Davis Centennial: 1917-2017

100 YEARS 1917-2017

CELEBRATE THE BUSINESSES THAT BUILT DAVIS

Behind the terrific twos is a caring pediatrician. %JKNFJQQF KU HWNN QH GZEKVKPI ƂTUVU 6JG RGFKCVTKEKCPU CV &KIPKV[ *GCNVJ /GFKECN Foundation attend to your child’s needs and yours to ensure you experience CNN VJQUG WPOKUUCDNG OQOGPVU 6Q NGCTP OQTG CDQWV QWT RGFKCVTKEKCPU XKUKV dhmf.org/woodland/peds or call 530.668.2600.

Services provided by Woodland Clinic Medical Group, a medical corporation.

Congratulations, city of Davis!

Here’s to another century of vision, innovation and community.

2017 Picnic Day Chair Chelsea Hernandez (left) and ASUCD Senate Pro Tempore Julie Jung

Index 6 22 12 20 25 58 41 42 50 24 54 8 65 40 46 67 10 16 43 52 49 62 30 23 46 26 48 56 13 64 55 44 45 61 64 7 32 53 60 57 35 48 21 36 18 47 14 63 38 59 62 33 60 34 28 58 29 51

Bob Dunning’s reflections All Things Right & Relevant Arnold family The Avid Reader/Avid Reader Active B&L Bike Shop Bedrock Construction Blake’s Heating & Air Conditioning Brooks Painting C.C. Cooper & Sons Carbahal & Company Cunningham Engineering Davis Ace Hardware Davis Cemetery District Davis Chamber of Commerce UC Davis Special Collections / “Davis California 1910s-1940s,” by John Lofland and Phyllis Haig Davis Community Church The Davis Enterprise In this 1910 photo of G Street looking south, the Davis branch of the Bank of Yolo (with Davis Farmers Market the oval window) is visible on the right; next to it is the building from which Judge William Scott operated many businesses for several decades, including The Davis Enterprise. At the Davis Food Co-op bottom, the photographer tells us this is Olive Street, G Street’s original name.

Davis Home Trends Davis Musical Theatre Company Dignity Health Medical Foundation Farm Fresh to You First Northern Bank Fleet Feet Sports Enterprise staff / Fulcrum Property Enterprise and The Graduate courtesy photos Guild Mortgage Hallmark Inn Davis In honor of the city of Davis’ centennial this Hibbert Lumber Co. year, we celebrate the businesses that built Hoffmann Automotive our community.

Ken’s Bike-Ski-Board In these pages, you’ll discover the enterLyon Real Estate prising spirit of local businesspeople who built the foundation upon which our Marrone Bio Innovations beloved community stands today.

Mason-McDuffie Mortgage Corp.

We think you’ll be struck by their Midtown Animal Clinic unwavering optimism, commitment to Nugget Markets hard work, dedication to customer service Odd Fellows Lodge and the importance of establishing a Parcel Dispatch, PDQ caring workplace culture.

Pence Gallery These businesses and many more helped define all that’s right with Davis.

Purves & Associates Insurance Agency We salute them as we look forward to RE/MAX Gold Davis’ next 100 years!

Redwood Barn Nursery Sacramento City College, Davis Center Sierra Energy Streng Brothers Homes Sutter Davis Hospital Tandem Properties Teichert Construction UC Davis United Financial Services Unitrans University Honda USE Credit Union Vander Hamm Tires/Goodyear The Wardrobe Woodstock’s Pizza Yolo Federal Credit Union Zia’s Delicatessen A special publication of The Davis Enterprise Enterprise photos by Wayne Tilcock, Sue Cockrell, Fred Gladdis July 2, 2017

1917- 2017

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Businesses of my youth built Davis (and me)

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s the longestserving employee at this esteemed chronicler of all things Davis, it’s presumed that I may be able to recall some of the businesses that built Davis back before other employees at this newspaper had moved to town. Or had even been born.

Thus my assignment for this incredibly interesting special edition is to talk about Davis businesses that I remember while growing up here, but are no longer part of the landscape.

As I pondered this task, three or four businesses came immediately to mind, all of them having to do with food.

It didn’t take long, though, to begin to extract many, many more from deep in my skull, some dealing with food, some not. They came to me in rapid succession as I imagined myself riding my secondhand Schwinn downtown after class let out at Central Davis School.

Or years later walking downtown with my high school buddies, all of us too cool to bike. Or even later having a beer and a pizza with my fellow UC Davis undergraduates. Or as a dad, shopping with my kids at Discoveries for that perfect gift for Grandma’s birthday.

I remember The Davis Enterprise from my childhood as well, but I was never a paperboy. That would have been impossible, given that my first memory of the newspaper I love was plucking it out of the mailbox after the mailman delivered it every Thursday, rain or shine. Besides, The Enterprise is still here, so it doesn’t qualify for this assignment.

If you were to ask me to name one long-ago Davis business that I wish were still here, one that truly shaped my childhood — and my body — it would

Yes, you just dialed three numbers in those days. Our home number was 686, which was hard to forget, even if you were only in kindergarten. Those last three numbers remained in the family phone number until my mom’s death at age 92 in 2008.

When you needed a haircut in this Norman Rockwell town, you went to George the Barber, and if you didn’t fuss and squirm too much, he’d give you a token at the end of the experience that you could redeem for one scoop of ice cream at the Blue and Gold Fountain across the breezeway (where Blondies New York Pizza Company now sits).

be Fosters Freeze. To this day, I remember it as the best soft-serve vanilla ice cream in the world, not to mention 19-cent hamburgers that no one has matched since. The secret: toasted buns and just a little bit of sweet pickle relish.

Fosters, you should know, was just down the street from the old Davis Public Library, and if we were willing to spend an hour in the library, Dad usually would give us a dime to run down the street to get an ice cream cone before we went home.

A close second to Fosters Freeze was the Vienna Bakery, home of melt-inyour-mouth maple bars, though it was hard to decide between that and Mr. Whitehouse’s Spudnut shop just down the street.

I always figured the Vienna Bakery was named after that big city in Austria, giving downtown Davis a bit of a European flair. It wasn’t until much later that Davis native Rich Donnell told me that “Vienna” was actually the baker’s last name.

Donnell was a prominent Davis name, too. As I recall, several Donnell brothers had some sort of a feed and seed store, but they’d also buy black walnuts that we’d pick up along rural Russell Boulevard for a dollar a gunnysack. h to be a kid again, with three or four Donnell dollars in my walnut-stained hands and debating whether to spend them all at Fosters Freeze or the Vienna Bakery or on those incredible Spudnuts.

If your bike broke down, there was Del’s Fix-It, with a weathered proprietor right out of central casting. If your toilet overflowed, you called Jake the Plumber, whose simple three-digit phone number was displayed prominently on his truck.

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e had two superb drug stores in Quessenberry’s and Star Pharmacy; true “service” stations run by such stalwarts as Al Hatton, Joe Truffini and Celso Peña; and new car dealers Ernie Hartz and Al Harter, among others.

There was Stan’s Meat Market, Wulff ’s Cleaners, Winger’s Department Store, and later on our first video games parlor, the cleverly named “Library.” It took young parents a while to figure out why their kids suddenly wanted to spend so much after-school time at the Library, even though no homework ever got finished while they were there.

Then one day, in 1956, after much heated debate, Davisites voted to bring industry to town in the form of the massive Hunt’s cannery. And suddenly, on days when the north wind blew, the whole town smelled liked warm tomato soup.

The cannery added jobs to our economy (many to high school kids in summer) and trucks to our roads as Davis began to grow rapidly toward the north and the east.

As the town grew, so did the number of places to eat, from pizza parlors to upscale restaurants.

There was Deebo’s and later on the Antique Bizarre, a favorite of college

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students, known affectionately as “the AB.” There was Blake’s, with its great downstairs hangout, and Bump’s and Mr. B’s and Honorable Gee’s and an oldtime, bare-bones, no-pretense bar known simply as “The Club.”

There was Giuseppe’s on Olive Drive, Beau Bagels in East Davis and Sambo’s where the Black Bear Diner now thrives.

For a short while there was even a “Peter Wheat” panel truck that cruised around town selling pastries and bread after alerting residents it was coming down their street with a quick “beep beep” of its horn. That sound alone would make most of us start salivating.

I still remember the day A&W opened with carhops bringing your order on a tray that somehow attached to the driver’s side window.

That famed purveyor of Papa Burgers, Mama Burgers and Baby Burgers has been replaced by In-N-Out and there hasn’t been root beer that good in town since.

Kozy Korner served up burgers and shakes across Russell Boulevard from the old high school (now City Hall) and Roger’s Five and Dime was an excellent place to spend your allowance back when nickels and dimes were considered more than just chump change.

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o mention of Davis businesses, of course, would be complete without State Market at the very top of the list. Although it was a grocery store in every sense of the word, it was also a central gathering place where you learned the news that the paper wouldn’t dare print from Dianne the World Famous Checker. Or gained intense wisdom and insight from discussing the problems of the day with Art. Everyone in town sought out these two and knew them by their first names only. They were Davis’ first and only rock stars.

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Caring culture is key at Nugget Markets

business. They can train a caring and positive person with a good work ethic to understand the grocery business much easier than they can train a grocery person to embrace the Nugget culture and make all guests and fellow associates feel cared for and respected.

As CEO Eric Stille puts it, “At Nugget Market, it’s not just a job. Our environment is like a family that has fun, and we all come together to create something very special. “ According to this year’s story about Nugget in Fortune Magazine, Nugget gave more than $750,000 in philanthropic donations last year. The company’s three current areas of focus are education and youth, the needy population and agricultural preservation.

The majority of that giving is at the

Story by Bob Schultz / Kate Stille, courtesy photos

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ot only did Nugget Markets earn the Best Grocery Store once again in The Davis Enterprise’s Best of Yolo voting for 2017, it had the honor of being named to Fortune Magazine’s list of 100 best companies to work for in 2017.

That makes a dozen years in a row that Nugget has made the Fortune top 100 list, finishing as high was 10th place in recent years.

Nugget was founded in 1926 by Mack and William Stille in a tiny store near where Timothy’s Bakery now stands on Main Street in Woodland. The familyowned and -operated business has passed on from Mack and William to other generations of the Stille family down to current CEO and President Eric Stille.

Eric’s wife, Kate, is vice president of marketing and communication, and Eric and Kate’s three children all have had positions at Nugget when they weren’t busy going to college.

A conversation with Kate Stille made it clear why Fortune Magazine, and the

people of Yolo County, so value Nugget.

To begin with, they call the people they serve “guests,” not merely customers.

The people who work for Nugget are known as “associates” and they receive health benefits, a 4-percent 401(k) match and profitsharing.

The people who oversee individual stores have the title “director” and have some discretion on store decisions that middle managers seldom have.

Kate says they hire based more on attitude than on knowledge of the grocery

See NUGGET, Page

Nugget Markets founder William Stille, far right, and one of his sons, Mack, far left, are pictured in the early part of the 20th century. William is the great-grandfather of current owner Eric Stille. The Stille family has owned Nugget Market since its founding. Top: from left are Stephanie Stille Teran, Kate, Eric, Gene, Riley and Mackie Stille.

Davis Cemetery & Arboretum

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7.

Davis Ace: Serving Davis since it was Davisville Story by Bob Schultz / Courtesy and Enterprise photos

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he Anderson family arrived in what is now Davis before the turn of the 19th century and ran a variety of stores in town, including a hardware store.

In 1937, the Anderson family exchanged stock in their family businesses for common stock in The Davis Lumber Company and the family has been instrumental in the growth of the company and the city ever since.

In June 1962, Donald, Dora and Essie Anderson purchased the Davis Lumber Company and four years later they joined the Ace Hardware Consortium to better meet customer needs.

In 1999, the name of the business became Davis Ace, with four buildings serving hardware, housewares, garden, pet, rock and rental needs based at 204 G St. Don and Dora’s daughter Jennifer Anderson is now president and manages the business along with her husband, Doby Fleeman.

The business added the Aggie Ace store at 606 W. Covell Blvd. in August 2012.

Jennifer remembers working at the store as part of the third generation of Andersons when she was 10 years old and her children have worked there at different times as the fourth

generation of the family before heading off to college and other pursuits.

A sign on the office wall says, “Amaze every customer every time,” and that motto exemplifies the level of customer service the Andersons strive for from employees, many of whom have been with the business for more than 20 years.

They are proud to have a staff that can answer your questions when you need the right materials and sometimes some direction on how to do a job. Even if you don’t know the name of the thingamabob that broke or you don’t know which tool you’ll need to make a project a success, one of the staff members will know what you need and where you can find it.

Looking back 100 years, John B. Anderson, who originally arrived in the community in 1893, was the first mayor of Davis after it became a city. John, who was said to have

A. Gordon Anderson, Jennifer’s grandfather, co-owned a general merchandise store and served as Davis’ mayor from 1918 to 1930.

Nugget: Listens to guests, associates From Page 7 corporate level, but each store director is also given discretion to donate to charitable organizations in that store’s neighborhood so the giving has a strong local impact.

Understanding the wants and needs of each local community has helped Nugget Markets expand to nine stores in Yolo County, including stores at 4009 Mace Blvd. and at 1414 E. Covell Blvd. in Davis, and to other areas including Elk

Grove, El Dorado Hills, Roseville, Sacramento, Solano and Marin counties.

Listening to their guests and associates also has helped Nugget add organic, local, gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, fair-trade, lowsodium, sugar-free and heart-healthy products to meet the changing needs and desires of its guests.

The ever-expanding variety makes each store a hybrid between a conventional grocery store and a specialty store geared to that neighborhood.

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Left: Donald and Dora Anderson and their daughters, Jennifer, left, and Mary Jo.

Below: Jennifer Anderson and Doby Fleeman, right, and their children Andrew and Alina, with only-inDavis tote bags.

the only safe in town at the turn of the century, also was instrumental in creating the Bank of Davis in 1913.

The bank building was still under construction at the corner of Second and G streets when a large new safe arrived from San Francisco. The new safe was so heavy that it fell through the floor of the temporary bank.

John’s brother, A. Gordon Anderson, who is Jennifer Anderson’s grandfather, was co-owner of a general merchandise store and also served as mayor from 1918 to 1930.

The Anderson family has continually been involved with the city of Davis, from local schools to the arts community to the senior community. Jennifer says the Yolo County Children’s Alliance, Yolo County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the Children’s Miracle Network are causes she is especially proud to support today.

Attention to detail — from the store’s architecture to its customer service — sets Nugget Markets apart from all the rest.

This is the store in the Oak Tree Plaza, 1414 Covell Blvd.

We’re proud to care for such a vibrant community.

For 30 years, we’ve made it our mission to provide the best possible care to the people of Davis and beyond. We’re also humbled and honored to be a 2013 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for performance excellence, and to be named among the Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare 2017.

Proudly caring for Davis. Birthplace of pioneers.

sutterdavis.org

Farmers Market sets standard for others Story by Bob Schultz / Courtesy and Enterprise photos

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artin Barnes, Kathleen Barsotti, Jeff and Annie Main, Henry Esbenshade and Ann Evans were students at UC Davis in the late 1960s and early 1970s and all came under the mentorship of rural sociologist Isao Fujimoto.

Fujimoto aimed to help students integrate community values and social justice, working both in his role at UC Davis and out of his home.

Evans and the others had visions of cooperative food buying and markets where farmers could sell healthy produce directly to consumers.

As Ann said, “in our own words, we were working to change the world.” Unlike many dreamers, they did.

In 1971, the group came together to form a food-buying club that promoted natural, locally grown produce.

That was the beginning of what would become the Davis Food Co-op.

By 1976, essentially the same people founded the Davis Farmers Market, which started out with only three vendors who put their products out on the ground. Today, the market serves between 7,000 and 10,000 people a week with more than 70 percent of the vendors coming from within a one-hour drive from farm to market.

The path to the market, however, was not an easy one. Not only did the

organizers need to get enough local farmers to buy in, they needed people who could deal with the regulations and the politics of the situation.

Regulations were overly restrictive and

Above: Davis Farmers Market manager Randii MacNear, left, and market co-founder Annie Main have some fun with the watermelon theme in this 1980s-era photo.

oto

Courtesy ph

/ emocrat The Daily D

limited the size of containers farmers could use and there were strict guidelines on things like bruises on apples.

Slowly, working with the California State Department of Farms and Agriculture during Jerry Brown’s first term as governor, restrictions were loosened and farmers were allowed to come together in markets and sell their products in a range of containers directly to consumers, even that slightly bruised apple.

The Davis Farmers Market became the standard for California, and across the country. There are now more

Left: Martin Barnes and Main, two of the founders of the market, unfurl a promotional banner in 1977.

than 700 farmers markets in California and more than 7,000 across the country.

No mention of the Davis Farmers Market would be complete without highlighting longtime manager Randii MacNear. She has managed the market for more than 35 years and serves as an unofficial historian.

MacNear works closely with the

Right: Children swing nearby while their parents shop at the Ratzlaff Ranch apple juice stand at the Davis Farmers Market in Central Park. The Sebastopol juice vendors are still active members of the Davis market.

Far right: Watermelon slices were served up at the Davis Farmers Market’s 40th anniversary celebration last summer.

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vendors to be sure they are working cooperatively and following the guidelines that make it so consumers can trust the quality and know the source of the food they buy. She was a key force in the building of the Central Park market pavilion in 1994, which gave a sense of permanency that few farmers markets ever experience.

Evans, who later became mayor of Davis, authored “The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook” and wanted to voice her thanks not only to those who founded the market, but to longtime vendors Steve and Nicole Smit; Mike and Diane Madison; Frederica, Micaela and Juan Toledo; Mo, Trudy and Lorin Kalisky; John Bledsoe; Missy and Shelly Gotelli; Henry Harlan; and Doneice Woody as well as firstgeneration farmers Alexis and Gillies Robertson, and Toby Hastings.

She encourages shoppers to introduce themselves and get to know the market vendors. Evans said she also was pleased to see Fujimoto selected as a grand marshal for the 2017 Picnic Day Parade.

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS

IOOF Growing with Davis for 100 years!

Thursday Live!

A Taste of Davis Breakfast with Santa Davis Chocolate Festival Second Sunday BINGO! Picnic Day Breakfast and many other great events all benefitting our community.

The Davis Odd Fellows were chartered in 1870, even before the City of Davis was chartered in 1917. We have grown together with the City over the past 100 years. The Odd Fellows have always had a Lodge in Downtown Davis. The first Lodge was on G Street. The current Lodge, built in 1955, is on 2nd Street. In the last decade, the Davis Odd Fellows have undergone a renaissance in activity and remarkable growth in membership. Today, the Davis Odd Fellows have close to 300 members, almost equally divided between men and women, of all ages from under 20 to over 90, and including a rainbow of ethnicities. We are active in the community with over 50 committees. We are now one of the largest Odd Fellows Lodges in the world, and the largest in California.

We are proud to be part and parcel of the Davis Community.

And we wish the City of Davis a Happy 100th birthday, and many more.

ODD FELLOWS LODGE NO. 169 EST. 1870 415 SECOND STREET, DOWNTOWN DAVIS YOLOLODGE.ORG 11.

Arnold family’s business ties are wide-ranging Story by Jeff Hudson / Courtesy photos

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ou can't think about the Davis business community, past and present, without contemplating the contributions of the Arnold family.

Patriarch Bill Arnold was born in Sacramento in 1923; his father was one of the owners of Arnold Brothers Inc., the first auto dealership in Sacramento, which opened in 1906.

Davis was growing in the 1950s due to the expansion of UC Davis, and the business opportunities in town drew Bill Arnold to this community in 1955, when he purchased the local Pontiac dealership. He immediately delved into civic affairs, and was elected president of the Davis Chamber of Commerce board of directors in 1958.

Arnold eventually sold the Pontiac dealership and opened Arnold Real Estate in 1972, and later became president of the Yolo County Association of Realtors. He died in 2012.

Son Doug Arnold attended Davis High School, graduating in 1965, and worked for a time as a police officer in San Francisco. He returned to Davis and started working at Arnold Real Estate, taking over the company as his father aged.

Doug Arnold built Arnold Real Estate

into what was for many years the largest real estate office in Davis, handling the lion’s share of local transactions, with more than 80 agents. Doug also headed the Chamber board in 1984.

A year later, Arnold Real Estate affiliated with Coldwell Banker, becoming Coldwell BankerDoug Arnold Real Estate. A few years later, Dave Taormino became a partner in the firm, and the partnership lasted for 25 years.

Doug Arnold was voted Davis Citizen of the Year in 1994 and was an active philanthropist, making a large donation to the Davis High School Blue & White Foundation, raising money for the Davis Schools Foundation and supporting other causes. It is estimated that he donated more than $1 million to local nonprofits over the decades.

Doug died in 2015, and about a year later, Taormino sold the real estate business, which rebranded as Coldwell Banker Select Real Estate.

Taormino now concentrates on his real

Cary Arnold is flanked by her late grandfather, Bill, and late father, Doug.

All three, plus Cary’s brother Will, below, were or are Davis business leaders. estate development business, Taormino & Associates.

His next major project is the proposed West Davis Active Adult Community, which would feature 325 small to medium single-story homes, and affordable senior apartments, on 75 acres of land north of Covell Boulevard and west of Sutter Davis Hospital.

Since the project is on the city’s periphery, it would go before Davis voters if it is approved by the City Council.

Cary Arnold, Doug’s daughter, was born in the 1970s. As an adult, she joined the family real estate business and worked alongside her father for 20 years, holding a number of different titles. Cary Arnold also started Davis Life magazine,

NOVEMBER 1982: Mark Blake walking in downtown Davis. Blake’s Heating & Air Conditioning was doing a job in downtown.

and served as president of the Davis Chamber of Commerce in 1984, making her the third in her family to hold that post.

Cary and her husband, Jon Sanchez, are now involved with two businesses — Our House, a restaurant at 808 Second St. that they launched in 2011, and Arnold & Sanchez Real Estate, a small but growing firm that involves several members of the Arnold family.

Will Arnold, Doug’s son and Cary’s younger brother, graduated from Davis High in 1997, and eventually became a local businessman; he and his wife Nichole own Mother & Baby Source a shop at 714 Second St. Will also has been active in political and governmental affairs; he has managed a number of campaigns for local candidates and he was elected to the Davis City Council in 2016.

Will observed that the Arnold family “has now been in Davis for about 60 years. And a member of the Arnold family has owned and operated at least one business somewhere in town during that entire time.”

Mike, Brody & Mark Blake

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Contractors Lic. #299969

Hibbert Lumber: 70 years serving builders Story and photo by Bob Schultz / Courtesy photo

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ack and Carol Hibbert established The Hibbert Lumber Company in 1947 on Third Street, where Cable Car Wash and the SPCA Thrift Store now stand.

Jack’s father, grandfather and uncles were all in the lumber industry, so the family had a long history in lumber when they opened. The store moved to its current location in 1958 after a fire destroyed part of the business.

In addition to running the business, Jack was a member of the Davis Rotary Club and served as mayor of Davis in the 1950s.

When Jack died in 1980, daughter Becky took over and her sisters Molly and Jane joined her, as did five members of the next generation of the family, including Jane’s daughter, Amber, who is currently on staff.

Becky says the hallmark of their success has been the way they meet the needs of their customers with a staff that knows all facets of the building process.

Hibbert Lumber has been the main

supplier of lumber to the contracting and building industry going back to when the Central Davis neighborhood that became known as Oeste Manor was built with Hibbert lumber in 1950.

Described as “beautiful two- and threebedroom ranch homes,” the homes in Oeste Manor were advertised for between $11,000 and $15,000 at the opening sales date of Feb. 3, 1951. An Oeste Manor home is currently on the market for $845,000.

The deep involvement in the building industry means many of the regular customers at The Hibbert Lumber Company are tradespeople and contractors with very specific needs and tight deadlines that they trust Hibbert to meet.

However, the staff also prides itself on helping that Boy Scout who needs advice and materials for an Eagle Scout project or that do-it-yourselfer who doesn’t have the right tools or who needs a few boards cut to size for a home project.

Jack Hibbert had a reputation for being a great boss whom people enjoyed

employees who built on the environment that Jack established.

Dick Faria taught employees of the 1960s and 1970s just how important it is to go the extra mile for customers. Carol Knee spent 46 years setting high standards meeting customer needs by always stocking the products that customers desired for their construction projects.

Nancy Grimes used her accounting and organizaCarol and tional skills for 42 years Jack with Hibbert and guided Hibbert are the transition into the compictured on puter age. Bob Pearl spent their wedding 20 years developing a cadre day, June 1, of loyal customers who 1946. The knew they could depend on couple had him and on Hibbert three Lumber.

Becky is also proud to daughters — recognize two current Jane, Becky employees with more than and Molly — 30 years of service: Ken who have Loftus, who does all of the carried on lumber buying and coordithe business nates the lumber yard, and since their Chris Haines, who develfather’s oped what Becky calls the death in 1980. “best door shop ever.”

The Hibbert Lumber Company has been part of working for, and he set the example for the Davis community for 70 years, how to attract and retain employees, something his daughters have continued. including almost 60 years at its current location at Fifth and G streets.

Becky wanted especially to honor past

13.

Tandem Properties has deep roots in Davis Story by Felicia Alvarez / Courtesy photos

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ith more than a half-century as an enduring local business, Tandem Properties’ impact on the community stretches across Davis and beyond.

The company was established in 1972 as the successor to John Whitcombe Construction, following the arrival of Bill Roe and Paul Makley, who joined John Whitcombe in 1970-71.

Whitcombe, a Davisite since birth and a UC Davis graduate, had been running his own construction company after returning to town from the Harvard Business School. Meanwhile, Roe and Makley — with roots in middle America — came west to attend the Stanford Business School, where they were introduced to John, who was already active with home-building activities in Davis.

For more than five decades, the principals of Tandem have been pioneers in developing and implementing innovative, energy-efficient neighborhoods and homes throughout Davis.

From cozy student apartments in North Davis to bustling Arlington Farm and the on-campus Colleges at La Rue, Tandem locally manages 14 residential communities and employs more than 80 people.

A spokesman explained that Tandem Properties’ mission is to create exemplary environments for their residents as well as positive work environments and opportunities for their employees.

Through resident services and a standard of being easy to do business with, the lifestyle created at Tandem truly enhances the Davis and UC Davis resident experience, the spokesman said.

“We like to think that Tandem is a good example of how small, local business can grow to support and nurture a community,” Whitcombe said.

Several of the founding members of Tandem have received some of the highest recognitions from the Davis

community. Bill Roe and his wife Nancy were honored as Citizens of the Year and Whitcombe has been inducted into the Blue & White Foundation’s Davis High School Hall of Fame. (Makley died in 2016.)

Tandem Properties also was selected this year as the Business of the Year by the Davis Chamber of Commerce.

The Tandem Farm donates tens of thousands of organic fruits and vegetables annually to the Yolo Food Bank while for the past 17 years, the Tandem Foundation has distributed nearly $400,000 to the Davis public schools to support local teachers and students.

Most recently, Tandem has partnered with the

Above: All three Tandem Partners share a laugh.

From left are the late Paul Makley, John Whitcombe and Bill Roe. Left: Whitcombe joins the Tandem Properties staff at the Tandem Farm to harvest veggies for the Yolo Food Bank and the UC Davis Fruit and Veggie Up Program.

UC Davis Fruit and Veggie Up program to provide students access to free healthy fruit and vegetable options.

The Tandem team also played a key role in the early adoption and support of Davis’ muchadmired and enjoyed greenbelt concept, interconnecting numerous housing developments with the greater community while facilitating recreational activities and bicycle transportation.

The company also has helped leverage countless community projects, including financing the Davis

Below left: Bill and Nancy Roe received the 1988 Covell Award as Citizens of the Year from Margaret Hoyt, center, representing the city of Davis selection committee.

Far left: Makley, a Tandem Properties partner who died in July 2016, gets his hands dirty while building his family’s home in North Davis.

Arts Center and Pence Gallery and sponsoring activities undertaken by the Davis Chamber of Commerce.

“As Davis is a product of the university, we recognize Tandem is a product of Davis. Accordingly, Tandem supports the many public-private initiatives that serve our town,” Whitcombe said.

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Celebrating our last 100 years.

Planning for our next.

Past, present and future...

Together we foster a community where every generation lives and thrives.

A message brought to you by

The Proposed West Davis Active Adult Community For current Davis residents and their families.

15.

Passion, vision gave birth to Food Co-op Story by Chris Saur / Enterprise and courtesy photos

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perating in some form or going to open this store.’ another for the past 45 years, the “That was our attitude. Whatever we very structure of the Davis Food didn’t know, we learned,” she said. “We Co-op is a huge part of what makes it never hired attorneys or accountants; so tightly woven into the fabric of the just whatever it was community. that we needed to The Co-op is owned and controlled by learn, we learned its consumers, some 9,000 local houseit.” holds. Those consumers buy a share, but And they learned they get return on their investment it well because the based on their patronage, not according store was a huge to the money they have in, so no one can success, quickly just buy influence. outgrowing the “It’s really characteristic of Davis … that it is consumer“Whatever we didn’t owned and -controlled,” know, we learned. We said Ann Evans, a Co-op never hired attorneys co-founder, former longtime board member and former or accountants; just mayor of Davis. whatever it was that “We wanted a place, where we needed to learn, we we could buy the food that we learned it.” wanted, with the least amount of packaging,” she said. “A Ann Evans nonprofit where the consumDavis Food Co-op ers had control so they could co-founder do their own messaging, they could boycott if they wanted … (and they could list) nutritional information, which was really pioneering at the time.” original location With goals like those in mind, what is and moving to a now a full-service grocery store started larger space just with a group of UC Davis students and down the block. By Davis residents forming an off-campus 1981, the organizabuying club in a living room in 1972. It tion was incorpowas the same core group that also gave rated as Davis Food birth to the Davis Farmers Market, Co-op Inc. And which started four years later. when Safeway vacated the loca“We met intensely once a week basition at 620 G St., cally forming and running this club,” the Co-op settled Evans recalled. “There was no money in into its current or out and very cheap food. The whole home. point was so that we could buy, in bulk, natural grains, organics and dairy. A lot Since that time, of us were vegetarians.” the organization has bought The buying club grew to 300 houseits own building and holds and by 1976, the group realized resisted the urge to open a that with the same amount of effort, the second store, instead buying club could be an actual store. choosing to focus on conSo they found a location on L Street tinued improvements at between Fourth and Fifth streets, and its flagship location. opened their first storefront.

Large renovations “We worked with other established were done in 1992, 1997 co-ops around the area, who mentored and 2007, and recent us and helped us,” Evans explained. “But upgrades include eco… they told us we would need at least savvy LED lights on $400,000 to get this storefront open. the registers in 2016, “(We were sitting) in my living room a new energy-saving and I remember we all just looked at meat case in 2015 them and said ‘Thank you very much, and energy-efficient that isn’t going to happen and we are beer coolers in 2014, along with

Above: Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, left, gets a tour of the Davis Food Co-op in 1982 from Co-op co-founder Ann Evans, foreground; Carol Shirley, the Co-op’s third manager, center; and David J. Thompson, Evans’ husband and an international cooperative expert.

Left: Iconic architectural design and artwork tell shoppers that the Davis Food Co-op, at 620 G St., is no ordinary store.

Below: Because of the cooperative structure, Food Co-op members are more than just shoppers ... they have a voice in how the store is managed. increased patio seating.

“It’s time for the Co-op’s next chapter, and we’re hopeful that it will be an important new one, because it is this backbone business of Davis which, like other businesses that are home-grown, really bends over to support good works in the community,” Evans said.

16.

Then...

Now...

Streng homes were ahead of their time Story by Jeff Hudson / Courtesy photos

Left: Streng homes feature simple lines and low-pitched roofs ... they limit the intrusion of the hot summer sun, but admit more light when the sun is lower in winter.

S

treng Brothers Homes built nearly 4,000 homes in the Sacramento region between 1959 and the late 1980s, including nearly 1,000 in Davis.

Siblings Bill and Jim Streng studied at Dartmouth, and came to this area from Pennsylvania in the 195os. They soon launched their own company as they started their respective families.

Jim met a young architect named Carter Sparks when they were both enrolled in a Red Cross class for expectant parents, and Sparks went on to design most of the homes that the Streng Brothers built.

In those days, the ranch-style house dominated the market. But the homes built by the Streng Brothers reflected a style known as “mid-century modern.”

“Mid-century modern homes have a lot of glass, they let in a lot of light. And they have a very open design ... people like that,” Jim explained.

Typically, Streng homes feature simple lines and low-pitched roofs ... they limit the intrusion of the hot summer sun, but admit more light when the sun is lower in winter. And with so much glass, the back yard feels intimately connected to the house.

Many buyers (including tall people) liked the high ceilings and visible beams. The interior atriums and skylights also were popular. Overall, these were homes in which no element was wasted, with very little in the way of ostentatious trim.

“Form follows function — nothing is there for decoration,” Bill said.

Some Bay Area expatriates would admire the open beams and high ceilings in a Streng Brothers home, and say the design reminded them of the Bay Area homes built around the same time

by Joseph Eichler. (At one point, Eichler and the Strengs even discussed some sort of joint venture, but nothing came of it.)

Jim Streng acknowledged that Streng and Eichler homes have some features in common, but added that there are important differences as well.

“Eichlers had radiant (floor) heat.

Eichlers did not have air-conditioning,” he clarified. “His homes had atriums (like ours), but his were outside.”

Basically, Streng Homes were designed with the hotter summers of the lower Sacramento Valley, rather than Bay Area fog, in mind.

The “look” of Streng Homes proved particularly appealing to universityeducated buyers, including professionals, school teachers and lawyers.

“We sold lots of houses to people

Below: Many buyers of Streng Brothers Homes liked the high ceilings and visible beams. The interior atriums and skylights also were popular.

Above: Jim, left, and Bill Streng built nearly 4,000 homes in the Sacramento region from 1959 through the 1980s.

Above right: With so much glass, the back yard feels intimately connected to a Streng Brothers Home, like this one on Villanova Drive in Central Davis. involved in education,” Jim Streng recalled. “And we didn’t have to do much selling. They almost stood in line to buy the houses.”

So perhaps it is no accident that the two other well-known Streng-built neighborhoods in Sacramento are along the American River, a relatively short distance from the Sacramento State campus.

Artists are also attracted to Streng homes, including sculptor Tony Natsoulas, who created “The Joggers,” which stands at the corner of Third and F streets in downtown Davis. Natsoulas grew up in a Streng home in Davis, and now lives in a Streng home in Sacramento.

The Streng brothers are retired now — Bill lives in Davis (in a Streng home);

18.

Jim lives in Sacramento.

Sparks, the architect, died in 1996.

Bill Streng has been a pillar of the Davis business community, twice serving as chairman of the board of the Davis Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s Business of the Year award is named in his honor.

You could say that the Streng brothers were ahead of their time — that’s why the homes they built decades ago continue to be quite popular now.

As one admirer has written, “Streng Homes fit today’s ‘modern’ lifestyle seamlessly. ... These homes provide a private retreat from the hectic 21stcentury world.”

“We realized early on that Davis might be a good place to build houses,” Jim Streng said. “Davis has been very good to us.”

Davis’ 100th anniversary is The Avid Reader’s 30th. We’re gratified to have shared nearly a third of Davis’ history. We’re also pleased that over that time, we’ve received more than sixty top “Readers’ Choice” Davis Enterprise awards from Davis residents. As a local retailer, we’ve always worked to deserve your loyalty with excellence in selling and quality personal service. As a business in our city of Davis, we’ve also worked to give back to the community that makes our store possible. Below, we’ve assembled some of what your shopping with us has allowed us to do in Davis most recently and over the last thirty years.

Promo�ng Local Books, Authors & Ar�sts

Serving as a Community Member

• Weekly events for campus, town, first time & seasoned authors • 20% discount for classrooms & libraries • In-store presentation of over 100 Davis authors • Cooperation with:

PRESENT • Chair, “We the People” sponsoring annual essay contest & activities on the Constitution • California Leadership Council, National Federation of Independent Businesses PAST • Member, Davis Budget & Finance Commission • President, Northern California Independent Booksellers Association • President, Davis Downtown • Chair, Development Committee, International House, Davis • President, Davis School Arts Foundation

• Davis schools in Battle of the Books • Pence Stories on Stage • Davis Parent University • UCD Creative Writing Program • Shrem Museum of Art • International House • Society of Children’s Book writers & illustrators

• Retail space for local card artists

Suppor�ng Community at Large • Auction items and gift certificates for schools & campus & community organizations • Monetary contributions to: • Citizens Who Care • Yolo Hospice • Davis Parent University • Kiwanis Flag Project • Pamela Trokanski Dance

• Downtown Davis gift card sales • Ticket sales for community fundraisers • Location for ArtAbout Artists • Meeting place for bookclubs & Davis Parent University

AVID READER THE

INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE

L to R: Andrew, Michael, Jina, Helen, Alzada and Bruce.

Not pictured: Arthur, Eleanor and Emma.

In sum, and over all, thank you for being a part of our lives and allowing us to be a part of yours the past thirty years, this year, and years to come.

— Alzada Knickerbocker, Owner The Avid Reader, 1987-2017

AVID READER ORIGINAL

617 2nd Street • 530-758-4040

Business Benefits to the Community • Jobs and benefits for Avid Reader’s long term, new & student employees • Sales tax and property tax for our city & its employees • Supporting employees & operations of local advertising outlets • Services with Davis businesses — accounting, legal, printing, shipping, office & fixture supplies, building maintenance

AVID READER ACTIVE

605 2nd Street • 530-759-1599

Open 7 Days A Week • www.AvidReaderBooks.com • Email: avidreaderdavis@aol.com

30 years of meeting avid readers’ needs Story and photo by Bob Schultz / Enterprise photo

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lzada Knickerbocker was marketing director for the Sacramento Symphony when she decided to make her dream of owning a business a reality. Although she knew marketing, she had never run a cash register, and she knew nothing more about books than that she was an avid reader.

In 1986, she decided to buy Orpheus Books at 204 E St. The store officially opened as The Avid Reader on Jan. 5, 1987, with a distinctive logo designed by Davis artist Birgitta Olsen. Over time the store outgrew the E Street space and moved to its current location at 617 Second St. The Avid Reader thrives by focusing on a deep understanding of the Davis community’s reading interests and strong, personal customer service. If you don’t find the book you are seeking, the staff will search their databases for new copies or track down a copy if it is out of print.

In June 2012, Knickerbocker opened

The Avid Reader Active store at 605 Second St. in a space once occupied by Alphabet Moon. If you’ve been away a while and stop in, you might think Alphabet Moon, or The Naturalist, or Carousel Gifts were still around.

The store has science kits, stuffed animals, games, action figures and gifts for any child’s interests, as well as greeting cards, travel guides and paper maps (remember those?).

The main store also has the adult equivalents of the items in Active, so you can pick up your own Walt Whitman or “Game of Thrones” T-shirt or an Edgar Allan Poe coffee mug.

The Avid Reader has maintained strong history, literature, children’s and

Author speaking events have always been a drawing card, with close to 100 events scheduled each year. Go to the website to keep up with the events, or get on the newsletter list. The Avid Reader also has its own book club that meets in the store on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m.

Being an independent store gives The Avid Reader the flexibility to respond quickly to local needs in ways that chain stores can’t Alzada Knickerbocker do. If you’re a local has owned The Avid school or a charitable Reader for 30 years. organization seeking She’s pictured at left support, you can get a in January 1987, shortly quick answer without after the opening. going through a hierarchy or a company science allocation system. fiction Knickerbocker is a past recipient of the sections to California Small-Business Champion of match Davis reading prefthe Year award for her defense of indeerences, and it has an entire section for pendent bookstores. local authors, from bestselling authors She is also a strong advocate for free like Kim Stanley Robinson and John speech, recalling times when she has Lescroart to first-time authors. Its webbrought in authors who needed safety site, www.avidreaderbooks.com, lists 90 precautions or had to walk through authors who call Davis home. picket lines to speak.

REAL ESTATE RUNS IN THE FAMILY Kim is a proud third generation Yolo County Realtor.

Her grandfather, L.W. Scarlett, served as President of the Yolo County Association of Realtors in 1929. Her mother, Peggy Scarlett Eichorn, served in the same role in 1990.

Continuing the family tradition, Kim began her real estate career in 1994, worked closely with her mom for many years, and gained valuable experience and knowledge from one of the best in the business.

You can trust Kim to skillfully lead you through the complex process of selling and buying real estate, where experience matters.

530.304.4947

CA BRE# 01196250

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kimeichorn.com keichorn@golyon.com

Sac City offers a great educational start

Davis Farmers Market celebrates

the City of Davis Centennial

Story and photo by Jeff Hudson / Courtesy photos

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avis residents remember the 2012 opening of the Sacramento City College Davis Center, a 20,000-square-foot complex in the West Village neighborhood at UC Davis, giving Davis residents the opportunity to enroll in a growing number of community college courses without having to commute across the Yolo Causeway.

But many people don’t realize that the SCC Davis Center actually was established in 1966, and is observing its 50th anniversary this year. Back in the mid-1960s, the fledgling Davis Center began by offering a limited number of classes, mostly in the evenings, in leased classrooms at sites like Holmes Junior High and a Baptist church.

In 1989, the Davis Center moved into a home of its very own — a relatively small leased building with two classrooms on B Street, just a short walk from the UCD campus.

But soon, it became apparent that the Davis Center’s growing enrollment needed a bigger space, and in 2001, the center relocated to a remodeled 9,000-square-foot building on Galileo Drive in South Davis, more than doubling the number of classrooms.

However, that South Davis location also was an interim measure. In 2012, the Davis Center moved into Phase 1 of a new complex in West Village, with 12 classrooms, plus a learning resource center.

This more than doubled the space that had been available in the South Davis campus.

Then in September 2016, the Davis Center broke ground on a 15,800square-foot Phase 2 expansion, which will feature a science lab, several classrooms and some office space for faculty.

Phase 2 construction is still underway, with the first classes in the expansion expected to take place in fall 2018.

“Phase 2 is a game-changer for us,” said Don Palm, longtime dean of the Davis Center. “Because we will have wet labs for biology and chemistry, we will be able to help a much greater range of students.

“We already offer a complete schedule of general education courses for transfer students bound for CSU and UC. ...

These new labs will support lowerdivision requirements for many more majors.”

Palm said the

The Sacramento City College Davis Center is at 1720 Jade St. in West Village at UC Davis.

Students can take a variety of classes that will transfer to UC and CSU. Davis Center offers complete transfer programs for five majors at the CSU campuses — art history, business, history, psychology and sociology.

“With the new building, the number of majors will grow and the range of transfer institutions also will grow,” he said. “We also will be able to expand our offerings in computer programming and related areas. And we’ll have some larger classrooms that will allow for more lecture classes.

“We are planning now for the long run. It will be possible for the Davis Center to serve more than 4,000 students,” Palm added.

with 41 Years in the Community!

OPEN YEAR ROUND Saturdays: 8am-1pm

Wednesdays: Picnic in the Park Market 4:30-8:30pm (mid-March thru Oct)

• Live Music • Food Fair • Fun for kids & the whole family • Local beer & wine booth

Winter Market 2-6pm (Nov to mid-March) Jeff and Annie Main — owners of Good Humus Produce with their daughter Claire — are among the Davis Farmers Market’s founding family farmers. Forty-one years later, they’re still selling their beautiful, fresh-cut flowers at the market.

• “America’s Favorite Farmers Market” – 2009 • No. 2 on USA Today’s “10 Best Places to Visit a Farmers Market” – 2012 • No. 5 on US News Travel’s “Best Farmers Markets in the US” – 2012 • Davis Chamber of Commerce’s “Business of the Year” – 2013

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n expanded orientation day is planned on Aug. 16, kicking off the fall semester, he said.

“We’ll have a celebration of our 50th anniversary — food and guests, and a chance to look back on the last 50 — and we’ll pull together a time capsule that we’ll leave for people to open 50 years from now,” Palm said.

Central Park at 4th & C Streets www.davisfarmersmarket.org

(530) 756-1695

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Follow us on Facebook

R&R supports mental health Story by Bob Schultz / Enterprise photo

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n 1991, the Yolo Community Care Continuum came up with the idea of opening a consignment store to benefit a variety of local mental health agencies. They formed the Friends of Allied Nonprofits to make that suggestion a reality.

In December 1992, a 3,200-squarefoot store opened with a name based on columnist Bob Dunning’s unofficial motto for Davis — “The City of All Things Right and Relevant.” Over time, All Things Right and Relevant (R&R) — which was based in the Davis Manor Shopping Center on East Eighth Street — added “cozy” thrift and consignment areas, and grew to 5,000 square feet.

As rents rose and space remained limited, the FAN board took the bold move of suggesting a capital campaign to build a larger facility that would be owned instead of rented. Even though the cost would be in the vicinity of $1.5 million, they envisioned having twice the space and having the security

of owning their building.

All Things Right & Relevant’s spacious new home, covering 10,000 square feet, is Ruth at 2801 Spafford St. in Mace Ranch. It opened in 2012. The original 3,200-squareShumway, foot store opened in 1992 in the Davis Manor Shopping Center on East Eighth Street. president of FAN, noted They have maintained a pretty being put on consignment. that the payments on the new building consistent collection of agencies that Items are placed in the store with a would be about the same as the rent have received more than $250,000 in three-tier pricing process beginning they were paying and the new store support. The 10 agencies currently with one reasonable price, then going would “ensure R&R’s long-term viabilsupported are Citizens Who Care, down to a lower price in a short time ity.” and then to an even lower price some Thanks to the generosity of the people CommuniCare Health Centers, Davis Community Meals and Shelter, time later, with prices and dates clearly and businesses of Davis, the 10,000Empower Yolo, Pine Tree Gardens, identified. square-foot All Things Right & Relevant Regular customers know this is a — with a consignment store bigger than Shores of Hope Broderick Christian Center, Short-Term Emergency Aid great way to get quality fashions and their whole operation in the past, a Committee (STEAC), Suicide Preveneagerly grab items at their initial price, good-sized thrift store and space for tion and Crisis Center of Yolo County, knowing there’s a good chance that the taking in consignments — opened at Yolo Community Care Continuum and item won’t be there later.

2801 Spafford St. in 2012.

Yolo Family Service Agency.

All Things Right & Relevant is closed R&R runs with 60 to 70 volunteers The quality of the items R&R takes in on Sundays and Mondays, but welcomes overseeing the consignments, pricing, for consignment and its pricing process you to check out the clothing, furniture, organizing products and staffing the are worthy of note. Many of the clothing art, books, household goods, collectibles consignment store. R&R also employs 12 to 15 mental-health clients to work in items are fashionable clothes that might and other products it sells while supthe thrift store. have been worn once or twice before porting 10 local mental-health agencies.

Guenter Repkow

Family owned in Davis for 46 years!

Jurgen Repkow

Open Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:30pm Guenter & Jurgen Repkow

Stop by for a FREE written body estimate

Elfriede Repkow, Jurgen Repkow & Judy McNicol

800 Olive Drive, Davis • 530-756-0350 • www.GRautomotive.com • Since 1971 22.

At Fleet Feet, take those shoes out for a run Story by Bob Schultz / Enterprise, courtesy photos

I

f you go to the Fleet Feet national website, you can watch a video that tells how the company began.

“In its infancy, running was dominated by men. And yet, in 1976, two women — Sally Edwards and Elizabeth Jansen, both teachers and best friends, at 28 years old, decided to open a running store.”

Edwards and Jansen bought a beatup old Victorian in midtown Sacramento and opened the first Fleet Feet store in 1976. They expanded to Chico, and then in 1979 to Davis.

Owners came and went as the Davis store moved from G Street to Court ’N’ Cedar to Second Street. In 1993, a friend in North Carolina approached J.D. Denton, who already had a long history in retail, and his wife, Chris with a business proposal.

The friend suggested that they move to Davis and take over the Fleet Feet store here.

J.D. remembers asking the friend to describe Davis, and he was told it would remind him of Chapel Hill. The Dentons decided to take a chance and soon

they were the official franchisees of Fleet Feet in Davis.

J.D. says Davis is a lot like Chapel Hill, only better.

J.D. and Chris moved their store to its current location at 615 Second St. in 2001 and have now been the franchisees for 24 years. Fleet Feet has become much more than a shoe store; it’s the cultural center for the running, and walking, community in Davis.

You will seldom walk by the store without seeing someone taking a pair of shoes for a test run along the Above: Chris and J.D. Second Street sidewalk. Fleet Denton have owned Fleet Feet Davis for 24 Feet staff often lead training classes, help at the check-in years. Right: J.D. poses spot for fun runs and generin front of Fleet Feet ally guide people to safe and at 513 Second St. in 1994, healthy opportunities to run a year after he and his or walk in everything from wife moved to Davis. fun runs to marathons.

The Dentons have always spent 15 years writing the “Shoe Guy” been proud of and active in the Davis column in Running Times and was community. J.D. has been active in the elected to the Specialty Running Hall of Davis Rotary Club, the Davis DownFame in 2008. town Business Association and the In addition to supporting a multitude Davis Chamber of Commerce. He also

23.

of running activities, the Dentons also are steady supporters of the Yolo Crisis Nursery.

Chris, sometimes known as “Shoe Chick,” has always had an interest in health and fitness. She worked for a decade as a registered dietitian when she and J.D. lived in North Carolina. Chris is now head buyer for women’s apparel and manages the store’s human resources department, making sure that new hires understand the customerservice culture of Fleet Feet.

Davis was store No. 3 for Fleet Feet back in 1979; Fleet Feet now has 163 stores in 37 states. Fleet Feet still avoids absentee franchise owners and encourages each store to become a key part of the community, as J.D. and Chris have done for almost a quarter-century.

Carbahal & Company gives back to community

We’ve stood the test of time...

Story by Chris Saur / Enterprise and courtesy photos

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First Northern has operated safely under the same ownership throughout two World Wars, two depressions and 19 recessions. Today STRONGER than ever!

st

Bank!

of Best o Yol y t Coun 200

01

7

Be

rowing up in nearby Winters, Manny, who was 26 at the time, four the Carbahal brothers, John and years younger than John. “We thought it Manny, knew when they started would be fun to work together. (When a business in Davis in 1984, community we first opened) it was just the two of us involvement would be a huge key to staring at a phone, so it was a little bit of success. a risk.”

Thirty-three years later, it turns out With just the two of them, they they were right as Carbahal & Company started out in a smaller suite at the same is the biggest accounting firm in town, complex, the same suite that is now and still growing. occupied by Carbahal Olsen Financial It turns out there was another bonus Services, a kind of sister company to to that mantra of civic-mindedness: the accounting firm that is run by the Manny, John and their other partners — Carbahals’ good friend, Larry Olsen.

Jennifer Nitzowski, Steven Willhoff and As the business got more successful, Stephanie Carbahal Adamo (John’s and the number of clients grew, the daughter) — as well as their support Carbahals increased their staff and staff truly enjoy their interaction with moved into the bigger office. the Davis community.

“Our philosophy is always clients first “We really respect the community that … making sure our clients get the best we work in and want to give back to it financial outcome we can give them and because it has given us so much,” Manny good, timely service. That is kind of the told The Enterprise. “A lot of our first prong and the second prong is comemployees sit on different nonprofit munity involvement,” Manny explained. boards, are members of the Davis “The other part is just our employees.

Chamber of Commerce and sit on Right now we have probably the best service clubs like Rotary, Kiwanis and group of employees we’ve ever had.

Soroptimist.”

Everybody likes working with each The Carbahal brothers went to college other.” at Chico State in the late 1970s and it Two of the employees are particularly was there that John convinced Manny special to the founding brothers, as to change his major to business. After John’s daughter Stephanie is a partner graduation, Manny briefly worked in and Manny’s son Eric is a staff accounVacaville, then spent a few years at a two tant. different “That’s been a real thrill; it’s kind of accounting recharging me working with my son.” firms in

Davis.

Then in August 1984, John left his job in Winters and the two joined forces to form their own firm, opening their office in the The same East partners of Davis complex Carbahal & Company where it is are, from left, today, at 1107 Steven Willhoff, Kennedy Place.

“We were just Stephanie Carbahal Adamo, John Carbahal, kids, we didn’t Manny Carbahal and know any Jennifer Nitzkowski. better,” said

4—2

FIRST NORTHERN BANK DAVIS FINANCIAL CENTER

434 Second Street • (530) 758-7500

www.thatsmybank.com Member FDIC

Longtime B&L Bike Shop employee Dave Grundman bought the store at 610 Third St. from Beth AnnonLovering (with shop kitty Milo).

50-plus years of bicycling and loving it Story and photos by Bob Schultz / Courtesy photo

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elen and Lee Pool and a partner to get a cheap bike that soon will need repair just isn’t worth the trouble. named Brennan opened B&L Getting the right bike that can last the in Woodland in 1965, but the Pools soon bought out their partner and four or five years a student is at the university will save time and money. moved the shop to Davis, where B&L has stayed with only three owners over (Of course, that means you also want the next 51 years. a service warranty, a good bike lock and a sturdy helmet that fits your head.)

The Pools ran the shop for three decades before selling it to Beth AnnonOne of the unusual characters you’ll Lovering in early 1997. After 20 years, find around B&L is the only shop kitty family needs drew Beth out of Califorin town, Milo. Milo has spent close to a nia, so she sold the store to longtime decade in her territory, which extends manager and new owner Dave Grundonly through B&L and the sidewalk man earlier in 2017. down to the end of Zia’s.

Annon-Lovering, Milo’s former B&L focuses on the kind of urban owner, got him from a friend who found commuter bikes that fit a city whose the stray cat at a Sacramento construconly mountains are freeway overpasses, tion site. She brought so their target audience is students and him to work, and as time local commuters. They like being the closest bike went by, Milo became a shop to the UC Davis fixture at the shop with campus at the begincustomers and passning of each academic ersby stopping in just year when students, to give Milo a scratch many who haven’t on the head or a belly ridden a bike in years, rub. realize that bicycles are Milo is welcome the favored form of anywhere in the transportation on camshop and has his pus and around town. own two-story B&L prides itself on “Cat’s Home” in having trained mechanics the alley between put their bikes together the two B&L with the necessary equipbuildings. Milo g oundin f ment and tools to do it proudly wears a a , l o Lee Po f B&L. right. Early each school year, name tag on his o owner employees like Jamaica Lamcollar that says blie can’t help but notice bikes “Milo Shop Kitty” and lives 24/7 that untrained novices put at B&L. together out of the box with the B&L is proudly independent and chains on incorrectly or with the haneager to match you with the best bike dlebars on backwards. Those are bikes for your needs at 610 Third St. The that B&L soon will be repairing or putname B&L is a reminder of the shop ting together correctly. heritage going back more than 50 years, but the “Bicycling & Loving It” sign that Many students are second-generation greets you outside the store also B&L patrons whose parents went to expresses the B&L philosophy.

UCD and learned that cutting corners

25.

The Davis Graduate has broad appeal Story by Chris Saur / Enterprise photos

T

he success story of The Davis Graduate, which opened in 1972, is how it has managed to constantly innovate, upgrade and appeal to a broader and broader customer base, while always keeping the same feel.

That feel is an eclectic bar and restaurant, where on any given day a group of buddies can watch football while they enjoy happy hour at the bar; a youth soccer team can be chowing down on Grad burgers for their season-ending party; a collection of soccer fans can catch a Champions League game; and later that night customers from around the region can kick up their heels to country or salsa music.

But what makes it all work, says owner Charlie Swanson, is the staff — a perfect mix of long-timers like himself and some fellow managers who have been there 15 to 25 years, and young people, either students or locals, who spend a year or two learning the value of hard work.

“When you ask what makes The Grad, The Grad, it’s gotta be the staff,” said Swanson, who became general manager at age 20 in 1982 and took over the place in 2001 when former owner Jack Oldham passed away.

“I’ve probably had, I don’t know, 5,000 people who have worked here. So our employees are a reflection of the culture of The Grad and The Grad culture is a reflection of the community.”

The Graduate brand started in Fresno, where Oldham worked his way up to be a partner in the business. After opening Graduates in several different California cities, as well as in Arizona and Colorado, the original partnership dissolved and Oldham focused on owning and operating the Davis location,

Above: Golden State Warriors fans gather at The Graduate for a burger and a beer to watch their team take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals.

which was slightly smaller at that time.

Over the years, Oldham and Swanson worked together to build The Grad, literally — an expansion in the 1980s pushed it to its current size of 8,300 square feet

— and to build it into a place that has something for nearly everyone. The Graduate is at 805 Russell Blvd. in University Mall.

“The crazy thing is, you could never open a business that does everything that we do now,” Swanson explained.

“You could never say, this is the place

Left: Aggie blue and gold awnings are iconic at The Grad, 805 Russell Blvd. in University Mall.

Below left: Bartender Elizabeth Allen serves customers on a recent Thursday evening. that is going to have all of the major sporting events (to watch on big-screen TVs), but then all of the youth soccer teams are going to come in.

“And we’re going to have 60 beers on tap and you’re going to come in with your friends after golfing, and you’ve got the Harley Riders Association of America having a meeting on the patio. And we have three nights of salsa dancing and three nights of country.

“You could never market a place like that,” he said. “The Grad is a dinosaur, but in a good way.”

Swanson, who grew up in Davis, used to play pinball at The Grad and eventually was hired the moment he turned 18.

26.

Two years later he was the general manager, and he and Oldham began working together on the evolution of the business.

Back when The Grad first opened in 1972, it had some remnants of the previous restaurant at that location, including orange shag carpet and large ceramic mugs, the likeness of which still adorn several of The Grad’s signs.

Even at that time, the beer system was state-of-the-art.

The biggest innovations of the business came in the mid-1980s when the expansion and introduction of a new sound and light system gave The Grad the ability to turn into a true nightclub, expanding its reach from Davis to welcome customers from all over the region.

Since then, The Grad has become a true sports bar, with tons of TVs and every sports package. Theme nights like country and salsa also have been added.

There were even ultra-popular swing dancing nights in the late 1990s when that was a fad.

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The Wardrobe: From costumes to style coaching Story by Bob Schultz / Courtesy photos

W

hen the original Wardrobe opened in 1978 in what has become Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, it was a consignment store that also specialized in making costumes.

A decade later, when Heather Caswell went from working at the shop to being the new owner, it began to make a transformation. The costumes were sold and the store, still called The Wardrobe, became part of the Davis Hotel complex at Second and G streets, located about where Sole Desire Shoes now resides.

Things were going along fine until Caswell got a notice that her building was going to be torn down. She had less than two months to find another spot for her store, and she had another chance to really dream about what she wanted The Wardrobe to stand for in Davis.

She had to close for a short time, but by 2000, she had moved the store to its new location at 206 E St. Caswell, who had once worked at The Blue Mango, said she envisioned that downtown and UC Davis would become a Mecca for the arts, was pleased to support the Second

A young Heather Caswell (pictured in 1995) made her dreams come true when she purchased The Wardrobe and transformed it into a style leader. The store is nearly 40 years old.

Friday ArtAbout, and was glad to see the Mondavi Center open and the art community blossom.

Caswell calls herself a “fashion storyteller” and “style coach,” and she has

created a style philosophy she calls “The Art of Becoming You.” She has hosted or participated in more than 100 fashion shows, most of them raising money for health care, the arts or nonprofits. Her

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trunk shows highlight West Coast designers and vendors and she has helped launch 100 designers and offered internships for 80 students.

Caswell has many clients that she has styled, including the late Margrit Mondavi, actress Celia Irmie, broadcaster Amy Goodman, gubernatorial candidate Delaine Eastin and therapist Esther Perel.

She also publishes “Fashion for Thought” with style ideas, fashion news and a calendar of upcoming events monthly online and in print. The May 2017 Issue invited readers to “Take the journey to discover your own signature style in the age of authenticity.”

The Wardrobe features collections from many designers and carries “an eclectic array of hand-picked brands, 80 percent of which are made in North America.”

Although The Wardrobe is close to 40 years old now, Caswell believes that she and the community have grown up and evolved together. She has held successful events like “What are you wearing to the Mondavi Center?” to get people thinking more about style, knowing that the staff at The Wardrobe will be pleased to serve as guides on your fashion journeys.

28.

Yolo Federal Credit Union invests in success Story by Bob Schultz / Courtesy photos

I

magine that you’ve just completed the academy and you’ve been accepted to become a new deputy in the Sheriff ’s Department, but you can’t begin work until you buy the uniform, gun and other equipment you’ll need for the job.

That was what new recruits to the Yolo County Sheriff ’s Department faced in 1954. Local banks weren’t eager to lend the money to cover those expenses, so employees of the Sheriff ’s Department banded together to create Yolo County Employees Federal Credit Union with “people helping people,” operating first on the steps and later from an office at the old Yolo County Courthouse in Woodland.

Over time, the credit union grew to take in other law-enforcement workers and then other government employees. It moved out of the courthouse into an office at 431 Cleveland St., then changed its name to the Yolo Federal Credit Union in 1984.

In 1997, the credit union expanded to its current community charter that allows those who live, work or go to school in Yolo County to join.

Although the main branch is at 266 W. Main St. in Woodland, YFCU now has a second branch in Woodland as well as branches in Winters, West Sacramento and in Davis, at Fifth and G streets downtown. It is the

only Yolo County-based credit union in Davis and now centers its real estate office in the Davis branch.

The credit union’s motto is “Discover the Local Difference,” and its mission is to “help you achieve financial success and build wealth.”

A strength of the credit union is the many longtime employees who have worked through the ranks of YFCU. Marketing Manager Kelley Jacobsen noted eight employees who have been with the credit union for 20 years or more, including Pennie Holck, human resources director, with 37 years; Cookie Kinser, Sycamore Pointe branch manager, with 25 years; and Rose Navarro, support services specialist, with 23 years.

Kelley also mentioned that Jenee Rawlings started out as a teller 27 years ago and has now risen to the office of president/CEO of the credit union.

29.

Established in 1954 in Woodland, the Yolo Federal Credit Union has a gleaming new branch at Fifth and G streets in downtown Davis.

At left, early leaders of the credit union are pictured at the Woodland office.

The Yolo Federal Credit Union provides financial support and encourages employee involvement with the Short-Term Emergency Aid Committee (STEAC), the Yolo Food Bank, the local Soroptimist and Rotary clubs and other worthy organizations.

Besides offering souvenirs for kids at Celebrate Davis!, Yolo FCU also goes out to area schools with a program sponsored by the National Endowment for Financial Education to help students manage their money successfully.

First Northern: Big bank still thinks local Story and photo by Bob Schultz / Courtesy photos

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orthern Solano Bank opened in a converted ice cream parlor in Dixon in 1911, six years before Davis became a city. Later that year, the savings bank moved into a new building at North First and B streets where it spent 43 years sharing management, a board of directors and a building with a commercial bank.

In 1954, the two banks consolidated to become the First National Bank of Dixon. They continued to grow and changed their name one more time in 1980 to become First Northern Bank of Dixon.

They opened their first Davis branch at what is now The Sushi Chef on G Street and in 1981 opened another branch near Nugget Market in South Davis. Eventually, the South Davis branch was closed and the current Davis branch was opened at 434 Second St. In 2001, First Northern added branches at Atria Covell Gardens and the University Retirement Community.

First Northern has built on its reputation as a customer-centered local bank with longtime knowledgeable employees and consistent management. Spend some time in a branch and you’ll hear many customers called by name before they even get to a teller.

The average manager has 20 years of experience with First Northern, not counting other banking experience they had when they were hired. The bank recently celebrated the retirement of two people with more than 40 years of service, and another with 30-plus.

The current president and CEO, Louise Walker, got her start as a teller at the Davis branch in 1979.

She was trained by a current employee, Olga Fabila, who is approaching 40 years of service with First Northern. The current senior loan officer for First Northern, Jeff Adamski, spent more than a decade managing the Davis branch.

Walker believes that a reason that so many employees stay with First Northern for so long is that the bank hires for culture first and banking experience second. It seeks out future employees who care about the people they interact with, truly enjoy customer service,

and have a positive and friendly attitude. That kind of person fits right into the First Northern Bank DNA and then can be trained on anything he or she needs to know about banking.

First Northern Bank of Dixon still will feel like a small neighborhood bank when you walk into your local branch, because that has been and will continue to be the culture. However, First Northern has become one of only 500 banks out of 6,000 in the country with more than a billion dollars in assets.

First Northern now has branches and financial centers from Folsom to Sacramento, from Roseville to Auburn, from Vacaville to Walnut Creek. It employs people trained to take care of your mortgage, your trust, your agribusiness loan or any financial services you need.

Gayna Lamb-Bang wields the Chamber of Commerce’s giant scissors at the ceremonial 1981 opening of First Northern Bank’s branch near the South Davis Nugget Market.

Lamb-Bang was the office supervisor.

From left are Chamber Ambassador Bob Elfen, assistant vice president and manager of the bank’s Davis branch; Al Gondry, chairman of the board; Davis Mayor Sandy Motley; Dick Jamieson, incoming Chamber president; and John Hamel, bank president.

Above left: First Northern Bank branch manager Jeff Adamski, right, shares a laugh with customer Larry Hicks as teller Olga Fabila looks on in the 1990s.

Left: Current staff of First Northern Bank’s Davis branch pose with CEO Louise Walker, far left, who trained as a teller there.

30.

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Odd Fellows are all about community service Story by Chris Saur / Enterprise, courtesy photos

F

irst called Yolo Odd Fellows Lodge, because the city of Davis wouldn’t incorporate for another 47 years, Old Fellows Lodge No. 169 was born in

1870.

For the next 135 years, in its old home on G Street and then its current home on Second Street, what is now known as the Davis Odd Fellows Lodge operated as something like a social club of about 20 community leaders.

There was influence for sure, as many of the most prominent members of the community were Odd Fellows, but it wasn’t until 2005, following an extensive remodel of the Lodge Hall and an intense push for larger membership, that the Davis Odd Fellows found its current reach into the community.

“The history of the Davis Odd Fellows Lodge really is in two phases. The first phase started in 1870 and went all the way until 2005, then a second phase started,” said Dave Rosenberg, former Noble Grand and current president of the Hall Board Association as well as a former Davis mayor, City Council member and Yolo County supervisor.

“We have added as many members to this lodge between 2005 and 2017 as in the previous 135 years. This lodge exploded, in a good way, and has been exploding ever since.”

In going from about two dozen members in 2004 to 286 in 2017, the lodge has — along with its sister organization, the Davis Rebekahs — also become a true community support organization and a booming business, renting out different sized rooms in its sparkling hall as well as operating a successful catering company.

The two organizations moved to the current lodge hall on Second Street in 1956, giving way to the Freemasons, who moved into the old hall on G Street before getting a new facility.

At a cost of nearly $1 million, a major remodel in 2006 brought a modern commercial kitchen, new bathrooms, an elevator to replace the chairlift, carpeting and new walls in the lower room, a new ceiling and new chandelier, among other improvements. In 2011, further upgrades were made.

In addition to the physical changes, the Odd Fellows (and Rebekahs, which have mostly shared members)

also made philosophical changes, which are the driving force behind the increased membership.

“We changed the culture of the lodge,” Rosenberg explained. “We went in the direction of serving the community, reaching out into the community, being visible and doing good things, and having fun.”

There are now 51 committees within the organization, most designed to provide service to the community. Examples include a Music Committee, which puts on concerts and similar events free of charge; a monthly bingo night for charity; and an adopt-ahighway committee that cleans up a local roadway.

The Odd Fellows also present community-wide events such as A Taste of Davis, Breakfast with the (Easter) Bunny, Breakfast with Santa and a New Year’s Eve party.

In addition to providing meeting and event rooms for local businesses or members of the community to rent, the Davis Odd Fellows also host local groups like Rotary and

Above: An Art Deco neon sign lends a special charm to the Davis Odd Fellows Hall at 415 Second St. Left: The Odd Fellows and Rebekahs gather for a photo at the 1940-41 installation. In those days, only men joined the Odd Fellows and women the Rebekahs, but now each lodge is coed.

Soroptimists, among others, for their meetings.

“The lodge fulfills a role of providing benefits to the community and providing a venue for the community, but also a good social atmosphere for the members,” Rosenberg said.

Erika Jackson Nancy Roe Jean Jackman Richard Wright Ann Wright Bill Jackson Shula Blumenthal Yoshie Kyhos Grace Valentine Del McColm Cathie Duniway

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, DAVIS! Dave Rosenberg Mayor of Davis 1986-88 & 1994-96

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32.

207 G Street • Davis • 2017 • 530-758-8330

University Honda takes a different tack

The Malinoff family — from left, Doug, Liz, Scott, Brandi, Jeff, Carrie, Brayden and Steve — invte you to become part of the University Honda family at 4343 Chiles Road.

Story by Bob Schultz / Enterprise photos

D

oug Malinoff has spent most of his adult life selling cars, going back to when his father owned a Cadillac, Pontiac and GMC dealership in Gilroy. Doug and his brother inherited the dealership and acted as co-owners until Doug decided to move on and sold his share of that business to buy a 14-year-old dealership in Davis.

Doug purchased University Honda in October 1992, which means he’s approaching a quarter-century as a fixture on Chiles Road in Davis.

Malinoff believes he will gain trust and develop long-term relationships with his customers by offering new and quality used cars at competitive prices and by providing speedy and reliable service on those vehicles.

Don’t expect to be bounced through a handful of sales people or spend a lot of time haggling over the price of your trade-in or the cost of the vehicle you want to buy at University Honda.

Malinoff doesn’t believe in those types

of pressure tactics: “This price is only good if you buy the car before you leave the lot.”

He said he doesn’t want to just maximize his profit on one car, he wants to gain a customer who will come back again and again. They have a growing number of customers who are in double digits in the number of cars they have purchased at University Honda since Malinoff took ownership.

Malinoff lives and shops locally and says the way he does business means that when he runs into a customer at Nugget or at a charitable event in the community, he is much more likely to encounter a satisfied customer than someone unhappy with the business.

One of the store’s mottos is “Friends

Don’t Let Friends Buy Anywhere Else,” and Doug has developed a lot of friends in the community.

Malinoff has been active in Kiwanis, gives regularly to local charities and is very involved with local athletics, including spending time as a coach. He recalls being the high bidder for an opportunity to have his name used for a character in

one of John Lescroart’s novels.

The local bestselling author is a University Honda fan.

That meant that Yolo County CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) got a healthy donation and a baseball coach named Doug Malinoff appeared in a bestseller.

Malinoff is a vocal advocate for a single-pricing system that would need to be industry-wide to work, but he believes he could lower prices for new cars if he could get the industry to realize that would be a more equitable system that would save buyers money.

While he’s waiting for Honda and others to heed his advice, University Honda will continue to provide quality vehicles at affordable prices with sales, service and finance departments filled with familiar faces who have been helping customers for decades.

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Vander Hamm Tires: service with a smile

Chuck Vander Hamm, right, and his partner, Tom Gerbi, always wore broad smiles as they helped their customers keep their vehicles in tip-top shape.

Story by Bob Schultz / Courtesy and Enterprise photos

I

n 1997, they paved the Vander Hamm Tires Store on G Street and put up a parking lot. Of course, Chuck Vander Hamm and his store had already moved to its new location at 2222 Fifth St. by the time that threestory parking lot next to the railroad tracks was built.

Chuck had taken over the Davis Goodyear franchise in 1976, originally with Tom Gerbi as his partner, and spent 20-plus years serving the community on G Street. Chuck’s broad smile greeted many a customer and set the standard for what he expected of his employees as they interacted with each customer.

Soon after Chuck died in 2000, his daughter Carrie and her husband, Rich Falk, began managing the store, and their six children have all worked there for varying amounts of time as the third generation to provide service to the community.

In addition to the family, many people on the staff have been there since Chuck was around, and they help carry on the great customer service. Blain has been at the front desk for a quarter-century and seems to know the names of two out of every three customers who walk in the door.

“Good morning, Tom, how can I help you today?” “Hello, Mrs. Jackson, thanks for calling ahead.

Let me get your mileage and we’ll get started.”

Beyond the front

Chuck Vander Hamm (pictured in 1976) set a standard for excellent customer service at his Goodyear tire store on G Street.

office, Carrie says they still have on file the high school work permit for their service manager, Dan, who started working at Vander Hamm in 1979.

People have come to trust the word of this hometown shop that carries on traditions that Chuck established years ago. Carrie remembers him telling a customer, “If you don’t need that part or those new tires, I don’t want to sell them to you,” which is a welcome relief to people who have come to expect being sold as much as possible whether they need it or not.

The Vander Hamm/Falk family have long been supporters of local schools and community organizations.

Many a high school float was built in their shop, even when that meant keeping the place open after closing time to give the students time to finish their floats for parades or homecoming events.

Vander Hamm Tires is still a certified Goodyear dealer, but it also carries Firestone, Pirelli, BF Goodrich, Michelin, Bridgestone and other tires to give customers options.

That makes them the first choice as best tire store in The Enterprise’s “Best of Yolo County” for 2017.

Vander Hamm also was

Below: The Falk family now runs the local Goodyear store. From left are Chloe Falk, Carrie Vander Hamm Falk (Chuck’s daughter), Rich Falk, Caitlyn Falk, Matt Falk, Vibeka Fall, Zack Falk, Danny Falk and Gentry Falk.

“Good morning, Tom, how can I help you today?”

“Hello, Mrs. Jackson, thanks for calling ahead. Let me get your mileage and we’ll get started.”

selected by popular vote as the best brake store and the second-best maintenance shop, making it one of the few businesses in Yolo County to be recognized in three categories.

34.

Although some people still miss the downtown location, customers can wander across the street to Davis Home Trends, walk down Fifth Street to Konditorei for a pastry or just grab some free coffee and read in the Vander Hamm waiting room as they wait for the award-winning service to be completed.

Personal connections are key for RE/MAX Gold agent Story by Jeff Hudson / Enterprise photo

Along the way, Facciotti earned a number of recognitions as a Realtor. She also ealtor Christine Facciotti of RE/MAX Gold has served in various capacibeen connecting buyers and sellers since 1989. ties with the Davis ChamAnd over the decades, she’s developed many ber of Commerce and the connections in the community.

Yolo County Board of “I moved here with my family in 1982,” Facciotti Realtors. And she particirecalled. They came from the French-speaking portion pated in community causes of Switzerland, where her husband had studied at the like the University Farm University of Lausanne.

Circle and the “My husband — who is Swiss — finished Yolo County his Ph.D. and got a job at Calgene,” the Association High trailblazing Davis biotech firm that was School Scholarlaunched in 1980. “We arrived with two ship Committee. kids and a lot of suitcases.”

Her kids are The family lived near Slide Hill Park, now adults. which was the eastern edge of town in Her son Marc is those days. “My kids would play in the an assistant profesfields where the Mace Ranch neighborsor at UC Davis; his hood is now,” she recalled. research work in the In 1989, as her children were advancing field of biomedical through school, Facciotti decided to get a medicine was recently recognized by a Christine real estate license. “I loved the camara$1 million grant from the Howard Hughes derie, and talking with the other agents,” Facciotti Medical Institute. she said.

Her Christine works in development at She also found she enjoyed getting to the UCD School of Law. know her clients well, and formed some long-lasting Around the time she became a grandmother connections that way. (she now has four grandchildren), Facciotti took up running. She’s competed in three half-marathons In the 1990s, as local real estate offices started link(just over 13 miles), as well as some shorter races. ing up with national brands, the Harrison family bought a RE/MAX franchise, and rebranded. And Back in the 1980s, being a Realtor involved toting then in 2002, the Harrisons’ franchise was acquired by around thick binders of local listings, and communiRE/MAX Gold, a sizable Sacramento-based company cating with clients involved leaving phone messages that now has 42 offices spread over 16 California coun- on answering machines. Today, just about everyone ties. Its Davis office is downtown, at 408 Second St. uses a cell phone, and Facciotti can use her computer

RE/MAX Gold has an office at 408 Second St. in downtown Davis.

R

to narrow down the listings so she can show her clients the kind of house that they want, in a price range that will work for them.

“That’s the biggest challenge now,” she said. “And that’s why I get to know my clients really well — so I can show them the right houses. And then, in today’s market, you have to move quickly, because there are 10 people out there who are looking for the same thing.”

She also likes to develop an understanding of her clients’ interests.

“Because there are so many opportunities in Davis — there’s the Mondavi Center, there are sports teams.

So many things. What do you like?

“The world is made up of interesting people, and I love getting to know people,” she added. “Nowadays, most of my business involves people coming back who bought a house with me before. And when I visit the house, I will see pictures of their kids on the walls, and realize that the children I met back then have graduated from college.

“It’s heart-warming. They’re like friends. And I do keep in touch with my clients. It makes me feel good.”

I remember...

Congratula�ons to the City of Davis

100 Years!

I remember...

“My first visit to Discoveries after I moved to Davis from Southern California in 1979. It was a magical store — housewares, jewelry, home decor, gifts, toys — everything I could possibly need or want!”

— Debbie Davis

Soroptimist international of

Greater Davis Best for Women

Helping Women & Girls SoroptimistGreaterDavis.com 35.

1965—1990

H &C

SHOES

“We provided shoes for Davis families for many years.”

— Houk/Kennedy Family

I remember...

“The now-world-famous Farmers Market sits on the Central Davis School site where my brother and sisters and I learned our reading and writing and arithmetic.”

— Bob Dunning

Sierra Energy: from railroads to future fuels Story by Felicia Alvarez / Courtesy photos

S

tretching back to California’s pioneer days, Sierra Energy traces its roots to its parent company, the Sierra Railroad, which was established originally to ship gold and mining supplies from Oakdale to Sonora in 1897.

As the decades went by, the railroad began to fade into obscurity until Davis resident Mike Hart purchased the company 20 years ago. By that time it had fallen into disrepair, Hart recalled, with only three employees and 40 miles of railroad.

In the past two decades, as he added new fleets of locomotives and rebuilt the railroad, Hart began thinking of ways to improve Sierra Railroad’s fuel efficiency.

In 2001, he switched the trains to 100-percent biodiesel — the first railroad in the world to do so — but his energy pursuits didn’t stop there.

The next year, Hart was sitting on a panel at UC Davis, judging the university’s “Big Bang” competition, when a promising invention appeared before him.

“The winner of the People’s Choice Award was an idea to use blast furnaces — one of the oldest pieces of technology out there — to convert any material, including trash, into synthesis gas,” Hart said.

Today, Hart’s Sierra Energy is a Davisbased startup looking to make these dreams a reality. The company was founded in 2009, bringing in scientists and engineers to begin tinkering on a modern-day version of the blast furnace technology: the FastOx gasifier.

Prototypes of the FastOx gasifier send a stream of oxygen into a vessel, cranking up the temperature to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit to allow waste to be blown apart into its most fundamental carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas pieces.

“That gas can then be used for electricity by running it through a turbine, or you can use to make fuel like diesel, ethanol or even gasoline,” Hart said.

Referring to the tons of methane gas that enter the atmosphere from waste sent to landfills, Hart says the FastOx gasifier can harness that waste and make it into energy.

Since 2013, Sierra Energy has been working with the U.S. Army and the California Energy Commission on a full-scale, commercial test site for the

Left: Sierra Energy has built its first full-scale commercial operation of the Fast-Ox gasifier, which transforms garbage into green energy.

Above: The Sierra Railroad’s Woodland Terminal yard is pictured in 1913. Below: Pictured in 1953 in Sacramento, the Sierra Railroad was a bustling business.

FastOx gasifier at Fort Hunter-Liggett in southern Monterey County.

Looking at international goals to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, Hart said with his machine, “we could do it alone and that requires no government subsidy. It could be done purely on a for-profit basis.”

S

ierra Energy also is sparking local innovation with its recent creation of a startup incubator space — dubbed Area 52 — at its 4.5-acre research headquarters on 1222 Research Park Drive in South Davis.

“I’ve been invested with Davis since the early ’80s, and what I’ve seen is that there’s a tremendous amount of great ideas coming out of the university, but there’s nowhere for them to go,” Hart said.

Once the site fully launches, Hart envisions space for upwards of 100 startup businesses to fill the research space and receive mentorship to build new ideas for the future.

36.

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University is the cornerstone of Davis Story by Tanya Perez / UC Davis Library/Special Collections photos

I

t would be impossible to imagine the city of Davis having its 100th birthday without the University of California. UC Davis is arguably the cornerstone of Davis — although who would argue this point?

Established in 1905 as the University Farm — an extension of UC Berkeley for the purpose of research and sciencebased instruction for the University of California system — and offering its first classes in 1908, UCD became its own general campus in 1959.

And what a campus it has become!

First, it’s huge, with a sprawling 5,300 acres. The Aggies are known worldwide for expertise in agriculture and veterinary medicine, but there are 104 undergraduate majors, ranging from environmental toxicology to design to classical civilization.

UCD also has research centers in the mountains — the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at Incline Village, Nev. — and at the coast — the Bodega Bay Marine Laboratory.

Extending its reach even further, UCD students can explore outer space, thanks to aerospace engineering classes taught by former astronaut Steve Robinson, a veteran of four space shuttle missions with NASA. Locally, the campus is a powerhouse in wine research, thanks to the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Sciences. Other beverages being researched include coffee, thanks to the new Coffee Center, the first multidisciplinary university research center in the world devoted to post-harvest coffee studies.

And Aggies can get undergraduate training in malting and brewing of beer, courtesy of Distinguished Professor Charlie Bamforth, the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science.

The campus also boasts the only airport and the only equestrian center in the University of California system.

Speaking of horses, the Aggies’ mascot is a horse named Gunrock, in a nod to a racehorse who was brought to UCD in 1921 by the U.S. Army for breeding for the cavalry.

Modern-day Gunrock is a blue mustang who cheers on Aggie athletes on the 23 Division I teams that compete

at UCD. And yes, you did see the Aggie men’s basketball team compete this year for the first time in the NCAA tournament, otherwise known as “March Madness.”

Other milestones in UCD’s history include: n 1922: A four-year degree program is established, and the Davis campus is renamed the Northern Branch of the College of Agriculture. n 1946: The School of Veterinary Medicine is established. n 1965: The School of Law opens.

Above: Picnic Day revelers line the path in front of North Hall and South Hall at UC Davis to watch a parade of horses during the 1921 campus celebration. At left: Students work in the home economics practice laboratory on campus in 1936.

Above, students look over grape vines during viticulture and enology class, circa 1919. At left: A Picnic Day crowd gathers in front of North and South Halls in 1917.

n 1966: The School of Medicine opens. n 1981: The Graduate School of Management opens as the Graduate School of Administration. n 1990: The football team wins its 20th consecutive league championship, a national record. n 2009: The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing opens.

Enterprise, “I’m looking forward to … helping contribute and lead Davis to what I think will be greater heights.”

In August, Gary May will make history as he becomes the seventh chancellor of UCD. When May, the dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, was confirmed in February by the UC Board of Regents, he told The

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Chamber of Commerce focuses on business vitality Story by Chris Saur / Courtesy photos

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he Davis Chamber of Commerce has a long and rich history in this area, so long, in fact, that is predates the city of Davis, which incorporated in 2017.

Originally called the Davis Merchant Association, the organization was formed 12 years earlier by a few local businessmen with the goal of attracting what is now UC Davis (then called the University Farm School) to the area.

That goal was accomplished and, while its main focus is as a business organization, the Chamber’s continued relationship with the university that it brought to this community is an integral part of its mission.

That mission is to promote, support and advocate the general economic vitality of its membership (businesses downtown, in greater Davis and beyond) and the quality of life of the Davis community.

“They started building these relationships with the city and the university, tried to get more businesses to land here … and were kind of identified as the voice of business, to advocate on

behalf of individual business owners and the overall business climate in the city,” said Chamber CEO Christina Blackman, who also served on the board of directors in 2006-09 and again in 2014.

“Trying to connect people together has always been the mantra.”

In addition to maintaining a strong relationship with UC Davis, the Chamber’s Government Relations Committee participates in regular meetings with city of Davis staff and representatives, and the organization also has partnerships with the Davis Joint Unified School District and the Davis Downtown business association.

Another key component to the Chamber’s lasting success is making sure all of the diverse types of businesses in the community are represented adequately, a goal that requires constant analysis and adaptation to accomplish. The current board, led by chairman Jason Taormino, features representatives from across the Davis community. “(We look at) do we have someone from restaurants, retail, tech … are we covering it all?” Blackman explained.

Membership in general has been as high as 700 in the early 2000s and now is holding steady at around 500, which is still high in comparison to other Chambers in the area, she said.

In addition to its annual installation dinner, to crown a new board chair and honor the organization’s accomplishments that

year, and its regular community luncheons, the Davis Chamber hosts several popular community events, most notably Celebrate Davis!, held annually in May. In its 15th year, Celebrate Davis! is a local business showcase in Community Park that features booths from many Davis businesses and nonprofit organizations, as well as activities and music, and ends with a spectacular fireworks show.

“Celebrate Davis was sprung from what was called Neighborhood Days. …

There were two years of Neighborhood

Members of the 2017 Davis Chamber of Commerce board of directors are, back row from left, Jay Errecarte, Nancy Hannell, Susan Kirby, Bill Alger, treasurer Christina Horne, Don Palm and Ted Parks.

Front row, from left, are board chair Jason Taormino, past president Jennifer Nitzkowski, Mabel Salon, Nichole Arnold and Chamber CEO Christina Blackman. Above: The Chamber occupied this B Street bungalow from the 1980s to early 2000s.

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Days, which started as small micro events in parks around the city,” Blackman said.

“We used to do a business expo down at Central Park and the group of board members at the time (2003) wanted to combine to two. The thought was … let’s take the business expo to a new level, to let residents have a really great event to get to know all of our great local business and nonprofits.”

An impressive one-evening event, Celebrate Davis! is really just an extension of what the Davis Chamber of Commerce does year-round.

For 45 years, Blake’s has been a family affair Story by Lauren Keene / Enterprise photo

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ark Blake’s childhood summers were a little different from those of his peers.

While other kids indulged in unlimited free time, Blake and his sister, Lorrie, worked alongside their father Mike at the family business, known then as Blake’s Refrigeration.

“Our summers were spent following him around, washing filters and fetching tools,” Blake said of his father, who started his own business in 1973 after four years of repairing and maintaining refrigeration units for the physical plant at UC Davis.

Mike Blake set out on his own “to take care of a lot of the old-time restaurants in town,” personally performing all service calls during his first 10 years in business, Mark Blake recalled.

Mr. B’s in downtown Davis and Nation’s Giant Hamburgers at University Mall were among his earliest clients.

A Davis High School graduate, Mark Blake officially joined the company part-time in 1982, then full-time three years later.

“I was going to go a different direction,” said Blake, who tried his hand at bull riding and looked into being a stunt man. His father, meanwhile, encouraged him to stick with the family profession.

“Pretty soon, as I got a little better at doing it, I decided this is the route I would go,” Blake said.

Today, Blake’s

Heating & Air Conditioning is nearing its 45th year in business, with Mark Blake taking over as general manager in 1992. Mike Blake continued on for a few more years before fully retiring in 1998.

Blake’s has grown from a six-man operation to one with 31 employees, some of whom have been with the company for decades. Mark Blake’s 22-year-old son, Brody, joined the crew as a service technician four years ago.

Their clientele has expanded as well, from roughly 30 systems a year to about 850 today. Some clients, business and residential, have stuck with Blake’s for 40 years or longer.

“It’s a testament to Davis people being very good and loyal,” Blake said.

“You take care of the people, and the people take care of you.”

Blake said that philosophy extends to the company’s longtime tradition of charging customers for labor and materials only, instead of the flat rates and commission-based pricing its competitors have adopted over the years.

“Our guys don’t work off commission.

We’re not selling cars. We’re in the comfort business,” Blake said.

“Customers know we’ll do the best we can, and stand by every single thing we do. They respect that, and we respect them. We wouldn’t be here without them.”

Mark Blake is a familiar smiling face at Blake’s Heating & Air Conditioning.

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Brooks Painting gives back to the community Story by Tanya

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s the city of Davis hits an important milestone, so, too, does Brooks Painting.

Celebrating its 20th year, the company has become a solid member of the community.

“Part of being successful,” said Brooks Painting owner Jeremy Brooks, “is that we really always try to get better. And I truly think being active in the community is part of that.”

Brooks continued, “It’s like the old adage, ‘Givers get’ — and we’ve given a lot of our time, energy and money, and that pays dividends.”

Growing up in Kingsburg, then coming to UC Davis in 1991 to play football, Brooks worked through college at Student Works Painting. Soon

after graduation, he started his own company, which has grown to 25 employees.

Brooks admitted he didn’t hit the ground running as a business owner.

“I didn’t have the skills to do it when I first started,” he said. So he joined a painting association in his first year; a few years into the Perez / Courtesy photo business, Brooks said, “I joined a couple of business coaching groups that gave me those skills.

“I always just found people who knew way more and learned from them,” he added.

One idea he took from someone “who knew way more” was the company’s charity paint giveaway.

“I had a friend in Southern California who owns a painting company who had done it the year before, and we decided it was a really good idea and something we wanted to do in our own community,” Brooks A Brooks said.

Painting crew paints Brooks Painting is coming up the winner of the 10th annual on its 11th annual charity paint charity paint giveaway, Esparto Community giveaway, where the company Church and daycare. awards up to $10,000 in paint

and labor to a worthy recipient. This year’s winner is the Yolo Community Care Continuum Farmhouse, which received the most votes in a contest run

by Brooks Painting.

Other beneficiaries of the paint giveaway have included the Davis Arts Center, Hillel House in Davis, and last year’s winner, Esparto Community Church and daycare.

Brooks said the very first recipient was Davis Little League in 2007.

“I picked it personally myself,” he explained, and “employees painted the buildings, dugouts and backstops at the complex.”

His most memorable giveaway came the next year, he explained, when a family in Vacaville with terminally ill children needed some help, so Brooks Painting painted the family’s house inside and out.

Brooks has committed to his community in other ways, as well, having served on boards for the Blue & White Foundation, Davis Little League and the Davis Chamber of Commerce. He now serves as treasurer of the Davis Wrestling Club and is the current president of the DHS Football Backers.

He also feels good about his company’s milestone.

“The town is celebrating its centennial,” Brooks said, “and we’re celebrating a mile-mark of 20 years. That’s a big number to hit — that’s exciting for us in our own right.”

Sacramento City College is honored to have been a community partner with the City of Davis since 1966, when the SCC Davis Center first began offering classes downtown in the First Southern Baptist Church. Today, more than 3,000 students take general education, skill-building and transfer courses each semester through the center’s new and expanding facilities at UC Davis’ West Village.

Sacramento City College also is pleased celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, alongside the City of Davis.

From From Fr om One One ne Centenarian Cente ente en tena n rriian an to to Another: An nothe otthe o her: r Sacramento r: Saccra rame ame ment ment nto to City City Cit Ci ty College Col olle olle lege ege e Congratulates Con ongr ngr grat atul atul ulat lat ate tes es the the e City Ciitty of of Davis Da av vis is on on 100 100 Years!

10 Year Ye ars! s! www.scc.losrios.edu/daviscenter www. ww w.sc w. sc osr sc scc.lo srio io os. s.ed e u/davisccen ente terr 42.

Davis Home Trends leaves a legacy Story and photos by Bob Schultz

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any business owners in Davis feel strong connections to their employees and their customers, so that when retirement draws near they want to be sure those people are cared for. That often means passing the business to loyal employees who have demonstrated that they will carry on the values and customer service that the owners modeled over the years.

Paula and Eric Rich were the recipients of that kind of legacy at Davis Home Trends.

Davis Home Trends began as Chris’ Fuller Paints in 1968, next-door to Ken’s Bike & Ski on G Street. That store sold Fuller Paint for homeowners, and drafting and art supplies for local schools and artists.

Around that time, Edith and Roy Kanoff opened a store at 706 Second St. called Carousel Stationery and Gifts.

They were the local office supply store and carried many gift items. Both businesses became known for customer service and for adjusting their businesses to meet changing customer needs.

When the owners of Chris’ Fuller Paint decided to retire. Edith and Roy’s

daughter, Patti, and her husband Ralph Sparks, saw this as a great opportunity and bought the store in 1984. As times changed, so did the inventory and options at Chris’ Fuller Paint. Ralph and Patti brought in spas and aboveground swimming pools and soon became the leading supplier of pool chemicals in town.

In 2000 they changed the business name to Davis Home Trends, which showed they were grounded in Davis and that they would continue to adjust to the trends that might develop as their customers needs changed. In 2003, Ralph oversaw construction of a new building at 2300 E. Fifth St., custom-designed to fit the pool and spa business, but also opening the business to new specialties like window covering, carpet and other floor covering.

When Patti Sparks’ parents retired, they sold Carousel to the former store managers, Liz and Gary Newton, who worked to maintain the quality and variety of Carousel into the new century.

When Ralph and Patti bought the business in 1984, it was called Chris’ Fuller Paints.

Now it’s Davis Home Trends, 2300 E. Fifth St.

Similarly, when Patti and Ralph decided it was time to stop working six days a week and spend more time with their grandkids, they, too, wanted to be sure that the business passed to the right hands.

Enter longtime employee Paula Rich, who started at Davis Home Trends in 2006, and her husband, Eric, who ran his own glass business. The Sparks and Rich families had talked about the potential for Paula and Eric to take over

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the business before, and the business quietly changing hands on Jan. 1, 2017.

Paula is excited to build on the “amazing customers that make doing a great job easy.” Davis Home Trends continues to sell and service brands they know meet their customers’ standards, like Doughboy Pools, Coast Spas and Hunter Douglas window coverings.

Davis Home Trends remains the place not only to purchase a spa or pool, but also to bring in your pool water to have it tested and to get advice from the pool and spa experts on staff.

El Macero opened door for Lyon Real Estate Story by Jeff Hudson / Enterprise and courtesy photos

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yon Real Estate, founded in Sacramento in the 1940s, entered the Davis real estate market in the early 1960s, when the Mace family began developing the upscale El Macero Golf Course and related homes south of Interstate 80. (The Maces owned a Dixon meat-packing business, as well as hundreds of acres of ranch land around Davis.)

Lyon Real Estate got the job of selling home lots in El Macero, and opened a small office at the entrance to the golf course community. That building — which also contained a small post office and an office for members of the Mace family — no longer exists.

In those early years, the golf course sometimes hosted celebrities such as Gov. Ronald Reagan, who liked to come over from Sacramento for an occasional game.

With UC Davis expanding rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s, and new home construction underway in many parts of Davis, Lyon Real Estate opened a small downtown office in the building now occupied by the Delta of Venus coffeehouse on B Street.

Eventually, when John Brinley — whose family owned several prominent downtown properties — decided to concentrate on commercial properties and phase out of residential real estate, Lyon Real Estate acquired what had been the Brinley Real Estate office and moved into its current location in a white, wood-frame house at Second and C streets. That building at one time had been the Brinley family residence.

Over the years, Lyon Real Estate has

been home to some agents who stayed with the company for multiple decades, including Lynne Wagner, still an active agent, who sometimes jokes about how long she’s been in the business.

The staff at Lyon also has included others who have been parent/child colleagues. Peggy Eichorn, now retired, is the mother of current Lyon agent Kim Eichorn while the late Phyllis Snow, who joined Lyon in the 1970s, was the mother of current agent Chris Snow.

Herb Cross became the manager of Lyon’s Davis office in 1988, a position he held until 2013, when he moved to a corporate job at Lyon Real Estate’s headquarters in Sacramento.

Over the course of those 25 years, Cross saw the real estate market go through several periods of rapid increases in home prices (as well as a few market corrections), as Davis grew from a small university town into a larger, bikefriendly, politically aware community with a strong public school system.

“I can honestly say that (the Lyon office in Davis) is a very dynamic business,” Cross said, adding that particular aspects of this community make Davis “subject to local, state and national quirks, both in the economy and the political world.”

Cross still maintains a desk at the Lyon Real Estate office in Davis, but the office is now managed by Ed Maeda, who came to Davis in the 1990s.

Lyon Real Estate, today (above) and in the 1950s (at right), occupies what had been the Brinley family’s home at Second and C streets.

Celebrating 41 years in Davis Family Owned and Operated

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Lyon Real Estate agents gather on the porch of their office at 122 B St. in April 1978.

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Marrone leads ag tech industry in region Story by Jeff Hudson / Courtesy photos

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amela Marrone — for many years a prominent figure on biotech scene — founded Davisbased Marrone Bio Innovations in 2006 to discover and develop effective and environmentally responsible, biologically based products for pest management and plant health.

Prior to establishing MBI, Marrone founded AgraQuest (1995-2006) where she served as its CEO, chairman and president.

Before AgraQuest, she was founding president of Entotech Inc. (1990-1995), a biopesticide subsidiary of Novo Nordisk.

She started her career in biopesticides by leading the Insect Biology Group at Monsanto (1983-1990), which was involved in pioneering projects based on natural products and plant biotechnology.

In addition to her corporate responsibilities, she is active with industry and other ag- and education-related organizations. She is the founding chair of the Biopesticide Industry Alliance, a trade association of more than 100 biopesticide and related companies, is on the board of the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists Foundation and is a past board member and treasurer of the Organic Farming Research Foundation.

Marrone also serves on the UC Davis College of Ag and Environmental Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council. She is the treasurer of the Association for Women in Science and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

“Marrone Bio Innovations is the third company I have started in Davis since 1990,” she said. “After more than 25 years, my dream has been realized — Davis and the Sacramento region are becoming an entrepreneurial and innovation engine for the region’s economy. We now have a Top: Pam Marrone is president and CEO thriving ag tech and bioof Marrone Bio Innovations, which logicals cluster. discovers and develops biologically based “Thanks to UC Davis products for pest management and plant for being a strong partner health. Middle: Marrone flashes a proud and a source of interns smile before setting up her first lab on and graduates for us to Madson Place in Mace Ranch. Above: She employ,” Marrone added. heads out into the field to check the “Davis remains a wonderefficacy of one of her biopesticides. ful place to live and work.”

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Friedman invests in Davis through plaza, innovation center

Story by Felicia Alvarez / Enterprise photos

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ith the might of a Wall Street veteran behind it, the Davis Commons shopping center has been a bustling hub downtown since 1998.

Built by Fulcrum Property — a Sacramento-based company led by founder Mark Friedman — Davis Commons, at First and E streets, welcomes visitors to downtown Davis with some of the city’s favorite restaurants and retail shops alongside a lush green lawn and towering shade trees.

From Pluto’s to Habit Burger to Gap, this semicircle of restaurants and retail stores sees bustling lunchtime crowds, shoppers and browsers whose children enjoy tumbling on the grass while Mom and Dad enjoy their adult pursuits.

“As an extension of the Arboretum, the university maintains a demonstration garden and nursery at Davis Commons,” the company states on its website.

“This unique junction of commercial, educational and recreational uses in a central urban setting has been recognized nationally as a model of smart development for the 21st century.”

The commercial plaza has gone through its share of ups and downs, though.

The project started as a planned retail arm to the adjacent Aggie Village neighborhood, providing businesses to serve the neighborhood as well as the greater

Left: Sacramento developer Mark Friedman closed escrow ln October 2016 on the Interland business park in South Davis. Local business leaders have high hopes for a thriving innovation center there.

Below: The Davis Commons shopping center at First and E streets is a popular shopping, dining and gathering place.

Davis community.

When Friedman announced plans to build a 20,000-square-foot Borders bookstore in the plaza, concerns about the big-box store were raised, leading a few residents to file a lawsuit against Davis Commons.

The lawsuit was settled and Borders has come and gone, making way for a Whole Foods grocery store, which closed its doors in February.

Fulcrum Property also has its eye on kick-starting Davis’ tech community with the recent purchase of Interland — now dubbed the University Research Park — in October 2016.

The 34.5-acre site in South Davis is currently home to several of Davis’ own business giants, such as

Marrone Bio Innovations, and has the potential to grow into a full-fledged innovation center.

“It’s really part of a bet we’re making on Sacramento rising as a growing tech hub,” Friedman said in October, after Fulcrum closed escrow on the site. “Most of that is rising from the (UC Davis) campus and Medical Center.”

Davis business and civic leaders who were disappointed that voters turned down the Nishi Gateway Innovation Center at the polls in June 2016, and that developers of the proposed Mace Ranch Innovation Center have shelved their project, have been heartened by the prospects for Friedman’s ideas.

Davis Community Church has roots in 1800s Story by Anne Ternus-Bellamy / Courtesy photo

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he origins of the Davis Community Church stretch back to the 1800s, when Presbyterian congregation members met in rural homes and school houses in the area.

But the church formally became what it is today in 1925, when it adopted the name it still carries and declared itself an interdenominational church with ties to the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational denominations.

The following year, the mission-style sanctuary building now familiar to all Davisites was built on the northeast corner of Fourth and C streets.

Over ensuing decades, the church survived an arson fire that required major sanctuary repairs in 1937; added

a Fellowship Hall in 1949; and ended its ties to the Methodists and Congregational denominations in 1955.

After 1960, the church expanded with a new office and a Christian education wing and added the Davis Community Church Nursery School.

But arson struck again in 1993, this time damaging two buildings and leading to $1.8 million in repairs.

Still the congregation thrived, including becoming a nationally recognized ministry of lay care giving and taking a leading role in the establishment of the Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter of Davis — work on homelessness that continues today.

The First Presbyterian Church of Davisville, pictured in 1910, later became Davis Community Church. from a new friend, we are here to provide support and love,” a church spokesman said.

“Davisville ’68”/Cou “We don’t care rtesy ph “That is our deepest oto if you believe in God, have calling. We are Davis Comnever been to church or don’t like ‘orgamunity Church — a social nized religion.’ If you are looking for a justice congregation — and we exist to fresh start, a fresh cup of coffee or a hug love.”

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Top-notch, compassionate care at Sutter Davis Sutter Health bought the former Davis Community Hospital on County Road 99, in 1981.

The current Sutter Davis Hospital, at 2000 Sutter Place, opened in May 1993.

Story by Chris Saur / Enterprise photos

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or a portion of its 49-year history in the city, Sutter Davis Hospital was known as Davis Community Hospital, and the spirit of what that name represents is still very much a guiding force for the award-winning acute-care hospital.

“We consider ourselves a community hospital,” said Sutter Davis CEO Jennifer Maher. “Our mission at Sutter Health, which we believe in deeply, is to enhance the well-being of the communities we serve, through excellence and compassion in health-care services.

“That really is one of the things that I’m so proud of in being a part of Sutter Health and Sutter Davis: We believe very strongly in that mission and being part of the Davis community.”

Established in 1968 as Binning Memorial Hospital on County Road 99 (the extension of Lake Boulevard) just north of Covell Boulevard, it became the Davis Community Hospital when it was purchased by Dr. Harvey Glasser in 1975.

It was during the next six years — before Sutter Health bought the hospital to become the first affiliate in what is now a large not-for-profit acute hospital network — that the hospital underwent numerous upgrades.

Now, the 20-acre campus at 2000 Sutter Place, about a mile east of the original site, features a 48-bed acute-care hospital, in addition to a strong offering of outpatient services and community outreach programs.

In 2013, Sutter Davis earned the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, which is the nation’s highest

presidential honor for performance excellence through innovation, improvement and visionary leadership. Sutter Davis was one of just three U.S. organizations honored and the only health-care organization.

While many other awards have come before and followed for Sutter Davis — including being named a top-100 hospital by Truven Health Analytics for each of the past five years — the organization is very proud of its status as Modern Healthcare’s Best Place To Work In Healthcare, an award it has won for nine consecutive years.

“The big difference between Sutter Davis Hospital and other hospitals is our culture,” said Tambria Agnew, nurse manager in the Sutter Davis emergency department and a 15-year Sutter Davis Hospital nurse.

“It took our hospital years to hardwire our ‘culture of caring.’ It’s a patient-centered focus that strives to go above and beyond patient expectations and provide a truly positive patient experience,” Agnew explained.

“Furthermore, this culture doesn’t just focus on our

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patients, it carries over to how staff treat and appreciate one another.”

In addition to its patient care and great environment for staff inside the hospital, it is Sutter Davis’ community outreach that truly sets it apart. Partnerships with the Yolo Crisis Nursery, Yolo Food Bank and the Davis Farmers Market — including hosting a farmers market every Thursday from spring through fall — are just the tip of that iceberg.

“We believe that we have a role to provide health care beyond the walls of our hospital,” Maher said. “We have partnered for seven years with the Davis Farmers Market. We believe strongly in the benefits of having access to healthy food and that that has benefits for the overall health and wellness of the community.

“We believe that we are leaders in this community and, as a result, we are committed to improving the community.”

With that in mind, Maher and the rest of the staff at Sutter Davis are proud to be involved with Sutter Health’s newly established Getting to Zero Program to combat homelessness.

As part of this larger initiative, Sutter Health in December granted $233,000 to the city of Davis to try to end homelessness through the Davis Pathways Program.

Get expert advice and service from Guild Mortgage Cara Mengali and Scott McLallen of Guild Mortgage help make dreams of owning a home a reality for Davisites.

Story by Anne Ternus-Bellamy / Courtesy photo

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ara Mengali and her team at Guild Mortgage have helped Davis residents build their futures for years now, providing reliable and friendly home loan experiences from the first conversation until after the sale is closed.

The team educates clients on home loans, interest rates, costs and all other details, and monitors all aspects of the process, resulting in more than 3,000 loans funded just in the past decade.

From buying their first home to refinancing to buying their retirement homes, clients return again and again.

“We feel really lucky that we’ve built relationships in Yolo County,” Mengali said.

Even when they can’t accomplish the impossible — making that Davis dream home a reality for someone whose situation falls short — the Mengali team still makes a difference, advising those clients on what they can do in the future to eventually make that dream come true.

“We try really hard for them,” she said, noting, “We wish we could do more.”

Mengali has lived in Yolo County since the age of 11 and has spent the past 20 years in the local mortgage market.

She started in Woodland before eventually moving her offices to Davis in 2008, merging with Mortgage Resource owners Greg and Vickie Fulkerson and carrying on their local lending tradition.

And just as the company name has changed with

moves and mergers over the years, so, too, has the nature of the business with new rules and regulations, the latter of which have required her staff to grow from a team of three not long ago to 13 now.

They’ve acquired more space in downtown Davis as well, expanding on their 404 Second St. location recently.

The team includes Scott McLallen, who came over from Coldwell Banker, Mengali said.

“Before he was processing loans, he was an originator,” she noted.

The Mengali Group says clients can expect the team to plan with them as they consider homeownership or strategize with them as they consider a refinance.

And with a thorough and respected pre-approval process and pre-approval letter, “we will help you put your best financial foot forward when making an offer on a home or research the best loan structure possible for your refinance needs,” she said.

“We are truly thankful for the opportunity to work with each and every client and we are dedicated to serving and supporting our local community, not just for today or tomorrow, but for the years to come.”

And Yolo County is lucky to have the Mengali Group’s

support in more than just mortgages: Beneficiaries of Mengali’s philanthropy over the years include the Davis Schools Foundation, the Short-Term Emergency Aid Committee, the Yolo County Children’s Alliance, the Yolo SPCA and many more.

Wise advice is plentiful at Redwood Barn Nursery Story by Sebastian Oñate / Enterprise photo

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ug in on Fifth Street since 1981, Redwood Barn Nursery has been selling plants and garden supplies for more than 35 years.

“On Aug. 15, 1981, our first delivery of plants arrived and somebody bought some. So that was our first day of business,” co-founder and owner Don Shor said. “On Aug. 29, we held our grand opening.”

Shor was fresh out of UC Davis and, finding no openings at the UCD Arboretum, approached Mike Aylward, on the recommendation of Arboretum chief Warren Roberts, about starting a nursery in town.

“You usually don’t jump into this at 24 years old,” Shor said, “but he took a chance on me and I took a chance on him, and we’ve been here ever since.”

The two remained partners until Aylward’s retirement in 1990. He died in 2000.

In the years since, the rustic building

went, and vegetables and cactus have seen a steady increase. Competition from hardware stores declined as competition on Fifth Street has seen drought, floods from big-box DIY chains increased. and frost, as well as constant change in There were two nurseries customers’ tastes. Organic is mainalready here and Davis Ace has stream now, ornamental always had a garden departgrasses came ment. and “We all happily coexisted, referring customers back and forth,” Shor said.

California had just experienced a severe drought in 1976-77, and the fledgling nursery partners assumed people would want California native and lowwater plants, so they devoted a whole section to them — but in the winter of 1982-83, it Redwood rained 42 inches. It wasn’t until the latest Barn Nursery has drought, which lasted occupied its colorful red from 2011 to 2015, that barn at 1607 Fifth St. since it low-water native plants opened in 1981. were finally in demand.

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But too much rain can be almost as bad, and nursery owners watch the weather as intently as farmers.

Fifth Street ended at the post office in those days and, before computers became ubiquitous, ordering was by phone or in person, with inventory kept on by hand on 4-by-6 index cards. No Google meant reference books had to be kept on the counter to help with customers’ questions. But even with all the information available now online, along with a lot of misinformation, customers still depend on the expertise of nursery professionals.

Nursery stock came in metal cans and garden centers had cutters on hand — a sort of elaborate can opener to slit the sides of the cans before loading them, “now lethally sharp,” into customers’ cars.

Sales of house plants had already peaked in the 1970s and were in decline.

Bags of manure and sulfate of ammonia were the spring specials, and advertising featured lawn-care products.

What was the top flower?

“Roses were No. 1,” Shor said.

Dignity Health has your care covered Story by Felicia Alvarez / Courtesy photos

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hile today’s Dignity Health facilities in Davis span fullfledged hospitals and specialty clinics, the company’s roots stretch back to 19th-century Dublin, Ireland.

Started by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy, founder Catherine McAuley began her service in 1831 with a vision of helping the sick and the impoverished. As the organization grew, eight sisters arrived in San Francisco in 1854, starting St. Mary’s Hospital, which is now the city’s oldest continuously operating hospital.

Their hospitals expanded through California, eventually including Woodland Memorial Hospital almost 100 years ago.

Woodland Healthcare — which now includes Woodland Memorial Hospital and clinics in Woodland and Davis — was under the wing of the sisters’ original coalition of hospitals, eventually going by the name Catholic Healthcare West in the 1980s.

In 2012, the hospital chain changed its name from Catholic Healthcare West to Dignity Health.

Dignity Health first opened medical offices in Davis in the 1980s, with two clinics within the city limits — primary care at 2330 W. Covell Blvd., and specialty care at 2440 W. Covell Blvd.

In Davis, 10 primary-care providers along with a variety of specialists focus on compassionate care in family

medicine, pediatrics, cardiology, allergy, dermatology, ENT, neurology, audiology, podiatry, a Coumadin clinic, infectious disease and rheumatology.

This specialty offering stands alone in Davis as a way to provide convenient care for residents, as they no longer have to travel to Sacramento for their specialty care, a spokesman said.

Local Dignity Health clinics also offer appointments as well as same-day primary-care appointments five days a week from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

“We also believe in the healing power of a community and we’re proud

Top: Dignity Health’s Davis specialty medical offices are at 2440 W. Covell Blvd. Left: A new wing is celebrated at Woodland Memorial Hospital in 1978. to be a strong supporter of the Davis community,” the spokesman said.

In 2016, Dignity Health proudly supported a long list of community organizations, including the Davis Chamber of Commerce; UC Davis; Yolo County Library system; Empower Yolo; UC Davis Early Academic Outreach Program; Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance; North Davis Elementary School; Davis Phoenix Collation; Yolo County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates); Yolo Hospice; Davis Sunset Rotary Movies in the Park; city of Davis; Davis Senior Center; Center for Land-Based Learning; and Yolo Food Bank.

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71 years for C.C. Cooper and Sons Insurance Story by Felicia Alvarez / Enterprise photo

C

.C. Cooper and Sons Insurance until 2005, when the comsurely has stood the test of time in pany moved to its current Davis, as the company features location at 215 Madson three generations of Coopers who have Place, Suite A. provided insurance for locals through By 1968, Cooper’s eldest the ages. son, Richard, “After some construction was ready to The eldest join the family Cooper, Clarwork, I knew I didn’t business. A ence, arrived in want a desk job; I Vietnam War Davis in 1918. wanted to be out there.” veteran, Richard After growing Cooper brought up in Davis’ Craig Cooper, his new educahistoric Cooper reflecting on joining the tion from SacraHouse and family business in 1982 mento State eventually fightUniversity to the ing in World insurance comWar II aboard a pany.

U.S. Navy destroyer, the young veteran returned to Originally selling Travelers Davis after the war. insurance, the company quickly expanded its list of products.

He began work at a local auto dealerToday, locals looking to buy insurance ship, selling auto insurance just as the can turn to C.C. Cooper Insurance and new cars were leaving the garage.

Sons for anything from homeowners Cooper decided to test his luck in the insurance, to flood, fire and boat insurinsurance business in April 1946, openance, to name a few. ing up C.C. Cooper Insurance out of a “After some construction work, I small office adjacent to the historic knew I didn’t want a desk job; I wanted Varsity Theatre on Second Street. to be out there,” said Richard’s brother The office remained there from 1946

Craig Cooper, left, is joined by son Channon Cooper and daughter Tristan Cordodor in this 2015 photo.

Craig, the current company owner, on how he joined the business in 1982.

Craig Cooper, like his father, didn’t bring a college education to the job. In exchange, they brought the hope to do right by their customers and the willingness to put in long hours.

To this day, Craig Cooper is still known to toil on the weekend to make sure everything is in order.

After more than 70 years in business, a third generation of

Cooper kids — Tristan Cordodor and Channon Cooper — now hold the reins of the company. Meanwhile, the fourth generation can occasionally be seen bouncing around the office or trying to give Grandpa a hand with his work.

“We got the grandkids in here running the shredder and such, too,” Craig Cooper said.

As the company has touched hundreds of Davisites over the years, several older clients are now becoming multi-generational customers as well.

“We’re now insuring people’s kids and grandkids,” Cooper said.

Welcome to the

“100 Club,”

Davis

Since 1887 50.

A little piece of Italy in downtown Davis

Anne Marie and Kevin Crilly have made Zia’s Deli a family affair.

Anne Marie’s maternal grandparents look down from their portrait on the wall.

Story and photo by Bob Schultz

S

andwiches beyond what they might pack in their three children’s lunches weren’t a big part of the lives of Anne Marie and Kevin Crilly when Anne Marie worked in banking and Kevin in telecommunications in San Francisco.

But a transfer landed them in Davis and when his company began talking about another transfer, Kevin and Anne Marie decided to fulfill a dream they had of owning their own business, and Davis was the place to do that.

Anne Marie’s father and grandfather both worked as butchers and owned their own businesses, and her grandmother had passed along the family recipes, so the Crilly family invested their life savings in their dream of an Italian delicatessen. Dick Winger was willing to take a chance on these firsttimers in a portion of what was once Winger’s Department Store at 616 Third St. downtown.

They opened Zia’s Deli in 1995 and

began working six days a week to make a living for themselves and their children. Anne Marie liked being called Zia (aunt in Italian) by her nieces and nephews, and that name seemed to be a fit for the “Mom and Pop” or maybe “Aunt and Uncle” deli.

Quality food, great customer service and giving back to the community have helped Zia’s gain a loyal clientele for not only their sandwiches and salads, but also for Anne Marie’s “large pantry” that customers see as a minigrocery store stocked with unique and authentic ingredients to make true Italian food.

Instead of just spaghetti and macaroni you’ll find pappardelle, straccetti, linguine and tagliatelle. Look over in the deli counter and you’ll see prosciutto, mortadella, peppered salame and coppa, as well as stuffed vine leaves, gnocchi and polenta.

Over time, all three of their children

worked at Zia’s and their two younger children have been central to the success of a second store that opened five years ago at 1401 O St. in midtown Sacramento. There is also a sense of family in the people who work at Zia’s. The typical employee is a UC Davis or Sacramento State student who stays on to work from the time they’re hired until they graduate.

Anne Marie and Kevin are often visited by former employees who come to enjoy a meal, but enjoy catching Zia Anne Marie and Zio Kevin up on their life after college and after Zia’s.

Zia’s not only employs UCD students, it also is a corporate sponsor of the UCD athletics program, donating more than 300 sandwiches and other items to that program annually. Zia’s also donates food and other items to support the Davis High School athletics program.

If you’re looking at something more than today’s lunch, Zia’s has a growing catering business that allows you to choose from about a dozen salads, 20 unique platters, desserts and drinks.

The choices go well beyond the typical offerings, with a range from antipasto skewers to zucchini fritatta, and many other options you can review at their website: ziasdeli.com/catering.htm.

A portrait of Anne Marie’s maternal grandparents looks down on the deli counter as if sternly, but proudly, watching the next generations carrying on the traditions that traveled with the family that came through Ellis Island from Italy to eventually settle in California.

1981-2017

29 years strong!

(530) 756-0855

is going on

Proud members of our community!

Laura and Lynn 1981

Laura and Lynn 2017

Family Owned and Operated

We are a referral-based family-run company that is here for you!

• UPS & FedEx Shipping • Mailbox Rentals • Notary Public • Fingerprin�ng • Passport Photos • Postal Services • Fax & Shipping Supplies

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51.

Isaacsons realize their dream of community musical theater Story by Linda DuBois / Enterprise photos

O

n March 1, 1984, Jan Isaacson woke up at 2 a.m., roused her husband, Steve, and announced that she’d had a premonition in a dream: “We’re starting a theater tomorrow.”

So, they did — and 33 years, almost 350 shows and 5,000 volunteers later, Davis Musical Theatre Company has grown to be the longest-running, yearround, non-professional musical theater company in Northern California.

It produces six Main Stage and five Young Performers Theatre musicals annually, adding up to more than 100 performances.

Originally from New York, the Isaacsons moved to Davis on June 19, 1977, “and got involved in theater (Davis Players) the second day we were here,” Steve said.

But Jan, who has a theater management degree, and actor Steve believed Davis needed a large-scale musical theater with family-friendly ticket prices.

They also wanted to provide training for budding performers, directors, choreographers, musicians and technicians.

So, they got to work, and on June 21, 1984, DMTC’s first show, “Peter Pan,” opened at the Veterans Memorial Theater “with flying and

everything,” Steve said.

Another landmark came in October 1985, when “The Music Man” opened in DMTC’s newly built theater at 2121 Second St. In 1992, when the city remodeled the Varsity Theatre, DMTC moved there, where it operated for 12 years, until it had to vacate when the Varsity returned to its roots as a movie theater.

DMTC found its permanent home at 607 Peña Drive. It opened “Into the Woods” on Nov. 11, 2005, before the

building was even painted or carpeted.

(The theater was renamed for longtime costume volunteer Jean Henderson on her 70th birthday in 2013.)

The 10,000-square-foot space includes a huge costume room, a prop room, a mini machine shop for constructing stage sets, and a painting room.

Actors, stage hands, boxoffice attendants, ushers and musicians (except the pianist) are volunteers, including archivist Marc Valdez, who has kept a record and brief biography of every cast member and part in every show. Teen interns help run lights and sound, and assist with costumes and stage management.

Among the Isaacsons’ 33-year highlights: performing “Titanic, The Musical” on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking, April 14, 2012; receiving the Arts Management Excellence Award in 2004 from the Arts & Business Commission in Sacramento; and seeing DMTC actors go on to great things.

“Thirty-eight kids have gone to Broadway from here,” Steve said.

Among them are Mara Davi, who also was in the hit TV drama, “Smash,” and longtime Broadway actress Jenifer Foote, who appeared in DMTC’s “South Pacific” at age 6.

To encourage aspiring thespians, DMTC annually gives two $500 scholarships to graduating seniors interested in theater arts.

Looking back, the Isaacsons are most pleased with the sense of community and working together that DMTC has brought to Davis.

“So many friendships have been made over 33 years,” Jan said, noting that many performers have been with the company for well over a decade.

“And marriages,” Steve added.

For more information, visit www. dmtc.org.

Above: Steve and Jan Isaacson jubilantly hold blueprints for their new theater in warehouse space at 2121 Second St. in July 1985. Below: The stage at the Jean Henderson Performing Arts Center is home to the Isaacsons, who have poured their hearts and souls into the Davis Musical Theatre Company.

52.

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Versatility is key to PDQ’s success Story by Terrence Hunley / Enterprise, courtesy photos

O

ne of Davis’ most versatile businesses got its start in January 1981.

That’s when Lynn and Laura Christensen opened their tiny store, Davis Post Box Services, on G Street. Thirtysix years later, they’ve turned that business into a Davis mainstay, having moved years ago to 216 F St. “It was 150 square feet just down the street from the post office,” Lynn said of their first business, near Second and G streets. “There was at least a 30- or 45-day waiting period to get a P.O. Box. We had the idea that we could rent mailboxes just a block away from the post office. It would get me out of our little duplex where I was a sales rep.

“We started renting boxes. ... I realized if we shipped for the public, UPS was clear over in Sacramento.

People started shipping through us.”

It didn’t take long for the Christensens to find success. It was around that time that Lynn was laid off from his sales job.

“By the time Christmas came around, we had gobs of people coming to our little shop,” Lynn said. “We realized

lucky to have all the support from the Davis community.”

around Christmas time, we could turn this into a business. After that we went through transformations. We were shipping a lot of packages every day to where we became a major shipper for UPS in Northern California.”

The business was renamed Parcel Dispatch, PDQ and moved to F Street in 1986 or 1987.

“We moved over here and just started renting a little part of this building, because we were small,” Lynn said.

“Pretty soon we were able to rent the whole building and eventually buy the building.”

Early on, PDQ offered Western Union telegrams, shipping and the post office boxes that started it all. Later, the business added fingerprinting and notary services as well as passport photos.

“All through the years we’ve added services to what we do,” Laura said. “We have four notaries now, we do fingerprinting for background checks. We just keep adding things. We’ve had to diversify and do many different things.”

The Davis community has supported PDQ throughout the years.

“We stay busy,” Laura said. “We feel

They’ve even found quite a bit of success as PDQ has won the UPS Authorized Shipping Outlet Award each year for the past 20 years. It’s given to the 100 top shippers in the United States.

Committed to our clients, Committed to our community.

Serving Davis’ Painting Needs Since 1997

530-753-5074

www.brookspainting.com

LIC# 737789

Proud member of Davis Chamber of Commerce, PDCA, and BBB.

53.

See PDQ, Page

54

Laura and Lynn Christensen are proud of Parcel Dispatch, PDQ, the full-service business they’ve built in downtown Davis. At left, they’re pictured at their first business, Davis Post Box Services.

Cunningham Engineering grows with city Story by Felicia Alvarez / Courtesy photos

F

rom fledgling startup to full-scale engineering firm, Cunningham Engineering has grown alongside Davis through the decades.

In 1984, after several years working for smaller engineering companies, a young Chuck Cunnningham decided it was time to pave his own path. From the extra bedroom of his Davis home, he pulled the pieces together to set up his own business, firing up Cunningham Engineering.

“I had a business plan, but it almost went out the window the first day,” Cunningham joked.

Working in a windlowless office, Cunningham’s first projects were assisting the up-and-coming Mace Ranch residential project. Meanwhile, Doug Arnold of Coldwell Banker would give him the occasional project to keep the new business afloat.

“He was just that kind of guy,” Cunningham said.

In time, the engineering firm grew, filling new offices at 123 C St. in downtown Davis by 1986, and trekking along the path to designing projects that would build the future of Davis.

Today, the local engineering firm has completed more that 1,500 projects in Davis, at UC Davis and in Sacramento.

Specializing in site plans and landscape architecture, Cunningham Engineering has lent a hand to many of the projects that set Davis apart from other communities. Some of Cunningham’s most proud accomplishments include Aggie Village and the Davis Commons shopping center at First and E. Working on Aggie Village on First Street and the bike path that meanders behind the homes helped Cunningham Engineering forge a new relationship with the university. That relationship opened the door for countless projects on campus, Cunningham recalled, leading the company to receive a contract designing part of the new Manetti Shrem Art Museum.

“While we didn’t do anything on the building itself, it’s fun to be invested in projects like that,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham said one the biggest changes over the

The Cunningham Engineering staff at the company’s 30th anniversary party in 2014.

years has been technology, allowing the firm to transition from drafting plans by hand to using computer software to generate models.

Alongside mastering new tools of the trade, Cunningham reflected on how he’s grown as a leader as well, honing his skills to keep a strong team of employees thriving.

PDQ: ‘Davis has been wonderful’ From Page 53 PDQ is a family business, drawing on the time and talents of just about every family member to make the venture a success.

“We love having a family business,” Laura said. “Working with our adult children is a blessing. We get along well with each other and enjoy being together each day. All of our kids started working for us in their teens and came back to the business after college.

“Landon is in charge of our fingerprinting service. Gary is in charge of the UPS side of the business. Our daughter

Katie does the greeting card purchases.

(Katie had a baby four months ago, so is off on maternity leave.) So we’re working toward having our children take over at some point in the future.”

Lynn isn’t expecting PDQ to go anywhere anytime soon.

“Davis has been wonderful for us,” Lynn said. “We’re still going and we think we’ll keep on going,” Notes: Lynn and Laura met when attending a church function in Davis.

The two have been married for nearly 43 years. ... Wheelworks, a PDQ neighbor at 247 F St., got its start just down the street from PDQ’s original office.

54.

Bottom left: Cunningham Engineering’s second office was at 123 C St. from 1986 to 1999. The current office is at 2940 Spafford St., Suite 200, in Mace Ranch

Today, the company has almost 30 employees at its spacious new office in Davis, at 2940 Spafford St., Suite 200, as well as at a new office in midtown Sacramento.

“That’s working real well for us, but we’ll always be in Davis,” Cunningham said.

Formal leadership of the company is now in the hands of president Dan Fenocchio, who’s been on board since his days as a UCD student interning at the firm, and vice president Steve Greenfield.

Ken’s Bike-Ski-Board keeps wheels spinning Story by Bob Schultz / Enterprise photo

K

en Bradford started in the bicycle business in 1980, working for Mike Tripp out of a nondescript industrial building on Olive Drive as one of the “bike surgeons” helping repair bikes for UC Davis students and Davis residents.

When Tripp was ready to move on, Bradford took over the business and moved it over to G Street in a small shop next door to his current location at 650 G St. Another business, The Ski Racket, also was ready for a change, and two of the owners, Rich and Joan Fuellenbach, sold their inventory to Bradford and joined him to add ski and snowboard to the bikes in the expanded business.

Although the Fuellenbachs have retired, their son, Eric, has stayed on staff and oversees the ski department.

Unlike the big-box stores or online vendors, the folks at Ken’s plan for customers to come back in after they’ve broken in the new bike so the staff can give the bike a tune-up and make any

necessary adjustments.

In addition to selling a full line of bicycles from children’s to professional performance level, Bradford has all the equipment riders will need for a safe and enjoyable riding experience.

The store also rents bikes, from basic Davis-friendly wheels to high-end road and mountain bikes to tandems, trailers and electric-assisted bicycles.

The store has a seasonal nature with skis, snowboards, boots and winter clothing selling best in the winter.

Bradford has always stressed the importance of meeting the full range of customer needs and of treating each customer with respect.

Whether helping someone who shows up in racing lycra or a mother looking for a bicycle her son can ride to school, the whole staff works to be “friendly experts” who can fit a first helmet or

help a bike racer move up to the next level.

Going back to Bradford’s time as a “bike surgeon,” the maintenance department remains central in importance, with 10 mechanics on staff. Besides having a large staff of well-trained mechanics, Ken’s offers a 15-percent discount on maintenance and repair work on any bicycle a customer buys there as long as the customer owns the bike.

Even if you don’t need a repair, but just need someone to show you how to shift, how to fix a flat, or how to pump your tires to the right pressure, you’re welcome to stop by Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. or Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. for help.

If you’re looking for something you probably won’t find elsewhere in town, you might to want to rent or buy one of the electronic-assisted bicycles (e-bikes) that are created by John Swann of Swann Electric Bicycles.

Many people are treating these as alternatives to cars for short trips around town.

You can hook up a trailer to haul kids to school, to get groceries or to commute to work.

You’re still expending some energy and helpKen Bradford ing the environopened Ken’s Bike-Skiment, but without Board in 1988 just one door away from showing up his current location. sweaty at work.

• Established in 1972 • The Independent, Family-Owned Insurance Agency of Davis • 3 Generations of Purves Family Work in the Business • Major Sponsor of Davis Youth Sports & Grad Night • For Business: Property, Liability, Worker’s Comp & Group Benefits • For Families: Home, Auto & Life Insurance • We Represent Dozens of Insurance Companies • Special Programs for AARP Members

(530) 756-5561

www.PurvesInsurance.com Find us on

55.

Hallmark Inn’s guests are part of the family Story by Tanya Perez / Courtesy, Enterprise photos

“W

e actually care about our guests,” said Hallmark Inn’s general manager Marisa Schaffer. “We really want to share in their stay.”

Hence the hotel’s motto: “Sharing a unique and memorable Davis experience.”

The Youmans family — father Julian, and sons Reed, John and Julian — ventured into the hotel business when they bought the Ramada Inn at 110 F St. in 1998, a motel with a large driveway through the front of the building used for checking in.

They later realized the driveway was not the feel they were going for, and a major remodel got underway in 2009, with the exterior improvements that livened up the entire 100 block of F Street finishing up in 2014.

In fact, the Youmans family’s hard work renovating Hallmark Inn and reinvigorating F Street earned them the Davis Chamber of Commerce’s 2014 Business of the Year Award.

Schaffer praises the family for all they do to improve their community, including supporting a variety of charities and organizations.

“We are owned by a local family that has been active within the community with charitable organizations that benefit children, the elderly and others in need, such as Yolo CASA, Citizens Who Care and Habitat for Humanity, among many others,” she said. “Additionally, our lobby has been transformed to showcase local artists.”

Schaffer takes pride when guests return to stay at the Hallmark Inn, “even after their children have graduated.” She explained that she and her staff get to know the parents who come

to drop off their students at UCD, then return for parents weekends, Picnic Day and ultimately graduation, which she calls “bittersweet.”

She feels some sadness, she admitted, when she knows that some families are unlikely to return to Davis after their students graduate, which made a recent wedding party’s stay so enjoyable. Schaffer said when the bride and groom were back in this area to get married and were guests at the Hallmark Inn, Schaffer herself was thrilled to see the parents she hadn’t seen for years.

Schaffer also recounted some famous guests who’ve lodged with them.

“The Marsalis Brothers — Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo — have shared their talents through impromptu jazz sessions as they prepared for concerts at the Mondavi Center,” she said, and it was fun having “Project Runway’s” Timothy Westfield as a guest.

“Internationally,” she continued, “I would consider the most notable (guest) as Kabang, a dog from the Philippines that saved the life of two

A major remodeling project at the Hallmark Inn, completed in 2014, features ground-floor retail sites, pedestrian amenities such as a three-dimensional mural (left) and a shining new lobby that showcases local art. small children and severed her snout in the process. She was brought to UC Davis Medical Center through an international philanthropic effort.”

Another brush with fame, she said, came when the Hallmark Inn’s lobby was part of the filming of 2013’s “Bad Grandpa,” starring Johnny Knoxville.

The former drive-through entrance to the Hallmark Inn, 110 F St., has been replaced with a chic, welcoming entry.

Schaffer said it was important to keep Knoxville’s presence and the filming a secret because they knew they would be mobbed by college kids, but it created some havoc with the

56.

hotel staff.

At one point, Schaffer said, they had to tell “the front desk clerk, who was preparing to call the police. ... I will say that as funny as it was for the observers, the clerk needed some extra time to shake off that he was pranked by none other than Johnny Knoxville.”

“We are owned by a local family that has been active within the community with charitable organizations that benefit children, the elderly and others in need.”

Marisa Schaffer Hallmark Inn general manager

Helping hand works both ways for Purves

George Purves, left, and John Brinley Sr. stand in front of Brinley’s business on F Street, circa 1972.

Story by Tanya Perez / Courtesy photo

S

cott Purves said that Purves & Associates is “basically my whole life.”

Which is to say, the insurance company and Scott are the same age and have grown up together.

“This is our 45th year,” Scott said.

“1972 was the year my dad (George) went to work at Brinley’s, and my mom was pregnant with me. It’s basically my whole life.”

“Brinley” refers to John Brinley Sr., who was the owner of Brinley’s Real Estate and Insurance.

“John Brinley is idolized in the Purves family,” Scott said.

Aside from offering George the job that would launch his family business, “He (Brinley) basically gave my dad the money to buy him out of the (insurance part) of the business” to establish his own company. “And he lent my dad like $1,000 to buy his first house. He was a great guy.”

It’s likely that George Purves was

going to be a “great guy” in his own right, but having Brinley as a mentor was a step in the right direction. George is still working at the agency, as are Scott’s younger brother, Chris, and sister Amy. The company, which is a “distribution model” independent agency, focuses on being experts in insurance coverage, Scott explained. And the agency makes sure there aren’t surprises “when people come calling on a day when they’re really vulnerable and it’s a bad time to be surprised.”

The senior Purves made a point of being an active member of the community and in his kids’ activities.

“My dad set the tone for that years ago,” Scott said, “being on the Davis Little League board and (its) president, coaching and sponsoring baseball teams over the years.”

As president of Purves & Associates, Scott is proud of its history and what it has meant to the Davis community. He

said that about 10 years ago, the company made the decision to focus some of its support, “rather than giving $50 to every high school kid who came to us to support his band trip” or other activities.

N

ow, Purves & Associates is a platinum sponsor of Davis’ Grad Night each year — “My siblings and I all went to Grad Night and loved it,” Scott said. “I think I’m one of the few parents in town who went to it at Emerson!” — and they are a big sponsor of Little League and Barefoot on the Pitch (Davis Legacy Soccer Club’s big annual fundraiser).

Scott also said a “new initiative is just getting off the ground” for Purves & Associates.

“We picked four local institutions that we are going to do an event for every quarter,” he said.

A committee within the Purves & Associates staff chose Yolo Food Bank, Yolo Crisis Nursery, the SPCA and Yolo Hospice to be beneficiaries of charity drives.

“The rule of thumb was it needed to be local, someone who can really use the support, and then something we would enjoy helping,” Scott said.

“The parking lot behind our office (at 500 Fourth St.),” he continued, “is a great space downtown.” He expects the office to do events like a “drive-through hamper event” to collect food for the Yolo Food Bank, or set up an “adopt-akitty” event there for the SPCA. “We decided we would just try to get the word out about a couple of needy organizations that are trying to do great things,” Scott said.

Hibbert Lumber Company - Since 1947 Celebrating Seventy Years in Davis New Business In Davis!

Reported July 25, 1947...

New Lumber Business To Open In Davis The Hibbert Lumber Co. will begin operations in Davis about the latter part of August or the first part of September, according to Jack C. Hibbert this week. The firm will be located at Third and Eye Streets in one of the buildings on the Roy Mattley property and will engage in a general lumber and builders supply business.

Hibbert is recently from Hollister where he was a partner in the McKinnon Lumber Co. of that city and previous to that

time he spent four and a half years in the army air forces. He is married, and is at present living with his wife’s parents in Vacaville until such time as quarters become available in Davis.

Hibbert was born in Sterling City in the midst of lumbering operations and much of his life has been spent in and around the lumber business excepting the time he was a student at the Ohio Wesleyan University from which graduated. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi.

Here’s where we are today...

5th & G Streets 753.5611

Article appeared in The Davis Enterprise July 25th, 1947

57.

We’ve been rolling up our sleeves & lending a hand for 70 years!

This ad appeared in the early 1950’s

Woodstock’s: Work hard and have fun Story by Tanya Perez / Courtesy photos Left: Dee Clark, former general manager of Woodstock’s, shows off her pizza-dough twirling skills for visitors from the Bridge Foundation summer camp in 2013.

Below: Woodstock’s Pizza, 219 G St., expanded into the adjacent space to the south in 2002. It had taken many forms over the years, including a popular video-games parlor called The Library.

W

hen Woodstock’s opened in Davis in 1986, the popular pizza restaurant settled into its spot along G Street.

Dee Clark, longtime general manager of the restaurant — she started as the assistant general manager in 1991, becoming the GM the following year and serving in that role for the next 22 years — told The Enterprise over pizza at Woodstock’s, “It started at 219 G St. ... Before that, it had been The Club, a sort of dive bar.”

Little-known fact: Davis Woodstock’s serves a pizza called the The Club (pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, white onions and mushrooms) as an homage to the former occupant.

In 2002, Woodstock’s expanded into the neighboring space, 217 G St., which had taken many forms over the years, including a popular video-games parlor called The Library; it later was transformed into a bar. The bar configuration

made it a good fit for Woodstock’s present floor plan.

Woodstock’s is a college-town chain, with seven California locations — all near universities. The original restaurant is in Corvallis, Ore., and was opened in 1977 by Chuck Woodstock and Mike Chew. Tragically, Woodstock

and Chew died in a small plane crash soon before the Davis restaurant opened. Following their deaths, Woodstock’s was handed over to the families of the co-owners.

The families promoted Jeff Ambrose from the Corvallis restaurant to president of the company, and in 2001, Jeff and his wife, Laura, bought the five Californiabased Woodstock’s.

(Two more California locations were added under the Ambroses, and the original Corvallis restaurant is solely owned by Chuck’s wife, Carol Lee Woodstock.)

Laura told The Enterprise she and Jeff “are grateful for the love and loyalty we’ve received from Davis citizens over our past 32 years, and look forward to a great relationship in the future as well.”

To cement that relationship, Woodstock’s has been an active part of the

Davis community, consistently supporting local schools — from preschool to high school — community events, churches and ministries, locals youth sports teams, parades and festivals, and local organizations such as Soroptimists, Davis Downtown and the Davis Chamber of Commerce.

The company also has a long history of partnership with UC Davis, supporting many university organizations.

“We have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and free food to these organizations through our history,” Laura said.

Clark echoed this sentiment.

“It’s always been a strong belief that a strong community is valuable for the business,” she said, adding, “Jeff Ambrose always felt we were in the people business, not just the pizza business.”

After ending her 23 years at the restaurant, Clark reflected, “It was an honor and a pleasure to work here because of how well I got to know the community.” She feels like she got to live Chuck Woodstock’s motto: “Work hard, have fun.”

Note: Woodstock’s is a charter member of the Green Restaurant Association. Said Laura Ambrose, “We’ve implemented dozens of changes over the years to be more environmentally conscious, with a commitment to recyclable and compostable packaging, energy-saving equipment, less waste, etc.

We are also committed to sourcing our fresh produce locally whenever possible, and offering nitrate-free meats.”

Bedrock Construction turns remodeling dreams into reality Story by Anne Ternus-Bellamy / Courtesy photo

B

edrock Construction’s most visible project is also its home: the retrofit and refurbishing of the aging Contech building at Second Street and Cantrill Drive in East Davis.

Visible and accessible from Interstate 80, the remodeled and energy-efficient building at 2525 Second St. is home to Bedrock, Davisville Property Management and Second Street Storage.

The site, however, is just one of the many remodeling and construction projects Bedrock has been responsible for in Davis,

where the company has operated for more than two decades.

Since 1989, Bedrock has remodeled more than 300 kitchens in the area; it specializes in whole-house remodels and additions.

The company is run by secondgeneration contractor Michael Pesola with the assistance of his wife, Sara, and brother Mario, according to the company website.

Sara Pesola serves as office manager while Mario Pesola, the major craftsman of the group, is out in the field supervising carpentry work and ensuring quality.

Michael Pesola has been in the remodeling business for more than 25 years, with Bedrock currently serving clients in both Davis and Sacramento.

He and his brothers learned their craft from their father, Jack, a general contractor himself.

Now Bedrock works closely with local design businesses like Laura Nathan Design and JMH Architecture to help turn remodeling dreams into reality.

Pesola is also the author of “Tales from the Job Site,” which shares real-life stories about the trials and tribulations of a general contractor, including funny — and not-sofunny — encounters with clients.

58.

Bedrock Construction shares the refurbished Contech building at 2525 Second St. with Davisville Property Management and Second Street Storage.

United Financial Services: Local choice for financial planning Story by Bruce Gallaudet/ Enterprise, courtesy photos

U

nited Financial Services — a mother-and-son enterprise owned by Joyce Thorp and Steve Gary — has provided area residents with a sense of future security and effective tax services for the past 33 years.

“We’re really separate businesses under the same roof,” says Gary, a graduate of Davis High and Sacramento State.

Thorp handles a majority of the tax work and is a health-services broker while her son is dedicated to investment and wealth management and financial planning while still doing a modicum of tax work.

Over the years, Gary has acquired five different professional licenses.

UFS — at 423 F St. Suite 102 — originally opened its doors on G Street.

Thorp, a Sunshine State native and University of Florida grad by way of New York, came to Davis in 1962 and for a time worked solo in the tax-and-finance world.

Happy

From Gary’s high school days, the mother and son knew someday they would partner in the business — so much so that Gary geared his educational path to that end.

Thriving non-stop over the years, United Financial Services has been a word-of-mouth success.

“We still get 99 percent referrals,” Thorp says with a smile. “That’s where most of our business comes from. And every time our ad appears in (The Davis Enterprise), we get phone calls.”

So, does Thorp have words of wisdom for those seeking financial planning or tax work?

“Be honest with the tax preparer and the financial person you’re working with because if they don’t know the entire story, they can’t do a good job for you,” she says.

“I can honestly say, there hasn’t been a day that I didn’t want to come to the office to work.

Right: Joyce Thorp and her son Steve Gary are a team at United Financial Services, 423 F St., Suite 102. Below: Mom and son hard at work in 1988.

“And during tax season, it’s seven days a week.”

Why does United Financial Services have a leg up in helping with local residents’ money needs and concerns?

“Because we’re personable, we’re hometown people — (I’ve) been here for over 50 years — we know the

community,” Thorp promises.

Staff size over the years has ranged from two to five folks, but the same knowledgable, friendly help has been on hand from Day 1.

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59.

Pence Gallery a place to connect with art Story by Linda DuBois / Enterprise, courtesy photos

T

he notprofit Pence Gallery, at 212 D St. in downtown Davis, has been a place to connect with and learn about art for more than 40 years.

Founded in 1976, the gallery was named for Joe and Hazel Pence, who donated the building to the city for use as a fine-arts venue.

This space, which once had housed Joe Pence’s dental practice, served the gallery well for many years, but in the late 1990s, gallery leaders decided to replace the aging facility.

The 720-square-foot structure was demolished in October 2003, and the current twostory, 4,900-square-foot, multicolored gallery opened with a New Year’s Eve bash on Dec. 31, 2004.

Besides the ongoing fine-art exhibitions and art lectures, the Pence has educational programs for youths and adults, internships

for college students, workshops, classes, presentations and talks.

Among the many popular programs are ArtSmart field trips for school groups, where kids learn about the art with a docent and create their own art projects; KidsCreate hands-on workshops; and “Canvas and Cocktails,” where adults learn art techniques while enjoying wine, chocolates and other refreshments.

The Pence also hosts community events, such as Stories on Stage, where regional actors read short fiction pieces by emerging writers to a live audience, as well as special events and programs. It even hosts regular yoga classes.

“We continue to be a free gallery due to the support of the local community,” said Natalie Nelson, Pence Gallery director and curator.

“From our early ‘Bach’s Lunches’ on our patio, to the larger festivals and programs we host today, the Pence engages visitors of all ages to explore the diversity of the arts.”

Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Visit www.pencegallery.org.

This beautiful, multicolored 4,900-squarefoot building is the Pence Gallery’s new home, opening to the public at a New Year’s Eve celebration on Dec. 31, 2004. It replaced the small structure that used to occupy the site at 212 D St. downtown.

Left: Founded in 1976, the Pence Gallery was named for Joe and Hazel Pence, who donated the building to the city for use as a fine-arts venue. It had served as Joe Pence’s dental office.

USE Credit Union: ‘Whatever the dream, we ... make it happen’ Story by Bruce Gallaudet / Enterprise photo

T

hey call it “values-based banking” and the employees of USE Credit Union pledge to ... n Be at your service; n Value your business; n “Make it happen, effectively”; n Work with integrity; and n Act as one.

A fixture in town since 1974 when the financialservices institution opened its doors on the UC Davis campus, the iconic local business is open to “anyone who lives, works or worships in a community that has a branch,” says Tammy Crewdson, associate vice president and manager of the Davis branch.

Crewdson, who has been with USE since 1984, oversees nine branch employees.

The statewide USE system has more than 150

folks working in it after being formed to serve San Diego’s division of highway employees in 1936. In 1963, its charge was expanded and the first branch opened in San Diego, serving the active and retired employees of Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, San Ysidro Heath Care Center, University Hospital, San Diego-based state employees and the University of San Diego.

Since those early days at UCD, the credit union has long been established at Second and B streets in downtown Davis. USE is a nonprofit co-op that, according to Crewdson, provides the personal touch so often missing at other larger credit unions.

“As a financial institution, we have the resources to turn dreams into reality — whether it’s a new car, a new home, to pay off debt ... you name it.

Whatever the dream, we work with our members to make it happen,” Crewdson told The Enterprise.

See USE, Page

60.

61

From left are Tammy Crewdson, associate vice president and Davis branch manager; Shelley K. Duckart, senior mortgage specialist; and Chris Majestic, relationship officer.

Mason-McDuffie helps families’ dreams come true Story by Anne Ternus-Bellamy / Courtesy photo

M

country, with headquarters ason-McDuffie Mortgage Corponow located in San Ramon. ration’s roots go Longtime Davis resident back a ways — to 1887, in Dave Heard joined the fact.

Mason-McDuffie family Since then, the company right out of college, shortly has helped untold numbers after graduating from UC of families buy their first Davis in 1978. homes, including many “Thirty-nine years later, here in Davis.

I’m still here,” he said.

“We strive to fulfill the Over nearly four decades, dream of home ownership, Heard has worked with build lasting client relationDave Heard generations of local Realships and create value that tors, builders and title stands the test of time,” the companies in Davis and continues to company says.

Mason-McDuffie, licensed in multiple help generations of families get into their dream homes in Davis. states, opened California offices back in “We all just help the average family the 1960s. get into that house,” he said of his work.

By 1982, the mortgage company had the sixth-largest portfolio in the There is a legacy of sorts involved —

he’s now helping the children and grandchildren of his early clients finance their homes, working out of offices in Sacramento.

Davis has changed quite a bit during Heard’s time here — from the price of homes to the expansion of the city itself.

“The footprint of Davis has really changed,” he noted, with the additions of everything from Stonegate to Wildhorse to the “Bird Streets” in Northstar, north of Covell Boulevard.

But now growth has slowed and home prices have risen.

When Heard bought his first house in Davis, he paid $63,000. Now that home would sell for more than $510,000, he said.

“Price increases in Davis have been huge,” he noted.

A

nother change: Back when Heard started in the mortgage business, there were more than a dozen real estate companies in Davis.

After a lot of consolidation, that number has dropped to a handful. There are fewer title companies as well, he noted.

Heard himself lived in El Macero for many years before he and his wife decided to downsize and move to Woodland a couple of years ago.

“But my roots are in Davis,” he noted.

Generations of families also have planted roots here, thanks to MasonMcDuffie and Heard.

USE: Assets among top 50 credit unions From Page 60 “Plus, our members tell us we feel like family.

“When a new member walks through our doors, we treat them that way.”

USE Credit Union branches are found only in Yolo, Alameda, Sacramento, San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

According to a USE spokesperson, the business holds assets in the top 50 among California’s more than 400 credit unions.

If you live outside the aforementioned counties? You’re still eligible for membership as a state government employee; an employee, student or graduate of any University of California campus; or a retiree from UC, the state or a business in what USE calls its Select Employee Group.

For more information, visit usecu. org.

City of Davis Employees

The City of Davis is celebrating a BIG birthday in 2017 To honor our first residents and all those who came after, we are having a year-long celebration.

Join us to celebrate the City’s past, present and future. Information on Centennial events, Davis history, time capsule ideas, sponsor and volunteer opportunities are on our website: Davis100.CityofDavis.org Share your story – Do you have historical photos or stories of Davis? Share your Davis story with us.

Email: Davis100@CityofDavis.org

61.

Double-deckers are local hallmarks Story by Tanya Perez / Enterprise and courtesy photos

UC Davis Library/ Special Collections

“I

t is expected that the buses will add considerable color to the Davis campus,” reads a 1968 UC Davis news release announcing the launch of red London double-decker buses around Davis.

The two buses that began the fleet for Unitrans were “purchased from London Transport for $3,500 apiece, (and) were delivered in San Francisco on the S.S. Silver Sea for another $1,000.”

Now close to celebrating 50 years in operation, the beloved Unitrans vehicles are an integral part of the Davis community. Amusing side note: In a 1986 Enterprise article that discussed Unitrans’ early days, it was noted that “Some community members were initially worried that voyeurs would ride the upper decks of the London buses and peer into the homes and yards of Davis inhabitants.”

In 1972, Unitrans was opened to the general public, with partial funding from the city of Davis. The ASUCD/ city partnership has continued, and now Unitrans provides public transportation service — free to UCD students, and $1 per ride for non-students — to the entire city on 48 buses, along 18 routes.

That correlates to 4 million passengers riding the red buses each year, with a typical school day seeing more than 22,000 passengers.

But it’s the right-hand drive, doubledecker buses that garner all the attention. The original London

UC Davis students check out the two London buses in 1968.

Left: A modern Unitrans doubledecker bus bids “good morning” to passengers in West Village. Right: A 1971 ad in The California Aggie encourages UC Davis students and the community to ride “an authentic London bus.”

conveyances, which measure 14 feet, 3 inches tall are unable to go into South Davis because of the underpass into that part of town. Also, Unitrans must work with the city to keep the trees pruned on the doubledecker routes, which run on six lines: B, E, F, G, J, V. One of the double-deckers has been converted from a diesel engine to run on clean natural gas, which also fuels the modern buses in the fleet.

All of the bus drivers are UCD students. That’s another special thing about Unitrans: In addition to being the only U.S. bus system with London double-decker buses, the system is primarily run by undergrads. The drivers undergo extensive training,

and the Unitrans website (unitrans. ucdavis.edu) notes that its “safety record is among the best among public transit systems in the U.S.” Adding to the novelty, Unitrans also has its own metal shop, wood shop and a fleet of mechanics, making it possible to “machine” parts from the 1960s that are no longer available to keep the buses in working order.

It appears that the goals of the original visionaries of Unitrans have been achieved. The 1968 news release from UCD mused, “It is expected that the double-decker buses will become a landmark such as San Francisco cable cars.”

Farm Fresh to You takes family farm into the future Story by Sebastian Oñate

T

he family farm — that treasured, if vanishing, American institution — is alive and well in Yolo County, and few exhibit the forward thinking necessary to continue community agriculture into the 21st century as well as Farm Fresh to You. Its Capay Organic Farm — run by brothers Thaddeus, Noah and Freeman — was established in 1976 by their parents, Kathleen Barsotti and Martin Barnes, who were among the co-founders of the Davis Farmers Market.

Begun on “20 acres of star thistle and a dream,” the farm has expanded to 500 acres of certified organic land (growing more than 130 varieties of fruits and vegetables) and is a pioneer in communitysupported agriculture.

To deal with all that produce, Kathleen Barsotti started a delivery service, Farm Fresh to You, in 1992. Tens of thousands of loyal customers have signed up over the years, happy to know where their food is coming from. The internet opened up a new avenue, allowing lovers of organic produce to customize their orders online.

“For over 35 years, our farm has worked to change the food system by providing a direct link to the farm that grows your food,” Thaddeus Barsotti told The Enterprise in 2015.

In addition to the direct contact through the deliveries, and a presence at more than a dozen farmers markets, the farm, at 23800 State Highway 16 in Capay, connects with consumers through a packed schedule of events, including tours and annual celebrations like the Capay Tomato Festival (coming up on July 22), Cinco de Mayo and the Capay Crush.

Find out more about this unique family institution at https://www.farm freshtoyou.com.

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62.

Teichert Construction paved the way Story by Jeff Hudson / Courtesy photos

T

he city of Davis is marking the 100th anniversary of its incorporation in 1917, but Teichert Construction is even older, tracing its roots back into the late 1800s.

Founder Adolph Teichert was a 17-year-old stonemason when he came from Germany to the United States in 1871. A few years later, he made his way to San Francisco, where he was hired to work on sidewalks around the Mark Hopkins Hotel and in Golden Gate Park (and some of those walkways are still in use). He also worked on some of the sidewalks around the state Capitol building in Sacramento (finished in the 1870s).

Teichert’s growing reputation led him to launch his own company in 1887, and he was joined by his son in 1912.

In 1927, as California began licensing construction firms, A. Teichert & Son received state contractors license No. 8, now the oldest active such license in California.

Jud Riggs, Teichert’s current chairman, president and CEO, said, “We are very proud of Teichert’s history. Many things change over the course of 130 years but some things do not. We still get energized building things that are in daily use for great customers in vibrant communities such as Davis and Woodland and, most importantly, with extraordinary people.”

Over the years, the Teichert family also helped establish the Northern California Contractors Association, which later became the Northern California Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Teichert shifted its focus from sidewalks to building roads and highways, including the main highway from Davis to Winters, and most of the roads in Davis and at the University Farm, which later

would become UC Davis. The company also paved streets all over Woodland.

In the 1940s, Teichert, like many companies, was involved in a number of World War II-related infrastructure projects, and also a joint venture relating to construction of the Shasta Dam, between 1938 and 1945.

Teichert, which has its headquarters in Sacramento, established permanent construction district offices in the Woodland/ Davis area in 1948.

The company grew and prospered in the 1950s and 1960s, and in the 1970s, Teichert was involved with construction of big transportation projects like the Interstate 80/Highway 113 interchange, and sections of Highway 113 between Davis and Woodland.

In the 1980s, Teichert played a role in construction of the veterinary medicine facilities at UC Davis. In 1999, the company opened new offices just north of the Davis city limits, adjacent to Highway 113. And in the first decade of the 2000s, Teichert was involved with road improvements for the new West Village neighborhood at UCD. Teichert also was responsible for most of the street improvements when the Mace Ranch neighborhood was built in

Left: In the 1940s, Teichert was involved in several World War IIrelated infrastructure projects, then the company grew and prospered in the postwar building boom of the 1950s and ‘60s.

Davis in the 1990s, as well as in the Wildhorse neighborhood in the 2000s.

Teichert also did the grading work for the Wildhorse Golf Course.

Its most recent project in Davis has been the street improvements for The Cannery neighborhood over the past three years.

Teichert was involved in construction of the Davis/Woodland water treatment plant, completed in 2016, and the new Terminal B building at Sacramento International Airport, completed in 2011.

Teichert also supplied materials for

Congratulations to our wonderful city on

the foundation of the new Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento.

The Teichert Foundation, established in 1990, makes grants to numerous organizations throughout the region that “create beauty, foster culture, nurture children, provide access to food and housing for those in need, preserve nature, increase awareness of our environment, build an educated citizenry and a well-prepared workforce, and strive to provide better health for all.”

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63.

Hoffmann Automotive: friendly and efficient Story by Bruce Gallaudet / Enterprise, courtesy photo

H

offmann 76 was the last downtown service station standing when its owners decided it was time to shift gears.

So successful was the repair and maintenance aspect of Jeff and Rick Hoffmann’s business, they often couldn’t find enough space to queue the cars to which they were attending.

In 2005, the brothers sold their property at Fifth and G streets, moving to new digs at 2613 Second St. where Hoffmann Automotive was born.

The business’ legacy began in the 1970s when Davis High graduates Jeff and Rick worked at what once was known as Ray Moss Union.

“I was working nights, my wife was at the university days and we never really saw each other,” recalls Jeff, who with wife Susan was expecting the birth of son Jason.

“Then in 1979, Jeff had an opportunity to buy the place from Ray,” explains Rick, who had served six years in the National Guard and hadn’t worked at Moss’ when his brother did.

“No escrow, nothing like that,” Jeff says. “I just wrote Ray a check at the dinner table and it was done. It was a different time.”

That was 1979. The Union 76 folks had a mandate called Minuteman Service. “(Union) was really, really big on customer service, customer focus … and we

believed it, too,” Rick says.

“We knew how to treat people, or we thought we did: Treat them the way you’d want to be treated,” Jeff explains.

“I didn’t know (anything) about being in business for myself. I just knew I liked cars and I had the opportunity to buy this gas station.

Rick concurs: “We just did (business) the common-sense way. We were nice to people, we did things other places didn’t do.”

Remember getting your oil checked, windows washed, tire pressure topped off?

Long time ago, but ...

To this day, that let’s-getit-right approach remains evident at Hoffmann Automotive.

Nine employees, including Jeff ’s wife and son Jason, are on staff.

The elements that 26-year-old Jeff Hoffmann embraced when he took over as one of the youngest 76 dealers in America are still in place.

Above: Rick Hoffmann, left, and his brother Jeff have owned Hoffmann Automotive since 1979. They moved their business from Fifth and G streets — where they owned a Union 76 station for 26 years — to 2613 Second St. in 2005.

Left: Bob Isaacs aims to get a hole-in-one in this June 1979 photo to promote a Kiwanis golf tournament. Jeff Hoffmann shows off the tires to be given to the best golfer.

“It’s pretty simple,” Rick adds. Oh, and about that policy of being nice to customers?

Rick Hoffmann met his wife Diane the gas station …

“She kept coming in … kept dropping hints and dropping hints. She kept

trying to ask me out, but I was oblivious to all this,” he remembers.

“We had a rule: we were nice to everybody and waited on customers, right?

We kept work and play separate.”

Finally, Diane had to ask Mr. Nice Guy out.

Midtown Animal Clinic: caring and experienced Story by Tanya Perez / Enterprise photo

M

idtown Animal Clinic in Davis is a fullservice veterinary clinic with a real local connection.

Dr. Cliff Gravem, the owner of the practice, worked at Midtown while he was a student at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

He bought the then-10-year-old practice, at 525 Rowe Place, in 1983.

His fellow doctors in the practice also all graduated from UCD’s Vet School — ranked No. 1 in the world — and provide compassionate and professional care for all kinds of pets.

By the way, for anyone who has ever had a pet run away and been frantic to find him, Midtown will take lost dogs and cats and scan them for microchips, as well as try to locate the

owner. Your humble reporter has been a beneficiary of this service ... twice!

The clinic also participates in the Sacramento Area Animal Coalition’s low-cost spay day programs, helping reduce the unwanted pet population. And as good citizens of Davis, Midtown has been a member of the Davis Chamber of Commerce since 1987, and it regularly sponsors art events, such as the Pence Gallery’s art auctions.

But most of all, the veterinarians at Midtown — Drs. Gravem, Aine Coil, Melissa Hartinger, Kim Nguyen and Kelly Regan — are very caring and experienced. Pet owners heap praise on the clinic’s doctors and staff for loving the patients they treat.

64.

Dr. Cliff Gravem holds Hula, one of his patients at Midtown Animal Clinic on Rowe Place in downtown Davis. Gravem, a graduate of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, bought the then 10-yearold practice in 1983.

Davis Cemetery is so much more Story by Linda DuBois / Enterprise, courtesy photos

S

omeone could visit a relative’s gravesite, stroll through a lovely arboretum, learn about local history, view fine-art exhibits and maybe even watch a live theater production — all within the 28 acres operated by the Davis Cemetery District at 820 Pole Line Road.

What started as simply a cemetery has evolved into a multipurpose community resource over many years.

It began as a privately owned burial ground donated by the Chiles family in the early 1850s, according to district board member and historian Dennis Dingemans.

“The southern half of the cemetery was for Catholics and at some point in time that land was deeded to the church,” he said.

Various management arrangements evolved in the northern half before the early 1920s, when state legislation allowed for property tax-supported cemetery districts.

“Yolo County was one of the first counties to respond to the opportunity by creating the Davis Cemetery District,” Dingemans said.

Notable leaders in the 1920s to 1940s included two longtime district board members, Harriet “Hattie” Weber and Virginia Dixon, who did much of the planting, watering and mowing before there was a paid landscape staff, Dingemans said.

During the 1960s, the district purchased about 20 acres and expanded the grounds eastward, and the Catholic portion was deeded over to the district.

Fast-forward to 2005, when the district board crafted a master plan with goals of becoming a more inviting space for contemplation and enjoying nature, celebrating diverse cultures and learning about history.

Over seven years, district staff, interns

and volunteers helped transform the cemetery into a beautiful arboretum.

More than 100 trees, native plants and adaptive plants “were carefully selected and planted to create a serene and inviting environment for visitors,” said Kristi Dvorak, district community outreach director.

They also restored the only native swale in Davis with more than 40,000 plants and grasses. The district received a Level II Arboretum Designation by the Morton Registry in 2012.

After seeing artists coming onto the grounds to sketch, paint and photograph, district staff were inspired to create an on-site art gallery in 2010, Dvorak said.

“The historic cemetery district building with its natural wood and abundant light was a unique and natural fit for fine art,” she said.

Gallery 1855 rotates contemporary artists’ work monthly, with opening receptions from 1 to 4 p.m. every second Sunday.

“The art gallery was so well-received by the public that it inspired even more cultural offerings such as poetry readings, music and dance,” Dvorak said.

“We partner with local organizations and community leaders to create educational and enriching programs to the public such as Dia de Los Muertos, Memorial Day, poetry, live music and, most recently, theater.”

In spring 2017, the district worked

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Above: Stately monuments and modest headstones marking the final resting places of generations of Davisites.

with The Art Theater of Davis and the city’s Civic Arts Program to present an outdoor evening production of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” with a temporary stage and seating under the light of the moon.

“The rolling green hills, the abundant trees and peaceful atmosphere made it the

Far left: A crowd gathers in the Davis Cemetery to watch The Art Theater of Davis’ performance of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull.”

Left: When the old tank house was taken down, the land it sat on became the first dedicated cremation area. perfect backdrop for a live theater performance,” Dvorak said.

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Enterprise in 1906 cost $2, and Scott boasted of “display advertisements at reasonable rates.”

L.A. Eichler in 1897. In less than six months, Eichler was able to expand it from a four-page weekly to eight pages.

1897

Chelso Maghetti, who came to Davis in 1919 and served as postmaster from 1927 through 1936, bought The Enterprise from Scott in 1935 and continued to publish it until 1960.

A one-year subscription to The

The Davisville Enterprise was founded by

1900

1906

William H. Scott, a Yolo County native and local justice of the peace, took over ownership in 1900 and continued as editor and publisher until 1935.

1917

1935

F.F. McNaughton, who’d been a teacher and high school principal before returning to college at Columbia University for a master's degree in journalism, bought a small weekly paper in Bicknell, Ind., and served as its editor and publisher.

Read Us for the Next 100 Years! davisenterprise.com

315 G St.

CEO Foy McNaughton

The Davis Enterprise

The McNaughton family purchased the

pledged, “as Davis grows, our philosophy of a community newspaper will not change. We are committed to providing community news first, above all else, and we will stay committed to that goal..”

underwent a major expansion with its move in 1983 to a newly renovated 8,000-square-foot building at 315 G St., site of the former post office.

newspaper from the Tibbitts family in March 1967. They constructed a new home for the newspaper at 302 G St.

1967

530-756-0826 Davis

1981 Burt McNaughton

joined the family business in 1981 as an advertising sales representative. He is the longtime publisher of The Enterprise, and lives in El Macero with his family.

1983

1994 The McNaughton family purchased The

Winters Express in 1994 and later, Village Life in El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park Life and the Georgetown Gazette.

2017+

We’ve grown, changed along with Davis Story by Debbie Davis / Enterprise, courtesy photos

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few families settle along the banks of a stream to farm the fertile soil, and a community is born. Those families attract more, and a town begins to thrive.

But as the community grows, word of mouth becomes a less efficient way to spread the news, and a newspaper is established. The weekly publication keeps residents up to date on news of their neighbors, and helps connect them to the world outside.

And over the years, the newspaper grows with the community. The weekly becomes a daily. A few pages turn into many more, as stores look for a way to advertise their wares.

That’s the story behind The Davis Enterprise, which was founded in 1897 to cover community news and is fulfilling the same role 120 years later.

The paper was established as The Davisville Enterprise

by L.A. Eichler. In less than six months, Eichler was able to expand it from a four-page weekly to eight pages.

Eichler owned his newspaper only three years; then, William H. Scott, a Yolo County native and local justice of the peace, took over the ownership in 1900 and continued as editor and publisher until 1935.

Soon after Davisville — about to be renamed “Davis” — was chosen as the site of the University Farm, Scott dropped the “ville” from the nameplate.

Like many newspapers of that era, Scott’s Enterprise lacked the objectivity required of today’s papers. In 1906, a Page 1 headline proclaimed “School Tax Election This Afternoon: Everybody Interested in the Welfare of the Town and School Should Come Out and Vote ‘Tax’ YES.” The Personal and Local Happenings column on the front page chronicled residents’ comings and goings, and told who was at whose tea party.

If you hadn’t been invited, you could read and it weep.

Scanning those columns is like taking a walk through city history and encountering our famous city fathers and mothers.

Some examples from 1906: “Mrs. C.A. Covell was an arrival Tuesday evening after an absence of three weeks spent in Oakland and San Francisco. Her daughter, Miss Mabel Philliber, did not return but will continue her vacation.”

“A.J. Tufts was in Woodland Monday.”

“The editor and daughter, Miss Cleo and Mr. Wm. King, made a flying trip to San Francisco yesterday.”

A one-year subscription to The Enterprise in 1906 cost $2, and Scott boasted of “display advertisements at reasonable rates.”

Chelso Maghetti, who came to Davis in 1919 and served as postmaster from 1927 through 1936, bought The Enterprise from Scott in 1935 and continued to publish it until 1960.

As the newspaper’s circulation was continuing to grow,

Above and left: The Enterprise office on G Street has always been a community gathering place. The paper was established in 1897 and has been owned and operated by the McNaughton family since 1967.

The Enterprise won an award in 1938 from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for the best front page of any Northern California weekly.

Maghetti also made a major contribution to community historians by preserving a complete file of The Davis Enterprise at the UC Davis Library.

In the 1960s, The Enterprise became an afternoon newspaper published five days a week, and grew to a circulation of about 1,300 under several owners.

Below: Foy McNaughton, CEO of McNaughton Newspapers and his wife Barbara, seated at center, are bursting with pride at celebrating 100 years in the newspaper business and 50 years owning The Davis Enterprise. Their family includes, back row, from left, David and Ashley Nicholson, Rune McNaughton (daughter Jennifer McNaughton’s son) and Wendy and Burt McNaughton. Front row, from left, are Brandon Nicholson, Emily Nicholson, Brooke McNaughton and Dylan Nicholson. Not pictured is Jennifer McNaughton.

McNaughton ownership After the McNaughton family purchased the newspaper from the Tibbitts family in March 1967, they constructed a new home for the newspaper at 302 G St. The newspaper continued to grow under Publisher Phil G. Hays III. The McNaughtons’ newspaper heritage was established in 1917 when F.F. McNaughton, who’d been a teacher and high school principal before returning to college at Columbia University for a master’s degree in journalism, bought a small weekly paper in Bicknell, Ind., and served as its editor and publisher.

See ENTERPRISE, Page

68 67.

ENTERPRISE: Newspapering in the digital age is a 24/7 job Davis Enterprise Publisher Burt McNaughton, right, and his family stand in front of a portrait of the family patriarch, F.F. McNaughton. From left are son-in-law Taylor Buley, chief technology officer for McNaughton Newspapers; grandson Beckett, almost 4; daughter Jacquelyn McNaughton Buley; and wife Blanche. Not pictured are daughter Berkeley and her husband, Jack Strelich.

From Page 67 Ten years later, the family acquired its flagship paper, the Pekin (Ill.) Daily Times, and for the next 60 years, McNaughton and his wife Ceil McNaughton wrote a daily column for the front page of the paper they edited and published.

The family acquired other newspapers along the way, but Pekin was the “home base” for their enterprises. McNaughton never left the grass roots of the small-town newspaper industry, although he was awarded a doctorate from Tri-State College where he had done his undergraduate work, and earned a medallion as the outstanding graduate at his Columbia University 50th class reunion.

When F.F. McNaughton died in 1981 at the age of 91, three of his children already had become involved in newspapering. One of them, Dean McNaughton, took over as publisher of the Pekin Daily Times and was instrumental in the family’s decision to buy the Fairfield Daily Republic in 1960, the Placerville Mountain Democrat in 1966 and The Davis Enterprise in 1967.

More recently, the family purchased The Winters Express in 1994 and later, Village Life in El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park Life and the Georgetown Gazette.

Dean McNaughton died in June 2012 at age 89.

Foy McNaughton, one of Dean’s sons, came to Davis in the early 1970s to serve an apprenticeship in many facets of The Enterprise’s production. He became publisher of The Enterprise in 1979, and is now CEO of McNaughton Newspapers. He lives in Davis with his family.

Foy’s brother Burt McNaughton joined the family business in 1981 as an advertising sales representative. He is the longtime publisher of The Enterprise, and lives in El Macero with his family.

A fourth generation of the family has joined the newspaper company. Foy’s son Burt McNaughton also began in the advertising department. He spent three years running The Enterprise’s circulation department and now serves as co-publisher of The Daily Republic. He and his family also live in Davis.

Taylor Buley, who is married to Burt’s daughter Jacquelyn, came to The Enterprise in 2005 as a design intern. He returned in 2014 to serve as the chief technology officer for McNaughton Media, and is spearheading the company’s digital strategies.

Burt’s younger daughter, Berkeley McNaughton Strelich, began her

Chelso Maghetti, right, was the editor and publisher from 1935 to 1960. Here, he chats with Sam Brinley, the Davis depot agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad, in 1943. The Enterprise office was just north of Third and G streets. Below: Producion Manager Bill Erickson checks a page hot off the press.

career at The Enterprise in 2006 as an editorial intern and worked as a customer service intern in 2008. She returned in 2014 as legal advertising clerk and served as the front office manager until June 2016.

Physical plant The Enterprise underwent a major expansion with its move in 1983 to a

Standing in The Davis Enterprise pressroom in 1925 are, from left, editor and judge William H. Scott, Kathryn King Scott, a linotype operator, and the Rev. Nathan M. Fiske, pastor of the Community Church. oto

Larkey Co

ph /Courtesy llection

68.

newly renovated 8,000-square-foot building at 315 G St., site of the former post office. A few years later, the company purchased the adjacent Kloster Real Estate building to accommodate the circulation department.

And in 1994, the circulation department moved to o phot ourtesy tion/C a small ec ll o C y John Brinle office on the other side of the main building. That office, at 303 G St., was one of the original homes of the newspaper, in fact.

The plant at 302 G St. was refurbished to serve as the press room, mail room and loading dock area.

The Enterprise’s 11-unit press was the largest in Yolo County and ran night and day, as the press crew printed at least three other newspapers in addition to The Enterprise, doing other printing work as well.

The press room closed in early 2015 and The Daily Republic in Fairfield now prints The Enterprise, which reduced its publication schedule to three days a week in 2016.

The digital age has turned newspapering into a 24/7 business, with The Enterprise posting breaking news to its website, www.davisenterprise.com, and providing story updates regularly throughout the day. Digital advertising is becoming more and more important as Davis businesses learn to reach new customers via print and online ads.

But more important than any physical changes, says Foy McNaughton, is the pledge that “we will continue to own and operate the Davis Enterprise in an atmosphere where most family-owned newspapers have been sold to large chains.

“As Davis grows, our philosophy of a community newspaper will not change. We are committed to providing community news first, above all else, and we will stay committed to that goal.”

Since 1968... staying current for almost 50 years If you listen closely you will notice we are doing just that… listening.

Davis Home Trends has always paid close attention to customers’ changing needs. What was once a paint and art supply store has morphed into a store specializing in custom home products and backyard luxury. Over the years customers have brought us their ideas and we’ve taken them to heart. When a good idea comes our way, we do our best to research top quality products and manufacturers. We truly feel we work with the best clients therefore we must supply the best product.

Today we are a Hunter Douglas Gallery with over 30 different window coverings on display. We sell “The World’s Best Built Spas” Coast Spas and our showroom showcases 10 different models. We are pool water experts. Customers bring in their pool water and we help them keep their pool clean all year long. We also have a full selection of beautiful hardwood floors and soft luxurious carpet. You will also find unique home and patio décor, iron wall hanging and gifts.

POOL SUPPLIES

SPAS & HOT TUBS

We welcome you to stop in today. We are open 9-6 Monday through Saturday and look forward to getting to know you and your home.

CARPET & FLOORING

WINDOW COVERINGS

Davis Home Trends 2300 Fifth Street, Davis (530) 756-4187 www.DavisHomeTrends.com

Eric & Paula Rich, Owners

The best place to bank isn’t a bank.

Discover the Local Difference!

Photo courtesy of the Davis Enterprise

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501 G Street, Davis (530) 668-2700 YoloFCU.org 70.

Sierra Railroad Company, founded in 1897 is happy to be a part of the City of Davis!

Sierra Northern Railway

Sierra DinnerTrain

Skunk Train

Sacramento RiverTrain

Sierra Northern operates over 100 miles of track for freight transport in Mendocino, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and Yolo counties through the heart of a number of California's prime industrial areas, serving a wide variety of customers.

Provides visitors an opportunity to travel on the historic Sierra Railroad while enjoying a delicious meal, beautiful countryside, and a wide range of entertainment.

Criss-crossing over the Noyo River, Willits and Fort Bragg and cutting through the cool Redwood forests, a ride aboard this train is one of the ten most scenic in North America.

Rolling between West Sacramento and Woodland, this train hosts a fun variety of trips from Murder Mysteries and Wild West themed dinners to a Beer Train that run throughout the year combining food, entertainment, and beautiful scenery.

Zero Waste Innovation Park Zombie Train

Zero Waste Innovation Park

Area 52

Sierra Energy

This one-of-a-kind railway experience arms passengers with laser rifles to pick-off mobs of zombies attacking the train.

The nation's first Zero Waste Innovation Park and host of other clean technologies from around the world. The system will use Sierra Energy's FastOx gasification system to process biomass into clean, renewable fuels.

32,000 square foot accelerator to enable startups in Davis to benefit from a thriving community of entrepreneurs with space to locate their business near UC Davis and have access to the Sierra Energy Research Park prototyping lab.

Sierra Energy is a waste-to-energy gasification company that's proprietary FastOx gasification system can take virtually any trash and turn it into clean energy, without burning.

sierrarailroad.com | sierraenergy.com 71.

The Anderson Family Doing Business in Davis for Decades 1917

It has been our family’s pleasure to serve the Davis community for over 100 years.

My grandfather immigrated to Davis and was partners for many years with his neighbor, Bernard Rogers in a merchantile store.

Then in 1919, he purchased a hardware store.

1917

1932

Meanwhile Davis Lumber Co. founded in 1907, and operated for decades by E.S. McBride was incorporated in 1922. My grandparents bought the store in 1937 when A. Gordon died suddenly.

Our family retained a stock interest in the company. In 1962 the major owner, Wendell Robie, sold to our family.

Though a complicated history, our family (my grandparents, A. Gordon and Essie Anderson, my parents, Donald and Dora Anderson, and now my family, William Fleeman, Alina Fleeman and Andrew Fleeman and I) has owned and operated a business in Davis for over 100 years! Thank YOU Davis!

1937

1962

1982

~ Jennifer Anderson

Four Buildings - One Destination

Between 2nd & 4th on G St. 530.758.8000

606 West Covell Blvd.

530.302.3485

Hardware, Garden & Pet: M-Sat 7:30am-7:30pm, Sun 9am-6pm

Rock Yard: M-Sat 7:30am-6pm, Sun 9am-6pm

Housewares: M-F 9am-7pm, Sat-Sun 9am-6pm

www.davisace.com www da

M-F 8am-7pm Sat 8am-6pm Sun 10am-6pm