BCA FYI

BCA FYI

Entries Tagged as Business Successes

LOCAL BEAT

January 26th, 2012

Retired SLO Police Chief Deb Linden and husband Bill Turner (retired Santa Barbara County Sheriff Dept) met popular mystery writer Sue Grafton years ago when they were technical advisers on “Q is For Quarry.” The trio became fast friends, and Sue’s latest, “V is for Vengeance,” introduces “Sergeant Detective Turner” of the SLO County Sheriff Department on page 260 – a shout out to Deb and Bill … Good news for him, bummer for us: Tim Seidel, the terrific manager of the ConocoPhillips Refinery on the Nipomo Mesa is on the move – the company has him climbing the career ladder with a new assignment in Oklahoma. No news yet on his replacement. We wish all the best (and thanks for his community work) to Tim and family. They will be missed … Congrats to new Coast National Bank CEO Anita Robinson. Great news for community banking … Assuming the gavel as chair for the Central Coast Economic Forecast is Dick Willhoit, CEO of Estrella Associates. CCEF is at work on the Mid-Year Update event slated for early summer … Nothing square about it: Morro Bay’s tourism efforts use a jazzed up mosaic-y box QR code graphic at the bottom of its ads to give it a shot of pizzazz – a shell shape … Hospice of SLO County has announced plans to move its Concours d’Elegance to June in Madonna Meadows and is extending invitations to owners of beyond-the-pale luxury cars (think Bentleys and Rolls Royces) to come for the fun. Got car? Lots of parties and plans are shaping up for Valentine’s Day, including one to benefit the Five Cities Homeless Coalition on Sunday, Feb. 12: count on this one for a crooner (Rick Jarrett and the QuieT Knights), a chocolate buffet and an auction. For more info, call (805) 710-4330 or email liz5chc@yahoo.com … Gotta love a program that promises to “highlight how disruptive business models and new technologies, combined with the ‘lean startup’ model, have made this a great time to be an entrepreneur.” It’s on tap at Cal Poly on Feb. 13.

 

Categories — Business Successes, Business Workshops, New Locations, Tourism

BRAGGING RIGHTS

January 26th, 2012

When Dave Juhnke was named SLO Chamber Citizen of the Year Saturday night, he wasn’t the only family member surprised by the honor. Wife Sharon was also kept in the dark, making both the award and the surprise appearance by the couple’s twin sons (and Stanford students) a doubly happy whammy. Kudos to Dave’s law partner June McIvor, who plotted the operation and snuck the boys into town … Chevron’s local Public Affairs Manager, Suzanne Parker, did a bang up job with a presentation to her peers on the topic of how community values and land use decisions intersect – such a bang up, in fact, that she’s been asked to present again – this time to a team assembled at Chevron’s corporate headquarters in San Ramon … Maggie Eppright, the SLO High volleyball star who was named County Player of the Year for girls volleyball by the Tribune, is the daughter of Andre, Morris & Buttery managing partner Kathy Eppright and husband (and standout athlete) Chris.

Categories — Business Successes, Good Press

SEEN & HEARD

January 12th, 2012

Business is off to a good start for the year according to comments being shared by BCA biz buddies. John Ewan at Pacific Energy and Don Idler at Idler’s report robust activity and a surge in home improvement and upgrade projects. Windows on the Water in Morro Bay had record crowds for New Year’s Eve dining and the Event Center at the California Mid-State Fairgrounds is booked with everything from equestrian and roping events to home shows. And the news isn’t just local – Mindbody reported 2011 holiday gift giving for health and wellness services increased 22% over 2010, with 2,300 gift cards purchased as last-minute gifts on Christmas Eve. Keep it coming … Actress Glenn Close had a very personal reason to create the BringChange2Mind campaign, an effort focused on removing the stigma from mental illness. Glenn’s sister, Jessie Close, and Jessie’s son Calen Pick have both struggled with mental illness. The mother-son duo will tell their moving story in person at Transition Mental Health’s “Journey of Hope” event on Feb. 1 at New Life Church in Pismo Beach. Find out more … 2012 is starting with a big-daddy wave of excitement for Neal Maloney and crew at the Morro Bay Oyster Company. Their locally farmed products are being sold in Whole Foods in the Southern Pacific Region stores from Hawaii to Santa Barbara and down to San Diego. Take a peek at the gorgeous video produced by Whole Foods.

Categories — Business Successes

LOCAL BEAT

January 12th, 2012

Time flew and we’ve had a lot of fun. Congrats to Dave Congalton on the celebration of his 20th year hosting home town radio on KVEC. Dave’s wife, Charlotte, and Dave and Maggie Cox were there from the beginning and got together recently to reminisce on air. Dave’s program provides an important (and appreciated) local forum. Bravo … There’s no shortage of fun facts and crazy videos that make their way via the infamous “forward” computer button, but some are just too good not to share. If you love words like we do, you’ll enjoy Visual Thesaurus magazine’s “Word of the Year” feature (with thanks to FYI reader Deb Spatafore for punching the aforementioned forward button and getting the goods to us. Click here. And BCA staffer Teri Conklin circulated the crazy dots clip —this one will get your creative juices going … Welcome to new Morro Bay arrival and quickly-becoming-a-favorite wine and cheese stop, Bella Vinos, located next door to Distasio’s … Another food scoop, this one in South County: the amazing, giving guys of Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab offer an all-you-can-eat ice cream promotion every Tuesday at 5-9 p.m. Flavors change weekly … Rollie Pirkl is the new Chief Financial Officer at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, coming to the post from similar positions in Indio, Los Gatos and Redding … Mission Community Services and Jeannine Young of United Staffing teamed up to share an article Jeanne authored focusing some of California’s 740 new laws, many of which have direct impact on the business community. Read ‘em (and weep?) Continue to read article … More help: our friends at Longcrier CPAs offer online info about 2012 payroll rates and limits and other fun new year tax issues … And a quick tip: If year-end cleaning includes discarding household medications, keep in mind that the Integrated Waste Management Authority, the SLO County Sheriff’s office and the local police departments all have designated drop boxes for unused or expired medications including over-the-counter, pet medicines, medicated lotions and ointments. The products are transported to SoCal where they are safely destroyed.

Categories — Business Successes, Business Workshops, Marketing Tips