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Placer County's 
In Progress Online Newsletter

September 2011
In This Issue
Thousands Expected at Loomis Content, Creation & Distribution Expo
Foothill Farmers Market Video Debuts Online
Agilent Beats Projections with 61% Q3 Profit Boost
Auburn Wine and Food Festival Set for October 8th
Tahoe City's Heslin Construction Launches New Website
Placer County Real Food Cookbook to be Featured on PBS
Office Sales Heat up in South Placer
Savvy Buyer Opens Blue Moon Apparel in Auburn
Tahoe Truckee Lacrosse Association Needs Volunteers & Coaches
Financial Help for Employee Training Available
Which Retirement Plan is Right for Your Business?
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Issue: Vol. 12 #5  
Dear Subscriber: 
Placer County is giving you the same great information only in a new and improved format.  We hope you like it and welcome any feedback that you may have. 

CCD logo 

Thousands Expected at Loomis Content, Creation & Distribution Expo 

Downtown Loomis will become Hollywood north and a mecca for those trying to get "in the industry." Peter Hamblin Oakes, a fourth generation Loomis resident, is organizing the Content, Creation and Distribution Expo to be held in Loomis on September 16 & 17. The expo will focus on film and video production, music and audio production, and how to distribute the creations. Oakes said he expects thousands to attend. For the expo, the historic Loomis Train Depot will be the site of a series of marketing workshops and panel discussions. The Blue Goose Fruit Shed will be transformed into a video village where participants can learn everything they need to know about film and video production. "This is a global concept with local benefits," said Beverly Lewis, director of the Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office. For details, visit the Auburn Journal at click here.

Foothill Farmers Market 

Foothill Farmers Market Video Debuts Online

 

A new video promoting local agriculture, "Our Farmers Are Your Neighbors," is now posted on the Foothill Farmers Market website. The video was created as a pilot to demonstrate what can be done to market agriculture through social media. At five minutes long, the video shows the direct connection between the farmer and the consumer, the connection provided by a certified farmers market. Featured in the video are three local farms - Twin Brook Farms, Snow's Citrus Court, and Hillcrest Orchard/Pilz Produce - and some scenes were shot at farmers markets in Auburn and Tahoe City. The video was funded by the Placer County Agricultural Marketing Program and was produced by Placer County Media Services, a division of Placer County Administrative Services. The ag marketing program has also produced a 30-second commercial using some of the same footage, which will be shown before every movie and in the lobby at Rocklin's Blue Oaks Theatre during September and October. To see "Our Farmers Are Your Neighbors," click here. 

agilent logo 

Agilent Beats Projections with 61% Q3 Profit Boost

Agilent Technologies, Inc. recently reported third quarter net income of $330 million, or 92 cents a share, compared to $205 million or 58 cents a share in the same quarter last year. Based in Santa Clara, Agilent employs more than 200 in Roseville. The company had $1.69 billion in revenue compared to the year-ago quarter's $1.384 billion. Looking ahead, Agilent expects fourth quarter revenue in the range of $1.74 billion to $1.76 billion. For the full fiscal year 2011, Agilent is raising its revenue guidance to $6.64 billion to $6.6 billion. For details, visit the Sacramento Business Journal click here.

Auburn Food & Wine Logo 

Auburn Wine and Food Festival Set for October 8th

Auburn celebrates the wine harvest and crush each year by hosting 25 local wineries and 25 exceptional restaurants in and around Placer County. This year's Auburn Wine & Food Festival, the 9th annual, will be held Saturday, October 8, from 1 to 6 p.m. Wineries and restaurants are paired to showcase the finest marriage of food and wine from the region. The festival has been called "the Northern Sierra's premiere wine and food event." Visitors can stroll the festival or hop one of the free shuttle buses that will run regularly between the two charming districts of Downtown and Old Town Auburn. Shuttles start running at 11 a.m. For details visit Auburn Wine and Food Festival at click here or call (530) 885-9644.

Heslin Construction 

Tahoe City's Heslin Construction Launches New Website

Tahoe City-based Heslin Construction has launched a new website featuring photo galleries of the custom home builder's projects, as well as details about the company. Heslin Construction has been building homes in the greater Tahoe area since 2003, and has recently completed several homes in Martis Camp. The company strives to set the standard for excellence in custom home construction by focusing on the unique features and details of each project, as well as the specific budget requirements of its' clients. For details, visit Sierra Sun newspaper at click hereTo view the new website, visit Heslin Construction at click here.

Real Food Cookbook    

'Placer County Real Food' Cookbook to be Featured on PBS

 

Placer County farmers stand to gain national attention thanks to a PBS America's Heartland program to run during the week of September 11 across America and in Great Britain. The show will air locally on KVIE, Channel 6 on September 14, at 7:30 p.m. On the program, host Rob Stewart visits Auburn's Farmers Market, where chef Laura Kenny is filmed preparing a locally-grown meal, and later Stewart enjoys a family-style dinner with neighbors. The program will feature "Placer County Real Food" cookbook created by Kenny and Joanne Neft, a Placer County agriculture promoter, over the course of a year. The two met every Saturday morning during that year at the local farmers market to purchase enough meat and in-season fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients to prepare a meal to serve to eight on the following Monday. Each from-scratch recipe they made was carefully recorded, and at the end of the year compiled into the Real Food cookbook. For details, visit Placer County Real Food click here.

Cornish & Carey Logo 

Office Sales Heat up in South Placer

Investors are snapping up office properties in south Placer County as prices dip well below the cost to construct new buildings. "What's remarkable about the big deals," says Sacramento Business Journal staff writer Michael Shaw, "is they're going through despite only modest gains in leasing activity in south Placer submarkets that were devastated by the recession." Investors have purchased more than 600,000 square feet in the last 60 days (as of August 12) - or about seven percent of the total office market in Roseville and Rocklin, said Dennis Shorrock, a senior vice president with Cornish & Carey Commercial. The brokerage has been involved in four large deals in the last two months. For details, visit the Sacramento Business Journal at click here.

Blue Moon Apparel 

Savvy Buyer Opens Blue Moon Apparel in Auburn

For more than 30 years, Diane Stanbury worked as a retail clothing business buyer. Stanbury is now putting her expertise to use as the owner of her own clothing shops. She opened her first store in Grass Valley four years ago, and recently opened Blue Moon Apparel in North Auburn. Stanbury describes the business as a boutique that functions as an outlet store. The store carries an eclectic selection of dresses, skirts, blouses, T-shirts, capris, swim suits, and accessories. Sizes range from 0 to 3X. "There are lots of styles and tastes, so I'm buying for a broad spectrum of customers," Stanbury said. "We try to carry the name brand items at good value and give good customer service." Blue Moon Apparel is located at 2240 Grass Valley Hwy., North Auburn. For details, visit Blue Moon at click here or the Auburn Journal click here. 

lake Tahoe Lacrosse

Tahoe Truckee Lacrosse Association Needs Volunteers & Coaches

One of the oldest and fastest-growing sports in North America has gained a toehold at North Tahoe thanks to the efforts of the Tahoe Truckee Lacrosse Association. The non-profit group works to promote the game with local grade school, high school, and college programs, and is always on the lookout for "newbies" to participate in the sport. "The game is most similar to ice hockey but played on grass," said Curt Wegener, lacrosse league treasurer. "Any good athlete can pick up the game quickly." The league held two tournaments at Tahoe in July. Wegener says volunteers are needed for the Laxtoberfest Tournament on October 1 at Squaw Valley. Those interested in playing lacrosse or volunteering for the Tahoe Truckee Lacrosse Association are invited to call Bud Haley at (775) 636-5978 or [email protected].  For details about the association,  click here. 

 

Golden Sierra JTA 

Financial Help for Employee Training Available

The Golden Sierra Workforce Investment Board (GSWIB) has been funded to assist local businesses with training new employees. The funding comes from a program known as On-The-Job Training program or OJT. The OJT reimbursement rates work on a sliding scale based on the business's number of employees, but recent waivers put in place by the Department of Labor will allow up to 90 percent reimbursement for employers of 50 or fewer employees. "This presents a substantial opportunity for the majority of Placer County's private sector businesses," said Jason Buckingham, GSWIB director. "OJT employers can recruit, hire, and train using their standard practices. Therefore, the employee is trained to the exact specifications necessary, and the employer gets the benefits of being paid to provide the training." For details about the OJT program, contact Melody Lint at [email protected] or (916) 746-7722, ext. 109. Visit Golden Sierra Workforce Investment Board at click here.

Retirement Article 

Which Retirement Plan Is Right for Your Business?

Small business owners know there are many retirement plan alternatives available to help them and their eligible employees with retirement planning. For most closely-held business owners, a Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (SEP IRA) was once the most cost-effective choice. Then, the Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE IRA) became a viable alternative. Today, business owners may find that a defined-benefit or 401(k) plan best suits their needs. To make informed decisions on which plan is right for their businesses, owners are advised to review the differences carefully before they choose. For details, visit Glenn Kenes, Managing Director - Investments with The Barber Kenes Capital Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors in Auburn and Roseville at click here or call Kenes at (530) 823-2161.

What's in Your E-mail Newsletter?

In Progress Online (IPOL), an economic development e-mail newsletter, is published bi-monthly. IPOL covers the latest news on Placer County business and industry, agriculture, tourism, and the arts. It reports on new projects in our cities and towns and keeps readers up to date on the state of the region's economy. IPOL posts news of state and local training, incentives, and loan programs that benefit business. It provides links to more information on each item. News about your business is always welcome.  Please send items, questions, comments, or suggestions to the Office of Economic Development at [email protected] or visit the OED Web site. For past In Progress Online newsletters, go to Placer County Biz News