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BUSINESS JOURNAL
b u s i n e s s e s
c o n n e c t e d ™
JUNE 2019
VOLUME 4 ■ ISSUE 6
NEWS
Just under two years after its construction began, the Ten Pin Fun Center in Turlock opened its doors in May. PAGE 5
NEWS
Los Banos is undergoing a revitalization of its downtown area and is hoping to draw both residents and passersby to the historic district. PAGE 8
VALLEY BUSINESS FORECAST
Slowing of economic activity sign of stability
Wages struggle to keep up with inflation BY ANGELINA MARTIN
A
209 Business Journal
fter the economy both nationwide and in the Central Valley reached its peak in recent years, a slowdown of economic activity displayed in the most recent San Joaquin Valley Business Forecast released in May shows a region that has recovered from the Great Recession. Stanislaus State produces the business forecast twice a year, providing businesses with detailed information about trends in the region relative to those in the state and nation. The report not only helps minimize uncertainty surrounding these economic indicators, but also generates market consensus on a regional basis helping businesses, investors and consumers make better-informed decisions. Foster Farms Endowed Professor of Business Economics Gökçe Soydemir has been the lead author of the report since 2011, and said that the state of the Valley’s economy continues to slow after years of expansion following the recession. “When we started doing the business forecast, the economy was still in a recessionary phase and many people were wondering if we were going to get out of it. We looked at the numbers and saw indications of improvement, but many people skeptical,” Soydemir said. “We struggled to convince people because they were
very pessimistic, and when months passed by it became evident that the Valley was getting out of the recession here, and it’s been gradually growing since. “Right now, the economy has peaked and growth has started to slow down. But, we’re not talking about worsening of employment — numbers are just showing that the pace of growth is slowing.” Many factors throughout the Valley contribute to the slowing down of economic growth, like higher unemployment rates than the rest of the state and country, a higher ratio of unskilled-to-skilled workers and lower educational attainment levels. The recent slowdown is manifesting at different rates among the region’s key employment categories; education and health services employment growth declined from 4.79 percent to 2.96 percent in 2018, while manufacturing employment growth fell from 0.52 percent to 0.25 percent. Leisure and hospitality services as well as retail trade employment growth both slowed as well. This doesn’t mean that people in the Valley aren’t being hired, Soydemir explained, stating that many of these categories are still seeing new hires by the hundreds — just less than before. “It’s growing, but just at a slower rate. That’s normal for regularly occurring business cycles in the economy,”
San Joaquin Valley Business Forecast he said. “People shouldn’t panic. You don’t want an economy to overheat, either, because then that will cause more problems in the future to tame the economic inflation.” Where some employment categories have cooled off,
others are still growing, the forecast revealed. The Valley’s rich agriculture trade contributed to an employment growth of just over one percent, and construction job growth increased from 5.32 percent to 7.67 percent. SEE VALLEY, PAGE 9
209 209BUSINESS BUSINESS JOURNAL JOURNAL
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MONTH, YEAR
OPINION
Vol. 4 No. 6 ■ June 2019 PUBLISHER Hank Vander Veen
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
GENERAL MANAGER Drew Savage
MANAGING EDITOR Sabra Stafford
NEWSROOM Dennis D. Cruz Kristina Hacker Teresa Hammond Angelina Martin Candy Padilla Virginia Still Dennis Wyatt
—Thomas A. Edison
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Harold L. George
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sharon Hoffman
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Chuck Higgs
SALES & MARKETING Chris Castro Beth Flanagan Dawn Hamilton Corey Rogers Melody Wann Charles Webber Jennifer Webber
DIGITAL Frankie Tovar Rich Matheson
To advertise in 209 Business Journal, call Manteca • 209.249.3500 Oakdale • 209.847.3021 Turlock • 209.634.9141 209 Business Journal is published monthly 122 S. Third Ave • Oakdale, CA 95361 Information: dsavage@209businessjournal.com 209businessjournal.com The Oakdale Leader USPS No 178-680 Is published weekly by Morris Newspaper Corporation, 122 S. Third Ave. Oakdale, Ca 95361 ©Copyright 2019. 209 Business Journal All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher of 209 Business Journal is strictly prohibited. The opinions expressed in 209 Business Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of 209 Business Journal management or owner. 209 Business Journal assumes no responsibility and makes no recommendation for claims made by advertisers and shall not be liable for any damages incurred.
209MAG A Z I N E.CO M
31 questions to ask when you’re buying a franchise “My wife and I are thinking about a franchise. We’ve met with the franchise executives at their ‘Discovery Day,’ and they seem like nice people. “They’re encouraging us to talk to some of their franchisees to understand exactly what goes on in the franchised business, but I confess I don’t know what sorts of questions to ask. We’ve never owned a business before. What information do I need to get from these franchisees so I can decide whether or not this franchise is worth buying?” A franchise company (called the franchisor) is required by law to give you a franchise disclosure document (FDD) before you buy a franchise territory. The FDD contains two sections that are especially helpful in finding out how the current franchisees are doing. Item 19 of the FDD contains performance statistics for the franchise’s current franchisees, but there are two problems with Item 19. First, the Federal Trade Commission (which regulates franchises) does not require franchisors to fill out Item 19, so many don’t. Second, franchisors have a lot of leeway to present their statistics any way they like, so many franchisors omit information about their new franchisees (less than two years in business) — precisely the people you want to know about. The more helpful part of the FDD appears at the very end of the document: a list of all current and former franchisees with telephone numbers so
CLIFF ENNICO CREATORS SYNDICATE
you can reach out to them and ask them about your experience. You should take advantage of that. In fact, you should speak to at least 10 of them (including all who are close to your proposed franchise territory), and don’t be afraid to ask the same questions over and over again. In my experience, it’s often the ninth or 10th person who will tell you a slightly different story than the others will. Here are some of the questions I recommend my clients ask current franchisees: 1. How long did it take you to start the business and land your first customer? 2. How useful was the franchisor’s training program? 3. Did you need additional training once you opened your doors and started dealing with customers? 4. How long did it take to find a suitable location for the business and negotiate a lease with the landlord (for brick-andmortar franchises)? 5. Were you able to find quality employees who were willing to work within your budget? 6. Which marketing methods recommended by the franchise worked best for you? 7. Were there any marketing methods recommended by the franchisor that didn’t work for you? 8. What was your actual bud-
get for local marketing and advertising? 9. How much time each week do you spend purely on marketing activities? 10. Is the franchisor’s pricing of its products and services competitive in your territory? 11. Does the franchisor allow you to adjust your prices if necessary? 12. Did you receive any benefit from the franchisor’s National Marketing Fund? 13. If so, what support did you get from the fund? 14. Were you able to deal with the competition? 15. Was the startup budget detailed in Item 7 of the FDD (summary of expenses) accurate? 16. Did you incur any significant costs that were not listed in Item 7 of the FDD? 17. How long did it take you to break even and start earning a profit? 18. Is the franchisor’s management team responsive when you need them? 19. Are you getting the support you need from the franchisor’s authorized vendors? 20. Has the franchise model changed since you purchased your territory? 21. If so, how much did it cost to upgrade your business to the franchisor’s new requirements? 22. What was your biggest challenge in starting the franchised business? 23. What was the biggest surprise (positive or negative) you had during your first year in business? 24. Are you happy with the
amount of time you are spending running the business? 25. If you had to do it all over again, would you buy this franchise? Here are some questions for former franchisees: 1. Why did you leave the franchise? 2. How difficult was it to find a buyer for your franchise territory? 3. Did the franchise assist you in finding a buyer? 4. (If the franchisee sold his franchise to a successor franchisee): Did you make or lose money on the sale? 5. (If the franchisee left the franchise system without selling to a successor): Did the franchisor make it easy for you to leave the system? 6. Did the franchisor charge any sort of early termination fee for leaving the franchise? Keep in mind that both current and former franchisees have signed a nondisparagement agreement with the franchisor that will prevent them from being too candid about their experience. However, by listening closely to their responses and paying attention to not just what they’re saying but how they’re saying it (Do they sound enthusiastic, energetic and gung-ho? Or are they nervous or matter-of-fact in their responses?), you should be able to figure out if they are sincerely happy with their franchise experience or are merely toeing the party line in order to avoid a lawsuit.
209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
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IN PROFILE
Go Fresh: Quick, easy, healthy and tasty BY VIRGINIA STILL 209 Business Journal
For the past five years Go Fresh has been thriving with an expansion of their health food brand along with opening more locations to get people to eat healthy. CEO and cofounder Billy Anderson made it his mission to create meals that were not only healthy for individual needs, but to make sure they were tasty and affordable. Anderson and his fiancé were trying to figure out how to take their passion for health and fitness and turn it into a career; they decided to focus on food so that people could be healthier. Originally, the company was launched in Modesto in 2014 called Prep For Success (PFS for short) and was more of a performance food brand that was shipped all over the country. At that time, Anderson explained that Modesto was number five on the unhealthiest cities in the country, so he saw this as an opportunity. Although their meals were not very tasty at first, according to Anderson, and
had to be shipped frozen, they still saw some success. But this was not the direction they wanted to go so they decided to refocus the brand and renamed it Go Fresh, which was a better fit for them. “We wanted to make sure the food tasted good and was healthy and fresh,” said Anderson. “The name is Go Fresh not frozen. So we decided to abandon that model and focus on something that was fresh and sustainable.” The Modesto storefront was opened in 2016 and in 2018 the Turlock store opened. This year, a Pleasanton location was
opened. “We are growing,” said Anderson. “We are a corporation so we want to have a lot of different brands all geared towards healthy eating. We focus on healthy fresh food here. We have another brand called Lean Bites Bakery which is more geared towards being able to ship to people’s homes and that is geared towards healthy snacks, shelf stable snacks like cookies, brownies, and baked goods like that.” The Go Fresh brand can be ordered online on their website www.gofreshmeals.com or you can visit SEE FRESH, PAGE 6
VIRGINIA STILL/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
Billy Anderson opened Go Fresh five years ago with a focus on healthy, locally-sourced meals.
TEAM WORKS. Working together, our doctors don’t just see you. They see the big picture of your overall health. By collaborating and seamlessly sharing your records, your care team stays on the same page, so your health always takes center stage. Visit kp.org today because together we thrive.
209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
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JUNE 2019
IN PROFILE
My Garden Café expands to Turlock BY ANGELINA MARTIN 209 Business Journal
Therapist sets up shop in downtown Riverbank BY VIRGINIA STILL 209 Business Journal
With seven years of assisting people with their mental health needs, Ana Calderón, a licensed clinical social worker, has brought her private practice closer to her home. The Riverbank native specializes in individual, couples, and family therapy. She also offers clients immigration services like assessments and correspondence. “I have always been very determined,” said Calderon. “I always thought, what do I need to do to make this happen. I have just known for a really long time that I wanted to help others.” Her office has been open since the end of January and is located at 3343Santa Fe St., Suite E. She offers counseling to children, teens, and adults. She also offers pre-marital, marital and couples counseling, among others. She has evening hours and is open every other Saturday. “It was really exciting,” Calderon said about opening her own practice. “I am really just joyful about being able to do this and help people. Coming here I feel happy.” Not only did she open her private practice but she also currently works as a mental health clinician for Turlock Unified School District. Calderón grew up in Riverbank and graduated from Riverbank High School. She continued her education with a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Social Work from Stanislaus State. After completing all the requirements to be a licensed clinical social worker to provide therapy for those in need, she amassed a long work history in a variety of mental health services. She worked a few years
at Sierra Vista, Stanislaus County’s Child Welfare services, and Golden Valley Health Centers. She had a private practice in Turlock for about two years and moved her office to Riverbank earlier this year. “I knew I wanted to be in Riverbank,” said Calderon. “To offer some services because there are no services for mental health here. The closest place for mental health services is Modesto and some places in Oakdale. There is a definite lack of services here.” Clients come from Newman, Denair, and Turlock to continue sessions with Calderon in Riverbank. She is accepting new clients and has set fees; however, there is a sliding scale for those that may not be able to afford the full price. She also accepts certain insurances. “I think in general for anybody that is having a hard time with difficult emotions or a stressful situation there is no harm in trying therapy,” added Calderon. “Try a few sessions because you never know what can happen. People can be hesitant about what counseling is so I do a phone consultation with them to give information and see if we would be a good fit for each other.” The collaboration with other professionals is one thing that Calderon shared she enjoys about the job and has no problem referring people to others that may be a better fit. One of the most rewarding things about being a therapist she said is making a difference in people’s lives and seeing that difference in the end. With flexible hours and a variety of session options, Calderon invites people to give her a call at 209-5051031 and take a step in healing
When you put good food and family together, nothing else matters. That’s the motto at Turlock’s newest breakfast spot, My Garden Café, made apparent by the sound of forks scraping on plates and the sight of the family photos that adorn the restaurant’s walls. Stanislaus State alumna Lisa Welch decided to bring her sixth My Garden Café location to Turlock, which opened its doors last week, for one reason, she said: the people. “I just felt like this town is our jam — the people that are in Turlock are just like our core customer base at other locations and it felt like it would be a good fit,” Welch said. “They’re farmers, and people that are doing things for the Valley. It doesn’t feel like there are a lot of commuters or people that are transplants; it feels homegrown and that’s what we’re about.” Welch’s family came to California from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl decades ago, and My Garden Café’s cuisine is inspired by the down-toearth, comfort food of her heritage. From chocolate gravy served over biscuits — a staple on farms back in Oklahoma, Welch said
ANGELINA MARTIN/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
Amber Climer, Lisa Welch, Chanelle McLaughlin and Sandy Felice make up part of the team at Turlock’s newest restaurant My Garden Café.
— to fresh corned beef hash, Welch’s restaurants in Modesto, Ceres, Ripon, Sonora and now Turlock serve Okie food the way it was meant to be enjoyed. “Anything you want for breakfast, we have it,” Welch said. Welch grew up around the restaurant business, as her parents owned eateries when she was young. As a student, she worked in a restaurant until she ultimately saved up enough money to open up her first My Garden Café location in Ripon back in 2003. The
business endeavor has since grown to be a family affair, with Welch working alongside her nieces, sister, cousin, best friend and even family members of different friends. That family environment has evolved to envelop not only Welch, her employees and the restaurant’s food, but the community who eats there as well. “The people have been so great and so welcoming,” Welch said. “It’s a family atmosphere, and that’s the most important part of the business.”
My Garden Café Type of business: Breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant Location: 1501 Geer Rd., Turlock Hours: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Sunday Contact information: 209-250-2627 Specialty: Chocolate gravy, homemade jams and oven-roasted meats
Husband, wife team cater to bee businesses, hobbyists BY TERESA HAMMOND 209 Business Journal
Some might say it just takes a little passion and a lot of drive to run a successful business. Two qualities Ryan Howard, along with his wife Daniella, have channeled to create success with Sunrise Feed and Supply. Now entering its fourth year of business, the bee supply and service company has found its niche and is benefitting farmers and beekeepers as well as the hobbyists in the Central Valley area. Howard, however, did not grow up with an ag background or a prior love for beekeeping or the bee business before starting the Ackley Circle business location in Oakdale. Simple conversation with travelers in the business while visiting his wife as she worked the bar at the local Ryderz restaurant is where the couple’s business story begins. “I was looking for some-
TERESA HAMMOND/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
Ryan and Daniela Howard help keep the bees busy with their business Sunrise Feed and Supply.
thing I could start on my own,” Howard said. “Talking to some of the guys I decided to start selling corn syrup, which is a bee feed.” A simple purchase of a tank to hold the syrup and securing a space was all that was needed in the
early start-up of the business. Education by way of everything bees, from feeding, to hive creation, to pollination was something Howard learned from the tradesmen themselves. “Those same guys would take me out in their yards
to work with them,” Howard said of the migratory beekeepers. “I fell in love with it right away, within the year I started my business. After I opened the business, I started really getting into a lot of comSEE BEE, PAGE 6
209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
5
IN PROFILE
Ten Pin open for business BY ANGELINA MARTIN 209 Business Journal
Just under two years after its construction began, the Ten Pin Fun Center in Turlock opened its doors in May. Turlockers and visitors from surrounding communities laced up their bowling shoes and hit the lanes when the heavilyanticipated, 62,000 square foot family entertainment center welcomed its first patrons. “We’re really excited to see this bowling alley open. This is a commercial building that was one of the most complex projects over the past two decades here in the city of Turlock, so it took a lot to bring everything together,” Ten Pin Public Information Officer Gary Soiseth said. “We’re hoping that the whole Turlock community comes out and checks it out, that they’re understanding that we’re getting this off the ground, and that they come and just have fun and share the excitement that we have for this project.” It’s been a long time coming for a bowling alley to find a home in Turlock once again. Turlock bowlers last had lanes in their hometown back when The Gardens (formerly known as Divine Gardens) closed in 1997. The Ten Pin Fun Center was originally approved by the Turlock City Council in 2010 and slated to be constructed on Monte Vista Avenue across the street from Stanislaus State, but the project fell through in 2014 and never materialized due to a lack of financial backing. Then, the development was picked back up again by a group of local investors, with construction beginning at its new location on Countryside Drive in July 2017. Since then, community members have watched in anticipation as its opening is delayed time after time. The bowling alley was originally expected to be completed in February 2018 at the latest, but
ANGELINA MARTIN/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
Hayden Hayward bowls at the new Ten Pin Fun Center’s opening day.
then it was announced that August would be the month. From there, the opening date was pushed back to December until ultimately the Journal was told Turlock residents could expect a spring opening. Now the $18 million project is complete, save for the center’s 10,000 square foot laser tag attraction, which should be up and running soon, Soiseth said. Turlock resident Thomas Higlesias wasted no time in getting his family down to the Ten Pin Fun Center on Tuesday afternoon, eager to be among the first to bowl on the state-of-theart lanes. “We heard it would be open today, so as soon as the kids got out of school, we picked them up and we ran over here,” Higlesias said. “We’ve been waiting for something like this for the kids for years, ever since construction started…Turlock was missing this.” While Turlock already has a booming downtown with several entertainment options, Soiseth believes residents haven’t seen anything like what Ten Pin is prepared to offer. “It’s going to take it to the next level. There is no facil-
ity like this from Manteca to Merced,” Soiseth said. “We’re very happy that these local investors decided to pour their resources and time and dedication into this center.” The two-story facility features 34 bowling lanes — eight of which are located in the alley’s separate VIP room known as the “Back 8,” which can be privately rented out for parties and get togethers. The Ten Pin Fun Center arcade features 60 games for children and adults alike, who can also keep themselves busy at one of the outdoor bocce ball courts. Ceres resident Russell Hayward brought his son to bowl on Tuesday, and was excited about the space just minutes down the road from his home that would provide excitement for his whole family. “The kids can have fun and the parents can have fun, so we’re down for this,” he said. “I was curious to see how the inside would look, and I think my son was more excited about the arcade.” Turlock’s new bowling alley will also have a fullscale restaurant, known as Deadwood Social. General Manager and Director of Food and Beverage Rob-
ert Provencio said the restaurant’s name came from a Facebook contest and represents a well-known bowling term. “Deadwood means when there’s a pin that’s knocked over and it doesn’t get cleared, so if you really think about it, the entendre involved in having a restaurant inside of a bowling
alley is almost like deadwood,” Provencio said. “It’s just a little play on words and it’s fun...the whole idea is to make this a social environment.” Deadwood Social will
serve everything from wholesome “bowling” food like chicken strips and fries to culinary masterpieces such as slow-cooked ribs and New York steaks, creating every menu item from scratch thanks to locallygrown ingredients. The restaurant and bowling alley hired locally, too, providing 125 jobs to local residents and Stanislaus State graduates. “We’re trying very hard to source as close to Turlock as we can. It’s awesome because we actually serve the growers, and we serve the workers and people who own the land,” Provencio said. “My goal is to have this whole area support us, and the fact that we’re local...there’s a certain amount of pride in that.” Local businesses like Dust Bowl Brewing Co. have also jumped in on the fun, brewing Ten Pin Fun Center its very own beer to serve on tap: The Ten Pin 99. Provencio describes it as a light, refreshing beer, and the title combines Ten Pin’s name with the number of the nearby highway as well as the number of calories in each serving. Another brew, a dark ale called the Deadwood, was also created for the res-
taurant by Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. of Fresno. While enjoying a beer, diners can catch sporting events on one of the many television screens in the restaurant, and those who prefer a bird’s-eye view can take in the entertainment center from the windowed “Sky Lounge” on the second story. With a capacity of 1,300, both Soiseth and Provencio expect Ten Pin Fun Center to be a packed house. Patrons can park in the Ten Pin Fun Center parking lot, and overflow parking is permitted in the lots of surrounding businesses like Hobby Lobby and Lowe’s. Guests can bowl, eat and hit the arcade beginning at 11 a.m. “There’s been a lot of anticipation for this place all day, every day,” Provencio said. “I just can’t wait because I really think it’s worth the wait.” The Ten Pin Fun Center is located at 3700 Countryside Drive, and the facility’s hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Monday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Walk-ins are welcome, but to reserve a lane or book a party, visit www. tenpinfun.com.
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JUNE 2019
NEWS
Modesto mayor gives first state of city BY ANGELINA MARTIN 209 Business Journal
For the first time since his election three years ago, Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold gave a State of the City address that highlighted both the city’s challenges and success. “It’s only a matter of time before the world knows how great this city is,” Brandvold told a packed audience of nearly 400 during a luncheon at the DoubleTree May 8. Brandvold touted a long list of Modesto’s accomplishments, like increasing the city’s police force from 168 sworn officers to 230 and bringing its reserve fund from $3 million to over $18 million in just two years. More money is on the way, he noted, as Modesto also welcomed seven recreational marijuana dispensaries this year. It was thanks to a citizen-
BEE
FROM PAGE 4 mercial stuff with one of my mentors (Chuck Arnold). He taught me some stuff here in town.” According to Howard, the migrant beekeepers shared the benefits of having a local feed and supply to meet their needs while pollinating area orchards, beginning with the corn syrup. “Now I get tanker loads, fill the tank up and sell to beekeepers, as well as (selling) dry patties,” he said, noting his clientele as commercial beekeepers as well as the hobbyist backyard beekeeper. “It’s been growing every year,” Howard said of the hobbyist portion of the business. “They’re into making the honey; they’re really into the bees. Some just want to save their own bees.” Howard shared his busy
To counter the negative comments, we all must be advocates and advertise all of the great things about our city. If nothing else could be said about Modesto, we must agree that we are a strong and resilient community of citizens that love Modesto. —Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold led budget review committee, Brandvold said, that new revenue-generating recommendations were received by the City. The committee consisted of CPAs, CFOs and CEOs from some of Modesto’s most respected businesses and organizations who developed a list of recommendations for saving costs and jumpstarting the local economy. “If you follow my campaign, you may recall that months tend to be from January to March, with business slowly starting up in October as brokers begin bringing their bees and boxes into the area. “They’re bringing them out here because there’s snow in their land,” he explained of the brokers traveling from areas such as Montana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas experiencing colder climates. Once the bees are delivered the brokers travel back and forth until blossom begins around early February. “Once that’s happening, we’ve got a few short weeks,” he said of blossom. “This year we had a lot of rain, so there wasn’t a lot of flight hours but they got it all pollinated pretty much.” When not busy working with the big outfits of the bee business, Howard enjoys helping out and supplying the hobbyist with their needs.
one of my goals was to bring back a citizen trust in their local government and develop more citizen involvement,” Brandvold said. “As a result of these recommendations, we accomplished some really great things in our city with many more still in the works.” While Modesto has thrived recently, there has also been the city’s fair share of struggles. Homelessness, for example, con“They all have a lot of questions and that’s what I’m here for,” he shared, “to help all my customers out with anything they have. I mentor them throughout the year, as much as I can.” The small business and its unique clientele are solely served by Howard and his wife, who was recently able to quit her “day job” to help with the company. Her primary responsibility is running the storefront, as well as the office so her husband can work out in the field. “I like the customer service side,” Howard said. “I like helping someone out that walks in and says I want to learn about bees. I want some bees for my backyard. What can you tell me? And I can help them out from A to Z.” For additional information on Sunrise Feed Company, call 209-6278114.
tinues to be a problem, Brandvold said. “Homelessness continues to be one of the most difficult issues in our city, just like many other cities in the state and across the nation,” he said. “The difficulty with homelessness stems from the fact that there are so many different causes and reasons that people are homeless, and there aren’t nearly as many solutions.” The mayor said that while
FRESH
FROM PAGE 3 one of their three locations. Meals can be customized to fit a specific need with options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and a snack to make it complete. A few of his favorites to enjoy is the carne asada plate and the sesame chicken plate made with healthy ingredients. The meal options are gluten free and list the macronutrients on the package. There are plates that have sesame chicken, green beans and white rice, another option is the lime-sesame turkey with
there is no “silver bullet” that will solve the homelessness issue in Modesto, the City has taken a number of steps to address the problem. Modesto’s first attempt came with the creation of an emergency tent shelter which started in Beardbrook Park, but has since been moved to a location under the 9th Street bridge. By 2020, the camp will be moved to the Salvation Army site nearby. “We must continue to address our homeless population with compassion, and we should always be ready to lend a helping hand, but we must come up with another solution when it comes to giving handouts,” Brandvold said. Other challenges Modesto faces, the mayor said, include ongoing struggles with pension liabilities and low sales tax revenue. Cannabis sales could help the latter, he
added. “While some are predicting very lucrative revenues, we are approaching this source with guarded expectations. We are hopeful that the revenue received will not have to be completely allocated to control and enforce its needs,” Brandvold said. Brandvold told Modesto residents that although the city may end up on a few “worst in the country lists,” it’s up to its community to spread the word about Modesto’s accomplishments. “To counter the negative comments, we all must be advocates and advertise all of the great things about our city. If nothing else could be said about Modesto, we must agree that we are a strong and resilient community of citizens that love Modesto,” he said.
meatballs, and veggies, or one may be interested in the chipotle chicken cauliflower nachos that is Keto, low carb and gluten free. He knows people have cravings and explained how it is unrealistic to think that everyone is going to eat broccoli, rice, and a plain piece of chicken all the time. The team at Go Fresh has created meals with local vegetables and other local ingredients like Sciabica Olive Oil. Their menu changes each month due to using local ingredients so whatever is in season will be included in the next menu. The meals are priced be-
tween $5 and $11 making the healthy option affordable and moving beyond the stigma of healthy eating is costly. They also work with Get Fit gyms in Modesto and Oakdale to provide healthy meals that are requested from the nutritionist. “Five years later we are thriving; we have multiple brands, multiple locations and I couldn’t be happier,” stated Anderson. “So believe in yourself, believe in the opportunity that you see regardless if anybody else sees it, because if everyone else sees it, it is probably not an opportunity.”
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209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
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NEWS
River Islands christens 550-seat baseball field VINCE REMBULAT 209 Business Journal
101-ROOM HOTEL PLANNED FOR MANTECA
4-story Staybridge Suites proposed for southeast corner of Daniels, Fishback DENNIS WYATT 209 Business Journal
Staybridge Suites wants to build a 101-room hotel within three blocks of both the 500-room Great Wolf indoor waterpark resort and hotel that is now under construction and the Big League Dreams sports complex. The four-story, 75,196-square-foot building with an outdoor swimming pool is proposed for 2.2 acres on the southeast corner of Daniels Street and Fishback Road in Manteca. It would be in front of the Sizzler restaurant and west of the Arco AM/PM gas station-convenience store and car wash located on the northeast corner of the Airport Way and 120 Bypass interchange. Access to the hotel will be from a private driveway 300 feet south of the intersection to avoid creating traffic issues on Daniels Street as well as for nearby residential neighbors. While parking is on all four sides of the hotel, most of it will be in the rear toward Sizzler. The hotel will have windows on all four sides with limited windows facing the rear elevation to the east and southeast where there is a city-owned parcel. Windows facing the northeast are about 130 feet away from single family homes on the north side of Daniels Street. The hotel will come in at just under 50 feet in height. Staybridge Suites is an all-suite residential-style hotel with more than 200 locations. Most of their hotels are in the United States
but they also have locations in Canada, Mexico, Europe, and South America. The hotel is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group that also includes Regent Hotels, the Crowne Plaza, as well as Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express among others. There are two Staybridge Suites locations in Sacramento, plus one each in Rocklin, San Francisco, Sunnyvale, San Jose Fairfield, and the Silicon Valley. They also have locations in Southern California. Manteca will be the first Staybridge Suites location in the San Joaquin Valley. Staybridge will be Manteca’s seventh hotel when you include Great Wolf which will end up being the largest hotel ever built in the Central Valley with 500 rooms when it opens in 2020. The owners of Orchard Valley are working to locate a second hotel at their project at Union Road and the 120 Bypass across from the Hampton Inn. Great Wolf located in other cities has helped increase hotel investment despite being a self-contained resort as far as the indoor waterpark portion of their project. That’s because they have events/ conference centers that attract people who do not book rooms at Great Wolf but do elsewhere as they prefer not to take advantage of the indoor waterpark. The growth of hotels is expected not only to create jobs — Great Wolf alone will employ 250 fulltime and 250 part-time workers
— and bolster the economy but also generate more hotel room taxes to help pay for day-to-day services such as police and fire as well as street maintenance. Hotel room taxes collected by the City of Manteca are expected to grow 30.7 percent from $1,321,000 this year to $1,726,770 in the fiscal year starting July 1. The boost is almost all attributable to a decision by voters in November 2018 to increase the city’s room tax for the first time in 27 years from 9 to 12 percent. The estimated $1,321,000 the city expects to receive in room taxes in the current year ending June 30 reflects only three months of the higher tax. Room tax receipts have been growing by double digits for the past five years prior to the increased rate due to increased occupancy and higher room rate charges. The room tax receipts totaled $912,685 in the 2015-2016 fiscal year. The opening of Great Wolf in mid-2020 will bring a significant increase in room tax revenue for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. Based on historic 70 percent occupancy figures for its resorts Great Wolf expected to collect $4,237,000 in annual room taxes at the previous 9 percent rate. The additional 3 percent tax will generate $1,412,333 more in room taxes. All of the increase from the taking the tax from 9 to 12 percent will go to the city.
“Build it and they will come.” That’s the quote from Field of Dreams that Don Johns imagined when he initially gazed upon the vast agricultural area at River Islands some four years ago. The legendary Danville baseball coach knew of Lathrop but was quite unfamiliar with the masterplanned community located on the other side of the San Joaquin River. Johns, who founded HOOTS Baseball Club in 1991, shared the vision with the likes of field designer Don Coleman, project manager Susan Dell’Osso, and others from the City of Lathrop in making the Islanders Field a reality. In May, the new 550seat baseball stadium finally opened to much fanfare.
“We finished it a week ahead of schedule,” said Dell’Osso, praising the efforts of Lyn Hale and his crew from Hale Construction coupled with the rain-out of a week ago that moved the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Islanders Field — a mixed configuration by the Cambay Group consisting of both bleachers and stadium seating along with a press box, scoreboard, restrooms, lights and spacious dugouts coupled with the soccer facility next door — is only one piece of the puzzle planned for this area located near the Bradshaw Crossing Bridge, according to Lathrop Mayor Sonny Dhaliwal. The new ballpark is an anchor to this area which will ultimately be the Town Center. “Someday it will all come together,” the mayor said. “Be patient — it will
take time.” Recently, the Welcome Center relocated nearby. Firefighters from the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District and Lathrop Police Services officers had the honors of playing the first-ever game at Islanders Field. “It’s a nice field. It’ll be fun playing on it,” said San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jordan Duncan, who barely had to time to practice beforehand. The game followed the ribbon-cutting ceremony — San Joaquin County Board of Supervisor Bob Elliott was also hand to present a proclamation to mark the special event — and was just the first of many. “Together, we built something special,” said Coleman, who rattled off several big baseball tournaments scheduled for this summer. “They will come.”
VINCE REMBULAT/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
Susan Dell’Osso, River Islands project manager, celebrates the ribbon-cutting of the brand-new Islanders Field with coach Don Johns, Lathrop Mayor Sonny Dhaliwal, Lyn Hale of Hale Construction, field designer Don Coleman and San Joaquin County Board of Supervisor Bob Elliott.
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209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
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JUNE 2019
NEWS
A new vision for downtown Los Banos BY KRISTINA HACKER 209 Business Journal
Many know Los Banos either as the Merced County town located between two popular wildlife refuges or as the last Valley stop along Highway 152 on the way to Monterey. But there’s more to Los Banos than just what lies along its highways. The city is undergoing a revitalization of its downtown area and is hoping to draw both residents and passersby to the heart of historic Los Banos. “We just had our Merced County Spring Fair…a huge parade downtown and I realized that there are people who come downtown for that parade who have never come downtown before. Their lifestyle doesn’t dictate that they come downtown unless it’s for an event like a parade. If we can just get downtown Los Banos up and running with entertainment, activities, then we can promote it and get more people downtown,” said Gene Lieb, publisher of the Los Banos Enter-
prise and the driving force behind the most recent downtown revitalization effort. “We need to step up our game, make it look better and bring more people downtown.” When Lieb came to Los Banos in 2001 to head up its community newspaper, he saw the unrealized potential of the downtown area and tried to garner support for a revitalization effort — but to no avail. Lieb’s efforts weren’t the first. Los Banos Downtown Association Board Chair Thomas Kaljian remembers when the City of Los Banos hired a firm to do a downtown area study in the 1960s. “It was a nice study, but we didn’t get anywhere,” he said. Decades later, the City put together a group of people who looked at the downtown area. A few regulations and some new benches and streetlights came of that effort, but not
much else. It wasn’t until 2017, when Lieb decided to call in expert assistance from Sharon Silva, who spearheaded the campaign to revitalize Turlock’s downtown area in the late 1990s and early 2000s as part of the Turlock Downtown Association, that true progress started being made on the project. Under a newly motivated Los Banos Downtown Association Board of Directors, Silva got to work rallying support for the downtown revitalization and soon after local developer Greg Hostetler pledged $1 million in matching funds to support the project. Those funds have already been put to good use as part of the Downtown Façade Program, with nine businesses taking advantage of the matching funds to improve their buildings. This private funding is very important following the dismantling of redevelopment agencies by the
state in 2011. Prior to 2011, many public projects were funded through RDAs. “This project, there is no RDA. Everything, everything to this point, that has been happening was through private funding,” said Silva. However, one-time monetary gifts won’t be enough to sustain the downtown revitalization efforts. Silva proposed that Los Banos create a Property and Business Improvement District (PBID) — a special benefit district where services are financed by a self-imposed tax on property.
Since September 2018, the City of Los Banos has been actively working with the downtown association and in April 2019, the City Council voted to move forward on putting together a PBID. “The City sees it as a partnership. It’s been tried many times, either the City by itself or the property owners by themselves. I think this is the first time that we’ve had a partnership. I see as a three-sided partnership, like a stool with three legs. We have the private property owners, we have the downtown
association, which is an organization that represents the downtown property owners and merchants, and we have the City. With that partnership, I think we’re just really in a position right now — the timing is perfect — for us to be able to put this together,” said Los Banos Community & Economic Development Director Stacy Souza Elms. Souza Elms said that since Silva has joined the downtown association’s efforts, there is a new energy for the project. SEE LOS
BANOS, PAGE 9
5200K Number
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209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
150K 100K
10
15
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25 75.3% have fewer than 20 employees
% of total employment
50K
9
0 No employees
Key points from the San Joaquin Valley Business Forecast
PRICES AND INFLATION Following the decline in oil prices in the third quarter of 2018, the yearly inflation rate began to decrease and registered 3.35 percent over the 12-month period. However, the price of oil increased the first quarter of 2019, putting further pressure on the inflation rate. Driven by increased oil prices, the rate of inflation is projected to increase in the coming months before settling around the long-term rate of 2.31 percent by
VALLEY
FROM PAGE 1
The latter is an indication of vibrant construction activity in the Valley, Soydemir said, and a result of home values growing at the same rate this year as they did in 2018. Stanislaus County’s construction sector is performing better than other counties in the Valley, he added, which, along with large distribution centers built in the county, has contributed to the area’s employment rate growing at a faster rate than in 2017. Stanislaus County’s employment growth is 1.31 percent, compared to 1.20 in the last report. The last business forecast, published in December 2018, pointed to rising oil prices and the ongoing trade war as causes of increasing prices in the Val-
the second quarter of 2020. Meanwhile, wages are not keeping up with inflation. At an annual average growth rate of 3.03 percent, wage growth in the Valley fell behind the inflation rate in 2018, showing a decline in real wages of 0.32 percent. A similar pattern of gradual decline in real wages is projected to prevail through early 2021. BANKING AND CAPITAL MARKETS Acceleration in the Valley’s total bank deposits slowed in 2018, but remained relatively strong, with deposits growing 8.01 percent in 2018 compared to 8.62 percent in 2017. Bank deposits are projected to grow at a slower pace in the months ahead. Valley bank assets in nonaccrual began to increase gradually over the last 12 months, even though there was a decline in the fourth quarter of 2018. The lowest point in assets in non-accrual
ley. The same rings true in 2019, with an increase in oil during the first quarter of the year placing further pressure on the inflation rate. Due to high oil prices, the rate of inflation is projected to increase in the coming months before settling around a long-term rate of 2.31 percent by the second quarter of 2020. Another cause of inflation are tariffs, as Valley imports like cement, steel and liquid fertilizer continue to decline as trade talks between China and the U.S. failed to reach resolution. Almonds, wine, grapes and other Valley produce exports took a hit from the resulting retaliation, Soydemir said. “We thought the tariffs would go away by now and that some kind of agreement would be reached… if those disputes are not resolved, we get to pay for it in the Valley in terms of
was attained in the third quarter of 2017. The same pattern prevailed in assets in default 30-89 days and 90-plus days. Along with total deposits, Valley total net loans and leases is a category projected to grow at a slower pace in the next two years. EXTERNAL SECTOR This section of the report, added last year, examines activity at the Port of Stockton, which handles shipments of goods such as cement, steel, liquid fertilizer and rice — four bulk items highly susceptible to the pressures of tariffs. Valley imports, such as cement, steel and liquid fertilizer, continued to decline in 2018 as trade talks between China and the U.S. failed to reach resolution. The resulting retaliation, negatively impacted exports in the Valley such as almonds, wine, grapes and other produce. The decline in liquid fertilizer imports were due to end of the drought in 2018.
consumption and then income,” he said. As prices rise, wages aren’t keeping up with inflation. At an annual average growth rate of 3.03 percent, wage growth in the Valley fell behind the inflation rate in 2018, showing a decline in real wages of 0.32 percent. This means Valley residents weren’t able to purchase as many goods and services in 2018 as they could in 2017. “This area is three-quarters unskilled workers, so they’re very vulnerable to real wage declines. And on top of that, things like trade wars hit the Valley much harder,” Soydemir said. “We here in the Valley stand to lose from things like this.” The complete San Joaquin Valley Business Forecast can be found at https://www.csustan.edu/ sjvbfr.
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21-499 employees
More than 500 employees
Businesses with fewer than 20 employees Manufacturing manufacture generated these products: 11.6% of U.S. economic output and 8.5% of the workforce. Apparel
Factories or bakeries, machine-powered or handmade, manufacturing drives the US economy
Furniture and related products Fabricated metal products Wood products
Beverage and tobacco products
Machinery Food
Electrical equipment, appliances and components Plastics and rubber products Computers and electronic products Paper
0
Yet, 89% of manufacturers cannot fill job openings.
Manufacturing businesses create products from raw materials or components either by machines or by hand. Goods are made in plants, factories, mills—but also in homes.
Top reasons cited:98.6% Number of companies
REAL ESTATE After a very significant increase in building permits in 2018, a slower increase is projected for this year. Foreclosure starts, which exhibited a short-lived increase as the Federal Reserve hiked rates, assumed a flat pattern when those rate hikes were paused, spurring a fall in longterm. At a yearly average of 8.57 percent, home values in the Valley increased at about the same pace as last year.
Manufacturing & Small Business:
1-20 employees
400K 350K 300K 250K 200K
150K
Shifting skill sets
of manufacturing companies are small due to businesses advanced
5
10
15
20
25
% of total employment
Manufacturing generated 11.6% of U.S. economic output and 8.5% of the workforce.
technologies Yet, 89% of manufacturers
75.3% jobs cannot fill job openings. Misperceptions of manufacturing have fewer than 20
100K
employees Retirement of baby boomers 50K
Top reasons cited:
Shifting skill sets due to advanced technologies Misperceptions of manufacturing jobs
0 No employees
1-20 employees
21-499 employees
More than 500 employees
Retirement of baby boomers
Businesses with fewer than 20 employees manufacture these products:
Work with a SCORE mentor to help start or grow
small manufacturing Work with a SCORE mentor toyour help start orcompany grow your small manufacturing company Apparel
Furniture and related products
Fabricated metal products Wood products Beverage and tobacco products Machinery
Sources:
Food
https://www.census.gov/econ/manufacturing.html
Electrical equipment, appliances and components
https://www.nam.org/powerofsmall
Plastics and rubber products
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/econ/g12-susb.pdf https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-industry
Computers and electronic products
https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/2018-Small-Business-Profiles-US.pdf
Paper
https://www.nam.org/Newsroom/Facts-About-Manufacturing/
0
5
10
15
20
25
% of total employment
https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/industry/manufacturing/manufacturing-skills-gapstudy.html?mod=djemRTE_h
Manufacturing generated Sources:
11.6% of U.S. economic https://www.census.gov/econ/manufacturing.html output and 8.5% of https://www.nam.org/powerofsmall the workforce. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/econ/g12-susb.pdf https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-industry
Yet, https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/2018-Small-Business-Profiles-US.pdf 89% of manufacturers cannot fill job openings. https://www.nam.org/Newsroom/Facts-About-Manufacturing/ Top reasons cited: https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/industry/manufacturing/manufacturing-skills-gap-
study.html?mod=djemRTE_h
Shifting skill sets due to advanced technologies Misperceptions of manufacturing jobs Retirement of baby boomers
LOS BANOS
Work with a SCORE mentor to help start or grow your small manufacturing company
FROM PAGE 8
“Folks are believing in the revitalization. You can Sources: see it now because the Façade Improvement Program is happening and you can see buildings being fixed up,” she said. A vote is expected on the PBID sometime in July. A majority vote is needed by the downtown property owners — with votes weighted by ownership of downtown square footage — for the special district to go through. If approved, the funds collected through the PBID will pay for a downtown executive director, as well as security, lighting and graffiti abatement. “Even without the redevelopment funding, I think that this has sort of unfolded the way that it’s needed to in the since that it’s been a real grassroots movement. It’s required neighbors to get to know neighbors and go out and talk to other people and get them on board and get them excited about revitalizing downtown Los Banos,” said Los Banos Downtown Association Board member Taylor Wolfsen. Longtime Sixth (Main) Street business owner Penny Glick said that she’s looking forward to making progress on the downtown revitalization https://www.census.gov/econ/manufacturing.html https://www.nam.org/powerofsmall
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/econ/g12-susb.pdf https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-industry
https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/2018-Small-Business-Profiles-US.pdf https://www.nam.org/Newsroom/Facts-About-Manufacturing/
https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/industry/manufacturing/manufacturing-skills-gapstudy.html?mod=djemRTE_h
tinue working towards project. “Thousands of people their ultimate goal of a drive by (on Highway 152) downtown area that is every day. How do we once again truly the heart get them to come down- of the community. “Some of us have protown?” commented Glick. She would like to see scribed to a bigger picmore eateries come ture where if you’re not downtown and even a few investing in downtown new gift shops like her then what’s happening to own The Country Duck downtown?” said Wolfto entice shoppers to stay sen. “My theory is never one downtown. Larry Hernandez, who person builds anything, it’s always a team,” said represents the Subscribe Los Banos on Odd Fellows Lodge that Silva. “It’s been a real priviowns the large building at 928 Sixth St., is also excit- lege for me to have this ed about the possibilities opportunity, and at this the revitalization could time…It always takes somebody to step forbring to downtown. “The downtown needs a ward and then it takes lot of help… It’s a gem and your team of people who are it needs toSreally shine,” TUD I O 2 he 09.T V going to back that and that’s exactly what’s said. Silva and the downtown happened here in Los association plan to con- Banos.”
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209 BUSINESS JOURNAL
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ACCOLADES
PROMOTIONS, APPOINTMENTS, HONORS, ETC. EMC names new Chief Nursing Officer
Emanuel Medical Center has appointed Sharon Perry as its new Chief Nursing Officer. Effective June 24, Perry will assume responsibility for all nursing and designated patient care functions within Emanuel. She will oversee and coordinate the nursing units and their daily operations. Perry joins Emanuel Medical Center from sister hospital, Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, where she serves as Director of Women Sharon Perry and Children’s Services. “Sharon will be a wonderful addition to our executive team,” said Lani Dickinson, CEO of Emanuel Medical Center. “She has proven her ability to develop strong teams that provide high-quality patient care and service excellence. Her leadership will help us further strengthen our community built on care.” Prior to her role in Modesto, Perry served as the Director of Maternity Services at Seton Healthcare Family in Austin, Texas, and Director of Women and Children’s Services at HCA Orange Park Medical Center in Orange Park, Florida. Perry also served in leadership roles at Advocate Health Care – Trinity Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, both in Chicago, Illinois. Perry earned her B.S. in Biology from Augustana College, RN Diploma from South Chicago Community Hospital, Master’s in Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management and Master’s of Science in Nursing from Walden University. She is a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.
Interim Chancellor of UC Merced appointed
The University of California Board of Regents voted to approve President Janet Napolitano’s appointment of systemwide Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Nathan Brostrom as interim chancellor of UC Merced. Brostrom will succeed Chancellor Dorothy Leland, who earlier this week anNathan Brostrom nounced her intention to step down effective Aug. 15. He will serve until a nationwide search for a permanent successor is completed. “As the UC Office of the President cosponsor with me for the Merced 2020 Project — the innovative $1.3 billion approach to doubling the size of the Merced campus — Nathan has the history and skills to bring the project to successful completion, while providing the campus with financial acumen honed through a career in public finance and at the University of California as systemwide CFO since 2014,” Leland said. “I cannot think of anyone stronger to serve as interim chancellor.” Before becoming systemwide CFO,
Brostrom served as executive vice president for Business Operations after three years as vice chancellor for Administration at UC Berkeley. Brostrom holds degrees from Stanford University and Princeton University, and currently teaches at UC Berkeley. He also serves on the boards for the Keck Telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope, and has led two systemwide reviews of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He serves as a board member of Fiat Lux and Futures Without Violence, a national and global group that works to reduce domestic abuse and violence against women and children. “I am excited about this opportunity to help lead UC Merced during this critical moment in its history,” Brostrom said. “UC Merced holds a special place in UC history, and I have been gratified to have been a part of that history as co-sponsor of the Merced 2020 Project. I look forward to working in the coming months with the UC Merced faculty, staff and students, as well as with Chancellor Leland as she steps into what I hope will be a very active emeritus role on campus.”
through vibrant cultures, deep employee engagement, and stellar benefits. Ali Cox & Company marketing will be featured in the June 2019 Inc. magazine issue. “When making decisions about how we develop our company culture, it’s really quite simple. I’m looking to facilitate an atmosphere where people are encouraged to be themselves and challenge their skills in an inspired setting, with cool people and where any idea is welcome,” mentions CEO Ali Cox. “Oh, and benefits, generous holiday PTO, flex time, office yoga, off-site team-building adventures, etc. are part of the equation too.”
Double awardees for OJHS
Oakdale Junior High School awarded the Joyce Reed Living Memorial Sunshine Citizen of the Year Award to Anne Whitman and Mary Ann Fisher.
Modesto Area Express Transit manager awarded for transit improvements
Modesto Area Express (MAX) Transit Manager Adam Barth was awarded the Rising Star Award by the California Association for Coordinated Transportation. CalACT is the largest state transit association in the United States, with over 300 members dedicated to promoting professional excellence, stimulating ideas, and advocating for effective community transportation. The Rising Star Award honors an emerging leader in public transportation who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in operations, management, development of new or innovative programs, or leadership in their region or transit agency. “This award shows that MAX is on the right track to improving public transit in Modesto,” said Barth. “I’m honored to have received the award. MAX has an awesome staff that strives to make the City’s bus system great.” Barth has served as MAX’s Transit Manager since April 2016. In his short tenure, he has been the architect of significant improvements and enhancements in system operations, management, technology, and public outreach. “The improvements we’ve made to the service help show that MAX is a viable alternative to driving a personal vehicle,” said Barth.
Ironstone Vineyards wins awards
Ironstone Vineyards recently took home four gold medals in the Sierra Foothills Wine Competition. The Vineyard’s 2017 Obsession Symphony white wine won best of show; the 2016 Obsession red blend, the 2017 sauvignon blanc, and Kramer Ranch cabernet sauvignon all won gold medals. Ironstone also won awards at the 2019 Amador County Fair Wine Competition, including the Sierra Foothills Winery of the Year.
Best Workplace award for Turlock firm
Turlock marketing firm, Ali Cox & Company Marketing, has been named one of Inc. magazine’s Best Workplaces for 2019. To win the national award, Ali Cox & Company Marketing was singled out as one of the top 346 finalists out of 2,000 applicants for creating exceptional workplaces
Anne Whitman has been a math teacher with OJHS for many years. She began her career with the Oakdale District in 1996. She grew up in the Modesto area, attended Davis High School and Stanislaus State University. Whitman has worked in the Oasis Program and assisted with the lunch programs. Mary Ann Fisher, OJHS Attendance Clerk of 22 years, is the second recipient. During her tenure she has kept accurate accounts of students’ attendance, and reports to County and State offices. Fisher has worked with the Oakdale District since 1997. She grew up in the Oakdale area and is a graduate of Oakdale High School.
MUSD picks Tyson as senior director for elementary ed
Jenni Tyson is the new Senior Director of Elementary Education for Manteca Unified School District. Tyson has served as teacher, reading specialist, program manager, GATE & BTSA coordinator, vice principal, principal, and director over the span of 25 years. Most recently Tyson served as the Director of Elementary EduJenni Tyson cation with oversight of nine TK-5 school sites. Tyson holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Pacific and a master’s degree in Educational Administration from National University.
Oak Valley Community Bank announces commercial loan officer and bank manager hiring
Lynette Fletcher joined the bank as Vice President, Commercial Loan Officer. She will be based out of the bank’s headquarters in Oakdale and calling on prospective
clients in Stanislaus and San Joaquin County. Lynette has over 25 years of commercial and agribusiness lending experience. She will be focusing on building customer relationships and new commercial Lynette Fletcher loan development. Fletcher holds a Bachelor of Science and Commerce degree from Santa Clara University. She is excited to re-engage with the community and organizations in the Central Valley. Nick Nelson has Nick Nelson joined the bank as Vice President, Branch Manager of the Modesto 12th & I Branch where he will focus on managing branch operations and business development opportunities in the Modesto area. Nelson brings nearly 15 years of banking and financial management experience to Oak Valley. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Financial Management from Upper Iowa University and is currently a member of Modesto Youth Soccer Association and the Ceres Lions Club.
Hospice of San Joaquin Awarded palliative care certification from the Joint commission
Hospice of San Joaquin today announced it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Palliative Care Certification. The certification demonstrates Hospice of San Joaquin’s focus on achieving optimum care for patients with serious illnesses. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. Hospice of San Joaquin underwent a rigorous onsite review on Friday, March 8th, 2019. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national palliative care standards built on the National Consensus Project’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care and the National Quality Forum’s National Framework and Preferred Practices for Palliative and Hospice Quality Care. The Joint Commission’s Palliative Care Certification is awarded for a two-year period and recognizes organizations that demonstrate exceptional patient and family-centered care in order to optimize the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses. “Hospice of San Joaquin saw a need in the community and went to work to help those in need by developing the Pacific Palliative Care program. We are providing the best quality Palliative Care, and the Joint Commission Certification process validates this,” added Rebecca Burnett, Chief Executive Officer of Hospice of San Joaquin. “Hospice of San Joaquin is very proud of its Pacific Palliative Care program there is not another one like it in the county. Our program provides specialty symptom management at home for individuals that are either not appropriate for Hospice or not ready.”
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