SCL Biz: Everything Business in Sonoma County

Hosted by the Business Environmental Alliance and sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric Company and the Sonoma County Water Agency:

“Green” Your Rental Housing: A Workshop for Multifamily Apartment Complex Owners, Property Managers, and Developers” - learn about options for energy-efficient appliances and lighting, cost-saving practices for water management in landscape and common-area fixtures, and recycling and waste disposal. This seminar also covers marketing your establishment in an eco-friendly way. Everyone is welcome regardless of experience, size or location, though information will be specifically geared towards Sonoma County.”

May 29, 2008 • 1:00-4:00 pm
The Hyatt Vineyard Creek, 170 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa

Information & Reservations

“Whirlpool knows moms are identifying challenges and coming up with creative solutions every day. To recognize this motherly ingenuity, the 2008 Whirlpool® Brand Mother of Invention Grant will provide winning moms with the necessary business resources to help bring their ideas to life.”

First prize winners in the Traditional and Green categories will each win $7,000, and some new appliances - the Overall Grand Prize is $20,000!

All winners will attend a two-day business boot camp led by Whirlpool experts covering areas such as product development, business strategy, innovation and technology, legal, accounting and marketing. Online entries must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. on July 31, 2008 EST. All entries must be postmarked by July 31, 2008 and received by sponsor by August 5, 2008.

Information & Contest Rules

The North Bay Business Journal is hosting this discussion, moderated By Keith Woods, CEO North Coast Builders Exchange, to answer the question: “What’s On the Horizon? A panel of experts focuses on big projects and issues facing the North Bay construction industry and provides a forecast of what’s to come over the next couple of years.” The keynote speaker will be Eugene Dvorak, Director of Project Development, Dry Creek Rancheria, “River Rock Casino Expansion Overview.”

May 20, 2008 • 8-11:30am
Hyatt Vineyard Creek, 170 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa

Information & Reservations

In 1992 Hispanic businesses represented a $77 billion market. In 2007, it is projected to be $300 billion—and growing. If you would like your business to have a share in this remarkable business opportunity, read The Power of Business: 7 Fundamental Keys to Unlocking the Potential of the Spanish-language Hispanic Market, by Jose Cancela [Rayo 2007]. “Cancela’s book is aimed at non-Hispanics and makes the assumption that they have no idea that this is a market worth studying. He offers ample statistical evidence to demonstrate that the opportunity is real. The author walks us through factors such as geographic dispersion, love of country, voting patterns, family values, language, culture, and buying power. He also provides information on the nuances of dialects; on this subject, although he is easy to understand, one comes away sensing that marketing to Hispanic populations is complex enough to make working with a specialist advisable.” From a Library Journal review, April 2007.

“In 2008, National Small Business Week honored the estimated 25.8 million small businesses in America. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, and their impact is huge. They represent 50 percent of the non-farm GDP. They also create 60-80 percent of new jobs in the country. Through the work of entrepreneurs, jobs are created, families are given hope for a better life, and indeed, whole communities are transformed. National Small Business Week is an important moment to showcase and recognize some of the most successful and inspiring of these entrepreneurs.” National Small Business Week was April 21-25, 2008.

Webcasts of events will be available in May, but you can view highlights, a transcript of President Bush’s address, and profiles of all of the 2008 award winners.

Since 1963, every President has declared National Small Business Week to formally recognize the important role of America’s small business community. The U.S. Small Business Administration is pleased to announce the next National Small Business Week: May 18-22, 2009.

Fortune Magazine printed its annual list of the 500 largest companies in the May 5,2008 issue - you can view the list online. The top five: Wal-Mart, Exxon, Chevron, General Motors, Conoco-Phillips. You can see the full list, with revenues and profits for the year, or lists of corporations in your state, most profitable, money losers, most profitable industries, fastest growing industries, CEOs, and more.

Fortune 500 List

Join Sonoma County government, business, education, and non-profit organizations to discuss sustainability. Representative Mike Thompson will deliver keynote remarks on the topic of climate protection: “What’s ahead nationally, and what does it mean for Sonoma County?” Protecting our natural resources requires a joint effort. Be part of a vision that includes a healthy business environment, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and unequaled quality of life. Come explore critical issues for our community:

• How does Sonoma County fit into current and proposed U.S. climate initiatives?
• How are Sonoma County governments doing in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions?
• Who are the people making great strides toward sustainability in our community?
• What are the very latest tools and solutions in energy efficiency, alternative fuels, water efficiency, and greenbuilding techniques?

Presented by the Sonoma County Climate Protection Campaign.

May 16, 2008 • 8:30am -2:00pm
Villa Chanticleer, 1248 North Fitch Mountain Road, Healdsburg

More Information

SCL Biz loves to see our part of the world get national press, so it was great to see an MSN.com feature on Wineries of the World (5/3/08). It mentions wineries in Germany, Australia, France, Italy, South Africa, etc., but led off with the beautiful and unusual Quintessa Winery in Rutherford, and followed with this, below an enticing picture of wine, grapes, and a vineyard:

“The temptation is clear: Wine and grapes are a major reason to visit the Sonoma, Calif., area, especially Healdsburg, an easy and scenic drive through the nearby hillside vineyards and wineries north of San Francisco. You’ll find more than a dozen tasting rooms within a square mile of the town plaza.”

Wineries of the World

The North Bay Leadership Council has again commissioned Robert Eyler, Ph.D. to write a report this time discussing the business trends in Marin and Sonoma County. Who’s leaving? Who’s coming? Who’s staying and why?

May 16, 2008 • 7 - 9am
Sheraton Hotel, 745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma

Information & reservations

The Directory of Business Information Resources : Associations, Newsletters, Magazines & Journals, Trade Shows, Directories & Databases, Web Sites, Richard Gottlieb, editor, Grey House Publishing, 2007.

"Approximately 100 different industries are represented in this directory, which lists 22,111 resources such as associations, magazines, journals, newsletters, trade shows, other directories, databases, and websites, with their contact information and a brief description. Industries–presented alphabetically–include healthcare, computers and data processing, banking, internet, broadcasting, media, environment, safety and security, management, hotels, performing arts, sports and recreation, and travel. This edition contains an additional 924 listings and updates to existing ones. The volume begins with an article that summarizes projections for the development of the labor force from 2004 to 2014, issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A cross-reference table based on the Department of Labor’s standardized list of business codes is included. Both entry and publisher indexes are provided." Book News, 2007.

Sonoma County has a wealth of farmers’ markets - great opportunities for growers and crafters. Check Sonoma County Farm Trails for a year round guide to farms. The local seasonal farm markets has detailed information, including dates, times, locations, and vendor information. Eat delicious, eat healthy, and support our local farmers.

Open year-around:

• Santa Rosa Market, in the Veterans Building parking lot Wednesday & Saturday mornings
• Sonoma, Depot Park, First Street West, Friday Mornings

If you love the company you work for and would like everyone to know about it, nominate it for the North Bay Business Journal’s ‘Best Places to Work in the North Bay.’ Winning companies will be featured in a special section devoted to the best companies to work for and will be recognized at the awards celebration in September 2008. Companies must be in Sonoma, Marin, or Napa counties.

Nominations must be postmarked by May 9, 2008.

Keith McFarland spent five years building and analyzing the world’s largest growth-company performance database and interviewing more than 1,500 growth-company executives on four continents. His goal was simple: to identify the secrets of breakthrough. Winnowing a study pool of more than 7,000 companies down to nine that have made the transition to major-player status, McFarland highlights real-world tools and myth-busting insights that can be used by anyone wanting his or her business to join this exclusive circle in his book, The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers [Crown 2008].

This event will focus on small business education, including government procurement, business basics, diversity marketing, a lending panel and internet marketing. This exciting event is a collaborative effort of the City of Santa Rosa, The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), the Redwood Empire Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Toastmasters. The event includes continental breakfast.

05/12/08 Government Procurement
05/13/08 SBA/Lending Panel
05/14/08 Diversity Marketing
05/15/08 Business Basics
05/16/08 Internet Marketing

May 12 - 16, 2008 • 8:30 - Noon
Redwood Credit Union, Community Room
3033 Cleveland Ave, Suite 100, Santa Rosa 95403

Information & Reservations