209 Business Journal - AUG 2022

k e e p i n g

BUSINESS JOURNAL

b u s i n e s s e s

c o n n e c t e d ™

AUGUST 2022

VOLUME 7 ■ ISSUE 8

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HARNEY LANE WINERY.........

3

ORGANIC MUSHROOMS.......

4

RED STEER.............................

5

L&E CAFÉ................................

6

OPINION..................................

7

CERES GATEWAY...................

8

ALMOND FORECAST.............

9

ACCOLADES...........................

11

ACE service to Turlock GETTING READY FOR ACE gets funding

BY DENNIS WYATT

209 Business Journal

Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service is moving farther down the line to Turlock.

The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission has been awarded $57 million by the State of California to extend ACE service from Ceres to Turlock.

Funding from the Senate Bill 1 deal in 2017 to increase the state gas tax including money to extend ACE service from Ceres to Sacramento is already in place with at least one train added

Plan calls for platform, additional parking

to go from Ceres to San Jose.

That service will be up and running in 2023.

Ultimately, ACE will be extended to Merced to connect with the California High Speed Rail system.

A segment of the high speed from Bakersfield to Merced could be up and running by the end of the decade.

The latest funding means ACE service will reach Turlock several or so years ahead of 2030, possibly within a few years of trains staring to serve Ceres.

Initially, three trains will SEE TURLOCK, PAGE 10

BY DENNIS WYATT

209 Business Journal

Rail passenger service is returning to downtown Manteca in 2023 after a 91-year absence.

A memorandum of understanding between the San Joaquín Regional Rail Commission and the Manteca City Council Tuesday night clears the way for the construction a station and additional park for the start of Altamont Corridor Express Service next year.

The Manteca station is part of the rollout of Ceres to SEE MANTECA, PAGE 10

DENNIS WYATT/209 Business Journal

The area between the eastern edge of the city’s municipal water well treatment facility where access to the Tidewater Bikeway is located where this photo was taken and the transit center will be converted into parking for ACE commuters.

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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AUGUST 2022

THE CARE YOU NEED, THE WAY YOU WANT IT. Health care should be hassle-free. At Kaiser Permanente, it is. With connected teams and flexible ways to access care, it’s easy to get the support you need to stay healthy — when and where you need it.

THE CARE YOU NEED, THE WAY YOU WANT IT. Health care should be hassle-free. At Kaiser Permanente, it is. With connected teams and flexible ways to access care, it’s easy to get the support you need to stay healthy — when and where you need it.

kp.org/centralvalley

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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AUGUST 2022

IN PROFILE

Escape to Harney Lane Winery for a sip and a sit

BY VIRGINIA STILL

209 Business Journal

September is wine month in California but realistically, for many of us everywhere, wine month is celebrated every month. September was deemed wine month due to the annual harvest season and all the activity that goes along with it. With the wine region that we have in the 209 we give Napa some significant competition especially with wineries like Harney Lane Winery in Lodi.

Viticulture on the grounds at Harney Lane Winery is multigenerational and has been occurring since the early 1900s.

Jorja (Mettler) Lerner is a fifthgeneration vintner and along with husband Kyle Lerner has a broad array of wines that are 100 percent estate grown from the wine produced from the vineyards, to the bottling and then the tasting.

Jorja’s great-great grandfather bought the property in 1900 and his son, her great grandfather, planted the first vineyards around 1907. Through the years they focused on growing the wine grapes. Her father George Mettler, who passed in 2013, and wife Kathy continued the legacy of farming the vineyards.

During the early 2000s Jorja and Kyle proposed the venture of their own commercial production and tasting room which, they obliged. The winery building and the tasting room are fairly new.

“So, we were really just growers,” added Kyle. “We grew grapes. We sold them to wineries throughout California.

We’re also seeing the economics of farming, which is becoming more and more difficult each year and felt we needed to pivot and transition from just being growers to actually produce a product that would get to the consumer directly.”

Some of the vineyards are a century old so they still pro-

duce wines with what they had in the beginning. Their varietals include a Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah, Cabernet, and some special Spanish varieties like a Tempranillo and one created specifically for Kathy that is an Albariño. Kyle shared that the Albariño is bright, crisp, and clean with beautiful tropical notes.

“Being in Lodi, we definitely represent Zinfandel very well in our portfolio,” noted Kyle. “But we also do fun things like we produce a very traditional style Chardonnay, that’s barrel fermented, has all of those wonderful components that you would expect. As a grower, I had a lot of background with Spanish varieties so we offer those too.

Every wine we produce comes from vineyards that we grow so we are really self-sustaining. We grow our own fruit; we don’t rely on anyone else.”

A top seller and one of their favorites is the Lizzy James Zinfandel, named after their children, that is made from an old vineyard planted in 1904, a couple of miles north and close to the Mokelumne River that is still producing fruit today.

Not having much interest in the wine industry, Jorja went to school and became a physical therapist and to this day people still request her skills.

She said, “I saw on the farming side all the ups and downs and you didn’t have much control over the weather or over the market. So, some years were great and some years were not.”

When her father George started to have some health problems Kyle assisted him on the farm until he recovered and eventually became his “righthand man.” After starting a family Jorja worked part time as a physical therapist and then started doing book work for the vineyard then she gradually made it a full-time thing and the family business continued.

“We’ve been very blessed, really, we’ve had strong steady growth all along. We found our skill set was really kind of more in customer service and the experience we could provide to our visitors and to our wine club members,” stated Jorja of the tasting room and commercial production venture. “We’ve seen growth in our visitation every year and our wine club continues to grow. It’s been a blessing; it really has been.”

In 2008, Kyle said that they had a little over 700 cases in production and this year they are selling about 10,000 cases that are crafted exactly the same way they were when they started.

“They’re all small lot handcrafted wines,” he said. “The lots have grown a bit but still the same processes, same wines, same techniques that we started with and that’s what we are really strong at is keeping that level of quality, along with the growth that we’re seeing.”

With Kyle’s business background and Jorja’s experience in farming they have been able to be successful through the economy crashing in 2008 and the pandemic in 2020. The passion they have for their customers and giving them a superb experience has also kept their doors open and business thriving.

“We love being small and nimble, and I guess a little scrappy, sometimes, you know, with how we do things,” remarked Kyle.

“But the customer touch point is one of those things that’s almost like a bygone. Anytime you can provide a high level of customer service, it changes the perspective of what’s happening with the product, the product really is secondary. We’ve really been able to approach things from an entirely different level and the wine just comes along with it.”

Jorja concurred with Kyle, expressing that they focus on building relationships with their customers. They have several

VIRGINIA STILL/209 Business Journal

club members that have stayed with them from the beginning and in the meantime, they have experienced births, marriages and engagements through the years with their customers.

They do not have big distribution but can be found at a few local restaurants and liquor stores.

They best place to find them is on Harney Lane in Lodi and have a taste or tour. They also ship wines to their club members in California as well as other states.

Although operations will be 24 hours a day during harvest, they plan on hosting something special in September for California Wine Month.

“Lodi really is the backbone of the California wine industry,” expressed Kyle. “We are the second largest grape growing region in California and we are instrumental in providing a lot of the fruit for that upper echelon of wines that are available out there. You still get to talk to owners and winemakers and it is what people think about when they think about going to a winery. You get to some of these other regions that have grown in tourism, and that has changed a bit and so this is really kind of

a little old school Lodi still as far as their experience, which is a ton of fun for them. We hear that all the time, that it’s just a breath of fresh air.”

The outdoor wine tasting area has greenery all around with some plants and trees that have been there for a century. They have tables tucked away in pockets of the greenery and with the birds singing it makes for a very peaceful and relaxing visit and a perfect setting to enjoy a glass of wine.

Kyle recalled the first time they created and bottled their own wine and how it was one of his best experiences watching his father-in-law taste it as he had only farmed it for the past 40 years at that point.

He noted, “He was a man of very few words and he scared me as a young guy dating his daughter but you watched him there with a glass and you just watched the wheels start to turn and for weeks after that, there’d be one idea after another. That was probably the best moment ever.”

As a grower they wanted to make sure to grow a great grape which Kyle added makes a great SEE WINERY, PAGE 10

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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AUGUST 2022

IN PROFILE

ORGANIC MUSHROOMS

Turlock Fruit Co. Melon Stand a secret worth sharing

Many offerings at Ripon farmers market

BY VINCE REMBULAT 209 Business Journal

E&H Farms of Oakdale is a regular at the Thursday evening Ripon Farmers Market.

This certified organic produce stand features gourmet mushrooms – included are King Trumpet, Maitake, Shiitake, Beech, and Oyster – found in some of the best restaurants and desired by the home chef, according to E&H Farms online site (http://eandhfarms.com).

The Ripon Farmers Market in the Studio Joy parking lot, 929 W. Main St., is one of the few

places locally that offers E&H Farms’ gourmet mushrooms.

The other places, besides Ripon and Oakdale, are in San Francisco, Oakland, Newark, Berkeley, Vallejo, Hayward, Fresno, Walnut Creek, San Leandro and San Rafael.

Heather Crooker is one of the reasons for bringing the flavorful and aesthetically pleasing gourmet mushrooms to Ripon. She not only works for E&H Farms but also serves on the board for Garden Joy, which was founded in 2016 as a small children’s garden program – Oak Valley

BY JOE CORTEZ

209 Business Journal

Youth Garden – before partnering with Studio Joy some two years later.

VINCE REMBULAT/209 Business Journal

Heather Crooker of E&H Farms serves up gourmet mushrooms at the Ripon Farmers Market on Thursdays.

Garden Joy cultivates wellness and community via handson garden program, with local youngsters, in particular, benefitting from this program.

They’ve learned how to garSEE FARMER, PAGE 10

Situated in the corner of a parking lot on S. Tully Road, just about 100 yards from the incessant whir of freeway traffic, the Turlock Fruit Co. Melon Stand may well be the bestkept secret in all of Turlock.

Some longtime Turlockers have never even heard of the tiny retail outlet for the 104-year-old fruit company’s vine-ripened products. Others may have heard, but they’ve never bothered to venture to its off-the-beaten-path location.

“The majority of old-time Turlockers will say, ‘Oh, I used to pack honeydews for Don Smith,’” said melon stand employee Sarah Phillips, refer-

ring to the Turlock Fruit Co.’s longtime owner. “Some of the newcomers will say that their neighbor told them about it or that their neighbor brought them a melon from here.”

Marcie Ingalls, a 21-year resident of Turlock, knew about the stand, but had never visited.

“My friend brought me some melon to try and, well, here I am,” said Ingalls. “Though I drove right past it the first time.

I had to turn around and come back.”

Ingalls recommends the OrangeDew melon, also known as the orange-fleshed honeydew.

“It’s the best melon in the SEE FRUIT, PAGE 10

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209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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AUGUST 2022

IN PROFILE

Crust & Crumb brings the return of Red Steer

BY CHRISTOPHER CORREA 209 Business Journal

George and Ellen Kosmas have been serving the city of Turlock and the surrounding communities for more than 26 years when they created Edith’s Bakery, and their entrepreneurial endeavors within the restaurant industry expanded when they opened Crust & Crumb in 2016.

The business was booming up until the COVID-19 pandemic. Like most other restaurants and small businesses, they were unsure of their future. Despite the economic struggles, the pandemic also served as a unique opportunity to begin offering new menu items, one of them being a staple of Turlock history.

“We’re serving Red Steer sandwiches,” George said. “The real ones.”

The Red Steer restaurant was founded in 1968 by Stan and Ray Maggard. In 2009, the original building on Golden State Boulevard burned down as a result of arson. But in the midst of the 2020 pandemic, many community members began reflecting on the history of Turlock, including their love for the Red Steer sandwiches.

“Many people were bringing up Red Steer, and some of our older customers were saying how they wish someone would try to bring the food back in some way,” said Ellen. “And once people heard that customers were pitching the idea to us, we had people come in and try to give us recipes saying that they were the same ones from the original Red Steer.”

It wasn’t until Stan Maggard visited Crust & Crumb that the idea finally turned into a reality.

“Stan and George ran into each other outside and spoke for a long time, and he just ‘Let’s do it,’” Ellen explained.

With the blessing of the Maggard family, Crust & Crumb were given the green light to use the Red Steer branding. While there was plenty of excitement amongst customers, there were still issues that needed to be addressed.

“When the Red Steer menu was introduced, it was not ideal that we couldn’t welcome anybody into the restaurant to sit down and experience the food like they did back in the day,” George explained.

Ellen added the fact that there were no ways for people to watch the meat

CHRISTOPHER CORREA/209 Business Journal

Raul Miranda (left) joined forces with Crust & Crumb owner George Kosmas (right) to bring back genuine flavors of the famous Red Steer menu.

be sliced in front of them, which was a unique draw to the original restaurant.

Not only did COVID-19 restrictions not allow for it to happen, but there wasn’t enough space for it to be possible. She explained that luck was on their side when it came to space becoming available as John and Sharon Jaureguy of Jaureguy’s Paint & Décor vacated the space next door.

“We needed more space, but it was not an easy decision, especially since this was in the middle of COVID,” Ellen said. “I

mean, how could we buy more space when we didn’t even know if we could keep our main restaurant? We ended up doing it, but we had our doubts.”

The gamble proved to pay off, as the space has been filled with customers enjoying the original Red Steer menu ever since. Nevertheless, customers believed that there was still something missing.

“We did our best to follow the recipes, but people said that it wasn’t quite the same,” Ellen said. “That’s when we reached out to Raul.”

The Raul that Ellen referred to is Raul Miranda, who was the last head chef of the Red Steer back in 2009.

“The people coming in kept telling us about Raul, and at first, we didn’t know who Raul was,” Ellen joked.

Prior to the fire, he was a member of the Red Steer staff for more than 19 years. After the building was destroyed, Miranda tried his best to salvage it, but ultimately came up short.

“I tried to save it for around three years, but I ended up digging myself a pretty deep hole,” Miranda said.

Miranda then had to bounce around jobs, working at places like Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse and 234 Bistro before serving as the pitmaster at Big Vic’s BBQ. It was then that George eventually got ahold of Miranda’s number and gave him a call, which eventually led to them coming together in an all-important meeting.

“They sat me down and talked to me a little bit. They showed me their recipes and I had to change it all,” Miranda said.

“I told George, ‘If you’re going to do Red Steer, it has to be Red Steer. It can’t be a knock off. It has to be the real thing or else it’s never going to work.”

With his love for Red Steer still in his heart, Miranda officially decided to leave his position at Vic’s and join the team at Crust & Crumb. Since that moment, Miranda has seen his hard work and sacrifice pay off.

“There are third or fourth generations of families that I’ve been serving for two to three decades,” Miranda said. “I had one guy come in here a while back and told me he started tearing up because I served him his first Red Steer sandwich and he was like 11. It’s things like that that keep me wanting to come back.

You don’t get that kind of relationship at many other places.”

Ellen shared similar sentiments, expressing fulfillment with the fact that the hard work they put in to mirror the original sandwiches is finally paying off.

“At first, it was like, if it’s not one thing it’s another. Now, we can say with confidence that this is as close as it’s ever going to be as the original thing,” she said.

“It’s been great to see the community line up to try the sandwiches,” George added. “There’s a long legacy that comes with Red Steer and we’re happy to keep it alive.”

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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AUGUST 2022

IN PROFILE

New café sets up shop in Gustine

BY SABRA STAFFORD 209 Business Journal

The Gustine community is celebrating the opening of a new eatery in town that is already bringing in the crowds and enjoying rave reviews, all to the surprise of the owners.

“We didn’t expect the support and the success that we have been seeing since we opened,” said Erica Mejia, one of the owners of the newly opened L & E Cafe. “It has been a learning experience, but we couldn’t be happier with the support we

are getting.”

L & E Café opened on July 2 and is owned by husband and wife Erica and Luis Mejia and Luis’ sister and brother-in-law Lucia Telles and Elias Perez.

Hence the name L & E, since it includes all of them.

The idea of opening a café had been one that was long brewing for the four of them. Erica and Elias both had significant experience in the restaurant sector and all of them could prepare some mouthwatering dishes. So, when the opportunity came to rent a space in downtown Gus-

tine, they decided to go for it.

Lucia said the place was in bad shape when they moved in and getting it restaurant worthy was a long process, especially since Erica and Luis were still living in Watsonville at the time.

But they persevered, believing that what they would be serving up to the community would be welcomed.

They all are able to do a bit of everything, though each has a specialty. For Erica that is making the hearty and fresh bagels.

They can be served alongside a selection of cream cheese fla-

vors, or as the staple of a bagel sandwich, like the house special with chicken, roasted bell pepper, onion, tomato, Jack cheese and pesto. They also make bagel omelets, like the Baja version with mushrooms, jalapenos, egg and cheddar cheese.

Lucia’s specialty is the whole pit chicken they sell for $20. The chicken is butterflied, marinated in a secret family blend and then grilled over a charcoal flame. It’s served alongside rice, beans and tortillas and already has become an item that sells out most days.

The coffee drinks and the

smoothies are also already proving to be popular items at the café. The offer regular coffees, along with lattes, a Mexican mocha, cappuccino, a café caramel, a Mexican hot chocolate and hot chocolate. Smoothies come in strawberry, mango, acai, dragon fruit as well as mocha blends.

L & E Café is open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday. It is located at 436 5th Street. For more information call (209) 733-8008.

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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AUGUST 2022

OPINION

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.

Vol. 7 No. 8 ■ August 2022 PUBLISHER Hank Vander Veen

EDITOR Sabra Stafford

NEWSROOM Christopher Correa Joe Cortez Kristina Hacker Teresa Hammond Vince Rembulat Virginia Still Dennis Wyatt

­—Walter Elliot

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Harold L. George

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sharon Hoffman

SALES & MARKETING Chris Castro Beth Flanagan Karen Olsen Corey Rogers Melody Wann Charles Webber

DIGITAL Frankie Tovar Rich Matheson

To advertise in 209 Business Journal, call Manteca ■ 209.249.3500 Oakdale ■ 209.847.3021 Turlock ■ 209.634.9141 Newman ■ 209.862.2222 209 Business Journal is published monthly 122 S. Third Ave • Oakdale, CA 95361 Information: sstafford@209magazine.com 209businessjournal.com The Oakdale Leader USPS No 178-680 Is published weekly by 209 Multimedia, 122 S. Third Ave. Oakdale, Ca 95361 ©Copyright 2022. 209 Business Journal All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher of 209 Business Journal is strictly prohibited. The opinions expressed in 209 Business Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of 209 Business Journal management or owner.

209 Business Journal assumes no responsibility and makes no recommendation for claims made by advertisers and shall not be liable for any damages incurred.

The 12 dumbest - and most common - small business mistakes With more and more people starting businesses of their own — out of necessity, not choice — I’m seeing more and more people making the same mistakes over and over again.

Here is my top 12 list for the dumbest entrepreneurial moves. All are easily avoidable with a little common sense and street smarts: NO. 1: NOT KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMERS Without customers, it’s not a business. Successful entrepreneurs are lifelong students of human nature.

People often don’t buy things they ought to buy. People often don’t buy things they say (in opinion surveys) they will buy. People often don’t buy things that make the world a better place. People often prefer inferior things to superior ones. You must learn what really motivates your customers to part with their hard-earned

CLIFF ENNICO CREATORS SYNDICATE

cash, and market to them as they really are, not as you want them to be or as they should be.

NO. 2: NOT MARKETING AGGRESSIVELY ENOUGH Marketing is a daily job.

Your business must be ubiquitous; your customers should see you everywhere they look. Never get so busy with day-to-day operations that you let your marketing slide. Each day, do one new thing to reach more customers or remind your existing customers you’re still there.

NO. 3: OVERESTIMATING CUSTOMER LOYALTY The epitaph of many failed businesses: “Yeah, a big-box

retailer just moved into town, but my customers will be loyal to me because I provide better service.” People want better service, but they won’t pay extra for it. If you’re not giving them the best deal in town, you will lose them.

a “what” — a new way of doing things — rather than a “who.” If you don’t know why your business is better than your competitors, or you are not getting that message across to your customers, you are losing the war.

NO. 4: BEING TOO SLOW TO ADAPT TO CHANGES Things change rapidly.

New technologies wipe out whole business models. Competitors change their strategies. People change their minds about what they will (and won’t) buy. You must be ahead of those changes, not frantically trying to catch up.

If it seems your world isn’t changing, you’re not looking hard enough.

NO. 6: PICKING THE WRONG PARTNER Nothing keeps you awake at night more than a partner who’s gone over to the dark side. Your partner is not your friend. He or she is someone who can perform the essential tasks of the business that you are unable to do. Do not pick partners who are like you. Pick partners who complement you. And make sure you can buy them off cheaply if things don’t work out.

NO. 5: UNDERESTIMATING OR IGNORING THE COMPETITION Every business has competition, and not just from other businesses. Sometimes the toughest competitor is

NO. 7: NOT HIRING ENOUGH PEOPLE Yes, employees are expensive. They have legal rights.

And they can be real pains SEE CLIFF, PAGE 9

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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AUGUST 2022

NEWS

What is going where in the new shopping center Four buildings up in Ceres Gateway Center

BY JEFF BENZIGER

209 Business Journal

Before the end of the year comes, there will be a lot more places to spend your money.

The Ceres Gateway Center is quickly taking form with four buildings framed and wrapped and more underground work for other new businesses.

Site work began in December on the 13.65-acre Gateway Center which will bring In-N-Out Burger, Chipotle, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, a Quick Quack Car Wash and a third Starbucks to Ceres. Phase 2 of the center is expected to bring three junior anchors and a motel to the triangle-shaped center east of Highway 99.

Quick Quack Car Wash received unanimous approval in March to build at the northwestern most corner of the triangleshaped commercial center and closest to the Service Road overpass.

To help readers understand what businesses are going into the buildings that are up, we sent up a drone to get an aerial view.

The building at upper left will be the Chipotle, a first for Ceres.

A little east and immediately south of the Service Road access to the Walmart Supercenter will be an Ono Hawaiian BBQ restaurant. It will take the place of what was originally intended to be a Panda Express restaurant.

It will consist of 2,192 square feet and include a drive-thru.

An In-N-Out Burger will be constructed at the very corner of the intersection. A large sign is announcing that the company is looking to hire employees for the store starting at $17 per hour and allowing them to make up to $20.50 per hour. Applications are being taken at In-N-Out. com/grandopenings Lastly, the building adjacent

to the future Mitchell Road driveway into and out of the center is a Starbucks – the third one for Ceres.

The list of tenants has changed slightly since the center’s approval. A Circle K at the southern tip of the project has been dropped in favor of a Union 76 gas station.

An undisclosed hotel chain is looking to build a 64,000-squarefoot four-story hotel of 80

rooms. It would be located on a new 2.14-acre commercial lot created by a parcel split approached this month by the Ceres Planning Commission. The hotel is tentatively planned to backup to Highway 99. No specific hotels have been named.

In May the Ceres City Council voted to increase the maximum allowable height of buildings from 35 feet to 50 feet to accommodate a four-story hotel in the

Regional Commercial zone.

A 4.61-acre parcel has been aside for three junior anchor tenants.

In the first public hearing held Monday evening, the commission approved a Tentative Parcel Map to subdivide Parcel 7 of the project into two commercial zoned lots. The 1.8-acre parcel at the southern tip of the center will be subdivided into two separate commercial lots to facilitate the development of two future businesses instead of one.

The proponent suggested one

use could be a drive-thru restaurant while the second would accommodate a Union 76 gas station with convenience store use and an additional tenant space with a drive-thru.

In 2008 the city approved the Gateway project as proposed

by Ralph Ogden. The project stalled after the economy hit the skids that year. Multiple extensions were granted but the approval for the project expired in 2012. The center was redesigned and brought back in 2020 by Ralph’s son, Daniel Ogden.

JEFF BENZIGER/209 Business Journal

The Ceres Gateway Center at the southwest corner of Mitchell and Service roads sports four buildings which will be home to Chipotle, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, In-N-Out Burger and Ceres’ third Starbucks. A Quick Quack Car Wash is supposed to be constructed just west of the Chipotle.

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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AUGUST 2022

NEWS

Smaller almond crop predicted after record haul

Thinner harvest might help kickstart demand and drive-up prices, helping farmers

BY JOE CORTEZ

209 Business Journal

The 2022 almond harvest, Stanislaus County’s mightiest ag commodity, is expected to be down 11 percent from last year, according to a report published by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

NASS estimates that this year’s crop will come in at 2.6 billion pounds, some 300 million pounds shy of last year’s haul and 500 million pounds short of 2020’s record-setting output. Additionally, the figure is 7 percent short of a NASS projection made just two months ago.

“Growers have been working hard in the face of challenging circumstances and it demonstrates their dedication to improving stewardship practices and meeting the demands of consumers,” Brian Wahlbrink, chairman of the Almond Board of California’s board of directors, said in a press release.

The forecast isn’t without a silver lining for state farmers who produce roughly 80 percent of the world’s almonds.

With a massive amount carryin from 2021 — think of carryin as leftover almonds from last year that are used to help satisfy demand before the current crop comes in — it can create too much supply and depress prices.

CLIFF

FROM PAGE 7 sometimes. But when you cut staff too much, the quality of your products or services suffers, and you will lose customers. Also, you end up doing grunt work when you should be building your business.

NO. 8: UNDERESTIMATING STARTUP COSTS It’s going to cost you twice as much to get a business off the

That’s bad for growers who typically need a minimum of $2 per pound to cover production costs.

A smaller harvest would help create larger demand and bring prices back up to sustainable levels for farmers.

“We’re trying to get the supply and demand back into balance,” said almond farmer and Stanislaus County District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa. “Hopefully, we can get this straightened out.”

Some California growers were affected by severe frost in the spring and all continue to be hammered by drought and rising water costs. When you factor inflation, rising fuel prices and supply-chain issues, it creates a market where $2 per pound might not be enough for farmers.

“Despite the shipping and logistical logjams, recent shipment numbers have set monthly records, which demonstrates the demand for California almonds continues to increase in the U.S. and around the world,” Richard Waycott, president and CEO of the Almond Board, said in a press release. “Almond growers are putting what resources they can afford into producing their crop, and their efforts show. Although there was a drop from last year, the forecast reflects the efforts of growers to meet global demand and ensure a steady supground than your best projections. Be sure you have enough cash on hand — or lines of credit — to get through at least the first 12 to 18 months of operations.

NO. 9: UNDERPRICING YOURSELF You should undercut your competition, but not by too much. If your competition is charging $100 an hour, $90 an hour will get you lots of business. At $50 an hour, customers will think you are desperate or don’t know what you are doing.

If you quote too high a price,

Dust Bowl takes home top honors at California State Fair

BY CHRISTOPHER CORREA 209 Business Journal

209 Business Journal file photo

The almond harvest for this year is forecasted to be close to 300 million pounds less than in 2021, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

ply of high-quality California almonds.”

The report also shows an average of 4,082 almonds per tree, which is 12 percent lower than a year ago. The average kernel weight for all varieties sampled was 1.47 grams, up less than 1 percent from the 2021 average.

“The numbers are not a disaster,” Christine Gemperle, coowner and operator of Gemperle Orchards, said of the NASS forecast. “If it anything, it’s stabilizing. But are we going to get to a place where we can be financially viable again? That’s the question.”

Chiesa thinks they will.

“I’m an optimist,” said Chiesa.

“But I have to be. I’m a farmer and farmers are hopelessly optimistic.” you can always offer discounts.

If you price too low, it’s tough to raise prices later on.

NO. 10: NOT HIRING LAWYERS, ACCOUNTANTS AND OTHER NECESSARY PROFESSIONALS There is a lot of legal and tax information online, and lots of places where you can get legal form contracts and other documents for a small, one-time fee.

Much of this information is wrong, and most of the forms are useless. Do not try to do this stuff yourself. Every small business needs a good lawyer AND

The California State Fair’s Commercial Craft Beer Competition has officially named Turlock’s Dust Bowl Brewing Co. as the 2022 Brewery of the Year.

The Commercial Craft Beer Competition is one of the most popular and longestrunning beer contests in all of California, with 120 breweries from across the Golden State competing in this year’s event.

The Brewery of the Year accolade was determined by combining the scores of a robust competition amongst singular brews. The contest is conducted and judged by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) and other industry peers, following all BJCP competition standards.

It is sanctioned by the BJCP. Out of a total of 850 entries from the 120 participating breweries, Dust Bowl earned gold medals in three different categories while earning an additional silver medal in another.

The popular Taco Truck Lager won gold in the International Lager section, the California Golden Ale

a good accountant. Yes, they charge fees — sometimes expensive ones — but they will get the job done right, and the fees are tax-deductible. If they don’t, it’s their fault, not yours, and you can sue them.

NO. 11: PLAYING GAMES WITH TAXES Nothing will get you into hot water faster than cheating on your taxes. Always have enough cash on hand to pay your income, sales and payroll taxes when they become due. Report every penny of income you make. Take only the deductions

won the second gold in the American Light Ales category and the Hobo Pilsner took home the third gold for the American or International Style Pilsner group.

The Therapist earned the silver in the American Imperial IPA section.

Don Oliver has been Dust Bowl’s brewmaster since 2009 and expressed his joy upon hearing the news. He also gave kudos to the entire craft brew industry in California for pushing each other to do bigger and better over the years.

“We are honored to be recognized as Brewery of the Year,” Oliver said. “We have learned a lot from competing with a group of amazing brewers in California. We are all operating in a challenging environment these days and it’s spectacular for the team to see their hard work pay off.”

A full list of results from this year’s Commercial Craft Beer Competition can be found online at https:// calexpostatefair.com/participate/competitions/ craftbeer/california-craftbeer-archive/california-commercial-craft-beer-competition-2022-results/.

you qualify for. File your returns on time.

And the all-time No. 1 small business mistake ...

NO. 12: BEING TOO NICE Being ethical and having personal integrity is essential to success in the business world.

Being nice, however, can get you killed. Do not confuse the two.

Learn the difference, and make sure nobody takes advantage of you because they think you will let them get away with it.

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL all the way to the city’s water well treatment facility at Moffat Boulevard and Garfield Avenue.

Across the street will be the expanded Manteca High parking lot.

It effectively adds additional parking spaces for major events and football games at Manteca High. That’s because stalls occupied by riders on earlier trains departing and returning will be freeing up spaces just before events such as Friday night football games start.

The parking would also be available during major weekend events such as the Manteca

MANTECA

FROM PAGE 1

Natomas (north of downtown Sacramento) service as well as Ceres to San Jose service starting in 2023.

The MOU notes the city has already acquired three parcels south of the existing Manteca Transit Center for expanding the parking. It also points out the rail commission is in the process of buying two additional parcels south of what the city bought.

That means the parking, when completed, will stretch

TURLOCK

FROM PAGE 1

depart Ceres Monday through Friday.

All three will make stops in Modesto, Ripon and downtown Manteca.

Two trains will continue north to Lathrop-Manteca, Stockton, Elk Grove, Sacramento, and Natomas north of the American River ending several miles from Sacramento International Airport.

FRUIT

FROM PAGE 4 world,” Ingalls declared.

If it’s not the best in the world, it may at least be the best in Turlock. Phillips and co-worker Lois Espy agree that the OrangeDew is the most popular of the dozen or so varieties sold at the stand — “It looks like a honeydew on the outside and a cantaloupe on the inside,” said Espy.

The attraction? It’s super sweet.

FROM PAGE 3

wine where it all starts in the vineyard.

It was a surreal moment for Jorja producing their own wines and a bit scary. After competing in the Chronicle Wine Competition and winning three gold medals and a silver that validated their efforts, they knew they were right on track.

AUGUST 2022

Chamber of Commerce Watermelon Festival in June and the Sunrise Kiwanis Manteca Pumpkin Fair in October.

It also means the south side of Moffat Boulevard bordering the Tidewater Bikeway will have all parcels that can be developed being utilized as either parking, municipal uses such as the Manteca Community Center Hall, Manteca Transit Center, or well water treatment facility and the one remaining privately owned parcel directly cross from Eckert’s Cold Storage.

The passenger boarding platform is expected to be be placed far enough away from the Main

One train will head toward San Jose with stops at Lathrop-Manteca, Tracy, Vasco Road, Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont, Great America, Santa Clara and then San Jose.

Additional trains are planned after the service is established.

The state funding — plus future requests that likely will be approved — will get ACE service to Merced ahead of high-speed rail.

The Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) that is providing

The melon stand has been in operation for 15 to 20 years, according to Smith, who opened it not as a financial concern but for more practical reasons.

“I opened it to stop people from coming in here asking to buy melons,” Smith said with a chuckle during an interview inside the Turlock Fruit Co. offices. “This is a warehouse and shipping operation.”

And the foot traffic got in the way of production.

So, a melon stand was created. It operates from around

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the $57 million was created by Senate Bill (SB) 862 to provide grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to fund transformative capital improvements that will modernize California’s intercity, commuter, and urban rail systems, and bus and ferry transit systems, to significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, vehicle miles traveled, and congestion.

The Valley Rail authority is also working to upgrade Amtrak San Joaquin’s service.

the Fourth of July to late September.

And, as a bonus for Turlock Fruit Co., the melon stand has been profitable.

“Are we going to put Safeway out of business?” Smith joked.

“No, I don’t think so, but …”

Smith can keep his warehouse free of pedestrians while providing Turlockers with a summertime treat that beats almost any price … and helps beat the heat. Just don’t tell anybody.

It’s a secret.

The tasting room is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week at 9010 E. Harney Lane, Lodi. They have educational tours and different events throughout the year.

“We are so central to a lot of things in California,” relayed Kyle.

“It is a fun day trip to come to Lodi and come to Harney Lane Winery and experience something a little different.”

For more information visit harneylane.com or call (209) 3651900.

Street crossing that the five minutes or so it takes for a train to unload and load passengers won’t block the crossing.

The station will have a center loaded platform accessed by a tunnel.

Such a design allows for the future possibility of double tracking or a siding.

The additional improvements will blend in with the Manteca Transit Center.

The ACE operation will utilize the existing bus loading area that is accessed by Manteca’s Transit, Modesto Area Express, and San Joaquin Regional Transit.

A passenger drop-off and

loading zone for train service will also be incorporated into the design of the parking lot.

The city will be responsible for maintaining landscaping and will be reimbursed by the rial commission.

The city will pay for security for the station access and parking lot from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The last passenger train serving downtown Manteca was the Tidewater Southern Railway electric interburban passenger trains.

The last train ran on May 26, 1932.

In addition, the Valley Link project connecting a new Lathrop station that will serve as a major transfer point to the BART station in Pleasanton-Dublin is targeted to be up and running by late 2028.

That means a passenger could board a train in Manteca, Ripon or Lathrop and either travel directly to San Jose or Sacramento as well as transfer to other rail services to reach San Francisco and other points in the Bay Area.

FARMER

FROM PAGE 4

den, including planting and harvesting produce, in turn, donating what’s grown here to local food pantries, according to Garden Joy president and founder Sarah Dirpinian.

Garden Joy is an educational program funded in part by the Ripon Farmers Market – held each Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. through Sept. 29. –

with support also coming from Strand Ace Hardware.

“All of the proceeds (from the farmers market) go to Garden Joy,” said Crooker, who helped organized the event that featured 42 vendors with live music on this day.

She added that the musical acts, food trucks and beer vendors work on a rotational basis.

For more information, call 209.818.7177 or log on to www.

GardenJoyCA.com.

keeping businesses connected™ 209BUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

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SECTION ACCOLADES NAME

PROMOTIONS, APPOINTMENTS, HONORS, ETC. Turlock Edward Jones branch gets new owner

Nicholas Mori, 34, of Fresno is the newest owner of the Edward Jones location on 3640 Geer Road in Turlock. Mori is offering financial advice on investing, retirement, stocks and more during his first stint running a branch.

Mori’s arrival to Turlock comes after working at a number of different financial institutions.

After receiving a degree in accounting in 2016, Mori began as a teller Nicholas Mori for a Wells Fargo branch, focusing heavily on agricultural business.

After his time at Wells Fargo, he transitioned into the role of a wealth advisor associate at a Morgan Stanley branch.

Working at Edward Jones in Fresno, he was happy to be surrounded by a more human centered approach to wealth management.

“It was totally different, and it was a really good change,” Mori said. “I love to help people have success and I just felt like Edward Jones really focused more on the human aspect of business and investing.”

Now, Mori has the keys to his own space in Turlock.

“I’m responsible for other employees and the office’s day-to-day operations now, so this is a big change,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to learning more and about people and connecting with people in this city and expanding my team here in Turlock.”

Doctors Medical Center junior volunteers awarded $8,000 in scholarships

The Service League of Doctors Medical Center has proudly awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to local students who have volunteered their time at the hospital.

At a recent ceremony, the Service League volunteer program awarded eight junior volunteers with scholarships totaling $8,000, which will go towards their

college education.

The following recipients received scholarships: Navin Chakravarty (University of California, Davis), Ayesha Chand (Enochs High School), Nithya Medam (Modesto High School), Autumn Pangilinan (Hilmar High School), Christina Pappas (Enochs High School), Deeya Patel (Gregori High School), Dillon Patel (Gregori High School) and Claire Turner (Modesto Junior College).

Scholarship recipients are chosen based on their GPA, school and community activities, awards and honors, quality of their essay depicting their goals for the future and their performance while volunteering at Doctors Medical Center.

Funds for the scholarship program at Doctors Medical Center come from profits earned in the volunteer-run hospital gift shop.

Modesto Symphony appoints Ryan Murray as Principal Pops Conductor

The Modesto Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Ryan Murray as the Symphony’s next Principal Pops Conductor.

The MSO continues to search for the Ryan Murray S y m p h o n y ’s next Music Director who would be the artistic leader of the organization and the primary conductor of the Classics Series.

Murray will be the primary conductor for the Pops Series and create the programming for those concerts and Picnic at the Pops.

“Ryan Murray has been the MSO’s

Associate Conductor since 2013 and has conducted our Holiday Pops! and film concerts for the past several years,” said Caroline Nickel, President and CEO of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association. “We’re thrilled to appoint him as our new Principal Pops Conductor! Our Pops Series has grown over the years, and we wanted to find the right person to help us continue to engage our community and welcome new audiences. Ryan is a fantastic conductor and has built a great reputation locally and throughout the U.S. and we’re excited to collaborate with him in his new role.”

In addition to being the MSO’s Associate Conductor, Murray is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of Music in the Mountains in Grass Valley.

He is also the Director of Symphony Orchestra & Opera at California State University, Sacramento. Ryan is an awardwinning opera conductor and currently the Music Director of Opera Modesto and effortlessly moves between genres including traditional orchestra and operatic repertoire, pops performances, movies in concert, and a notable emphasis on contemporary American operatic works.

“I’m absolutely thrilled become the Modesto Symphony Orchestra’s next Principal Pops Conductor,” said Murray.

“I have had a wonderful time over the past nine years working with our amazing orchestra and connecting with our incredible audience. I can’t wait to share more amazing pops programs with all of you and look forward to our upcoming season including Holiday Pops! and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back!”

Murray will lead the MSO and kick off the 92nd season in September as Picnic at the Pops! returns for the first time since 2019.

Gallo Center appoints Ryan Foy to new leadership role

Ryan Foy has been named Director of Produced Theatre and Special Programming at the Gallo Center for the Arts beginning July 18. The newly created role will be part of the Center’s senior leadership team reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Chad Hilligus. Foy will oversee all in-house produced and special programming projects, including the artistic leadership of the Gallo Center Repertory Company following the

retirement of longtime volunteer GCRC artistic director Jim Johnson at the end of the 2022/23 season.

“I am very excited about passing the torch to Ryan,” said Johnson. “He has the right combination of theatre artistic and administrative experience, and I look forward to working with him during my final season. Ryan will ensure that the Gallo Center Rep not only will continue to prosper as a vital part of the region’s theatre community, but in addition will help lead the program in new and exciting creative directions.”

Foy’s new role also will be responsible for expanding the Ryan Foy vision and yearround programming initiatives for the Center’s Modesto Rotary Music Garden, which currently offers the free summertime Brown Bag Concert Series showcasing local musicians Fridays at noon for 12 weeks through the summer.

Foy attended the University of Michigan’s musical theatre program and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney, Australia. He has extensive theatrical experience in acting, directing, company management, marketing, design and production. While based in New York, he appeared onstage on national and international tours, and directed numerous musical theater productions nationwide.

A Modesto resident since 2014, Foy most recently partnered in a web design firm specializing in projects for performing arts, non-profit, and other business organizations. He also is a founding board member of the Modesto Children’s Museum, and currently serves as the board vice president and chair of its operations and exhibit design committee.

“This new position is an important part of the Center’s future,” said Hilligus.

“We hope to begin offering more regularly scheduled free public arts programs in the Music Garden, such as community yoga and Pilates, drum circles, chalk art festivals, painting classes, storytelling, and much more throughout the year.

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WATER

AIR

WILDLIFE

SOIL + SEDIMENTS

A successful partnership tomorrow depends on what we do today.

WELCOME TO THE PORT OF TOMORROW. As the fourth busiest Port in the state, we want to keep busy connecting with you, our community. To do that, we conduct public boat tours so residents can learn about the Port’s past, present, and future. We visit classrooms so students can learn about everything from our wildlife programs to our shipping activities. We participate in the Rotary Read-In program to help broaden childhood literacy. And we hold coastal clean-up days so interested locals can help us keep our shores pristine, for our children and theirs.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

SUSTAINABILITY

Chair Anthony Barkett, Vice-Chair Michael Patrick Duffy Commissioners R. Jay Allen, David B. Atwater, Gary Christopherson, Stephen Griffen, William Trezza Port Director Kirk DeJesus

For more information: Call 855-881-8816 portofstockton.com/mission