Carquinez Demolition Under Way

Carquinez Demolition Under Way
By MATTHIAS GAFNI, Times-Herald staff writer





THE ASPHALT DECK has been removed from the old Carquinez Bridge in preparation for its demolition. This view is from the Crockett side. Photo courtesy John Robinson

The demolition of the 1927 Carquinez Bridge is under way, and by mid-February crews may be ready to lower a third of the pioneering span onto barges, a Caltrans official said Wednesday.

The bridge, the oldest of the Bay Area's major spans, will be given a proper retirement ceremony around the same time, said Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus.

Those expecting a spectacular implosion may be disappointed with the painstakingly controlled $15 million project planned.

"It's a lot like reverse engineering. In a lot of ways it's as hard as building a bridge," Haus said. "You can't just hit it with a sledgehammer and knock stuff down."

In other words, this will be no Las Vegas casino blown to bits.

"Number one, there are two bridges right next to it with active traffic. So there are major safety concerns with that," Haus said. "There are also concerns with wildlife in the Bay."

Ironworkers originally painted the steel truss bridge, which connects Vallejo with Crockett, with toxic lead-based paints. "They have to be collected and disposed of very carefully," Haus said.

Crews will use industrial vacuums to keep paint dust and flakes from nearby communities.

"There's a very strict process to go through," Haus said.

Workers began to prepare the 1927 bridge for demolition in November, shortly after eastbound traffic was diverted back onto the neighboring 1958 span. Vehicles briefly were detoured onto the old bridge while the 1958 span received a new deck.

Deck removed

So far, crews have basically torn the asphalt deck off the 1927 span and begun to remove rivets, Haus said.

Once prepped, the major work will begin.

In mid-February, Caltrans is planning a retirement ceremony for the bridge, including elected officials and some ironworkers who worked on the bridge. In 2004, the new Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, a suspension span to the west of the 1927 bridge, received a large opening day celebration.

The retirement party will coincide with the lowering of the eastern truss, the section of the bridge on the Vallejo side. Hydraulic jacks will lower it onto awaiting barges in Carquinez Strait, the reverse of how the bridge was built, Haus said. It will take many hours to lower one section, he said.

In March, Caltrans plans to lower the western truss, Haus said.

Caltrans engineers estimate the entire bridge structure will be totally removed by the end of 2006.

Rainy weather could alter those estimates, Haus said. It already has slowed the demolition. Caltrans originally planned the bridge's retirement ceremony for this week, he said.

Once the trusses are removed, three towers and their piers will then be disassembled as well, ending in September 2007, Haus said.

Portions of the bridge, which was first dedicated on May 27, 1927, will be donated to the Crockett Historical Society, Caltrans Museum in Oakland. A piece will become part of the bridge overlook along the Alfred Zampa span's Crockett pathway.

"It's been there a long time," Haus said. "People are sad to see it go. They aren't the only ones sad to see it go; so are we."

- E-mail Matthias Gafni at mgafni@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6825.

Talks Move Ahead to Raze Old Crystal School Site

Talks Move Ahead to Raze Old Crystal School Site
By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - The Suisun City Council approved entering exclusive negotiations with the local developer Main Street West Partners for plans to raze the old Crystal school site and turn it into residences.

The council, sitting as the city's redevelopment agency, wants the developer to move quickly redeveloping the vacant school into a high quality residential development.

The Fairfield-Suisun School District closed the school a few years ago and moved the students to the new Crystal Middle School which sits across the Suisun Slough.

Main Street West Partners is still in talks with city officials over how to carry out the city's plans for developing several vacant parcels in and around the harbor as part of its campaign to economically revive the Old Town.

Mayor Jim Spering told Main Street West Partners Tuesday he wants to be sure the Crystal School redevelopment plans will include putting in some affordable housing.

Developer Mike Rice of Main Street West told councilmembers he will move as fast as possible and hopes to break ground on the project some time later this year.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.

East Bay home prices likely to fall, PMI says

Home prices likely to fall, PMI says: "

Posted on Wed, Jan. 18, 2006

Home prices likely to fall, PMI says

By James Temple
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

The likelihood of a housing price decline in the East Bay ticked up during the fourth quarter, according to a mortgage insurer's closely watched analysis.
Walnut Creek-based PMI Group Inc.'s latest U.S. Market Risk Index put the chance of a price drop over the next two years in Alameda and Contra Costa counties at 55.8 percent, up from 50.2 percent last quarter. That makes it the fifth-riskiest market among the nation's 50 largest, as it was in the third quarter.
The two main factors worsening the odds for homeowners are the continuing declining affordability rates in the East Bay -- it now takes 27.7 percent more income to swing a median monthly payment than it did in 1995, after adjusting for inflation -- and the fact that prices have flattened, which could be the prelude to a fall.
'Appreciation rates have been so high that it's just not sustainable,' said Mark Milner, PMI's chief risk officer. 'When housing rises faster than incomes, we would expect housing prices to slow down.'
He emphasized, however, that local prices will not necessarily fall. Indeed, the index allows a 44.2 percent chance that they will not. But Milner, whose company insures home mortgages, said buyers should exercise prudence, most notably by thinking twice about riskier instruments such as interest-only or negative amortization loans.
Other organizations are mixed on the direction state housing prices are headed. The California Association of Realtors is forecasting a 2 percent dip in sales volume this year, but it expects prices to rise"

Funding to foster Solano Community College's growth

Article Last Updated: 1/18/2006 06:57 AM

Funding to foster SCC's growth

By David Henson/Staff Writer
TheReporter.Com

Millions of dollars in grants and construction projects are building a better Solano Community College, Superintendent-President Paulette Perfumo said Tuesday during her annual "state of the college" address to faculty and staff.
Despite an informal boycott of the speech by members of the SCC teachers' union, Perfumo doled out praise for the funding, the projects and the compliments the college is racking up.

A $6 million state grant will double the size of the college's nursing program, which has a 260-student waiting list, and a $1.3 million federal grant will help the business department create a new insurance certification program at SCC.

"It does bring in additional resources so we aren't totally reliant on the state's limited resources," Perfumo said.

In addition, the college's ongoing construction program, funded by a $100 million bond, will solicit bids during the next two months for two major projects - a $13 million extension campus in Vallejo and an $11 million new student services building on its main campus in Fairfield.

The college's periodic accreditation garnered several commendations for innovation, community involvement and internal collaboration from a regional evaluating team, Perfumo said.

In addition, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's initial budget provides a higher cost-of-living adjustment - 5.18 percent - than previous years, as well as sizable equalization money - $130 million statewide.

"The governor really has been spanked in the special election and gotten the message he shouldn't mess with education," Perfumo said. "That was evident by the surprises found in the initial budget."

However, Perfumo's optimistic address was shadowed somewhat by the informal boycott of the 90-minute speech by the teachers' union.

"We were just telling people they have the option of how to spend their time, particularly at this time when we're getting ready for classes," said Diane White, local teachers union president.

Instead of attending the speech, which was a required part of a paid staff development workday, the union's executive board spent the extra hour and a half strategizing about deadlocked contract negotiations, said White.

Teachers' contracts expired in June 2005, and the college and union have been unable to reach an agreement on a number of issues, she said.

Though doubtful, the college could dock the pay of teachers' who skipped the meeting.

Perfumo and White both said they didn't know how many teachers failed to show up at the address.

David Henson can be reached at dixon@thereporter.com.

County Planners To Discuss Small subdivisions and idle Quarry

January 17, 2006 N

County Planners To Discuss Small subdivisions and idle Quarry

By Barry Eberling


FAIRFIELD - County planners on Thursday will discuss small, proposed subdivisions near Rockville and English Hills and a management plan for an idle Potrero Hills quarry.

The county Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. at the county Government Center, 675 Texas St.

Applicant JLC Contracting wants to subdivide 138 acres at Rockville into six lots of approximately 20 acres apiece. The site is on a bluff that varies from about 150 feet to 300 feet above Suisun Valley. The nearest major roads are Rockville Road and Suisun Valley Road.

County zoning allows for the project. Staff recommends the Planning Commission approve the request and send it to the county Board of Supervisors for final approval.

The project would cause no substantial damage to wildlife, a county report said. Future residents would use onsite systems for sewage. They would get water from onsite wells.

Future residents would reach the property from a private road extending from Rockville Road. This stretch of Rockville Road carried an average of 5,316 vehicles daily in 1999. Six new homes would add about 38 daily trips, a county report said.

Also Thursday, the commission will consider an updated management plan for an inactive Potrero Hills quarry. Rock from the quarry can be used for fill or subbase materials for roads.

The quarry is owned by OEA Aerospace Inc. and operated by Universal Propulsion Co. The site is east of Potrero Hills Landfill, at the property once known as Explosive Technology.

No quarrying has taken place there since 1993. The commission is being asked to renew a management plan for the idle mine that would last until 2010.

Activity could resume at some undermined time, depending on market conditions. The owners would have to renew a mining permit before quarry work could resume, a county report said.

Maintaining the idle quarry will cost about $7,725 over five years, the proposed management plan said. Work includes such things as using straw bales to stop erosion and seeding vegetation.

Commissioners will also hear a request by John Eddy to subdivide a 15-acre parcel into three 5-acre lots. The site is located 2.5 miles northwest of Vacaville, on Olivas Lane at Rolling Hills Lane. County staff recommends the commission approve the request and forward it to the county Board of Supervisors for final approval.

Reach Barry Eberling at 425-4646 Ext. 232 or at beberling@dailyrepublic.net.

At a glance

Who: Solano County Planning Commission

What: Discuss small subdivisions near Rockville and near English Hills and consider extending a permit for an inactive Potrero Hills quarry.

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Where: County Government Center, 675 Texas St.

Info: 784-6765

Home Depot looking at site in Dixon

Article Launched: 01/17/2006 02:42:52 AM

Home Depot looking at site in Dixon

By Tom Hall/Staff Writer

The Home Depot, the second-largest retailer in the nation, is looking to set up shop in Dixon.

City Manager Warren Salmons confirmed that Dixon officials met with representatives from Home Depot in December, and that talks with a developer looking to build retail just south of the city's new Wal-Mart Super Center on North First Street are "preliminary, but serious."

Home Depot is looking at a particular piece of land on North First between Dorset Drive and Vaughn Road. Wal-Mart, which sits at North First and Dorset, was built in 2003 and converted to a SuperCenter in 2005.

Since Wal-Mart opened, several fast-food and retail shops in the rapidly-growing North First Street Crossing area have sprouted with others poised to follow.

No project plans have been submitted yet and any proposal would have to undergo an environmental review, Salmons said.

Home Depot officials could not be reached for comment Monday.

The mammoth Atlanta-based retailer, which is second only to Wal-Mart Stores among American retailers, made waves in Solano County late last year when it purchased locally-owned home improvement chain Yardbirds Home Centers.

Yardbirds has a location on Browns Valley Parkway in Vacaville, and nine others in Northern California. Officials from Home Depot have said that the Vacaville location will remain open, and will undergo only a slight name change to "Yardbirds Center by The Home Depot."

The Home Depot has locations in Vacaville, Fairfield and Vallejo.

Last week, the retailer purchased industrial distributor Hughes Supply for $3.2 billion, doubling the size of its own supply division. Home Depot also recently acquired upholstery cleaning service Chem-Dry, according to published reports.

The construction of a Dixon Home Depot would bring that city's number of hardware stores to two.

Just a few blocks up North First from the proposed Home Depot site sits Dixon Hardware & Lumber Company, an ACE Hardware affiliate owned by Dixon resident Tony Tryba.

Dixon Hardware, which was located on North Jackson Street downtown before a June 1999 fire scorched the shop, has been the city's only hardware and lumber store for 100 years, Tryba said.

But he's not worried that a potential Home Depot will wipe out the longtime Dixon business.

"It's not a big worry," Tryba said. "What we're about here is helping people with their problems and their projects. You can't get that in a big-box."

Tryba purchased the store in May 2005 from the local Bock family, who owned Dixon Hardware for 27 years.

The owner said he is worried about what giant retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot will do to the small-town culture in Dixon.

"We need to do what's right for Dixon and ask ourselves what this business is going to add to the community," Tryba said. "The recent additions of the big-box stores haven't had a stellar record so far."

Staff writer David Henson contributed to this report. Tom Hall can be reached at vacaville@thereporter.com.

Expansion in the future for Vacaville's Simpson Dura-Vent

Article Launched: 01/17/2006 02:42:51 AM

Expansion in the future for Simpson Dura-Vent

By Amanda Janis/Business Writer

Simpson Dura-Vent on Aldridge Road in Vacaville, the leading producer of hearth-venting products in North America, is about to add additional space, employees and equipment. (Brad Zweerink/The Reporter)

Business is heating up for Simpson Dura-Vent. Its Vacaville facility soon will hire additional employees, remodel portions of its facilities, install $4.5 million in capital equipment, and likely will begin a 50,000-square-foot addition, according to its Vice President of Manufacturing, Mike Bruce.

Bruce noted that the company hired 25 new employees Jan. 1, will hire another 25 July 1, and with regard to the 75 temporary workers hired since August, he said it doesn't look as though the company will be sending them back to their agencies any time soon, because, quite simply, business is booming.

Simpson Dura-Vent is the leading producer of hearth-venting products in North America.

"Business is up about 30 percent," Bruce confirmed.

Approximately $9 million will be invested in equipment installations between the company's locations in Mississippi and Vacaville. Some of the equipment will be manufactured by Vacaville's General Machining.

In Vacaville, Simpson Dura-Vent has two buildings off Vaca Valley Parkway - located on Aldridge Road and on Cotting Lane - which will undergo substantial changes in coming months.

The Cotting Lane facility soon will be remodeled internally, Bruce said, in order to accommodate an additional three sales and marketing employees, change the entrance location, and double the size of its research and development laboratory, which will take on an additional engineer.

He explained that the lab addition "will double the amount of testing on our product, so that we can introduce new product for the field."

The company also has major plans for its Aldrige Road facility, which has been leased for the past 20 years.

"We have plans and an agreement to buy," confirmed President Steve Eberhard, who said the acquisition should take place around November.

A substantial addition of 50,000 square feet is planned for the Aldrige facility, according to Bruce, which could happen before the lease expires.

"It just depends on business," Bruce said.

In addition to General Machining, many local companies will be involved with Simpson Dura-Vent's remodel and expansion, including Wulff Electric, Recknagel Contracting, Taylor Made Roofing, and O'Hara Metal Products.

Amanda Janis can be reached at business@thereporter.com.

Empress Theatre Construction Resumes

Empress Theatre Construction Resumes
Company Aims to Break Ground on the First of New Buildings in April
By CHRIS G. DENINA, Times-Herald staff writer

After a year of delays, Vallejo's downtown developer plans to resume construction on remodeling Virginia Street's Empress Theatre, officials said this week.

In April, just across the street, Triad Communities expects to break ground on a new six-story building, the first in a series of buildings planned downtown. And the company soon plans to renovate a Georgia Street building as its new downtown office.

All the work is part of Triad Communities' plans to revamp the downtown. Once reopened, the old theater will attract more visitors to the aging district, while the new building will include 150 condominiums to bring in more residents.

And the move to 236 Georgia St. will show just how committed Triad is to restoring a dozen square city blocks downtown, Vice President Len Johnson said Thursday.

"It's really a commitment to the downtown," Johnson said. "We're real boosters for the downtown."

Triad, however, will keep its main office at the Hiddenbrooke Golf Club. That's where the company got its start in Vallejo, developing the Hiddenbrooke residential community in 1998.

The move will put Triad employees closer to a Virginia Street site the company is developing with builder D.R. Horton. In April, workers are scheduled to begin work on the six-story building with housing over ground-level stores and underground parking, officials said.

This month, Triad plans to resume work on renovating the Empress Theatre. The project was delayed for a year after workers realized they didn't have enough money to finish the $2.8 million publicly funded venture.

Triad officials said they hope to reopen the old movie house by year's end, then the theater can help draw more people downtown to energize the area.

Elsewhere in Solano County, Triad is working on a master-planned community at Vacaville's Lagoon Valley. At Fairfield's Allan Witt Park, the company is developing such mixed uses as housing and retail.

In Napa County, the company is in talks to develop a project with Pacific Union College, officials said. Triad also is examining development opportunities in Yolo County, officials said.

The company's success is its ability to find a balance between various interests, Johnson said.

"We've had some real successes and we've figured out how to pursue these projects in a way that's meaningful for both the community and financial realities," Johnson said. "The combination of those two things is a pretty good combination."

While some developers have faced plenty of opposition in pitching projects, Triad has gathered more support in Vallejo.

For example, a group of residents has filed suit against a proposed waterfront renewal, while another group has apparently qualified a voter referendum to overturn a proposed housing development at Bordoni Ranch.

Triad listens to the community, Councilmember Stephanie Gomes said.

"They've done a good plan and it got approved quickly," Gomes said. "That's a reflection of the good work they've put into it."

Triad tries to find a balance between economics, the environment and social equity, creating housing for varying levels of income, Triad's Johansen said.

"We call them the three Es," Johansen said. "We believe that's the future of growth."

Debbie Rojas, owner of downtown's Georgia Street Grill, said she's looking forward to seeing Triad fix up the downtown. She said it's worth putting up with the inconvenience of construction if the area will get new life from more housing and entertainment.

"Overall, obviously, the end result is what we're looking at," Rojas said. "The growing pains we have to look through."

For now, it seems Triad is only focusing on this region for development opportunities.

"We like the north Bay Area because we feel it has the potential for sustainability better than other areas," Executive Vice President Curt Johansen said. "We are growing."

2005 pans out gold for local economy

January 14, 2006

2005 pans out gold for local economy

By Nathan Halverson


The Fairfield-Cordelia Library on Business Center Drive is anticipated to open in December. The construction labor market was one of the hot employment sectors in 2005. (Photo by Christine Baker)

FAIRFIELD - Fairfield, Solano County and the nation moved through a year strife with political turmoil and natural disasters. Hurricane Katrina ravaged the coast, rocked the boat, and sent gas prices soaring. Locally, a much less devastating, but still troublesome flood, ruined the year for some business owners.

But despite it all, the economy moved steadily forward and the housing market surged.

Perhaps nothing was more significant in Solano County than the booming housing market. Real estate prices continued to scorch the sky - as they did the ego of anyone who passed on purchasing a house a few years ago.

The median price of homes in Solano County jumped to $490,000 in November 2005 compared with $400,000 in November 2004, according to La Jolla-based DataQuick. That was a tremendous increase of 22.5 percent in a year.

The total value of real estate sold in Solano County in the first 11 months of 2005 increased more than 16 percent from the previous year for a whopping total of $2.95 billion.

In Fairfield, housing construction slowed slightly last year when compared to 2004, but still maintained a brisk pace. More than 800 new residential units were constructed in 2005, totaling about $137 million in construction.

"It was another very successful year," said Frank Bemis, executive officer with Northern Solano County Association of Realtors.

However as 2005 was ending an apparent sea change in the real estate market began. The seller's paradise, with its frequent bidding wars for properties, has begun transitioning into a buyer's market.

The reason for the change is likely a simple matter of supply and demand.

The number of houses listed for sale climbed significantly in 2005, increasing more than 14 percent, while at the same time sales declined slightly - likely pushed down by rising mortgage rates.

In fact, the Mortgage Bankers Association predicts national gains in housing prices will slow and stagnate in early- to mid-2006 and by the end of next year housing prices will actually decrease.

Locally, unemployment fell more than 1 percent in Solano County for 2005, down to 5.1 percent.

"The economy and job opportunities have been hot," said Robert Bloom, president of the Solano Workforce Investment Board, which in part helps the unemployed find work. "We are seeing fewer people coming and seeking our services."

When the unemployment rate gets that low, it becomes a burden on employers, who struggle to find qualified workers, Bloom said.

"None of us can complain about that situation," he said.

The construction labor market was one of the hot employment sectors in 2005, according to Bloom.

But the hottest employment opportunities were in the medical and healthcare sector, he said.

One notable business failure in 2005 was the closure of Vacaville-based Large Scale Biology Corp., which closed in December.

Some 78 employees lost their jobs and Vacaville lost its original biotech company.

Nationally, the Down Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ Stock Market were flat, much to the dismay of investors.

But with the economy growing, wages and housing prices rising and unemployment falling, 2005 was a good year for Solano County.

Reach Nathan Halverson at 425-4646 ext. 267 or nhalverson@dailyrepublic.net.

January 15, 2006

Work program helps further education

By Nathan Halverson

FAIRFIELD - Shantel Cannon's career dream is to be a certified nursing assistant. But to meld aspirations into reality, Cannon has significant hurdles to overcome - the most pressing being child care.

"I have to find someone to pick my child up from school," said Cannon, who is enrolled in the CNA certificate program at the Fairfield-Suisun Adult School. Her 5-year-old son gets out of kindergarten at 11:50 a.m., but her class doesn't end until 12:30 p.m. Since starting the program a few weeks ago, she has relied on a friend to pick up her son, but she can't rely on that forever.

"The only thing that will prevent me from graduating is child care," said Cannon, who lives on a low-income budget. "It's just hard to find someone to pick him up every day."

But now she might have found her solution. Cannon applied to a new program that provides assistance to students who qualify for financial support.

The program, Career Advantage, is a new multimillion dollar campaign by the Workforce Investment Board of Solano County. The program is designed to assist in training people to make them qualified for higher-paying jobs while simultaneously providing businesses with qualified employees.

The program caters to students enrolled in training courses for jobs in high demand such as nursing. Businesses with labor shortages such as hospitals helped choose which training programs would qualify for assistance from the Solano-based employment organization.

As the unemployment rate in Solano County continues to decline - it's at 5.1 percent - many employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find qualified workers.

The program, launched this month, covers 20 occupations, including welding, biotechnology production, heating and air conditioning repair, appliance repair and a handful of health-care jobs. Many employers in these fields are struggling to fill open positions.

"We looked at what appeared to have the strongest labor market demand," said Robert Bloom, president of the Solano Workforce Investment Board. "But we really want students not to drop out, and I dare say that is the bigger problem."

To help students focus on their studies and stay enrolled, Career Advantage offers what Bloom calls "wrap-around services."

The program's wrap-around services provide more than just financial benefits - such as help with tuition costs, books, uniforms and child care. It also offers career coaching, job search services and on-going educational opportunities once employed.

The Career Advantage program is a bold new step for his organization, Bloom said. The organization will spend about two-thirds of its $4.9 million annual budget on the new program.

"It's a reinvention of what we do," he said. "Prior to this reinvention the Solano WIB was known for paying for tuition costs and assisting clients with job placement, now the services are more comprehensive."

The program offers classes such as "Attitude & Motivation: Taking Control of your Attitude, Goal Setting and Self-management," and "Networking for Life: How and Why to Network for Life."

Bloom and other Workforce Investment Board employees worked with businesses to determine what kind of skills and knowledge employees need to have beyond their occupational skills.

The Career Advantage program has been tested in limited release in three pilot programs, the first of which began about four years ago with the Caregiver Training Initiative.

This first initiative helped train and license 255 certified nurse aides and other health professionals.

The pilot programs taught the organization how to bring its resources together for employers, educators and the students.

Starting this year, the program is being rolled out for all 20 career training programs, which are offered at a variety of schools -Êincluding Solano Community College, the Fairfield-Suisun, Vallejo, and Vacaville Adult Schools and at area high schools.

Vickie Good, principal of Fairfield-Suisun Adult School, said students in her school are being helped by the program.

"These are very rigorous courses," Good said. "The program makes it so our students aren't stretched so thinly. They will be able to be enrolled and feel their children are safe and taken care of."

The Solano Workforce Investment Board will continue to add programs. It will conduct annual assessments of labor shortages and work to provide assistance for students planning on entering the labor force for a highly demanded occupation.

Reach Nathan Halverson at 425-4747 ext. 267 or nhalverson@dailyrepublic.net.

Suisun council to OK redevelopment talks Main Street West Partners

January 15, 2006

Suisun council to OK redevelopment talks

By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - The developers tasked with reviving Main Street's economic fortunes could also be deciding what will be done with the vacant Crystal school site on Cordelia Road.

The Suisun City Council, sitting as the city's Redevelopment Agency, is expected to approve entering exclusive negotiations with Main Street West Partners over how the old school site will be redeveloped.

Crystal, Suisun City's oldest standing school, served as both an elementary school and a middle school before Fairfield Unified School District built a new Crystal Middle School on the other side of the slough.

The old Crystal has been vacant for two years and Suisun City wanted to push forward aggressively since the closure to redevelop the site, probably as a residential development.

The school district wants to use any money from the sale to pay for the new district offices it is building on Hilborn and Martin roads.

A deal was struck last summer which requires the city to sell the school site by the end of next summer. If the city didn't find a buyer, Suisun City would have to pay the school district at least $2.25 million, the appraised value of the site.

Main Street West is the master developer the city is still in negotiations with over plans to jumpstart the city's redevelopment efforts in the Old Town area.

Main Street West is in middle of crafting plans that will put more retail and commercial development on Main Street and put residential development on the vacant land near Civic Center Boulevard.

In other business, the city council will vote to put $50,000 in a commercial rehabilitation program aimed at offering matching fund grants to local businesses interested in improving their appearance.

The Suisun City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Suisun City Council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.

Who: Suisun City Council

What: Approval to have city negotiate with Main Street West Partners to redevelop the vacant Crystal school site.

Where: 701 Civic Center Blvd.

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Info: 421-7300

Triad selects well-known homebuilder D.R. Horton for Vallejo project

January 14, 2006

Triad selects well-known homebuilder for Vallejo project

By Christine Cube

VALLEJO - Developer Triad Communities has chosen D.R. Horton to build hundreds of residential units for the first phase of Triad's downtown Vallejo revitalization project.

The development received municipal approvals in September and is expected to transform Vallejo's central core into a vibrant economic, cultural and social center.

Triad officials cited D.R. Horton's extensive homebuilding experience as key to the selection. The company is among the nation's largest homebuilders.

Triad Communities President Fred Grimm said D.R. Horton's homes will be an "integral component of our efforts in downtown Vallejo."

"As a homebuilder, D.R. Horton has an outstanding track record in developing a very creative mix of housing in urban areas," Grimm said, in a release. "We're looking forward to a strong partnership that will result in a unique and refreshing downtown that reflects both Vallejo's historical legacy and its exciting future."

Triad designed a live-work environment for downtown Vallejo that integrates sidewalk-level retail with residential units above.

The first building on Virginia Street consists of 150 condominiums, live-work units and retail. The six-story structure features underground parking, European-style public paseos and gardens. Construction of the facility is expected to begin in April.
Seattle-based Triad Communities first established a presence in Vallejo in 1998, when the company assumed a controlling interest in Hiddenbrooke, an 1,100-home master-planned golf course community.

Through Triad Downtown Vallejo LLC, the developer's plans cover 12 square blocks of the city, an area bounded by Sonoma Boulevard and Maine, Santa Clara and Capitol streets.

Farmers markets increase in popularity across the nation, locally

Print Article: "
Article Last Updated: 6/12/2005 07:26 AM


A growing trend
Farmers markets increase in popularity across the nation, locally
By Barbara Smith/Staff Writer
TheReporter.Com

In big cities and small towns, farmers markets are finding fertile ground: The U.S. Agriculture Department says their number has doubled nationally in the past decade, to more than 3,700.
That doesn't surprise Lassa Skinner, organizer of Vacaville's farmers market. Skinner said there are plenty of reasons that markets are soaring in popularity, and one is that farmers markets are evolving into the center of 'community.' People long for a place to aggregate with their children and the farmers market is the right place, she said.

'They're buying their groceries, meeting farmers, and meeting in a communal place. ... It's really down to earth,' Skinner said. 'I think that's really an important thing, and an offshoot of a farm. It's become a community gathering place.'

In fact, the Vacaville Farmers Market, which runs from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, will move a couple of blocks to East Main Street in two weeks, Skinner said. The move is to expand the market.

The growing popularity of the markets is also attributed to a number of other factors: less tolerance for bland meat and produce some consumers associate with big factory farms; more demand for the just-picked freshness and nutrition of locally grown food; increased awareness about supporting local economies; and health and environmental concerns about the use of antibiotics and pesticides.

Skinner agrees. She said that across the country and internationally, that's the main thrust behind a farmers market.
"People want to know what they're eating and they want "

Brooks Pedder and Phillip Garret win Colliers top industrial sale award

The Reporter - Business:

Brokers honored

Colliers International brokers received 14 awards at the 10th annual Northern California Society of Industrial and Office Realtors Premier Brokers Awards Lunch.

More than $1.2 billion of office, industrial and land transactions were submitted for these awards, which honored a total of 12 brokers representing five Colliers International offices.
Brooks Pedder and Phillip Garret, of the firm's Fairfield office, received awards in industrial sales, and the Fairfield office won the top industrial sale award.
For more information, call 863-0188. "

Ingredients for success - New Dixon Family Resaurant

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Article Last Updated: 1/06/2006 06:41 AM

Ingredients for success
Restaurant touts family recipes
By Amanda Janis/Business Writer
TheReporter.Com

Time spent at the table together is time that's not lost, so signifies the proverb 'a tavola non si invecchia.'

In Dixon, a new, family-owned restaurant gives area residents the chance to test the veracity of the Italian proverb for themselves, along with a wide variety of Italian food.

The arrival of Gabriella's has Dixon's Downtown Business Association 'really excited,' according to its executive director, Angela Meisenheimer. While diners need not dress up, its owners say, Meisenheimer characterized the restaurant as upscale, and a welcome addition to downtown.

Gabriella's was recently opened by Will and Dorothy Forrest, who wound up in Dixon after some of their family moved into the area.

'We heard that Dixon was a great little town,' Dorothy said, and explained that they'd also heard good things about the area's schools.

The restaurant is named after their 10-year-old daughter, and is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, serving only freshly made fare.

Gabriella's menu - which is comprised of Will's family recipes and executed by Dorothy - features antipasti, pizza, pasta and main courses, from calamari and bruschetta to eggplant parmigiana and chicken stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella. Entrees, which come with a cup of soup and a salad, average $14-$16.

The Forrests previously owned and operated a Greek restaurant in San Rafael, and Will's family - which came to the U.S. from Sicily in the early 1900s - has several generations of experience in related, Bay Area business. A family produce firm was founded in 1920 in San Francisco, and Will's uncle, Joe Carcione, was the original "Green Grocer," who did regular segments throughout the 1970s and '80s for ABC-7 TV and KCBS Radio.

Gabriella's is located at 158 N. First St.; for reservations or more information, call 693-0322.

Amanda Janis can be reached at business@thereporter.com.

Area housing boom may not go bust

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Article Last Updated: 1/05/2006 06:54 AM


Area housing boom may not go bust

By Amanda Janis/Business Writer
TheReporter.Com

Despite probable statewide declines in new housing starts, the 2006 production level of new housing units in the Bay Area and Sacramento regions will replicate that of 2005, according to a report released Wednesday.
The second annual California Building Industry Association housing forecast predicts a 'gentle slowdown' in construction of single family residences, as well as a modest decline in construction employment that will 'have an overall dampening effect on the state's economy.'
The association's chief economist, Alan Nevin, said during a teleconference Wednesday, that while there will be a slowdown during the first quarter of 2006, 'spring will bloom again, and we'll see that the construction industry and new housing will move forward at the pace it has been for the last couple of years.'
Nevin explained that if the market warms back up in the spring, it 'will allow us to complete 2006 with maybe 10 percent decline.'
Despite the projected slowdown, the Bay Area is expected to produce 26,000 to 28,000 units in 2006 - the same number as last year, according to the forecast, which estimates 40 percent of those units to be multifamily.
Sacramento, likewise, is expected to produce the same number as last year, approximately 20,000 units, though numbers may increase for both regions should proposed multifamily residence and high density projects come to fruition, according to the forecast.
Chris Gustin, Vacaville's assistant director of community development, said that Vacaville's number of new housing starts will not necessarily be the same as last year'"

NorthBay to add two sites by 2010

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Article Last Updated: 1/13/2006 06:44 AM


NorthBay to add two sites by 2010

By Amanda Janis/Business Writer
TheReporter.Com


Gary Passama, president and CEO of NorthBay Healthcare, said the company will have five primary care sites by 2010. (Joel Rosenbaum/Reporter file)

NorthBay Healthcare will have five primary care sites, with approximately 27 physicians serving 40,000 patients by 2010, according to President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Passama.
The organization currently has primary care facilities in Vacaville and Green Valley and recently signed the lease on land for a third facility in Fairfield.
Passama confirmed that NorthBay already is busy working on plans for a fourth site in 2007, and will look into a fifth around 2008 or 2009, though he was unable to disclose specific details at this time.
Plans for the Fairfield site at Martin and Hilborn roads, however, were unveiled in April 2005.
'The central Fairfield site will be our third site opening up in 2006,' he said. 'We've signed the lease - it's moving forward.'
The 12,000-square-foot building should be ready toward the end of summer, according to Passama, and likely will host eight physicians, though it will begin with an internist, a pediatrician and a family practitioner.
NorthBay's exponential growth in primary care commenced with the opening of its Vacaville site in 2002. It began with one physician and by the end of the year, Passama said, 1,500 patients were being treated at the Nut Tree Road site.
After opening its primary care facility in Green Valley in late 2004, he explained, NorthBay was up to 13 physicians and 18,000 patients.
NorthBay is recruiting new primary care doctors, Passama said, though he noted that some of their projected numbers depend in part upon their success in recruitment.
So far, he said, 'We've been very successfu"

Marketing a pavilion - Nut Tree developers still seeking tenants for upscale shopping space

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Article Last Updated: 1/14/2006 07:50 AM


Marketing a pavilion
Nut Tree developers still seeking tenants for upscale shopping space
By Amanda Janis/Business Writer
TheReporter.Com

An artisan marketplace similar to San Francisco's Ferry Building will be the centerpiece of the Nut Tree Village retail project, according to its San Francisco-based developer WesTrust.
The Market Pavilion will be an open-air, indoor/outdoor complex with marketplace stalls ranging from 300 to 1,500 square feet.
Sean Whiskeman, WesTrust's vice president of leasing for Northern California, explained that the Market Pavilion, 'is meant to bring local artisans from the community and nearby counties to a central place.'
The Marketplace Pavilion will have a strong emphasis on seasonal and specialty foods and local or regional artisans, Whiskeman confirmed. He explained that while the company has signed letters of intent to lease space, there is still more space available, and WesTrust is currently looking for unique artisans, food purveyors, and even a winery tenant.
To aid in the assembly of the desired tenant mix, WesTrust has hired the St. Helena-based Carlin Co. as a leasing consultant.
Market Pavilion specialist Steve Carlin explained that the interest in obtaining artisan or agriculture-based tenants has much to do with the original Nut Tree's heritage.
'The Nut Tree has a tremendous history and we're trying to piece together an experience reminiscent of what one might have experienced at the Nut Tree over the past 50 or 60 years,' he said.
Carlin elaborated, 'The Nut Tree was always one of the forerunners in specialty foods and high quality foods in Northern California.'
Whiskeman voiced similar sentiment, ca"

Workers' comp rates down by 37.7% - 2006-01-12 - Sacramento Business Journal

Workers' comp rates down by 37.7% - 2006-01-12 - Sacramento Business Journal: "

LATEST NEWS
Sacramento Business Journal - 3:06 PM PST Thursday
Workers' comp rates down by 37.7%
Workers' compensation rates have fallen a cumulative 37.7 percent since system reforms went into effect in January 2004, Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi said Thursday.
A list of the cost saving by insurance carriers was sent to Legislative leaders on Thursday. Garamendi's office had recommended insurers cut rates by 46.24 percent.
Twice each year the Commissioner assesses the state of the workers' compensation system and issues a pure premium advisory rate. While many insurers use this as a benchmark, they are not required to follow the recommendation.
According to the latest data available from the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, the actual rates charge to employers by insured decreased by 32 percent between January 2004 and Sept. 30, 2005. "

Genentech Tops the List at FORTUNE Magazine

Genentech Tops the List at FORTUNE Magazine
Biotech firm named the best company to work for in the U.S.
By Amanda Janis/Business Writer



Genentech environmental quality control analyst Cheryl Loehr inspects the air quality at the Vacaville plant. (Brad Zweerink/Reporter file)


The prominent accolades for Genentech persist.

It was announced Monday that the biotechnology firm placed first this year on FORTUNE Magazine's annual list, "The 100 Best Companies to Work For."

Frank Jackson, vice president and general manager of Vacaville product operations, explained that part of the reason Genentech is considered a great place to work has to do with its focus on providing biotherapuetics for unmet medical needs.

"It's a great company to work for," Jackson said. "For me, and most of the employees, it's because of what we do, which is provide medicines to patients."

He continued, "The Vacaville facility is involved in making product, so we can clearly see that the ouput from our efforts is going directly to the patients and making a difference."

The company's co-founder and board director, Herb Boyer, also referenced employees' connection to patients. In a press release Monday, he said, "I am proud of the dedication of Genentech's employees to patients and of the recognition that the company has received for being the best place to work in the country."

Genentech has made the FORTUNE list eight years in a row, though this is the first time it's been listed as No. 1.

FORTUNE rates companies based upon the magazine's evaluation of corporate policies - which are separated into four broad categories of credibility, respect, fairness, and camaraderie - and the survey results of at least 400 randomly selected employees. The employee survey, which is comprised of 57 questions and created by San Francisco's Great Place to Work Institute, makes up two-thirds of the company's total score.

FORTUNE's accompanying profile on Genentech includes a "What makes it so great?" explanation. It reads, "What's better than being a valued member of a cancer-fighting team? Having a great time while you're at work. (It doesn't hurt that 95 percent of workers are shareholders - and they've benefited handsomely from the soaring stock.)"

Genentech, whose Vacaville facility is undergoing a $600 million expansion, employs 8,121 employees in the U.S., 42 percent of whom are minorities and 50 percent of whom are women, according to FORTUNE.

FORTUNE also lists the company's most common salaried job as a research associate with an average annual pay of $69,425 and the most common hourly job as a manufacturing technician with an average annual pay of $47,817.

While Genentech placed first, 14 other California-based companies were among the "100 Best Companies to Work For," which is the highest number for any state in the nation.

Woodland-based Nugget Markets is ranked 33rd on FORTUNE's list.

"Even the baggers benefit at this Northern California supermarket chain," FORTUNE comments. "There's no premium for full health insurance, family coverage is $1 per week, and employees are offered a pension plus a 401(k) plan."

Nugget's president and CEO, Eric Stille, told The Reporter, "I'm delighted and humbled at the same time. It's a great honor for our associates to feel that they work for a world-class employer."

The family-run Nugget Markets - which was founded in 1926, and has stores in cities including Vacaville, Davis and West Sacramento - employs 1,091 employees.

In addition to Nugget Markets and Genentech, the California companies that are the best to work for, according to FORTUNE, are Amgen, Autodesk, Cisco Systems, Granite Construction, Hot Topic, Intel, Intuit, Morrison & Foerster, Network Appliance, Qualcomm, Standard Pacific, Vision Service Plan and Yahoo.

The complete list and related company profiles will be published in FORTUNE's Jan. 23 edition, and is also available on www.fortune.com.

Amanda Janis can be reached at business@thereporter.com.

Business Resolutions for the New Year

Business Resolutions for the New Year
By Christine Cube and Nathan Halverson

FAIRFIELD - Like it or not, a new year always comes with new beginnings.

Over the past week, many homes and businesses suffered as a result of the massive flooding that came with the dawn of 2006. Several likely are still tackling how to clean, mop up, wring out, dehumidify and salvage inventory.

For some businesses, it could take weeks for consumers to return.

Other businesses just might settle for drier quarters and start over.

Prior to the holidays, the Daily Republic asked dozens of local leaders and members of the business community to answer a few questions about their business philosophy.

The questions were simple:

-- What's your golden rule for success in business?

-- What's your business New Year's resolution?

-- Do you have a "lesson learned" or tough business decision/story that you can share?

The responses came in every form, fashion, shape and size. Some were lengthy; others decided to keep it short.

Our list includes the local chiropractor who dabbled for more than a dozen years in retail and other investments before returning complete focus to his love of medicine. It also includes the 26-year-old entrepreneur who started her own spa business four years ago and recently opened a second salon location, and the county supervisor who wants to help the county adopt a more business-like approach this year.
Here's what several business community members had to say about what keeps them on top.


Mark Hostler
Owner, Sir Speedy Printing
Fairfield

Golden rule: Treat customers and potential customers better than I would want to be treated.

Resolution: To continue to grow our printing and copying business and to expand our customer base for promotional and advertising specialties (a new market segment for us) and continue to support worthwhile causes in our community.

Lesson: In July 2005, we lost a very key employee due to her long commute from Elk Grove. Since we are a small business, any employee issues can really affect our daily operations. Losing this employee caused some apprehension due to the fact she had technical knowledge that most of us didn't have. After she left, our remaining employees truly raised the bar as far as cross-training and taking on new responsibilities were concerned. Through their hard work and dedication we were able to continue to grow our business and in fact we were able to purchase and move into our new downtown location.


Vimaa Patel
Owner, Green Valley Salon & Spa
Fairfield

Golden rule: Customer service is always first. If it wasn't for our customers, we wouldn't be here today. We consider their business to be very valuable to our business. If we have to go out of our way (for them), we do that.

Resolution: To help people feel more confident about themselves. The beauty industry is very demanding. It creates a lot of internal changes within people when they know they can change themselves - whether it's their hair or their skin.

Lesson: Everything has been so positive for us. We're very loyal. The products and service we sell - all our girls believe in it. There are a lot of businesses out there that don't believe in what they sell, but this comes totally from our heart.


Steve Lessler
The Lessler Group
Suisun City

Golden rule: To most definitely to build relationships and earn the trust of my customers and clients. Without trust, pack your bags and go home!

Resolution: To increase the value of representation by The Lessler Group for my clients as much as possible. Of course, that is my business resolution every year but one I do not take lightly and keep my eye on at all times. I am not currently trying to "grow" my business, just increase its value.

Lesson: The toughest business decision for 2005 was to turn down additional companies asking to become clients so that I can keep focused on the ones I already have. It's always nice to increase revenue but better to continue adding value to what I already have. There's only 24 hours in each day, you know!


Darrin Berardi
Berardi Chiropractic Clinic
Fairfield

Golden rule: W.E.I.T. (What Ever It Takes) I do what I have to do for my patients. In a nutshell - helping to navigate the health-care maze. Following up. Being a gatekeeper for their health care and referring out and consulting with other health-care professionals for second opinions and for issues that are out of my scope of practice. . . . I tell new patients that I'm here for their health - my job as I see it is to first ease their symptoms. Second, if they are missing work to get them back as quickly as possible and lastly, to get them back to their normal life and out of the office (feeling great of course).

Resolution: Continue to grow Berardi Chiropractic Clinic by another 25 percent - a level that will allow me to serve as many patients as possible without cutting into the level of care and time each individual patient deserves.

Lesson: Do what you do and do it good. Through the school of hard knocks, I learned this lesson all too well. Early on in my chiropractic practice, I diversified into a retail health food store in Vacaville. Between the office and the store, I was working seven days a week, over 90 hours a week. While the retail store continued to grow, my practice didn't. After 12 long years, I sold the retail store. With cash in my pocket and time on my hands, I tried another retail health food store in Fairfield at the same time I invested heavily in a laser clinic. A year and a half later after poor management of the laser clinic, the parent company went bankrupt and the retail health food store hadn't yet turned a profit. With cash reserves exhausted, it was time to regroup.

In June 2005, I closed the health food store, purchased Fairfield Chiropractic and incorporated the new practice into my existing practice. I rededicated myself to my practice my patients and made a promise to my family to stick with what I know and love - chiropractic!


Karin Moss
Director, Business Recruitment/Marketing
Vallejo Chamber of Commerce

Golden rule: I have the following African parable taped to the desk of my home office: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing it must run faster than the fastest lion or be killed. Every morning a lion awakens knowing it must outrun the slowest gazelle or starve to death. It doesn't matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up you better be running."

Resolution: Remember the 3 Rs . . . respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for your actions.

Lesson: I don't really have a specific tale of woe to tell about the lesson learned other than just a realization that it's important to cover one's bases. I'm a complete devotee of The Apprentice and believe that there are some good business lessons to be learned for everyone notwithstanding age or career level. Recently, I heard Donald Trump say, "Watch, listen and learn. You can't know it all by yourself. Anyone who thinks they do is destined for mediocrity."


Julie Kelly
Owner, Client Creators
Rio Vista

Golden rule: It sounds so simplistic, but I put my customers' success before my own. I take the time to listen to my customers' needs and concerns, and then I educate and work with them to create a marketing plan that gives them the best results for their specific goals.

Resolution: I will work smarter, not harder in achieving high quality service for my customers. In order to achieve this goal, I am going to increase my ability to serve my customer base through an interactive Web site.

Lesson: I've discovered that the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle has been critical to my success. Whenever indicated, I am up front about not being all things to all people and will refer customers to other professionals.

Intention is very important. Being myself and realizing that every time I go on a "sales call" that I'm really there to help my potential customers to be more successful. After aligning the mindset, everything just seems to go and flow much better. It's important to remember that others come first, once that's accomplished . . . all fears subside and whatever the outcome is, it's OK.

Now that I've been in business for a couple of years, my loyal customers are referring others to me, which is very validating and the best kind of business there is - it reaffirms that the service provided works and is appreciated.


Mike Reagan
Solano County Supervisor, District 5

Golden rule: The basics work - organizational discipline and innovation leads to excellence.

Resolution: My resolution is to get the County of Solano to adopt a more business-like approach. I'd like to define "profit" as our ability to produce a public benefit while strictly controlling overhead costs.

Lesson: Throughout my various business-related careers in the Air Force, I kept finding myself being assigned to organizations that had, to be polite, "lost their focus on customer service." As the young lieutenant, I just thought I was doing what needed to be done. You looked around at what was going on by collecting input from everybody involved, you came up with an out-of-the-box solution and then you worked tenaciously until it came to fruition. As I've progressed throughout my military, business and government service career, I've learned that approach is called leadership. I'm always amazed how employee pride in an organization grows so dramatically when they are empowered to correct the inefficiencies of their own bureaucratic processes and come up with better ways to do their jobs. The results of adopting their customer service building efforts always end up being more motivating than anything we could ever put in their paychecks.


Kevin Finger
Plant manager, Anheuser-Busch
Fairfield

Golden rule: Listen to employees. Value their ideas and input and make sure you have an effective employee suggestion program. I credit our employees with some of the best ideas we've implemented here in Fairfield. We regularly communicate our business objectives, so each and every Fairfield employee understands our business goals and his or her role in helping us meet those goals. That drives all of us to help find new ways to improve. Talking to employees is critical for any manager. Every day, I spend time with our plant employees in their work areas - it's the best way to really understand what is important to them, what makes them proud and what we can do to help them do their jobs even better.

Resolution: My resolution for 2006 is to continue to work together at the Fairfield brewery to better the surrounding community. We'll continue our efforts to recycle and pursue energy conservation through our own process improvements and capital investments. Most importantly, we'll continue to support our employees' efforts in the community - whether through volunteerism, leadership roles or other activities - so Solano County as a whole continues to benefit.

Lesson: This was an interesting and exciting year for us. We completed our modernization, which taught us that change can bring great things to our work environment. Modernization has enabled us to do so many new things, such as allowing us to produce a greater variety of packages. Appreciating change is a timely lesson for all of us as we encounter an ever-changing and challenging business environment. We look forward to seeing what 2006 brings!


Kevin Johnson
General manager, Hilton Garden Inn
Fairfield

Golden rule: Always try to exceed the guests' expectations rather than meet them.

Resolution: Every year, we try to improve on what we have accomplished the previous year and set our goals a little higher.

Lesson: I don't really have a lesson-type story. We have been very blessed this year.


Gary Tatum
President, Vacaville Chamber of Commerce

Golden rule: I believe "leadership" is sorely missing throughout the world, therefore, I attempt to strive toward applying the very best leadership skills I can muster. I don't believe there are many deep and dark secrets as to how to lead. However, I do believe it often takes a great deal of determination to remain on course which is coupled with the discipline and dedication to meet ones goals. Since we all have failures, I try very hard to make them learning experiences. My greatest teacher has been those failures. A person must admit them and move on toward the finish line. I have also found it is not the end results, or simply put, the goals that really make one truly successful, but the game itself is where the fun and hard work resides.

Resolution: To see the year through to 2007 and 2008 and 2009 and on and on and on. I don't yet believe in "retirement." I believe remaining active is key to longevity and happiness.

Lesson: Just the same as the ones in previous years. Don't take yourself too seriously, enjoy what your doing or get out of it. Listen more than you talk and never forget your beginnings and those that got you where you are.


Mike Ammann
President, Solano EDC

Golden rule: To continually build trusting relationships and deliver on your promises.

Resolution: To spend more time building relationships and networking for new business prospects within the Bay Area.

Lesson: Plan your work and work your plan but don't become impatient.


Sandy Person
Vice president, Solano EDC

Golden rule: I've learned that the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

Resolution: Surround myself with lots of smart people!


Chuck Eason
Director, Solano College SBDC

Golden rule: To be successful in business you need a business based on repeat customers. It is always much more expensive to market to a first-time customer than to retain an existing customer. Ideally, you want a business model that creates a residual income based on customers for life.

Resolution: Our business New Year's resolution is to focus on our core services of counseling entrepreneurs on how they can succeed in business. We only succeed if they succeed.

Lesson: This year I have seen many independent businesses close up due to competition from large chains or franchises. It is sometimes tough for the independent businesses to compete against the large chains or franchises that have the advantage of name recognition and familiarity. This may be due to human nature, since people tend to want consistency in their lives and feel most comfortable going to a place where they know exactly what they we be getting each and every time. One advantage small businesses will always have over large businesses is building relationships. Over the next five to 10 years, I think we are going to see the rise of relationship marketing as the primary means for small businesses to compete in the global marketplace.


Emily Low
Main Street Program Coordinator
Fairfield Downtown Association

Golden rule: Treat every customer the way you would want your grandmother to be treated.

Resolution: Visit every business owner in the district and convince the businesses in the borders of the district to participate as much as the retail businesses do.

Lesson: Watching and participating in the business world has taught me that new businesses can't have too little reserve. New business owners need to plan on cash back up to carry them at least a year without profit - enough for rent, utilities, inventory and advertising - so their every waking moment isn't spent worrying about how to pay the rent when sales don't take off like wildfire. A business has to be run like a business - not a hobby.


Patsy Van Ouwerkerk
President and CEO, Travis Credit Union
Vacaville

Golden rule: There are many golden rules I try to live up to. Certainly one is to treat everyone with respect and kindness and I try "to treat others the way I want to be treated" in both my business and personal relationships. Another golden rule is to do things right, and to do the right thing. I believe everyone can succeed is they understand what's expected of them and are supported when they try. Finally, I believe the enthusiasm for what I do is contagious. I want everyone to love their work as much as I do and I try to be a good role model.

Resolution: I have lots of them but perhaps the most important is to keep Travis Credit Union employees and managers focused on our mission to provide great service to our members and to help them achieve their financial goals. Because we have wonderful employees who truly care about our members, I imagine I'll be successful.

Lesson: When I was a senior vice president at a previous credit union, I made a recommendation to the board that the credit union become an owner in a new organization that would allow credit union members to conduct transactions at other credit unions' offices. I was a member of the committee charged with creating this organization and we'd spent months developing our business plan and working out all the operational and data processing details. The board members had so many questions and even though I was able to answer them all, they denied my recommendation. I was so disappointed. The board approved my recommendation the following month but I learned a good lesson about education and communications. I didn't spend enough time keeping the board members informed of the progress we were making. Although I'd had months to contemplate the decision I was asking them to make, they were faced with too much information and not enough time to absorb it all. Today, I try to educate the Travis board about issues before ever asking them to approve a recommendation. It was a good lesson learned.


Sandy Carson
Housing and Property Development Manager, Caminar Solano
Lead staff, Affordable Housing Coalition Solano County

Golden rule: Having great passion for what you do and true respect for those you work with is essential for success. Desire, dedication and determination in achieving the purpose of your business and/or line of work. Looking at challenges and obstacles as opportunities to build strength and gain knowledge.

Resolution: To reach higher, to give as much as I receive and to truly believe in all that I/we set out to accomplish. Building broader, stronger partnerships.

Lesson: Don't limit yourself. Take the opportunities that are presented to you and make the very most out of them. I was given the wonderful opportunity this past year to be the lead staff for the newly formed Affordable Housing Coalition in Solano County. I wasn't sure it was something I wanted to take on for various reasons. After careful consideration, I decided to accept the offer, and I am so pleased that I did. I have had the opportunity to work with some exceptional people, all working toward a great cause. We have just started and have all ready made great strides. The knowledge I continue to gain is insurmountable. The relationships I continue to develop, invaluable!


Nicole Lee
Marketing director, Wulff Electric
Vacaville

Golden rule: First and foremost, we believe in treating everyone, from employees to potential customers and existing customers with honesty and respect. We treat them the way we would want someone to treat one of our own family members.

Resolution: Some new businesses take two steps forward and one step backwards. Our New Year's resolution is to always take two steps forward and never take a step backward.

Lesson: One thing we have learned and value a lot are the Chamber of Commerce mixers. This is a great time to meet business owners and network. The benefits from the mixers are immeasurable. You get to talk with people from all different types of backgrounds, hear what has worked for them as well as what hasn't worked.

We have gotten referrals from just handing out or business cards to other business owners at the mixers. By being a member of the chamber of commerce, we have gotten a great deal of exposure to other business owners and because the chamber helps you get your name out in the community you get quite a bit of advertisement.

Reach Christine Cube at 427-6934 or ccube@dailyrepublic.net. Reach Nathan Halverson at 425-4646, ext. 267 or nhalverson@dailyrepublic.net.

State of the State

STATE OF THE STATE
HIGHWAYS: Biggest Piece of Schwarzenegger's Infrastructure Plan
Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, January 6, 2006

Transportation is at the center of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's enormous infrastructure investment plan, which includes such long-awaited Bay Area transportation projects as the fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, a new approach to the Golden Gate Bridge and a rebuilt Cordelia Junction.

Bay Area transportation officials praised the plan, saying it would assure that key projects designed to reduce congestion get built.

"I'm all for it,'' said Randy Rentschler, legislation director for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area's transportation planning agency. "The bottom line is this kind of commitment to our transportation system is long overdue and really good news.''

The governor proposes a 10-year spending campaign that would ask voters to pass a series of general obligation bond measures. Two of those, in June and in 2008, would raise a total of $12 billion for transportation projects. When combined with $47 billion in existing revenue such as gas taxes and $48 billion in new revenue, including private investment, transportation funding would make up nearly half of the infrastructure plan.

The plan would also prohibit legislators from diverting money from Proposition 42 -- a voter-approved initiative that steered gas-tax revenues to transportation -- to other uses when the state budget is lean.

Like most political plans in their early stages, the governor's "Strategic Growth Plan'' is short on details. It is not clear, for example, if local governmental and planning agencies would determine specific projects or if the projects would be specified by the state or by bond measures. While such details are sure to be battled over in the Legislature, Rentschler said, the projects listed don't include any surprises and would relieve traffic in the region.

Jim Wunderman, chief executive officer of the Bay Area Council, a regional business group, was impressed by the proposal, which he said "is like the Marshall Plan for California.'' Most impressive, he said, is the apparent commitment of the Legislature and governor to work together to strengthen the state's infrastructure.

The list for the Bay Area includes $330 million for a new Doyle Drive through San Francisco's Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza; $300 million to rebuild the junction of Interstates 80 and 680 and Highway 12 in Cordelia and $150 million to build new lanes on Highway 101 in Santa Clara County.

It also would provide $140 million to add a bore to the Caldecott Tunnel; $100 million for improvements on Interstate 880; $65 million to widen Highway 12 in Napa County; $60 million for carpool lanes on Highway 101 in Sonoma County; and $60 million to widen Highway 4 in eastern Contra Costa County.

An administration official said the plan would include converting carpool lanes to toll lanes, as planned on Interstate 680 over the Sunol Grade, or building toll roads. Officials are also working with the state's ports to establish truck-only toll lanes that would speed the flow on major freeways of goods from ships, reducing congestion near ports and improving air quality.

The plan also steers money toward expanding park-and-ride lots in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma counties and devotes $15 million for intercity rail improvements.

What appears to be missing, said Stuart Cohen, executive director of the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, a Bay Area transit advocacy group, is much money to expand and improve public transportation.

"The governor has never been known as a strong supporter of mass transit,'' he said. "And if he doesn't understand by now that widening highways is not the solution to our transportation problems, a lot of environment and transit advocacy groups may end up opposing those (bond) measures.''

E-mail Michael Cabanatuan at mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com.

State, Vallejo Making Progress in Attempt to Reform Education

State, Vallejo Making Progress in Attempt to Reform Education
By SARAH ROHRS, Times-Herald staff writer

California school districts have won above-average grades in a national comparison of states using standards to drive their education reforms.

The Vallejo school district is among those trying to set high bars that students, teachers and administrators can cross with state standards.

"When you have a standards-based system everyone is clear on what the kids need to know," spokeswoman Tish Busselle said.

"Our goal is to set high expectations for students in meeting those standards," Busselle said.

For Vallejo, putting the so-called standards-based educational reforms into place over the last two years has involved teacher training, curriculum changes and new textbooks.

In addition, regular student assessments are conducted to see how well students are learning and where they might need help.

More focus was put on standards-based education in Vallejo after State Administrator Richard Damelio took control of the district, after the $60 million state bail-out loan two years ago.

Damelio is intent on both overhauling the budget and improving student achievement.

Test scores are one of the few indicators used to measure how well the reforms are working, Busselle said.

Under that indicator, Vallejo's efforts appear to be paying off.

The 2004 California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test results showed improvement in every Vallejo grade, the best scores in a half decade.

Carlene Gundersgaard, district assistant superintendent of academic achievement and accountability, said aligning textbooks, lesson plans and other actions with state standards has been shown to help students learn more.

"For our kids to be successful after high school they will have to meet these standards that have been set. It's our job to make sure they are successful," Gundersgaard said.

The annual analysis released by the national publication Education Week showed California scoring an overall B-minus, barely above the national C-plus average.

The scores included assessments on standards, accountability, teacher training, school climate and other issues.

California saw significant test score gains on state tests but not on national tests, where the state remains among average achievers in the nation.

Further, California is still struggling with closing the achievement gap which exists due to Filipino and Caucasian students scoring higher on state tests than students from other ethnic and racial groups, according to the report.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell commended schools for their score on the national report, despite the low state funding of education.

California ranks 43rd in the nation in how much is spent per student. In 2003, California spent just 3.57 percent of its taxable resources on education, ranking 31st in the nation, O'Connell said.

- The Oakland Tribune contributed to this report.

- E-mail Sarah Rohrs at srohrs@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6832.

Fairfield Getting New Health-Care Facility

Fairfield Getting New Health-Care Facility
By Nathan Halverson

FAIRFIELD - NorthBay Healthcare Services will open a new 12,000-square-foot facility at the corner of Martin and Hilborn roads. The company leased space in a building slated to be completed this summer.

The medical facility will initially house a family practitioner, a pediatrician and a doctor of internal medicine, along with about 15 employees. It is expected to open in September.

Eventually the office will likely hold eight physicians and 40 employees.

"As the need grows, we will add new physicians," said Joanie Erickson, spokeswoman for the health-care provider.

NorthBay Healthcare Services already operates two hospitals and two primary care facilities. The new facility is intended to compliment the existing primary care offices in Vacaville and Green Valley.

NorthBay also recently leased, with the option to buy, a 20-acre parcel in Green Valley where it will build a new corporate office complex and conference center. The current proposal is for that office to be about 65,000 square feet. Construction will likely begin in one to two years.

The 20-acre site will also facilitate the building of a new hospital.

"Solano is growing very rapidly and we believe the time is coming that people will not have to leave the county for some of the more advanced health-care technology," Erickson said.

The proposed hospital would be built in five to seven years, said Bill Hawn, president of NorthBay Health Advantage.

The one-level building that will house the new health-care office in Fairfield will be part of a future mixed-use business park, Highland Corporate Center, which will include five buildings totaling 151,000 square feet.

The business complex will contain medical, retail, office and commercial space.

Sacramento-based Panattoni Development Co. is developing the project.

Reach Nathan Halverson at 425-4646 ext. 267 or nhalverson@dailyrepublic.net.

City Wants to Buy Real Estate in Troubled Area

City Wants to Buy Real Estate in Troubled Area
By Ian Thompson

FAIRFIELD - Fairfield's Redevelopment Agency wants to spend at least $1.7 million to buy two four-plex apartments and a vacant gas station in the blighted PACE neighborhood.

The city's Redevelopment Agency is asking for council approval to buy a four-plex at 1230 Pennsylvania Ave. and another one at 1236 Alaska Ave. as part of its efforts to clean up and redevelop the PACE neighborhood's north side.

PACE is the nickname for the area that features Pennsylvania Avenue, Alaska Avenue, Cunningham Drive and Eton Court.

The agency is spending $635,000 to buy the 1230 Pennsylvania Ave. property and another $635,000 to buy the 1236 Alaska Ave. property. All of the money is coming from the city's Low-Moderate Housing funds.

While nearby four-plexes have sold for between $515,000 and $575,000, the city is offering the owners more money because the buildings "are in superior condition," according to the memo.

The city's Quality Neighborhood Team has been interested in that neighborhood for years to address crime and blight with tenant-based services and property rehabilitation.

The agency plans to move the tenants, raze the buildings and include them with 13 other parcels already owned by the city which will be turned into a single housing project.

Work on this project is expected to start some time within the next two years, according to a memo to the City Council from Planning and Development Director Sean Quinn.

The agency also wants to spend $440,000 on the now-vacant gas station located in front of a 7-Eleven store across the street from the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District offices.

Fairfield has leased the building since 1990 and established a temporary operating center for the police department to help its officers fight the area's high crime.

The operating center has been used for police operations and neighborhood group functions. The police also have another center in one of the apartments in the North PACE area.

Quinn supported the purchase, describing the site as "a lynch pin for improving the commercial center and involving the owner of the 7-Eleven in revitalizing the center."

"It is likely that if this building is sold on the open market, it will attract a marginal use that will not serve the neighborhood," Quinn wrote.

The city's $2 million investment in redeveloping apartments directly to the north and the school district's plans to reconfigure their offices as an elementary school helped prod Quinn to want to buy the service station.

Quinn wants to knock the building down and team up with a private developer to either turn the site into an office/retail building or a day-care center or to house a nonprofit organization.

The Fairfield City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Fairfield City Council chamber at 1000 Webster St.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.

At a glance

Who: Fairfield City Council

What: Will discuss approving the purchase of two four-plex apartments and a vacant service station in the PACE neighborhood.

Where: Fairfield City Council chamber, 1000 Webster St.

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Info: 428-7400

Booms and Busts Mark Business Year

Booms and Busts Mark Business Year
Development, closures haunt 2005

By Amanda Janis/Business Writer








Vacaville celebrated the opening of Town Square in downtown this year. (Brad Zweerink/The Reporter)

A look at this year's preeminent local business stories makes plain that Vacaville and its environs have moved far beyond the literal translation of the city's Spanish name. Once a true "cow town," the city, along with many of its Solano County neighbors, has become a distinguished host to major business and enterprise concerns.

The following is a synopsis of the top 10 business stories of 2005, as decided upon by The Reporter's editors. 1. Nut Tree Renaissance

The Power family's physical mark on Vacaville began to fade this year. Both of the family's renowned ventures - the Nut Tree and the Coffee Tree restaurant - underwent substantial change in recent weeks, causing both local institutions to fade a little further into Vacaville's past.

It's been nearly 10 years since the closure of the Nut Tree, which was a Vacaville icon for eight decades. Redevelopment of the historic site - which, all told, will cost more than $100 million - began to be visible this winter, with the raising of walls for the new retail component, and initial work on the related infrastructure project, which in itself is valued at approximately $25 million.

Plans to redevelop the 76-acre site by Larkspur-based Snell & Co. and San Francisco-based WesTrust include the creation of 330,000 square feet of office, restaurant and retail space, with confirmed tenants including Best Buy, Borders, Sports Chalet, and Pet-Smart. Also incorporated will be a 37-acre family park, which will feature a train ride in tribute to the train at the original Nut Tree.

Those involved with the project intend for the new Nut Tree to become a landmark in its own right. The new complex is expected to generate more than 1,000 jobs and to be a major source of sales and property tax revenue.

The Coffee Tree restaurant - which was opened by the family in 1965 as a casual cousin to the Nut Tree restaurant - closed more than two years ago, but was just recently razed. The Coffee Tree site is effectively the last available, developable parcel on Nut Tree Road, and its developers are in discussions with possible tenants. 2. Large Scale Biology Corp. Ceases Operations








The revamp of the historic Nut Tree site heads the list of top Solano business stories of 2005. (Rick Roach/The Reporter)

Vacaville's "biotech corridor" lost its only homespun member little more than a week ago, when Large Scale Biology Corp. ceased operations and terminated all 78 of its employees - 55 of whom worked at its Vacaville facility - just days before Christmas.

Citing a lack of sufficient cash and assets, and the inability to secure product collaborations or partnering initiatives with potential acquirers or licensees, LSBC abruptly announced its closure on Dec. 22.

While the announcement shocked and surprised many of its employees - some of whom said they weren't paid for their work in December - the company's financial woes were certainly public knowledge.

LSBC's Nov. 18 Securities and Exchange Commission filing expressed serious doubt about its ability to continue operations, disclosing a cash balance of $85,000 as of Sept. 30, and a net operating loss of $7.4 million for the same period.

Additionally, the Nasdaq Capital Market had announced a decision to delist LSBC stock at the start of trading on Dec. 27; trading of its stock was halted after the closure announcement on Dec. 22 and trading ceased altogether by the close of business the following day.

LSBC was founded in 1987 to market proteomic and genomic technology. It later moved into the development and production of tobacco plant-based therapeutic proteins and vaccines for diseases including non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

According to co-founder and CEO Robert Erwin's remarks in a 2002 BBC documentary, the company felt confident it would market the world's first customized treatments for individual patients by 2007. 3. Dixon Downs Gains Momentum

Whether or not a starting gun may soon sound in Dixon has tempers and tensions raised. The past year saw environmental impact reports and supplemental studies completed and released for the proposed thoroughbred horse racing track and adjacent retail complex, dubbed Dixon Downs.

The 260-acre, two-phase project proposed by Magna Entertainment Corp. will soon fall before the planning commission and subsequently the city council, with decisions expected by summer.











The proposed home of Dixon Downs underwent environmental assessment in 2005. (Rick Roach/The Reporter)

Supporters of the project point to job creation, tax revenue, and the advent of a "destination" landmark as reasons why Dixon Downs should be approved, while opposers - which include the Dixon Citizens For Quality Growth group - encourage its rejection, citing factors including excessive strain on the city's traffic, air-quality levels, and utilities. 4. BC Stocking Distributing Sells

After 44 years as a family-run, Vacaville-based business, petroleum distribution company BC Stocking sold the last of its interests in April.

A major distributor for Chevron in Northern California, BC Stocking was effectively sold in several transactions between 2004 and 2005. The company's holdings - which the firm has said netted approximately $90 million in annual sales - included businesses located in the Sacramento Valley, Winters and Richmond, as well as a contract with Chevron for lubricant motor oil.

The firm was founded in 1961 by Joe and Beverly Stocking; it was later run by their children, Bryant and Curtis, who are the owners of Vacaville's Travis Credit Union Park. Both sons have subsequently begun careers in real estate with Showcase Properties. 5. Alza Upgrades Facilities

Vacaville's largest private employer, Alza Corp., invested approximately $100 million this year in various upgrades to its state-of-the-art Vacaville facility north of Vaca Valley Parkway.

The upgrades equate to new tax revenue for the city, as well as a deepening of roots in Vacaville's promising "biotech corridor."

In excess of 1,000 employees work at Alza's local "clean manufacturing facility," a large scale plant with minimal (controlled) levels of environmental pollutants such as dust or vapors, so as not to taint the products being manufactured.

Alza - which develops drug delivery systems as well as pharmaceuticals including Concerta and Nicoderm CQ - was founded in 1968, and opened its Vacaville facility in 1986.

The company was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2001 for $10.5 billion. 6. Genentech Expansion Continues

Vacaville's business of the year, as awarded by the city's chamber of commerce, continued with construction at its 97-acre Vaca Valley Parkway site.

Genentech's expansion - valued at approximately $600 million - began last year, and will nearly double its existing 427,000 square foot facility. Its ground breaking ceremony last spring starred Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who remarked, "Genentech will build the future right here in our Golden State. California will be known as the No. 1 biotechnology leader in the world."

The "Cell Culture Production 2" expansion project entails plans to add three buildings totaling approximately 380,000 square feet, and the company intends to substantially increase its work force in Vacaville from 800 to approximately 1,300.

Genentech opened its Vacaville manufacturing site in 1994, initially investing $300 million. The company develops and manufacturers biotherapuetics for unmet medical needs. 7. Downtown Vacaville Revitalized

Roughly $10 million-worth of development, redevelopment and general improvements came to fruition during the past year in downtown Vacaville.

A new 15,000-square-foot library opened in January, adjacent to a new parking lot and the new 15,000 square foot Town Square plaza, on which construction was officially completed in May. The plaza features a 39-foot clock tower, a stage, trees and a creek-like water component; it will soon add a fountain featuring a boulder, as well as grass and benches.

There were also some significant changes to downtown businesses, such as the opening of specialty shops like Spin a Yarn, and restaurants and cafes including the Pure Grain Bakery, Saltato's Restaurant, Rock N Roll Sushi, and Creekside Cafe, which replaced the failed Fire Falls restaurant and lounge.

Downtown's first mixed-use residential and retail space opened in the form of the Dionicia building, which houses the family-run Vasquez Deli on its ground floor, and several apartments and an office on the floor above. The mixed-use building on East Main Street - which in essence serves to extend the downtown area - is an example of what city planners and councilmembers see as a means to augment downtown's revitalization. 8. Yardbirds Sells to The Home Depot

Petaluma-based Yardbirds Home Center announced in December its sale to big-box retail giant The Home Depot for an undisclosed amount.

The sale ends a 30-year history of independence for the family-run hardware store, which was founded in Santa Rosa by John Headley.

Headley, who is in his 70s, remarked in a statement that the decision was made after much deliberation, and expressed his excitement over the prospect of working with Home Depot leadership to integrate the two companies.

At the time of the sale, Yardbirds owned and operated nine stores in four Northern California counties, and employed 650 people. Home Depot has confirmed that employees will not be laid off, nor will stores be liquidated.

While many Vacaville residents and Yardbirds shoppers expressed disappointment about the sale, company sources said the plan is for the local store to undergo a slight name change but otherwise remain the same. 9. Wal-Mart Quietly Supersizes in Dixon

Dixon's Wal-Mart completed a seven-month, 72,000 square foot expansion in November, making it the first Wal-Mart Supercenter in Solano County.

The 4-acre Supercenter opened amid few protests, despite the controversy that's embroiled similar Supercenter proposals in Solano County and across the nation.

A Supercenter is currently under construction in American Canyon, and the retail chain has plans to build Supercenters in Fairfield, Suisun City and Vallejo. 10. Milk-Farm Moves Along

Proposals to redevelop the historic Milk Farm seemed to be gaining ground in 2005, after nearly eight years of conceptual limbo.

Businessman and inventor Paul Moller has yet to produce firm development plans, but his concepts for redevelopment of the 60-acre site include a specialty retail element, an alternative health center, and a facility for Moller's research on flying cars. All these components - and perhaps even a hotel - would likely border a 5-acre lake, which would in turn be surrounded by preserved agricultural land.

An environmental impact review for his conceptual plans was certified this year, and the Dixon City Council's actions included pre-zoning, amendment of the city's general plan to reconfigure the site's zoning, and an annexation request to the Local Agency Formation Commission.

The Milk Farm's origins date to 1919, when it was originally a ranch near Currey Road run by Karl Hess. Hess relocated to its current location in 1939, and during the Depression, he offered visitors all-you-can-drink milk for ten cents, as well as inexpensive chicken dinners and pony rides. The ranch earned its nickname when it was subsequently featured the following year in The Saturday Evening Post, and over the years, its restaurant and gas station was immensely popular among travelers and local teenagers alike. Dairy operations ceased after World War II, and the Milk Farm closed completely in the 1980s.

Staff writers David Henson and Tom Hall contributed to this article. Amanda Janis can be reached at business@thereporter.com.

* * * *

Top Ten Local Business Stories of 2005

1. Nut Tree Renaissance

2. Large Scale Biology Corp. Ceases Operations

3. Dixon Downs Gains Momentum

4. BC Stocking Distributing Sells

5. Alza Upgrades Facilities

6. Genentech Continues Expansion

7. Downtown Vacaville Revitalized

8. Yardbirds Sells to the Home Depot

9. Wal-Mart Quietly Supersizes in Dixon

10. Milk Farm Proposal Moves Along