CALIFORNIA’S CAPITAL REGION The Sacramento Valley by Michael Cuffe
A publication of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
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CALIFORNIA’S CAPITAL REGION The Sacramento Valley by Michael Cuffe
A publication of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
HPNbooks A Division of Lammert Incorporated San Antonio, Texas
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ISBN: 978-1-944891-64-0 Library of Congress: 2019937637 California’s Capital Region: The Sacramento Valley writer and photographer: Michael Cuffe managing editor: Daphne Fletcher profile writers: Daphne Fletcher Joe Goodpasture Sid Shapira HPNbooks chairman and chief executive officer: Jean-Claude Tenday publisher and chief creative officer: Bernard O’Connor president: Ron Lammert project management team: Daphne Fletcher Bart B. Barica Janeane Britt Henry Hintermeister administration: Donna M. Mata Lori K. Smith Melissa G. Quinn Kristin T. Williamson book sales: Joe Neely production: Colin Hart Evelyn Hart Glenda Tarazon Krouse Tim Lippard Craig Mitchell Tony Quinn Christopher D. Sturdevant C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS Legacy Sponsors ..........................................................................................................4 Introduction by Mayor Darrell Steinberg .....................................................................5 A Note From the Photographer....................................................................................6 Chapter 1 - A Region Rich in History...........................................................................8 Chapter 2 - Life in Sacramento..................................................................................16 Chapter 3 - Metro Sacramento and Outlying Areas ..................................................58 Chapter 4 - Capital Region Architecture..................................................................132 Chapter 5 - Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce...............................136 Sharing the Heritage ................................................................................................138 Sponsors...................................................................................................................230 About the Author and Photographer .......................................................................231 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
LEGACY SPONSORS Through their generous support, these companies helped to make this project possible.
Dignity Health 3400 Data Drive Rancho Cordova, California 95670 888-800-7688 www.dignityhealth.org
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Owen-Dunn Insurance Services 1455 Response Road, Suite 260 Sacramento, California 95815 916-993-2700 www.owendunn.com
INTRODUCTION BY MAYOR DARRELL STEINBERG The secret is out: Sacramento is rising. Those of us who live here have long appreciated the natural beauty, diversity and quality of life in our city, but this past year it has also risen in the national consciousness as well. From Greta Gerwig’s Oscar nominations for “Lady Bird” to national newspapers highlighting Sacramento as a tourist destination, the nation is talking about California’s capital. We’re receiving recognition for being the nation’s Farm-to-Fork Capital of America, and our arts scene is burgeoning, vibrant and raw. With the foundation of well-educated residents and excellent universities, Sacramento is full of economic energy just waiting to be released. We are investing in workforce and economic development like never before. Our Thousand Strong initiative is creating internships opportunities for our youth and developing local talent. We created the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab strategy to develop and implement innovation partnerships with business and academia. We’re already seeing success with our first-in-the-nation 5G Verizon partnership, and we’re driving the leading edge on autonomous vehicles. We are flourishing and looking for new partners to help us expand our economy and create high-wage jobs for our residents. Sacramento is a rich environment for innovators and creators, for established businesses or start ups, to build something great. While Sacramento is a town with a strong dedication to public service, it isn’t just that. There is rich history here. There are diverse and strong communities here. There is astounding economic potential here. Sacramento is on the rise. Come be part of a community like no other.
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A NOTE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER California’s Capital Region: The Sacramento Valley has gone through a number of revisions and changes over the past year and a half. Oftentimes with projects I sign on to, the concept evolves and changes as subject is documented. This project has been no different. When the book was first discussed, it was to cover the City of Sacramento, which grew to later include documentation of the region. In doing so, the project ended up being one of the biggest challenges of my career. I had to figure out how to document this sprawling Northern California region and somehow make it all cohesive, beautiful, and worthy of someone wanting to look at each and every page printed. I had to tell the story of the Sacramento region, through a visitor’s eyes… and that story had to be visually stimulating, interesting, and informative. I explored as a journalist, and thus a story arch grew as I photographed the Sacramento region’s most beautiful aspects. Hundreds of hours in the field, researching, editing, and organizing my photos has brought this concept to life. These photos will work as a visual rebranding of how we currently view Sacramento and what the region has to offer. I did not want the area to look like it was being sold with a mishmash of stock photos, but rather be seen as visual poetry. The Sacramento Valley is a gallery, and these photographs are her paintings. At the center of all great things is a heartbeat. The Capitol of California is literally the heart of the fifth largest economy in the world, and that’s why it is proudly featured in this book as a highlight. The Capitol plays a role as the centerpiece of business, progressive policy, and creative innovation in the Golden State and sets this example worldwide. The independent thinking, exploration, and free spirit of California can in no better way be exhibited than through the story of Sacramento. The decisions made here have inspired a world for over a century. The photos tell a story, and walk the reader through Sacramento’s history, contemporary Sacramento, it’s best districts, it’s diverse regions, and aspects of these communities—all of which are bound to the Capitol City of Sacramento. The original outlines of the book were a bit scattered regarding how all the photos would fit together in a final layout. Only through spending a great deal of time with the photos can one see the journey that this story is supposed to take. I have arranged the photos the same way I would edit a film on the Sacramento Valley. All aspects of the outlines have been incorporated into these photos, and the captions go further to inform the reader on the history, economics, agriculture, people, culture through this pictorial journey. —Michael Cuffe
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A REGION RICH IN HISTORY Previous page: An illustration of early Sacramento. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
Above: An illustration of Sutter’s Fort, 1847. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
The Sacramento Valley has a rich and vibrant history, and is the birthplace of the State of California. In no other part of the west, has the influence of a region been so profound on Sacramento Valley the development of the early United States economy. Early Sacramento was home to the Native American Maidu tribes that inhabited the Sacramento Valley. Spanish explorers having newly arrived from the San Francisco Bay Area; continued their explorations east looking to claim more territory for the Spanish Empire. The area was unworthy of settlement according to the Spanish at the time, leaving the region relatively untouched and in the hands of native peoples for many more years. The Miwok and Maidu Indians were the indigenous people .of the California Central Valley and were hunter-gatherer tribes focused on harvesting nuts, berries, and fish. Surprisingly they did not use agriculture to their benefit, which is the primary use of the land surrounding Sacramento today. Over time the land became of increasing interest to Mexico, and explorer and businessman John Augustus Sutter was directed by his superiors in the Mexican government to create an establishment in the Sacramento Valley. In 1840 construction was started on Sutter’s Fort, near the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers. There he banded together an army comprised of mostly Native Americans, and began his rule over the region which was he named New Helvetia (or New Switzerland). Sutter offered new migrants large parcels of land for their skills and ability to manufacture goods. He needed to develop an
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economy by attracting metalsmiths, leather tanners, and other skilled tradesmen and women, while settling the surrounding lands for the Mexican government. Sutter’s reign over the area began to falter after a series of bad business deals, and as Mexican influence and power in the river valley dwindled. Americans began to overtake California’s Sacramento Valley at a time when the MexicanAmerican war was in it’s infancy in the Western United States. Sutter was forced to go along with this new power, albeit reluctantly, and his domination of New Helvetia increasingly weakened. Despite all of this, Sutter was a perpetual businessman and thus so asked his associate James Marshall to construct a sawmill in the nearby Sierra foothills. Sutter looked to regrow a bit of his empire by seizing on the abundance of natural timber in the Sierras. While Marshall wandered around a creek nearby the newly constructed mill in 1848, he found a shimmering yellow mineral in the water. After tests were conducted, it was authenticated that this was indeed a nugget of gold. News of this discovery traveled by word of mouth to San Francisco and an ambitious media dispensed this information to newspapers around the country. The “gold rush” in California’s foothills had officially begun. In a short period of time, fortune seekers from around North America descended upon the region of New Helvetia. Not the friendliest group of individuals, the prospectors forced themselves into the region in droves. Dubbed “Argonauts,” the dubious hoard slaughtered Sutter’s cattle holdings, and forced the native peoples loyal to Sutter from the region. The Argonauts divided New Helvetia amongst themselves, with total disregard to anyone that had settled the region before them. Sutter’s Fort was once a safe haven for travelers headed west, an oasis in the wild frontier. With the influx of new migrants, and his business dealings in ruin, Sutter was forced to sell rooms in the Fort to other businessmen. They knocked
out the adobe walls to make exterior doorways, and soon the fort was only a shadow of it’s former self. A broken and exhausted man, Sutter placed his son John Sutter, Jr., in charge of the fort and retired to nearby Hock Farm.
His time as ruler of New Helvetia was over, and he wanted nothing to do with the any of this “gold rush fever.” Today’s Sacramento grew up around the Embarcadero, a wharf on the shores of the American and Sacramento Rivers. It’s waters lowered and raised with tide, and a large sandbar allowed ship merchants the ability to offload and auction goods with ease. John Sutter, Jr., was a businessman like his father and saw opportunity in the Argonauts passing through Sacramento on their way to the Sierras in search of gold. It was disputed amongst leaders at the time where the city should settle its official roots, and a trade war erupted for a while between
An illustration of Sacramento City from the foot of J. Street, showing I., J., and K. Streets, with the Sierra Nevada in the distance COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
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Sutter, Jr., and brother of future California Governor George McDougall. Sutter Sr. was unhappy with almost all of his son’s decisions, took control of things once again—but Sutter Jr.’s impact had already been made. Almost all trade would be taking place on the shores of the Embarcadero (modern day Old Sacramento Waterfront). In 1849 official governing outlines began to be laid within the newly formed “Sacramento City” as new businesses prospered. In February of 1850 the city was recognized by charter, as the area began to be known simply as “Sacramento.” Business and establishments began to flourish when disaster struck only a month after Sacramento established itself. Heavy rains hit the area hard in March of that year, and the American and Sacramento riverbanks crested. Many of the trade merchant businesses were destroyed. Constructing levees and dams became a winning political topic for Sacramento’s first Mayor Hardin Bigelow, who won by a landslide victory. Nothing could stop the progress of this new city forged on two rivers, and by 1852 it had grown from a Gold Rush boomtown to a city worthy of respect. No longer a just a trading post, money began to influence the commerce of Sacramento and its peoples. The city had all of the luxuries of San Francisco, as more people began to find a home in this new city. California was in its infancy as a state at this time, and finding a permanent home for its capital was a challenge. Original meetings of the early California government took place in Monterey and were then decided to be held permanently in modern-day San Jose. A former Mexican General, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, proposed building the capitol in his newly formed city, aptly named Vallejo. During this time the government set up operations in Sacramento. Setback after setback plagued the Vallejo project, and in 1854 Sacramento officials proposed that it should be the new capitol of California. State legislators were already familiar with the city and agreed that Sacramento was an appropriate
location for the new California Capital. Ground broke on the construction project in 1860 and fourteen years later the project would be completed. Flooding continued to be an issue for Sacramento, and in 1862 voters decided to have the entire city raised - making the first floor of many buildings now basements. Additional grading and levee building commenced around the rivers, and streets and railroad lines began to be officially laid. Ranches in the area that had been known for minor wheat production eventually fell by the wayside, to new farmers who saw prosperity in growing fruit. The outlying river area and delta began to be irrigated, and a land boom began. Agriculture was now serious business in the valley, and new immigrants from around the globe found opportunities on these new fruit farms. By the turn of the century, Sacramento began to leave many of its gambling halls and unsavory aspects of old west culture behind. The automobile arrived in 1903 and residents soon began to own and drive their new “horseless carriages” around the city. The railroads continued to boom as did steamboat operations, and overland travel to Sacramento diminished due to these faster methods of transportation. Women’s rights were constantly being challenged during this time, and eventually, the issue of voting equality found itself on Sacramento’s doorstep. Women’s rights advocates of the time were led by L.G. Waterhouse who for years headed the Sacramento Woman’s Suffrage Association. In 1911, women were finally granted the right to vote in California and have their voices heard at the ballot box, after years of tireless efforts battling social norms. Ethnic and political strife plagued Sacramento Valley through prohibition, which hit the local wine growers and breweries especially hard.. The city was finding a new voice, as violence and strife descended on Sacramento’s west end. Speakeasies and gambling halls grew once again in West Sacramento’s slums,
A rendering of Sacramento as it appeared during the flooding of 1850. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
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Left: The Sacramento River and Levee from Front Street. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
Right: Steamers on the Upper Sacramento River. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
while law and order was being furthered downtown. The Sacramento City Council in was established 1920 to help organize the city government further. Former journalist Clyde Seavey took on the city manager position and instituted new reforms to clean up the city of crime and general blight. Around this time water lines were laid and filtered by the newly formed Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which was publicly owned and operated. Clean water helped to attract even more new businesses and individuals to Sacramento, something that was a novel idea at the time (but added to one’s overall health and wellbeing). Paved roads would soon connect Sacramento to San Francisco and other neighboring central valley towns. Schools,
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town halls, and churches were being added monthly. Even baseball found a new home with the establishment of a minor league team called the Sacramento Salons who played continuously until 1976. The city was without a team for a very long stretch until the year 2000, when the Sacramento River Cats reintroduced baseball to the city. The Great Depression affected the Sacramento region heavily in the 1930s. Canneries and other large-scale employment operations saw profits fall, and over 15,000 of the cities’ occupants found themselves unemployed. Shantytowns began to emerge around the area, and even local charities crumbled under the weight of mass unemployment. Relief finally came under the New Deal programs instituted by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 which brought jobs to a struggling Sacramento economy. One of these New Deal programs, the Works Progress Administration set forth building infrastructure throughout the state. The Tower Bridge, which today is a famous architectural landmark, was built in 1935 to connect central Sacramento to West Sacramento. Many of the surrounding highways, civic buildings, and airports were also built and funded by the WPA at this time. McClellan Air Force Base was constructed in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County in 1936. The new air force base brought with it additional jobs and an overall boost to the local economy. World War II affected the city in profound ways, and
McClellan became a central point for war efforts. The base held hundreds of American bombers and fighter planes, and was a central training and deployment facility for the U.S. Air Force at this time. The city of Sacramento was put under rationing and had regular blackouts to prevent nighttime attacks from the air. Families watched their young men depart their farms and businesses, some never returning home again. After the war ended and into the 1960s the city began annexing surrounding county areas and the region boomed, nearly tripling in size. The post World War II era brought economic prosperity to the locale, and young couples flocked to the suburbs to start families. Neighboring towns such as
Left: K Street in Sacramento from the Masonic Hall. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
Right: Chinese Market, Sacramento Street. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
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An illustration of the southeast of the State Capitol building at the corner of 10th and L Streets COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
Davis, Folsom, and South Sacramento were filled with new homes and fresh opportunities. Today the Sacramento Valley is host to a diverse range of businesses and industries that continue to flourish in it’s ever expanding economy. agriculture, healthcare, and technology industries help to attract a skilled workforce to the region, while overall diversity creates a comfortable home for people of all ethnicities and beliefs to flourish.
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Sacramento has always been a city on the edge of growth and innovation, and is abundant in stunning natural beauty as well. The architecture of this historic Gold Rush region can be seen in all of its buildings and neighboring communities, offering us a glimpse into the past while hosting opportunities for the future. Come explore the Capital Region in this pictorial journey, which highlights the best of what the area has to offer.
Early Sacramento. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
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LIFE IN SACRAMENTO THE EMBARCADERO Old Sacramento was originally called the “Embarcadero” and was established on a large sand bar on the Sacramento River that was useful for offloading goods. Soon traders and business owners created establishments on the waterfront and Sacramento was born. As the city became more established, flooding also became an issue with yearly rains. Beginning in 1862, downtown Sacramento was raised, and a series of levees were placed upstream. Old Sacramento as it’s know today, features many buildings that still stand from the 19th century and are used for a variety of shops and tourist attractions. The Old Sacramento Waterfron has about 5 million visitors yearly, and has a host of activities for visitors to enjoy. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 16
THE BIG FOUR “The Big Four” buildings were owned and operated by Sacramento’s four most powerful businessmen Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Jr., and Charles Crocker. The first floors of the buildings were general stores, where traders and early prospectors could buy goods before heading further east to the goldfields of the Sierra Nevada Foothills. On the second floor, they founded the Central Pacific Railroad Company which linked the the western half of the transcontinental railroad system. This system was responsible for much of the early modern rail settlements and towns throughout California. CHAPTER TWO 17
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THE SCHOOLHOUSE The Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum is a reconstructed example of the classic one room schoolhouse found throughout early California. It is based on the 1884 Canon Schoolhouse, which was used to educate children in Brooks, California. Today the museum leads school tours in which docents dress in period “school master” clothing and lead educational classes informing today’s students about the classrooms of yesteryear. CHAPTER TWO 19
RAIN
OR
SHINE
Horse drawn carriages pull visitors through the streets of Old Sacramento Waterfront rain or shine, giving one the sense of stepping back in time to experience a taste of early California.
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PARISIAN INSPIRED The architecture of Old Sacramento Waterfront is classic Old West Victorian multi-storied buildings, which were influenced by early Spanish and Mexican rule in California. Many of the buildings have wrought iron balconies, and evenly spaced windows that are similar to Parisian design. They are an example of European architectural influence in the early Western United States. CHAPTER TWO 21
A STEP BACK IN TIME Old Sacramento Waterfront takes us back to a time with immersive experiences. Docent educators dressed in period costumes at the Sacramento History Museum, the Wells Fargo History Museum, and at the spectacularly expansive California State Railroad Museum educate visitors throughout the year.
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TRAIN TIME The California State Railroad Museum has one of the best collections in the world of historic locomotives and train cars, all which have been meticulously restored. Outside along the Old Sacramento Waterfront visitors can experience impressive working vintage locomotives firsthand. CHAPTER TWO 23
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DELTA KING The Delta King and it’s sister ship The Delta Queen were christened in 1927 and shuffled passengers from San Francisco to Sacramento on ten-hour voyages. Now featuring a 44-room hotel and an award winning restaurant, the permanently moored Delta King is the perfect place to stay while visiting Old Sacramento Waterfront. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 26
A KING’S SUNSET The Delta King was at one time used as a bunkhouse in British Columbia on the Kemano Dam Project, and was home base for workers in the remote wilderness. In 1978 the Delta King was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. CHAPTER TWO 27
DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO Sacramento’s downtown has had a vibrate renaissance where young adults are attracted to the new urban vibe the city has offer. As the Farm-to-Fork Capital of America, Sacramento is home to award winning chefs, restaurants, breweries and wineries as well as retail reflective of its makers movement. Award winner chefs have moved into the region to establish gastropubs and microbreweries, while retail has been reawakened with a range of options for the developed palette. Victorian homes add a charm to the surrounding atmosphere, as do a range of newly developed public parks and recreational trails. Downtown Sacramento bustles in the warm summer evenings, where entertainment thrives in the city’s many theaters and entertainment options including Second Saturdays, Downtown Ice Rink and Concerts in the Park. Couture cocktails flow over music played by artists from around the world, while boutique hotels offer the occasional traveler a luxurious home away from home. At the heart of the action is the State Capitol itself, as well as a multitude of other governmental offices that keep the state of California running throughout the year. California is one of the top five economies in the world, and the foundation of this economy is laid in the city of Sacramento. The energy that drives California starts in Sacramento, and one can experience this firsthand by visiting the State Capitol any day of the week to see government in action. Light rail systems transport passengers around the city, and bike lanes allow for ease of travel around downtown. Regionally, Sacramento Valley Station can transport the train traveller from the snow caped peaks of the Sierras, to the bustle of San Francisco’s Bay Area. All of this makes Sacramento a wonderful place to visit, and an even better place to call home. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 28
THE WATCHMEN Sacramento’s skyline surrounded by a pink hued cloudscape. CHAPTER TWO 29
CONTEMPORARY LINES The iconic 300 Capitol Mall and its stainless steel sculpture/fountain by artist David von Schlegel. Below the sculpture sits an inspirational quote by Abraham Joshua Heschel (a leading philosopher of the 20th Century) which reads “remember that the meaning of life is to build a life as if it were a work of art. Start working on this great work of art called your own existence. Remember the importance of self-discipline, study the great sources of wisdom and remember that life is a celebration.”
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ELKS TOWER In the 1920s Sacramento’s community and social scene began to explode. The Elks formed an organization called the Sacramento Elks Hall Association to find a solution to the massive growth befalling their club, as they had simply outgrown their lodge. The association put together funds and helped in the planning of an impressive 226 foot tall brick and steel temple which would house The Elks Lodge No. 6. The beautiful structure designed by leading architect Leonard Starks stands 14-floors high, and at the time of it’s opening on June 22, 1926, it was the tallest building in Sacramento. It became home not only to the Elks, but also a 100-room hotel with storefront spaces on the ground level.
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THE GRAND TERMINAL The Sacramento Valley Station is the traveler’s heartbeat in the city of Sacramento. Each day passengers from around the world pass through its doors, much the same as the first visitors to the location did at it’s opening in 1926. Sacramento Vally Station is the second busiest train station in the state of California, and the seventh busiest in the nation. Always on the move, this station hosts 38 daily routes, with additional Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach and Sacramento's Regional Transit (RT) Light Rail services.
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SACRAMENTO VALLEY STATION Sacramento Valley Station features a red tile roof and terra-cotta trim, as well as arches on the main entrance designed in the Renaissance Revival in style. Constructed in 1926, a prominent feature of the main station lobby is a mural by artist John A. MacQuarrie that depicts a scene from the groundbreaking of the First Transcontinental Railroad which occurred on January 8, 1863, in Sacramento. CHAPTER TWO 33
THE RAILYARDS The Sacramento Railyards, the largest urban infill project of its kind in the U.S., is an upcoming mixed-used business and residential development project that looks to link Downtown Sacramento and the River Distric. It will offer a range of exciting entertainment options including a stadium, much needed housing, and a new Kaiser Permanente Hospital for those looking to enjoy life close to all the amenities that downtown has to offer.
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BEAUX ARTS The Jesse M. Unruh building designed in the Beaux Arts tradition serves as an extension of the State Capitol. Envisioned by famed architects Weeks and Day. CHAPTER TWO 35
A CITY
OF
CALIFORNIA
O, city of a poet’s dream! By mountains girt about, with valleys full of glossy gleam or orange trees, That often seem to raise their arms with offerings of sweet and golden profferings, too fair for gods To doubt. Grand mountains rise on either side, snow-capped in summer days and far away to distant tide, Throbbing, passionate, like virgin bride, billowy mists of green and blue rise and fall with every hue That artist sees in blended rays. And where on heights Diana drove now man hath wrought in nature’s ways, fair gardens, fit for gods To rove, through airy aisles and lemon grove to smell the balm like that which blows from Thessaly. Man here forgets his shadowy woes, and dreams with love of coming days. And looking off where vision ends, on rolling depths the eye alights, while azure blue of heaven Bends, down, down, and then with ocean blends, until the sight of man is dim, and mystic thoughts Steal over him and raise him up to awful heights. O, city of a favored land! O, virgin ne’er to mate! Thy mountains ‘round thee grimly stand, thy Fairness is on every hand, while Star of Empire, westward bent, unto thy name acclaim has lent, thy Future shall be great. —Benjamin Franklin Field (1868)
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SPANISH SUNSET The Westminster Presbyterian Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is well known for it’s stunning bell tower and tiled dome. Built in 1927 by architects Dean and Dean, it was designed to be “Spanish Eclectic” with Byzantine influences as featured in the Hagia Sophia. Stucco covers it’s reinforced concrete skeleton, and it’s many decorative elements are made of pre-cast cement.
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CROCKER ART MUSEUM The Crocker Art Museum, formerly the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery is the longest continuously operating art museum in the West.
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CESAR E. CHAVEZ PLAZA Named after the labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who was a central figure and advocating for civil rights and played a prominent role in the American Labor Movement in the 1960s. The plaza was named in his honor, and is a centerpiece park that is used for rallies, a farmers’ market,Concerts in the Park, and other community events throughout the year.
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T H E K AY The Kay supports Downtown Sacramento with a range of office buildings that operate in the area during the day. As evening sets in, restaurants and entertainment venues spring to life, as visitors staying at one of the many hotels can explore the culture of Sacramento at night. The Kay District encompasses L Street to J Street between 13th and 7th Street. The Community Theatre is as the home of The Sacramento Ballet as well as the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra. The venue has 2,452 seats and hosts nationally touring musical acts and performing arts groups throughout the year as well.
CONVENTION CENTER COMPLEX The Sacramento Convention Center Complex is centrally located in Downtown Sacramento, and is walking distance from a range of restaurants, hotel rooms, and nightlife. The Complex Is made up of the Convention Center, which has over 137,000 square feet of exhibit space, 31 meeting rooms, including a 24,000 square foot ballroom; the 2,398-seat Community Center Theater; and the 3,849-seat Memorial Auditorium, which also houses the 272-seat Jean Runyon Theater. It is undergoing a $270 million expansion and improvement that will add add 22,494 square feet of exhibit space, meeting rooms, a new 40,000-square-foot ballroom, a new kitchen, and lobby.
SACRAMENTO SILHOUETTES Downtown Sacramento at night as photographed from West Sacramento. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 40
THE ESQUIRE The 1940s Art Deco Esquire Theatre originally opened in 1940, and was renovated and modernized in 1998. This is the only IMAX theater in the Sacramento area, and it offers comfortable stadium seating and digital surround sound.
BISHOP GALLEGOS SQUARE Bishop Gallegos Square is adjacent to Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and named after a beloved priest of that name. A statue of Bishop Gallegos overlooks the square and features a beautiful view of the capitol building as well as outdoor dining options in the summer.
THE CATHEDRAL OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT The Seat of the Bishop of the Sacramento Diocese, the Blessed Sacrament is unique in that it’s exterior is classic Italian Renaissance while it’s interior is Victorian. The cathedral’s construction began in 1887 and is yet another example of classic architecture in Sacramento that exists from the days of the Gold Rush era.
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DOWNTOWN’S CREST THEATRE The Crest Theatre is a historic, completely refurbished theatre in Downtown Sacramento. The theatre serves as an entertainment venue that features live shows and lectures, as well as independent and specialty films throughout the year. In 1995, it went through major renovations for modernization, and is now one of Sacramento’s most famous institutions. The Crest Theatre opened in 1912 as the Empress Theatre, and was originally used as a vaudeville palace. It was later named the Hippodrome for a short while, before having its name reversed back to the Crest. Today, The Crest Theater is known for presenting the Sacramento Film and Music Festival—as well as the Sacramento French Film Festival. This festival is the only one dedicated to French cinema in Northern California and one of two on the entire West Coast.
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C A L I F O R N I A’ S H E A R T B E A T The Sacramento Capitol Building was constructed between 1861 to 1874 and was based on the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. A portico can be found at the center of the building, held up by seven granite archways. The entire structure is of Neoclassical design. The building holds the official governing body of the State of California, in which the State Legislature, the Governor’s Office, and the Capitol Museum is housed. After the end of the Mexican-American war, the governing body that emerged in California began to seek statehood. Early legislators in the state organized in Monterrey and then San Jose, California. The early California ruling body found the conditions in Vallejo unfit for governing, with no real housing for it’s members. For a brief moment the State Capitol was moved to Benicia, which was found too small for governing. Eventually the city of Sacramento offered it’s courthouse for members to convene, and in 1854 legislators officially started governing the new golden state. It was soon decided that the city of Sacramento had all the proper amenities for running a state government, and in 1861 construction began on a permanent California State Capitol Building. In 1869 legislators finally moved into parts of the building still under construction, which would continue for another five years until its completion in 1874. The California State Capitol Building opened its doors and remained relatively unchanged until 1949 when additional room was required for legislative offices, the Governor’s office, and multiple committee rooms. The Capitol Annex attaches itself to the eastern end of the original building, and has been modernized many times over to keep up with technological growth and improvements.
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THE GATEKEEPERS The California Highway Patrol are often seen on horseback patrolling the grounds of the building as the first line of defense protecting legislators and government officials within.
LAST APPEAL
TO
QUEEN ISABELLA
On the first floor of the California State Capitol rotunda sits “Columbus’ Last Appeal to Queen Isabella,” which was gifted to the State of California by prominent Sacramento banker Darius Ogden Mills in 1883.
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THESE HALLS DO SPEAK The various halls of the California State Capitol allow for the casual visitor to explore government at work, on most days of the week. Passing though the halls, visitors cross paths with working senators and state leaders, and can educate themselves first-hand on how government really works. The California State Capitol Museum on the lower floor presents the history of California’s Capital through special exhibits, recreated first floor period rooms, and other California State exhibits. The Governor’s Portrait Gallery on the upper floor is a permanent exhibition where large scale paintings of California’s past governors are presented. Each Governor upon retirement is given the option to pick the artist of their choice to paint their official portrait. Famed actor and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had his official painting created by Los Angeles’ own art icon Gottfried Helnwein and it can be seen here. CHAPTER TWO 45
CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE The California State Senate Chamber houses forty members in a room of mostly red interiors, which is meant to resemble the British House of Lords. Along the cornice appears a portrait of George Washington and the Latin quotation: senatoris est civitatis libertatem tueri, translated to mean "It is a senator’s duty to protect the liberty of the people”.
LIGHTING
THE
FUTURE
Above the Senate floor the original large scale glass chandelier has been modernized and converted to electric fittings, offering light on the Senators below during session.
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THE CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY The California Assembly Chamber can be be found opposite the California Senate in the State Capitol building. Rich greens were incorporated to reflect the British House of Commons, the lower governing house of the California State governing body. Here guests can view from an upper floor as lawmakers debate various issues of the day below.
THE CALIFORNIA GRIZZLY BEAR Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (2003-2011) placed this giant bronze bear by artist Steven Bennett at the entrance of the Governors’ Office. The Governor purchased the statue himself and gifted it to the state. The California Grizzly Bear (now extinct) is the state’s official animal.
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THE GOLDEN BRIDGE Tower Bridge is a vertical lift bridge and features architecture in the Streamline Moderne styling of the 1930s.
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G AT E WAY
TO AN
INDOMITABLE CITY
Originally the bridge was painted silver, but drivers complained that the glare off the bridge was blinding in the midday sun. In 1976, the bridge was painted a yellow-ochre color to match the gold leaf cupola at the State Capitol. CHAPTER TWO 49
HIGH WATERMARK In the spring heavy rains saturate the Sierras and send water downstream to Sacramento. Levees and proper water management have lessened the threats of severe flooding over the years.
TOWER BRIDGE
AT
DUSK
Tower Bridge was the first vertical lift bridge in the state of California, and originally had train tracks that crossed it as well. When lifted, the span weighs an impressive 1,040 tons and has counterweights that weigh the same - it is easily raised with two 100-horsepower engines.
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GOVERNOR’S MANSION Official home to the Governor of California, this mansion is a California State Park but inaccessible to visitors due to it’s working nature. The 30 room building was constructed in the style of Second EmpireItaliante Victorian in 1877 for Albert Gallatin, who was a successful hardware merchant at the time. It wasn’t until 1903 that the State of California purchased the residence and made it the official home to the Governor of California.
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A PLACE CALLED HOME The historic neighborhoods of Midtown and Downtown Sacramento provide architecture enthusiasts some of the best examples of Victorian, Tudor, and Craftsman homes in California. Spectacular tree lined streets bring a particular magic to the area especially in the fall, when the area is at it’s most brilliantly colored. Nearby boutique shopping and a wide selection of casual dining experiences make these neighborhoods especially attractive to both visitors and long term residents. The neighborhoods provide an eclectic home to bustling community of artists, intellectuals, and startup internet entrepreneurs. Popular spots, including its many coffeehouses and co-working spaces, foster environments for creative people to collaborate with each other, while satisfying savory pursuits as well. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 52
MIDTOWN CULTURE The Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts (The Sofia) on Capitol Avenue in Midtown is a spectacular $29million performing arts theatre in the heart of Sacramento. The center brings a vibrant light to the neighborhood with its year long calendar of contemporary plays and productions. Featuring three stages and a restaurant in a 45,000-square-foot complex, the Sophia is perfect for the theater crowd. Theatre patrons visit some of the popular local culinary establishments after attending shows at The Sophia. Midtown features some of the best restaurants and dining experiences in all of Sacramento. Chefs from around the world, including many that are homegrown, call Sacramento home, and present a range of dishes to please the most discerning palette.
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A TOWERING LEGACY One of the more recognizable landmarks in Sacramento is the Tower Theatre, which was originally a large single screen auditorium and subsequently was divided into three smaller theaters in the 1980s. Although the interior has been modernized, the exterior has held on to its art deco style and neon lights and has been beautifully restored. Built in 1938 to present the top cinema feature films of the time, the theatre now caters to independent and art films not typically shown at a local megaplex. The retail music giant Tower Records was conceived and first opened in the location of Tower Drugs, which sat adjacent to the theatre.
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THE HANDLE DISTRICT The Handle District is a vibrant and eclectic mix of Midtown’s most popular businesses and restaurants concentrated between 18th/19th/L/Capitol.
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SUTTER’S FORT Swiss Immigrant John Sutter constructed this fort more than 150 years ago while working for the Mexican government who provided him with numerous land grants. The early fort became a important centerpiece in the growth and development of not only the Sacramento region, but also the State of California.
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INSIDE
THE
FORT
At the center of Sutter’s Fort sits the main building which was used as Sutter’s office, a medical office, and the clerk’s office. When the influx of prospectors hit the region and money was tight, it was also used as a hotel. This is the only surviving building on the property. In 1891, the fort was restored and exterior walls and buildings were reconstructed. The Sutter’s Fort restoration was finalized in 1891 and many years later became a California State Park in 1947.
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METRO SACRAMENTO AND OUTLYING AREAS KNOWLEDGE
IN THE
TREES
California State University (CSUS and informally Sac State) was founded in 1947 and enrolls over 30,000 students a year, with an alumni base of 215,000. The beautiful grounds of the campus sit on 300 acres with thousands of trees, many of them situated in the University Arboretum (formerly the Goethe Arboretum). The University is a public comprehensive university in East Sacramento, and offers 151 different bachelor’s degrees, 69 master’s degrees, 28 types of teaching credentials, and 2 doctoral degree programs. An architectural highlight on the campus is the Guy West Bridge named after the first president of the college. In 1967 it was the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the United States, and it cost approximately US $636,000 (equivalent to $4,670,000 in 2017) to build. The architectural beauty of the bridge earned it the 1968 AISC steel bridge special prize contest winner award.
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TREESCAPE The California State University Arboretum and botanic garden has over twelve hundred trees on it’s grounds, and has a variety of trails and informational tours offered year-round.
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GOLDEN GATE
IN
MINIATURE
The Guy West Bridge was envisioned and constructed to resemble San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, and links the campus to the commons area across the American River. The bridge with it’s trademark international orange coloring has thousands of students cross it’s delicate suspension span daily.
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SACRAMENTO’S WATER SOURCE The E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment plant provides about half of the drinking water supply for the City of Sacramento. Located just off the American River, this treatment plant was originally built in 1964 and was recently upgraded to handle modern demands and infrastructure.
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SUTTER’S LANDING PARK The gateway of the America River Parkway runs 31.5 miles and has more than 8 million visitors per year. Sutter’s Landing Park is a Sacramento legacy project which continues to grow and includes a range of recreational opportunities along it’s borders. Pathways, skate parks, outdoor workout equipment, and beautiful bike lanes are a few of the features of Sutter’s Landing.
SUTTER’S LANDING TRAIN BRIDGE “Your problem is to bridge the gap which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach.” —Earl Nightingale.
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CAL EXPO The early California legislature decided that an agricultural exposition (with the help of the State Agricultural Society) would best market California’s breadbasket to the world. Today the Cal Expo and California State Fair is based out of Sacramento’s permanent fairgrounds and has an estimated economic impact of more than $250 million on the region. In 2012, Disneyland donated the trademark letters from the “California Adventure” park to be displayed outside the exposition’s main gate. Cal Expo is also home to Sacramento Republic FC's home pitch, Papa Murphy's Park.
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FIELD
OF
DREAMS
Raley Field took nearly nine months to construct at the cost of $46.5 million, and features 10,624 seats and grass berms that allow for a total capacity of 14,014 visitors. Originally the project was too expensive for the city of West Sacramento, and Mayor Christopher Cabaldon in his first term as mayor helped secure the budget costs by inspiring Sacramento County and Yolo County to join his efforts in financing the project. The effort of all involved parties helped create a stadium that not only repaid all it’s debts, and actually created a bond reserve to be utilized for other projects. On May 15, 2000, Raley Field opened it’s doors for the first official game. The Pacific Coast League Sacramento River Cats are the hometown team that are Triple-A affiliates of the San Francisco Giants. Originally the site of old industrial warehouses, West Sacramento’s Raley Field hosts the Rivercats with a beautiful modernized playing field, stadium seating, and concessions.
THE BARN The Barn, led by Sacramento philanthropist and developer Mark Friedman, is the pilot project for The Bridge District in the City of West Sacramento and is a new 178-acre mix-use neighborhood one mile from the California State Capitol. The overall design of The Barn is supposed to reflect the concept of a sprouting vegetable seed, indicative of Sacramento’s agricultural roots. The Barn features a restaurant as well as grounds for community and cultural activities and events to take place.
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THE ZIGGURAT On the shores of the Sacramento River directly across from Old Sacramento stands a ten-story stepped pyramid office building that is one of the most recognizable architectural features in all of Sacramento. Built to withstand a 6.9 on the Richter scale earthquake event, the steel and column structure sits upon a prestressed concrete pile foundation system for ultimate stability on it’s riverbank grounds. The Ziggurat was designed by architect Edwin Kado for the Money Store in 1997, which was at the time one of the largest money lenders in the nation. He proposed a structure that would resemble Mesopotamian ziggurat pyramids often seen in ancient Aztec cultures. The exterior of the building’s framework is covered with four ton limestone panels, and it is currently leased by the California Department of General Services (DGS).
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I STREET BRIDGE Sacramento’s famed I Street Bridge was constructed in 1911 and is a well known truss swing bridge that connects Sacramento County with Yolo County. The upper part of the bridge is a roadway which has thousands of cars pass over it’s span daily, while the lower span is reserved for trains traveling east and west through Sacramento. When a large ship needs to pass through, the bridge simply swivels open and then back into place when necessary.
RIVER WALK The Sacramento River Walk Park is a paved trail that goes along the west bank of the Sacramento River. Between the trail and the river are many picnic areas. Along the trail itself are many educational signs about the settlement of Sacramento, as well as the natural habitat of the river. Organizations such as the Sacramento Photo Club frequently meet in the area to practice their hobby with local models who are looking to build a portfolio.
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R O B E R T T. M AT S U I WAT E R F R O N T PA R K An arc-shaped pedestrian walkway crosses the river and links the plaza at the Sacramento River Intake Structure to a smaller pedestrian overlook at the former water intake pier. The area features beautiful landscaping, open turf area for play, walkways and benches, and promenade with lighting.
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THE CALIFORNIA DELTA The California Delta region can be found on the western end of Northern California's Central Valley where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet. The area is widely recognized for it’s abundant agricultural resources and estuaries, and for it’s many historic towns that sit along the banks of the Sacramento River. The entire delta region encompasses around 1,100 square miles just outside Stockton and Sacramento. The delta was formed after the last ice age, when the Central Valley was abundant in waterways that filtered through the Carquinez Strait into the San Francisco Bay. The remaining islands that formed are from a mix of tidal action and waterways that eventually caused sediment to pile up
over thousands of years. The Delta has remained in its current state for roughly 10,000 years.
ISLETON BRIDGE SUNSET This historic Isleton bascule bridge spans the Sacramento River and was constructed in 1923 to carry State Route 160. Two concrete 102 feet arch spans meet to the east of the main bascule span, which is 226 feet long, and allows travelers access to residential and commercial neighborhoods on both sides of the river. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 68
ISLETON MOONRISE In 1874 Josiah Pool constructed a wharf on the Sacramento River and Isleton was officially off and running. Floods plagued the town until much later when levees were finally constructed on both sides of the river. Around 1875,
Chinese immigrants arrived in the region, as did a number of Japanese immigrants all of whom found work in the Delta region’s growing agriculture boom. Canneries helped to package the abundant produce that was grown throughout much of the early 21st century, and many of these Chinese and Japanese Immigrants worked in these facilities. Today both Isleton’s Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts are on the National Register of Historic Places.
ISLETON Isleton is located on Andrus Island amid the slough wetlands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, on the eastern edge of the Rio Vista Gas Field. The city has many preserved 19thcentury era storefronts along its main street, some of which show distinct Chinese cultural influences and architecture.
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C A L I F O R N I A’ S H O L L A N D Much of the Delta region sits below sea level and behind levees, which has earned it the nickname “California’s Holland.”
THE BASCULE SPAN The Isleton Bridge was designed by Sacramento County engineer Charles W. Deterding, with the Strauss Bascule Bridge Company of Chicago designing the bascule span. Steel portions of the bridge were fabricated by the American Bridge Company and the bridge was constructed by Jenkins & Elton of Sacramento.
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LOCKE Locke is located in the primarily agricultural region south of Sacramento, California, near State Route 160. The original beginning of Locke, then called Lockeport, was in 1912, when three Chinese merchants, two from the nearby town of Vorden and one from Walnut Grove, contracted tradesmen
to construct three buildings. Chan Tin Sin built the first building. It was a combination dry goods store and beer saloon. Yuen Lai Sing built a gambling hall. Owyang Wing Cheong built the Lockeport Hotel & Restaurant. Locke Historic District, is an unincorporated community in California’s Sacramento—San Joaquin River Delta built by Chinese Americans during the early 20th century. It was originally named Lockeport after George Locke, who owned the land that the town was built upon at a time when Chinese people were not allowed to own land. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and further was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1990 due to its unique example of a historic Chinese American rural community.
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CHINESE AMERICAN HISTORY At the north end of Main Street, the restored Locke Boarding House Museum (now owned by California State Parks) operates daily, staffed by volunteers. The Kao Ming School opened in 1926 to teach the Chinese language to the children of Chinese Americans and today also operates as a museum. The Town of Locke celebrated its centennial anniversary in May 9, 2015. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 72
WALNUT GROVE Walnut Grove was established in 1850 as one of the first settlements along the Sacramento River. It is the only community on the California Delta to occupy both the east and west banks of the river. Throughout the summer, Walnut Grove hosts “First Fridays� where the community comes together to celebrate local culture and galleries and other businesses stay open later for visitors to explore.
WALNUT GROVE BRIDGE The Walnut Grove Bridge was constructed in 1951 and is a prime example of a Strauss type heel-trunnion bascule design. The bridge truss was built by the Consolidated Western Steel Corporation of Los Angeles.
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COURTLAND Courtland is located along the Sacramento River and was named after Courtland Sims, son of James V. Sims, a landowner who opened a steamer landing in the community in 1870. An architectural highlight of the area is the Courtland Courthouse, which was actually never a courthouse but rather a bank. The Bank of Courtland which opened on May 3, 1919, led by W. C. Clarke with $25,000 in capital, but closed it’s doors during the Great Depression. The facade of the Greek Revival-style structure has six columns with Doric-style capitols resting below an ornately-carved pediment, and is a beautiful example of early California architecture.
COURTLAND’S PEARS The California Delta and Courtland area is well known for producing some of the best pears worldwide. For over 40 years the Courtland Pear Festival has been a yearly event, entertaining pear lovers from around the globe. It is one of the last small town agricultural fairs still being held, and has an attendance of ten thousand people a year.
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POWERED
BY THE
PEOPLE
Davis, California, is known as “Bicycle Capital of America� and has been leading the nation with bike friendly laws and paths throughout the city since the 1960s. The University of California Davis also calls this city west of Sacramento its home. Located in Yolo County, Davis is host to a wide array of theaters, cafes, and shops that cater not only to the student population, but also to visiting tourists as well. Whether one wants to catch a classic film at the Varsity Theatre, or take a stroll through the lush gardens of the UC Davis Arboretum, Davis has a little bit of something for everyone.
DAVISVILLE The town that grew up around this once remote railroad stop was originally called Davisville, which was then shortened in 1907 to simply Davis. Constructed by the California Pacific Railroad in 1868, the originally Davisville station burned down and was later replaced in by the current 1914 design which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The station is owned by the city of Davis, with services provided by Amtrak and the Central Pacific Railroad.
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UC DAVIS The University of California, Davis is one of the most respected colleges in the state of California, and has the third-largest UC enrollment in the state behind UCLA and UC Berkeley. UC Davis is a comprehensive doctoral research university with a medical program, and participates heavily in research activity. The University has expanded over the years to include programs in law, medicine, veterinary medicine, education, nursing, and business management. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in the largest program in the U.S. The school is also known around the world for its agriculture programs and research.
A CENTERPIECE OF BIKING HISTORY The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame is a private organization that promotes and preserves sport cycling history. The museum explores bicycles as a form throughout history, and features medals and bikes from some of it’s most well known athletes. Located in Downtown Davis, it’s the perfect pit stop for the bicycle enthusiast. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 76
CENTRAL PARK GARDENS The Davis Central Park Gardens intends to motivate home gardening amongst the public. Specific shrubs and drought tolerant plants were selected to highlight the ease at which one can own and grow a basic home garden. Located in Davis’ award-winning Central Park, the gardens are a community resource in coordination with volunteers from UC Davis and the Davis Farm to School connection. The groups aim to create demonstration gardens that are not only practical, but also beautiful. Artists Solomon Bassoff and Domenica Mottarella (who work together as the name “Faducci”) created Davis’ beloved caterpillar sculpture in Central Park. A contest was held in 2010 to give the caterpillar a name, and she is now famously known as “Bellapede.”
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VARSITY THEATRE If art house and foreign cinema are your thing, the 1940s art deco styled Davis Varsity Theatre is a wonderful place to see some of your favorite films. Completely overhauled in 2006, the theatre is host to two screens and offers state of the art picture and sound. This cultural and architectural icon of the city is frequented by movie fans from around the region.
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OKTOBERFEST Davis residents join in the yearly celebration of Oktoberfest where bier, bratwurst, and cider are enjoyed. Sponsored by the Davis Sunrise Rotary Club, the event includes polka as participants dance in lederhosen and dirndls, traditional fashion from the Bavarian Alps.
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THE THREE SISTERS These three oaks stand on a perfect hillside just east of Sacramento, and greet visitors heading to California’s Gold Country.
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FOLSOM Joseph Libby Folsom originally settled and established Granite City, which was occupied by mostly gold miners as a stopping point on their way to the the gold fields of the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Folsom lobbied heavily to have a railroad line connected directly to Sacramento, and this expanded the town and it’s population. Upon Folsom’s death in 1855, civic leaders felt it was appropriate to name the town after its original visionary leader, and Granite City officially became known as Folsom. The Folsom Historic District features many of the original brick buildings that stood during the California Gold Rush, and has a wide range of shops, entertainment, and dining experiences. The area has won awards for it’s restoration efforts, and gives visitors a taste of yesteryear as well as a range of diverse events throughout the year.
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HISTORY
OF THE
WEST
Historic Folsom Station is served by Sacramento RT Light Rail Gold Line nearby, and houses the Folsom Chamber of Commerce. Old Folsom has been renovated and features a wide array of charming shops and bistros on Folsom’s historic western-styled boulevard. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 82
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LAKE NATOMA CROSSING Due to the growth of Folsom, it became obvious by the 1980s that the two-lane Rainbow Bridge could not carry the traffic. After years of discussion about where a new crossing should be built and how it could be financed, the Lake Natoma Crossing over Lake Natoma was completed in 1999. It carries four lanes of traffic plus bike lanes and pedestrian walkways on each side over Lake Natoma. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 84
JOHNNY CASH TRAIL In 2014 the City of Folsom proudly opened Phase I of The Johnny Cash Trail—a 1.2-mile segment of Class I bike trail that connects the Folsom Lake Trail by way of a new bike/pedestrian bridge inspired by the architecture of nearby Folsom Prison. With the bike trail infrastructure in place, the City of Folsom plans to create a world-class linear public art experience that will celebrate and honor the legendary Johnny Cash, and his history with the City of Folsom.
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THE WISHING TREE The small singular “Wishing Tree” on the banks of Folsom Lake highlighted by a passing ray of sunlight.
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FOOTPRINTS
IN
FOLSOM
Folsom Lake is one of the most popular bodies of water in Northern California, and is situated within El Dorado, Placer, and Sacramento counties. At at altitude of 466 feet the lake contains nearly 11,500 gallons of water when filled. The Folsom Dam was constructed on the American River for flood prevention, power generation, drinking water and irrigation. The lake is surrounded by a number of recreational parks, which provide visitors the perfect opportunity to picnic and play, and has some of the best freshwater fishing in the state.
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WATER
AND
WELL-BEING
The Folsom Lake State Recreation Area (SRA) surrounds the reservoir, and is managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. It is widely used for recreation, with areas designated for hiking, camping, and biking. The lake is also commonly used for fishing, boating, water-skiing, and even horseback riding.
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HOME
IN THE
HILLS
Folsom is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and its climate is characterized by long, hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters.
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C A L I F O R N I A’ S F I R S T P O W E R H O U S E In the 1880s the Livermore family (business leaders in the Folsom area) had reached a deal with the state government to donate land for a large scale prison in exchange for prison labor. The family then developed and built the Folsom Powerhouse to harness the power of the American River, one of the first alternating current hydroelectric power stations in California. It generated power by using turbines and then sent the electricity overland 22 miles for use in Sacramento. Today the powerhouse is a National Historic Monument as it was one of the first to use three phase 60 cycle power, the same type of power we use today. The powerhouse ended it’s operations officially in 1952.
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LAKE NATOMA SUNSET Paved cycling and jogging trail encircles the lake along with unpaved equestrian trails. Lake Natoma is also home to the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, and regularly hosts West Coast College Rowing Championships, the Pac-12 Conference Rowing Championships, and, every four years, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships.
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REFLECTING
ON
LAKE NATOMA
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.”—Walt Whitman
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GOLDEN RAINBOW BRIDGE Folsom’s iconic “Rainbow Bridge” was built in 1917 in the place of Truss Bridge and is still standing today.
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LAKE NATOMA Lake Natoma is an intermediate lake along the American River, located between Folsom Dam and Nimbus Dam in the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. It is a recreational lake perfect for rowing, kayaking, and swimming. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 94
THE DELICATE SPAN Folsom’s Rainbow Bridge at one time was the only way to cross the American River in this location, and is a beautiful example of a concrete arch bridge. CHAPTER THREE 95
GOLD
IN
THESE HILLS
In the spring of 1848, a group of French gold miners arrived and camped in what would later be known as the Auburn Ravine. This group was on its way to the gold fields in Coloma, California, and it included Francois Gendron, Philibert Courteau, and Claude Chana. The young Chana discovered gold on May 16, 1848. After finding the gold deposits in the soil, the trio decided to stay for more prospecting and mining. The area soon developed into a mining camp, and it was officially named Auburn in August 1849. By 1850 the town’s population had grown to about 1,500 people and in 1851, Auburn was chosen as the seat of Placer County. Gold mining operations moved up the ravine to the site of present-day Auburn. Auburn is part of the Capital Region and is home to the Auburn State Recreation Area. The park is the site of more sporting endurance events than any other place in the world, giving Auburn the undisputed and internationally acclaimed title of Endurance Capital of the World.
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THE COURTHOUSE
ON THE
HILL
The Historic Placer County Courthouse, visible from both directions of Interstate 80, is located adjacent to the Historic Old Town. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 98
LAW & ORDER
IN
GOLD COUNTRY
The Placer County Museum is located on the first floor of Auburn’s Historic Courthouse. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1894, and the courthouse was completed in 1898. History took its toll on the building and by the 1980s, its future was uncertain. Fortunately, the community rallied behind the courthouse and raised over $6 million to restore it. On July 4, 1994, Auburn’s Courthouse once again opened to the public. The first floor includes the Placer County Museum Gallery, foyer displays of the Pate Collection of American Indian Artifacts, a restored sheriff’s office, and the treasury, where the museum’s gold collection is on permanent display. Outside the courthouse beneath the stairs is the restored women’s jail.
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OLD TOWN AUBURN From the discovery of gold to restaurants, shops, and year round special events, explore the pleasures and treasures of Old Town Auburn.
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C A L I F O R N I A’ S E A R L Y F I R E F I G H T E R S Built in 1888, Firehouse No. 1 is on the National Register of Historic Places and is located at the corner of El Dorado Street and Lincoln Way, across from the Martin Park fire station. It is one of the earliest and only examples of a surviving firehouse in the state of California.
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MOUNTAIN QUARRIES BRIDGE The Mountain Quarries Bridge is a railroad bridge across the North Fork American River, near Auburn, in Placer County, California. It is a concrete arch bridge that was built in 1912 to transport quarried rock. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 104
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NORTH FORK AMERICAN RIVER The North Fork American River is the longest branch of the American River in Northern California. It is 88 miles (142 km) long from its source at the crest of the Sierra Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, to its mouth at Folsom Lake northeast of Sacramento. Below the dam, the river bends south, passing under the Foresthill Bridge, the highest bridge in California, then receives the Middle Fork American River, its largest tributary, from the left. The valley widens as the river flows south past Auburn, soon emptying into the north arm of Folsom Lake, a reservoir formed in 1955 by the Folsom Dam. Its waters mingle with that of the South Fork American River to form the American River, a tributary of the Sacramento River.
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THE FORESTHILL BRIDGE The Foresthill Bridge, also referred to as the Auburn-Foresthill Bridge or the Auburn Bridge, is a road bridge crossing over the North Fork American River in Placer County and the Sierra Nevada foothills, in eastern California. It is the highest bridge by deck height in California, and the fourth highest in the U.S. at 730 feet above the river. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 108
RAGING WATERS Lake Clementine is fed by the North Fork American River, and was created in 1939 when the Army Corps of Engineers built the dam to prevent gold mining debris from flowing downstream. CHAPTER THREE 109
LAKE CLEMENTINE Lake Clementine (also known as North Fork Lake) is a reservoir on the North Fork American River Canyon. It is open to boat traffic, and is a popluar waterskiing and wakeboarding spot during the summer. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 110
PLACERVILLE Nearby Sutter’s Mill was the site of the where gold was originally discovered in 1848, and this area was was known as Dry Diggin’s for the way miners had to sift through dry soil with running water. It later became know as “Hangtown” due the frequency of hangings there during the California Gold Rush years. In 1854 the City of Placerville was officially established, and at that time it was the third largest city in California. Today’s Placerville is a well frequented tourism spot for travelers headed to Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Fine dining options, as well as boutiques and antique stores border each side of the main street. CHAPTER THREE 111
HANGMAN’S TREE Placerville earned it’s originally name at this spot where a large oak tree once stood during the gold rush years. The lawless West was a rough place to be in 1849, and a number of robbers and murderers hanged here were an example of an early form of justice. Today Hangman’s Tree is an ice cream parlor. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 112
GOLD RUSH SUNSET Placerville became a large trading post for early miners and offered lodging, banking, and transportation services, as well as the opportunity to resupply at any number of markets and general stores. The Pony Express also ran through the area, where mail was relayed on horseback between Missouri and Sacramento. CHAPTER THREE 113
APPLE HILL Apple Hill is the trademarked name of the Apple Hill Growers Association, and refers to the 55 ranches located in the Sierra Mountain foothills in El Dorado County, in and around the community of Camino. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 114
AN APPLE
A
D AY
In the early 1960s, a pear blight encouraged growers in and around Camino, Califrornia to switch their production to apples. Today Apple Hill is one of the largest producers of apple harvests in the state of California. CHAPTER THREE 115
HOME
IN THE
HILLS
Since its formation in the 1960s, Apple Hill has become California’s largest concentration of apple growers as well as a significant tourist destination noted for its rural ambiance, apple products including pies and cider, and other produce and attractions. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 116
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THE FARM STAND Boa Vista Orchards is one of the largest farm stand operations in the Apple Hill area just east of Placerville along Highway 50. The stand offers a variety of fruits, jams, and other delicacies to satisfy with savory delight. CHAPTER THREE 119
HARVEST Northern California schoolchildren usually get their first taste of Apple Hill goodies on second grade field trips. In mid-fall, pumpkins and hay rides start popping up around the orchards and is a favorite time of year for families to visit the area. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 120
NEVADA CITY An early Gold Rush town, Nevada City was settled in 1849 and offers some of the best examples of Old West architecture and Victorian-era homes in California. Well known for its Deer River gold mine, the town was one of the most important, successful, and influential mining camps in the Old West. Today Nevada City hosts a range of great restaurants, wine tasting rooms, as well as contemporay boutique shopping experiences. Taking a stroll down the wood planked sidewalks helps one envision life in the Gold Rush era, with the modern amenities and culinary delights of today.
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THE OLD WEST Shops line the streets of modern day Nevada City, offering a range of food and shopping experiences for the weekend traveler. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 122
LIVING HISTORY Nevada City has a well-preserved selection of historic buildings throughout it’s many streets. The 1865 Nevada Theatre is California’s oldest operating theatre, with past performers ranging from Mark Twain to Mötley Crüe.
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TAHOE SUNSET Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, straddling the border of California and Nevada. It’s known for its beaches and ski resorts. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 124
TAHOE TOURISM Lake Tahoe is a major tourist attraction in both Nevada and California. It is home to winter sports, summer outdoor recreation, and scenery enjoyed throughout the year. Snow and ski resorts are a significant part of the area’s economy and reputation. The Nevada side also offers large casinos, with highways providing year-round access to the entire area.
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CAVE ROCK In an area considered sacred by the local Washoe Indian Tribe, two bore tunnels run through the most prominent rock feature on Lake Tahoe named appropriately “Cave Rock”.
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GLACIAL WINTERS The Sierra Nevada adjacent to Lake Tahoe were carved by scouring glaciers during the Ice Ages, which began a million or more years ago, and retreated 15,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene. Today visitors use the land for a variety of recreational purposes such as snowmobiling and skiing.
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CAPITAL REGION AGRICULTURE
SACRAMENTO’S ALMONDS California is the only state where cool winters and mild springs allows for commercial growing to take place yearly. A stunning 82 percent of the world’s almonds come from California, and it takes 10 percent of the state’s water supply to grow them each year. The almond industry, including Blue Diamond Almonds headquartered in Sacramento, generates more than $5.9 billion in economic revenue to the state of California, and is one of it’s largest cash crops. Over 97,000 jobs are generated in the Central Valley of California, with many right here in the Sacramento Valley. Almond trees grow essentially three crops—the kernel we eat, hulls that are used for livestock feed and alternative energy, and shells which go to alternative farming uses like livestock bedding.
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WAVES
OF
GRAIN
Grain corn is grown quite extensively in the Capital Region and is a cereal grain that was first domesticated by indigenous peoples over 10,000 years ago. This feed is important to the cattle and farming industry, and is utilized for adding extra flavor to the beef by feeding it to the cattle in the late stages of farming.
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BREADBASKET
TO THE
WORLD
The unique Mediterranean climate in California allows for over 450 different crops to be grown and harvested - it is also the world’s fifth largest supplier of food, cotton fiber, and other agricultural commodities. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 134
GOLD RUSH GRAPES The Sierra Foothills American Viticultural Area (AVA) contains portions of eight California counties: Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Tuolumne, and Yuba. The total area of the appellation is 2,600,000 acres and is one of the largest AVAs in the state of California. Wine grapes were first planted in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the California Gold Rush of the late 1840s and early 1850s. CHAPTER FOUR 135
THE SACRAMENTO METROPOLITAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE As reported by The Sacramento Bee, on a July evening in 1895, Sacramento Mayor B. U. Steinman called a town hall meeting to order with a stirring address offering the many benefits that would come to pass as the result of formalizing a chamber of commerce. A chamber of commerce was something every city should have to accomplish the many goals that were of interest in the progress of a city. Since 1985, the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has led the charge for business. As the Capital Region enters a new era focussed on an inclusive economy, it has made the business promise towards vibrant communities, a connected region, a ready workforce, and strong business. For 124 years, the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has led the charge in advocating for and supporting our regional business community and promoting policies and fostering programs to help the community grow and expand. Representing over 1,400 members and a workforce of 200,000 in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba Counties, the Metro Chamber is the region’s leading proponent of regional cooperation and primary advocate on issues affecting business, economic development, and quality of life. Throughout its history, the Metro Chamber has served as the region’s principal economic development and advocacy organization successfully building the Capital Region by: • Advocating for the establishment of the Sacramento Army Depot, Mather Air Force Base, McClellan Air Force Base and bringing passenger air service to Sacramento and its expansion over the years. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 136
• Serving as the region’s early industrial recruiter and attracting companies such as Aerojet, Blue Diamond Growers, and others. • Serving as a catalyst or founder for many organizations that continue to serve the region such as the Sacramento Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Sacramento Tree Foundation, Northern California World Trade Center, and NextEd. • Advocating for the establishment of California State University, Sacramento • Successfully urging for the construction of the Sacramento Community Center • Serving as the principal business organization that recruited the Sacramento Kings in 1984 and supporting the development of Golden 1 Center in the heart of Downtown Sacramento. • Serving a critical role in crafting the the previous guiding economic blueprint for the region, the Next Economy plan.
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CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS Profiles of businesses, and organizations that have contributed to growing a vibrant community and strong businesses in our Capital Region. Vibrant Community ................................................................................................140
S t ro n g B u s i n e s s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 0
Connected Region ..................................................................................................208
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VIBRANT COMMUNITY Healthcare leaders, educational institutions, historical, and civic o r g a n i z a t i o n s t h a t c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e C a p i t a l R e g i o n ’s v i b r a n t c o m m u n i t y. Eskaton ...........................................................................................................................142
A m e r i c a n R e d C ro s s G o l d C o u n t r y R e g i o n D o n a t e d b y B e s t We s t e r n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 6 California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. ............................................................148 INALLIANCE ........................................................................................................150 Sacramento Public Library ......................................................................................152 Friends of the Sacramento Public Library ..................................................................152 Dignity Health Sacramento .....................................................................................154 UC Davis Health ...................................................................................................156 We l l A g i n g M e d , I n c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 8 University of the Pacific .........................................................................................160 S a i n t V i n c e n t d e P a u l S o c i e t y, R o s e v i l l e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 2 S a i n t A n n a G re e k O r t h o d o x C h u rc h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 3 A Therapeutic Alternative .......................................................................................164 C A S A d e E S PA Ñ O L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 5 El Dorado County ..................................................................................................166 C a p i t a l R e g i o n ’s Wo r k f o rc e D e v e l o p m e n t B o a rd s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 7 City of Rocklin ......................................................................................................168 Lammert Inc. ........................................................................................................169
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ESKATON Right: Jia Kai Chu and Hui Wen Liu residents since 2002.
Below: Yen Lu found her expression of life through dance.
Every morning, Clea wakes up early, gets a cup of coffee, and does a crossword. Then she heads out for a one mile walk at Eskaton Village Carmichael. “Routine is key,” says 100-year-old Clea. “A pedometer is a great way to hold yourself accountable.” Clea, a retired school teacher from Peter J. Shields Elementary in Rancho Cordova, has always been active. She enjoyed dancing the waltz and cha-cha with her husband of sixty-four years. She never feared exercise; it is just part of her lifestyle. About eight years ago, Clea fell, broke her hip and shattered her elbow. Today, she does not
let the fear of falling stop her from doing what she enjoys. She participates in a sing-along group and knits caps for children in the hospital. Clea also attends balance class and deep breathing class three times each week. “Organize your life to include some formal and informal exercise each day,” says Clea. “Eat a good diet, be careful of fats, and avoid processed food.” Eskaton provides services and support for more than 15,000 individuals annually who live in its communities or participate in its comprehensive home support services. Behind every senior is a story similar to Clea’s. The life-enriching programs, innovative health and wellness C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 142
Left: Sharing little moments brings a smile to everyone’s face.
Below: The caring and dedicated staff at Eskaton proudly wear their “I love this place” t-shirts.
initiatives, and Eskaton’s highly professional staff help make the lives of seniors full. It all began in January 1968 when the board of directors of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California–Nevada voted to purchase American River Hospital through a nonprofit corporation called Eskaton. The terms of the sale were later referred to as “nothing down and forever to pay.” It was the wish of the church that the relationship with Eskaton be viewed fraternally rather than legally. Thus, Eskaton was born. Today, Eskaton is one of the largest and most diverse nonprofit aging services organizations in California. But, it was not always that way. In the early years, Eskaton was recognized as a “hospital company” until a fateful day in the early 1980s when the board of directors decided that seniors in Northern California were underserved and made the bold decision to CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - VIBRANT COMMUNITY 143
Companionship, friendship, and laughter can always be found at Eskaton.
pivot away from hospitals, which were approximately seventy-five percent of its revenue, to focus on senior housing and services. Thus, the Eskaton of today was re-born. The current mission statement, drafted in 1985, has stood the test of time. Throughout the years, Eskaton has grown, evolved, adapted, innovated, affiliated, disaffiliated, built, managed, partnered, etc., continuously right up to the present day. The devotion to purpose and values has strengthened its character through change. Very few things in life happen overnight. An organization is not unlike a person. Eskaton is what it is today because of the experiences that have shaped it over fifty years. Eskaton has been fortunate to have people of the highest caliber contributing at every level of the organization.
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At age ninety-nine, Ruth Duff walks briskly with a purpose, illustrating what healthy aging is all about. Ruth is an artist and has painted more than 150 water colors since she became an Eskaton resident. She works in a variety of media, including knitting, silk screening, etching on copper, bronze casting, and print making. She is a true life-long learner. She also uses gardening as a creative outlet and is noted for her garden that includes tomatoes, zucchini and a variety of colorful flowers. Eskaton’s diverse spectrum of services is what sets it apart. Eskaton communities feature everything from independent living to skilled nursing and rehabilitation. If remaining in your own home as long as possible is your desire, Eskaton can support you with its Home Support Services. Care Navigators at Live Well at Home are available 24/7 to help find solutions. As a community-based nonprofit, Eskaton exists solely to fulfill its mission of enhancing the quality of lives of seniors. There are no proprietary owners or stockholders. Profits are reinvested in its properties and services, and Eskaton endeavors to manage costs responsibly for its seniors, many of whom are on fixed incomes. Eskaton routinely surveys
customers, family members and employees to measure their satisfaction, and to receive feedback. The results are gladly shared and Eskaton is proud to score consistently around ninety-five percent for overall satisfaction. Eskaton’s employee turnover is low, the quality metrics are high, transparency is valued, and the organization is proud of its reputation. Eskaton’s standards for staffing and how it conducts business are non-negotiable. If you want to speak with the CEO or anyone else on the senior leadership team, they are accessible. Of course, Eskaton makes mistakes from time to time, but they believe the best way to respond to challenges is to empower its employees to do the right thing. Eskaton members and the board of directors are volunteer citizens from the community. Their charge is to represent the interests of the aging and their families. To be entrusted with the care and support of older adults is a privilege. Eskaton encourages families to visit its competitors, observe resident/staff interactions, talk with its family members, and make the most informed choice possible. At age ninety, entrepreneur Millie Kahane, a nurse educator for sixty-nine years, changed careers to open a new music
school for all ages in Rocklin called ‘Bach to Rock.’ She and her husband, Dr. Albert Kahane, who passed away recently at age eighty-eight, set out to do what most people their age would think impossible. Together, they did all the work it takes to start a new business from scratch, everything from picking a site to hiring a team and creating the marketing. Today, four years later, ‘Bach to Rock’ is moving forward positively. As for Millie, she is pleased with what has been accomplished and knows Al would feel the same way. At Eskaton, the power of generosity is strong. Having a giving back spirit has long been part of the culture of Eskaton as evidenced by the Telephone Reassurance Program transferred in 1996 from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Leadership–then and now–believes in the significance of checking up on homebound and isolated seniors. Since Eskaton took over the program, 1.6 million telephone calls have been made to check on seniors living alone. Philanthropy continues to play an important role in Eskaton’s nonprofit mission. When people (and companies) join in enhancing the quality of lives of seniors, we celebrate. With only two percent of all giving in the United States directed towards senior causes, Eskaton knows its work will be tough as relationships and partnerships are built to change the attitudes about giving to help seniors. Eskaton believes that when businesses come together, the region wins! That is why it works to build community connections. Whether connecting with the Sacramento River Cats, the Arden Fair Mall’s Inside Track or the Farm-to-Fork Tower Bridge Dinner, these unique connections demonstrate Eskaton’s strong belief in a being “part” of the Sacramento Region. The entire staff at Eskaton draws inspiration from being part of each client’s extended family. For you, your family, friends and neighbors…Eskaton where “Age is Beautiful.” To learn more about Eskaton, please visit the website at www.eskaton.org.
Left Music is a great expression of life and love. The joy of music keeps you young at heart.
Below: Eskaton Kids Connection an award-winning intergenerational program where children and seniors form friendships.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS GOLD COUNTRY REGION The interior of the Red Cross tent, an exhibit at the California State Fair in Sacramento, 1921. COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
This salute to the Gold Country Region of the American Red Cross has been contributed by Best Western Plus Orchid Hotel & Suites, 130 North Sunrise Avenue, Roseville in recognition and thanks for a century of care and concern for the region. Whether knitting for soldiers during World War I, teaching swimming lessons in the 1950s, or sheltering families displaced by devastating floods and wildfires in recent decades, volunteers from the Gold Country Region of the American Red Cross have strengthened communities with their time, talents, and compassion for a hundred years.
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The American Red Cross Gold Country Region serves the most ethnically and racially integrated metropolitan area in the country. Headquartered in the California State Capital of Sacramento, the region covers a territory consisting of urban to rural, mountains to valley flatlands, and everything in between. The Region is dedicated to providing exemplary customer service when delivering the Red Cross mission to its constituents. The Gold Country Region consists of two chapters, the Northeastern California Chapter and the Sierra-Delta Chapter. The Northeastern Chapter covers fourteen counties and the Sierra-Delta covers ten. Although several individual chapters and auxiliary Red Cross groups existed in what is now the Gold Country Region before 1917, it was in this pivotal year that new chapters and current members united in a single mission: supporting World War I soldiers overseas and at home. Since 1917, American Red Cross volunteers from Angels Camp to Yreka, have rolled up their sleeves and opened their hearts to prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters at home and afar. Early work of local chapters included infant wellness initiatives, tuberculosis prevention, and providing hot meals for school children. Today, in addition to responding to disasters large and small, Gold Country volunteers help families prepare for and prevent disasters through the Home Fire Campaign, and the Pillowcase Project. Here are just a few of the many disasters Red Cross Gold Country Region volunteers have responded to over the years: • 1917:New chapters around the Gold Country Region united to support World War I soldiers overseas and at home, raising money and making scarves, hats, and surgical dressings. • 1940, Glenn County: Volunteers set up an emergency kitchen for Orland and Hamilton City families who lost everything in a devastating flood.
• 1950, Sacramento County: Volunteers aided in water rescues and care of residents in Sacramento neighborhoods flooded by American River. • 1975, Butte County: Red Cross volunteers established a disaster assistance office in Oroville for emergency relocation after a 5.8 earthquake rocked the town. • 1987, Stanislaus County: Volunteers mobilized to assist evacuees of the Stanislaus Complex fire, still one of the top twenty California fires to date. • 1993: Gold Country responded to the Loma Prieta earthquake by sending volunteers to aid in relief efforts. • 2014, Siskiyou and El Dorado Counties: Volunteers set up shelters and provided recovery assistance for victims of the Boles Fire in Weed and the King Fire near Pollock Pines. • 2015, Calaveras County: Red Cross mobilized volunteers and donors to provide relief to Butte Fire victims. “A lot has changed in the Gold Country Region since 1917,” says Gold Country Region CEO Gary Strong, “but what has not changed is that in times of disaster, the Red Cross is there—ready to provide shelter, meals, and care.”
The Red Cross Gold Country Region currently serves over 4 million residents across a span of 48,327 miles. Last year, 2,381 dedicated volunteers responded to 673 local disasters, provided 922 families with financial assistance and supported 1,076 military service members through SAF. Throughout its long history, the mission of the American Red Cross has been to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. The American Red Cross, through its strong network of volunteers, donors and partners, is always there in times of need. The Red Cross aspires to turn compassion into action so that... ...all people affected by disaster across the country and around the world receive care, shelter and hope; ...our communities are ready and prepared for disasters; ...everyone in our country has access to safe, lifesaving blood and blood products; ...all members of our armed services and their families find support and comfort whenever needed; and ...in an emergency, there are always trained individuals nearby, ready to use their Red Cross skills to save lives. For more information about the Gold Country Region of the American Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - VIBRANT COMMUNITY 147
CALIFORNIA INDIAN MANPOWER CONSORTIUM, INC.
Above: Program Year 2017 Outstanding Members, November 2018.
Below: Native Entrepreneur Training Program Students, January 2018.
The California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. (CIMC) was created in 1978 under California state law as a nonprofit corporation to provide quality services to Indian and Native American people. Since its inception, CIMC has worked diligently to create positive change for Native communities. CIMC was organized for the purpose of providing job training and employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged, unemployed and underemployed Indian and Native American individuals. In 1982, the Articles of Incorporation of CIMC were amended to include charitable and educational purposes. It has built upon these principles and defines its priorities and focus accordingly. CIMC services six geographical regions in California: Redding, Ukiah, Sacramento, Eastern Sierra, San Jacinto and Escondido; and one in Illinois–the entire state and three counties in Iowa. Since its formation, more than 90,000 participants have enrolled in the Workforce Development program. In addition, CIMC has provided emergency services to more than 25,000 individuals and families since 1993 through its Community Services Block Grant program. In a typical year, CIMC serves more than 36,000 meals to the elderly as part of its Elders program. All the while, the consortium never loses sight of its primary function to work for the social welfare, educational and economic advancement of its member tribes, groups, organizations and Indians and other Native Americans living in its service area. The membership of the consortium includes federally recognized American Indian tribes, reservations, rancherias, bands, colonies, terminated rancherias, American Indian groups, entities, and public or nonprofit organizations that satisfy the requirements set forth in the bylaws of the California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc., and as agreed
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to in the Consortium Agreement formally approved by the membership. The primary purpose of the consortium is to offer training, employment and other activities designed to meet the employment and training needs of the client population. The principal funding source is the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Other purposes of the consortium are: • To promote community self-help programs and provide direct services to assist the eligible American Indian population to become economically self-sufficient and to alleviate poverty in the rural and urban areas through Community Services Block Grant funding. • To provide professional economic development services to assist American Indian tribes and organizations with the development of funding strategies and public/private partnerships that will lead to greater economic vitality.
• To promote and provide programs and activities designed to improve the educational attainment levels of Native American youth and adults. CIMC currently operates the following ongoing programs: • Workforce Development Program–offers employment, training and related services through funding from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act from the US DOL Employment and Training Administration, and the Native Employment Works program from the US DHHS Administration for Children and Families. • Native Entrepreneur Training Program–offers training for entrepreneurial/small business/economic development
through a series of workshops held in different geographical areas in California. • Child Care and Development Block Grant Program–provides payment for child care services for American Indian children from participating tribes who reside in the county in which their reservation/rancheria is located or in the service area identified by their tribe. • Community Services Block Grant Program–goals of this program include securing and retaining meaningful employment, attaining an adequate education, making better use of available income, and obtaining and maintaining adequate housing and suitable living environment. • Elders Program–provides nutrition, information and assistance, and caregiver support services for elders from participating tribes funded under the Older Americans Act through US DHHS, Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging. • Census Information Center–designated by the US Census Bureau to make census information and related data more accessible to the underserved, minority, and lower income communities. CIMC Vision: As first Americans, we walk in the present, with our eyes on the future and the past in our hearts. We advocate pride in our cultural integrity. We honor the spirit that ensures continuity of the sacred circle. Our team of caring professionals: • Empowers Native Americans to achieve excellence; • Revitalizes our communities; and • Embraces the challenges of the twenty-first century. The CIMC central administrative office is located at 738 North Market Boulevard, Sacramento, California 95834; phone: 916-920-0285 or 800-640-2462. For more information, visit: www.cimcinc.org.
Above Elder Caregiver Health and Wellness Conference Attendees, October 2018.
Below: Caregiver Training Program Graduates, April 2018.
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INALLIANCE
In the 1950s, those that did not fit the commonly accepted idea of ‘normal’ had little chance of succeeding. This was especially true for adults with developmental disabilities. Options for them were limited and education and community training was not readily available. Because there was little understanding of how to care for these individuals, many lived out their unfulfilled lives in overcrowded institutions. In 1952, a group of Sacramento parents who challenged conventional thoughts about those with disabilities and wanted more for their children banded together to form INALLIANCE, a day program that offered classes, activities, and outings for adults with developmental disabilities. The founders also became advocates for community services, employment opportunities and improved legislation. As interest in the day programs grew, so did the public perception of those with disabilities. Advocates challenged the idea that a disabled person was ‘helpless’ and over the next three decades, civil rights laws were enacted, services were developed and improved, and the institutions that had long warehoused the disabled began to close. In 1980, INALLIANCE transitioned into a sheltered workshop, where participants could complete specific work in a controlled, but isolated, environment. The program
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tripled in size in two years and–thanks to the 1984 Jobs Training Partnership Act–INALLIANCE partnered with the UC Davis Medical Center in a Supported Employment Program designed to train and employ persons with developmental disabilities. Trainees were matched with university employees and trained in all aspects of the position with support from a job coach. The success of the program proved that with the right support, people with developmental disabilities could be successful in the work place and beyond. “We have experienced firsthand the benefits all people achieve by interacting with people who are not just like themselves,” said a spokesperson for INALLIANCE. “In a partnership with our community, we have demonstrated the great capabilities of people with disabilities to join, interact and contribute to society.” Over the next decade, INALLIANCE would use the momentum of this program to partner with local employers, volunteer sites, and community colleges to support people with developmental disabilities as they participated in the community. Eventually, INALLIANCE was chosen to pilot a Supported Living Services (SLS) program that allowed
people with developmental disabilities to live on their own with in-house support, and continues to flourish to this day. Today, INALLIANCE offers seven programs in eight counties and proudly supports hundreds of people each year. INALLIANCE continues to develop new services that meet the needs of an ever-changing population and continues to advocate for the rights of people with developmental disabilities. Among the thousands helped by INALLIANCE is Scott, a twenty-six-year-old diagnosed with developmental disability, autism, and mild cerebral palsy, which severely limits his ability to speak. Although Scott has a great sense of humor and a compassion for animals, he was known for his violent outbursts and aggressive behavior and people had a difficult time understanding him. In time, Scott’s frustration over his inability to speak alienated the people in his community. In 2010, aided by INALLIANCE, Scott began using an augmentative communication device that allows him to navigate through images that ‘speak’ for him. For the first time, he was able to vocalize his thoughts and needs in a way that could be understood. This newfound freedom has allowed Scott to make friends in the community and his entire demeanor has changed. His neighbors no longer avoid him,
and he now has the confidence and skills to be heard and understood. A year of profound achievements for INALLIANCE was 2017. The organization assisted 108 participants find and secure community-based employment. The Supported Living and Independent Living Services supported 150 individuals living in the community. In addition, INALLIANCE trained and assisted 434 individuals to enjoy inclusive and integrated activities of their preference and desire. Each day, INALLIANCE supports adults with disabilities to realize their hopes, discover their passions and become fully engaged in meaningful pursuits. Participants and staff provide nearly 9,000 volunteer hours, per quarter, throughout the seven counties served by INALLIANCE. The participants believe in the power of giving back to their communities. Each month, through a partnership with several Starbucks, participants deliver 2,000 pastries to various community-based organizations. Participants contributing to their communities is an important step towards enjoying a more livable, workable life. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - VIBRANT COMMUNITY 151
SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY
With the mission of inspiring communities to discover, learn and grow, Sacramento Public Library provides ample opportunity for all of the above, with a variety of offerings at twenty-eight locations ranging from a five-story library in the heart of the central city to suburban libraries adjacent to wooded parks to rural spaces along the California Delta. Sacramento Public Library is the fourth largest library system in California and has a collection of 2 million volumes, with access to an additional 9 million items through a shared multi-library service. It all started on June 14, 1879, with a collection of about 6,000 volumes to serve a city of 21,000 residents. In 1908, the city library system became the first in California to open service to the entire county. While those volumes are critical to the Library’s mission, it is the world beyond them that sets Sacramento apart. Here you can find items to create and design, including 3D printers, music recording software and hardware, soldering stations, design software, drawing tablets, and virtual reality gear. Do-it-yourself types who want to try things at home can visit the Library of Things and check out musical instruments, projectors, home and yard equipment, sewing machines and screen printers.
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Until recently, budding authors had to be satisfied with only dreams of publishing their works. Sacramento Public Library is home to the I Street Press, which can print quality paperbacks in minutes. Since it was first introduced in September 2011, 380 authors have printed over 400 original titles. The Library has an annual budget of $43 million, along with 286 staff members and scores of volunteers who contribute more than 66,000 hours of service each year. Kids, teens, adults and families can enjoy more than 8,000 free programs a year, including the extremely popular annual Summer Reading program, or use one of more than 700 public computers and laptops offering the fastest Wi-Fi in town. People can also find a sense of community at the Library, which helps veterans find services, provides outreach to immigrant communities and hosts citizenship ceremonies for new Americans, maintains a summer lunch program for children, plans lively discussions involving current topics and even offers a program in which students can earn a high school diploma.
How do you get volunteers to donate more than 50,000 hours of their time every year? Offer them a chance to promote reading, and to be around books and the people who love them. Friends of the Sacramento Public Library is a volunteer nonprofit organization that advocates, raises funds, and provides support for Sacramento Public Library and its twenty-eight locations throughout the Sacramento region. The Friends’ primary purpose is to create public support for expanding the goals and objectives of Sacramento Public Library and to advocate for them. They partner with state and national advocacy groups to support or oppose legislation and budget items that would affect the Library. They participate in community events, educate government officials, and help enrich the Sacramento culture and community. The Friends take part in Sacramento’s annual Big Day of Giving campaign and dedicate all funds raised to the Library’s Book First program, which provides a free new book to every first grader, prioritizing schools in lowincome areas. Their volunteers visit schools with Library staff to help distribute new books, and sort upward of 12,000 books in preparation for school visits. They also provide funding for new books and materials for Sacramento Public Library. Their volunteer hours help the Library to improve early learning and provide rich programming opportunities. The Friends’ Book Den store and warehouse offers more than 100,000 gently used books for sale. Dozens of dedicated volunteers sort and shelve books and greet visitors. The Book Den offers special discounts to teachers, and is a unique resource for readers of all ages. Having an all-volunteer staff, along with generous book donations from the public, allows all funds raised to go toward Library programs.
FRIENDS OF THE SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Friends invite you to invest in the success of the Library by volunteering time, donating books, and becoming a member of the Friends organization. By joining the Friends, you can help to make a difference. Find out more about Friends of the Sacramento Library, the Book Den and Friends events at www.saclibfriends.org. Follow the Friends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and visit the Book Den and Warehouse at 8250 Belvedere Avenue, Suite E, Sacramento. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - VIBRANT COMMUNITY 153
DIGNITY HEALTH SACRAMENTO
Above: In 1897, the Sisters of Mercy broke ground on Sacramento’s first private hospital, Mater Misericordiae. It was one of the most modern and best equipped hospitals in California, but the community quickly outgrew its capacity. In response, in 1925 the Sisters opened a new hospital at the current site of Mercy General. 1857 Sisters of Mercy come by riverboat to Sacramento, beginning their ministry in the capital.
1897 Sisters of Mercy begin their health care ministry in Sacramento by opening Mater Misericordiae Hospital (becomes known as Sisters’ Hospital).
1919 The Sisters purchase a sevenacre dairy site at 40th & J streets to build a new hospital.
Since the California Gold Rush, Dignity Health has been committed to furthering the healing ministry of Jesus by delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health services. This calls for serving and advocating for those who are poor and disenfranchised, and partnering with others in the community to improve the quality of life. Upon their arrival on April 21, 1857, in the gold rush boom town known as Roaring Camp (present day Sacramento), Sisters Mary Baptist Russell and Mary deSales Reddan quickly began making regular visits to the sick. This was the beginning of their involvement with health care in Sacramento. In 1897 the Sisters of Mercy opened Mater Misericordiae, (Latin for ‘Mother of Mercy’), one of the most modern and best equipped hospitals in California at the time. The community quickly outgrew the hospital’s capacity, and in 1925, the Sisters opened what is now Mercy General Hospital. Following World War II, a period of unparalleled growth began. In response, a new wing opened in 1954, increasing the hospital’s capacity by 100 beds and fifteen emergency beds.
1925 Sisters of Mercy open Mercy Hospital (officially renamed Mercy General in 1934).
1954 Mercy General Hospital adds the East Wing to accommodate 115 beds and other clinical, maternity and surgical facilities. Mercy Foundation is established.
1967 Mercy San Juan Hospital is established.
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1980 Sisters of Mercy acquire Twin Lakes Community Hospital and rename it Mercy Hospital of Folsom.
With continued growth, the Sisters saw the need to expand their health care ministry, building Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael in 1967. Its facilities and equipment were at the cutting edge of modern technology. As the greater Sacramento area continued to grow, the Sisters of Mercy expanded their health care ministry to meet the region’s needs.
1987 Catholic Healthcare West is established when the Sisters of Mercy in Auburn combine their health ministry with the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame.
1989 Sisters of Mercy open a new 95bed facility for Mercy Hospital of Folsom, located on a 26-acre parcel donated by the Cummings and Tsakopoulos families. Level III NICU opens at Mercy San Juan.
1993 Methodist Hospital affiliates with Mercy Healthcare Sacramento. A $32 million capital improvement program was quickly launched for the Methodist campus.
1995 Mercy San Juan is named an accredited cancer center. Mercy Family Health Center and Family Practice Residency Program are established at Methodist Hospital.
• 1980 Twin Lakes Community Hospital was purchased and renamed Mercy Hospital of Folsom; • 1987 Mercy Healthcare Sacramento affiliated with Dignity Health (formerly known as Catholic Healthcare West), one of the nation’s largest health systems; • 1993 Affiliated with Methodist Hospital in south Sacramento; and • 1996 Affiliated with Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in Grass Valley, and Woodland Healthcare. Today, Dignity Health is a not-for-profit public benefit corporation that operates six acute care hospitals in the greater Sacramento area, and provides outpatient services throughout the region as part of Dignity Health Medical Foundation. Area hospitals include Mercy General Hospital, Mercy Hospital of Folsom, Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Methodist Hospital of Sacramento, and Woodland Memorial Hospital. Three of the six region hospitals are located in small communities, providing a unique impact in terms of employment and community involvement. Dignity Health is known for excellence in health care, providing services that include cancer care, family birth centers, heart and vascular care, rehabilitation services, spine 1996 Family Birth Center is built with Level II NICU at Methodist Hospital. Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital and Woodland Healthcare affiliate with Mercy Healthcare Sacramento.
1999 Level II Trauma Center opens as part of 69,000square-foot Emergency Department expansion at Mercy San Juan.
2005 Mercy San Juan stroke program receives Primary Stroke Center designation from The Joint Commission.
care, surgical services, emergency services, and many other specialties. More than 8,000 people are employed by Dignity Health in the greater Sacramento area. Through an investment in community health and outreach, the hospitals address priority health issues and extend the commitment of care to neighborhoods throughout the greater Sacramento region. Dignity Health’s missiondriven commitment to community health and outreach include hospital-sponsored programs as well as regional partnership efforts and initiatives. Just a few of these initiatives include addressing human trafficking, improving behavioral health access, and care coordination for those experiencing homelessness. Dignity Health remains focused on providing the right care at the right place, cost and time for each patient; becoming America’s best health system at which to work and practice; and becoming the health care system most valued nationally as a leader, partner, and successful model of reform. Much has changed since Sisters Baptist and deSales arrived in the wild west town of Roaring Camp in 1857, but Dignity Health continues their commitment to provide highquality, affordable health care with dignity, collaboration, justice, stewardship, and excellence.
2008 Newly constructed 25-bed, all-private room Cummings Emergency Pavilion opens at Mercy Hospital of Folsom. Da Vinci robotic surgical program begins at Mercy San Juan.
2009 Mercy Neurological Institute of Greater Sacramento begins. Mercy San Juan’s new patient tower adds 142,000 square feet and 110 beds. Methodist Hospital expands Emergency Room.
2011 Sacramento's first comprehensive outpatient cancer center, the Mercy Cancer Center, opens.
2012 Catholic Healthcare West becomes Dignity Health.
Opposite, top: In 1962 the Sisters of Mercy began construction on Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael.
Above: Mercy General Hospital’s mission to provide high-quality, compassionate care endures today. In 2017, Healthgrades recognized the hospital as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery and one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care.
2014 Alex G. Spanos Heart & Vascular Center opens at Mercy General Hospital. Mercy San Juan Medical Center is certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.
2015 Mercy San Juan Medical Center is the first hospital on the west coast to receive The Joint Commission’s Perinatal Care Certification.
2019 Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives have come together as CommonSpirit Health, creating a new nonprofit Catholic health system focused on advancing health and serving communities in 21 states.
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UC DAVIS HEALTH
Right: The UC Davis MIND Institute is internationally known for research on autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Below: UC Davis Health is a pioneer in telehealth, which brings vital expertise to underserved areas and populations. PHOTOS © 2018 UC REGENTS.
As the region’s only nationally ranked academic health center, UC Davis Health serves a key role in the health and well-being of the communities across a vast area of inland Northern California and the Central Valley. The Sacramentobased university health system applies advanced expertise and innovation to save and improve lives close to home, and also works to transform medicine, nursing and public health for the benefit of communities and families around the country. UC Davis Health is the human-health arm of nearby UC Davis, one of the nation’s top public universities and part of the world-class University of California system. Based on a 140-acre campus a short drive from California’s Capitol building, the health system includes the UC Davis Medical Center, the UC Davis School of Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, all rated among America’s best by U.S. News & World Report. A 1,000member physician’s practice also offers nationally-renowned primary care and specialty expertise through an extensive network of community-based clinics. UC Davis Health is home to the National Cancer Institute-designated UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, the internationally recognized UC Davis MIND
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Institute neurodevelopmental center, the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures stem-cell research center, and the comprehensive UC Davis Children’s Hospital. Additional nationally prominent centers focus on advancing telehealth, improving vascular and dementia care, eliminating health disparities and a wide range of other socially vital missions. The 625-bed UC Davis Medical Center serves as the major trauma, tertiary and quaternary care referral hospital for a 33-county, 65,000-square-mile service area with a population of more than 6 million, stretching north to the Oregon border and east across the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The medical center offers specialty care in 150 fields, ranging from cardiovascular and neurological surgery to kidney transplantation, and operates the only American College of Surgeons-verified level I trauma center for both adult and pediatric emergencies in inland Northern California. The affiliated 129-bed UC Davis Children’s Hospital serves as the Sacramento region’s only nationally ranked, comprehensive hospital for children, and was the first children’s surgery center on the West Coast to gain the highest level I verification from the American College of Surgeons. The hospital recently added an advanced fetal surgery
program with rare in-utero surgical capabilities to help give children the best chance of a high quality of life. U.S. News regularly ranks both the medical center and children’s hospital among the nation’s best in multiple medical specialties, and UC Davis Medical Center as the top-ranking hospital in the Sacramento metro area. The medical center has been granted multiyear Magnet® recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center—considered the nation’s highest form of recognition for nursing excellence—and is perennially designated among the nation’s “Most Wired” hospitals as one of America’s top leaders in health information technology. A vanguard, award-winning telemedicine program helps UC Davis Health extend its specialty and subspecialty expertise and care to remote and medically underserved communities across California. The UC Davis telemedicine program ranks among the nation’s oldest and largest, with more than thirty clinical specialties. The UC Davis Health Cancer Care Network also employs telehealth to link community hospitals with the expertise and clinical trials of UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only center in inland California to hold “comprehensive” designation from the National Cancer Institute.
Clinical trials in cancer and other specialties are part of an overall UC Davis Health research program that includes nearly 1,000 studies in basic science, translational “bench to bedside” research, and clinical areas. The school of medicine’s overall external research funding reached nearly $300 million in 2017. The health system is also noted for the quality of its innovative interprofessional education, designed to prepare the health care workforce of tomorrow with the skills and values needed to lead and create change. U.S. News consistently ranks the UC Davis School of Medicine among the best in the country for primary care and research, and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis among the nation’s best for master’s-degree nursing programs. The school of nursing was established in 2009 through a $100 million commitment from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the nation’s largest grant for nursing education. UC Davis Health also serves as a major driver of economic prosperity in the Sacramento region and Northern California. According to past studies, the health system has a combined economic impact throughout Northern California of more than $3.4 billion and more than 20,000 jobs.
Above: UC Davis Children’s Hospital and UC Davis Medical Center serve as the main tertiary and quaternary care centers for a large swath of California.
Below: UC Davis Health traditionally operates the only level I trauma center for both adult and pediatric emergencies in inland Northern California. PHOTOS © 2018 UC REGENTS.
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WELL AGING MED, INC.
Dr. Denise Bogard.
Well Aging Med, Inc., formerly known as Bogard Health and Wellness, was founded in 2013 by Denise Bogard, MD. Dr. Bogard has been in the medical field since her teens beginning as a nurse, then a nurse anesthetist and then going back to medical school at age twenty-nine to become a doctor. Her passion for continued learning has been the force behind the discovery of this innovative branch of medicine. The goal and mission of Dr. Bogard’s practice is to help all ages improve their health through an integrative approach. Most people enjoy optimal health until they reach their forties to fifties and then slowly their health begins to decline. That decline is different for each person. Dr. Bogard’s approach is to slow that aging curve, optimizing your health at each stage of your life. Dr. Bogard became interested in healthy aging when she had reached her fifties. She was working as an anesthesiologist, having practiced anesthesia for about thirty years at that point in her life. She had always been on-call, most of her shifts involved working twenty-four hours straight. She found as she was aging that it was more difficult to recover from those twenty-four
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hour shifts, as well as remaining alert and optimal during them. Sleep deprivation and working long hours were taking a toll on her physical health. She sought out a healthy aging physician in San Francisco and in working with him for about two and onehalf years was able to recover her health. Inspired by this, she began her own training process. She first was trained by Cenegenics and then found the fellowship track in Regenerative and Healthy Aging through the American Academy of Healthy Aging. She completed her fellowship in one year and took her written and oral boards and became certified as an anti-aging and regenerative physician. She opened her practice in 2014 and for the first two years maintained her anesthesiology practice at Sutter Roseville in Roseville, California. In December 2015, she retired from anesthesiology to practice her healthy aging practice full-time. In her initial evaluation of new patients, Dr. Bogard performs a blood draw, physical examination and detailed medical history and review of symptoms. She breaks down for each patient how the adrenal, thyroid, sex hormones,
gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, blood sugar regulation, neurotransmitters, genetics and lifestyle all work together to create “dis-ease” or “health.” Once the labs return, she sits down with the client and reviews lab findings and sets a plan to restore each system. In this plan, she will recommend pharmaceutical nutraceuticals, bio-identical hormone replacement, lifestyle changes and weight loss recommendations. As a BioTE provider she administers bio-identical hormone replacement through pellet therapy. Pellets are very small, custom compounded therapies for a multitude of symptoms that stem from hormonal imbalances. This therapy keeps hormone levels consistent throughout the day and avoid roller coaster-like effects. The BioTE pellets contain bio-identical hormones (hormones identical to the ones found in the human body), derived from natural sources. Studies have shown that bio-identical hormones have fewer side effects than synthetic hormones. As an integrative physician, dysfunction in systems such as thyroid, adrenal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, blood sugar and neurotransmitters are each addressed. She looks at the root causes, prescribing medication when needed. She also looks at optional approaches such as supplements, lifestyle change, precursors to neurotransmitters and removing heavy metals. With her intravenous skills, she employs IV nutrition and IV chelation when needed. Recently, she added Ondamed therapy to her practice. Low frequency, pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) can stimulate healing processes in your body. Ondamed is a biofeedback device used to determine which frequencies of sound, as well as the accompanying weak pulsed electromagnetic fields, cause a response on the patient’s autonomic nervous system. Temporary stimulation by these frequencies, combined with the patient’s cognitive and non-cognitive participation, promotes relaxation, muscle re-education and rehabilitation that returns the body to its former state of wellness.
Dr. Bogard works out regularly with Tiara Orisek from Fitbody Fitness studio as well as her Peloton bicycle and outdoor cycling regularly. Jenna, her oldest daughter lives in San Francisco. Jessie, her younger daughter is married to Tyler Johns and they have a little girl, Rylee, and are expecting their next baby September 2018.
Lastly, Dr. Bogard is integrating healthy aging into grief management. Dr. Bogard lost her son, Jerry Bogard, March 4, 2016. Jerry was twenty-six years of age. She feels very blessed to have her anti-aging practice. She has shared some of her grief in constructive ways. She has been blessed to have worked with Laura Sullivan, licensed family and grief counselor. The Compassionate Friends, is an organization to support families after a child dies. They have a local chapter Dr. Bogard has utilized. She has started a blog, wholesomegrieving.com. She plans to use her anti-aging skills to help parents get through the grief of losing a child. Dr. Bogard says, “I am a Christian, the Lord knew what He was doing when he guided me out of anesthesiology into a field of anti-aging. I will continue to help people age well as long as I am able.”
Dr. Bogard works with trainer, Tiara Orisek at Fitbody Fitness.
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UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC Northwest Hall.
University of the Pacific is a highly ranked national university that remains deeply committed to a personal, student-centered approach. Campuses in Sacramento, Stockton and San Francisco strategically position Pacific in three of California’s— and the nation’s—most important and dynamic markets. Known for small class sizes, practical experience and faculty scholars committed to teaching and mentoring, Pacific provides a superior, whole-person learning experience. Integrating a strong foundation in the liberal arts with practice-based professional education, Pacific prepares its graduates to live, learn and lead with purpose and to make a positive difference in their careers and communities. Six months after graduation, nearly ninety percent of the Class of 2016 was employed or accepted to a graduate or professional school, completing a post-graduate internship or fellowship, or serving in the military or public service. In 2017, Pacific alumni salaries ranked number fourth in California compared to similar institutions, according to the White House College Scorecard. Overall, Pacific ranked first among 360 colleges and universities for alumni salaries. University of the Pacific was founded in 1851 as California’s first chartered institution of higher education. Its 60,000 living alumni include human rights leader Sakena Yacoobi, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, NFL coach Pete
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Carroll and astronaut Jose Hernandez. Late alumni include jazz legend Dave Brubeck, former San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and movie actress Janet Leigh. Pacific’s 11 schools and colleges on its 3 campuses offer 6,400 students their choice of 80-plus majors, 25 graduate programs and 10 accelerated program options in pharmacy, speech-language pathology, physical therapy, dentistry, law, engineering, education and business. These programs offer dedicated and talented students the ability to advance their earning potential by completing their undergraduate or professional degree at least one year faster. Located in the Oak Park neighborhood, Pacific’s Sacramento Campus is home to the McGeorge School of Law, which has affected the Sacramento region positively for more than ninety years. More than 3,000 alumni work in the Sacramento area as practicing attorneys, judges and government leaders. A recognized leader in international and water law, McGeorge is evolving to meet the needs of the twentyfirst century legal field by adding new programs in law, public policy and public administration. Building on this strength, the Sacramento Campus is now an interdisciplinary center that offers a number of academic degree programs in health, education, data science and public policy, as well as degree completion and certificate programs to serve working adults. The Sacramento Campus is also home to Pacific’s acclaimed Center for Business and Policy Research, which is known for its independent, objective analyses of business, economic and public policy issues with a focus on the Northern California Mega-Region. The Center has extensive experience on water, transportation, housing, labor and economic development issues that affect this region. Pacific’s Stockton Campus, renowned for its classic, tree-lined beauty, offers a breadth of outstanding academic programs and a vibrant and supportive campus life. The campus is home to a college of liberal arts and sciences, a
conservatory of music, and schools of education, engineering and computer sciences, international studies, business, pharmacy and health sciences, a graduate school and University College, serving working adults. Home to the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, one of the nation’s premier dental schools, Pacific’s high-tech campus in San Francisco also offers high-quality, market-responsive graduate programs in music therapy, audiology and data science. Its dental and audiology clinics address important healthcare needs for the region’s underserved. Since 2010
more than 3,000 of the most vulnerable and underserved have received dental services through the Virtual Dental Home program, a community-based teledentistry model being implemented throughout the state and beyond that is revolutionizing access for underserved populations. Known for its rigorous academic programs, Pacific complements students’ classroom education with experiential learning though internships, field and laboratory research, and study abroad. Students write legislation alongside local attorneys and judges, participate in hands-on community medical clinics and gain internships and fellowships across Northern California from the financial centers of San Francisco to Silicon Valley tech labs. In addition to academics, Pacific is making a positive difference across Northern California through tens of thousands of hours of public outreach, innovative programs and the efforts of students, faculty and staff. For example, McGeorge’s legal clinics on important topics, such as immigration law, benefit the community while preparing students through meaningful hands-on learning. Pacificans excel not only in the classroom and the community, but also on the courts and field. The Tigers, Pacific’s student-athletes, compete in NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the West Coast Conference. The athletics department sponsors nineteen sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s field hockey, men’s golf, women’s and men’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s softball, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s track and field, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s water polo. The Tigers regularly qualify for post-season competition and have taken home numerous conference titles. Pacific’s coaches and athletes have appeared in the Olympics and the World Games, received national awards, and have gone on to join major professional sports teams.
Top: Powercat the Pacific tiger cheering on the men’s basketball team.
Bottom, left: Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry.
Below: Strolling on the University of the Pacific Campus.
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SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY, ROSEVILLE
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society, Roseville Conference, was founded in August 1983 as a project from Saint Rose Catholic Church in Roseville. It originally started as a small thrift store and office that provided free furniture and financial help towards rent and utilities for Roseville residents. Today, its new Kollect-a-Knacks & More thrift store sells clothing, household goods, and furniture at very low prices and maintains a free clothes closet for those who cannot afford to purchase clothing.
Top: Clients picking up cartload of groceries at Saint Vincent’s food locker.
Middle: Volunteer serves a hot meal to guest at Saint Vincent’s dining room..
Bottom: A senior client receives food delivered to her home by volunteers.
The primary goal of Saint Vincent de Paul is to provide essential services to individuals and families in its community who are homeless, low-income, unemployed, physically or mentally ill, and victims of abuse, emergency or disaster situations. The immediate goal is to provide the fundamental necessities of life—food, clothing, and medical assistance. In December 1983, the Saint Vincent de Paul, Roseville opened its dining room and immediately began serving between forty and fifty free hot meals per day. Currently, the C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 162
dining room serves a hot lunchtime meal five times a week to more than sixty guests daily. A month later, it started its Food Locker program. In the first month of the program, groceries were provided to approximately two hundred households. The Food Locker program is its largest and now provides supplemental groceries to more than 750 households monthly. Since then, the organization has added three more programs. Assisted by a grant from the City of Roseville in 2003, Saint Vincent de Paul created its Bags program, enabling them to deliver groceries to homebound seniors and handicapped individuals. They currently serve more than eighty-five people in this capacity. In addition, medical clinics offer free urgent and triage medical care on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. In 2017, the clinic had 477 patient visits and provided 199 prescription medicines. The fifth and most recent program is a collaborative effort with Advocates for Mentally Ill Housing (AMIH), Stand Up Placer, St. Vincent de Paul, Roseville, and Kids First, known as a collaborative “ASSK.” This collaboration has received funding from the City of Roseville’s Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing grant for 2018. Its purpose is to assist low income and qualifying homeless individuals with short-term rental assistance and utility assistance. In addition to rent and utility assistance, its goal is to ensure social services among community agencies are utilized to the fullest.
Saint Anna Greek Orthodox Christian Church, located at 1001 Stone Canyon Drive, was founded by Greek Americans in 1989. Today, the Parish reflects the American experience and comprises over 200 families representing at least twelve different nationalities. It is a youthful and vibrant community of believers; committed to serving God and loving their neighbors by adhering to Orthodox Christian principles that are Scriptural, Traditional, Apostolic and Eucharistic. For three decades, the Parish has had a rich history. Divine services were started in May 1989 and held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roseville. Reverend Father Demetrius Dogias, of blessed memory, who was the full-time priest at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Sacramento, conducted these services. By May 1998, Roseville Mission had grown to about twenty pledged families. At that time, Paul Stamas, a leader in the parish’s formation, contacted the Metropolis of San Francisco to request a full-time priest. In order to be a viable parish, the mission was to have at least thirty pledged families to sustain a clergyman. Bishop Anthony, also of blessed memory, reviewed the previous ten years of activity and agreed. He assigned Reverend Father Cosmas Halekakis as the first Parish priest. Services were initially conducted in a small office complex.
In 2000, members selected a parish name honoring and seeking the intercessions of Saint Anna, the mother of Mary, the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Simultaneously, the Parish received a property donation by the Tsakopoulos family—the Stone Canyon property. In 2001, Reverend Doctor Christopher Flesoras was assigned to serve the faithful.
SAINT ANNA GREEK ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH
In 2003 the site plan for the future church campus was submitted and approved by the Metropolis of San Francisco and the City of Roseville. Groundbreaking took place in 2004. In 2005 and 2007, the Parish received Holy Relics of Saints Anna and Joachim from the Skete of Saint Anna, located on Mount Athos in Greece. Over the years, the Parish has actively supported her community. Benefactors of Parish philanthropy include the Tommy Apostolos Fund, the Sacramento Crisis Nursery, Loaves and Fishes, the Receiving Home, Saint Vincent de Paul, Roseville Home Start, Trinity Children & Family Services, the Soldiers Project, the families of deployed soldiers and airmen, Project Linus, Coats for Kids, Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage, Kids ‘n Cancer, the Mary and Martha Home, Full Circle Treatment Center and the International Orthodox Christian Charities. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - VIBRANT COMMUNITY 163
A THERAPEUTIC ALTERNATIVE Right: A Therapeutic Alternative is located on H Street in East Sacramento.
Below: Executive Director Kimberly Cargile, A Therapeutic Alternative.
When A Therapeutic Alternative was founded in 2009, medical cannabis was not accepted or regulated in the City of Sacramento. Its founder, Jeanne Larson, and current executive director, Kimberly Cargile, have worked tirelessly over the years to educate the public and the government on patients’ needs for safe access. Jeanne founded A Therapeutic Alternative with a simple mission: “It is a human right to heal oneself by all means necessary. Cannabis is a healing herb for many different conditions, and it should be widely available.” The Compassionate Use Act, also known as Proposition 215, was passed by the California voters in 1996. Over the next decade, compassionate collectives began opening in California to serve the needs of medical cannabis patients. Collectives were formed between cannabis growers in order to legally provide for patients in need. A Therapeutic Alternative was founded to do just that—bring safe access to the medical cannabis patients of the Sacramento Valley. Many protests, letter writing campaigns, signature drives and City Council meetings later, the City of Sacramento enacted an ordinance regulating dispensaries in 2010. After a long public process, A Therapeutic Alternative received its Dispensary Permit from the City of Sacramento. After passing regulations in the city, Kimberly started advocating for regulations at the state level and helped pass the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act of 2015, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act of 2016 and the Medicinal and Adult Use of Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act of 2017. These laws put into place regulations on the entire cannabis industry from seed to sale, ensuring the industry,
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consumers, the public and the environment have the protections they deserve. A volunteer yoga instructor and grower when the company was founded, Kimberly enjoyed working with Jeanne to bring healing herbs and healing energy to the patients. Kimberly was appointed executive director in 2012 and is dedicated to helping patients heal by all means necessary. A Therapeutic Alternative provides high quality, laboratory tested products to its members. The educated staff serves its members with compassion, while providing them with a thorough understanding of proper dosage and administration. A variety of cannabinoid profiles, dosages and administration techniques are provided, including: lotions, salves, pain patches, suppositories, oils, concentrates, edible and baked goods, vaporizers and dried herbs. In addition, A Therapeutic Alternative offers complementary holistic services such as yoga, meditation, sound therapy and massage therapy to its members.
One of the universal threads that binds us all is language. It is the foundation for communication, culture and development. CASA de ESPAÑOL (CASA) has become a center for bringing people together through language in the heart of Sacramento. CASA has created an innovative and interactive Spanish language program that integrates in-class and online practice allowing students to customize the curriculum to their needs. It offers Spanish classes for adults year-round, after school and Saturday Spanish program for children and teens during the school year, and camps throughout the summer. But it is more than a Spanish language school. CASA and its team are dedicated to community outreach and engagement. CASA offers free and low-cost English classes and free on-campus cultural exchange and language tutoring. Its programming builds bridges between Sacramento and the world with its educational trips to Ecuador, Spain, Morocco, Cuba and its service projects in Mexico. Moreover, its boutique, art gallery and events give community members the opportunity to see firsthand the wonders of the Spanish-speaking world right in their own neighborhood. The organization began in 2011 when María Harrington, a Spanish teacher, and her husband, Johnny Walker, a graphic designer, decided to open CASA with the help of Esperanza Harrington, María’s mom and retired Sac City school teacher.
CASA DE ESPAÑOL
The couple’s dream was to grow the small language school into a Spanish language and Latino cultural center. CASA de ESPAÑOL opened with twenty-five students on J Street in Sacramento. They soon outgrew the space and moved to Eleventh and R Street. More than quadrupling in size, the new location opened in 2015 with nearly 350 students. CASA is a family-owned business with María and Johnny’s amazing family and their outstanding CASA team at the very core. The passion they bring to CASA every day has made it a joyous and vibrant cultural and language hub filled with wonderful Spanish and English students and community members, who love to share their language, culture and experiences with each other. CASA is excited about the future. It plans to continue to expand its on-campus programs, as well as offer its products and classes virtually to a wider audience. For more information about CASA de ESPAÑOL, check out their website at www.casadeespanol.org.
÷ Above: CASA de ESPAÑOL is located at 1101 R Street in Sacramento.
Below: Outstanding CASA team.
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EL DORADO COUNTY
Top: Lake Tahoe.
Middle: Latrobe Road Oak Trees.
Bottom: Fairchild Building. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF PAUL COCKRELL, PLACERVILLE ART GALLERY.
El Dorado County began its entrepreneurial spirit with the California Gold Rush, and is still open for business today. With unmatched rural beauty, endless recreational opportunities, safe communities and world class public schools, the County provides an unparalleled quality of life. The County has over 3,000 acres of undeveloped commercially zoned land and access to a regional market of 2.4 million people. We also have some of the lowest commercial traffic impact mitigation fees in the region. Want to go mountain biking, golfing or skiing, then hold a business meeting? You can do that in El Dorado County with ease. Add an environment with sunlight seventy percent of the year, and you have a business and lifestyle package found in few other places. Above the fog and the floods, the County encompasses 1,786 square miles that range from the eastern edge of the Sacramento Valley to the peaks of the Sierra Nevadas. Our western border is thirty minutes from the State Capital and only twenty minutes away from over 1 million acres of breathtaking national forest with abundant opportunities to relax and play. The County is less than an hour from the Sacramento International Airport, 2 research universities, and is bisected
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by Highway 50, which provides quick access to 3 interstate highways. We are also just 2 hours from the San Francisco Bay. El Dorado County enjoys an economy as diverse as its landscape. A recent county-wide analysis concluded that major employment sectors with room for growth include: health & social services; accommodation & food services; retail trade; construction; administration & waste services; finance & industry; manufacturing; and arts, entertainment & recreation. From anywhere in the County, an hour’s drive will allow you to ski, hike, bike, raft, rock climb, enjoy wine tasting, and stroll historic downtown Placerville. Our Lake Tahoe region hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, and our Rubicon Trail is internationally renowned—no wonder El Dorado County is currently ranked the fifteenth healthiest county in California.
The Capital Region’s Workforce Development Boards help businesses find qualified employees and job seekers find employment. The Boards oversee a network of America’s Job Centers that provide a comprehensive menu of career and training services for job seekers. The goals of the Job Centers are to prepare customers for viable employment opportunities and career pathways in the region by supporting regional employers’ efforts to hire, train and transition employees and preparing youth to thrive and succeed in the regional workforce. The Boards cover Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Alpine, Sutter, Yuba, Yolo, Glenn and Colusa Counties. The local Boards provide services, resources, workforce development sector strategies, career pathways and training programs through partnerships with business, the community colleges, adult education schools, the Employment Development Department and over forty other workforce development partners. The Capital Region’s Boards are conveners, brokers, and leaders in developing and providing talent that meets the demand-driven skill needs of business. Business resources available through the Boards include recruitment services, assessment for job preparedness, a database of job-ready and skilled applicants, interview and orientation space, interview and meeting facilities, interview scheduling, onthe-job and customized training and work experience certificates. The Boards unite business, education and public agencies to
assure qualified and trained workers are available to meet the needs of the region’s growing economy. More than 50,000 customers are served by the Boards each year. For those seeking employment, Job Seeker Services at twenty-one Job Centers provide information to assist with career decision making, career exploration, researching careers and information on the educational requirements needed to pursue them. Employability skills assessments designed to measure workplace vocational skills are also available. A variety of training programs and classes are available through the Job Centers to prepare customers for careers in a specific trade, occupation or vocation. Among the more popular career choices are the health field, manufacturing, construction, transportation, education and tourism. To learn more about the Capital Region’s Workforce Boards, please contact Roy Kim at (916) 263-3814.
CAPITAL REGION’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS
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CITY OF ROCKLIN
The City of Rocklin celebrated its 125th anniversary of incorporation in 2018 by honoring the people, businesses, and historic events that built the foundation of the city. Historically, residents and visitors were brought to the area by connections to the transcontinental railroad and the abundance of granite that helped give Rocklin its name. Today, the City is a vibrant community, well-positioned for continued success with great schools, a highly educated workforce, and access to first-class business and recreation opportunities. Rocklin’s Quarry District combines the city’s history with housing, shopping and entertainment options that provide a unique experience for residents and visitors. In the heart of the district is Quarry Park, which includes an amphitheater that showcases national and local entertainment, and family-friendly community events. Right next door to the amphitheater is an eighty-foot-deep former granite quarry that is now the site of a one-of-a-kind adventure park! Attendees can race on 400-foot zip lines, navigate a ropes course, climb the sheer walls, and much more. The City and its residents invite you to see what makes Rocklin a special place to live, work and play. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 168
Since its origins in 1973, as a small regional publishing company based in San Antonio, Texas, Lammert Inc. has been in the business of helping its customers tell their stories in the most compelling and powerful ways possible. Working with a wide variety of clients—from corporations to civic organizations to individuals and families, Lammert Inc. emerged as a force in the publishing industry. The company initially produced specialty publications, such as an office building directory for the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, and a pictorial roster for the San Antonio Bar Association. Over the last four decades, Lammert published hundreds of directories, maps, and magazines for chambers of commerce and civic groups across the country. In the mid-1990s, Lammert created a new division, Historical Publishing Network (HPN), and focused on producing hardcover coffee table-style history and cityscape books. The first of these was Fire and Gold: The San Francisco Story. In the ensuing years, Lammert perfected the sponsored-book model of publishing. Conceived around the idea of an ultra-high quality hardcover chronicle of a city or county’s past, these exceptional books were also designed to raise funds for a sponsoring organization—typically a chamber of commerce or a historical preservation group. They utilized a unique advertising mechanism, known as company profiles—business and institutional histories, which were purchased by organizations wishing to tell their individual stories, and placed in special sections of the books. As of 2018, Lammert had published more than 140 titles using the sponsored-book model, while raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for its many sponsoring groups. Having carved out its position in the market for turnkey design, production, and marketing of photography-rich coffee table books through HPN, in 2018 Lammert Inc. signaled a new focus with the launch of its new division, HPN Custom Media & Publishing (HPN-CMP).
LAMMERT INC. DBA
HPNBOOKS & HPN CUSTOM MEDIA & PUBLISHING HPN-CMP remains a one-stop source for custom media, including turnkey book design, writing, editing, and production, as well as offering an enhanced range of customized services, including print, digital, and photo and video media solutions, as well as related website design and events management services. Employees, customers, partners, and shareholders all value a credible story which unites the organization’s past to its present and to its future, enhancing its community standing and brand reputation, or celebrating a significant anniversary, milestone, or similar event. The unique mix of talents and expertise brought to bear in a HPN project culminates in a remarkable creation—a breathtaking, photo-rich, coffee table book. The book may be complemented by a dedicated website, digital “flip-book,” and/or by related events to commemorate a historical milestone, introduce or promote a product or brand, or to present an organization’s annual report with more impressive visuals. As a gift to associates, partners, current and prospective employees, clients, and civic officials, the book serves as a powerful marketing tool. For more information, or to inquire about producing your own publication, please visit www.hpncustommedia.com. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - VIBRANT COMMUNITY 169
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STRONG BUSINESS Retail and commercial establishments offer the Capital Region an impressive variety of choices. U.S. Bank ........................................................................................................................172 M c C re e y ’s H o m e F u r n i s h i n g s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 6
Q u i c k Q u a c k C a r Wa s h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 9 I n t e g r a t i v e Wo m e n ’s H e a l t h c a re C a r i n g f o r Wo m e n We l l n e s s C e n t e r M i c h a e l P. G o o d m a n , M D , FA C O G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 0 E m i g h A c e H a rd w a re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 2 Owen-Dunn Insurance Services ................................................................................184 Five Star Bank ......................................................................................................186 G o l d e n 1 C re d i t U n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 8 T h e N a t o m a C o m p a n y - P ro p e r t y M a n a g e m e n t S e r v i c e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 0 Sun City Lincoln Hills ............................................................................................192 Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel ............................................................................194 Rita Gibson Insurance & Investment Services, Inc. ......................................................196 D e n i o ’s R o s e v i l l e F a r m e r s M a r k e t & S w a p M e e t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 8 Hornblowers Cruises & Events .................................................................................199 C O VA H o t e l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 0 A - O n e B o o k k e e p i n g & Ta x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 1 Fort Sutter Automotive, Inc.....................................................................................202 Eisley Nursery ......................................................................................................203 Nugget Market, Inc. ...............................................................................................204 The Munirs Company .............................................................................................205 Rio City Café ........................................................................................................206 River City Bank ....................................................................................................207
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U.S. BANK
U.S. Bank operates under the second-oldest continuous banking charter in the United States. Its rich history in the State of California started in February 1995 when it bought Heart Federal Savings. Shortly after that, it purchased Sacramento First National Bank, allowing U.S. Bank to have a commercial banking presence in the Greater Sacramento Region along with the retail
U.S. Bank’s Community Possible Bus.
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branch network that arose from the Heart Federal Savings acquisition. As U.S. Bank grew from acquisitions in the early 1990s, the need for a centralized location arose. During 1991 and 1992, the bank moved into U.S. Bank Plaza in Downtown Sacramento. This building, which also was the home of the new Sacramento Public Library, opened in 1992, housed
U.S Bank volunteers helping the community at local food bank.
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U.S. Bank Tower.
multiple business lines and was the first large office space for U.S. Bank in Sacramento. This location was the corporate headquarters of U.S. Bank of California. In August 1997, U.S. Bank of California became part of U.S. Bank, N.A. headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In June 2006, the bank broke ground on the new U.S. Bank Tower, located at 621 Capitol Mall. With its iconic, multi-colored building top, which can be seen for miles, the building is one the tallest in Sacramento and has received numerous architectural and environmental awards. The bank officially took occupancy in June 2008, occupying several floors along with a retail branch as part of its long term commitment to the Greater Sacramento Region. In February of 2017, Fortune magazine named U.S. Bank the world’s most admired super-regional bank for the seventh consecutive year. Among super-regional banks, U.S. Bancorp ranked number one in eight of Fortune’s nine key attributes of reputation: Quality of Management, Social Responsibility, Innovation, Quality of Products/Services, People Management, Use of Corporate Assets, Financial Soundness and Long-Term Investment Value. Today, as the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States, U.S. Bank maintains a prominent presence in the
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Greater Sacramento Region. We have over 600 employees, and fifty-two branches—both traditional and in-store. U.S. Bank offers many diverse products and services to meet the needs of its clients including Commercial Banking, Commercial Real Estate, Wealth
U.S. Bank Main Branch.
Management, Equipment Finance, Global Treasury Management, and many more. U.S. Bank Sacramento Advisory Board members support and encourage a dialogue between U.S. Bank and the community. Our Advisory Board includes: Michael Mondavi, Folio Wine Company; Eva Hill, Venture Oaks Real Estate Group; John Kehriotis, JMK Investments; Frank Washington, Moon Shot Communications; Lon Hatamiya, The Hatamiya Group; Larry Kelley, McClellan Park; Larry Booth, Frank M. Booth, Inc.; and Jeffrey Koewler, Delfino Madden O’Malley Coyle & Koewler. In 2016, U.S. Bank established Community Possible, it is a corporate giving and volunteer program focused on community investments on programs centered on Work, Home, and Play. At U.S. Bank, we invest our time, resources and passion to build and support vibrant communities that allow every person to work toward their possible. The building blocks of all thriving communities where all things are possible include: stable employment opportunities, a home to call
your own, and a community connected through culture, recreation and play. Last year, U.S. Bank provided more than $1.2 million in investments to communities in the Greater Sacramento Region, which provided affordable housing, encouraged self-sufficiency and fostered economic development. These investments include U.S. Bank Foundation Grants, U.S. Bank Corporate Giving Grants, U.S. Bank Corporate giving and Non Profit Sponsorship as well as tax credit investments made through U.S. Bank Community Development Corporation. In addition, U.S. Bank employees contributed more than 1,600 volunteer hours helping to strengthen the community needs of the Greater Sacramento Region. We are proud to support work, home and play through these and many other organizations: • Crocker Art Museum, • Junior Achievement of Sacramento, and • Neighborworks Homeownership Center Sacramento Region. U.S. Bank is committed to its clients, employees and the community. To learn more about U.S. Bank, please visit usbank.com. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - STRONG BUSINESS 175
MCCREERY’S HOME FURNISHINGS
Custom furniture. Exclusive styling. A personalized touch. Everything is possible at McCreery’s Home Furnishings. Exploring 60,000 square feet of fine furniture, discover a generous palette for creativity. Touch, feel and explore topgrain leather. Relax and recharge on plush spring down upholstery. Appreciate the craftsmanship and materials, both seen and not seen. Whether one’s style is rooted in French Country, Mediterranean, or the clean lines of Modern Contemporary, McCreery’s has the look for the discerning furniture buyer. Fabrics. Leathers. Finishes. Accents. Combine tradition with bold transitional looks in the furniture of today. McCreery’s Home Furnishings is proud to offer a custom furniture shopping experience unlike anywhere else in Sacramento. With relationships with the industries best manufacturers, you can be assured that when you shop at McCreery’s, you are seeing the best Sacramento has to offer in fine home furnishings. McCreery’s Home Furnishings has been doing business in the Sacramento Valley since 1955, when Florence and M.D. McCreery packed up their Packard sedan and left their home in Indiana, Pennsylvania. M.D. and Florence headed west, with visions of becoming the owners of a successful business. They landed in Sacramento and in November of that year, they founded Modern Furniture Company on Auburn Boulevard. Midcentury futurism was all the rage, and people were willing to try almost anything. New trends were emerging in furniture as well. Lean lines, elegant
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Today, McCreery’s Home Furnishings is the only home furnishings store of its kind in the Sacramento Valley that offers their clients a fully custom experience. Third-generation owner, Kris McCreery, cares for the business and walks in the same footsteps of the family legacy, embodying the same commitment to style, tradition and innovation that has made McCreery’s Home Furnishings a destination for so many. McCreery’s proudly features their exclusive Signature Design Program. In-house designers visit a customer’s home
edges, and catchy chrome were making their way into American homes. Florence and M.D. stocked their brand new showroom with bedrooms, dining rooms, and kitchen sets from reputable manufacturers. They combined quality furniture with a level of service offered nowhere else in the Sacramento Valley. By 1985, Thomas McCreery was now the second generation of the family to oversee the day-to-day operation of Modern Furniture. By continuing to offer high-quality furniture and superb customer service with a personal touch, a new era had begun. Thomas guided the business with a vision toward growth and opportunity. Soon, custom orders became the norm. Tastes, trends, and styles of furniture continued to evolve. Constantly expanding and innovating, Modern Furniture Company was renamed and rebranded “McCreery’s Home Furnishings” to better reflect the myriad options available. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - STRONG BUSINESS 177
with their client to create an overall room plan. Such service from an outside designer normally ranges into the thousands of dollars. At McCreery’s, it is complimentary in order to make your furniture and your home uniquely yours. Fully-customized interior design plans can include paint options, window treatments, fine hand-knotted wool rugs, and casual or formal furnishings from prestigious manufacturers such as Canadel, Thomasville, Hooker Furniture, Hancock & Moore, Flexsteel, Century, Marge Carson, Huntington House, Bradington Young, and many more. C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 178
McCreery’s Home Furnishings has been the recipient of numerous dealer and customer service awards. They draw customers from throughout the Sacramento Valley and beyond. Multiple generations of families have returned for the excellent customer service and high-quality, one-of-akind shopping experience. A legacy started in 1955 has certainly been realized. McCreery’s Home Furnishings continues its commitment to Sacramento and the surrounding areas, and will continue to inspire its customers and friends in the community, year after year, generation after generation.
The success of Quick Quack Car Wash is a story of ambition and determination. From its first Sacramento location in 2004, Quick Quack has expanded to more than sixty locations in five states. The business has been named the secondfastest growing company in Sacramento and one of the fastest growing in the nation, as well as being recognized as one of the top fifty car washes in the nation. At Quick Quack, the customer stays in their vehicle while being automatically guided through the car wash where the vehicle is soaked, soaped, washed, polished, rinsed with spot-free water, all in a matter of minutes. What is known today as Quick Quack Car Wash actually began as a business school project for Jason Johnson in 2000. He finished graduate school and went to work as an analyst for Hewlett-Packard (HP) in Roseville, but kept returning to his car wash business plan, convinced it could become a successful reality.
In 2002, Jason met Timothy Wright and his partners— Chris Vaterlaus and Greg Drennan—and began to persuade them that the best thing they could do with their money was invest in a car wash. Tim and his partners gradually warmed to the idea, and in 2004, Jason agreed to leave HP and commit 100 percent to making the idea work. Tim and Jason knocked on the door of every bank in town, looking for loans to go with the equity they had raised with Chris and Greg. They eventually secured enough financing to purchase their first car wash, named Splash ‘N Dash Car Wash, in Carmichael. The business opened on November 18, 2004 with Jason as the manager. He also served as cashier, helped wash the cars and processed the bills and payroll at night. Splash ‘N Dash washed 44,000 cars that first year, but Jason wanted the car wash to become a brand, rather than a single car wash operation. An expert in building a brand, Travis Kimball, was recruited and joined the partnership in 2005 when the company built its first new car wash construction project in Folsom. Travis served as store leader and later headed all the firm’s marketing and branding. New car washes were built and opened in quick succession in North Highlands, Foothill Farms, Rancho Cordova and South Natomas. The company’s growth plans were right on schedule when the great recession of 2007 began, and Quick Quack’s plans decelerated dramatically. Progress had also been stalled by damage caused by a freak fire consuming one of the car washes and break-ins at other locations. The partners, however, were determined to succeed. Almost miraculously, they were able to purchase the seven original Quick Quack Car Washes in Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, beginning a period of strong growth. Splash ‘N Dash adopted the Quick Quack name and now operates more than sixty locations throughout California, Utah, Texas, Arizona and Colorado. Quick Quack now boasts more than 100,000 unlimited car wash memberships.
QUICK QUACK CAR WASH Below: Quackals welcomes you to Quick Quack Car Wash.
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INTEGRATIVE WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE CARING FOR WOMEN WELLNESS CENTER MICHAEL P. GOODMAN, MD, FACOG Dr. Michael Goodman has lectured or conducted courses on four continents..
This is a different Women’s Health practice! We strive to give you not just more years to your life...but more life to your years. In an age of corporate medicine, overworked practitioners, unreturned calls, “phone trees,” and practitioners consumed with billing documents known as “Electronic Medical Records,” Caring For Women Wellness Center is a breath of fresh air in Yolo, Sacramento, Nevada, Solano Counties and environs. Michael P. Goodman, MD, FACOG, NCMP, IF, CCD, AAACS has enjoyed more than forty years working with women striving to solve problems and maintain health. “Dr. G” is a Stanfordtrained Board Certified Gynecologist (FACOG); certified by the North American Menopause Association as a “Certified Menopause Practitioner” (NCMP—one of only five practitioners in the greater Sacramento area); a Clinical Bone Densiometrist (CCD), having been certified to prevent, diagnose, and treat Osteoporosis; and is an elected Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (IF),
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certifying him as a Sexual Medicine Practitioner. He is an Associate of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AAACS.) With more than ten contributions to the current peer-reviewed literature in the areas of hormone therapy, sexuality, body image, female genital aesthetic and laparoendoscopic surgery, Dr. Goodman has garnered a worldwide reputation. He has lectured or conducted courses on four continents, has trained fifty-plus surgeons worldwide in his techniques for specialized genital plastic and cosmetic surgery, has been a Keynote Lecturer at many National and International Congresses, and serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at California Northstate University School of Medicine, in Elk Grove, where he teaches medical students. His popular books include The Midlife Bible: A Woman’s Survival Guide; MEN-opause, The Book For Men; and You Want to Do WHAT? WHERE?? Everything You Wanted to Know About Genital Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery. He is the Senior Editor and major contributor to the new critically acclaimed medical
textbook, Female Genital Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, published in 2016. Most importantly, “Caring” is an integrative practice! Lifestyle adjustments, Mindfulness, sexual counselling and life coaching take an equal place alongside hormones, botanicals and supplements, and Western medications. In Dr. Goodman’s hands, the “fix” is not only surgical (although it may be.) Over time, Dr. G. has stayed ahead of the curve and presently is skilled in the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for healing vulvo-vaginal pain and improving orgasm, and is
experienced in laser and other recent energy-based therapeutic modalities. Dr. G. is ably assisted by his team: Office Manager and Patient Care Coordinator, Nicole Sanders, MA, a savvy, kind and skilled sixteen-year team member, and, Receptionist, Medical Assistant and Surgical First Assistant Raechel Davis, MA, who goes out of her way to work with our patient’s individual needs and has graced the practice for six years. Dr. Goodman is a good listener, and tries to embody Henry James words, “To listen well is as important as to talk well.” At “Caring” we go out of our way to work with you as your personal skilled guide and ombudsman. Dr. G. sees less than eight to ten patients per day and has worked with men and women from twenty-five states and four continents. The practice is “Concierge” in nature; office visits sometimes take more than an hour until difficult issues are solved. With more than forty years of medical and surgical practice under his belt, Dr. G. has, literally, “seen it all” and, as an active member of the Integrative, Sexual Medicine, Menopausal, Age-Management, genital pain, and Genital Aesthetic Surgery communities. He both integrates and keeps up with current cutting-edge therapy regimens. As such, our practice is “fee-for-service.” While no insurance plans are accepted for payment, we will provide a detailed “superbill” to be presented to your carrier for reimbursement per their policies. Our practice is more expensive than simply presenting a twenty-dollar co-pay, but what is more important than your health, your joy and happiness; solving midlife, menopausal, genital pain, sexual, and/or genital dissatisfaction issues? Is it time yet for YOU personally? Do YOU deserve the best? At Caring For Women, we suggest it is!” Dr. Goodman’s office is located at 635 Anderson Road, Suite 12B in Davis and on the Internet at www.drmichaelgoodman.com or you may contact his office at 530-753-2787.
Nicole Sanders, Dr. Michael Goodman and Raechel Davis.
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EMIGH HARDWARE
Above: The Emigh, Winchell, Cline. Co. at 308-312 J Street, 1910.
Top, right: The Emigh, Winchell Hardware Co. at 308-312 J Street, 1910.
Below: Emigh-Winchell Hardware Co. at 709-715 J Street, 1915.
Emigh Hardware has been a fixture in Sacramento since brothers, James and Clay Emigh, first opened the doors in 1908. More than a century later, the store is still a family-owned, fourth-generation business known for its wide selection of products and warm, friendly service. In 1910, the brothers merged with Winchell-Cline and moved to a larger location at 308-312 J Street. In addition to hardware, the Winchell-Cline Co. also offered a line of agricultural supplies and buggies. A 1913 newspaper article announced that EmighWinchell-Cline Co. had taken over the horsedrawn vehicle business of the Studebaker Company. Another move in 1918 took the business to Seventh and J Street, where it remained for fourteen years. The founding Emigh brothers retired in the
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early 1930s, paving the way for the second generation, James’ sons—Albert, James, Jr., and Colby. At this time, the business was moved farther uptown to Thirteenth and J Street, the current location of the Sacramento Community Convention Center. The second generation of Emigh brothers managed to keep the business going through the dark days of the Great Depression and the uncertainties of World War II. By 1952, Colby, as sole owner, was ready for another move, both in location and approach to business. To take advantage of the massive post-war building boom, Colby took a risk and relocated to the newly developed Country Club Centre at El Camino and Watt Avenue. The firm’s only neighbor was a goat farm, but the growing suburbs soon caught up. An ad in the 1957 Pacific Telephone Directory noted that Emigh Hardware was a seven-days-a-week single location business offering “Everything in Hardware.” The inventory at the time included plumbing supplies, builders’ hardware, tools, paints, varnishes, home appliances, household goods, pipes, electrical, gardening, plumbing supplies, and even sporting goods and televisions. The more mobile population, including many newcomers, had trouble pronouncing the name Emigh, so in the 1960s the company introduced a cartoon character depicting a pigtailed girl in overalls with the caption, “Call Me Amy.” Little Amy, a composite of Colby and Jesma Emigh’s daughters, Carol and Mary, soon became a well-known symbol and remains a familiar feature in Emigh Hardware ads and promotions. The 1960s also marked the beginning of Emigh’s affiliation as an Ace Hardware Corporation store. Colby’s son-in-law, Rich Lawrence, took over as general manager in 1971 and in 1973 the business was once again moved; this time across the street to the current 35,000 square foot location on El Camino Avenue.
Upon the death of Colby in 1980, his daughter Mary and husband Rich Lawrence became owners. In 2000, Emigh took possession of a 15,000square foot building located adjacent to the hardware store and opened Emigh’s Outdoor Living, a patio furniture store headed by the Lawrence’s son, Brian. Customers enjoy shopping at Emigh Hardware for many reasons. First and foremost is customer service. This has been the central focus of the business since the doors opened in 1908. The ninety-five knowledgeable employees, some of whom have been with the company for more than thirty years, ensure more customer assistance per square foot than any other hardware store. Emigh provides free local delivery and all power equipment purchased from the store is set up, serviced and ready-to-go. An in-house advertising department contributes to the store’s custom signage, banners, displays and social media efforts, in addition to producing the well-recognized Emigh ads. Children who accompany their parents to Emigh’s enjoy a waterfall, fish pond with Koi, and an indoor nursery. Of course, the popcorn and balloons are always free. In the fall, children look forward to putting their artistic skills to work at Emigh’s family pumpkin carving workshop. During the Christmas season, the Outdoor Living store transforms into a holiday wonderland. Even the roof at Emigh is an attraction. A 21,600-square foot, 200 KW solar roof system produces 50 percent of the facilities electricity. This not only cuts down on utility costs, but considerably reduces the store’s carbon footprint. As a family owned local business, Emigh Hardware has always been proud to support many civic organizations. The Chamber of Commerce, Children’s Miracle Network,
Habitat for Humanity, local schools, churches, sporting organizations and scouting are just a few. Many of Emigh’s shoppers are second and third generation customers. They feel comfortable and know they can depend on receiving the service they deserve. Some of these patrons actually take on a sense of ownership. The Lawrences’ say “We love that! It carries on the family feeling that was started nearly 110 years ago.”
Top, left: Emigh Hardware Company in the 1940s.
Above: Country Club Centre, c. 1952.
Below: Location of Emigh Ace Hardware at 3555 El Camino Avenue, Sacramento, 1973–present. Group photo celebrating 100th Anniversary, 1908–2008.
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OWEN-DUNN INSURANCE SERVICES Right: Carl and Edna Owen, founders. (c. 1949)
Below: Services volunteer at Loaves and Fishes, provider of services to Sacramento homeless population.
When was the last time you smiled while talking about insurance? Talking insurance may not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but the team at Owen-Dunn Insurance Services (Owen-Dunn) promises to make the experience of protecting your assets a positive one. Owen-Dunn offers all types of insurance to protect the assets of their business clients and exceptional customer service to ease the way. But there is much more to the OwenDunn story than that, including people, culture, and beach balls. The agency was founded as Owen & Company, a personal insurance agency, in August 1949 by Carl and Edna Owen after relocating from Casper, to Sacramento, California. The company’s first office was in the historic J Street building that now houses the Citizen Hotel. In the 1960s, the Owens’ sons, John and Jere, joined the agency and began to sell commercial insurance services. In 1982, Carl and Edna’s great nephew, Owen Taylor, joined the firm while attending CSU Sacramento where he found a passion for the industry. With his partners, Taylor focused on helping the company reach its fullest potential, growing and expanding it for the next three and a half decades. Taylor is now president, with offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles servicing clients throughout California and across the U.S. Two things make Owen-Dunn exceptional: commitment to people and commitment to being the best in the industry. The leadership team at Owen-Dunn understands success comes from great people doing a job they love to do. Therefore, making sure the work environment at Owen-Dunn is fun and supportive is a priority. This includes regular staff lunches, tickets to Kings games and concerts, sabbaticals, and occasional chair races, recess games, and beach ball toss during staff meetings. This approach has resulted in Owen-Dunn being a finalist in the Sacramento Business Journal’s Best Places to Work every year they have entered.
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Being the best is not a slogan at Owen-Dunn. The firm relishes in a culture of friendly competition internally, but externally their staff is focused every day on outperforming the competition. Their success is demonstrated by nearly daily office emails that share stories of client praise. “If I had a buck for every time a client told me about how a member of our services team went above and beyond…well, I might not need to sell anymore insurance,” jests Tim Dickison, a partner at Owen-Dunn. Being the best comes from having the
most knowledgeable, experienced and committed staff anywhere. The firm’s consultative risk management approach goes well beyond merely understanding coverages and building tailored plans that effectively lower the cost of risk. The client services team takes pride in acting as key behind-thescenes support for clients’ human relations and claims management departments. Their brochure says it all: “At OwenDunn, it’s all about helping you be more competitive in the marketplace. When we do our job well, you’re free to do yours. Simply put, we’re part of your team, anticipate your needs, catch errors, help you avoid claims, and advocate on your behalf, all to reduce your costs and help you succeed.” Owen-Dunn has a unique expertise in Group Captive Insurance, a program that returns unused insurance premiums to the business owner. Fifteen years ago, Owen learned that starting a group captive with a handful of the agency’s largest clients would result in significantly reducing their insurance costs. Since then, the firm has assisted more than 100 companies to enter a captive and Owen has spoken to audiences around the country on the topic. In 2017 the agency branded its captive division and launched the website, www.odigroupcaptive.com, to respond to the growing interest in captive insurance and to expand its footprint outside of California.
“The group captive model is the single best thing we have done for our clients in my thirty-five-year career,” shared Owen. “When we can help a client improve culture and safety, their equity goes up and their premiums go down.” As a company “born and raised” in Sacramento, giving back has always been an important part of the Owen-Dunn culture. For decades, the company has made it a priority to support its community through focused philanthropic work. The agency has prioritized support for local organizations that provide services to children from low income families to help break the cycle of poverty and support their progression to self-sustaining, productive futures. Such organizations include (but are not limited to) Cristo Rey High School, Roberts Family Development Center, Running for Rhett, WEAVE, and Loaves and Fishes. When asked, “What’s next?” Owen responded with more of the same, “After nearly seventy years in business, we are now excelling on all fronts. Next, we’ll take all that we’ve learned and leverage our staff’s expertise to expand our ability to help business throughout the country.” Please visit Owen-Dunn Insurance Services at www.owendunn.com and www.odigroupcaptive.com for more information.
Above: Owen-Dunn company shareholders at their annual company holiday gala.
Below: Owen-Dunn team members at Sacramento’s annual Farm-to-Fork Celebration.
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FIVE STAR BANK
When it comes to describing the connection and commitment Five Star Bank has made to the communities it serves, their customer, Monty Deal with Campbell Deal Farms, says it best: “The business side of farming, securing a line of credit or dealing with a bank that’s trustworthy that can take care of things…it’s a stressful time. When I got into Five Star Bank, all of that fear and anxiety went away. I don’t worry about it anymore. I wouldn’t dream of banking anywhere else.” From farming to the faith community, and from commercial real estate and construction to nonprofit, emerging business, healthcare, small business lending and far more, Five Star Bank has a deep understanding of business owners’ needs. They also recognize their vital role as arbiters of economic development who believe in reinvestment of capital in their region. It all started when Five Star Bank was founded in 1999 by a group of local entrepreneurs who wanted to create the kind of personalized banking services they desired themselves—services inspired by partnership and defined by shared vision and goals. They also wanted to create a bank driven by community stewardship, regional and industry expertise and commitment to economic development. They succeeded. Today, Five Star Bank is proud to be one of the Capital Region’s success stories.
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Among the top ten percent of performing banks in the nation for banks of its size, Five Star Bank has six branches throughout Northern California, including Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, Sacramento, Chico, and Redding. The Findley Report rates Five Star Bank as a “Super Premier Performer” (their top category) while Bauer Financial rates Five Star Bank “5 Stars” (out of five possible.) In 2013, James Beckwith joined the bank as president and chief executive officer to drive the bank’s commitment to its founders’ vision. “Our expertise ranges from commercial real estate and construction to faith community, nonprofits, agriculture, government, SBA, technology and manufacturing, and emerging markets,” says Beckwith. “With a deep connection to the community and a commitment to reinvestment in the Capital Region, Five Star Bank helps our customers achieve their goals. This kind of partnership matters to our customers and it matters to us.” Five Star Bank is a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) preferred lender, which is an efficient feature for its partners in the community. This allows the bank to act as the final authority on credit decisions and speeds-up the process for businesses to obtain funding. The bank also employs
highly efficient, seasoned professionals who have deep ties to the community, understand the importance of the speed to serve and appreciate their customers’ desire for access to capital. Exceptional industry expertise and local market knowledge advance Five Star Bank’s competitive edge. Another point of pride is Five Star Bank’s Board of Directors, comprised of business leaders who are engaged members of the community. The Board includes Larry Allbaugh, CEO of the Buzz Oates Group; Founding Director, Frank Ramos, President of Ramco Enterprises; Michael Stodden, Partner and former CFO of the Buzz Oates Group; James Beckwith, President and CEO of Five Star Bank; Dave Lucchetti, President and CEO of Pacific Coast Building Products; Phil Joffe, retired former CEO and President of Cal Farm Insurance; Michael Campbell, retired former CFO of the California Trucking Association; David Nickum, President and CEO of Valley Farm Transport, Inc.; and Crystal Coleman, Principal, Assurance at Clifton Larson Allen.
“Our Board of Directors and Executive Team are active participants in numerous professional and industry organizations, nonprofits, educational institutions and more,” says Beckwith. Organizations supported by Five Star Bank, through time and treasure, include KVIE, American River Parkway Foundation, Cristo Rey High School, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, the Crocker Art Museum, Greater Sacramento Area Economic Council, Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Destiny Community Center, Sacramento State University, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Sacramento Metro Chamber, William Jessup University, Region Finance, Sacramento County Farm Bureau and California FFA Foundation, among many others. Of particular note, Five Star Bank invests in workforce education and is committed to mentoring the Capital Region’s next generation of leaders through support of Chico State and Sacramento State. The company recently announced its sponsorship of Sacramento State’s Business Honors Cohort (BHON), the first sponsorship of its kind. The BHON’s goal is to challenge and prepare business students to become equipped leaders and managers. Five Star Bank has committed to sponsoring four separate cohorts of BHON students over an eight-year period and is very proud to play a key role in educating students about Sacramento business as well as inspiring them to begin their careers in Sacramento with their acquired knowledge in the program. Five Star Bank is aligned with the values it was founded on almost twenty years ago. “Actively helping our customers through new referrals while also supporting their interests is not only rewarding, it’s another way we value connection,” says Beckwith. “Our relationships and interactions with our customers extend beyond the business environment. Our customers are our partners and we exist to serve them.” For more information about Five Star Bank and its services, visit www.fivestarbank.com.
Sacramento State College of Business Dean Pierre Balthazard; Five Star Bank President and CEO James Beckwith; and President of Sacramento State Robert S. Nelson..
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GOLDEN 1 CREDIT UNION Right: Office staff from the late 1960s.
Below: First of Golden 1’s ATMs.
Bottom, right: California State Employees’ Credit Union’s #1 building.
From humble beginnings eighty-five years ago, Golden 1 Credit Union has grown to become a leading credit union in California and the sixth largest in the nation, with nearly one million members and $11 billion in assets. Golden 1 has always embraced the philosophy of “people helping people,” and as a dynamic and trusted leader, the credit union is committed to enhancing the financial wellbeing of Californians and their diverse communities. The idea for Golden 1 Credit Union was born at a breakfast meeting in 1933, where a San Francisco attorney spoke to a gathering of state employees and told them about a new kind of financial institution. The president of the California State Employees Association (CSEA), Fred Taylor, attended that meeting and listened intently as the speaker described this alternative to traditional banks. Taylor felt such an institution could help state workers and, after speaking with several of his colleagues, he presented the idea to the CSEA Board of Directors, who promptly approved it. On July 31, 1933, a group of eleven California state employees met to establish the new credit union’s Board of Directors. They decided to call the credit union the California State Employees’ Credit Union #1 (CSECU #1) and on August 5 of that year, a permit to sell shares was filed and the organization became the first chartered credit union to serve state employees in California. In the beginning, twenty-two men and women were named to the Board and the Supervisory Committee and each was asked to deposit $5.50 for his or her share—$5.00 for the share plus a .50 cent application fee. For the first five years, members of the Board and Supervisory Committee operated the organization. Then, in 1938, one full-time and one part-time clerk were hired. One of those first hires was Edward Masters, who worked for the credit union a total of thirty-eight years and
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eventually became the General Manager. Masters’ daughter, Prudence Skinner, also worked for Golden 1 for more than forty-five years. The CSECU #1 employees worked from an office in the California State Public Works Building from 1939 until 1961, when the credit union moved to its first permanent office and administrative headquarters in downtown Sacramento. This location was considered the credit union’s first branch because it had teller windows. The organization’s name was changed to Golden 1 Credit Union in 1977. This was followed by a period of steady growth that included a merger in 1981 with the City of Sacramento Employees Credit Union. In 2018, Golden 1 became the first
credit union to be chartered in all California counties and can now serve anyone who lives or works in the state. The credit union has surpassed $11 billion in assets and serves nearly 1 million members, with 430,000 in the Sacramento Valley. Golden 1 employs 1,700 people throughout California, including 1,350 in the Sacramento region. Donna Bland has been Golden 1’s President and CEO since 2010. She previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to that, she was the Vice President Controller. She first joined the credit union as an employee and member in 1994. As a not-for-profit cooperative, Golden 1 returns its earnings to members—not stockholders—through higher returns on savings, lower interest rates on loans, and more free services. This helps honest, hard-working families and individuals lead better lives financially. Over the years, Golden 1 has grown to serve consumers throughout California with more than seventy branches and more than 30,000 CO-OP ATMs nationwide. Golden 1 provides convenient and value-added products and services to help consumers make the most of their money. The credit union’s products and services include checking and savings accounts; home, auto, and personal loans; credit and debit cards; investment and insurance services; on-line and mobile banking; and financial wellness education. Golden 1 and its employees give back to communities across California in several ways. Golden 1 Credit Union’s Community Grants Program awards funding to Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley-based nonprofits working to improve literacy rates and support foster youth transitioning to independence. Golden 1 Credit Union scholarships provide members and their dependents two- and four-year financial assistance, valued at up to $20,000 per student, for full-time students who attend accredited colleges and universities in California.
Top: Golden 1 Center.
Below: President of the California State Employees Association, who helped start the credit union, Fred Taylor.
Since 2011, Golden 1 has donated more than $50,000 each year to food banks throughout California, and—in 2018—the credit union committed to giving $1 million over three years to Wind Youth Services to address the issue of homelessness for youth and young adults in Sacramento. The credit union also offers tickets to community groups for Sacramento Kings basketball games and other special events at Golden 1 Center. Golden 1 was the first credit union to gain the naming rights to a major league sports arena. In addition, Golden 1’s Financial Wellness portal offers a suite of tools to teach consumers about personal finance. By visiting Golden 1’s website—golden1.com—you may watch a short video, listen to a podcast, participate in a webinar, or view a learning lab module on such topics as home buying, understanding credit, and raising money-smart kids. Golden 1 also sponsors numerous charitable events and organizations and encourages employees to volunteer for, and support, nonprofit causes in their communities. Looking to the future, Golden 1 Credit Union stands committed to helping more hard-working Californians achieve their financial goals. The credit union plans to pursue steady growth throughout the state, while maintaining its positions of financial strength and stability, and leadership in its industry and the communities it serves. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - STRONG BUSINESS 189
THE NATOMA COMPANYPROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Alice on Cheer Team.
The Natoma Company oversees apartment complexes in the greater Sacramento area and surrounding foothills. Currently, Natoma manages approximately 3,500 units of individually owned and syndicated properties. Natoma has built a sound reputation for aggressiveness in the rental market by increasing property values, renting-up new projects, controlling expenses and rehabilitating existing properties. The company has a relationship of ten years or more with about eighty-five percent of its current clientele. Natoma provides full service property management for multifamily communities, including all accounting, staffing, bidding of major and minor projects and insurance and overall supervision and renovations of the properties. The firm also ensures compliance with all county, state and federal regulations. Natoma currently has three full-time property managers on staff, all of whom are either a Certified Property Manager or CPM® candidate. Together, they represent a combined total in excess of fifty years of experience and knowledge. The Natoma Company utilizes an overall team management approach in order to take advantage of each property manager’s area of expertise. The firm was founded in 1982 by Alice Elkins, Jim Corbett, and Andy Efstratis. Prior to that, Alice worked for Coldwell Banker and Jim and Andy were clients of hers. They had a number of properties and approached Alice with the idea of forming a partnership for their own property management company. Alice eventually bought out Efstratis and Corbett and became the sole owner. The name Natoma comes from a Native American name meaning running water upstream. It became the name of a small native village along the American River, which stood about where Lake Natoma is today, above the Nimbus Dam. During her long career with Natoma, Alice has become a legendary figure in the California property management industry.
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A native of North Carolina, Alice was offered a full scholarship to study Home Economics at Wake Forest University following graduation from high school. She turned down the scholarship, much to the dismay of her parents, because she thought Home Ec teachers were all old maids and she did not want to be like them. She wanted to enroll at Duke University and study nursing, but that did not work out either. She ended up attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a degree as a dental technician. When the Dean of Dentistry accepted a job at UCLA, he persuaded Alice and three other students to go to California and help set up the university’s dentistry program. After deciding she would like to live in the San Francisco area, her old boss gave her the name of some dentists in San Francisco and she set out to look for a job. She had only twelve dollars but refused to borrow money from her Dad
because he charged interest. The bus ticket to San Francisco was too expensive, so she took a bus to Sacramento. When she arrived, she was afraid of the cab drivers and the bus station was filthy, so she walked in her heels from Seventh to Seventeenth Streets and rented a room at the YWCA. After checking in at the Y, Alice found a pay phone and started going through the yellow pages, calling dentists and asking for a job. She ended up getting an interview the next day and started work immediately. She still did not have much money, so for a couple of weeks she would go to a local diner and have “ketchup soup” and crackers for dinner because it was free. Eventually, Alice became the lab technician for a local dentist, who also owned a boat dealership. When the dentist worked a deal to trade some boats for houses, he ended up with ten houses in Rio Linda, four in Fair Oaks, and two fourplexes on Meadowview Drive. He asked Alice to rent them out, and so she did. The houses in Rio Linda were only shells so she worked on weekends to help finish the houses, driving a tractor, plowing the land, and doing the landscaping. This took all summer while, at the same time, she still worked at the dental lab. About this time, Alice met Fred Elkins at a Halloween party and they married about a year later. He did not like her working such long hours, so she quit both jobs. A friend
introduced her to the owner of Fulton Oaks Apartments, which was in the process of being expanded and rented-up. Alice was hired as the on-site manager and her career in property management took off. She soon received her real estate license and CPM® designation. She was president of the Sacramento Valley Apartment Association for two years and served on the Board for thirteen years. Alice has two daughters, Laura and Jamie. Laura and husband, Andy, have two children, Kyle and Ella. After a long and distinguished career, Alice has begun to cut back on her work load and has designated Trish Gaiduk as her successor. A third generation Sacramento native, Trish has been with Natoma since 1991 and holds a number of professional designations including the Certified Property Manager (CPM®) and the Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS). She has served on the Executive Council of the IREM Sacramento Chapter. “Trish has been an integral part of all major decisions affecting the company for many years and it is my goal that the company will continue to grow long after I retire.” Alice says.
Above: Founder and CEO, Alice Elkins CPM®.
Top, left: The Natoma Company at 1561 Response Road in Sacramento.
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SUN CITY LINCOLN HILLS
Sun City Lincoln Hills is an active lifestyle community; your next adventure is just outside your window.
Sun City Lincoln Hills, a vibrant community tucked nicely into the southeastern corner of Lincoln, California, has a national reputation, thanks to a solid, consistent brand. Our brand, accompanied by effective marketing, gives Sun City Lincoln Hills an advantageous reputation. This sprawling active-adult community boasts a myriad of amenities for residents, including two fitness centers, a luxurious day spa, elegant and casual dining options along with a sports bar, two 18-hole championship golf courses, a catch and release fishing pond, twentyseven miles of hiking and walking trails abundant with wildlife, pickleball, tennis and bocce ball courts, clubs, and hobby groups. There is no shortage of activities for residents, including trips, classes, and an annual Summer Amphitheater Concert Series, which is open to the public. Lincoln Hills has two main recreation centers within the nearly 3,000 acres of landscaped grounds, the Orchard Creek and Kilaga Springs Lodges. While several amenities are exclusive to residents, such as their fitness centers, shared interest clubs and activity groups, many of them are open to the public. Meridian’s Restaurant, one of Lincoln’s hidden dining gems, is open daily to the general public for breakfast, lunch, happy hour and dinner. The menu features made-from-scratch
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California-style cuisine as well as comfort foods, and changes every six months to reflect the freshest seasonal products available. Meridian’s Restaurant boasts an elegant decor with views of the beautifully landscaped grounds, as well as shaded outdoor dining on the patio to enjoy nearly year-round. The Sports Bar offers a wide menu selection and popular happy hour every day of the week.
At the Kilaga Springs Lodge, the public is welcome to visit the Kilaga Springs Café, which offers a lighter fare where visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee or lunch amid a tranquil Zen garden. Also nestled at Kilaga Springs Lodge and open to the public is the luxurious Kilaga Springs Spa, winner of the “Best of Lincoln” award for “Best Massage, Skin Care, and Nail Services.” Orchard Creek Lodge was also recognized with the “Best of Lincoln” award of “Best Customer Service” for their catering department. “As one of the region’s best wedding venues in the area, we are very proud of what we have to offer
brides and grooms on their big day,” says Kristy Woodin, Director of Food and Beverage. The combination of beautifully landscaped grounds, award-winning service, and in-house catering makes Orchard Creek Lodge a perfect place for couples looking for a place to hold weddings, receptions, and large business corporate events. Sun City Lincoln Hills is a community association on a mission to provide exceptional services not only to its residents, their guests and the public, but actively seeks opportunities to participate in the greater community of Lincoln, California. We are not just a brand, but a Lifestyle!
One of the two waterfall entrances into Sun City Lincoln Hills, this one is located at Del Webb Boulevard and East Joiner Parkway.
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SHERATON GRAND SACRAMENTO HOTEL
Located in the heart of downtown Sacramento, the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel sets the stage for a memorable visit to California’s capital. Occupying the beautifully restored Public Market Building at the corner of Thirteenth and J Streets, the hotel features sophisticated accommodations, inspired amenities, and a superb location near old town Sacramento, the Capitol Building, and other notable points of interest. The Sacramento Convention Center is just steps away making the hotel a smart choice for visitors conducting business in the area. Opened in 1923, the Public Market Building was one of the first of its kind on the West Coast and
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a forerunner to the modern grocery store and mall. The brick building was designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan, California’s first licensed female architect who also drew the plans for Hearst Castle in San Simeon and the Berkeley Women’s City Club (now Berkeley City Club.) The building served as a bustling gathering place for fifty years. Merchants sold fresh produce, baked goods, men’s clothing, bulk feed, meat and seafood in the three-story building, which also featured popular coffee shops and lunch counters. In the early years, the Sacramento Creamery churned butter right on the spot. With cleanliness as its theme, it served as Sacramento’s central focal point and the place to meet for more than forty years. But in the 1970s, the building was sold and converted into offices. The space inside was boxed up with partitions and corridors. The only part left open was a small atrium in the middle. The goal of the renovation by the architectural firm, Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum of San Francisco, was to bring back the spirit of the old building.
The remodel, which was completed in 2001, is a wonderful marriage of old and new. It combines the historic Public Market Building with a new twentyeight-story tower. The restored Public Market Building contains the lobby, restaurants, and over 20,000 squarefeet of meeting spaces, while the tower houses Sheraton Grand’s 503 guest rooms and suites. The extensive network of riveted steel beams that span the ceiling have been left exposed. Numerous coats of paint were chipped away to find their original avocado color, which has been incorporated into the building’s overall color scheme. Black railings along the outer walkways and stairs have been riveted to match the steel beams overhead, and the old-fashioned lampposts in Morgan’s Restaurant resemble gas lanterns once used at the grade level. On the building’s exterior, the brick and terra-cotta stonework, decorative scrollwork and ornamentation have been preserved. The Sheraton Grand Sacramento boasts an impressive collection of art. It showcases the work of many noted artists, including several from California. It features five original art pieces, valued at $1 million. They include a piece titled the “Neighborhood,” by Jennifer Bartlett, a ten by sixty-foot-long work made of hundreds of foot-long steel plates; a ceramic wall mural titled “The Marketplace,” by Viola Frey; an oil and graphite work on canvas titled “Sacramento California 2000,” by William T. Wiley; and two mosaics by Robert Kushner titled “Sacramento Georgic I & II.” Annually attracting more than 500 conventions, weddings and meetings, the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel offers much more than refined lodging. Guests enjoy an array of services and amenities to meet the needs of today’s
sophisticated traveler. Included are a heated outdoor swimming pool, delicious dining options, concierge services, meeting rooms and banquet facilities, 24-hour fitness center, and a fully equipped business center on the second floor. This high-tech portal features high-speed Internet access, a PC workstation, and television on PC workstations. The hotel is pet-friendly and enforces a 100 percent nonsmoking policy.
The Sheraton Grand entrance on 13th and J Street
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RITA GIBSON INSURANCE & INVESTMENT SERVICES, INC.
“When I started my business twenty-five years ago, my goal was to become a trusted advisor to my clients by helping them organize their resources so they could successfully chart their financial futures,” explains Rita Gibson, owner of Rita Gibson Insurance & Investment Services, Inc. “We help our clients throughout their lives, whether it’s coverage for a young family with a new baby or a retiree who wants to look at generating more tax-efficient retirement income and pass their assets onto their beneficiaries.” Rita Gibson Insurance & Investment Services, Inc., serves middle and upper-income families, successful business owners and professionals, executives, and retirees. Rita focuses on life and disability insurance, retirement and estate planning, and business insurance. “What satisfies me most is when I can deliver a check, a helping hand, and provide sound advice to a family after death or disability,” she says. “The certainty of cash when it’s needed most during a challenging time can reduce stress and maintain continuity. The family can remain in its own world and live in the same house, the kids can attend the same schools, and the proceeds can provide the income to continue on.” Preparing clients for retirement and presenting them with their first retirement checks from their investments is also
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gratifying. “Optimizing income by coordinating Social Security with retirement assets is important,” says Rita. Before clients file for Social Security, Rita meets with them to discuss Social Security claiming strategies that best suits them. She continues working with and monitoring their investments as they draw income during retirement. Long-term care planning for families is another service. “Our senior clients like to receive care at home as long as possible and these policies provide tax-free funds for these services,” Rita notes. “Long-term care protects our clients’ assets and allows them to have better control of their care.” For individuals, Rita Gibson Insurance & Investment Services provides life insurance so loved ones can maintain their current lifestyle in the event of death, and audits existing policies to be sure they are still in force, competitively priced, and name the correct beneficiaries. She provides disability income policies to replace income if a client is sick or hurt, and offers long-term
care plans that pay for personal care. In addition, the firm offers retirement planning, including IRAs, asset management, tax-free retirement income through Roth IRA and life insurance cash values, and retirement income cash flow that coordinates with their estate planning. For its business clients, the firm offers retirement plans that serve a variety of business needs, including 401k plans, profit sharing, or a customized combination that suits the business owner and the employee mix. In addition, Rita offers key executive coverage for owners and key employees; business succession planning for privately held companies; long-term care; retirement planning; and tax-free retirement income policies for owners and/or key employees and executives. “Costeffective retirement plans can create better participant outcomes for a more secure retirement,” she says. “We coordinate with our clients’ attorneys when they create buy/sell agreements to protect the business against loss of a business partner as well as provide liquidity for a buyout agreement. Protecting revenue and talent are also important considerations.”
Rita knows that when people regard financial services as complex and confusing, they may miss out on many potentially rewarding financial opportunities—or take unnecessary risks and fail to adequately protect their assets. “I help my clients focus on their goals and priorities,” Rita notes. “When clients bring in senior parents or adult children for assistance in preserving family assets, I have the pleasure of serving different generations of the same family.” Rita graduated from the University of California Davis and holds the designations of Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP). Rita is vitally engaged in the greater Sacramento community. She chairs the UC Davis Hospital Children’s Miracle Network Advisory Council and is a member of the Rotary Club of Sacramento; National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors; National Association of Health Underwriters; and the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), an international organization of successful insurance and financial advisors. The MDRT Foundation awarded a grant honoring Rita’s service to the UC Davis Children’s Hospital. She is passionate about raising money to fund medical research to help kids in our region. Since Rita launched her business, the firm has donated more than $250,000 and thousands of hours of volunteer time. Through the Sacramento Rotary Club, she co-chaired a fundraiser that raised over $300,000 for the Powerhouse Science Center. She has also raised funds for the YMCA Superior California and the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra. Organizations she supports financially are the UC Davis Children’s Hospital, the Manetti Shrem Museum at UC Davis, the Crocker Art Museum, UC Davis Women in Philanthropy, Powerhouse Science Center, the Rotary Club of Sacramento, the B Street Theatre, St Michael’s Episcopal Church, and Arcade Church. To learn more about Rita Gibson Insurance & Investment Services, please visit www.ritagibson.com.
Registered Representative of, and Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through Horner, Townsend & Kent, Inc. (HTC). A Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC; 9930 Research Drive, Suite 100, Irvine, California 92619, 949-754-1700. Rita Gibson Insurance & Investment Services, Inc. is not affiliated with Horner, Townsend & Kent, Inc. AsCD-0320-01E2. HTK does not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult a qualified advisor regarding your individual circumstances.
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DENIO’S ROSEVILLE FARMERS MARKET & SWAP MEET
Above: Marilee and Jim Denio, 1958.
For seventy years, people from all walks of life have purchased produce, new and used merchandise, antiques, specialty items—and who knows what else—from the famous Denio’s Roseville Farmers Market & Swap Meet. Denio’s Farmers Market was founded by Jim and Marilee Denio in 1947. It began small, with a single individual selling produce near the Southern Pacific Railroad Yard. Before long, Jim’s Saturday ‘Auction’ became the market’s main attraction. Soon, other vendors began to rent space from Denio and sell their products and, in time, the Farmers Market developed into a local Saturday event. As word of the market spread through the valley and foothills, other sellers of all types of commodities became regulars at the market. By the early 1960s, Denio’s had earned a reputation as the largest, cleanest and most efficiently run farmer’s market, auction, and bazaar in California. The 1970s and 1980s saw an influx of weekend vendors selling all types of merchandise and a portion of the sales lot was reserved for them to set up and sell directly from their vehicles daily. The idea was to provide vendors an opportunity to operate a retail business in a high traffic area with the lowest possible overhead costs. In turn, the vendors could pass their savings on to customers. At Denio’s, a business can open a new storefront, or simply enhance a current business with a satellite location. Through the years, a primary goal of Denio’s has been to provide its guests and vendors with a clean, friendly atmosphere, while providing the best possible service, unique products, great food and great deals. Denio’s is dedicated to maintaining a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere for the thousands of people who visit each weekend. At Denio’s, thirty full-time employees and approximately 100 part-time employees serve tens of thousands of customers every weekend.
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Denio’s has always been a family-oriented venture and, as the market grew, the Denio family, children and grandchildren began working the auction. Jim never stopped working to improve himself and the business. He knew the importance of family, honesty and hard work. Just as importantly, he appreciated each vendor and employee because he realized they had helped make the business a success. Jim died in 2000 at the age of seventy-nine. Today, Jim and Marilee’s son, Ken, along with his children, Eric and Tracie, carry on the family business by maintaining the same values and traditions started by the founders. Denio’s Farmers Market & Swap Meet is located at 1551 Vineyard Road in Roseville. With four generations on hand to serve you—and the fifth not far behind—Denio’s will continue to offer fresh produce and bargain merchandise for years to come. To find out more about the farmers market and swap meet, current events happening each weekend or becoming a vendor at Denio’s, visit their website at www.deniosmarket.com. You can also download their app at the Apple Store or on Google Play.
If you are searching for a memorable Sacramento River cruise, look no further than Hornblower Cruises & Events. California’s capital city is filled with rich history and beautiful sights, and you will have the perfect view aboard a Hornblower cruise. With plenty of options—including fascinating historic Sacramento River boat cruises and scenic evening cocktail cruises—Hornblower is sure to provide a magical experience you will not soon forget. Picture yourself gliding down the Sacramento River and taking in beautiful views of California’s storied state capital. Drift past bustling downtown and historic Old Sacramento, passing the Delta King, the I Street Bridge, the Tower Bridge, and the Air Force Docks. You will hear fascinating stories about the history of Sacramento—from the likes of John Sutter, the founder of Sacramento, to the wild first days of the Gold Rush and the legendary Pony Express. Aboard a cocktail cruise, a popular offering that debuted in 2017, you can sip on a signature cocktail while listening to the beats of a live DJ. The beautiful Capitol Hornblower has classic yacht details with all the modern conveniences to make your cruise comfortable, relaxing, and educational. With its largescale windows designed to provide uninterrupted views for every passenger, along with unique spaces for celebrating, this exceptional liner will transport you and your guests on
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an inspiring and signature experience. This vessel is also available for school river tours and private charter events. Since 1980, Hornblower Cruises & Events’ yachts have sailed past famed landmarks while serving seven California cities and New York City. Founded by yacht enthusiast, Terry MacRae, Hornblower has grown from a two-man, two-yacht operation to become one of the largest and most established dining cruise and charter yacht companies in the United States with more than seventy yachts, thousands of employees and millions of happy guests every year. Since its inception, the California-based company has focused on one mission: to deliver premier, highquality dining, entertainment and cruise experiences. Hornblower Cruises & Events has made environmental protection and preservation a priority. The company launched its pioneering environmental management and education program, Respect Our Planet, in 2005. The initiative shapes sustainability measures, such as sourcing green products, using reclaimed and eco-friendly materials in new yachts, improving fuel efficiency and incorporating wind, solar and hybrid technology into vessels when possible. Respect Our Planet also educates guests on Hornblower’s green efforts and shares suggestions for sustainable living. For more information on Hornblower Cruises offerings in Sacramento, visit: www.hornblower.com/river, email: oldsac@hornblower.com or call: 916-446-1185.
Above The Capitol Hornblower returns to the L Street Dock in Old Sacramento after a river cruise, set against the backdrop of the city skyline.
Below: Hornblower’s guests enjoy views of the Riverbank Marina. Other popular sights on the Sacramento River include the Tower Bridge, the I Street Bridge, and the Delta King.
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COVA HOTEL
When you stay at the COVA Hotel in California, you leave your heart in San Francisco. As soon as you set foot in the COVA Hotel, the attentive staff greets you with a welcoming smile and takes care of you like family. The engaging staff promises for a memorable experience where all guests’ needs are fulfilled through above and beyond quality professionalism with the goal in mind to provide nothing short of a great experience. COVA Hotel, your home away from home in “The City by the Bay,” San Francisco, is your connection to its rich and rewarding culture. The authentic atmosphere the staff builds upon, welcomes guests from all travels to “Embrace Comfort & Value.”
COVA Hotel is located aat 655 Ellis Street in beautiful San Francisco.
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Nevada County, California, is situated just sixty miles northeast of Sacramento. But for Tonya Lindsay, it must seem like a world away. The founder of A One Bookkeeping & Tax, she provides bookkeeping, QuickBooks accounting software training, and income tax preparation services. After earning her bachelor of science degree in business administration with an emphasis on accounting from California State University Sacramento, Tonya began her career working as a controller for a construction company in Sacramento. After five years, she started a bookkeeping and tax preparation business. Ten years later, she sold it to a prominent CPA firm in Sacramento. After helping with the transition, Tonya moved to Nevada City in 2009 where she started her own business. The downturn in the economy provided an opportunity for Tonya and her husband, David, to build their dream home on land they had owned for ten years. The slower pace of rural life has provided a life balance that is both satisfying and rewarding. With twenty-five years of experience in her field, A One Bookkeeping & Tax is a big part of Tonya’s life. “Our mission is simple,” said Tonya. “We give our clients trustworthy bookkeeping and tax preparation through accurate and timely information. We succeed through the success of our clients.” With a varied customer base, Tonya’s business has grown by ten to fifteen percent each year over the past five years. She travels to Sacramento once a week to meet her clients there making it a totally mobile service. Her goal is to maintain her stable base of bookkeeping customers and expand her income tax preparation business. Working from home and offering a mobile service has its perks, she admits.
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Left: Tonya Lindsay, founder of A One Bookkeeping & Tax.
Below: Tonya Lindsey and Millie.
“For the first few years, it was hard to separate my work from my home life,” said Tonya. “But, I love working from home and having my dog right there next to me.” Her love of animals is apparent as Tonya serves as a volunteer with American Brittany Rescue. Often, she has a rescue dog in her home. “People will call me and hear a dog in the background,” she said. “They always want to hear about the latest dog I’m fostering.” Tonya is involved in the annual river cleanup and Environmental Film Festival put on by the South Yuba River Citizens League. She also sponsors the river cleanup and the fair in Nevada City and is an active member of the Nevada County Master Gardeners. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - STRONG BUSINESS 201
FORT SUTTER AUTOMOTIVE, INC.
Fort Sutter is located at 1705 Nineteenth Street, Sacramento, California,
Customers love the service they receive from Nick and Anna Chacon at Fort Sutter Automotive, Inc., so much that they keep coming back on a regular basis. Fort Sutter Automotive is a general auto repair shop offering a variety of services including brake service, oil changes, engine tune-ups, transmission repair, and general preventive maintenance. Nick and his staff can also install new or rebuilt engines. The shop is equipped to work on all American and Japanese brand vehicles. Keeping up-to-date with the latest technology, ongoing education and training for the staff is a must. Fort Sutter Automotive is part of the nationwide NAPA Auto Care Centers organization, which allows the shop to offer extended warranties on all its work.
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The popular auto shop has been in business since 1976 and was purchased by Nick and Anna in 2014. The two coown and operate Fort Sutter Automotive; Nick runs the shop floor, while Anna runs the office. Their main focus is to provide high quality auto repair and superior customer service. Nick has been in the auto repair business since 1998 and enjoys the daily challenges such a career provides. Anna was in the insurance business for twelve years before joining her husband at Fort Sutter Automotive in 2016. Their son, Isaac, recently graduated from high school and is now working vocationally as a technician in the family business while continuing his education. The shop is located in a 3,500 square foot building at 1705 Nineteenth Street in the heart of midtown, only a few blocks from the California State Capital building. Because of its reputation and the quality of its work, Fort Sutter Automotive has managed to secure several contracts for maintaining state-owned vehicles. Together, Nick and Anna have been able to expand the business and they feel the future looks even brighter. Customers can depend on honest, top quality car care from Fort Sutter Automotive.
Adam Ray and Sarah Lola Eisley moved from Selma, California to Auburn, California, in 1909 and purchased property they developed into a fruit ranch, which would later become the Eisley Nursery. Henry Eisley, the eldest son of Adam and Sarah, married Lila Rollins and in 1930 they built their home on the ranch property they purchased from his parents. Henry worked daily at the post office and would come home to build chicken houses from damaged wooden railroad cars until he had enough room for about 2,000 laying hens. They sold fresh eggs and fryer hens to the people and restaurants in Auburn. In the early 1930s, Henry and Lila started growing pansies and primroses in raised beds along Nevada Street, which was Highway 49 at that time. They also began building glass greenhouses to start the seedlings, along with starting a family. Money was scarce for most during the Great Depression except for the gold miners in Nevada City and Grass Valley. The miners would cash in their gold and go to Sacramento to shop. On their way home, they would stop at the Pansy Nursery and purchase flowers for their yards. By the time their sons, Earle and Harvey, were born, life was busy. At the age of four and six, Earle and Harvey were given a hammer and nails so they could help make the
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wooden flats for the bedding plants. As they got a little older, they had to make 100 wooden boxes on a Saturday morning before they could go to the matinee. At the ages of seven and nine, Earle and Harvey were transplanting pansies into the open beds in front of the house. Everyone had to work if the business was going to be successful. Later, they began growing other varieties of bedding plants, which other retail nurseries would purchase from them. After Earle and Harvey graduated from college, they began to focus on this new wholesale business and changed the name to Auburn Nursery to reflect the expansion. In the fifties, they hired a soil and plant lab to assist them in quality control of the bedding plant production, which they still use today. Now known as Eisley Nursery, which is still owned and managed by the Eisley family. Today, the thriving Eisley’s Nursery customers come from throughout California and Nevada. A family business built on the hard work and the vision of four generations. Please come see us or visit us on the Internet at www.eisleynursery.com or contact us via e-mail eisley@eisleysnursery.com.
Above: Main building store frontage at Eisley Nursery.
Bottom, left: Flowering hot house.
Below: Entrance sign to Eisley Nursery at 380 Nevada Street in Auburn.
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NUGGET MARKET, INC.
Above: As of 2018, Nugget Markets grocery family has total of sixteen stores including their Roseville location, which opened in 2007.
Below: Founders Mack and Will Stille stand outside the original Nugget Market in Woodland, California. Circa 1934.
Family owned and operated since 1926, Nugget Market, Inc. is a family of full-line grocery stores dedicated to providing an extraordinary grocery experience while supporting its local communities, guests and associates. United by a love of food and passion for people, this local family business makes it their mission to provide world-class quality, selection and service with an attitude of fun, respect and constant improvement. It all started on September 28, 1926, when father and son team, Will and Mack Stille, opened the first Nugget Market in Woodland, California. According to store lore, a contest was held to name the market, and the winner was an eight year-old girl who was inspired by the gold color of the columns outside the store and its proximity to Gold Country. The Stilles worked hard to give their family business the strong foundation of quality, creativity, hard work, great service and innovation, which the company still upholds today. From the very beginning, they pushed limits in the grocery industry. Dedicated to offering the freshest produce available, they purchased produce direct from farmers and co-ops, and were the first store in town to incorporate a meat counter, deli and bakery. Later on, they also opened a smokehouse and sharp freeze locker box business to support the local farming community with preserving their meat and produce. Twenty years after opening, Nugget Market moved down the street from its original location, and in 1960, Gene Stille, Mack’s
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son and Will’s grandson, took over as president, embracing new technology to stay competitive in the changing grocery scene. Nugget Markets introduced a fresh, European marketplace feel in the 1990s, when current CEO and President Eric Stille, fourth generation, took the helm. Around the same time, Nugget Markets’ first wine stewards, cheese specialists and professional chefs joined the team. Since 2000, Nugget Markets has opened new locations in Davis, Vacaville, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Roseville, El Dorado Hills and Elk Grove, along with welcoming five new stores in Marin County and Sonoma Valley. As of 2018, the Nugget Market, Inc., family of stores includes twelve Nugget Markets serving the Sacramento Valley and Marin County areas, Food 4 Less Woodland, Fork Lift by Nugget Markets in Cameron Park, and Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market in Sonoma Valley. This same year also marks Nugget Markets’ thirteenth consecutive year on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. After ninety years and counting of serving Northern California, Nugget Market, Inc., is more dedicated than ever to quality, selection, world-class service, sustainability and creating an extraordinary grocery experience.
If you really want to take an in-depth look at the American dream fully realized, look no further than Tariq Munir and his fabulously successful The Munirs Company in Sacramento. Tariq has built one of the most successful restaurant franchise companies in Northern and Central California. Secrets to his success: hard work and dedication, exceptional guest services, and above all, teamwork with his employees. “Running a restaurant is a team effort and you have to make yourself part of that team. When your staff sees you as one of them, it helps build loyalty to you and to the company.” Loyalty has flourished with Tariq, not only with his staff, but with his customers. With over thirty locations throughout the Golden State, he has quickly become the largest and most influential IHOP franchisee in California. He also owns franchises in Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt stores and Johnny Rockets restaurants, a 1950s style diner famous for their burgers and shakes. Originally from Pakistan, Tariq achieved an MBA in Houston, Texas, in 1989, and he immediately became interested in the franchise opportunities in California. At that time, there were only three IHOP franchises in the capital city area. Now Tariq runs over twenty-five IHOP locations, and is one of the most successful restauranteurs in California. Having realized the American dream, Tariq is a big believer in community, and his outreach has positively shaped the local communities where his restaurants are located. “I really like to involve my restaurants within the community and surrounding activities. The community is so important to us. They keep us going and
we try to support them and give back whenever the opportunity arises.” Giving back is exactly what he does. For the past eleven years, The Munirs Company has been the highest donating franchise of any in the IHOP system. Tariq has donated over $1 million to the UC Davis Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network through various fundraising efforts like the National Pancake Day, and good old fashioned philanthropy. The simple truth about a man like Tariq is that he is also creating good jobs for the local communities that he serves. Each unique restaurant can employ up to twenty or more employees, and as a result, the local economies flourish. Tariq will continue to live the American dream here in California with his lovely wife, Sowaiba, and three charming daughters, Havva, Hibba and Naymel.
THE MUNIRS COMPANY
Tariq Munir and employees celebrate National Pancake Day.
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RIO CITY CAFÉ
Right Enjoy the sights from Rio City Café’s patios.
Below: Rio City Cafe is located at 1110 Front Street in beautiful Old Sacramento and on the Internet at www.riocitycafe.com.
Nestled prominently along the river’s edge in Old Sacramento, Rio City Café offers a unique dining experience along the cobblestone streets and wooden boardwalks of the historic neighborhood. This iconic eatery, locally owned and established in 1994, boasts diverse Californian cuisine with an emphasis on seafood and specialty meats. Rio City’s patio offers a scenic view of the Tower Bridge over the Sacramento River and its surrounding skyline. Designed to resemble a steamship warehouse from the nineteenth century, Rio City Café offers both intimate indoor seating and al fresco patio accommodations ideal for both large banquets and smaller party dining. The executive chef has developed a distinctive farm-to-fork menu that evolves seasonally and offers fresh, house-made ingredients for a C A L I F O R N I A’ S C A P I T A L R E G I O N - T H E S A C R A M E N T O V A L L E Y 206
variety of diverse palates. A few favorites include the mouthwatering sourdough cheese loaf, jambalaya, or a pairing of crab cake eggs benedict or huevos rancheros with the everpopular bottomless mimosas for brunch. A definitive list of the best dishes at Rio City is difficult to compile as there are countless savory options offered as unique daily specials in addition to the day-to-day menu as well. Children are welcome with a menu specially designed for their accommodation, maintaining a nostalgic Old Sacramento theme. Specialty cocktails, local craft beers and a well-curated wine and drink menu only enhance the experience. Any of the trained service staff might recommend a full-bodied Napa Cabernet to accompany a steak dinner, or perhaps an ice-cold pint of local IPA alongside a mountain of crispy fried calamari with fresh lemon wheels for a late afternoon snack. Rio City Café offers an unmissable happy hour that is reflective of its relaxed atmosphere and fresh ingredients. One might savor a house margarita and some famous crab cakes (at special happy hour pricing) while watching the sun set over the afternoon gold of the Sacramento River. A great restaurant is only as good as its staff and Rio City Café is no exception to this rule; a knowledgeable service team of smiling faces makes for an unparalleled dining experience. The staff undergoes a detailed food and wine training course at the turn of every season that allows guests a seamlessly enjoyable and uniquely Rio City experience. Rio City Café prides itself on helping create the Sacramento restaurant scene that it is today. Many who started here are now running their own restaurants as chefs, managers or owners. Old Sacramento is like our city’s backyard. A place to admire beautiful architecture and walk along shops, museums, and restaurants on the iconic riverfront. Take a train ride or boat excursion. It is a unique, memorable experience and do not forget to visit us at Rio City Café!
Named one of Sacramento Business Journal’s “50 Fastest Growing Companies” for the past two years, River City Bank is the region’s premier business bank, offering financial services such as loans, deposits and cash management tools to the business, consumer and commercial real estate sectors. Headquartered in Sacramento with eleven branches in the Sacramento region, two commercial offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, and a growing presence in Southern California, River City Bank maintains assets of over $2.2 billion, and a 5-Star “Superior” financial rating from the nation’s leading independent bank rating firm, Bauer Financial. With world class financial strength and unparalleled personal customer service, River City Bank has been one of the fastest growing banks (top five percent) in the United States over the last two years. It is the largest independent, locally-owned bank in the Sacramento region. RCB’s origins date back to 1972, when legendary radio and television entrepreneur, Jon S. Kelly, identified the need for a strong, locally owned bank. By 1973, River City Bank opened its doors in a small storefront in downtown Sacramento. Through pride, persistence and passion, Kelly made River City Bank a premier financial institution by exceeding customer expectations and developing revolutionary banking innovations. RCB introduced Saturday banking, and a branch office with eight drive-thru lanes to speed service. River City Bank continues this proud tradition of innovation, surpassing customer expectations through leading edge financial services. Today, River City Bank is one of the healthiest banks in the United States. Veribanc has awarded RCB their prestigious Green Three Out of Three highest rating. They also received
RIVER CITY BANK
the Institutional Risk Analytics’ highest rating: A+ Superior. River City Bank also boasts of Weiss Watchdog’s award of Afor financial strength, and the Findley Report’s highest rating of Super Premier. River City Bank has a vested interest in the health of the local communities they serve. RCB provides funding for a variety of nonprofit organizations through the Kelly Foundation. The Foundation exemplifies the importance of the Kelly family’s commitment to being a good citizen to the Sacramento area.The Kelly Foundation provides grants to various charitable organizations in the community, including educational institutions, hospitals, cultural activities, health and human services, and organizations that benefit children. Shawn Devlin (Kelly), daughter of Jon, serves as the Foundation’s Chairman as well as Chairman of the Board, River City Bank. All of these elements culminate in River City Bank’s superior long term financial performance, not only to benefit shareholders and stakeholders, but also the families and communities in the region.
River City bank is located at 2485 Natomas Park Drive Sacramento, California 95833. You can contact them by phone at 916.567.2600; or you can visit the website at rivercitybank.com
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BUILDING A BETTER CAPITAL REGION Service providers, real estate developers, utilities, construction companies, and manufacturers provide the economic foundation of the region A r m s t ro n g P l u m b i n g , I n c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 0 DPR Construction .............................................................................................................214 Stamas Corporation/Ionic Enterprises ...................................................................................218 SMUD .............................................................................................................................220 U S A P ro p e r t i e s F u n d , I n c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 Snider Leasing Corp. .........................................................................................................224 Roebbelen Contracting, Inc. ................................................................................................226 Coact Designworks ( F o r m e r l y S t a f f o rd K i n g W i s e A rc h i t e c t s ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 8
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ARMSTRONG PLUMBING, INC.
Founder Tom and Marlene Vance with children.
“Plumbers who can, from a family who cares” has long been the mantra of Armstrong Plumbing, Inc., Sacramento’s choice for fullservice residential and commercial plumbing since its founding in 1964. Their employees believe strongly in an environment that adds value to each other’s lives as well as the community they serve. They do this by working as a team, being professional, caring for and inspiring each other and their customers, and having integrity in all they do. As the area’s only woman-owned plumbing company, Armstrong Plumbing is dedicated to the craftsmanship and care necessary to ensure that each customer feels cared for in a way that improves their quality of life. With services ranging from fixture installations and troubleshooting to gas, water, and sewer plumbing system replacements, Armstrong Plumbing’s wide range of residential services are tailored to help each customer make educated, cost-saving decisions for their personal plumbing system, ensuring quality and longevity. In addition, their knowledge of new, cutting-edge technology, such as tankless water heaters, water conditioning systems, pipe lining, and trenchless sewer replacement technology, affords each customer the peace of mind that every recommendation or repair is designed with the customer’s best interest and future in mind. Armstrong Plumbing’s knowledge of new commercial construction and commercial plumbing services allows the company to perform the necessary troubleshooting and repairs on all plumbing matters from commercial gas, water, and sewer systems to smaller repair items such as automatic sensing fixtures and commercial water heaters. In addition to maintenance and upkeep, Armstrong Plumbing
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can recommend water saving technologies and help their customers determine when it is time to replace—rather than repair—avoiding unnecessary recurring costs. The business was founded by Tom Vance, who studied as an apprentice under his father to become a master plumber. Determined to begin his own business, Tom ventured out from the plumbing union that both he and his father were a part of. He moved his family of seven to Los Angeles, then to Colorado, and finally to Orange County where Vance Plumbing began to take off. Vance Plumbing was a new commercial construction plumbing company, helping to build various restaurants, fast food chains and business parks from the ground up. “My dad became fast friends with a man by the name of Carl Karcher and was soon installing plumbing systems for many Carl’s Jr. stores in Southern California,” recalls Tom’s daughter, Marcelle Flowers. Tom also landed a contract with Lucky’s Grocery chain, building several Lucky stores from
the ground up, including the main plant in Alameda. The firm also installed the plumbing for eleven Burger Kings in Southern California. “My father worked out of our home and we became used to seeing half-a-dozen plumbers at our kitchen table setting up their work day,” Marcelle recalls. “My father was a hard worker and my mother found her joy working from home taking care of the ‘Vance Empire’.” In 1985, Tom decided to move to Sacramento and purchase another small plumbing company, Armstrong Plumbing, a residential service plumbing shop located at the corner of 20th and Capital Avenue in Midtown Sacramento, in a building that had formerly housed Capital Dawg hot dog stand and is now Plan B Café. “Armstrong had only one plumbing truck that looked like it should have been recycled during World War II, but my dad immediately began bidding work as he had done in Anaheim, working from a little card file of customers begun by Bob Armstrong in the early 1950s,” explains Marcelle. “Little was done to promote the service side of Armstrong Plumbing, but my father wanted to
keep the name so that those who were interested in the occasional toilet repair could find us under the A’s rather than the V’s in the telephone book.” In 1993, Marcelle was pregnant with her youngest son and working full-time in a cardiology clinic. However, she realized her father needed help in modernizing his operation and agreed to help out. “My father’s work ethic was unparalleled by any I’ve ever known, but his business acumen was seriously in need of some assistance,” she recalls. “He believed in contracts based on a handshake and felt a man’s word was his bond.” Unfortunately, life around him was changing rapidly and receivables had begun to climb. For the next decade, Marcelle helped her father grow the business while developing several home-based businesses of her own and raising two sons. By 2004, Tom was thinking of retirement and Marcelle was ready to return to the business full-time and invest in the future. “We began to grow the commercial business and kept the door open for our few remaining service customers. Then the unimaginable happened,” she
Above: Armstrong Plumbing’s trenchless team with tools of the trade.
Below: The Vance kids.
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Above: Armstrong Plumbing’s technicians.
Below: The Vance kids today.
explains. “As quickly as we grew in 2006 and 2007, we plummeted into the crash of ’08, leaving a tremendous debt on the books and requiring the layoff of eighteen employees, some of whom had been with my dad since 1985.” Marcelle was beginning to think of returning home and starting another business, when one day she received a phone call from a customer who had learned of the company on the Internet. “This got me to thinking that if one customer could find us and write a nice comment about us, others might too. So, I spent the next six months posting our name on every free site I could find, including Angie’s List, which had just made its debut in the Sacramento market. Our phone began to ring and the two plumbers I had available to service our few customers began to get busier and busier, and the new service and repair company began to grow.” Marcelle became the company’s CEO in 2010 and with the recession still looming on all sides, the revitalized Armstrong
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Plumbing services and repair company grew eleven percent in its first year, followed by an average annual growth rate of twenty-one percent over the next six years. Today, Armstrong Plumbing services over 30,000 satisfied customers in the Greater Sacramento area. The client list includes multiple property managers with more than 200 residential and commercial properties, local restaurants such as TGI Fridays, Dos Coyotes, The Kitchen, Lucca, Ella’s Dining Room & Bar, Paragary’s Restaurant Group, McDonald’s and Chipotle as well as local businesses such as Costco Wholesale, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. Armstrong Plumbing also provides extensive services for local, state and federal agencies such as the Department of General Services, the City of Davis, the City of Citrus Heights, Eureka Union School District and the Veterans Association. The company has now grown to be a family of fifty-two employees. In addition to office staff, there are three departments for field staff: Service, Commercial, and Underground. Continuing Tom’s commitment to excellence, Armstrong Plumbing only hires certified experienced plumbers and
apprentices who are chosen for reliability and trustworthiness. Their skills, combined with old-fashioned values, have earned Armstrong Plumbing its five-star reviews and highly regarded reputation. In 2013, Marcelle became majority owner of the business, and since then has earned renewed recognition throughout the community and continued growth for the company. A woman of strong character, Marcelle’s passion for life is reflected in her business ethics. She received the prestigious NAWBO Award for Outstanding Women leaders in 2014 and has volunteered her time to many nonprofits in the community. She has helped raise money for CASA, Eskaton, Citrus Heights Police Activities League, Sacramento Dream Center, Boy Scouts of America, Sylvan Ranch Community Garden, her local church, and many others. Marcelle has been married to Terry Flowers for twenty-eight years and is the mother of two boys, Staff Sergeant Kyle Chattin and Eagle Scout Dillon Flowers. She is a faith-filled woman who likes to work in her garden, enjoys great music, wine, and people of all backgrounds. She is considered a ‘friend to the friendless,’ ‘mentor to the disenchanted’ and ‘encourager to the fiftyplus employees she calls family.’
In 2014, in celebration of Armstrong’s fiftieth anniversary, Marcelle rebranded the company with the vintage, but timeless, image of World War II’s Rosie the Riveter to communicate to the community, “Yes, We Can!” The makeover included new designs on the trucks, new uniforms for the plumbers, new pink shirts for the office staff, even new letterhead, pens, magnets and envelopes. For Marcelle and her staff, the rebranding was a yearlong project from start to finish. “We began by brainstorming about the things that make us unique,” she explained to PM Magazine, a trade publication. “We often find ourselves applying a ‘plumbers who can’ expertise to each challenging situation and unique opportunity. We also wanted to apply a strong emphasis on family dynamic. We care about our customers, our community and each other– that’s family.” The addition of the new underground division and the revitalization of the commercial division brought even more success with an outstanding growth rate of fifty-four percent in 2015, pushing Armstrong Plumbing even more into the limelight. The new underground division specializes in trenchless technologies such as pipe-bursting, directional boring, and Cured In Place Pipe-lining to install sewer, water, and gas plumbing lines in a way that is both cost-saving and landscape-saving. Looking to the future, Marcelle hopes to find a larger home for the Armstrong family as the business continues to expand. The company plans to create a training center and add an HVAC team down the road. In its never-ceasing effort to refine the company culture, Armstrong Plumbing will be organizing a ‘Caring Committee’ to focus the company’s energies in giving back to the community. With the continued perseverance and well-planned guidance of Marcelle, Armstrong Plumbing is fast becoming one of the leading companies in Sacramento. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - BUILDING A BETTER CAPITAL REGION 213
DPR CONSTRUCTION
Safety meeting held at DPR site.
In less than three decades, DPR Construction has grown to become one of the top fifty general contractors in the nation. DPR has achieved this success by concentrating on one key attribute—sticking to what it knows and does best. DPR helps their customers build great things: teams, facilities, virtual models, safety records and results. The DPR story began in the summer of 1990 when Doug Woods, Peter Nosler and Ron Davidowski—the D, P, and R in the company name—decided to pool their resources and build their own company. Starting with $750,000 of pooled resources and steadfast determination, the three construction veterans set out to do something different in an industry traditionally resistant to change. Peter recalls that most people thought of construction as more like a manufacturing type business at the time. “When we started DPR, we wanted to be a customer-focused organization,” Doug recalls. “We’re not a hard bid general contractor; we’re a negotiating general contractor that takes care of its customers. To do that, we need great people who are happy and willing to work hard. That’s one of the things that started us, making us different from the very beginning.”
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Ron adds that, “Our distinct purpose of building great things and the core values we dialed in on—integrity, enjoyment, uniqueness, ever forward—emulate the ways we like to work and live and transcend into the way we do business, doing something different in an industry that has not always had a reputation for integrity or for doing things right the first time.” Today, DPR is one of the nation’s leading general contractors and ranks among the top general contractors in the nation in its five markets of advanced technology, healthcare, higher education, life sciences and commercial projects. DPR ranked seventh on Building Design + Construction magazines top contractors list and fifteenth on Engineering NewsRecord magazine’s list in 2018. Since 1997, DPR has consistently ranked among the top fifty general contractors in the nation. The company first reached $1 billion in revenues in 1998 and 2017 revenues topped $4.7 billion. DPR’s corporate offices are located in Redwood City. The Sacramento office was established in 1990, the same year the company was founded. The company also maintains offices in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Austin and DallasFort Worth, and Houston, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; Edison, New Jersey; Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa, Florida; Greenville, South Carolina; Phoenix, Arizona; Raleigh-Durham and Richmond, Virginia; Newport Beach, Pasadena, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, California; Seattle, Washington; and Washington, DC. While DPR has grown and established offices throughout the country, they have formed strong roots in Sacramento, where they have done business from the start. In the nearly twenty-eight years of doing business in Sacramento, DPR has built strong
relationships with clients, industry partners and the Sacramento community. DPR’s goal on every project is to create “raving fans” clients that at the end of the project want to work with DPR again. While issues always arise in construction, their ability to work together to develop methods and find solutions ensures project success. DPR Sacramento received the 2017 General Contractor of the Year Award from the Associated Subcontractor’s Alliance of Sacramento. This award is given to the general contractor that is known for treating subcontractors fairly, honest business practices, timely payment and general support and appreciation of their subcontractor partners. DPR has received the honor three times in the past four years, illustrating their strong relationship with local industry partners. DPR acquired Atlanta-based Hardin Construction in 2013, adding more than 200 builders throughout the Southeast and Texas. The company currently employs nearly 6,000 people companywide, including more than 1,500 in Northern California. The founders of DPR have always had the vision of building a truly great construction company. A significant point in reaching this goal came in 1992 when Doug, Peter, and Ron met with a Stanford professor, Jim Collins. Now a management consultant and best-selling author of Built to Last and
Good to Great, Jim helped identify and articulate the purpose and core values that continue to drive the company today. INTEGRITY. We conduct all business with the highest standards of honesty and fairness; we can be trusted. ENJOYMENT. We believe work should be fun and intrinsically satisfying; if we are not enjoying ourselves, we are doing something wrong. UNIQUENESS. We must be different from and more progressive than all other construction companies; we stand for something. EVER FORWARD. We believe in continual self-initiated change, improvement, learning and the advancement of standards for their own sake. “We defined our purpose and established our first company mission during that meeting,” Peter recalls. Doug adds that, “To say we wanted to become a truly great construction company by the year 2000 was like a three-year-old saying I want to graduate from college by the time I’m ten. We do set high goals, but with the people we have in place, we know we can reach every one of them.” Ron was positive they could build a truly great company because of the network each of the founders has built and the individual skill sets they have developed.
÷ Top: Happy DPR workers safely leave their jobs at the end of the day.
Bottom: DPR Commercial.
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÷ DPR Life Sciences.
DPR is one of the safest contractors in the country due to its ingrained safety culture. The company promotes and nurtures an Injury Free Environment (IFE) with the goal of achieving zero incidents on every project. DPR’s approach to safety centers on training, instilling and reinforcing safe behaviors throughout the company and the entire project team, including owners, architects and subcontractors. DPR provides the tools and information needed to make informed safety decisions. Over the past three years, DPR’s OSHA recordable incident rate average was 1.18, compared to an industry average of 3.6. This figure is based on an average of more than eight and a half million total hours worked. Feeling that building sustainable structures is simply the right thing to do for the environment, DPR has become a national leader in construction of more than 200 LEED® certified projects and green projects across the nation. DPR has nearly 500 LEED® accredited professionals on staff in every office across the country to help navigate LEED® certifications and provide advice on sustainability. The Sacramento office was the first LEED® triple certified office building in the area and received the Governor’s Environmental and
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Economic Leadership Award. The value of DPR’s LEED® certified and registered work over the past five years totals more than $6.2 billion. A total of 246 DPR projects have achieved, or are pursuing, LEED® certification. DPR is currently designing its new office building on J Street in Midtown with the target of LEED® Platinum Certification, Zero Net Energy use and WELL Building Certification. The company is working with architectural partner, SmithGroup, to completely remodel the existing 1940s building, making it more modern and connecting to the community. “The reason for our move to downtown is that we want to deepen our connection to Sacramento. In our first roughly thirty years in Sacramento, we’ve built a great foundation and this move downtown will allow us to grow in Sacramento for the next thirty years and beyond,” says Sacramento Business Unit Leader, Nils Blomquist. DPR is known for their progressive people practices. For five consecutive years, Fortune Magazine ranked DPR as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, reaching the top ten in 2014. They are committed to providing the best possible benefits and work environment for their employees. The new J Street building will be unique in that it will not only focus
on the building’s impact on the environment, but also on the employee as well. Features such as air quality, abundant lighting, ergonomic workstations and healthy food options will provide an environment for employees to do their best work. DPR Construction exists to build great things. They are builders first and by executing fundamental scopes of work themselves, they are able deliver even greater value to their customers. Critical trades such as foundations, drywall and carpentry set the tone for quality on their projects. DPR currently employs nearly 900 highly skilled and trained craft workers in Northern California. These crews performed over 1.5 million man hours in 2017, all while maintaining the highest safety standards. In addition to its commitment to building green projects, DPR employees are involved in a wide range of community activities. In 2017, DPR contributed funds to complete two new homes for Habitat for Humanity as well as providing volunteer hours and they are committed to continuing this partnership in the years to come. Other significant projects supported by DPR include the Cornhole Classic, an annual tournament that raises funds for a designated charity. In 2017, the project raised over $30,000 to benefit St. John’s Program for Real Change. Company volunteers have also prepared and delivered lunches for Wind Youth Services,
and participate annually with toy donations and volunteer hours for Contractors Caring for Kids. As an employee-owned company, DPR takes great pride in constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation in the construction industry while delivering quality work to their customers. They have been changing the industry relative to virtual design and construction and are transitioning this technology base into opportunities for improvement in efficiency and quality including digital fabrication and beyond. DPR Construction has put solid stakes in the ground around the types of projects it builds, based on one key attribute: a focus on what it does best. It is a simple concept but one taken to heart by the founders and all the employees. By sticking to what it knows and does best, DPR will continue to build the best technically complex, sustainable projects. “We’ve had a lot of great successes, but I can’t think of one defining moment because we’re not done yet,” says Doug, one of the founders. “As the company continues to move forward, new opportunities constantly arise. One way we measure success, however, is by not letting employees down and keeping people within the company challenged and moving up. DPR exists to build great things with integrity, enjoyment, and uniqueness, and the right people have been—and always will be—the foundation of DPR Construction.”
÷ Bottom, left: DPR Higher Education.
Bottom, right: New office of DPR Construction.
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STAMAS CORPORATION/IONIC ENTERPRISES
Keeping a business operating for forty years takes more than hard work, commitment and a little luck. “It’s primarily a matter of persistence,” said Paul Stamas, president of Stamas Corporation of Roseville, California. “You have to keep moving forward. My mindset is to solve problems. I’m an engineer. I looked at every obstacle as being a problem that needs to be solved.” The youngest of seven children and the son of immigrants, Sam and Anna Stamas are from the Peloponnese region of Southern Greece. Paul is a lifelong resident of Roseville. After graduating from high school, Paul enlisted in the Army where he served in the Korean War. Returning stateside, he attended Cal State University, Sacramento, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. Paul worked for Corps of Engineers as a structural engineer for several years before deciding to launch Stamas Corporation in 1978. After working for many builders, developers and contractors, he was inspired to begin developing properties himself. It all started with one duplex; now the Stamas Corporation has built hundreds of homes, offices and apartments in Sacramento and Placer Counties. Over the years, the company expanded to include the development and construction of commercial and residential projects. In 1992, Paul and his wife, Debbie, founded Ionic Enterprises, a subsidiary of Stamas Corporation. Ionic Enterprises owns and operates all of the affordable,
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multifamily and senior apartment communities built by Stamas Corporation, an asset type that comprises the majority of the portfolio. Prior to founding Ionic Enterprises, the company had developed several sizeable subdivisions. But when faced with the economic recession of the late 1990s and a decline in the consumer demand for homes, the business shifted its focus to the development of affordable housing for multifamily and senior apartments. “I realized that since people were not buying homes, they had to live somewhere,” said Paul. “I figured they must be renting apartments. That’s when we decided to transition over to the apartment business.” It proved to be an astute move. “My father understands the market for affordable housing units,” said Alex, who handles acquisitions analysis for the company. “He has been persistent and has the ability to adapt. He formerly built houses and then moved into apartments when he saw the need was
there. He has constantly adapted to the needs of the community. This is a unique characteristic that has allowed my father to be successful in providing housing for thousands of families.” Stamas Corporation is truly a family business. In addition to Paul and Alex, Paul’s wife, Debbie Stamas, oversees asset management; son, Sam Stamas, serves as company attorney; daughter, Anne Stamas-Sansom, manages estimating; and son, Zach Stamas, works as a licensed civil engineer. Anne Campbell, no family relation, serves as comptroller.
“The benefit of a family business is that we all get along,” said Debbie. “We understand each other and we all have the same goals to succeed. We don’t just clock in and clock out.
Everyone has a vested interest in the business. Spending so much time together is sometimes not a good thing, but it works for us.” The Stamas Corporation is deeply involved in the local community. Paul and Debbie are founding members of Saint Anna’s Greek Orthodox Church in Roseville; at a memorial service a few decades ago, Paul was asked if he thought there were enough Greeks in Roseville to start a Greek Orthodox Church. Knowing the strength and faith of his community, Paul and others began organizing meetings and Bible studies at members homes. Eventually, the group garnered enough support to build a church in Roseville, which they named after Paul’s mother, Anna. Paul was consulted on the initial construction and is on the building committee for the church expansion, which is scheduled for completion in 2020. The new sanctuary will have a Byzantine-style architecture capped in an exquisite dome, making it unique in the city of Roseville. It will function as both a landmark and a source of great civic pride. Stamas Corporation donates its time and money to various other causes, including Samaritan Village for Orphans in Africa, Stamas-AHEPA Scholarship Program for Greek American Students, St. Vincent de Paul and Young Life for troubled youths. The Stamas family has become synonymous with Roseville. In turn, the family considers it a privilege and an honor to live and conduct business in the wonderful community where it has established such strong roots. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - BUILDING A BETTER CAPITAL REGION 219
SMUD
÷ Top: SMUD line crews display utility equipment used in 1956 and in 2006.
Electricity came to Sacramento in 1879 before Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) was a regionally known name. More than half a century later in 1946, SMUD began serving Sacramento and is now the nation’s sixth-largest community-owned, not-for-profit electric utility. With about 2,200 employees, SMUD serves about 626,000 business and residential customers and a population of 1.5 million. SMUD is one of the Capital Region’s largest employers. SMUD’s service territory covers 900 square miles and the utility is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Directors that determines policy and appoints the CEO and General Manager, who is responsible for SMUD’s daily operations. The company’s history began in 1923 when local voters approved the creation of Sacramento Municipal Utility District–now known as SMUD–and elected the first fivemember Board of Directors. Between 1923 and taking over as Sacramento’s primary electricity provider in 1946, SMUD spent many years negotiating with existing suppliers of light and power over poles and lines to establish its own electric distribution system. In April of 1946 the sales contract from PG&E was finally signed and SMUD built and organized a company of over 400 linemen, engineers, electricians, managers and office
Bottom: Windmills at Solano Wind Farm provide the cleanest electricity of all of SMUD’s renewable energy sources.
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workers to take over electric system operations. SMUD pioneers’ hard work paid off and eight months later at 6 p.m. on December 31, 1946—with no dimming of the lights— SMUD started supplying power to Sacramento. In the 1950s, Sacramento’s fledgling community-owned electric company began to soar, and SMUD employees steadily built a flexible, well-integrated system. As SMUD's customer population surged in the 1950s and 1960s, it kept pace by starting construction on a series of dams and hydroelectric powerhouses on the upper America River, which was complete by 1971. At the same time, SMUD’s load capacity increased by expanding its distribution system of poles and wires, where ninety-five percent of the system had been rebuilt or newly constructed. In the last decade, SMUD has increased its renewable energy supply from just four percent to more than twenty-five
percent of its power mix. Having already become the first large California utility to have twenty percent of its energy come from renewable sources as defined by California policymakers, SMUD is on track to reach the thirty-three percent milestone by 2020 and fifty percent by 2030. Factoring in the hydroelectricity generated in SMUD’s 688-megawatt Upper American River Project and the hydropower purchased on the market, between fifty and sixty percent of SMUD’s power comes from non-carbon emitting resources. It should come as no surprise that SMUD, a communityowned utility, has employees who care about their community. But the care SMUD employees show toward their fellow citizens goes above and beyond the norm. People are at the center of SMUD’s commitment to serving this region. SMUD Cares, the appropriately titled employee giving and volunteerism program, has raised more than $4 million for charitable organizations since 2006. The SMUD volunteer program encourages employee volunteerism in the community throughout the year and strengthens SMUD’s connection to the region it serves. Employees regularly have an opportunity to volunteer on their own, with their families or as workgroups for hundreds of local runs, walks, rides and community service activities. On average, SMUD employees give 15,000 hours per year to help local nonprofits. SMUD’s investment in the people it serves is also seen in its Powering Futures scholarship program and Shine community development initiative. The Powering Futures program provides paid internships along with college scholarships. Preference is given to students with financial need who are majoring in one of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. The Shine Program, launched in 2017 to mark SMUD’s seventieth year of service, awards funding of up to $100,000 per project to improve and revitalize local neighborhoods.
Additionally, SMUD contributes more than $2 million annually to local nonprofits that support regional vitality. SMUD’s evergreen mission is a commitment to enhance the quality of life for its customers and community by providing creative energy solutions through its core values of leadership, ingenuity, community and integrity. The original customer and community voters of the 1920s wanted a sound, reliable electric system with stable, reasonable rates and a focus on the community’s interests. Through more than seventy years of change and growth, SMUD’s delivery on that original promise still rings true today. Community is front and center in every decision and every investment made by SMUD.
÷ SMUD employees at the California State Capitol supporting a walk hosted by a local nonprofit.
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USA PROPERTIES FUND, INC.
USA Properties Fund, Inc., is committed to Creating Outstanding Communities. It is a slogan that the company embraces at every level, from quality construction and environmentally friendly designs to helping low-income residents accomplish their goals or get through a tough time. “We believe in building communities—not just projects– and providing homes for families,” said USA Properties Fund President Geoff Brown, whose father, J.B. Brown, started the company in Santa Monica in 1981. “Beginning with my father, our commitment has always been to provide quality housing options that improve communities and neighborhoods.” In 1993, father and son—and their partners—moved USA Properties Fund to Roseville, a fast-growing community about twenty-five miles from downtown Sacramento. The Capital Region has become home to USA Properties Fund, and is well-suited for its growth. The company has become one of the largest affordable community developer-builder-managers in California—and the West. USA Properties has almost ninety affordable family and senior communities and 11,000 units in California and Nevada, from La Mesa in San Diego County to the Bay Area and Reno-Sparks, Nevada. About a third of the company’s affordable family and senior communities are in the Sacramento region, from the foothills of Auburn to Woodland, just north of the University of California, Davis. “USA Properties Fund has been a major contributor in the Sacramento region for many years, helping to respond to the need for affordable housing, which far exceeds the supply,” said La Shelle Dozier, Executive Director of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). SHRA has helped finance about twenty USA Properties Fund communities in the Sacramento region. “The company has been successful because they understand the market, and are very
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strategic about creating and preserving communities that ensure a better quality of life for residents,” Dozier said. But “affordable” does not mean basic or boring. Many of USA Properties Fund’s affordable communities boast numerous higher-end features in the units, including ceiling fans, energy-efficient appliances and lighting, kitchen pantries, balconies and patios. Many of the communities include a community center, fitness center and pool/spa. And the effort goes beyond what can easily be seen. A new affordable senior community in Southern California earned the second-highest “Build It Green” score for new multifamily projects in the state, conserving energy and resources–and saving residents money on their utility bills. Designing, building and managing affordable communities are just part of what makes USA Properties Fund special. Many of the company’s affordable communities offer on-site social services, from an after-school program for children to programs for seniors. Of course, USA Properties has survived, and thrived, by looking ahead, planning for the future and seeing more opportunities. The company has recently started developing market-rate communities in the Bay Area and the Sacramento region, helping meet the demand for muchneeded housing. “We are just as committed to affordable communities as in the past, but because of our income limitations, we have to turn away a lot of potential residents who want to live in our communities and can afford a higher rent,” said USA Properties President Brown. “USA Properties is about providing quality housing regardless of whether they are affordable or market-rate communities. We feel there is a tremendous need for both types of housing.” For more information about USA Properties Fund, please visit www.usapropfund.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/USAPropertiesFund.
Achieving dreams to build a better future are the foundation for a good life. But it is not always easy. There are often many challenges and hardships. If you are a low-income resident, those dreams are more difficult to become reality—and the challenges are harder to overcome. Just ask many of the residents at USA Properties Fund’s affordable family and senior communities. The JB Brown Fund—a partnership between USA Properties Fund and LifeSTEPS, the social services provider at many of our communities– offers a helping hand to our low-income residents. The JB Brown Fund has helped hundreds of residents since 2011. The fund has allowed residents to attend college and earn a degree, children to participate in youth sports, and families to deal with an unexpected financial hardship–from a costly auto repair or extraordinary medical bill, to a death in the family. The JB Brown Fund, named after the founder of USA Properties Fund, is a grassroots effort that is truly making a difference. Every dollar donated to the JB Brown Fund is used to help residents. The JB Brown Fund is focused on helping residents build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities. If you would like to become part of the effort, the JB Brown Fund is always looking for donations. For additional information or to make a donation, please visit www.jbbrownfund.org. Together, we are creating opportunities to fulfill dreams.
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SNIDER LEASING CORP.
For more than sixty-five years, family owned Snider Leasing Corp. of Sacramento has provided commercial vehicle and equipment leases to businesses nationwide. “Snider Leasing Corp. is a direct lender, meaning we directly service our leases and loans for every client,” explains General Manager Matt Caplinger. “If a potential client finds a vehicle or piece of equipment for their business and needs money to purchase it, then Snider Leasing is their answer.” Paul Snider founded Snider Leasing in 1955 by doing car leases with the Snider Motors family of auto dealerships. In time, big business factory leasing took over in the mid-1980s. As a self-starting entrepreneur, who began selling honey to local grocery stores, Paul lived and triumphed through the many obstacles of starting and growing successful small businesses. Therefore, Paul evolved Snider Leasing Corp. to accommodate small business owners need for equipment. Sixty-five years of personal relationships and community involvement works. “Technology has changed the business landscape. However, human connection is a necessity in creating long lasting and trusting relationships.” says Caplinger. “Nothing can replace the benefits of interaction between people.” Snider Leasing embraces that philosophy and a human being works with the potential business clients to determine how to complete their financing need.
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Snider Leasing’s portfolio consists of equipment for the industries that support America’s quality of life. They accomplish this by supporting the business owners responsible for these goods and services; including transportation, agriculture, recycling, waste management, construction, manufacturing, car wash systems, bowling alleys, school cafeterias and much more. Snider has also helped professional sports athletes—both locally and across the nation—lease many highend luxury and sports vehicles. “Snider Leasing has assisted in the growth of many new businesses that are now nationally recognized. We take pride in being part of the life cycle that our businesses create with their products and services. “We help all types of businesses with equipment leases and financing,” says Caplinger. “This includes vehicle and equipment for the farm, manufacturing and processing, office equipment, car fleets, and heavy-duty highway tractors and trailers. We even lease or finance recycling and waste disposal
equipment, garbage trucks, conveyors, grinders, crushers, screeners, and bowling equipment. “Hahaha, we have done it all!” Matt chuckles. Open-end leases offered by Snider Leasing includes an agreed upon end-of-term purchase option. This allows customers to earn equity throughout the lease term and have an upfront expectation of their purchase option. “Many of our customers had no alternatives and were unable to obtain services from large banks or local credit unions at a fair rate. Some were simply unhappy of the manufactured impersonal service,” Caplinger continues. When our client succeeds, we succeed. When they fail we fail. Their success is our goal and we take it personally.” Snider Leasing is more than a financing source; they are full service end-to-end. Snider Leasing’s administrative staff services the account needs of its clients with DMV, state titling, registration, and the filing of required state, county and federal taxes. Snider Leasing has a staff of twenty-five and is headquartered at 5301 Madison Avenue Suite 101 in Sacramento, California. The company and its employees choose to donate on a monthly basis to local charities. Snider Leasing also supports organizations such as the Sacramento Children’s Home, Boys and Girls Club of America, The Salvation Army, River Oak Center for Kids, the American River Bank Foundation, the Carmichael Easter Seals, Rotary Club and others. Snider Leasing Corp. is always growing and implementing innovative ways to expedite transactions and diversify its business both locally and nationwide. Its future focus will be on heavy duty, construction, manufacturing and waste management equipment. The company mission has not changed since its early years—Snider Leasing remains focused on finding the most cost effective solution for its client’s equipment financing needs for small businesses that create the goods and service for America. CAPITAL REGION PARTNERS - BUILDING A BETTER CAPITAL REGION 225
ROEBBELEN CONTRACTING, INC.
Above: Folsom Lake College, Rancho Cordova Center.
Below: PG&E Service Center.
Roebbelen Contracting, Inc., an award-winning construction corporation, is dedicated to satisfying the needs and requirements of each of its clients, while delivering the very best construction services on every project it builds. The firm was founded in Sacramento in 1959 by Hans Roebbelen and was reorganized and incorporated in 1997 when Terry Street, Ken DeBruhl, Dave Thuleen, and Dennis Daniel took control of the company. In 2012, the company was again reorganized, with Ken Wenham as President/CEO, Bob Kjome as CBDO, Robert McLean as COO, and Frank Lindsay, as Vice President. Roebbelen now employs 352 people, including several who have been with the company thirty years or more, and is headquartered in El Dorado Hills. Other locations include Sacramento, Concord, and most recently added Anaheim, California. Roebbelen specializes in the construction of institutional, commercial, industrial and public works projects for clients throughout California. The firm provides general contracting, construction management, design-build, lease-leaseback and value analysis services for its clients. Roebbelen’s Technology Team is powered by advanced hardware and software tools aimed at collaboration and
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project coordination from the very beginging of a project. By utilizing precise laser scanned measurements and an augmented reality model simulation, the client, design team, and end-user develop a unified understanding of a project as it progresses through construction. As one of the top three general contractors in the region, Roebbelen brings nearly sixty years of local experience to an integrated construction approach. Roebbelen’s experienced staff offers a breadth of knowledge, with many having professional backgrounds in construction management, architecture, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and certified public accounting. The staff at Roebbelen draws on its experiences to raise quality and value while maintaining tight control over the schedule and budget. “In North America today, there’s more emphasis on cheaper and faster, and craftsmanship gets lost in the shuffle,” CEO Ken Wenham said in an interview with Construction in Focus magazine. “We like to combine the mastery of craft with modern technology to produce the best product we can for our clients.” Roebbelen is involved in projects for a wide range of clients, including education, federal facilities, healthcare, higher education, industrial, office buildings and recreational facilities. Among the many well-known Roebbelen projects are Mercy Hospital in Redding and Folsom, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) historic office renovation, REACT Center in Stanislaus County, PG&E Service Center in Auburn, and Folsom Cordova Unified School District Office Education Center.
Whether general contracation or construction management clients can rest assured knowing Roebbelen provides the highest level of dedication, project delivery, and quality of service. Roebbelen’s distinctive logo has a long history reaching back to the middle ages. When trade guilds thrived in Central Europe during the middle ages, three tools symbolized the mastery, knowledge, and craftsmanship of the building trades: the compass, the trowel and the broadax. In 1870, these three emblems were consolidated creating a logo for the Staatsbauschule Buxtenhude School of Architecture and Structural Engineering in Germany. Company founder Hans Roebbelen was a distinguished graduate of that school. It was customary at the time for student graduates to adopt an emblem—or mark—and because of his outstanding achievement, Roebbelen was one of only two students granted the privilege of displaying the school symbol as his own. Roebbelen Contracting and its employees are very supportive of community activities, including the Builders Fore Kids bi-annual golf tournament to raise funds for local children’s charities. Since 2002, Roebbelen has raised more than half a million dollars for the project. The company also supports Align Capital Region Workforce Development,
Sacramento Children’s Home, Sacramento Children’s Museum, Jeff Mitchell Field, Reading Partners, UC Davis Hospital, Ronald McDonald House and many others. Roebbelen Contracting has received the A+ Employers/Employees Choice Award for ‘Best Place to Work’ and is a twelve-time winner for the Distinguished Projects honor awarded by the Western Council of Construction Consumers. The company consistently ranks on ENR’s Top 400 Contractors List. Looking to the future, Roebbelen Contracting continues to expand its healthcare market while growing education, corrections/civic/justice, public works and corporate contracting and construction management market segments. In achieving these goals, the company will remain true to its core values: Treat individuals with dignity and respect; conduct business with honesty, integrity and fairness; create relationships that benefit every stakeholder; and continuously raise the benchmark of quality in the industry. “I like to say we’re a sixty-year-old start-up company because every day we’re looking for better, faster, and more efficient ways of serving our clients,” says Wenham. “It’s all about teamwork and having a good time.”
Above: Sacred Heart Elementary School Courtyard, Sacramento.
Below: California Exercise Stimulation Center, designed to improve training rooms for emergency response personnel.
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COACT DESIGNWORKS (FORMERLY STAFFORD KING WIESE ARCHITECTS) History of Coact Designworks predecessors • 1945-1966 Gordon Stafford Architect • 1966-1969 Stafford Peckinpaugh • 1969-1994 Stafford, King & Associates, Architects • 1994 Stafford King Wiese Architects • 2018 Coact Designworks
History changed significantly in 2018 for Sacramento firm Stafford King Wiese Architects. After emerging from the worst economic recession since opening its doors in 1945, firm leadership felt the timing was right to make a bold statement about the firm’s strength, new markets, design philosophy and firm culture—and move forward with a complete rebrand. Formerly known as Stafford King Wiese Architects, the firm was rebranded as Coact Designworks. Coact—meaning joint work toward a common goal; combines the actions of many, and as such, has the greatest potential for revolutionary change. Designworks—as knowledge and process to meet the client’s needs. Together, these words embody the firm’s core values for success. Coact Designworks, the fourth-oldest architecture firm in Sacramento, provides architectural design and planning solutions to public and private clients throughout California and Western Nevada. Today, the firm provides expertise in four major market areas: commercial, education, healthcare, and retail. When founder Gordon Stafford began the practice in 1945, he focused on commercial and residential projects. Upon award of his first school project, he knew that he had found his calling and began concentrating on education facility design. School construction was in high demand and the firm earned a reputation as the premiere K-12 educational architect in Northern California. Stafford added a business partner, Gordon King, who was paramount in earning this reputation. His passion, leadership, and contribution to educational facility planning was acknowledged in 1969 when the firm name was changed to Stafford King & Associates, Architects. Later in his career, King was honored with the Distinguished Fellow designation by the American Institute of Architects. Stafford transitioned the firm leadership to his son, John, when he retired in 1980. Together, John and King continued to strengthen the firm’s reputation in education architecture
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throughout northern California with John leading design and King leading planning. Stafford King & Associates, Architects merged with Brian Wiese Architects in 1994 to prepare for the next leadership transition. This was a pivotal time for the firm as Wiese led the diversification of project types, building upon his expertise to include higher education and healthcare. The following year, Kelly Reynolds joined, bringing his expertise in commercial and civic projects, earned from leading his own firm. This diversification proved to be highly beneficial during the global financial crisis a decade later. John retired in 1996 and Wiese assumed the role of the firm’s third president, leading the firm until 2007. In addition to the firm’s new market sectors, a strong presence in the education market continued throughout Wiese’s tenure to present, with new campuses and renovation projects for K-12, community college and university clients throughout Northern California. Pat Derickson, who joined the firm as part of the merger, served as project architect on numerous projects. One of his first assignments, which would chart his career path, was a 100,000-square-foot expansion and renovation of Methodist Hospital in Sacramento—a client the firm maintains to this day. In 2003, Derickson was promoted to principal and director of healthcare, Reynolds served as principal and director of civic and higher education, Wiese remained president and director of K-12 education, and Gregg Rock joined the firm as director of operations.
When Wiese retired in 2007, Derickson was chosen as the firm’s fourth president and Rock, who had become a principal, was promoted to vice president. Together, they have served as the firm's leadership since. That same year, the housing market crashed and many publicly and privately funded projects were eliminated, however, the firm continued to thrive based on its established expertise in a variety of market sectors. With the continued success of the Healthcare Studio and its increased portfolio of work, the firm was awarded a major healthcare project—a 220,000-square-foot nurse tower and emergency department for Rideout Regional Medical Center in Marysville, California. The project not only served as a steady source of work during the next decade, but also served as a major opportunity to evolve the firm’s healthcare expertise with several strategic hires in planning, design and patient-centered expertise.
In 2015, Mark Marvelli joined the firm to build a retail studio, bringing thirty years of expertise in this market. Under Marvelli's leadership, the firm has experienced significant growth in this sector with projects ranging from new neighborhood shopping centers and restaurants to renovations of existing centers, all bringing significant economic impact to new and established neighborhoods. The firm’s foundation of diversified expertise in commercial, education, healthcare, and retail, as well as a reputation built on client service, has allowed Coact Designworks to emerge from the last recession stronger than ever and poised for continued success. To learn more about Coact Designworks, the team behind the brand and to view their extensive portfolio of work, visit www.coactdesignworks.com.
Opposite, top: John F. Kennedy High School, Sacramento City Unified School District (1968).
Opposite, bottom: The firm’s four presidents (top, left to right) Gordon Stafford, founder; John Stafford, 1980-1996; (left to right, bottom) Brian Wiese, 1996-2007; and Pat Derickson 2007-present.
Above: Nurse Tower and Emergency Department, Rideout Regional Medical Center, Rideout Health, 2016.
Bottom: Pleasant Grove High School and Katherine Albiani Middle School, Elk Grove Unified School District, 2005.
The Gordon Stafford Scholarship in Architecture was created when the firm decided to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary by honoring its founder. Open to California minority students pursuing a career in Architecture, the scholarship has been awarded to twenty-seven students as of 2017, totaling over $400,000.
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SPONSORS A Therapeutic Alternative ...........................................................................................164 A-One Bookkeeping & Tax .........................................................................................201 American Red Cross Gold Country Region (Donated by Best Western)........................146 Armstrong Plumbing, Inc. ...........................................................................................210 California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. ............................................................148 Capital Region’s Workforce Development Boards .........................................................167 CASA de ESPAÑOL.....................................................................................................165 City of Rocklin............................................................................................................168 Coact Designworks (Formerly Stafford King Wise Architects)......................................228 COVA Hotel................................................................................................................200 Denio’s Roseville Farmers Market & Swap Meet ..........................................................198 Dignity Health Sacramento .........................................................................................154 DPR Construction .......................................................................................................214 Eisley Nursery.............................................................................................................203 El Dorado County .......................................................................................................166 Emigh Ace Hardware ..................................................................................................182 Eskaton.......................................................................................................................142 Five Star Bank.............................................................................................................186 Fort Sutter Automotive, Inc. .......................................................................................202 Friends of the Sacramento Public Library....................................................................152 Golden 1 Credit Union ...............................................................................................188 Hornblowers Cruises & Events ...................................................................................199 INALLIANCE ..............................................................................................................150 Integrative Women’s Healthcare/Caring for Women Wellness Center/ Michael P. Goodman, MD, FACOG...................................................................180
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Lammert Inc. ..............................................................................................................169 McCreey’s Home Furnishings. .....................................................................................176 The Munirs Company .................................................................................................205 The Natoma Company-Property Management Services................................................190 Nugget Market, Inc. ....................................................................................................204 Owen-Dunn Insurance Services ..................................................................................184 Quick Quack Car Wash ..............................................................................................179 Rio City Café ..............................................................................................................206 Rita Gibson Insurance & Investment Services, Inc. .....................................................196 River City Bank...........................................................................................................207 Roebbelen Contracting, Inc.........................................................................................226 Sacramento Public Library ..........................................................................................152 SMUD.........................................................................................................................220 Saint Anna Greek Orthodox Church ...........................................................................163 Saint Vincent de Paul Society, Roseville .......................................................................162 Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel ..............................................................................194 Snider Leasing Corp....................................................................................................224 Stamas Corporation/Ionic Enterprises .........................................................................218 Sun City Lincoln Hills.................................................................................................192 U.S. Bank....................................................................................................................172 UC Davis Health .........................................................................................................156 University of the Pacific ..............................................................................................160 USA Properties Fund, Inc............................................................................................222 Well Aging Med, Inc. ..................................................................................................158
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER MICHAEL CUFFE Michael Cuffe, a native of northern California, is an internationally recognized photojournalist, whose work has been published in a variety of books, documentaries, and magazines worldwide. He focuses his camera on capturing the wonders of civilization's monumental achievements, nature's splendor, and the creative humans that inhabit planet Earth at this time. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Television and Film Production, Cuffe began his career working for Paramount Studios and other Hollywood based production companies. His lifetime passion for still photography eventually began to blossom into a career, with recognition for his documentation of international street artists and the contemporary art world. Notable journalistic recognition for his work has come from The Washington Post, CNN, The New York Times, UK's The Guardian, London's The SUN, The Huffington Post, and the coveted number one photo on Reddit.
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LEADERSHIP SPONSORS
ISBN: 978-1-944891-64-0