June 9-22, 2015

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June 9-22, 2015

www.lbbusinessjournal.com

FOCUS ON WOMEN IN BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORT – CITY OF SIGNAL HILL

Long Beach Women-Owned Businesses Mirror National, State Growth Trends

City Sees Rise In Sales Tax Revenue And Is Targeting New Economic Development

■ By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER Senior Writer he Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, which includes the City of Long Beach, is ranked second in the nation (after New York) among regions with the most women-owned businesses. As of this year, there are 436,900

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women-owned businesses in the region, according to the recently released American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses report for the year 2015.

Nationally, the total number of women-owned businesses in the United States grew by 74 percent from 1997 to 2015, according to the report. Over (Please Continue To Page 22)

Profiles On Local Women-Owned Small Businesses – See Pg 22

Carolyn Baer Urban Table

Maureen Bennit Pirates Cove

Toyicha Chisom Set Free Enterprises

Victoria Nguyen Long Beach Smiles Dentistry

Hotel Exec Kristi Allen To Be Installed June 18 As Chair Of Long Beach Chamber ‘Changing Times And Evolving Chamber’ Is Her Theme For The Year ■ By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER Senior Writer risti Allen, vice president K of operations for Ensemble Hotel Partners and the new chair of the board for the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, has lived and worked in Long Beach for just eight years, and in that time has already become extensively involved in the business community.

In addition to her position with the chamber, Allen currently also sits on the board for the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, the city’s newly formed economic development commission and is a past president of the Downtown Long Beach Associates board. She has also held board positions with the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network and International City Theatre.

A native of California, but raised in Hawaii, Allen has had a lifelong fascination with the hospitality and tourism industry. Her career in that sector began in the form of an internship at a restaurant at age 15 when she lived in Honolulu. Allen eventually left the island state to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration

with a minor in human resources from the University of Vermont.

She later graduated from the Walt Disney World College Hospitality Program.

Allen worked in various management positions in the hospitality industry in Washington, D.C., Orlando, New York and finally, (Please Continue To Page 5)

■ By SEAN BELK Staff Writer espite some upcoming financial hurdles, the City of Signal Hill is projecting a budget surplus next fiscal year as the local economy continues to gradually improve, according to city officials.

The fiscal picture bodes well for the 2.2-square-mile city that receives 70 percent of its revenue from sales tax generated from the Signal Hill Auto Center, big box retailers such as Office Depot, Costco and Home Depot and other outlets.

With high demand for residential and commercial real estate, new developments are moving forward after being held up by the state’s redevelopment dissolution process. Also, some projects were delayed as the city conducted a comprehensive update to its oil code to allow developments above or near oil wells.

While major retail chains and office buildings have recently filled in some vacant lots, future development might be a bit of a struggle since the city is absent redevelopment funding that once covered oil well cleanups. Still, the city is establishing plans to

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Ken Farfsing Is Retiring After Serving 19 Years As City Manager Of Signal Hill See Story on Page 20

continue growing its economic base. In fact, new residential projects are about to get underway, and auto dealers are expanding.

This fiscal year, Signal Hill is anticipating a $1.4 million budget surplus, which will be used to pay for capital improvement projects and to supplement reserves set aside for looming budget challenges, including state mandates and increases in employee pension costs expected in the next few years, city officials said.

Deputy City Manager Charlie Honeycutt, who was selected by the city council to replace retiring (Please Continue To Page 15)

Grassroots Growth: Women In Business Find Success Through Community Networking And Social Media ■ By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER Senior Writer alk to women who have started up small businesses in Long Beach and you might get the impression that the days of attending networking mixers and pouring money into multi-media advertising campaigns are in the past. Instead, local women-owned businesses like Rainbow Juices, Peppered Up Foods, Sliced & Diced Eatery and the soon to open book bar, The Brass Lamp, were all built up through grassroots community networking and the use of social media.

T Kristi Allen, vice president of operations for Ensemble Hotel Partners, will be installed as chair of the board of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce during the organization’s 124th Gala on June 18.

Long Beach Business Journal 2599 E. 28th Street, Suite 212 Signal Hill, CA 90755-2139 562/988-1222 • www.lbbusinessjournal.com

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PAID Los Angeles, CA PERMIT NO. 447

Rainbow Juices In an enclosed patio behind Rainbow Juices’ recently opened storefront location in Downtown Long Beach, owners and partners Chrissy Cox and Dawna Bass told the Business Journal that their business grew organically through word-of-mouth referrals. When

the two began making coldpressed juices from their home several years ago, it wasn’t long before their friends in their roller

derby community and in Cox’s yoga classes began inquiring about the juices, they recalled.

(Please Continue To Page 24)

Significant Turnover In Leadership Continues In Long Beach Government ■ By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER Senior Writer eadership in Long Beach L government has experienced a tidal wave of change during the past year, with a new mayor, six new councilmembers, a new assistant city manager and deputy city manager, 18 new commissioners for two new city commissions, and new leaders for the port, airport, police department, disaster preparedness, economic development and civil service.

Change is continuing. In the past month, both the general man-

ager of the water department, Kevin Wattier, and the director of the department of parks, recreation and marine, George Chapjian, announced they would be leaving the city. Wattier is retiring in September, and Chapjian is leaving on June 25 to head up the Santa Barbara County Community Services Department. A month earlier, City Clerk Larry Herrera-Cabrera retired.

On top of all those changes, City Manager Pat West confirmed to the Business Journal that Human Resources Director Deb(Please Continue To Page 13)

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2 Long Beach Business Journal

Inside This Issue 4 5 7

Inside City Hall

• Where Is $10.2 Million Going?

By Former Councilmember Gerrie Schipske

June 9-22, 2015

22 26

New Chamber Chair

• An Interview With Hotel Executive Kristi Allen

Newswatch

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• Selling Long Beach As A Destination • Midtown Business Improvement District • Urban Village Opens On Long Beach Boulevard • Comment Period For New Gated Community • Fitness Center At Former Pool Hall Okayed • Fracking In Long Beach Called Safe By City Official • New Contract For City Bike Share Program

Special Report: City Of Signal Hill

28 30 31

Focus On Women In Business In The News

• Long Beach Launches New Website • Schooner Or Later Marks 30 Years • Cancer Concierge Network’s Wellness Center • MemorialCare Health System Repeats Safety Grade • Seva Opens Downtown Within Walmart Store • Total Wine And More Opens At L.B. Towne Center

Perspective Art Matters

Presented By The Arts Council For Long Beach

The Nonprofit Page

Presented By The Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership

Free: Long Beach Business Journal Digital Edition, Monday Morning Coffee, NewsFlash Sign up at: www.lbbusinessjournal.com • Follow us on Twitter: @LBBizJourn

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2015

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4 Long Beach Business Journal

Where Is $10.2 Million Going?

■ By GERRIE SCHIPSKE Contributing Writer Long Beach City Hall has always salivated over the possibility of forcing the water department to turn over funds, just as has done with the tidelands and the gas and oil departments. Why gosh golly, the City Charter even allows the water commission to transfer “such monies no longer necessary for the purposes of the Commission.”

However, the water commission (appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council) has consistently said “no” to a transfer of funds. Besides that, pesky Proposition 218 requires that water rates can be no more than the actual costs of the service and that revenue can’t be transferred for use elsewhere.

So what can a city thirsty for cash do? Ah, patience young grasshoppers, one only needs to get the right legal opinion, and one can do anything.

Cities are allowed to place a “franchise fee” on wastewater, oil, gas, gasoline, electrical energy, communications, and liquefied petroleum gas pipelines. Keep in mind these fees are paid for by private and public utilities

June 9-22, 2015

INSIDE CITY HALL

that place these pipelines within a city’s boundaries and pay these fees instead of property taxes.

Someone in city management got the bright idea in 2003 (with the blessing of the city attorney) that the city could get water department revenue after all by placing a “pipeline permit fee” on all the pipelines that bring potable water to consumers. The fee is based on pipe diameter and lineal footage.

Then in 2006, after “giving” the city sewer system to the water department, the dity turned around and slapped the same “pipeline permit fee” on all sewer main lines they just gave to the water department.

Wait, you say. Isn’t the water department a “municipal utility” with water pipelines and sewer lines paid for by the consumers? And doesn’t Proposition 26 (which amended the California Constitution) require that any regulatory fee imposed by a city to generate revenue “shall not exceed the funds required to provide the property related service and shall not be used for any purpose other than that for which the fee or charge was imposed”?

So what, you say?

For starters, your water and sewer rates have increased as a direct result of these back door fees, which currently amount to $10.2 million and are set to increase to $10.5 million in 2016.

No, you don’t see the fees detailed in your bill; they have been quietly passed along to you in increased rates.

Most significantly, the purpose of the fees have not been accounted for nor has there been an assessment as to whether or not the amount of the fees are appropriate.

Secondly, after the pipeline fees were imposed, the water commission in defense (or some think, in retaliation), started to charge other city departments for water for the first time. This has been a considerable burden on parks, recreation and marine department which maintains all the city parks and medians.

And what about the cities of Fullerton, Roseville and Fresno which were sued by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (and lost) because of similar fees on their own utilities?

Don’t forget that the city also imposes a “utility users tax” upon “every person using the city water which is delivered through mains or pipes.” Can you say, “tax on tax?”

Instead of looking for ways to drain more money from taxpayers through its utilities, maybe we need to amend the City Charter to read: “after payment of enumerated expenses and funding of enumerated reserves, each city utility shall apply all annual profits thereafter remaining to rate reductions.”

Next column: 50 Years and What Do You Get....Another Year Older and Deeper in Debt or, How we got the State Legislature to do the Civic Center deal.

(Gerrie Schipske is a native of Long Beach, an attorney, registered nurse practitioner and full time instructor at CSULB Department of Health Care Administration. She was elected to both the Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees and the Long Beach City Council. She is the author of several books on Long Beach history and her blog, www.longbeachinside.blogspot.com.) ■

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June 9

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2015

June 9-22, 2015

NEW CHAMBER CHAIR

Hotel Exec Kristi Allen (Continued From Page 1)

San Francisco, where she worked for 15 years before moving to Long Beach to serve as general manager of the Hilton Long Beach. From there, she was recruited

by Ensemble Hotel Partners, the hospitality division of a real estate development firm, Ensemble Investments, and was soon promoted to vice president of operations. In her current role, she oversees operations at the Hotel Maya and the DoubleTree By Hilton Carson.

Working in the hospitality industry during and after the Great Recession has given Allen a front-row seat to recent fluctuations in Long Beach’s economy.

“Business is back. You can feel it,” Allen said in an interview at the Long Beach Business Journal’s offices on May 26.

“When I started here in 2007, obviously Long Beach tourism saw a little peak and then the recession hit. Towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year, you can tell that it is back to pre-recessionary levels,” she said, noting that the Hotel Maya is now quoting rates it hasn’t used since before the recession.

“There are a lot of good signs that the economy is improving and that we are headed in the right direction in Long Beach,” Allen said. “It is growing. Douglas Park is huge . . . the development in Downtown Long Beach is huge,” she observed, adding that the Port of Long Beach’s growth is also promising.

“One of the reasons I am so excited to be the chamber chair this year is because of all the change in the city,” Allen said, referring

“One of the reasons I am so excited to be the chamber chair this year is because of all the change in the city.”

Kristi Allen, Chair of the Board Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce

to changes in leadership at city hall, the airport, port and even California State University, Long Beach. “This is the year, with all of these new players in place, that we have an opportunity to change not only the reputation of the chamber, but our involvement in the city and in business as the major voice of business in this city,” she said.

At a recent retreat in La Jolla where chamber boardmembers set priorities for the coming year, Allen unveiled the theme that would guide her leadership. “My theme for the year is ‘changing times and evolving chamber,’” she said.

“We are going to look at the entire organization from top to bottom and really see what are we doing right, what are we doing wrong, what can we change, [and] what small changes we can make within the chamber to make a big impact,” Allen said.

Getting Ahead Of A Minimum Wage Increase At the chamber retreat, in addition to hearing from Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup and recently elected 4th District Councilmember Daryl Supernaw, the board determined its top priorities.

It identified its No. 1 priority for the year as staying ahead of what Allen views as an inevitable proposal to increase the minimum wage in Long Beach across all industries. The Los Angeles City Council recently approved an ordinance to raise the minimum wage in L.A. to $15 per hour by 2020. Long Beach could be next.

“This is Long Beach, and we do know we have a very heavily labor-influenced council. The votes are there for minimum wage,” Allen said. She predicted that any city council vote on a minimum wage increase would be similar to a recent vote to

Long Beach Business Journal 5 approve a citywide project labor agreement (PLA) – a vote that succeeded 8 to 0 (prior to Supernaw’s election). Even Councilmembers Stacy Mungo and Suzie Price, who in their races for council a year ago were endorsed by the chamber-affiliated Long Beach JOBS Political Action Committee (PAC), voted in favor of the PLA. When asked why the PAC-supported councilmembers would vote in favor of the measure, Allen said, “I am not on the city council, but my perception of them is they know where the votes are, so they know when they can win and when they can lose.” She continued, “Fight the battles you can win, fight the battles you can make a difference in. I think that’s what I see the council doing.”

As board chair, Allen is operating on the assumption that a minimum wage increase ordinance can, and will, pass. “In all honesty, do I think we are going to fight and win against minimum wage? No,” she said.

However, she stressed that the business community should focus on “being collaborative and working with the city council and other organizations to make sure it [a minimum wage increase] has the least amount of impact on our small businesses.”

About 90 percent of the chamber’s estimated 1,000 members are small business owners, she noted.

The chamber board may try to be proactive in tackling a minimum wage increase by commissioning a study on the impacts it would have in Long Beach, Allen said.

While a study might not prevent such an increase from passing, it might help to lessen its impacts. “The study might give us parameters on which to draft the ordinance,” (Please Continue To Page 6)

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6 Long Beach Business Journal

Hotel Exec Kristi Allen (Continued From Page 5)

she said, but acknowledged that a minimum wage increase might be proposed before such a study could be completed.

Cultivating Stronger Relationships Another of Allen’s priorities for the year is creating stronger ties between the chamber, city officials and other Long Beach business organizations.

“I feel it is better than it has been in a while,” Allen responded when asked how she felt about the state of the chamber’s relationships with city elected officials, commissioners and staff. “There is always room for improvement. This is the best opportunity we have had in many years to reestablish a better relationship with city hall and city elected leaders.”

Allen partially credited Mayor Robert Garcia for putting the chamber in a better position to grow city relationships. “A little

NEW CHAMBER CHAIR of that is due to Robert Garcia, who has a pretty strong relationship with the chamber regardless of the fact that we did not support him in the race,” she said. The JOBS PAC supported his opponent, Damon Dunn. “I applaud him for being able to reach out the olive branch and maintain that relationship,” she said of Garcia.

Garcia’s olive branch came in the form of an appointment – earlier this year, he appointed Allen to the newly formed Long Beach Economic Development Commission. “When he called me and asked me to be an economic development commissioner, he said, ‘I want you to represent the chamber on the economic development commission, specifically. We need the voice of business there,’” she recalled.

“He has some great economic development goals,” Allen said. “If we can support him on those goals and hopefully give him direction on what the business community

would like to see as far as economic development, that would be great,” she added.

To build relations at city hall, chamber representatives regularly meet with each councilmember or their chief of staff once a month, Allen said. “We also meet with [City Manager] Pat West and [Assistant City Manager] Tom Modica on a routine basis,” she added, noting that she, chamber President & CEO Randy Gordon and Senior Vice President Jeremy Harris typically attend those meetings.

Allen has no illusions about the chamber getting all the councilmembers to rally to its perspective on major issues. “We’re never going to agree on everything. I heard someone once say, ‘I don’t know the recipe for success, but I know the recipe for failure, and that’s trying to make everyone happy,’” she said. “So we’re not going to try to make everyone happy.”

Still, councilmembers do seek out the

June 9-22, 2015 chamber’s input, she noted. “They’re not highly publicized, but we get those phone calls.”

In addition to building relationships with city government, Allen hopes to form stronger bonds with other business organizations in town to promote better collaboration. As past chair of the DLBA board and a current boardmember with the convention and visitors bureau, Allen said she has a “good focus on the different organizations and how they could all work together to be successful.” What has been missing from the picture in order to make that happen, she said, is “a uniter voice.”

“There is nothing bringing together the city,” Allen said. “Everyone wants, ultimately, the same big goal. We want to be a vibrant economy, a great city. We want to develop. But there is nothing bringing us together.”

Making Changes Also at the top of Allen’s to-do list is reevaluating the effectiveness of the chamber – particularly it’s organizational structure and how well it’s serving its members. “We can’t be the same old chamber,” Allen said.

“I am focused on the organization and how we can make it better. That’s why . . . we are going to evolve, we are going to analyze everything in the organization,” she said. “We’re taking a look right now at restructuring the actual office [and] restructuring what positions we have in the chamber.”

Another goal is ensuring that membership is valuable for both new and existing members. While the chamber offers frequent luncheons and events for business professionals to attend, many of them come with a price, and it is often difficult for “time-starved” professionals to work those events into their schedules.

“One of the things we were looking at on the board is, how do we make these events more accessible for our small business owners?” Allen said, referring to both price and scheduling. “One of our boardmembers suggested that some of the bigger companies could adopt some of these businesses and start . . . paying for some of their membership [fees] at these events,” she said.

The board is also considering recording guest lectures and posting them on the chamber’s website for members who do not have time to attend events.

While Allen acknowledged that the chamber is some times criticized for the JOBS PAC, she said it has been successful in the past year. “Everyone always says, ‘Oh, the Chamber PAC doesn’t do anything.’ In the last year and a half, we have won six of seven [political] races that we have supported,” she noted. The only race in which a PAC-endorsed candidate did not win was the race for mayor.

Currently only a few of the chamber’s boardmembers are also involved with the PAC, but Allen said she is confident the PAC and chamber are sufficiently “at arm’s length,” noting that she is not a member of the PAC and has never attended a PAC meeting.

At the end of the interview, Allen summarized her objectives for the year: “We’re going to focus on minimum wage, we’re going to focus on how we can be a better, stronger chamber and how we can unite other business organizations in this city and lead them to make a stronger voice for business. That’s it.” ■

June 9

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2015

June 9-22, 2015

NEWSWATCH

Long Beach Business Journal 7

Selling Long Beach As A Destination – In Washington, D.C.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia joined the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) on its annual sales mission to Washington, D.C., last week In addition to the CVB and Long Beach Convention Center sales teams, general managers and sales directors from Long Beach hotels also took part in the sales mission. The weeklong marketing effort included sales calls and special events, reaching out to more than 300 professional meeting planners to show why Long Beach is the perfect destination for their meetings. Pictured left to right are: Regina Richardson, CVB; Sarah Nguyen Noh, CVB; Charlie Beirne, Long Beach Convention Center; Veronica Quintero, Premier Catering; Steve Goodling, CVB; Kelly Fogarty, Queen Mary; Kandy Grzebyk, Long Beach Convention Center; Mayor Garcia; Branden Larsen, Queen Mary; Nicole Zylstra, CVB; Joan Cantarelli, CVB; Marissa Rabe, Hotel Maya; Bianca Ware, Marriott; Elaine Gamer, Hilton; Quentin Roberts, CVB; Paul Romero, CVB; Pam Ryan, Renaissance Hotel; Nancy Canzone, Hyatt Hotel; Joe Marcy, Westin Hotel; Silvano Merlo, Courtyard By Marriott; Art Scanlon, CVB; Barb Swaiman, Hilton Hotel; Kristi Allen, Hotel Maya; Mark Taylor, chief of staff to Mayor Garcia; Imran Ahmed, Marriott Hotel; Kelly DeSimas, CVB; and Jamie Dominguez, CVB. The June 23 edition of the Long Beach Business Journal includes a story about the annual sales mission. (Photograph provided by the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau)

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June 9

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June 9-22, 2015

With City Council Support, Proposed Midtown Business Improvement District Moves Forward ■ By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER Senior Writer Long Beach city councilmembers threw their support behind a proposed Midtown Business Improvement District (BID), encompassing the area of Cambodia Town, at the council’s June 2 meeting. The council voted unanimously to authorize the city manager to sign a petition in support of the BID on behalf of the city as a property owner in the proposed BID area.

The proposed district would include properties along East Anaheim Street between Raymond Avenue and Alamitos Avenue in the city’s 6th District. According to a district plan, authored by Urban Consulting Group, Inc., these are natural boundary lines as Raymond Avenue touches the East Anaheim Street Business Improvement District, and Alamitos Avenue separates the Midtown/Cambodia Town area from Central Long Beach.

At the council meeting, 6th District Councilmember Dee Andrews said the city’s backing “is a great step” and a win, not only for his district, but for the city as a whole.

A business improvement district is a property-based assessment district formed

NEWSWATCH by property owners to “voluntarily assess themselves for various services beyond those provided by the city, including enhanced maintenance, public safety, beautification, marketing and economic development programs,” according to a city staff report. There are nine BIDS currently operating within Long Beach in areas including Retro Row, downtown, Bixby Knolls, North Long Beach and others.

The total of proposed property assessment fees to pay for Midtown BID activities is $167,453, according to the district plan authored by the Urban Place Consulting Group, Inc. In order for the BID to move onto a final vote, area property owners representing a simple majority (51 percent) of the total proposed property assessment cost would first have to sign a petition.

By signing the petition to create the Midtown PBID, the city helps the proposed district take a big step towards achieving a simple majority. Properties owned by the City of Long Beach make up about 40 percent of the total assessment, according to Mike Conway, director of the economic and property development department.

City properties in the area include Long Beach Transit’s headquarters, a former Long Beach Redevelopment Agency property, MacArthur Park, the Mark Twain Neighborhood Library and a memorial for the Cambodian Killing Fields.

In a phone interview with Conway and the Business Journal, Jim Fisk, city property manager for business improvement districts, said he expected the petition responses to be reviewed by the city council at its June 16 meeting.

Long Beach Business Journal 9 If a simple majority approve the district in the petition phase, the BID will then move on to a balloting phase in which property owners may vote yes or no. If the assessment total of the yes ballots is a simple majority over the no ballots, the BID gets approved, Conway explained. A tentative public hearing date to count the ballots and have the city council approve the results is set for August 4. If successful, the BID assessment period would begin January 1, 2016.

“The Cambodian community has been trying to do this for some time,” Fisk said.

“They have been working with the city, city council and so forth to try to get this accomplished for quite a while.”

Conway said the first efforts to form a BID in the Cambodia Town area occurred in 2007. A steering committee for the district is made up of community stakeholders. During the planning process for the district, the consulting group held several community outreach meetings, Fisk said.

Businesses within the boundaries are mostly small businesses, Fisk said. “It is really a mix. There are a lot of restaurants, nail salons, jewelry stores. I would say it is just kind of a general eclectic mix like we have in many of these types of corridors,” he said. Conway added that there are retail stores, offices, and civic and religious properties within the proposed BID. “Ultimately it is small business, and that is what the city is trying to support: proliferation and preservation of small business,” Conway said. “These BIDs do an incredible job of enhancing safety and beautifying our corridors and providing opportunities for business to grow, expand, and relocate.” ■

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10 Long Beach Business Journal

NEWSWATCH

June 9-22, 2015

Urban Village Opens On Long Beach Boulevard The developers and commercial real estate brokers behind the newest market-rate apartment complex in Long Beach, Urban Village, gathered to celebrate its completion. Residents have already begun moving into the 129-unit building at 1081 Long Beach Blvd., which is billed by developer Urban Village Development Company as transit-oriented, modern and “against vanilla.” The complex includes a range of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom floor plans, a pool, firepits, a fitness area and more. An official grand opening ceremony is being held June 10 at 5:30 p.m. Pictured, from left, are: Joshua Host, principal and co-founder of Urban Village Development Company; Andrea Besharat, community manager, Urban Village; Percy Vaz, CEO of construction firm AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc.; Sheva Hosseinzadeh, associate with Coldwell Banker Commercial BLAIR WESTMAC; and Brian Russell, vice president of Coldwell Banker Commercial BLAIR WESTMAC.

City Council Moves Forward With Program Updates To Better Inspect Rental Housing ■ By SEAN BELK Staff Writer The Long Beach City Council has agreed, on the urging of renters’ rights groups, to move forward with a new version of an existing code enforcement program for inspecting rental housing in an attempt to increase penalties for property owners who don’t comply with public health and safety standards.

Renters’ rights advocates and affordable housing supporters, who pushed city officials to make the changes, however, say the city’s proposal “falls short” of protecting renters from being evicted by retaliating landlords and goes easy on noncompliant property owners. Still, renter advocates acknowledge the effort is a decent first step.

The city council voted, 9-0, to move forward with changes to the city’s proactive rental housing inspection program (PRHIP). However, before an official council vote on the item and first reading of the ordinance, city staff must return with responses to amendments and requests proposed by 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez and other councilmembers.

Angela Reynolds, deputy director of the city’s building and safety bureau, said during the meeting that the program was first

launched in 1966 and managed by the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department. In 2013, the program was transferred to code enforcement as part of a government reform initiative, she said.

The city council item was brought forward after renters’ rights supporters, including Housing Long Beach, a nonprofit affordable housing advocacy group, pushed for the city to propose a rent escrow account program (REAP) among other requests as part of Long Beach’s eight-year “housing element,” a planning document that sets priorities and outlines programs and policies for housing through 2021.

A REAP, already being implemented in the City of Los Angeles, would allow tenants living in “substandard” dwellings to pay their rent or a reduced rent to the city until violations are corrected. Housing Long Beach contends that such a program would cost nothing to the city.

However, city staff disagrees. In January, city staff said a REAP would cost too much to manage given upcoming budget deficits and is not needed in Long Beach, arguing that only 24 rental units out of the 10,000 units the city deals with annually in code-enforcement issues have been deemed “substandard.”

Affordable housing advocates, however, have said that the city’s statistics are

skewed, adding that city staff is not properly identifying how many substandard units are in Long Beach since inspections are done by complaint. The city’s program also tracks only a percentage of the city’s rental housing buildings, multi-family properties with four units or more that the city considers a business and tracks through requiring a business license.

Reynolds said additions to the existing program would include: notifying property owners and tenants prior to doing inspections; advising tenants and landlords of their rights and responsibilities through a brochure and online; modifying the inspection process; and making efforts to ensure complaints are filed anonymously.

She said the program carries fines of up to $500 for noncompliance in the first 120 days as state code provides. Noncompliant landlords could be fined $500 plus penalties every seven days thereafter and cases may be forwarded to the city prosecutor’s office.

Reynolds said city staff met with affordable housing groups, including Housing Long Beach, as well as the Apartment Association, California Southern Cities, Inc. to come up with the program changes.

Gonzalez, who said she has seen “deplorable” living situations first-hand, requested city staff budget $75,000 for a California Franchise Tax Board referral process to punish the “worst of the worst” landlords who don’t respond to required corrections by 120 days.

“Some of our residents are living in very bad situations, conditions that affect the health and the lives of children and their families,” she said. “Housing needs to be healthy and safe for everybody. Renters should not fear retaliation for voicing their . . . basic needs.”

Gonzalez also requested city staff look into whether the city prosecutor would be able to publicize the names and pictures of “bad landlords” for “wasting city resources” and making a “significant negative impact on the city and tenants.” ■

Comment Period For New Gated Community Ends June 18 ■ By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER Senior Writer The opportunity to comment on the draft environmental impact report (EIR) for a proposed gated community of 131 new single-family homes directly north of the Virginia Country Club along the Los Angeles River ends on June 18.

The proposed Riverwalk Residential Development Project by Newport Beach developer Integral Communities would be located at 4747 Daisy Ave., the site of a former Boy Scout camp. A second access point at Oregon Avenue would be pro-

June 9

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June 9-22, 2015 vided for emergency vehicle access only.

“The applicant is proposing to cater to new families, second-time homebuyers, move-down buyers and empty nesters,” according to the draft EIR. Homes within the gated community, to be built on 10.56 acres, would be two and three stories tall.

There would be two-car parking garages for each home, plus 40 on-street guest parking spots.

Project plans include 157,941 square feet of landscaped and open space areas, which would take up 34 percent of the overall acreage. “This open space would include: a small pocket park; a recreation center with a pool, spa and clubhouse; and private access to the pedestrian/bicycle path along the Los Angeles River,” the report stated.

To mitigate the loss of open space afforded by the Boy Scout camp, the city is requiring that the developer create a new park at the southwest corner of Del Amo Boulevard and Oregon Avenue. “Oregon Park would include a soccer field with sports field lighting, tot lot, picnic area, restrooms, bench seating, bike racks and fitness equipment,” the draft EIR said.

Because the new development would create an estimated net increase of 33,800 gallons of wastewater per day, the city is requiring that a study be performed by an experienced civil engineer to determine if existing sewer infrastructure could handle the increase. The study must be issued prior to any grading or building permits being issued.

The draft EIR may be viewed in person at the Main Library, 101 Pacific Ave. or at Long Beach City Hall. To view it online, visit www.lbds.info/planning/environmental_planning/environmental_reports.asp.

After the comment period closes on June 18, Rincon Consultants, the consulting group that authored the EIR, will review the comments and determine if any additional action is necessary to address concerns, according to Long Beach Planning Bureau Manager Linda Tatum.

After that, a public hearing would be scheduled at a Long Beach Planning Commission meeting, where the commission would recommend that the city council approve the EIR and related zone change and general plan amendment, she said. It typically takes about four weeks after an EIR comment period closes for a project to reach the planning commission, she noted.

After the council approves the draft EIR, zone change and general plan amendment,

Long Beach Business Journal 11 the developer would be able to begin work on the project, Tatum said.

The city looks forward to the additional housing and new public park that the development would create, Tatum said. ■

Long Beach Planning Commission Green Lights Belmont Shore Fitness Center Project ■ By SEAN BELK Staff Writer A proposal to build a new fitness center at a vacant site formerly occupied by Yankee Doodles and a salon at 4100 E. Ocean Blvd. in Belmont Shore is moving ahead after the Long Beach Planning Commission gave its approval and denied appeals by residents at its meeting on June 4.

The plan includes a complete remodel of the ground floor and adding an 8,040square-foot second floor, a 1,000-squarefoot mezzanine level and two new rooftop deck areas, according to a city staff report.

The project, which is being designed by architect Jan van Dijs and developed by Kurt Schneiter of Maverick Investments, also includes a complete revamping of the building exterior, replacing windowless, two-story facades with “an interesting series of openings, projections and aesthetic enhancements,” city staff noted.

Susan Miller, Ann Cantrell and El Dorado Audubon filed appeals to the city, objecting to the approval of a local coastal development permit and zoning exemptions for the project.

According to city staff, the appeals were filed because of concerns about the size of the roof deck area and proposed activities; the roof deck’s proximity to bird nesting locations; parking impacts associated with the building’s expansion; the need for California Coastal Commission review; and a misapplied categorical exemption statute.

Also during the meeting, the planning commission approved an amendment to the development agreement for the Golden Shore Master Plan, for commercial and residential developments in Downtown Long Beach on a 5.87-acre site on the south side of Ocean Boulevard at Golden Shore. The amendment added language that the applicant agrees to include a local hiring component in construction contracts. ■

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12 Long Beach Business Journal

Gas & Oil Department Official Says Fracking In Long Beach Is Safe Despite Protests ■ By SEAN BELK Staff Writer A Long Beach Gas & Oil Department official said that controversial hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, at offshore oil islands has been conducted safely and poses no threat to public health or to the environment.

Kevin Tougas, oil operations manager for the department, gave a presentation on fracking in the city to the Long Beach Sustainable City Commission at the request of Commissioner Elliott Gonzales, a vocal critic of fracking, during a May 28 meeting.

NEWSWATCH Tougas said that, according to studies, fracking, which involves using highly pressurized water and chemicals to stimulate geological formation or shale rock to increase flow of hydrocarbons to oil wells, poses no risk for contaminating the city’s groundwater and doesn’t increase potential for earthquakes in Long Beach, as some environmentalists have asserted.

The presentation counters protests at city hall and elsewhere by environmental groups that say fracking is threatening California’s water supply in a time of drought while causing other environmental hazards and raising the risk for a major seismic event.

In his report, Tougas said that the first oil well that the city fractured was in 1970, and to date the city has completed 196 fracking stimulations, mostly on the oil islands in the harbor. Since 2011, the city has voluntarily posted all of its fracking jobs on the website www.frackfocus.org.

Tougas said that since 2013 the city has

moved from using fresh water to using produced water (water found deep below the earth that is undrinkable) and a portion of reclaimed water in fracking jobs.

In addition, he said frack fluid, which is 99.5 percent water, is put back into the ground through a “closed loop” system in the city’s water flooding project in the oil production process. Tougas said none of the fluids are deposited into pits or into the ocean, an issue raised by environmental groups.

He also said the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board has made a determination that none of the groundwater under the city is suitable for drinking.

Tougas also said that the Long Beach Water Department and other local water agencies continually test water wells and “none of them have ever reported any issues of pollution coming from our oil operations.”

Regarding concerns about leaking methane into the atmosphere, he said the

June 9-22, 2015 city implements vapor recovery on all tanks and vessels.

Tougas added that there is no evidence that fracking has ever caused a seismic event in Long Beach, or will in the future.

Unlike in Oklahoma, where fracking has been linked to earthquakes from the injection of frack fluid, he said in Long Beach the oil is being extracted while fluid is being injected, creating a balance.

“There’s been no credible link between any hydraulic fracturing here in Long Beach and earthquakes,” he said. “Our own assessment of the geological structure for our oil field is that the fault structure that we have is incapable of generating enough energy to cause a sizable earthquake.”

In addition, Tougas said the city and its contractor are participants of a consortium run by USC to determine if any risk exists from hydraulic fracturing or other oil activities. He added that the South Coast Air Quality Management District is notified of any frack job, and that all fracture stimulations must be approved by the State Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources.

Though Gonzales requested that the report be forwarded to the city council, the city attorney’s office clarified that the commission only has authority under its bylaws to receive and file the report. ■

$40,000 In Grants Available For Downtown Beautification Projects ■ By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER Senior Writer The Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA), the nonprofit organization overseeing downtown’s business improvement district, is giving away $40,000 in placemaking grants for projects promising to beautify the downtown area. Individual projects may receive up to $10,000 from that pool of funds, according to a press release from the DLBA. “The initial application simply asks for a description of the project in 200 words or less, how much it will cost, and how it will benefit Downtown Long Beach. That’s all,” Sean Warner, the DLBA’s placemaking manager, said in a statement.

The DLBA’s Public Realm Committee will review applications and choose projects to advance to a second round of the selection process.

“Following that review, successful projects will then be chosen and that capitalize on the uniqueness of Downtown Long Beach, improve the aesthetic quality and user experience of public spaces, and/or enhance the perception of public safety,” according to the DLBA. “Ultimately, we are looking for ideas that creatively solve simple problems or projects that aesthetically and physically contribute to the greater good of a neighborhood,” Ryan Altoon, chair of the public realm committee and executive vice president of AndersonPacific LLC, a real estate development firm constructing a twobuilding high-rise luxury apartment complex in downtown, explained.

The DLBA is hosting a mixer for interested applicants tomorrow, June 10, from 6-8 p.m. at MADE in Long Beach, 236 Pine Ave. Applications are available at www.downtownlongbeach.org/placemaking-grant-program. ■

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New Commission To Oversee Business Loan Programs ■ By SEAN BELK Staff Writer The Long Beach Economic Development Commission formed a three-member subcommittee at its meeting on May 26 to oversee the city’s business loan programs, reviving an economic development tool.

Michelle Molina, Blair Cohn and Walter Larkins serve on the revolving loan subcommittee, according to city officials.

The subcommittee will hold noticed meetings on an as-needed basis to provide discretionary oversight for approving loans below $100,000 to businesses through various funding sources. Loans above $100,000 require discretionary oversight from the city council.

The next meeting of the commission is scheduled for June 30. ■

New Contract For Bike Share Program Awarded To CycleHop ■ By SEAN BELK Staff Writer The Long Beach City Council awarded a $2.2 million contract at its June 2 meeting to Santa Monica-based CycleHop for the purchase and installation of bike share equipment after two previous attempts to roll out an initial phase of the program fell through.

The contract, funded by a grant the city obtained in 2007 and 2009 from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), is for 500 bicycles and 50 bike stations.

The Long Beach bike share equipment will be compatible with Santa Monica’s equipment and that of other cities in the region, according to a statement from CycleHop, which recently relocated its headquarters to Santa Monica from Florida.

According to a city staff report, the city council authorized a contract to Tustinbased Bike Nation, Inc. for Phase 1 of a pilot for the bike share program after a request for proposals process in 2012.

Phase 1 was focused on a small, publicprivate partnership launch in Downtown Long Beach to be entirely funded by the private sector. Phase 2 included expanding to additional neighborhoods and destinations throughout the city with funds set aside for capital costs, city staff said.

However, in the months following the contract award, “the bankruptcy of a major manufacturer and software provider led to the collapse of the market for advertising on bike share equipment,” city staff said.

After Bike Nation pulled out of the deal, Germany-based Nextbike agreed to take over the pilot program but that deal fell through as well because of time constraints. It was stated that Phase 1 was “no longer financially or operationally feasible” for the company.

City staff expects to determine a bike share operator and operating model in coming weeks and will work with CycleHop to install and deploy the bike stations and bikes. ■

NEWSWATCH

Leadership Changes In Long Beach Continue (Continued From Page 1)

bie Mills plans to retire within four months.

And a new Technology and Innovation Department director, Bryan Sastokas, starts next Monday, June 15.

West said, “We have an executive search firm doing a nationwide search right now” to find a replacement for Mills. He said he had planned on making a formal announcement soon. Mills will remain in her position as the search continues, West said. “But she definitely is planning to leave in probably three to four months. It could be a little sooner; it depends on how quickly we select her successor.”

Asked for a comment, Mills told the Business Journal, “I was born and raised in Long Beach and have had a long and rewarding career with the city. After 33 years, I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family, friends and my horses!”

A search firm will also be hired to seek a replacement for Chapjian, although one has not been selected yet, West said. In the meantime, Stephen Scott, business operations bureau manager for the parks department, has been appointed interim director.

West said he was “very comfortable” with Scott guiding the department, as he has “a lot of experience.”

Mayor Robert Garcia released a statement with a similar sentiment to West’s. “I greatly appreciate Steve Scott’s willingness to step up and serve,” he stated. “I know he is going to do a great job leading the men

and women in our award-winning parks department as we seek a permanent director.”

West said contracts with executive search firms typically cost between $15,000 and Bryan Sastokas $20,000 and are paid for by the city department with the vacancy.

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners is in charge of finding a replacement for Wattier, who announced his retirement plans in September. On June 4, Stephen Scott the board approved a $20,000 contract, plus $7,500 for expenses, to conduct an executive search for a new general manager. With Wattier’s retirement, the city loses a manager with vast experience – he has worked in the water industry for the past 35 years.

“In his 14 years as general manager of the Long Beach Water Department, Kevin Wattier has built a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable water experts in the state, if not the country,” Harry Saltzgaver, president of the board of water commissioners, said in a statement. “He has led Long Beach to a place where the residents can be assured of quality water supply, even in tough times.”

“I’ve been privileged to lead one of the region’s best water utilities for the past 14 years,” Wattier said in a statement announcing his retirement.

Long Beach Business Journal 13 With these department heads retiring, the city will soon have four new faces of leadership. Sastokas is the newest of these faces.

He replaces former director of technology services, Curtis Tani, who retired last year.

The appointment of Sastokas to lead the revamped Technology and Innovation Department was announced on May 27. He has 20 years of experience as a technology executive in both the public and private sectors.

“Bryan is committed to an innovative approach to city government and will be an outstanding asset to our team,” Garcia said in a statement. “His leadership will greatly enhance our efforts to focus on the technology that benefit our residents, businesses and visitors.”

Management turnover at city hall is “always challenging, because you develop relationships with department heads,” West said. “The department heads also have their own special relationships with not only the elected officials and the councilmembers, but they all have commissions that they deal with,” he said, adding that they also work with community groups. When new department heads are hired, there is an adjustment period for the affected parties, he stressed.

“But we have been through this a lot. We are a big city,” West continued. “People retire or people are lured to other cities all the time. And our departments do a very good job of succession training, so that in almost all cases there are really good No. 2 or No. 3 [department leaders] to fall back on.”

As city manager, West makes the hiring decision for most city departments. However, the City Charter directs the city council to hire the city clerk. ■

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SPECIAL REPORT – SIGNAL HILL

During the late 1990s and into the new century, hundreds of single-family residences, townhomes and condominiums were built in Signal Hill, many on the hill top and along the hill’s ridges.

The development pushed the city’s population to n e a r l y 11,500 people. This Business Journal photograph is from 2012.

(Continued From Page 1)

City Manager Ken Farfsing next month, told the Business Journal that the city is projecting a $300,000 budget surplus next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Honeycutt said sales tax revenue is projected to grow next fiscal year by 10.6 percent to a total of $15.7 million, adding that increases in auto sales and office supply sales are anticipated to be the main drivers of the revenue growth.

“The economy is steadily improving in Signal Hill,” he said. “Our auto dealers are doing well . . . The [city] departments do a really good job of managing their budgets so our expenditures are coming in under what we anticipated. So, between that and the improved sales tax revenue, it’s helping the bottom line.”

According to fiscal year 2015-2016 budget projections, the city is anticipating a modest $10,000 increase in property tax revenue and “steady growth” of host fee revenue from the EDCO trash-disposal transfer station that is expected to increase by $25,000.

However, the city is projecting oil production barrel tax revenue to decrease by $200,000. In addition, California Public Employment Retirement System (CalPERS) costs are expected to rise by $400,000 next fiscal year, according to city staff.

Honeycutt said CalPERS costs are anticipated to increase by a total of about $1 million over the next five years, as the retirement system tries to offset losses in investments and real estate holdings caused by the recession.

“The stock market has improved over the last few years so [CalPERS is] taking strides to get their fiscal house back in order,” he said. “But they’re going to increase the costs to their member agencies to make up for some of those losses, and we’re going to see some fairly sizeable increases in our PERS costs.”

Additionally, state mandates regarding the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which controls water pollution caused by wastewater and stormwater, is expected to cost $1 million a year.

For more than a year, the city has been working on its stormwater management plan to figure out ways to prevent pollutants from entering flood channels, including the Los Angeles River, the Los Cerritos Channel and San Gabriel River, Honeycutt said.

One mandate includes preventing dirt from running off vacant properties when it rains by installing specific landscaping, he said, adding that the city has budgeted about $100,000 to address city-owned properties and will be proposing a new ordinance to deal with various vacant oil field properties.

Another major challenge for the city is continuing to grow its economic base, which will be particularly tough since the state eliminated redevelopment nearly four years ago, eviscerating the city’s only source of funding for oil well cleanups, Honeycutt said.

He said the city council has recently launched a new “economic development division” and has established a fund to set aside nearly $600,000 in seed money to pay for consultants to test and locate abandoned oil wells, and for city officials, including Honeycutt and Economic Development Manager Elise McCaleb, to market mostly vacant former redevelopment properties to developers.

Before the state abolished redevelop-

Long Beach Business Journal 15

ment in 2011, the city purchased about 25 acres of land, which has since been held up in the state’s redevelopment dissolution process, he said.

However, the state has recently approved the city’s long-range property management plan, which provides state officials with an outline of how the city plans to dissolve the properties, specifying whether they will be used for government use, such as a proposed dog park, or for future economic development.

Now that the state has approved the city’s plan, Honeycutt said Signal Hill has started receiving interest in former redevelopment properties that remain the only game in town for new inventory.

“We’re starting to get some interest from developers who want to come into Signal Hill and start developing,” he said.

For example, former redevelopment acreage at the corner of Spring Street and Atlantic Avenue is being sold to Signal Hill Petroleum for mixed-use development that may include office, retail and possibly a new hotel, Honeycutt said.

“I’ve got a lot of interest in that property,” he said. “Long Beach Memorial [Medical Center] is really interested in getting an extended-stay hotel there to serve the children’s hospital because they have families who have to spend a week here while their child is getting treatment . . . so, we think there’s a built-in market for a hotel there.”

Other interest in former redevelopment properties has come from auto dealers looking to expand at the Signal Hill Auto Center, he said.

Still, Honeycutt said future development is likely going to be a challenge since it is largely unknown exactly how many abandoned oil wells there are in the city and how much upfront money will be required to clean them up.

“I guess the challenge is making these deals happen,” Honeycutt said. “It’s a good challenge to continue to grow our economic base.”

In addition, the city council has recently approved long-awaited changes to the city’s oil code after the state’s Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR), enacted procedural alterations to approving oil well abandonments nearly five years ago, shifting responsibilities to cities.

The amendments to the city’s oil code are now expected to allow commercial and residential projects to be built on or near abandoned oil wells.

Real Estate

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oasting picturesque views, an ideal locale in the middle of Southern California and business-friendly policies, Signal Hill continues to be in high demand for both residential and commercial property, according to local real estate professionals.

Richard Daskam, a real estate broker for Keller Williams Realty, said the first-time homebuyer market has been “very active.”

However, he added, overall, inventory of both available single-family homes and condominiums remains low.

“We’ve been fighting this dwindling inventory for a good year now,” said Daskam, adding that home prices will likely rise moderately over the next year by about 5 percent.

According to the latest multi-listing serv(Please Continue To Page 16)

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16 Long Beach Business Journal

SPECIAL REPORT – CITY OF SIGNAL HILL

June 9-22, 2015

ventory. “There’s reice (MLS) data, there were ally nothing for sale, 14 active listings in Signal relatively speaking, Hill on the market this here,” he said. month, with seven of them With high demand pending or in escrow, he said.

Single family homes in and low inventory, Signal Hill range in price Signal Hill continues from about $500,000 to to be a prime location $1.5 million, according to for new residential statistics from the Pacific development.

West Association of RealIrvine-based resitors® (PWAR). dential developer Ian Hand, a 20-year Signal Summer Hill Homes, Hill resident and realtor with for instance, plans to Emre Comertoglu is general manager of the Chipotle restaurant, Coldwell Banker Coastal Albuild 25 three-story which opened late last year at the Signal Hill Gateway Center, liance, said a total of 41 sales detached single-fam- Spring Street and California Avenue. (Photograph by the Business of single-family homes ily homes on land Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly) closed escrow last year. He owned by Signal Hill Petroleum at family units that would be three and four added that the median sales Crescent Heights Street and Walnut stories high, according to city officials.

Construction of the project, which proprice for homes in Signal Avenue. poses to include a community building, a Hill through April was According to Honeycutt, the procommunity garden, a “tot lot” and a court$652,500, up 10.6 percent posal to build the residential comyard with on-site management, is expected from the same time last year. munity, which would be called get underway by December, city officials to Hand said inventory is “Crescent Square,” is now moving confirmed. tight for homes, particularly forward after being on hold while According to a May 12 development stabelow $1 million. He said the city conducted studies regardtus report provided by the city, there are homes above the millioning the impact of developments other residential developments being two dollar mark are selling Ian Hand, a 20-year Signal Hill resident and a realtor with Coldwell Banker over or near oil wells, and updated proposed in Signal Hill. slower than those with a Coastal Alliance, is seen in front of a single-family home located on Sea Ridge its oil code regulations.

Drive in Signal Hill that is up for sale for $1,045,000.

(Photograph by the BusiFor nearly a year, the owner of property lower price point.

Another development includes ness Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly) at 2599 E. Pacific Coast Hwy. has been “We have magnificent an affordable housing project to be of its location, midway between Los cause to build nine detached residenproposing view potential from Signal Hill that is called “Gundry Hill,” which is being deAngeles and Orange County,” he said.

“So tial units at the site.

However, records indilargely unrealized by a lot of the populasigned by Long Beach-based architecture it’s a great place to have one person workcate that the proposal includes a building tion,” he said, adding that there are disprofirm Studio One Eleven. The project is ing in one part of Southern California and that would exceed the city’s height limit. portionately more condos in Signal Hill Signal Hill’s sixth affordable housing another working in the opposite end of So community.

In addition, the owner of 1939 Temple than there are single-family homes.

Daskam said homes in the “mid-price Cal. It’s a great middle ground, plus you get The new affordable-housing development Ave., where there is currently a nonconformrange” are selling the fastest – within the the newer homes on top of the hill.” being constructed by developer Meta Hous- ing industrial building, plans to sell the propThe problem, Daskam said, however, is ing through the pending allocation of state erty for development of residential homes. first few weeks of being put on the market.

“It’s always been good in Signal Hill be- that in general the city suffers from low in- tax credits is expected to include 72 multi- However, the applicant is still working to lo-

June 9

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June 9-22, 2015

Long Beach Business Journal 17

Jimmy Eleopoulos, owner of Big E. Pizza at 3225 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., shows off the restaurant’s recently expanded area that includes considerably more seating and a semi-private dining area that has already proven popular with local groups. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

cate oil wells and come up with a plan to leak-test the wells, according to city officials.

Commercial real estate developers are investing in Signal Hill as well. For instance, developer 2H Construction is finishing a two-story, nearly 19,000-square-foot medical office building at 845 E. Willow St. Jeff Coburn, commercial real estate broker and principal at Lee & Associates, said construction of the building is scheduled to be completed by the end of June. He said leases are up for signature by an undisclosed party.

Another new medical office building in Signal Hill is located at 2651 Walnut Ave., Coburn said. He added that the nearly 10,000-square-foot building has received interest for leases; however, the building is currently up for sale.

Overall, recommended office buildings

in Signal Hill are running about 90 percent occupied, Coburn said, adding that the market suffers from low inventory.

“I would say the market’s been healthy for office space,” Coburn said. “It’s just that in Signal Hill there is a limited supply of office product.”

The industrial real estate market has an even lower inventory. Patrick O’Healy, president of O’Healy Commercial Real Estate Services, said the vacancy rate for industrial property in Signal Hill is a little less than 2 percent, down from last year. He said there are only a handful of buildings above 3,000 square feet currently on the market.

“I think we’re enjoying a very strong market,” he said. “I have fewer industrial listings today than I’ve had as long as I can remember.”

O’Healy, who said he is currently the

busiest he has been in nine years, said pent up demand has finally caught up with the local marketplace, which has experienced a significantly low vacancy rate, adding that prices for industrial property should continue to rise despite recent macro economic figures.

Retail And Restaurants

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ome retailers in Signal Hill are seeing an uptick in sales while others remain flat, but most business owners agree that economic conditions continue to improve after the Great Recession, which forced many stores to close or at least scale back.

Signal Hill is home to a wide range of retailers, from small, independently owned stores to big box retailers, such as The Home Depot and Costco, which continue (Please Continue To Page 18)

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18 Long Beach Business Journal

June 9-22, 2015

SPECIAL REPORT – CITY OF SIGNAL HILL

2008 and 2009, when many restaurants were forced to close, adding that vacant storefronts are starting to fill back up again.

Auto Industry

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Chad Charron, right, is general manager of Boulevard Buick/GMC, and Alex Paramo is the new car manager. Located at 2800 Cherry Ave. in the Signal Hill Auto Center, sales at the dealership are up about 35 percent so far this year compared to 2014, according to Charron. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

to be among the top sales tax revenue generators for the city.

Randy Kemner, owner of The Wine Country on Redondo Avenue, said last year his business began seeing an uptick in sales from the previous year, adding that sales have continued to rise since then.

“It’s going quite well,” he said. “This is the longest period of time we’ve seen a year-to-year substantial increase actually since 2007. It’s very encouraging.”

Kemner attributed the bump in sales partly to the drop in gas prices last year that he said gave people more discretionary income. In addition, he said “millennials” are now becoming regular customers of quality wines and craft beer.

He added that The Wine Country, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has also made some changes that have “energized” the store, including investing in wine lockers for customers to rent, installing a 32-foot-long craft beer display case, expanding the store’s craft liquor selection and hiring expert staff.

Kemner noted that new restaurant venues have begun opening up in Long Beach while his online business is picking up, adding that both are indications of an overall improving economy.

Charles Feder, co-owner of Rossmoor Pastries, which is located next to The Wine Country, said that, “sales are up,” but he added that there are still challenges.

Like Kemner, however, Feder said the drop in gas prices has positively impacted his business in that he is selling more expensive cakes.

On the other hand, Feder said California’s increase in its minimum wage is likely going to negatively impact sales since he may have to raise prices to cover wage hikes.

“My genre is the food industry,” Feder said. “We’re in the industry where [customers] have a lot of discretion about spending, so if we have to raise our prices because of that it’s going to impact our sales.”

On a positive note, he said building a 5,000-square-foot bakery for a new line of gluten-free products has improved overall sales “big time.”

Mike Casares, co-owner of Circle Pet & Aquarium Maintenance, which relocated to Redondo Avenue and Hill Street near Rossmoor Pastries from its former location on Ximeno Avenue about five years ago, said business has been “tough.”

He added that, like many independently owned small businesses, his main competition has been corporate chains. For instance, Petco has opened three new

“Unleashed” stores within a one-mile radius of his shop, Casares said.

“We’re pretty much a dying breed over here of an old-school, family-owned pet store,” he said. “It’s not great, but we’re employing young kids who are up-and-coming and learning about the hobby themselves.

It’s pretty exciting.”

Casares said Circle Pet, which has serviced fish tanks for famous comedian and Signal Hill resident Gabriel Iglesias, will be featured on Animal Planet’s new season of the TV show “Tanked” next month.

The Undershirt, a Signal Hill-based company providing career apparel with custom printing and embroidery, saw an increase in sales all through last year, said owner Shari Blackwell. However, she said this year so far has been “disappointing,” as sales have started to drop.

“Overall, last year was a great year,” Blackwell said. “All 12 months were great and I really felt like the recession was over and I might had been out of it.

Then it declined again in the first quarter of this year.”

She attributed last year’s increase in sales to an improving restaurant industry.

“It seemed that people had more disposable income to eat out more, so my restaurants were ordering more,” Blackwell said.

“This year, I’m hopeful the second quarter will be stronger than the first.”

New retailers and restaurants in Signal Hill have continued to pop up in the last year. For instance, a new Chipotle, Starbucks and Sprint store opened up late last

year as the newest additions to the Signal Hill Gateway Center, owned by Signal Hill Petroleum, off Spring Street between California and Atlantic avenues.

Ashley Schaffer, real estate manager for Signal Hill Petroleum, said, overall, business at the new storefronts has been steady so far.

“From a visual standpoint and from what people are saying in the community, that whole new development is really cranking,” she said. “It’s been really busy.”

In addition, Big E Pizza, in its 29th year, has expanded its location in Signal Hill on Pacific Coast Highway, now offering a party room and additional seating.

Owner Jimmy Eleopoulos said that the expansion has increased business recently and will help the restaurant service orders for large parties, baseball teams and special events. “We’re definitely booking a lot of parties now and we’ve actually booked out for the whole graduation period for private parties for the new room,” he said. “Our lunch business has basically tripled because of the size.”

Business this year at City Mex, a Mexican quick-service restaurant that has been located at the corner of Willow Street and Cherry Avenue for nearly 17 years, has so far been flat over last year, according to owner Steve Jones. However, he said the catering business has steadily improved, and adding breakfast to the menu last year has proved successful.

Jones added that the restaurant industry in general is “cyclical.” However, sales have been better in recent years than in

Signal Hill Petroleum oilrig workers pull out active tongs during breakout operations on well D-77 located in D Drill site at Walnut Avenue and Willow Street. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

uto dealerships in Signal Hill continue to report a steady increase in sales, resuming a trend experienced across the nation for the past few years. In fact, auto dealers, most of which are the city’s top sales tax revenue generators, have indicated double-digit increases for year-todate sales as of the end of May. At the Boulevard Buick/GMC dealership in Signal Hill, sales so far this year are up more than 35 percent for the combined brands compared to the same time period in 2014, according to Chad Charron, general manager for the dealership located on Cherry Avenue as part of the Signal Hill Auto Center.

The dealer also owns a Cadillac dealership that was previously located in Long Beach and was moved to Signal Hill in 2012. Charron said the sales increase from last year might rise to 45 percent during summer months, when sales are highest for vehicles. “I’ve seen great, great growth,” Charron said. “It’s exciting.”

While the market for luxury-brand automobiles is moving a little slower than other brands, Charron said, vehicles are still leaving the lot. He said there has been a new “collective demographic” in which more young people are now potential buyers. “I don’t know if it’s the funny commercials, all the marketing they’re doing or the new technology, but we’re being considered quite a bit more,” Charron said.

He added that the newest model to the Buick portfolio lately has been the Encore, a small SUV with a host of new amenities and technology. Charron said sales of the model so far this year are up 140 percent over last year.

Bob Davis, president of Glenn E. Thomas Dodge, which is also located along Spring Street in Signal Hill Auto Center and offers new and pre-owned Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and RAM vehicles, said sales at the auto dealership are up 27 percent so far this year compared to last year. He said most of the sales growth has been in Jeep and RAM pickup trucks, adding that the sales increase in recent months has been “more significant” that in previous years.

Davis said other dealerships at the Signal Hill Auto Center have reported rising sales while the auto industry overall in the United States continues to improve.

“It’s steadily been climbing,” Davis said.

“I think, as a whole, the industry has come back from the days of 2008, 2009 and 2010. The dealers who I speak to seem to be pleased with what’s going on . . . There are different kinds of predictions [about whether] it’s going to keep going, or if this is it. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

The increased sales activity is compelling some auto dealerships to expand in order to offer a wider selection of vehicles.

Glenn E. Thomas Dodge, for instance, is in negotiations with the city to purchase three acres of former redevelopment property to expand on Spring Street.

Davis said he would be able to make an announcement about the expansion in the next few months.

“You have to have more inventory on the ground,” he said. “The sales growth in the

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2015

last few years has been significant so that means more cars to repair . . . I think everybody is looking for some room.”

In addition, the BMW dealership in Signal Hill is the process of expanding to a vacant lot, also a former redevelopment property, at Walnut Avenue and Cherry Avenue that was once slated for a CarMax dealership. A city official said the auto dealer is separating out its BMW brand to the new site and is situating its Mini brand at the corner of Spring Street and Cherry Avenue.

Oil Industry Oil production in Signal Hill today looks nothing like it did during the peak years when oil derricks famously dotted the city’s hilltop. However, hundreds of active oil wells among homes and retail shopping centers are still permitted to operate within

city limits and continue to be a major tax revenue generator for the city.

This year, however, as the price of oil has dropped by about 50 percent from the fourth quarter of last year, Signal Hill Petroleum (SHP), the main oil operator in the city, has recently “slowed down” its investments in drilling, said SHP Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Dave Slater.

“We’re a privately held oil and gas production company, and our strategic paradigm has always been, when oil prices are up and we have stronger cash flow, that’s the time when we invest more heavily in developing technology in drilling oil and gas wells,” he said.

Signal Hill city officials, meanwhile, are projecting oil production barrel taxes to decrease by $200,000 next fiscal year compared to this fiscal year.

Still, Slater said oil production so far remains up from last year, adding that the

company is on track to produce about 20 percent more oil this year than last year, when the company produced a total of about 1 million barrels of oil.

The main driver of the increase in oil production for SHP has been its ability to use new technology to find oil resources deep in the ground through a process called 3D seismic imaging. Using data from this survey, the company has increased its oil production to about 3,500 barrels of oil per day, according to previous reports.

Throughout the past five years, SHP has been investing in constructing “very uniquely designed and configured drilling rigs” for operating in the oilfield, which covers the entirety of Signal Hill and a portion of Long Beach.

“When you add it all up, we have put a lot of money back into the field,” Slater said.

With oil prices down, however, the company is currently drilling “shallower

and less expensive wells,” he said. Additionally, SHP, which owns most of the land in Signal Hill, is focusing more on real estate development projects.

He said recently completed revisions to the city’s oil code that SHP assisted with will now give developers more guidance on how to propose projects over or near abandoned oil wells. According to city officials, changes to the code were put in place to make sure abandoned oil wells are properly leak-tested for methane before projects are developed.

“The city I think took very responsible action in revisiting and updating the oil code, especially as it relates to development and oil wells,” Slater said. “Public safety and doing things environmentally solid is priority for everybody, and we believe that the city was able to accomplish a revised oil code that provides a much stronger and better roadmap for the city and developers to move forward with.” ■

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20 Long Beach Business Journal

June 9-22, 2015

SPECIAL REPORT – CITY OF SIGNAL HILL

City Manager Ken Farfsing Retiring After 19 years Of Service To Signal Hill ■ By SEAN BELK Staff Writer After 19 years as Signal Hill’s top city executive, City Manager Ken Farfsing, who has seen the city flourish with new homes, retail establishments and parks, is retiring at the end of the month.

His last day will be June 30, when he will hand over the reins to Deputy City Manager Charlie Honeycutt, a 28-year city employee who will be promoted to the top slot. The city is currently seeking a new deputy city manager to replace Honeycutt.

Farfsing’s career in public service spans 37 years in five Southern California cities.

Before becoming Signal Hill’s city manager, he had a plethora of city government experience under his belt, previously working as South Pasadena’s city manager and the deputy city manager for Downey.

Earlier in his career, Farfsing, a 61-yearold Alhambra resident, also worked for the City of La Verne as community development director and the City of Santa Fe Springs as an intern. He earned a master’s degree in planning at USC. When Farfsing came on board as Signal Hill’s city manager in 1996, the city was in the middle of planning the future of the “hilltop,” well known for its picturesque views, after a legal battle with a developer that owned much of the land and wanted to build mega high-rise condos. At the time, the hilltop was mostly vacant.

The city eventually moved forward with

Signal Hill City Manager Ken Farfsing, left, with Deputy City Manager Charlie Honeycutt at city council chambers. Honeycutt is replacing Farfsing, who is retiring at the end of the month. The 2.2-square-mile city has a population of approximately 11,500. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

scaled-down residential development and added a park and trail system. Today the panoramic views fetch residential real estate prices in the million-dollar range. Vacant lots left behind in Signal Hill’s famous oil field have since been developed into retail shopping centers.

Councilmember Michael Noll and Councilmember Tina Hansen are the only remaining councilmembers who were on the initial city council that hired Farfsing out

of four candidates nearly two decades ago.

Noll, who was elected to a sixth term in 2013, said the city council made the right decision in choosing Farfsing, who showed a passion for city government and public service, he said.

“He showed a lot of enthusiasm for people and the city,” Noll said. “That was one of the big reasons we chose him, and we certainly did a good job of choosing.”

Honeycutt, who is slated to officially take

over as Signal Hill’s new city manager next month, said Farfsing’s problem-solving ability has been a major gain for the city.

“One of Ken’s strengths has always been to analyze an issue and strategically develop a plan to address it,” said Honeycutt, who called Farfsing his mentor. “And I can’t think of a time when his strategy didn’t benefit the city.”

In an interview with the Business Journal, Farfsing said his biggest challenge as

HONORING KEN FARFSING CITY MANAGER OF SIGNAL HILL

Local assemblies of the people “ constitute the strength of free nations.

Municipal institutions are to liberty what primary schools are to science: they bring it within the people’s reach, and teach them how to use and enjoy it.

A nation may establish a system of free government, but without the spirit of municipal institutions it cannot have the spirit of liberty.

”

—Alexis de Tocqueville

K

EN FARFSING’S spirit for municipal institutions and 19 years in Signal Hill have made the community what it is today. His dedication has been a shining beacon for public servants throughout the region.

With gratitude to Ken, a special friend and colleague, who embodies the best in public service...

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RETIREMENT!

OUR AT TORNEYS HAVE REPRESENTED THE CIT Y OF SIGNAL HILL SINCE 1978

June 9

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June 9-22, 2015 Signal Hill’s city manager has been balancing a budget that relies mostly on sales tax revenue, adding that Signal Hill is a “nolow property tax” city. The 2.2-square-mile city, incorporated in 1924, does not impose a utility users tax and maintains a very low business license fee.

He explained that the city receives only six cents for every dollar of property tax income while the rest goes to Los Angeles County and the Long Beach Unified School District. With 70 percent of the city’s revenue derived from sales tax, the city has to rely on economic development to grow city services, Farfsing said.

“The services that people see in Signal Hill, the road repairs . . . the parks, the community services and the library [are] funded through sales tax, primarily,” Farfsing said. “It’s not an easy city to manage from a financial standpoint. It’s a lot harder than any other community I’ve worked in.”

Asked what he would have done differently if Signal Hill had unlimited funds, Farfsing said he would have focused more on street maintenance and fixing the circulation of roads, adding that it’s often difficult to obtain funding for such multi-year projects.

Farfsing said his greatest achievement has been assisting the city in developing five new parks that he said have improved quality of life for residents and profitability of businesses.

“If you look at the amenities the city is providing for the residents and businesses, it’s really exciting to see,” Farfsing said.

“I’m not saying I did all that, but I certainly worked on all of those [park projects].”

SPECIAL REPORT – CITY OF SIGNAL HILL He added that the city has recently built a community garden and is planning to develop a new dog park off California Avenue, just north of Spring Street, and a “city view” park with a new pedestrian trail on Crescent Avenue, immediately west of Cherry Avenue.

During the majority of his tenure, the city has seen little turnover in city staff and on the city council. Aside from Councilmember Lori Woods, who was elected to her first term in 2013, beating 12-year councilmember Ellen Ward, most councilmembers have remained in office for at least a decade. Signal Hill currently has no term limits.

Having little turnover has brought “stability” to Signal Hill, Farfsing said. However, he said that whether the city council should change is a decision left up to the voters.

“The way I look at it is, if [voters] feel the city is running well, then there is no need for them to make a change,” Farfsing said. “Cities that run into problems have high turnover . . . so, I think, to some extent, the stability is good, but I also think that change is good.”

Noll said Farfsing brought a background of being able to “put things together to make a package” that would benefit developers as well as residents, creating an atmosphere that enabled the city to build up its economic base and become “successful.”

One of the main drivers of economic development has been redevelopment funding, which, before being eliminated in 2011 by the state legislature because of budget cuts, covered the cost of oil well cleanups

and the preparation of land for commercial or residential development, he said.

Farfsing said Gov. Jerry Brown and the legislature made “strategic mistakes” by eliminating redevelopment funding in California. Even though the state is considered the “seventh largest economy in the world,” California is one of the only states in the nation with “no economic development plan,” Farfsing said.

“It’s a very unplanned state,” he said, adding that the state legislature “chases businesses out of the state to its detriment.”

Farfsing, who has built up reserves and helped Signal Hill weather the recession, said the city council recently set up an economic development fund (so far worth $600,000) that would enable the city to better market former redevelopment properties for potential developments.

However, without redevelopment funding, which once totaled $13 million a year for Signal Hill, economic growth won’t be as robust as it has been in the past, he said.

“We’re going to have to go out and look for the oil wells and test them and get them ready so a developer can understand what they’re dealing with,” Farfsing said. “So I think we’re slowly pulling together some of the tools that we need to continue to revitalize the community. I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s difficult without redevelopment.”

The state’s decision to eliminate redevelopment funding also took away funding for affordable housing, Farfsing noted.

He said affordable housing projects often take several years to finish. During his tenure, two affordable housing projects were completed and a third is now being

Long Beach Business Journal 21 proposed. Affordable housing is important for a thriving community, Farfsing said.

“Having no funding to help do affordable housing I think really hurts the area,” he said. “It makes it really difficult for young families to stay here and it makes it difficult for employers to attract employees if they can’t find a place to live and if they have to drive two hours to get to work . . . it’s just not good for productivity.”

The timing of Farfsing’s retirement, meanwhile, coincides with a settlement regarding a lawsuit the city filed against the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD).

After a legal battle that carried on for several years, the case in which the cities of Cerritos, Downey and Signal Hill alleged that the WRD had illegally increased replenishment assessments (RAs) in violation of Proposition 218 has been recently settled.

The settlement provides that WRD will pay the cities’ attorney fees and related expenses, worth an estimated $4 million.

WRD will also pay $5 million in basin improvement projects for the cities within seven years and may meet that obligation through any combination of state and federal grants or its own funding sources.

“Hopefully [the WRD] understands that [it] has to be responsive to the cities that purchase the water from them, because ultimately we have to pass those costs on to our residents and our businesses,” he said.

Farfsing said his next move is to “slow down,” however he still plans to stay involved with the California Contract Cities Association to help cities tackle major issues, such as stormwater requirements. ■

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22 Long Beach Business Journal

June 9-22, 2015

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

(Continued From Page 1)

a more recent period of time, the growth rate of women-owned businesses from 2007 to 2015 was 21 percent.

Women-owned firms now account for 30 percent of all businesses in the country. “As of 2015, it is estimated that there are just over 9.4 million women-owned businesses in the United States, generating nearly $1.5 trillion in revenues and employing 7.9 million people,” according to the American Express OPEN report.

Businesses where women are equal owners – for example, businesses equally owned by husbands and wives, such as Long Beach’s Pirates Cove, profiled in this section – make up 17 percent of U.S. businesses, according to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. That brings the total share of American businesses in which women have equal or full ownership to 47 percent. These 14.7 million firms, as estimated by American Express OPEN, “generate nearly $3 trillion in revenues and employ nearly 16 million people.”

In California, the number of women-owned businesses increased at a slower pace than the overall country from 2007 to 2015, with about 14 percent growth, according to the American Express OPEN report. There are currently about 1.2 million womenowned firms in California, employing nearly one million people and generating about $218.9 billion in sales.

The industries with the largest number of women-owned businesses in the country include health care and social assistance, services (such as beauty salons or pet-sitting businesses), professional and technical services (such as accounting or law firms), administrative support and waste management, and retail.

All of the local women business owners interviewed by the Business Journal said that since opening – whether 20 years or six months ago – they have added employees and seen an increase in business, reflecting the state and national growth trends among women-owned firms. ■

Since opening, Urban Table has developed a larger customer base. “We started slow, and every single week has been better than the week before,” Baer reflected. “Now we are getting really busy.”

Baer’s biggest challenge running Urban Table has been mastering marketing via social media. “I am learning as I go, and it’s a challenge,” she said. One of the ways she has increased her business’s visibility is by participating in the Belmont Shore Business Association’s monthly summer event, Stroll & Savor.

Baer recently started up drop-off and take-out catering through Urban Table, an aspect of the business she hopes to focus more on in the future. “Developing that end of the business is the first priority right now,” she said. ■

Maureen Bennit The Pirates Cove 419-C Shoreline Village Dr., Long Beach • 562/435-2210 www.piratescoveonline.com

M

Carolyn Baer Urban Table 5000 E. 2nd St., Long Beach • 562/438-9400 www.urbantablecafe.com

A

fter getting a taste of running cafes at museums and parks, long-time caterer Carolyn Baer was inspired to open her own cafe and market, Urban Table, on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore.

About 28 years ago, Baer started up Cheers Catering, a Los Angeles-based catering company that she still runs today. “When you cater, you cater at so many fabulous locations,” Baer said. After catering for the Natural History Museum and the Autry National Center at Griffith Park, her company took over food services in cafes at both locations. “It’s really nice to have customers come to you – to have everything you need there,” Baer said. “Whereas with catering, with every single job you do you’re packing up everything you need . . . and taking it to a new location.”

The positive experience Baer had at these venues led her to seek out a storefront location for a new business based closer to her home in Belmont Shore, where she has lived with her husband for the past 12 years. “I think Belmont Shore is such a unique place,” she said. “It’s a great vibe, and great people live here.”

Baer opened Urban Table in September 2014 as a fast-casual dining establishment and market. “We have changed a lot,” Baer noted. “We are now full service, so it is all seated dining.” The location now also has a license to sell beer and wine, enabling Baer to serve drinks to diners, sell craft beer and wines from the market, and even hold wine tasting events.

Urban Table’s market sells pre-prepared foods such as chicken, potato salad and grilled veggies. “We also have items you can grab off the shelf that are more gourmet, like honeycomb and bourbon barrel salts and sugars, and some nicer olive oils and vinegars,” Baer said.

Baer has also begun selling a growing number of products from independent Long Beach-based companies such as Black Ring Coffee, Polly’s Gourmet Coffee, The Pie Bar and Romeo Chocolates. “It’s cool. I like selling local,” Baer said.

aureen Bennit has been a fixture at Shoreline Village, where she has been operating The Pirates Cove with her husband, Ralph, for 24 years. And she doesn’t plan on quitting anytime soon.

Owning a retail store has been a dream come true for Bennit, and she can’t imagine doing anything else. “I don’t think I’d ever want to close the store,” she said. “I’m 69 years old, but I am not ready to retire.”

Bennit has worked in retail throughout her entire career. In the 1970s, she had an arts and crafts store in El Segundo, but eventually sold the business. Following that venture, she became a buyer for a store in the Del Amo Fashion Center. But she always wanted to go back to owning her own store, she said.

She got the chance when someone she knew put up his glass engraving business for sale in Shoreline Village in the early 1990s. Bennit and her husband purchased the shop, and then turned it into an arts and crafts-focused store called Crafts Gallery.

In the early 2000s, a customer inspired her to take her shop in a new direction. “I had Crafts Gallery for some years until finally one day this scraggly looking gentleman walked in the store and asked if I liked pirates,” she recalled. “Of course I said yes. So we started going into the pirate theme.”

Bennit’s decision to transition Crafts Gallery into a pirate-themed souvenir and gift shop was further cemented by her experience visiting the cast and crew of “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” as they filmed scenes in Long Beach.

“What made me go into the pirate theme was meeting a lot of people in the movie and getting to go on the ship that Johnny Depp was on,” she recalled, adding that she met quite a few of the film’s cast members.

In addition to pirate-themed products, the shop sells sundries for boaters and a wide range of products such as headwear, postcards, T-shirts, Long Beach-themed souvenirs and even movie-themed gifts. “I’m always finding new merchandise, and that’s what grows my business,” Bennit said. “If something is trending I get it in, I sell it real quick and then it is on to something else,” she explained. “I think my success is because I am a good buyer.”

One of the most challenging aspects of operating her store is staying ahead of her competition. She tackles that challenge by attending trade shows to find the latest products and goods. “The biggest challenge I would say is always going to [trade] shows outside of California . . . and always looking out for that certain product that no one else has,” she reflected.

Since Bennit has no interest in retiring any time soon, her goal is to continue growing her business. “My goal is to keep doing what I am doing, and hopefully the business will grow,” she said. ■

June 9

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June 9-22, 2015

W

Long Beach Business Journal 23

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Toyicha Chisom

Victoria Nguyen, DDS

Set Free Enterprises, Inc.

Long Beach Smiles Dentistry

6159 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach 562/646-6185 or 1-844-WIN-6388 www.setfreeenterprises.com

5533-A E. Stearns St., Long Beach • 562/296-6111 www.longbeachsmilesdentistry.com

hat began for Toyicha Chisom as a home-based consulting career has taken shape in a storefront location in North Long Beach, where she offers a range of wellness and financial services.

After being laid off from the University of Southern California in 2009, where she had been a budget analyst and an office manager, Chisom said she soon began working from home as a weight loss consultant. With the help of an all-natural liquid supplement she created, which she said is formulated to suppress appetite and break down body fat, she had lost 132 pounds in 18 months. Her success led her to start her consulting business, Set Free Weight Loss, through which she also sold and promoted her formula.

While Chisom said word of mouth helped her gain new clients, the early years of her business were not without growing pains. “Everything has been grassroots,” she said of the evolution of her business. “That’s why I can appreciate where I am now, because it has definitely been a struggle. There were times when I didn’t know how I was going to pay my bills,” she said.

Armed with a bachelors degree in criminal justice and a masters in public administration, Chisom set out to grow her expertise by earning certifications as a notary, credit specialist, treasury professional and more. With the combination of these certifications, and her own experience successfully contending with personal finance issues, she diversified her business to provide credit, tax and other professional services.

While health and financial services are two areas that may not seem to go hand in hand on the surface, Chisom believes they are linked. “Health and wealth go together. If you don’t have your health, you’re definitely not going to move as fast in order to achieve goals in business, or whatever you aspire to.”

Chisom’s clientele grew to the point where she needed a storefront location. About three years ago, she opened Set Free Enterprises in North Long Beach. The business has three divisions – Set Free Tax & Professional Services, Set Free Credit Repair and Set Free Weight Loss. Opening in North Long Beach “was actually strategic to make sure that I was in the area that needed my assistance with all the services that I provide,” she explained.

Moving forward, Chisom said her next challenge is identifying what other services she can provide through Set Free. “I guess my challenge would be, what’s next? What other products and services could I add to the Set Free brand in order to help other people?”

In the future, Chisom hopes to open additional locations in Long Beach and perhaps even Los Angeles. ■

D

r. Victoria Nguyen has known she wanted to pursue a career in dentistry since she was in middle school. After graduating from University of Southern California’s school of dentistry in 2010, she began pursuing opening her own practice.

“I always wanted to; I knew from the moment I graduated,” Nguyen responded when asked what inspired her to open her own dental office. Before she accomplished that goal, Nguyen gained experience working in other dentists’ practices.

Some of those dentists motivated her to start her own practice in an unexpected way.

“What really motivates you are actually bad dentists,” Nguyen reflected. “I worked for a few dentists that were just not the nicest.” She doesn’t look back on those experiences in a negative way, but rather views them as career-building experience. “If I never worked for them, I would not be where I am today . . . I appreciate them in a different way now, only because it led me to be successful here in this community,” she said.

In April 2014, Nguyen opened Long Beach Smiles Dentistry in East Long Beach.

The practice, which she owns the majority of, is operated through Pacific Dental Services, a national dental company supporting dentists in private practice with administrative services. “Before I bought into this office, I was working at other offices that were owned by other dentists inside the corporation,” Nguyen explained. Pacific Dental Services helped her find an ideal location for her business by researching area demographics and taking care of real estate dealings.

“We started from scratch,” Nguyen said of her business. “It was a brand new office. We started with two assistants, an insurance representative, a manager and me. It was just the five of us.” In just a little more than a year, Long Beach Smiles’ staff has grown to 12 people, including two additional dentists.

Long Beach Smiles offers general dentistry services such as crowns, fillings and cleanings, and has affiliated specialists who can perform procedures such as root canals, bone implant surgeries and cosmetic procedures such as veneers.

Since opening, Long Beach Smiles has managed to bring in about 100 new patients per month, thanks to patient referrals and positive reviews on the review website Yelp.com, Nguyen said. Both children and adults are welcome as patients.

Nguyen’s biggest challenge as her business continues to grow “is that dentistry is very cyclical,” she said. “Even though you are constantly seeing patients, summer time is slower because parents are on vacation with their kids . . . You just have to be creative in the slower times of the year, because you still have staff that you’re employing.”

In the future, Nguyen hopes to bring in more dentists to her practice to accommodate more patients. ■

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24 Long Beach Business Journal

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Chrissy Cox, left, and Dawna Bass opened the storefront for their small business, Rainbow Juices, this past February in Downtown Long Beach. When they first started their business, the two mainly sold their line of cold-pressed juices to acquaintances and friends. The company grew organically through word-of-mouth referrals. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

Women Entrepreneurs: Grassroots Growth (Continued From Page 1)

“It was like grassroots marketing,” Cox said. “I was teaching yoga on the bluff.

People would request juices, so I would bring a cooler and I would always make a few extra,” she recalled. The two also began bringing juices to their roller derby events.

“It was kind of like walking around with the cooler that said Rainbow Juices on it, and that’s really exactly how it started,” Cox said. Bass added, “We set a price, and then word of mouth carried on to friends of friends of friends, and soon people we didn’t know were calling us about the juice.”

Soon after the two began selling their juices at Cox’s yoga classes and at roller derby meets, word of their fledgling business began spreading beyond their existing social groups, Cox recalled. “Shortly after that, a yoga student of mine was talking it up around town,” she said. That student, a regular patron of Long Beach coffee shop Lord Windsor Roasters, told Lord Windsor’s owners that they should start selling Rainbow Juices. “They were actually the first people to call us,” Cox said.

Having their juices at Lord Windsor was a success on day one. “They asked for three different [juice] blends and we did two large [sizes] and two small [sizes] of each.

The order was really small,” Cox said.

“Then they called us midway through the first day of sales and they were like, ‘We need more juice!’”

At that point, Cox and Bass started up a Facebook page to spread the word about

June 9-22, 2015

their fledgling business. Very quickly, the page garnered 500 likes, Cox said. “I think it was the way we were able to grow in the beginning a lot,” she said of Facebook.

From there, they began supplying other local vendors such as Viento y Agua Coffeehouse, Eco Coffee, Portfolio Coffeehouse, Berlin Bistro and others. Eventually they were supplying 13 local businesses, several of which contacted the pair first as Lord Windsor had done, thanks to the wordof-mouth chatter about Rainbow Juices.

About a year ago, the two pulled their products from the shelves of local stores to focus on opening their own storefront. The decision was partially made because they

discovered raw juices cannot be sold at eateries unless they are made on site. “We pulled out of the stores. There is actually no truly raw juice in any store unless it is made there,” Bass said.

But, because of the successful grassroots networking Cox and Bass had already accomplished, their business quickly found a home. “We were asked – again asked – to be a part of this project,” Cox said of Rainbow Juice’s new location in a recently renovated building at the southwest corner of Long Beach Boulevard and 3rd Street. “We have just been really grateful for everything that has kind of fallen into place when it needed to,” she reflected.

Since then, Rainbow Juices continues to gain new customers every day, partially still through word of mouth, but often due to positive reviews on the social media review website, Yelp.com. “You know, you don’t need to look at huge marketing schemes or ways to do big advertising,” Bass said. Cox agreed. “We have had other businesses starting up tell us that we’ve inspired them to push forward and to just try something new, and that they don’t have to have it all set up very corporate,” she said.

Peppered Up Foods/ Sliced & Diced Eatery Griselda Suarez and Amy Eriksen, partners and owners of sauce company Peppered Up Foods, as well as Sliced & Diced Eatery, known as the “purple shack” that serves up tortas on East Anaheim Street, also grew their businesses through grassroots efforts and the use of social media.

In 2011, the two started Peppered Up Foods as a small farmers market operation, where they successfully nabbed customers by posting coupons and discounts on the popular website LivingSocial. “When we started . . . we were one of the first farmers market businesses on LivingSocial,” Suarez recalled in a phone interview. “That helped a lot, because it got people to our tent,” she said. “Any fan base that gets a discount is really happy.”

From the beginning, Suarez said she and Eriksen “tried all the social networks that were trending,” including Foursquare, Facebook and others. “Yelp and Facebook became the ones that engaged us. That is where we found our customers, so those are the ones we kept.”

In-person networking turned out to play a major role in shaping the future, and growth, of the business. Because Peppered Up Foods’ sauces included only natural

preservatives, Suarez said she and Eriksen sought customer feedback not only about taste, but also about how long the products were lasting once opened.

“We asked about the container and the lid: ‘How does it function? How does it last?’” Suarez recalled. “Then a few weeks later when the customers saw the difference or they noticed a different packaging . . . they’d be like, ‘Oh, you changed it!’” she said. “We found that customers that kept coming back felt invested in the products and became part of the Peppered Up Foods Family,” Suarez said. “Five years later, we have a very strong loyal customer fan base that is not shy in giving us feedback.”

About two years into the farmers market business, Suarez and Eriksen decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign through the website Kickstarter to fund new labels and branding for Peppered Up Foods. According to Suarez, the successful networking the company had already achieved through social media aided in making the campaign a success. “Our goal was $5,000 and . . . we made it to $5,800,” she said.

With the success of Peppered Up Foods, the two owners opened Sliced & Diced Eatery in 2013 “as a canvas for Peppered Up Foods.” The menu, which includes Mexican and American dishes, incorporates Peppered Up Food sauces.

While the menu is set, Suarez said she still seeks customer feedback on her sauces.

“When I want to try a new sauce or a new dressing . . . I get to test it out here in the kitchen and use it on our food, and that’s when we get to talk to customers about it,” she said. Recently, customers began requesting “something extremely spicy” and Suarez developed a new hot sauce.

Between developing a loyal customer base with grassroots networking and through social media, Suarez and Eriksen were able to start selling products online, and have continued to gain new customers.

The Brass Lamp Samantha Argosino made a name for herself – and her future business, The Brass Lamp – through crowdfunding and social media. But before she did all that, she conducted grassroots research to make sure the new business concept she was pursuing – a combination coffee shop, bar and book shop with a quiet, loungey atmosphere – was something that would appeal to Long Beach locals.

“I had to determine whether, one, is this

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June 9-22, 2015

eft, and ened the eir small Rainbow t Februwn Long hey first usiness, old their pressed intances he comanically of-mouth tograph ournal’s ly) Samantha Argosino was able to invest in a location for her new business, The Brass Lamp, thanks to online crowdfunding, social media savvy and grassroots research. When it opens this summer, The Brass Lamp will be part bookstore, part coffeehouse and part bar, serving coffee, beer and wine, and small plates. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

really a good idea to buy into? And two, is Long Beach the right place for it?” Argosino said. “I hit the ground and I had a survey on a piece of paper that asked questions like, ‘What do you do in the evening?

What’s your drink preference?’” she said, noting that she surveyed pedestrians in both Belmont Shore and Downtown Long Beach. “[Through the survey,] I kind of got an idea of their profile: their age, their occupation, whether they have kids or not . . .” she explained.

The survey “confirmed and validated my vision,” she said. The survey results showed that “there are many single professionals .

Long Beach Business Journal 25 . . who don’t have children and who need a place like this where they can unwind, but it’s not a bar, it’s not a coffee shop,” she explained. “It is kind of that perfect third place, if you will.”

To pursue her vision, Argosino needed financial backing, which she sought out in a crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter.

While some companies with campaigns on the website are able to appeal to wide audiences because they plan to create products that can be shipped, Argosino was trying to appeal to a much smaller audience. “The challenge for me was that I am only reaching out to Long Beach people,” she said.

Argosino created a video invoking the look and feel of the establishment she wanted to create and to explain her concept of a book bar. She used social media to spread the video and gain funders. “I used the social media outlets to push that video every single day, multiple days a day during that 30-day campaign, because I needed to get the money,” she recalled. And she did – by the campaign’s end, 309 backers donated $27,529, exceeding her goal of $25,000.

With that money, Argosino was able to invest in the 4,000-square-foot first floor of the Mark Schneider jewelry company building on The Promenade in Downtown Long Beach. Construction is still underway, with an open date set for summer 2015. She has already hired 24 people.

“I am so thankful that the video was successful,” Argosino said. In addition to funding her business, it also helped people understand and embrace her concept of a book bar. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten any of that publicity.” she said. ■

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26 Long Beach Business Journal

June 9-22, 2015

IN THE NEWS

Long Beach Launches Redesigned Website

Schooner Or Later Celebrates 30 Years In Business With Original Prices Schooner Or Later, a staple of the Long Beach restaurant scene, is celebrating 30 years in business at a special anniversary event on June 12. For the anniversary celebration, owners Denny and Denise Lund (pictured) are bringing back their original 1985 menu complete with original prices. The event will also feature live music, raffles and more, with 25 percent of sales benefitting the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance. The alliance is dedicated to identifying a cure for tuberous sclerosis complex, a genetic disorder that causes nonmalignant tumors throughout the body’s organs. In recent years, the restaurant has gotten quite a bit of airtime on national television, including as a regular filming spot for Showtime’s series “Dexter.” Schooner or Later is located at 241 Marina Dr. Hours: MondayFriday, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 562/430-3495.

On June 1, the City of Long Beach launched it’s totally redesigned website, www.longbeach.gov, which was “built on a new powerful, efficient and userfriendly content management system,” according to a city statement. Launching an updated, faster, easier to navigate website has been one of Mayor Robert Garcia’s (pictured above) top priorities since his election last year.

The website was designed and coded by staff of the city’s technology and innovation department, with assistance from the technology firm Thinklogic.

The new homepage provides quick access to frequently used services, including webpages for paying bills and applying for city permits. New features include MapIt, a mapping tool identifying important Long Beach locations, LinkLB, an improved e-mail notification system for city updates, OpenLB, a new portal for city data about community demographics and topics like the budget, and access to livestreaming video from LBTV, the city’s television station. “Launching a new city website that is dynamic and userfriendly has been a top priority of mine,” Garcia said in a statement. With the website, “Our goal is to create a 24-hour online city hall,” he stated.

(Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

Coastal Engineer And Scientist Qing Wang Joins Moffatt & Nichol Team In late May, Long Beach-based engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol announced the addition of Qing Wang, a coastal engineer and scientist, to its Long Beach office.

In her new role, she is participating in a project analyzing sea-level rise within the area of Long Beach encompassed by the city’s Southeast Area Development Improvement Plan. Her specialties include “analysis and modeling of coastal processes, coastal flooding studies and hazard mitigation, coastal ecosystems and habitat restoration, field investigations, and data collection,” according to a statement from Moffatt & Nichol. Prior projects include work reviewing the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s storm surge models for the southeast United States, and analysis and revision of FEMA flood elevation maps for New York City after Hurricane Sandy. She has also conducted a coastal modeling study related to a breakwater off the coast of Ontario Canada, as well as a “dynamic wave analysis for a beach park in Brooklyn, New York,” according to the company statement. Wang holds a bachelors degree in civil engineering from China’s Hohai University, a masters in water management from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and a masters in coastal engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Cancer Concierge Network’s Wellness Center According to founder and Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Wise, Cancer Concierge Network’s (“CCN”) Wellness Center is a 501(c)(3) that accepts directed donations, offers a monthly free “Victory” retreat and a wellness plan that provides guidance, education and refers those in search of health and wellness to mind, body and spirit holistic treatments before, during and after a health issue occurs. CCN, which opened late last year, offers a company wellness plan and a “Pathway to Wellness” membership, she said. CCN’s first fundraiser for wellness grants for those in need is “The Survivor’s Fashion Show” in Hollywood on June 25.

The new Long Beach Holistic Chamber of Commerce will be doing the ribbon cutting at CCN’s grand opening scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 25 and will be the Holistic Chamber’s Business of the Month. Pictured outside CCN’s office at 1965 E. 21st St. (and Cherry Avenue) are, bottom row: Shirley Avila, CCN specialty esthetician; Cheryl Tate, personal chef; Jametra Allen, CCN specialty MT; Ruben Rodriguez, CCN CFO/boardmember; CCN boardmember/benefactor; Kathi Scott, Long Beach Holistic Chamber president; Lisa Ivey, CCN specialty MT; Christal Peak, owner of The Skin Spa Institute; Elizabeth Wise, CCN founder/CEO; and Al Wise, CCN benefactor. Top Row: Laura Stratford, CNC specialty esthetician; Maria Lopez, CCN volunteer admin assistant; Dr. Daniel Hoover and Marty Phillips, Long Beach Holistic Chamber boardmembers; Bernard Wilcox, CCN volunteer massage therapist; and Ken Howayeck, Long Beach Holistic Chamber boardmember.

Middle Row: Cole Ynda, CCN specialty MT; and Nand Harjani, vice president of Long Beach Holistic Chamber. Not pictured, Bob Long. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

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June 9-22, 2015

IN THE NEWS

Long Beach Business Journal 27

Long Beach’s Three MemorialCare Health System Hospitals Once Again Recognized For Safety Excellence In early June, the national nonprofit The Leapfrog Group announced that Long Beach Memorial Medical Center was one of 182 hospitals in the nation to receive straight ‘A’ grades for safety excellence since Leapfrog began grading hospitals three years ago.

The Leapfrog Group is “an independent national nonprofit of employers and large purchasers of health benefits,” according to a press release from MemorialCare Health System. Leapfrog grades the nation’s 2,523 hospitals twice annually as part of its Hospital Safety Score ranking procedure. Community Hospital Long Beach also earned an A grade this year. Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach was listed among only nine other children’s hospitals in the country on Leapfrog’s Top Hospitals list, which includes both adult and children’s hospitals. “Those earning an ‘A’ demonstrate their commitment to their patients and community,” Leah Binder, Leapfrog president and CEO, said in a statement. “I congratulate MemorialCare Health System’s Long Beach hospitals for safety excellence, and look forward to the day when all hospitals will match this standard.” Three executives from these hospitals gathered in front of Long Beach Memorial to commemorate the recognition by Leapfrog. Pictured from left are: Dr. Susan Melvin, chief medical officer of Long Beach Memorial; Donna Hartman, RN, vice president of clinical quality and patient safety for Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s; and Tamra Kaplan, Pharm.D., chief operating officer of Long Beach Memorial. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

Seva Studio Opens Inside The Walmart At City Place Danny Kan (left) celebrates the opening of his new beauty salon, Seva, alongside his employees. The salon is located within the Walmart in Downtown Long Beach, which is the anchor store for the City Place Shopping Center. Seva Studio is a salon franchise with more than 100 locations in the United States. Kan’s salon specializes in eyebrow shaping and facial hair removal with waxing and threading techniques, eyelash extensions, facials and more. The salon is open seven days a week. Salon hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Pictured with Kan, from left, are: Jasmeet Kaur, Arti Naidu, Tania Zuniga, and Christy Wu. Walmart is at 151 E. 5th St. For more information about the salon, visit: http://sevabeauty.com/location/long-beach_ca/(Photograph by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

Total Wine & More Opens At The Long Beach Towne Center Total Wine & More, a national retailer specializing in wine, spirits and beer, held a VIP event celebrating the opening of its new location at the Long Beach Towne Center on June 3. Grand opening celebrations, including live music and product tastings, lasted throughout the following weekend. Ten percent of all beer and wine sales made during opening weekend are being donated to the Aquarium of the Pacific. “We recognize that the Aquarium is a source of tremendous economic and educational value to Long Beach, and we are pleased to partner with this important charitable organization to bring increased recognition and support to its worthy endeavors,” David Trone, co-owner of Total Wine & More, said in a statement. The store, which includes more than 14,000 products, created 50 local jobs, according to a company statement.

“The opening of our Long Beach location gives us an opportunity to invest in this thriving community, bringing new jobs and a host of new and exciting products,” Trone stated. There are 115 Total Wine & More stores throughout 16 states. Pictured above left are, from left: Joel Cathey, store manager; Greg Galvan, assistant manager; and Patrick O’Meallie, wine manager. Above right are Jim Weiland, left, the firm’s regional vice president of operations, and Mark Weber, district manager. (Photographs by the Business Journal’s Evan Patrick Kelly)

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28 Long Beach Business Journal

June 9-22, 2015

PERSPECTIVE

HealthWise

Small Business Dollars & Sense

Tips To Prevent Falls

The Four Components of An effective Business Plan

F

alls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for those 65-years-old and older. Every 14 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury. Falls can lead to moderate and severe injuries, such as hip fractures, broken bones and head injuries, and can increase the risk of early death.

Even falls without a major injury can cause older adults to become fearful or depressed, making it difficult for them to stay active. IdentiBy jason fying hazards and taking steps to reduce the risk of falling is a great koh, od way to help older adults stay healthy and independent as long as possible. The good news is that most falls can be prevented.

Prevent falls with these simple fall-prevention tips: • Make an Appointment with a Doctor: A doctor can review medications for side effects and interactions that may increase an older adult’s risk of falling. Older adults should be prepared to discuss health conditions and how comfortable they are when they walk. For example, have they felt any dizziness, joint pain, numbness or shortness of breath while walking? A doctor may evaluate muscle strength, balance and walking style (gait) as well.

• Stay Active: As we age, most people lose some coordination, flexibility and balance – making it easier to fall. With the doctor's okay, older adults should consider activities such as walking, water workouts or tai chi – a gentle exercise that involves slow and graceful dancelike movements. Physical therapy and staying active can reduce the risk of falls by improving strength, balance, coordination and flexibility.

• Remove Hazards in the Home: The living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, hallways and stairways may be filled with hazards. There are many simple and inexpensive ways to make a home safer: Remove boxes, newspapers, electrical cords and phone cords from walkways; Move coffee tables, magazine racks and plant stands from high-traffic areas; Secure loose rugs with doublefaced tape, tacks or a slip-resistant backing – or remove loose rugs from the home; Repair loose, wooden floorboards and carpeting immediately; Store clothing, dishes, food and other necessities within easy reach; and Use non-slip mats in the bathtub or shower.

• Turn on the Lights: Increase lighting throughout the house, especially at the top and bottom of stairs. Place night lights in the bedroom, bathroom and hallways. Make clear paths to light switches that aren't near room entrances and consider trading traditional switches for glow-inthe-dark or illuminated switches.

• Use Assistive Devices: The doctor might recommend using a cane or walker to help with balance. Other assistive devices can help as well. For example: hand rails for both sides of stairways, non-slip treads for bare-wood steps, a raised toilet seat or one with armrests and grab bars for the shower or tub.

The chances of being seriously injured from a fall increases with age. If necessary, a doctor may suggest a referral to a physical or occupational therapist. He or she can help older adults determine other fall-prevention strategies. Remember that an investment in fall prevention is an investment in health, wellness and independence for older adults.

(Jason Koh, OD, is the medical director of the MemorialCare Rehabilitation Institute for Long Beach Memorial.)

Effective Leadership The Coming Tidal Wave is Here

T

here is a demographic threat that is now being noticed by the mainstream media. An appropriate metaphor would be that of a Demographic Tsunami.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a slowdown in the labor force growth and productivity in 2015-16. Why? BeBy MiCk cause of the 70 million-plus Baby UklejA Boomers that will be retiring. Couple this with the fact that in this year, 2015, 47-50 percent of the workforce will be made up of Millennials, those born between 1983 and 2001.

Millennials are, and will be, entering a workplace that is in many cases at odds with what they value because it was designed around Baby Boomers expectations. If the workplace cultural clash does not adapt to the work style of Millennials the results will be far less than desirable.

Millennials might not be that difficult to attract, but they also do not have a need to stay very long. Retention has and

H

aving a well-thought-out business plan can help a business owner stay focused on company goals and objectives, yet according to a recent Wells Fargo survey, only 33 percent of small business owners said they have a formal, written business plan.

Many business owners have ideas for plans in their heads, but those who put plans in writing are more optimistic. In the survey, business owners with formal plans were more likely to say they planned to add

By Ben jobs and increase revenue and capital.

AlvArAdo The challenge is getting started. Here are the key areas for a plan: Company overview Provides a description of the business – including your products or services. It should outline your professional or industry experience, the history of your business, the business structure, staffing, management roles, responsibilities, and a detailed marketing plan.

Analysis Competitive intelligence and customer insights are key aspects, so include data on competitors within your industry. It’s also a good place to explore prospective customers that might be a fit for your products and services; define how you intend to reach them. Building this information into your business plan is intended to provide a competitive advantage, which helps fine-tune your marketing efforts, and maximize sales.

Financial Data A business plan should include a financial data section where you outline starting balances, how you plan to make money and sales forecasts. Keeping financial information updated and organized is a challenge, yet an essential process to more easily plan for growth, manage cash flow and prepare for unexpected expenses.

Executive Summary This part of the plan is often considered the most important when seeking financing because it provides a high-level summary of the business and recaps the key features of your plan in one page or less, including who you are, what you sell, who you sell to, and a financial summary.

To help simplify the process, we recently introduced The Business Plan Center on WellsFargoWorks.com to help you get started. Developing and maintaining a business plan will help your business perform better in the long run.

(Ben Alvarado, a 23-year veteran of Wells Fargo, is the president of the bank’s Southern California Region, which stretches from Long Beach to Orange, Imperial and San Diego counties.)

will continue to be a large problem in legacy organizations.

Why is retention of this new workforce generation important? There are several reasons, one of which is the enormous cost associated with turnover. The average turnover cost of an entry-level employee is 50 percent of their annual salary. So if the salary is $50,000, each turnover costs the organization $25,000.

If the company employs 10,000 people and there is a 10 percent turnover (which is not and will not be uncommon with current conditions), the company loses $25 million to the bottom line. Therefore it would be very cost productive for organizations to understand how to ready themselves for the shifting workforce.

The Builder generation (1925-1945) rarely switched jobs. Boomers (1946-1964) have an aversion to switching jobs although it happens from time to time. But to the contrary, Millennials move fast. If they are not challenged in a job they move on.

Take note. Boomers are loyal to employers. Millennials are loyal to people. This makes their relationship to their managers and peers important. If their relationship with their manager is less than satisfactory, they have no problem leaving their employer. As a result, there is a high level of turnover that will result if the challenge and the relationship falter. The ripple quickly makes its way to the bottom line.

In our research we discovered that Millennials are more likely to job hop. Some estimates show turnover rates for Mil-

lennials are nearly 2-3 times that of older workers. They report that in 2011 one large wholesaler’s workforce shifted to 50 percent Millennials. They issued 40,000 W-2s that year. But they only had 16,000 employees! The turnover ratio for Millennial employees was three times higher than other employees.

So what should we do? Organizations should ask some very simple questions. Rather than vilify an emerging generation, ask, what are the attracters and connectors to this new generation? What are the myriad of contributions Millennials bring to the workplace? Where can the organization flex? It is not uncommon for them to discover better ways of approaching a task that improves productivity. The flexibility might be in a certain process, or a work schedule, or in the way managers motivate their team. Reverse mentoring means you mentor them, but they also mentor you. You have more experience, and they have new ideas.

Another question is, are we “milking” all the fun out of our work environment? Millennials love to have fun. And is that really a bad idea to include in our work-life? It doesn’t cost anything and studies show it can lead to increased productivity.

We have discovered in our research and training that great managers use these and other skills as effective attracters and connectors.

(Mick Ukleja keynotes across the country on topics related to leadership. He is president of LeadershipTraq and author of several books. Check his weekly blog at www.leadershiptraq.com.)

June 9

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2015

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June 9-22, 2015

Realty Views renters Getting The Squeeze in Housing Mix

I

t is no secret that there has been a shift in the number of homeowners compared to renters over the past seven years due to the economic factors that also led to the housing and mortgage crises. Owners lost their homes and became renters, while those who never were homeowners have struggled to find the financial footing to adBy Terry roSS vance to homeownership.

Now, a new study by New York University's Furman Center, which studies real estate and urban policy, and financed by Capital One bank, lays out a picture of a national market for renters that appears to be both limited and unaffordable for vast numbers of consumers, but is also one with many variables depending on location.

In 11 of the most populous cities in the U.S., more than half of tenants are paying what experts consider unaffordable rents, notes the study that analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data from 2006 to 2013 on the central cities of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. While this report is not the first to offer such conclusions, this is one of the most recent looks at increasing competition and often slipping affordability for those renting. The picture looks noticeably different from city to city, however.

As of 2013, most residents were renters in nine of the 11 cities, all except for Atlanta and Philadelphia, compared with five in 2006. At least 60 percent of residents are now tenants, rather than owners, in Boston, L.A., New York and Miami. Nationwide, about 35 percent of people rented in 2013, up from 31 percent in 2006, the Census Bureau says.

In each city, the amount of rental housing grew faster than any rise in owner-occupied homes. In fact, the data suggest some homes were converted to rentals.

Nonetheless, the vacancy rate declined everywhere except Miami and Washington, where increases were slight. San Francisco surpassed New York as having the tightest rental market: New York's 3.8 percent vacancy rate was the lowest in 2006, but by 2013 San Francisco had the floor with a mere 2.5 percent. New York, L.A. and Boston were hovering around 3.5 percent. Atlanta,

3rd Sector Report Unrestricted Giving: it’s About The Soil not The Trees

O

ne of the most difficult concepts to explain to the general public is that not every charitable dollar is created equal. Indeed, there are nonprofit boardmembers and executive directors who are stunned by the fact that simply having money in the bank does not equate to an organization’s survivability.

By jeFFrey Over the past decade, the amounts of WilCox charitable dollars offered to vital causes with strings attached has grown at a dramatic rate. So much, in fact, that some nonprofits have put their own programs into competition with one another in the hope that one program can lure a contribution at the expense of the others.

An industrial hazard of the Third Sector is that when the joys of restricted contributions overshadows the celebrations of the unrestricted gift, the very foundation of the house united behind a single mission stands to fall. For a mission-based nonprofit, the ability to adequately support its glamorous work in tandem with the

Long Beach Business Journal 29

PERSPECTIVE meanwhile, had the highest vacancy rate of the cities in the survey, at nearly 10 percent.

Amid growing demand and tight supply, median rents rose faster than inflation in all the cities but Dallas and Houston, where they were nearly flat. Washington's median rent shot up by 21 percent between 2006 and 2013, to $1,307 a month. New York's rose by 12 percent, to $1,228. The calculation is inflation-adjusted for 2013 dollars, includes utilities and encompasses market-rate, rentregulated and subsidized housing.

New York has about 1 million rent-regulated apartments, perhaps helping explain why it has a lower median rent than Washington, San Francisco ($1,491) and Boston ($1,263).

Meanwhile, median rents were under $1,000 everywhere else except Los Angeles ($1,182).

But rents are not the entire story of affordability: Renters' median household incomes varied widely over the years. Housing experts like to gauge affordability by the percentage of income that goes to housing costs, with anything over 29 percent being rent-burdened. Over 49 percent is considered severely burdened.

On that scale, the landscape is uneven. The percentage of rentburdened tenants grew in six cities while dropping in the rest, and the findings were full of seeming contradictions. San Francisco had the highest median rent but the lowest percentage of rent-burdened tenants, 45 percent; Miami had a far lower median rent, but 68 percent of tenants were burdened.

One reason is that San Francisco renters' median household income was $61,200 a year, nearly 1.5 times what their Miami counterparts made. San Francisco is also home to the nation’s highest housing prices, which is widely attributed to the heavy influence of the high-paying technology jobs in that area.

Most observers attribute this rise in the number of renters to the 2008 mortgage and financial crisis, which left some people unable and others reluctant to own homes. And when rent becomes a stretch, leaving less income to save toward homeownership, "it's a reinforcing cycle," Furman Center faculty director Ingrid Gould Ellen pointed out in the report. Other factors may include home-downsizing within the giant and aging baby boom generation; and hefty college debt that slows some young people's saving for a home purchase. Not exactly a recipe for growing home ownership.

In Southern California, recent reports showing a lack of housing – both for renters and owners – is only going to contribute to the affordability problem, which appears to be just as dire for those who rent as for those wanting to become homeowners.

(Terry Ross, the broker-owner of TR Properties, will answer any questions about today’s real estate market. E-mail questions to Realty Views at terryross1@cs.com or call 949/457-4922.)

not so glitzy necessities needed to achieve a measurable impact in a community is one of true tests of Third Sector leadership.

The very best metaphor to clearly illustrate the fundamental truths about unrestricted giving was developed by my respected colleague and valued friend, Paul Shoemaker, founder of Social Venture Partners International.

Shoemaker will be stepping down this week after 17 years at the helm. His legacy includes 39 groups of philanthropists located around the world, including Social Venture Partners Los Angeles, who are dedicated to fortifying the infrastructures of nonprofit organizations to effectively evolve the world.

Shoemaker tells the story of how a father/son camping trip in the forest taught him a valuable lesson about philanthropy as he realized the relationship that exists between each mighty tree and the soil that houses, nourishes and protects each plant to grow to its full potential.

Shoemaker writes, “Being a philanthropy guy, the symbiotic relationship between the soil and the trees conjures the relationship between a strong nonprofit organization and the programs it delivers. We all see the program – whether reading to kids, keeping our rivers clean or administering the vaccines. But what fewer philanthropists notice is the foundation for that program – the organization itself, its infrastructure, the copier, the lights, the desks and the support staff.

As philanthropists, we can be like I was at the Camp. We notice the trees, but not the soil; we want to give to the program, but not the organization. And yet one can’t exist without the other. In fact, one actually has to come before the other. The program will ultimately be no stronger than the organization underpinning its delivery. The trees will

Vol. XXVIII No. 11 June 9-22, 2015

EDITOR & PUBLISHER George Economides SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVE Heather Dann STAFF ASSISTANT Larry Duncan EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT SENIOR WRITER Samantha Mehlinger STAFF WRITER Sean Belk CONTRIBUTING WRITER Gerrie Schipske PHOTOJOURNALIST Evan Patrick Kelly COPY EDITOR Pat Flynn The Long Beach Business Journal is a publication of South Coast Publishing, Inc., incorporated in the State of California in July 1985. It is published every other Tuesday (except between Christmas and mid-January) – 25 copies annually. The Business Journal premiered March 1987 as the Long Beach Airport Business Journal. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited unless otherwise stated. Opinions expressed by perspective writers and guest columnists are their views and not necessarily those of the Business Journal. Press releases should be sent to the address shown below.

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go no higher and be no more majestic than the soil it grows its roots into. We have to invest in the organization and its capacity, just as much as we invest in the programs and services that we can see. It’s called “capacity building,” but whatever you call it, it’s a vitally important part of a philanthropic investment.”

It’s no wonder that Shoemaker leaves his position having been named among the Top 50 of Power and Influence among the nonprofit sector’s top executives and thinkers

by The Nonprofit Times.

The name of the game today in fundraising is creating diversified and sustainable portfolios of resources. The reality is that contributors want a greater say in where their generosity will specifically be put to work. The result is nonprofit leaders who must manage a careful balance between advancing the fundraising ideal while successfully navigating and mining the giving reality.

It begins with every board and staff member fully understanding and advocating for the powerful impact of the unrestricted dollar. Every potential contributor relationship must begin with that end in mind. The potential giver may elect, in the end, to restrict his or her generosity; however, it should not have been the result of an insider placing one aspect of an organization’s work as being above all others in the pursuit of a mission.

There is a saying that some people can’t see the forest for the trees. In the Third Sector, one of the greatest legacies of Paul Shoemaker is for us all to remember, “Don’t admire the trees at the expense of the soil.”

(Jeffrey R. Wilcox, CFRE, is president and chief executive officer of The Third Sector Company, Inc. Join in on the conversation about this article at the Long Beach Business Journal website, www.lbbusinessjournal.com)

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ART MATTERS

Brought To You By The Arts Council For Long Beach • www.artslb.org

ART MATTERS to Student Math and Science Performance ■ By LESLIE A.M. SMITH Arts Council for Long Beach Contributor

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or 23 years, Executive Director Christi Wilkins has been filling a void that local school budgets could not. She’s been keeping art in schools.

The organization she founded, Dramatic Results, is a trailblazer of the now in vogue adoption of STEAM in schools (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). Through Dramatic Results’ curricula, elementary school children gain understanding of the engineering design process, electricity and art while increasing important indicators of academic success like creativity, persistence and intrinsic motivation.

Math in a Basket program.

Using interesting applications like origami and basket weaving, fourth graders apply math to create art projects that ignite their natural curiosity and creativity – and dramatically increase their scores in geometry and other subjects. The 2014-15 analyses show that Dramatic Results’ Math in a Basket program helped students increase their knowledge considerably: 15% in geometry; 29% in art; 11% in engineering design process; and 6% in creativity. Other programs show similar increases across the board.

“These gains are tremendously important when U.S. students are tied for last place globally in applied mathematics. To stay competitive, we must educate a workforce that can apply math to identify and solve problems,” Wilkins said. “The techniques we use have proven especially effective with ‘difficult’ students because we engage their hands, minds and hearts to attain our hallmark – dramatic results.

Seventy-five percent of our students outperform their peers in math, divergent thinking, persistence and teamwork.”

Dramatic Results is an award-winning, nonprofit educational arts agency based in Signal Hill.

With a team of talented arts educators and a com-

mitment to diverse partnerships, the organization has transformed chronically low-performing elementary students into energized, divergent thinkers. Every year for 18 years, independent university studies have validated that Dramatic Results delivers 21-point gains in applied math performance – a huge leap toward improving global competitiveness.

“One of the most important and far-reaching effects of Dramatic Results’ programs is our ability to inspire and transform classroom teachers,” Wilkins added.

“Through our intensive training and in-class coaching over a full school year, inner-city teachers develop new skills to engage and challenge students to take risks, problem solve and take ownership of their learning. Transformed teachers leverage the impact of our work by thousands of students over the course of their careers.”

In addition to the 240+ teachers in Long Beach Unified and Compton Unified that Dramatic Results has impacted, for a second year the State of Alaska/Sealaska Heritage Institute has contracted with Dramatic Results to customize the Math in a Basket program to their Tlingit/Haida community to help their Native Alaskan students close the persistent gap in math performance. An independent evaluation found a 21point gain in students’ math performance.

Dramatic Results has received numerous awards, honors and acknowledgments. In 2014, it was named a grantee of the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination Program for the fourth time.

“We have seen an increase in recognition of the importance of integrating multi-arts into academic learning and our work to build a comprehensive education for all students,” Wilkins said.

For more information, visit dramaticresults.org. ■

Professional development for teachers.

Gallery Corner Exhibition spaces and art institutions can sometimes feel unwelcoming, insular and isolated from the public. Kimberly Hocking, curator and director of Greenly Art Space has been working diligently for the last five years to, along with her husband David Hocking, encourage and strengthen community bonds through pointed exhibitions, art making, art therapy and mentoring. “Greenly is not a traditional space and it is sometimes difficult for people to find . . . you have to look for it,” Hocking said. But when people find it, she said they find an exhibition that not only draws them in with work from local artists but also with its inspiring explorations of poignant ideas. “Having a topic that’s inspiring encourages artists to make art,” she added, and visitors to take action. Carol Roemer, Gail Werner and Cynthia Evans are among 70 artists showing work in the gallery’s current exhibition, Blue, which asks viewers to reflect on the ocean and assess the impact we’ve had on our environment. To see Blue before it closes on July 25, call 562-5334020 to make an appointment. Visit greenlyartspace.com for more information.

Long Beach Business Journal 30 June 9-22, 2015

Women in Arts and Culture: Max Viltz

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■ By SARAH BENNETT Arts Council for Long Beach Contributor

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hile most galleries in Long Beach focus on selling locally made items, Village Treasures on Broadway in downtown is stocked with art, furniture, textiles and artifacts from halfway around the world.

But don't let the selection of framed contemporary Kenyan paintings or tables of Shona figurines intimidate you. Walk in most days and owner Max Viltz will happily show you around her storefront, enlightening you to the meanings, symbolisms and histories behind the Zulu baskets from South Africa, the stone sculptures from Zimbabwe and the stacks of colorful Kente cloth from Ghana.

“It's the aesthetics of all this stuff that is just like fine art to me,” she said. “I'm drawn to it. I love it.”

Since 1997, the gallery, gift shop and boutique has been a staple of the African art scene in Long Beach and one of only a few places around that imports both vintage and modern pieces of all sizes and price points from the continent.

The store started as an offshoot of the African Cultural Center of Long Beach on Atlantic Avenue and 19th Street, and in 2001 opened as Village Treasures in the East Village Arts District. Last year, Viltz moved a few blocks away to its current location, but it has always been an extension of her travels to Africa, where she has visited countries like Mali, Senegal, Togo and Ivory Coast.

“We would come back and tell stories of our travels, of going to villages and experiencing the culture, the food, the art, the rituals,” she said.

From the folded stacks of raw textiles – like Malian mudcloth and a woven raffia from Congo called Kuba cloth – to the well-stocked clothing boutique tucked in the back room – where you can buy both everyday and special-occasion outfits – Village Treasures is more than an exotic art gallery to visit when you need a new piece of home decor. There is also a wide selection of Afro-centric items from journals and greeting cards to books, jewelry, oils and incense.

“Village Treasure is a local attraction that many local people don't even know about,” Viltz said.

An active community member with more than two decades of volunteer work with arts organization boards and committees, Viltz is a fixture in the Long Beach arts scene beyond her work at Village Treasures. In addition to booking shows at Seabird Jazz Lounge, assisting the International City Theatre in getting underprivileged students to attend performances and serving on the Arts Council for Long Beach board of directors until she recently termed out, Viltz has also remained involved with the Mombasa, Kenya sister-city program, which she will be hosting a reception for at her shop June 13.

“That's what's great about running a business like this in a city like this. You can network and collaborate,” she said.

Learn more about Village Treasures at villagetreasuresart.com ■

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THE NONPROFIT PAGE

Long Beach Business Journal 31 June 9-22, 2015

Curated By The Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership

The Power of Nonprofits There has been a lot of talk lately about the cost of doing business, overhead and what it means, exactly, to be a nonLinda Alexander, profit. It’s rather Executive Director i n t e r e s t i n g Long Beach when you think Nonprofit about it in relaPartnership tion to the private (for-profit) and public sectors. While many people understand that there is a cost of doing business, there is a different expectation for the nonprofit sector. Perhaps the challenge lies within the name itself – “nonprofit”. Does nonprofit bring about images of do-gooders forgoing pay or earning so little that it almost seems like it? Do we think about organizations making due with outdated technology, second hand furniture, and the like? When we think about people working in the field do we think, “Good for them…” or wonder how they make a living and feed their families?

There is a cost to doing business, of keeping all the plates spinning and the gears working.

We call this overhead. It exists in all sectors and keeps the doors open, lights on and the right peo-

ple employed and paid. Somehow, there is a belief that these costs do not, or should not, exist for nonprofits. I remember hearing early in my career, about how great a nonprofit was because 93% of all the money that came into the organization when to direct services. I didn’t think much of it at the time because I didn’t understand the business of nonprofits. Now I wonder how that organization could have kept its doors open. Not accounting for the true cost of things is not a good business model and is not sustainable. I believe that unrealistic pressures on nonprofits to minimize their costs are unfair, and detrimental to society given the growing impact the nonprofit industry is having on the economy at large.

As a community, we rely on the programs and services provided by nonprofit organizations. Health care, education, culture, homeless and housing, mental health, violence prevention and intervention; the list goes on and on. While we may be aware of, or come in contact with and/or appreciate the services and benefits provided by nonprofits, not many recognize the significant economic impact of the nonprofit sector as an important engine of activity and growth.

When the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership undertook our

Capacity Corner: Upcoming Calendar of Events From the Nonprofit Partnership Supervising Skills for Success Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 9:00am-4:00pm Learn tips and tools to excel in supervising others. Identify factors that lead to supervisory success, learn how to successfully confront challenges and pitfalls, and acquire communication and motivational methods for improving performance in others.

Giving USA 2015 – The Annual Report on Philanthropy Tuesday, June 30, 2015, 8:00am-10:00am You won't want to miss out on the most comprehensive report on charitable giving in our country. Giving USA is the longest consecutively published, comprehensive report on fundraising intelligence, now in it’s 59th year. This presentation will examine giving by source, recipient and sector. It will also include a moderated panel discussion of local nonprofit leaders who will compare the national numbers to what they are seeing at the local level in our region.

most recent nonprofit economic impact report, The Power of Nonprofits: Engines of Growth, we found that nonprofits, locally and nationally, grew during the Great Recession while businesses contracted significantly.

In Long Beach, nonprofit organizations account for more than 10% of the workforce. This is similar in size to our tourism industry. Anchored in the healthcare industry, these nonprofits have a total economic impact of $2.7 billion in the city and $4.9 billion in the local region.

In addition, at least 50% of all the nonprofits that we surveyed indicated that they anticipated increased hiring in the near future.

The first statewide economic report in California reveals similar results. Causes Count: The Economic Power of California’s Nonprofit Sector, commissioned

by CalNonprofits, shows that nonprofit organizations rank as the 4th largest private employer in California, and account for 15% of the GDP. CalNonprofits CEO Jan Masaoka said, “Not only do our state’s nonprofits uniquely represent the dreams and visions of California's varied communities, but they are robust with human and financial capital.”

It is clear that nonprofits are important to the foundation of this community, region and state for many reasons including its economic strength and future growth.

So, perhaps, it is time to reframe the discussion about the cost of doing business for all sectors.

How can we begin to discuss the true cost of doing business, without being apologetic? As partners, funders and donors, how do you encourage your colleagues to understand the true value and worth of nonprofits?

Long Beach Nonprofits’ Economic Impact by the Numbers* • 10% of all Long Beach Jobs are in the nonprofit sector • 19,230 Nonprofit jobs in Long Beach (direct) • 41,970 Total Jobs (direct, indirect & induced) • 60% of nonprofits planning to increase hiring in near future • 120,000 Volunteers • 4.9 Million Volunteer Hours • Volunteer Value – $109Million • $687 Million in Payroll • $795 Million Equivalent Payroll Staff + Volunteer • $2.7 Billion in Expenditures • $4.9 Billion in total Expenditures (direct, indirect & induced) *Nonprofits: Engines of Growth. An Economic Impact Report of Nonprofits in Long Beach and the South Los Angeles Region” July 2014, Commissioned by Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership.

From our Partners Using Technology for Disaster Response and Preparedness

Thursday, June 25, 2015, 11am –WEBINAR Be it a natural disaster or political unrest, this online, interactive Ask the Expert session will explore how you can prepare for the unexpected and thrive in the face of catastrophe.

Save the Date: Stronger Together Nonprofit Conference 2015 Monday, August 24, 2015 The second annual nonprofit conference for California with leading edge content and exceptional presenters in leadership, strategy, advocacy, and risk management. For more info, visit: calnonprofits.org

Save the Date: CalNonprofits 2015 Policy Convention November 4, 2015 – Oakland, CA Focusing on the economic and political forecast for California’s nonprofit sector. For more info, visit: calnonprofits.org.

The area’s regional capacity builder, serving local organizations to strengthen and grow through leadership, education and collaboration. Offering: Professional Development & Training Networking & Collaboration Custom Training & Consulting Services Information Resources To learn more, visit us at www.lbnp.org.

4900 East Conant St., Building O-2, Suite 225, Long Beach, CA 90808 562.888-6530

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