an account by going to YouTube and signing up with your Google account. Step by step instructions are at: www.toriangroup.com/video.
What Video can do for you Video can build your brand and help you tell your story. It can generate leads, help close the sale, and showcase your product in use (video
TIM TORIAN Torian Group, Inc.
Get familiar with the YouTube settings and the online video editor by creating your first video. It will take about an hour of your time.
Create your first video 1. Download the YouTube app – there is one for both iPhone and Android. 2. Sign in to your YouTube account. 3. Use your camera app to take a video of whatever is in front of you. 4. Upload the video to YouTube (some cameras have a direct upload to YouTube button, others may require you to use the YouTube app.) 5. Log in to YouTube from your computer to verify that your video has uploaded. 6. Set your uploaded video to private, so only you can see it. 7. Cut and paste using the online editor, add a description using key words, and make it public. 8. Your YouTube video will have a unique URL. Use that to link to the video on your website, Facebook page, blog, and in your email signature. Once comfortable with the process, set up your phone on a stand (about $10) hook up an external microphone (about $25), make sure the light is facing you rather than the camera, and tell your customers about your passion – what made you want to get into this business? Informal but sincere videos can present your case well on YouTube. Add recommended videos to your channel by selecting other YouTube videos, customizing to the part you like and linking them to your channel as a playlist. This is a great way to organize product-related videos from vendors, training materials on your product, or videos that show the need for your business. Use built-in YouTube analytics tools to see who is watching your video. Details about the YouTube signup process, software, hardware, and other resources are available at www.toriangroup.com/video.
For questions or information on computer consulting or networking, call Torian Group, Inc. at (559) 733-1940 or visit toriangroup.com.
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23
H R P rac t i c e s
Dress, and Grooming,
and Jewelry,
California Expands Religious Accommodation Requirements The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits employers from discriminating or retaliating against employees and job applicants for a broad range of protected characteristics. The governor recently signed into law AB 1964, which modifies FEHA provisions relating to employment discrimination based on religious beliefs.
DAVID MILLER Pacific Employers
FEHA has always prohibited discrimination against applicants and employees based on their religious beliefs while requiring reasonable accommodation of workers’ religious beliefs and observances. What the new law makes clear is that “religious beliefs” include religious dress practices and grooming practices, meaning that employers cannot discriminate against applicants or employees based on these factors and must also reasonably accommodate them in the workplace. According to the new law, “religious dress practice” shall be construed broadly to include the wearing or carrying of religious clothing, head or face coverings, jewelry, artifacts, and any other item that is part of the observance by an individual of his or her religious creed. Likewise, “religious grooming practice” includes all forms of head, facial, and body hair that are part of the observance by an individual of his or her religious creed. The new law further explains it is unlawful for employers to:
For information about this or similar labor law issues, call Pacific Employers at (559) 733-4256 or visit pacificemployers.com and click on “What’s New!”
•
Refuse to hire or employ a person;
•
Refuse to select a person for a training program leading to employment;
•
Bar or discharge a person from employment or from a training program leading to employment;
•
. iscriminate against a person in compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment beD cause of a conflict between the person’s religious belief or observance and any employment requirement (unless the employer demonstrates that it has explored any available reasonable alternative for accommodating the religious belief or observance). This includes the possibilities of excusing the person from those duties which conflict with his or her religious belief or observance, or permitting those duties to be performed at another time or by another person, but is unable to reasonably accommodate the religious belief or observance without undue hardship.
Religious belief or observance includes, among other things, observance of a Sabbath or other religious holy day(s), reasonable time necessary for travel prior and subsequent to a religious observance, and religious dress practice and religious grooming practice. FEHA states that an accommodation of an individual’s religious dress practice or grooming practice is not reasonable if the accommodation requires segregation of the individual from other employees or the public. AB 1964’s modifications to the legislation were supposed to clarify existing law, but the express modification of FEHA and the highlighting of religious discrimination issues may lead to increased focus and scrutiny in this area and a greater likelihood of religious discrimination suits against employers. 1930
est.
ExEcutivE WEar industrial uniforms mats & mops rEstroom suppliEs
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toWEls (559) 625-5423 Promer@missionlinen.com
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25
Social media
t h e law @ work
and privacy rights Virtually everyone – yes, probably even your parents – use Facebook. Hundreds of millions of Facebook users share untold photos, stories, random thoughts and personal information all day, every day. And unlike a phone call or in-person conversation, Facebook (and other social media sites) keeps a permanent record of every user’s online life. As such, social media can create new and unique challenges for employees and employers alike.
Brett T. Abbott Gubler, Koch, Degn & Gomez LLP
Potential employees may have online identities which employers deem useful when considering job applicants. However, privacy settings on many social media sites allow an applicant to hide his/her online information from potential employers. As a result, a new trend in applicant background investigation has emerged: asking for his/her username and password to social media sites during the interview process. In light of this trend, some states have drafted legislation seeking to outlaw what some consider an invasion of a job applicant’s privacy. Lawmakers in California, as well Illinois and Maryland, have proposed legislation that would prohibit employers from requiring that current or prospective employees disclose any user names, passwords, or other ways of accessing personal online accounts. State lawmakers from Connecticut and New Jersey are considering drafting similar legislation, as is the U.S. Senate. Social media isn’t going anywhere. If anything, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms are becoming more entrenched in virtually every aspect of our online lives. Similarly, employers will continue to screen and investigate job applicants and social media can often give employers an unfiltered glimpse as to who a candidate really is. So for the time being, employers are free to mine social media sites for information about potential applicants, but California law has made it very clear that employers cannot demand that applicants or employees hand over user names and passwords. This article is for education and information purposes only; it should not be construed as legal advice. For specific legal assistance, contact Gubler, Koch, Degn & Gomez LLP, (559) 625-9600, or visit thecalifornialawayers.com.
es t u 25 in YEARS 10 Minute Lube m ! t 10 lo Oil-N-Filter w sa o n k ean e No Appointment needed All work Guaranteed OPEN W m CELEBRATING
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VS-SPAD0503120534
223 E. Tulare Ave., Visalia | 1630 E. Main St., Visalia | 3550 S. Demaree, Visalia | 1542 Tulare Ave., Tulare Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
27
A Prescription for
workplac e saf e t y
Teresa Inglehart President SHRM Tulare-Kings Counties
For more information on HR-related issues, email teresa@tmistrategic.com or call (559)651-2925
You hear a lot about awareness in safety. Be aware of safety guidelines, aware of dangers associated with your job, and be aware of your surroundings. Such a simple concept, yet our ability to focus can often be taken for granted when controlled and uncontrolled substances get thrown into the mix. Business owners must be careful as to how substance use or abuse is addressed and remember that safety in the workplace is an employer’s first obligation. When an employee has a medical excuse (prescription for narcotics or medical use marijuana) an employer must consider the safety of the individual when performing their job duties as well as that of their co-workers. California laws can seem contradictory when it comes to considering the employer’s obligation to keep workers safe and the employee’s right to privacy coupled with what could be considered a disability under ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Employers may be required to consider reasonable accommodations under ADA, but sacrificing the lives and safety of your employees is unreasonable. Employers should not feel hesitant
With the holidays approaching, substance abuse should be a topic of concern as you plan for upcoming events. Consider your guest list and know the signs and symptoms of substance abuse. Communicate your concerns to keep awareness top of mind during what can be a distressful time for many. –– Poor economic times can lead to financial stress causing increase alcohol or drug use for those who are otherwise recreational users. –– Individuals who have lost loved ones can feel lonely and fall into depression, turning them to substance abuse to escape the emotional hardship. –– Holiday gatherings that include alcohol provide more temptation for recovering addicts.
or bullied into accepting substance abuse regardless of a physician’s consent. So how do you keep these substances out of your workplace? Here are a few tips for maintaining a drug-free environment: 1. Have a solid employment policy in place with employee-signed acknowledgments. 2. Require drug testing as a term of preemployment, post-accident, and reasonable suspicion testing. 3. Evaluate the job duties of each person, and determine if you have grounds to require random testing as part of your workplace policy. 4. Train supervisors to recognize signs and symptoms of drug abuse at work and what measures to take if this occurs. 5. Address all concerns immediatelydon’t wait for something reckless or lethal. 6. Require employees to report any medications with side effects that may impair mobility and mental state while at work. Then evaluate job requirements and safety concerns to determine if the employee is to continue work while on the medication. 7. Communicate with your employees; make it known that your first concern is their safety. Encourage workers to abstain from substance abuse and report any safety hazards to supervisors immediately. As always, consult your HR or legal advisor before taking action. Knowing what you legally can and can’t do will help keep you in the clear. Knowing what you can do to keep your workplace safe from substance abuse will keep your employees out of the hospital – or some place worse.
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3539 W. Noble Ave Visalia, CA 93277 559.625.8400
THE SELF-PERFORMED ADVANTAGE For over thirty-nine years, Seals/Biehle, Inc.’s executives have been providing general contracting and construction management services for commercial, educational, healthcare, institutional and religious facilities all over the San Joaquin Valley. By self-performing aspects of a project, Seals/Biehle, Inc.'s depth of expertise and knowledge is enhanced, ensuring the highest quality product is delivered to our clients. We believe selfperforming is another way of demonstrating accountability and achieving the best value for our clients time after time. Through our self-performed work, we leverage efficiency to accelerate the schedule, ultimately saving costs for our clients. Contact us today to discuss how we can lend our services to your next expansion, modernization or renovation project!
SEALS-BIEHLE.COM
P 559.651.4040
9410 WEST PLACER AVENUE
F 559.651.4145
CA B LICENSE #949353
VISALIA, CALIFORNIA 93291
Redwood Springs (formerly Visalia Nursing & Rehab Center) is the ideal place to continue to HEAL after you leave the hospital. Our warm and dedicated team of physical, occupational and speech therapists will do everything possible to get you back to your normal life as quickly as possible. At Redwood Springs Healthcare Center, healing is more than an art … it’s a WAY OF LIFE. 1925 E. Houston Ave. Visalia, CA 93292 (559) 732-1020
Still need time to...
Heal? Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
29
B USINESS S P O T L I G HT
Visalia Medical Clinic By Lisa Salazar
Be Well
Onsite services offer state-of-theWhen his knee pain became art imaging and lab facilities as intolerable, Alaskan Clinton Rabern well as special areas of expertise began his quest for the best surgeon including sleep disorders, plastic to perform his joint replacement surgery, weight loss, physical surgery. Armed with specific therapy, and more. criteria from his physician (infection rate; average length of time in the The clinic has been completely operating room; number of joint renovated in the last five years replacement surgeries performed Clinton Rabern & Dr. Andre Edmonds and a major remodel is wrapping each month), Rabern’s online research led him to Andre Edmonds, MD, of Visalia up for the QuickCare walk-in clinic – quadrupling Medical Clinic. He underwent the knee replacement its operations from 1,000 to nearly 4,000 square surgery in 2011 and describes the experience and feet. No appointment is needed and QuickCare is open Saturdays and Sundays and until Dr. Edmonds as “phenomenal.” 8 p.m. on weeknights. This reputation for excellence is the result of helping San Joaquin Valley residents to “Be Well” for more “We’re responding to changing patient needs and than 70 years. Visalia Medical Clinic (VMC) is a one- finding ways to better serve them, including extended stop, multi-specialty medical clinic and is the largest walk-in care hours,” explains CEO Rick Strid. physician-owned clinic in the south valley. What kind of industry trends VMC offers the full spectrum of medical care, are you seeing? including family practice, pediatrics, general and “Value versus volume – insurance companies and orthopedic surgery and internal medicine. VMC also the government want to see value for what we do,” offers specialties such as allergy and sinus treatment, Rick says. Case in point: it is a value when a patient urology, neurology, podiatry and endocrinology. VMC improves and doesn’t require a second visit to his/ offers workers’ compensation and occupational her care provider. “We are collecting more data to medicine services for local businesses to help prove the value part of the equation, and technical their employees get better and get back to work as competence becomes critical,” he says. quickly as possible.
Medical Clinic Visalia VISALIA MEDICAL CLINIC
For more information about Visalia Medical Clinic, visit vmchealth.com.
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Additionally, payers are requiring more information before authorizing a doctor visit or procedure. What are some of the challenges your business is facing? “There is some uncertainty about where health care payments are headed within the next few years,” Rick explains. “On the government level, Medicare payments could be slashed up to 27%. Many people over 65 may have problems finding a physician.”
Recruiting quality primary care physicians to the Central Valley is an ongoing challenge. Rick looks for physicians who are board-certified in their specialty and familiar with the area. Moreover, physicians have to want to be part of a group practice. What sets VMC apart? “We’re big enough to tackle opportunities and have technology to prove our value. Small practices will have some difficulty affording that technology,” Rick explains. “More importantly, we serve
our patients with many services that set us apart. Radiology with MRI and CT scan. Full laboratory with outside draw stations. Physical therapy with three full time therapists – two of whom have completed their doctorate degrees. Sleep lab to diagnose and treat sleep apnea and our urgent care – ‘QuickCare’ – where anybody can be treated for small problems in a quick fashion. This multi-specialty approach to care sets VMC apart.”
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B USINESS S P O T L I G HT
By Lisa Salazar
For more information about CSET, visit cset.org
Left page L to R: Corps members at work in the community, Employment Connection career coach discusses services with a job seeker, Corps recycling education specialists Right page L to R: Carla Calhoun and Mary Alice Escarsega-Fechner, Employment Connection’s Blue Ribbon Business Mentor program site visit to ARO Pistachios, Inc.
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Helping people lead self-sufficient lives by connecting them with resources, jobs, and services is the core of Community Services Employment Training (CSET). A spin-off of SelfHelp Enterprises, CSET branched off on its own in 1976 as a private, non-profit corporation serving Tulare County as part of LBJ’s “Fight on Poverty”. CSET’s purpose is to reduce the causes of poverty while strengthening youth, families, and communities. “Many of our programs are designed to assist and support low-income, dislocated workers, and the long-term unemployed, which we believe ultimately, help communities thrive,” says Executive Director Mary Alice Escarsega-Fechner. CSET operates education and training programs, facilitates youth and community development activities, provides entrepreneurial training, and assists with safety-net services. Nine community offices, 150 employees, and three recycling centers operate in Tulare County.
The newly-launched subsidiary corporation, Sequoia Energy Services, is a market-driven business line designed to save energy costs, create jobs, and generate revenue to replace the reductions in available grant funding. Businesses can take advantage of energy efficient upgrades to lighting, air conditioning, and heating systems as well as custom solar energy systems are available to valley businesses, schools and non-profits.
“Because of the breadth of our services and knowledge, we’re able to achieve successes that others can’t duplicate,” explains Deputy Director Carla D. Calhoun.
from simple concrete sidewalks to new building construction. For budding entrepreneurs, Microbusiness training is available which launches new businesses and strengthens existing ones while creating new jobs.
What does CSET offer to local businesses? CSET serves both small and large businesses and can assist with the personnel and training needs through the Employment Connection Centers located in Visalia, Porterville, and Tulare. Incentives and services are offered which help local businesses succeed. For new companies moving to Visalia, CSET can help with recruiting new hires, employee screening, etc. Last year, more than 250 job seekers obtained employment at the Tulare County Employment Connection (part of the Tulare County Workforce Investment Board’s one stop system), 51 of whom received on-the-job training to ensure their skills were up to hiring standards. Job seekers, local businesses, current students, and out of school youth can all receive employment and training services.
B us i n e s s C o n n e ctio n | www.visaliachamber.org
The Sequoia Community Corps can provide a multitude of services for a private fee ranging
Often overlooked are CSET’s E-recycling Solutions serving businesses, residents, and all sectors of the community. “Free pick up of the recycled items is available and there is no charge for our E-waste services. The money stays in our community, supporting young people’s salaries,” describes Mary Alice. What are some of the reasons behind your success? “Ensuring each person who enters our doors is connected with the full range of services to help them become self-sufficient,” she explains. When an individual comes in for assistance with a utility payment, CSET staff asks questions to uncover other needs such as job training or a high school diploma.
Additionally, CSET partners with other organizations to stretch funding and strengthen collaboration efforts in the community. “As dollars dwindle, t h e s e p a r t n e r s h i p s a ll o w u s t o leverage all potential resources and expertise,” Mary Alice describes. “We have a solid connection and strong synergy with non-profits, government agencies, and community groups in Tulare County,” notes Carla. CSET programs you should know about As part of their mission to provide young men and women with job training and work experience, nearly 100 students participate in CSET’s Sequoia Community Corps each year. Corps members receive specialized training that prepares them to provide quality services overseen by a certified supervisor in areas such as urban forestry, construction, weatherization, and recycling. Nearly 4,000 young adults have received valuable hands-on training and work experience over the last two decades. The Tech Connect program is an educational technology and service initiative that teaches youth (ages 1418) about broadband technologies and
how to use that knowledge to serve their community. Students learn about computer repair, refurbishment, education, recycling, and are trained and certified as tax preparation volunteers. Tech Connect students assisted 543 people file their returns for tax year 2011.
Targeted to youth ages 12-15, the Junior Leadership program provides a curriculum based on youth development principles, civic engagement, and planning for the future. These “home-grown” leaders provide fresh new ideas on how we provide resources and skills and plan for the future.
The successful Volunteer Tax Assistance program (VITA) runs on a shoe string budget and relies on volunteers and community engagement as residents get involved and learn a new skill. In 2012, 76 volunteers were recruited and trained for the VITA program, logging more than 2,000 hours to prepare 1,768 tax returns. Their efforts secured more than $3 million in refunds.
The end result CSET’s role as the community action agency is critical in a time of rising unemployment rates and dwindling dollars. The vision of a healthy, prosperous, and safe community is realized every day in Visalia and the surrounding area because of CSET’s education, training, job creation, and community development strategies.
Welcome to the 2007 GOLD award winning Comfort Suites, nestled in Downtown Visalia • Microwave and Refrigerator in all rooms. • Free breakfast included at no extra charge. • Free wired/wireless high-speed internet. • group or corporate bookings welcome.
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Across the street from the Visalia Convention Center. By ChoiCe hotels
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Our promise to you includes a clean, comfortable hotel room. In fact, we have 88 of them! If you’re traveling with your family, you may opt for a room with two beds. Or, If you’re here by yourself on business, why not book a room with a plush, king-sized bed so you can stretch out and relax? • Microwave & Refrigerator in every Room! • Cloud Nine, the hampton bed experience. • Complimentary high-speed internet access.
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Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
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Trains of the
Colorado Rockies
Accountants, CPAs & Bookkeepers CENTRAL VALLEY TAX SERVICES Carole Sanchez 6020 W. Dartmouth Ave Visalia, CA 93277 559.280.2612 centralvalleytaxservices.com
ATTORNEYS & LEGAL SERVICES PELTZER & RICHARDSON L.C. Alex Peltzer 100 Willow Plaza, Ste. 309 Visalia, CA 93291 559.636.0200 dhlaw.net
AUDIO EQUIPMENT & SERVICE
Experience the majesty of the Colorado Rockies from four trains that celebrate the can-do spirit of the Old West.
HIGHLIGHTS… Denver • Rocky Mountain National Park Pike’s Peak Cog Railway Colorado Springs • Grand Junction Durango & Silverton Railroad
July 19 – 2 7 , 2 0 1 3
For pricing or registration details, call the Visalia Chamber of Commerce at 559-734-5876 or visit visaliachamber.org/travel This tour is brought to you by Collette Vacations (CST #2006766-20) and is priced at $2,599 pp (double occupancy).
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B us i n e s s C o n n e ctio n | www.visaliachamber.org
SOUND N VISION FOUNDATION Nicholas Galicia 2417 E. Iris Visalia, CA 93292 559.303.3920 snvfoundation.org
BANKING
BUSINESS BANKING WELLS FARGO Jumana Ghattas 3707 S. Mooney Blvd Visalia, CA 93277 559.738.5840 wellsfargo.com Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance available locally through business units listed above
CLEAN ENERGY EDENIQ, INC. Kristi Malone 2505 N. Shirk Road Visalia, CA 93291 559.302.1777 edeniq.com
CLOTHING STORE TWICE UPON A TIME Shannon Radabaugh 1553 E. Noble Avenue Visalia, CA 93292 559.733.1234 twiceuponatimeca.com
COLLECTION AGENCY HP SEARS, CO. Wendy Rivera 2000 18th Street Bakersfield, CA 93301 661.283.0254 hpsears.com
GIFT & NOVELTY STORES WELLS FARGO COMMERCIAL BANKING William D. Hoover 3300 S. Demaree Visalia, CA 93277 559.622.3000 wellsfargo.com WELLS FARGO ADVISORS Greg Morgan 400 E. Main Street #100 Visalia, CA 93291 559.636.8590 wellsfargo.com WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE Laura Miller 206 S. Mooney Blvd. Visalia, CA 93291 559.622.3060 wellsfargo.com WELLS FARGO BUSINESS BANKING Hector Avila 414 W. Main Street Visalia, CA 93291 559.738.5820 wellsfargo.com
THE NAKED NUT Sheridyn Blain 1240 E. Caldwell Ave Visalia, CA 93292 800.760.1086 thenakednut.com
MARKETING SERVICES & PROMOTIONS
2MARKET VISUALS Jonathan Doss 226 S. Cotta Ct., Ste. B Visalia, CA 93292 559.625.5230 2marketvisuals.com
ANGEL SORIA INTERNET MARKETING 3305 S. Lovers Lane #C Visalia, CA 93292 562.818.5098 fresnolocalinternetmarketing.com
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER Kern Community College District Terri Hicks 2100 Chester Avenue Bakersfield, CA 93301 661.336.5010 Kccd.edu GOLDEN STATE FAMILY SERVICES Shana Smith PO Box 130 Kingsburg, CA 93631 559.687.1173 goldenstatefamilyservices.org STUDENTS INTERNATIONAL Shellie Bowman PO Box 2733 Visalia, CA 93279 559.627.8923 stint.com TULARE-KINGS DENTAL SOCIETY Elaine Carrasco 218 N. Conyer St., Ste. E Visalia, CA 93291 559.625.9333 tkdentalsociety.com
ROOKIES SPORTS BAR OF VISALIA Duane Rodriguez 215 E. Main Street Visalia, CA 93291 559.732.1200 downtownrookies.com
SENIOR PLACEMENT SERVICES
ASSISTED TRANSITION David Moos 1820 S. Central, Ste. C Visalia, CA 93277 559.797.1406 assistedtransition.com
CORRECTION Buckman-Mitchell Financial & Insurance Services Judy Fussel 500 N. Santa Fe St. Visalia, CA 93292 (559) 733-1181 bminc.com
OFFICE SUPPLIES & FURNITURE OFFICE DEPOT Scott Jacobsen 2425 S. Mooney Blvd. Visalia, CA 93277 559.741.9710 business.officedepot.com
RESTAURANT LA FIESTA RESTAURANT-BAR Consuelo Olivera 3222 N. Demaree Visalia, CA 93291 559.635.1555 lafiestarestaurantbar.com
Buckman-Mitchell, Inc. Brent Swanson 500 N. Santa Fe St. Visalia, CA 93292 (559) 733-1181 bminc.com Carol Jones 500 N. Santa Fe St. Visalia, CA 93292 (559) 733-1181 bminc.com Buckman-Mitchell, Visalia’s oldest & largest insurance agency, is a relationship-driven firm specializing in all lines of coverage (Life, Health, Commercial, Personal & More)
F R I D AY, N O V 3 0 , 2 0 12 7: 3 0 – 11: 3 0 P M VISALIA CONVENTION CENTER Over 30 charities benefit from live and silent auctions The Christmas Tree Auction is the perfect place for a night on the town or your company’s holiday party!
$12 5 V I P T I C K E T includes sit-down dinner, wine, entertainment, and a chance to support over 30 local charities.
Like you, we’re a family business. Our entire company, and our entire family, is dedicated to providing your dairy products the safest, most professional transportation. Delivering dedication for 80 years to each client and every load.
(559) 686-2857
RUAN.COM
GENERAL ADMISSION $60
Order your tickets today at 734-5876 or www.visaliachamber.org
Business Connect ion | www.visaliachamber.org
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