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Business Update AWARD-WINNING MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE VISALIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SEPTEMBER 2014 VOLUME 34 NUMBER 8 WWW.VISALIACHAMBER.ORG Visalia Chamber of Commerce 220 N. Santa Fe St. Visalia, CA 93292 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED VISALIA TIMES-DELTA • AUGUST 30, 2014 www.Facebook.com/VisaliaChamber www.twitter.com/VisaliaBiz www.plus.google.com VISALIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MISSION ICONS Business-Government Business Relations Promoting Community Strong Local Economy UPCOMING EVENTS VISALIA BUSINESS ACADEMY: GOOGLE ADWORDS AND ONLINE ADVERTISING September 18th, 9-10 am Brandman University - Visalia Campus BUSINESS AFTER HOURS MIXER September 23rd, 5:30-7:30 pm IDEA Printing & Graphics The Seine: Paris to Normandy March 17-29, 2015 Treasures of Ireland April 20-28, 2015 Heritage of America June 19-28, 2015 Alaska Adventure August 18-28, 2015 Romantic Villages of Alpine Europe September 12-28, 2015 Athens & the Greek Islands October 16-24, 2015 Reflections of Italy November 10-18, 2015 Collette Vacations CST#2006766-20 Chamber Explorations CST#2048841-40 Grand Circle Travel CST#2041626-40 For more information, go to www.visaliachamber.org We invite you to explore in 2015! CHAMBER INSIGHTS “I support the Chamber because… Joining the Cham- ber is no different for a business than join- ing a gym is for per- sonal health reasons. If you don’t use all of the resources provided for your benefit, your yield is much lower than desired. If you leverage the Chamber to its full extent, your business will become stronger and healthier.” — Patrick Lozano Accelerated Receivables Group, Inc. BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT By Nicola Wissler As you drive or walk down Main Street in Visalia you will notice that nestled among the restaurants, banks, and retail shops are a num- ber of other small businesses. Roy Dres- sel photography has been located on Main Street since 1996. This year Roy Dres- sel photography is celebrating its thirti- eth anniversary and I took some time to find out a little more about Roy’s background, why he opened his own business and what the future looks like for Roy Dressel Photography. The Visalia Chamber strongly supports entrepreneurism, so we started our interview with the question “Why did you want to start your own business”? Roy quickly responded “Freedom, I wanted to have the freedom to do what I wanted, when I wanted, and I did not want to report to anyone else, I could be my own boss”. Roy has always loved photography. As a young man he was given a photography kit and fell in love. He took classes in high school and discovered that he had a passion for photography and all of the equipment involved. He spent weekends and summers hiking trails and documenting his travels with his camera. After high school he moved to Visalia and attended COS. He worked selling camera equipment, started process- ing photos for local photographers and eventually began taking pho- tos professionally. In 1984 he decided to start his own business part time to earn extra money. In 1993 he made the jump, quit his job and dedicated his time to being a full time professional photographer. Since 1984 Roy has seen a lot of changes in the photography indus- try. When asked about those changes Roy mentioned “There were just a handful of photographers. I would find most of my clients through Dressel/4 Roy Dressel Photography COMMUNITY LOYAL MEMBERS A thriving community starts here! New The Visalia Chamber of Commerce wel- comes all new members and we encour- age existing members to support Chamber member businesses. ALARMS & SECURITY SYSTEM Bay Alarm Company 209.276.1778 ATTORNEYS & LEGAL SERVICES Dowling Aaron Incorporated 559.739.7233 BUILDING SUPPLIES Orchard Supply Hardware 559.733.5986 DENTIST Michael T. Bodensteiner, DDS 559.625.0700 EMPLOYMENT SERVICES Volt Workforce Solutions 559.732.2737 MARKETING SERVICES & PROMOTIONS J & J Quality Apps LLC 599.302.0881 OFFICE MACHINES SALES & SERVICE Advanced Micro Systems 559.625.8862 Renewing The Visalia Chamber of Commerce thanks the following companies for renewing their commitment to the community of Visalia. Assemblywoman Connie Conway Big Kahuna Frozen Yogurt Butler Manufacturing Company Central Valley Community Bank Central Valley Tax Services Chimienti & Associates Insurance Services CIGNA ConAgra Foods CSET-Community Services & Employment Training Donaghy Sales, LLC Elaine Rider/State Farm Insurance Agency Employment Development Department Family Health Care Network Happy Bear Surgery Center, LLC Happy Trails Riding Academy IDEA! Printing & Graphics ImagineU Interactive Children’s Museum KARM-FM Harvest Broadcasting Company, Inc. Kaweah Park Resort KRC Safety Co., Inc. Law Offices of James P. Hurlbutt Love In the Name of Christ Lucky Day Laundry Marriott Hotel McDonald’s Main Office Medicine Shoppe #917 Milan Institute Miller Memorial Chapel NAMI Tulare County National University Optimal Hospice Foundation Orange Belt Stages Pacific Southwest Container Paradise Aquatech Pools, Inc. Peltzer & Richardson L. C. Pena’s Disposal Perez Law Firm, The Personnel Solutions Unlimited, INC. Resources for Independence Central Valley Sequoia Cigar Company Suncrest Bank The Gas Company 043413 Tri Counties Bank Tucoemas Federal Credit Union Real Estate Tulare County Sheriff’s Department Tulare-Kings Counties Builders Exchange Tulare-Kings Dental Society TW Telecom, Inc. “Parents still see the value in a profes- sional capturing the important milestone moments in their children’s lives.” — Roy Dressel McDonald & Associates 220 N. Santa Fe St. • Visalia • 559.636.3605 www.mymcdonaldcc.com Ribbon Cutting Ribbon Cutting The Greyson Group 559.334.7707 www.greysongroup.com Fresno CDFI 1920 Mariposa Mall • Suite 111 • Fresno • 559.263.1351 www.fresnocdfi.com Ribbon Cutting Grand Opening Family Healthcare Network 401 E. School Ave. • Visalia • 887.960.3426 www.fhcn.org GROUNDBREAKING • GRAND OPENING • RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONIES

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Page 1: Business Update · Happy Bear Surgery Center, LLC Happy Trails Riding Academy IDEA! Printing & Graphics ImagineU Interactive Children’s Museum KARM-FM Harvest Broadcasting Company,

Business Update AWARD-WINNING MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE VISALIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SEPTEMBER 2014 • VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 8 • www.ViSaLiachaMBER.ORgVi

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ViSaLia TiMES-DELTa • aUgUST 30, 2014

www.Facebook.com/VisaliaChamberwww.twitter.com/VisaliaBiz

www.plus.google.com

VISALIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MISSION ICONS

Business-Government Business Relations Promoting Community Strong Local Economy

UPCOMING EVENTS■ VISALIA BUSINESS ACADEMY:

GOOGLE ADWORDS AND ONLINE ADVERTISING September 18th, 9-10 am Brandman University - Visalia Campus

■ BUSINESS AFTER HOURS MIXERSeptember 23rd, 5:30-7:30 pm IDEA Printing & Graphics

■ The Seine: Paris to NormandyMarch 17-29, 2015

■ Treasures of IrelandApril 20-28, 2015

■ Heritage of AmericaJune 19-28, 2015

■ Alaska AdventureAugust 18-28, 2015

■ Romantic Villages of Alpine EuropeSeptember 12-28, 2015

■ Athens & the Greek IslandsOctober 16-24, 2015

■ Reflections of ItalyNovember 10-18, 2015

Collette Vacations CST#2006766-20Chamber Explorations CST#2048841-40Grand Circle Travel CST#2041626-40

For more information, go to www.visaliachamber.org

We invite you to explore in 2015!

CHAMBER INSIGHTS“I support the Chamber because…

Joining the Cham-ber is no different for a business than join-ing a gym is for per-sonal health reasons. If you don’t use all of the resources provided for your benefit, your

yield is much lower than desired. If you leverage the Chamber to its full extent, your business will become stronger and healthier.”

— Patrick Lozano Accelerated Receivables Group, Inc.

BUSINESSSPOTLIGHT

By Nicola Wissler

As you drive or walk down Main Street in Visalia you will notice that nestled among the restaurants, banks, and retail shops are a num-

ber of other small businesses. Roy Dres-sel photography has been located on Main Street since 1996. This year Roy Dres-sel photography is celebrating its thirti-eth anniversary and I took some time to

find out a little more about Roy’s background, why he opened his own business and what the future looks like for Roy Dressel Photography.

The Visalia Chamber strongly supports entrepreneurism, so we started our interview with the question “Why did you want to start

your own business”? Roy quickly responded “Freedom, I wanted to have the freedom to do what I wanted, when I wanted, and I did not want to report to anyone else, I could be my own boss”. Roy has always loved photography. As a young man he was given a photography kit and fell in love. He took classes in high school and discovered that he had a passion for photography and all of the equipment involved. He spent weekends and summers hiking trails and documenting his travels with his camera. After high school he moved to Visalia and attended COS. He worked selling camera equipment, started process-ing photos for local photographers and eventually began taking pho-tos professionally. In 1984 he decided to start his own business part time to earn extra money. In 1993 he made the jump, quit his job and dedicated his time to being a full time professional photographer.

Since 1984 Roy has seen a lot of changes in the photography indus-try. When asked about those changes Roy mentioned “There were just a handful of photographers. I would find most of my clients through

Dressel/4

Roy Dressel Photography

Community LoyaL membersA thriving community starts here!

NewThe Visalia Chamber of Commerce wel-

comes all new members and we encour-age existing members to support Chamber member businesses.

■ ALARMS & SECURITY SYSTEM Bay Alarm Company 209.276.1778

■ ATTORNEYS & LEGAL SERVICES Dowling Aaron Incorporated 559.739.7233

■ BUILDING SUPPLIES Orchard Supply Hardware 559.733.5986

■ DENTIST Michael T. Bodensteiner, DDS 559.625.0700

■ EMPLOYMENT SERVICES Volt Workforce Solutions 559.732.2737

■ MARKETING SERVICES & PROMOTIONS J & J Quality Apps LLC 599.302.0881

■ OFFICE MACHINES SALES & SERVICE Advanced Micro Systems 559.625.8862

RenewingThe Visalia Chamber of Commerce thanks the following companies for renewing their commitment to the community of Visalia.■ Assemblywoman Connie Conway■ Big Kahuna Frozen Yogurt■ Butler Manufacturing Company■ Central Valley Community Bank■ Central Valley Tax Services■ Chimienti & Associates Insurance

Services■ CIGNA■ ConAgra Foods ■ CSET-Community Services

& Employment Training■ Donaghy Sales, LLC■ Elaine Rider/State Farm

Insurance Agency■ Employment Development

Department■ Family Health Care Network■ Happy Bear Surgery Center, LLC■ Happy Trails Riding Academy■ IDEA! Printing & Graphics■ ImagineU Interactive

Children’s Museum■ KARM-FM Harvest

Broadcasting Company, Inc.■ Kaweah Park Resort■ KRC Safety Co., Inc.

■ Law Offices of James P. Hurlbutt■ Love In the Name of Christ■ Lucky Day Laundry■ Marriott Hotel■ McDonald’s Main Office■ Medicine Shoppe #917■ Milan Institute■ Miller Memorial Chapel■ NAMI Tulare County■ National University■ Optimal Hospice Foundation■ Orange Belt Stages■ Pacific Southwest Container■ Paradise Aquatech Pools, Inc.■ Peltzer & Richardson L. C.■ Pena’s Disposal■ Perez Law Firm, The■ Personnel Solutions Unlimited, INC. ■ Resources for Independence

Central Valley■ Sequoia Cigar Company■ Suncrest Bank■ The Gas Company 043413■ Tri Counties Bank■ Tucoemas Federal Credit Union

Real Estate■ Tulare County Sheriff’s Department■ Tulare-Kings Counties

Builders Exchange■ Tulare-Kings Dental Society■ TW Telecom, Inc.

“Parents still see the value in a profes-sional capturing the important milestone moments in their children’s lives.”— Roy Dressel

McDonald & Associates220 N. Santa Fe St. • Visalia • 559.636.3605

www.mymcdonaldcc.com

Ribbon CuttingRibbon Cutting

The Greyson Group 559.334.7707

www.greysongroup.com

Fresno CDFI 1920 Mariposa Mall • Suite 111 • Fresno • 559.263.1351

www.fresnocdfi.com

Ribbon CuttingGrand Opening

Family Healthcare Network 401 E. School Ave. • Visalia • 887.960.3426

www.fhcn.org

GROUNDBREAKING • GRAND OPENING • RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONIES

Page 2: Business Update · Happy Bear Surgery Center, LLC Happy Trails Riding Academy IDEA! Printing & Graphics ImagineU Interactive Children’s Museum KARM-FM Harvest Broadcasting Company,

ViSaLia TiMES-DELTa • aUgUST 30, 2014

2 • SEPTEMBER 2014 • www.ViSaLiachaMBER.ORg

About this publication …Business Update is the official monthly publication of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, 220 N. Santa Fe Street, Visalia, CA 93292, (559) 734-5876. Periodicals, Postage Paid at Visalia, CA 93277; Publication No. USPS 494-660. Annual Subscription rate $15. Postmaster: Send address changes to Visalia Chamber of Commerce, 220 N. Santa Fe St., Visalia, CA 93292. Advertising information, call the Visalia Times-Delta at (559) 735-3235. Editor: Nicola Wissler. Layout: Times-Delta Media Group.©Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means of the entire contents or any portion of this publication without written permission is prohibited. The appearance of any advertisements in the publication does not constitute support or endorsement for any product, person, cause, business or organization named therein, unless specifically noted otherwise in the advertisement.

www.twitter.com/VisaliaBizwww.plus.google.com www.Facebook.com/Visaliachamber

The Tulare County Fair, Sept. 10-14, will host a corn dog eating contest and a Kids’ Talent Showcase with cash prizes and a diaper derby contest with bragging rights and ribbons.

The corn dog-eating contest will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12. How many “dogs” can you eat in 8 minutes? Semi-professionals, amateur eaters and fairgoers who love corndogs will compete for $500 in prize money.

Preliminaries for the new Kids’ Talent Showcase will be held Saturday, Sept. 13, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on the Pepsi Stage. Twelve finalists will be chosen to move on to the Kids’ Talent Showcase. Finals will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14. Contestants must be 14 or younger and accompanied by a par-ent or guardian. All contestants will receive a participant rib-bon; the top three winners will receive cash and gifts. Music must be on a CD and no longer than two minutes. Reserve a time slot in advance by emailing [email protected] or by call-ing 686-4707.

The diaper derby is a “just for fun” first for the fair, said CEO Pa-

mela Fyock. “The 2014 fair will

offer something for people of all ages, in-cluding those still in diapers!” Fyock said. “Our food booths, car-nival set-up, entertain-ment and grounds will all be improved so fairgoers have a wonderful experi-ence at the Tulare County Fair.”

Fyock added that gate admission has been reduced by $1 per person to encour-age family atten-dance.

The Society of Human Resource Manager (SHRM) of Tulare-Kings will be presenting a workshop entitled “Workplace Investigations:

What’s New for 2014 in California & Beyond” from 11 a.m. to 1:10 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Visalia Holiday Inn, 9000 W. Airport Drive, Visalia.

The speaker will be Beth K. Whittenbury, Esq. from Beth K. Whittenbury & Associates.

Beth K. Whittenbury started her law career with what was then San Francisco’s largest law firm, litigating employment cases and giv-ing advice to employers. She left to found her legal consulting prac-tice dedicated to resolving employment issues without litigation. She currently conducts workplace fact-finding investigations, workplace resolution systems audits, employee mediations, and sexual harass-ment training in compliance with AB 1825.

Register online by Sept. 9 at www.shrmtularekings.org.For questions, call Faith Lisle at 559.256.5000 or email her at leg-

[email protected]. Pay at the luncheon by cash, check or credit card (Visa or Master Card). 1 HRCI credit hour pending.

Tulare County Fair is looking for corn dog lovers, speedy crawlers, and talented kids

SHRM workshop

CHAIRMAN’S CORNER

The Chamber’s role in promoting the communityLast month this article focused on the many economic de-

velopment programs that the Chamber currently offers to businesses in Visalia. This month I would like to share another core value of the Chamber, Promoting the Community. Pro-moting the community is a very important aspect of the Chamber and we have a variety of programs in place that allow us to accomplish this goal. I want to share thre pro-grams that the Chamber currently has, and tell you about two new programs on the horizon.

In order to fully promote the community of Visalia the Chamber must act as a clearing house for information. When people move to Visalia or are traveling in the area, they often stop by our office looking for referrals and answers to the often asked question, “What is there to do in Visalia”? Our first response is to refer them to our member companies which are listed in our online membership directory http://busi-ness.visaliachamber.org/list/. They are also directed to our online community calendar which lists upcoming ac-tivities and events that Chamber Members are involved with http://business.visaliachamber.org/events/calendar/. In general the Visa-lia Chamber of Commerce website is a great way for us to promote the community. With the click of a button you can find places to eat, entertainment options, shopping, and events right here in Visalia.

The second way the Chamber promotes our community is through our publications. Each month in this newsletter, “The Business Up-date”, we spotlight local businesses and individuals in Visalia who are Chamber members. We also highlight institutions including edu-cational, healthcare, and local government. Creating awareness of what our members are doing and ensuring that we are an informa-tion resource is a major stimulus behind this publication. In addi-tion, the Visalia Chamber publishes a quarterly magazine, “The Busi-ness Connection”. This publication is aimed at providing resources for businesses. Each of the articles ranging in topic from leadership styles, sales, human resources, and business law, are written by lo-cal experts. Having local experts spotlighted is another way that the

Chamber promotes talent here in Visalia. Lastly, the Chamber promotes the community is through

education. Each year the Chamber hosts the Leadership Visa-lia class for local professionals. Through this class, students

have the opportunity to explore local issues and learn ways that they can become more involved in the community by volunteering with non-profits and becoming aware of local issues. The Chamber hosts monthly business seminars through the Visalia Business Academy (VBA) program. VBA seminars are open to the public and are

an opportunity for our members to provide educational resources to the community. These seminars cover important themes like social media marketing, ADA compliance, labor law updates and workplace

conflict resolution. On the horizon are two new programs that

will help promote our community and the ex-pertise of our members. This month the Visalia Chamber will launch a new partnership with

Global Classroom. Global Classroom is an online learning platform that allows employers and employees to access online seminars/workshops and trainings at any time. The Global Classroom content library contains hundreds of online courses in leadership, manage-ment, sales, marketing, human resources, accounting, finance and IT. Eventually Visalia Chamber members will be able to upload their own content to the Global Classroom to be viewed by other busi-nesses around the world. Lastly, the Visalia Chamber is launching a partnership with the Visalia Unified School District in their Linked Learning projects. For more information the Linked Learning pro-gram see the article on page 3.

The Chamber always looks for new ways to help promote our com-munity and especially our members to as many people as possible. We look forward to new partnerships with community organizations and programs that promote our members. To learn how membership in the Visalia Chamber of Commerce can help you promote your business to the community go www.visaliachamber.org.

Judy FusselChairman

of the Board

The Visalia Chamber of Commerce website is a great tool for

promoting the community.

BOARDSPOTLIGHT

Nathan Halls is the President - Visalia Market for Suncrest Bank. In July Na-

than joined the Cham-ber Board of Directors. “It is important to be a Chamber member be-cause it gives you an opportunity to work for the local business community in another capacity. In my position

at the bank, I am privileged to serve local businesses as an advisor, service provider and growth partner.” The chamber al-lows you to expand what your business already offers, further benefiting your customer. The relationships and insight gained provide a strong platform for start-ing discussions – a customer who is ex-panding might wish to host an event to market new services or gain exposure for a new location. As a Chamber Member (or Board Member) you are positioned to bring that kind of exposure to them by discussing chamber services, asking them to join the chamber and getting them in touch with staff to organize an event that will showcase their new facil-ity or service.

What is your favorite thing about your job/company? My favorite thing about my job/company is getting to serve people. I have a heart for my cus-tomers, neighbors, and Visalia youth. I look to help where I can. When I was in the early stages of talking with Suncrest Bank (about employment), they actually came to me and said “We see you serving and want to come alongside you.” The company has allowed me to become in-volved in many things and sponsored a great number of events. This is a great place to work.

What is your favorite place to go in Visalia when you are not work-ing? I love going downtown with my wife and kids to eat or shop. We do it so often my kids now have their favorite places as well. A vibrant downtown is the living room of the city, a place to relax. A comfort level with the area and claim to Visalia as “My Town” for me at least, starts downtown.

What was your favorite book that you read in the last 12 months and why? I recently read a classic Michael Crichton novel, “A Case of Need” and it examines the early foundations of the arguments for and against abortion (writ-ten in the late 1960’s). While not on the same level as one of my favorite books “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, Crichton’s novel approaches an important social/moral is-sue in way that drives a reader to come to terms with their own beliefs. No matter where you stand the book chang-es you, really an excellent book.

Nathan Halls

Halls

PROOF O.K. BY: _____________________________ O.K. WITH CORRECTIONS BY:___________________________

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY • SUBMIT CORRECTIONS ONLINE

ADVERTISER: VISALIA CHAMBER_BARNES BPROOF CREATEDAT: 8/13/2014 12:41 PMSALES PERSON: Leo Sanchez PROOF DUE: -PUBLICATION: VS-VT DAILY NEXT RUN DATE: 08/14/14SIZE: 3 col X 5.25 in

VS-0000245493.INDD

Thursday, October 2ndVossler Farms

5:30 – 9:30 pmGet your full access pass today!

Individuals tickets $35.00 • Package of 10 tickets $300.00Pass includes: beer mug, wine, food and entertainment

Vossler Farms • 26773 South Mooney BlvdTo reserve your tickets call the Chamber 559-734-5876

VS-0000245493

To purchase tickets go to: Idea! Printing & Graphics, Ashoori & Co. Jewelers,Details Party Rentals, Dickey’s Barbeque Pit (on Mooney),

The Visalia Chamber of Commerce

The Visalia Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce Save Local Now, our newest member benefit! Save Local Now (savelocalnow.com) is a website and iPhone and An-droid app that gives people access to exclusive offers from their favorite businesses. Locals and tour-ists alike can use Save Local Now to ac-cess deals, events and savings where they shop, eat and play from any browser on any device. Saving money and buying lo-cal in Visalia has never been easier.

Chamber members can use Save Lo-cal Now to create, manage and analyze their digital marketing campaigns. Save Local Now includes live business listings, deal and event publishing, email mar-keting, iPhone and Android apps, social media management, SEO and analytics, bundled together on a single integrated platform.

The Save Local Now platform is avail-able at savelocalnow.com, the App Store and Google Play. Members of the Visa-lia Chamber of Commerce are eligible to create unlimited digital marketing campaigns using the Save Local Now platform. You will be receiving an activa-tion email and instructions this month. Schedule your FREE 30-minute session with Save Local Now’s digi-tal marketing gurus today!

Chamber announces new member benefit

Page 3: Business Update · Happy Bear Surgery Center, LLC Happy Trails Riding Academy IDEA! Printing & Graphics ImagineU Interactive Children’s Museum KARM-FM Harvest Broadcasting Company,

ViSaLia TiMES-DELTa • aUgUST 30, 2014

www.ViSaLiachaMBER.ORg • SEPTEMBER 2014 • 3www.Facebook.com/Visaliachamber www.twitter.com/VisaliaBiz www.plus.google.com

Central Valley Business Forms is happy to announce that Matt Case has joined our team here at Central Valley Business Forms. He is ea-ger to get started with new clients, so if you need any printing/promotional products and don’t al-ready have a sales rep he is your guy!

Pro-Youth/Heart would like to say Congrats to Ralph Enriquez for receiving an award for S.T.E.A.M., to Jen May Pastores for receiving an award for Youth Engagement/Development, to Amy Pimentel for Biggest Impact, to Christina Flynn for Sportsmanship/Team Player, and to Amanda Wadkins (not pictured) for Leadership! They were some of the awardees recognized earlier today at the Region VII Afterschool Awards Ceremony for their exemplary work with youth!

The Visalia partners of M. Green and Company LLP want to share Noriko’s good news as she passed the last leg of her CPA Exam!! Congratulations to Noriko!!

Congratulations to Barbara Thomas, EECU board member, who has been selected as one of the Top Ten Professional Women pre-sented by the Marjaree Mason Center. Barbara, a retired educator, will be among the honorees at a luncheon on October 17 in down-town Fresno.

Every other Friday the employees at Buckman-Mitchell have a Jean Day where our team members donate money to wear jeans and raise money for a different organization. We are happy to announce that we raised $295 for Family Services of Tulare County during our Aug 1st Jean Day! Thank you to all who participated in such a great cause.

CASA said: Patricia Geiger just dropped off a big box full of back-

packs and school supplies that were collected by the wonderful people at Walnut Park Retirement Home. Sheri Lopez organized this for our kids. Thanks so much!

Brandman University said: Thank you to Dustin Thompson from the Visalia Police Depart-ment for hosting a training workshop on pursuing a career in criminal justice!

Central Valley Business Banks said: Con-gratulations to Lori Schiffbauer for winning our Valley Grown For You social media contest!

Thank you to all who participated, we hope you w i l l continue to support your communities and buy local whenever you can!

BSK Fresno would like to welcome new employee Diane Og-den. Diane has joined BSK as Business Development Associate in the Fresno office. Diane has over 25 years of an extensive background in commercial construction lending and business development in Northern California. Over the course of her career, Diane has been committed to client relationship development and retention develop-ing a focused strategic plan for sustainable, profitable growth.

Family HealthCare Network is proud to announce its Chief Op-erations Officer, Norma Verduzco, MPA, recently graduated from the esteemed Clinic Leadership Institute (CLI). A project of Blue Shield of California Foundation, the program prepares emerging leaders of California community clinics and health centers to be effective and passionate agents of change in an evolving health care environment. Verduzco was honored in June 2014 in a ceremony held in Los Angeles, CA.

GoodNews

from our Members

Elaine Carrasco has worked for the Tu-lare-Kings Dental Society for two years.

The Tulare-Kings Dental Society (TKDS) is a component of the American Dental As-sociation (ADA) and the California Dental Association (CDA). The ADA represents 158,000 member den-

tists who are dedicated to providing their patients excellent care. They belong to the ADA for many reasons. They know that their Association not only protects their profession, but, just as importantly, protects patients and works to expand dental care access. When a patient chooses an ADA member dentist, he/she is choosing a dentist who has access to a wealth of up-to-date information and resources. Member dentists have agreed to follow the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct and make a professional promise to put your health and well-being first.

What are some of the ways that your business uses their Chamber member benefits? I represent the ADA member dentists when I attend all the meetings, expos, ribbon cuttings, mixers, and other chamber events.

How does being an ambassador benefit your company? I have always been an advocate for belonging to your local chamber. When coming on board with the dental society, I explained to the Board of Directors that the society should get involved with the chamber. Chamber membership means support-ing local business, and being an ambas-sador for the Chamber means extending a welcome to local businesses. To me personally, being a Chamber Ambassador means I have made a promise to buy lo-cal and get involved in our community.

What do you gain personally/pro-fessionally from being an ambassa-dor? I meet with friends, new and old, and build long-lasting friendships and connections!

Elaine Carrasco

Carrasco

Nicole Centofanti is a Certified Public Account, and has worked for M. Green

and Company LLP for nine years. For the last two years Nicole has served as a Chamber Ambassador for her company.

M. Green and Com-pany LLP is a local firm of Certified Public

Accountants, established over 60 years ago, with offices in Visalia, Tulare, Han-ford and Dinuba. We provide the highest quality accounting, auditing, tax and ad-visory services to a broad range of clients, from small businesses to large corporate groups, nonprofit organizations and gov-ernmental agencies. Our services include payroll services, bookkeeping, Quick-Books consulting, financial statement preparation, estate and trust planning, fraud and business valuation services. Specialty certifications, such as Certified Valuation Analysts and Certified Fraud Examiners, are held by certain members of our firm, which provide further depths of knowledge in these technical areas.

What are some of the ways that your business uses their Chamber member benefits? The Chamber mem-ber benefits help M. Green and Com-pany LLP play an active role in the busi-ness community. By attending monthly ambassador meetings, mixers and ribbon cutting ceremonies we are able to meet members of the business community, learn about upcoming events and we are able to help support and celebrate the successes of other local businesses.

How does being an ambassador benefit your company? In addition to sharing in the successes of other lo-cal business, being an ambassador helps promote M. Green and Company LLP and informs other Chamber members of the valuable services we can offer their business.

What do you gain personally/pro-fessionally from being an ambassa-dor? As an ambassador I have been able to expand my professional network and learn more about what our community has to offer. I am not a native of Visa-lia so I personally have enjoyed getting to know more about the many different aspects of the business community. I will be able to apply my experience as an ambassador to my career and in life as a result of the community familiarity gained, networking opportunities provided and friendships made.

Nicole Centofanti

Centofanti

AMBASSADOR

SPOTLIGHTS

THE LAW AT WORK

Getting your vacation right!A much-appreciated perk among employees is vacation pay.

While employees enjoy it, employers must make sure that they handle vacation pay right. Because vacation is a form of wages, it ac-crues on a daily basis. Employers are

free to require that employees take vacation only when they have accrued or earned it.

Once an employee has earned vacation, an employer cannot take it away. California law strictly prohibits “Use-It-Or-Lose-It” vacation policies, in which an employee loses accrued vacation that has not been used by a specific time. However, employers can establish a reasonable cap on vacation pay - meaning that once a certain level of accrued vacation is earned but not taken by the employee, no new vacation will accrue until some of the accrued vacation is taken. Once some vacation is taken, vacation must continue to accrue at the regular rate.

Employers are also free to offer employees the option to cash out

their earned vacation benefits. Cash-out policies can be on an “as needed” basis or allowed only once a month or once a year. Many employers require employees to accept pay at the end of each year for vacation time that employees accrued but did

not take. Finally, because accrued vacation is a form of wages, an

employer must pay out all accrued, unused vacation at the termination of the employment relationship. This pay-out must be at the employee’s final rate of pay, regardless of the rate of pay at which the vacation time was earned.

This article is for education and information purposes only; it should not be construed as legal advice. If you have an employment law question for inclusion in a future article, contact Brett T. Abbott at Gubler & Abbott LLP ([email protected]). For specif-ic employment law advice or other legal assistance, contact Gubler & Abbott LLP, (559) 625-9600, 1110 N. Chinowith St., Visalia, CA 93291 (www.thecalifornialawyers.com).

Brett T. Abbott

Gubler & Abbott LLP

In the final days of the legislative session, a handful of “job killer” proposals remain alive despite strong opposition from

the California Chamber of Commerce and other groups.

Legislation that increases the cost burden on employers is unacceptable, particularly in light of a recent study by the California Foundation for Commerce and Education showing that operating costs for California businesses are, on average, 19% higher than com-petitors in the rest of the nation (see August 15 Alert).

Ongoing discussions mean the substance and status of some bills may change, but as Alert went to print, the following “job killer” bills remained in play.Economic Development Barriers

■ AB 2617 (Weber; D-San Diego) Interference with Arbitra-tion Agreements and Settlement Agreements. Unfairly prohib-its the enforcement of arbitration agreements or pre-litigation settle-ment agreements that require the individual to waive their right to pursue a civil action for the alleged violation of civil rights.

■ AB 2416 (Stone; D-Scotts Valley) Unproven Wage Liens. Creates a dangerous and unfair precedent in the wage and hour arena by allowing employees to file liens on an employer’s real or per-sonal property, or property where work was performed, based upon alleged yet unproven wage claims.

■ AB 1897 (R. Hernández; D-West Covina) Contrac-tor Liability. Unfairly imposes liability on a contracting en-tity for the contractor’s wage and hour violations and lack of workers’ compensation coverage despite the lack of any evidence that the contracting entity controlled the working

conditions or wages of the contractor’s employees.■ AB 52 (Gatto; D-Los Angeles) Substantial Expansion of

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Creates more opportunities for litigation and substantially increases project cost and delay by creating mandatory consultation requirements with Native American Tribes and by requiring lead agencies to analyze a project’s impacts to an entirely new resource area called Tribal Cul-tural Resources.Costly Workplace Mandates

■ AB 1522 (Gonzalez; D-San Diego) Paid Sick Leave. In-creases employer mandates by requiring all employers, large and small, to provide all employees in California with paid sick leave, and threatens employers with statutory penalties and litigation under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) for alleged violations.Action Needed

The CalChamber is urging members to ask their legislators to op-pose these “job killer” bills.

Easy-to-edit sample letters are available at www.calcham-bervotes.com.

‘Job Killer’ bills still alive in legislature

How many of you remember sitting in a high school class thinking, “Why do I need to learn this?” or “How I am I go-ing to use this later in life?” With the adoption of the new California Common Core State Standards, it is getting easier for teachers and students to answer the “Why” and “How” questions. In addition to Common Core, there is another new approach to education that is answering that question as well. That approach is called Linked Learning and it is making its debut in Visalia Unified this year. Linked Learning is an educational approach that combines rigorous academic and career themed courses, with work-based learning and personalized student support systems in an academy structure on a traditional high school campus. All of these components together create a career themed academy that prepares students for college and careers.

Last year, Visalia Unified began the imple-mentation of Linked Learning with the de-velopment of two pilot academies: the Academy of Health Science at Mt. Whitney High School and the Academy of Ag Engineering at Golden West High School.

Using a process from the National Academy Foundation, school administrators and teachers, developed the academies. The new academies opened this fall with nearly 60 students in each academy. Students in the academies will work on projects and curriculum, which integrate academic subjects with their career themed courses. Students will also have the opportunity to work closely with indus-

try partners from their prospective industries. This will be ac-complished through industry tours, class projects, speakers, job shadowing experiences, and eventually, paid internships.

The vision for Linked Learning in Visalia Unified is to offer 10 or more career-themed academies across the district at the

5 high school sites. These would be open-choice academies, meaning any

student could apply to and be accepted into, any academy in Visalia. Students accepted into an academy would be-come students at that high school for the next four years. They would have access to transportation and would be

allowed to participate in all school functions at the academy school. The best part is they will be engaged in a path of study that will pre-

pare them for college and/or a career, no matter the theme.

The key component to the success of Linked Learning is the engagement of the local business community. Visalia Uni-

fied is working closely with the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County, and the Visalia Economic Development Corporation to accomplish this work. If you or your company are interested in work-based learning or if you would like to learn more about Linked Learning, please con-tact, Bill Davis at 559.730.7510 or email [email protected]. For more information on the National Academy Foundation, visit naf.org or for more information on Linked Learning, visit linkedlearning.org.

Linked Learning: New approach to education pairs academics with work-based learning

The key component to the success of Linked Learning is the engagement of

the local business community.

Bill DavisCareer Technical Education Project

Coordinator, VisaliaUnified School District

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www.Facebook.com/Visaliachamberwww.twitter.com/VisaliaBiz

ViSaLia TiMES-DELTa • aUgUST 30, 2014

4 • SEPTEMBER 2014 • www.ViSaLiachaMBER.ORg www.twitter.com/VisaliaBizwww.plus.google.com www.Facebook.com/Visaliachamber

CITY UPDATE

The City of Visalia’s General Plan UpdateAfter more than four years, the City is nearing completion

of a comprehensive update to the City’s General Plan. The Visalia Planning Commission recently recommended that the City Council adopt the Visalia General Plan and Climate Action Plan. The Plan will now be reviewed by the Visalia City Council on Monday, Sept. 8, at 5:30 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 707 W. Acequia Ave. Visalia Planning Commissioner Larry Segrue, co-chair of the General Plan Update Review Committee, summarizes the Plan’s high-lights and how you can participate in the process of final-izing the Plan.

What is the Visalia General Plan Update? Think of the General Plan as the City’s Constitution for future development. It’s composed of maps, goals and policies to guide the City’s growth through the year 2030.

How often is the Plan Updated? This Update replaces the exist-ing General Plan which was adopted in 1991.

What components are included in the Plan? The Plan consists of nine chapters including: Land Use; circulation; open space; con-servation; components related to noise, safety, air quality and green-house gases; as well as elements that address local concerns such as historic preservation and parks, schools, community facilities, and utilities.

How does the General Plan Update guide development? All lands in the City’s Development Boundary are given a land use desig-nation, which regulates the type of construction that will be allowed on each property. Future proposals to construct new uses must be consistent with the designations in the General Plan.

What will the City look like at “buildout”? The General Plan Update will accommodate a population of 210,000 people, an in-crease of about 85,560 persons over the 2010 Census count. The

Update will accommodate about 32,200 more residential units and 22.75 million square feet of commercial space as well as the build out of the existing Industrial Park.

What components are included in the Climate Action Plan, or CAP? The CAP provides a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Plan that ad-dresses long-term emissions reduction efforts. The time-frame for the CAP extends from the date of adoption through 2030.

Tell us about the work of the General Plan Update Review Committee (GPURC). The GPURC led the pro-cess, including the interviewing and recommendation of

the planning consultant, Dyett & Bhatia. Over 33 GPURC meetings were held to ensure the community’s full participation, including stakeholder interviews, community workshops (with Spanish trans-lators), and four “Town Hall” style meetings. The GPURC developed the overall themes of the General Plan, potential Growth Concepts and responses to neighborhood-specific issues.

What’s involved in the public hearing process? These docu-ments will be presented to the City Council for review and consider-ation on September 8. When the Council meets they can decide that the General Plan is acceptable, or they may determine that they need more information and analysis. They can also direct that changes be made, at their discretion or based on public input.

How can the public learn more about their General Plan Update? The website has complete information at www.visaliagen-eralplanupdate.com. For more information, citizens also can contact City Planner Josh McDonnell at [email protected] or call him at 559.713.4364. I want to encourage the public to come to the hearings in September and see what the next 20 years in Visalia will look like! It’s your community!

Larry SegrueVisalia Planning

Commission member and Co-Chairman

of the General Plan Update Review

Committee

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Brandman UniversityThursday, Sept. 18th

9 - 10 am

Call the Chamber at 559.734.5876 to reserve your seat

Future Seminar Dates & Topics:

October 16th - ConflictManagement/Resolution in the work place, presented by Diane Sharples

It is with great pride that CASA (Court Appointed Special Advo-cates) of Tulare County would like to announce our newest gradu-ating class! CASA’s new advocates were sworn in as officers of the court on August 13, 2014.

CASA advocates speak up for the innocent children who are vic-tims of abuse and neglect. These are ordinary people doing extraor-dinary things for our community’s most vulnerable children.

For more information about becoming an advocate, please attend an orientation. Orientations are every Monday at 5:30pm and Thurs-days at noon (except for Holidays) at the CASA of Tulare County office 1146 N. Chinowth St., Visalia, CA 93291. If you have any questions please contact Carrie Margosian at 625-4007 or visit our website: www.casatulareco.org.

Family HealthCare Network (FHCN) celebrated the grand opening of its newest School Avenue Health Center and began renovation

of its Visalia Bridge Health Center near downtown Visalia. With the opening of Family HealthCare Network’s newest health center, Visalia is now home to 34,607 square feet of new health care

space. The state-of-the-art health center, located on School Avenue in downtown Visalia, contains 51 exam rooms and 12 dental opera-tories. Opening full time in July, the health center is home to 125 team members that will provide more than 95,000 patient visits in the 2015 fiscal year.

FHCN also completed the celebration of National Health Center Week in Tulare County. From August 10th through August 16th, FHCN joined organizations from across the country in celebrating National Health Center Week (NHCW). Each year, the second week in August is dedicated to recognizing the services and contributions of Community, Health Centers in providing access to affordable, high-quality, cost-effective health care to medically vulnerable and

underserved populations in the U.S. This year, Tulare County joined in recognizing NHCW locally with a proclamation from the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, presented to FHCN in recognition of the organization’s vital role as a local engine for healthier communi-ties.

For more information about Family HealthCare Network, please contact Nikki Gilman, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, at 559.737.4746.

CASA: ‘I Am For The Child’

Family HealthCare opens new facility in Visalia: School Avenue Health Center

Steve Silva sold Creative apparel & skate decks at the 2014 Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.

From left to right: Jose(Angel)Garcia, Ramona Alexander, Eric Anderson, Martha Chavez, Patty Castro, Sue Pierce, Margaret Hall, Stephanie Yocum, Donna Lopez, Olga Raya, Pat Branson, Kristen Barklow, Kym Deathriage and Judge Juliet Boccone.

Family HealthCare’s School Avenue Health Center

Photos by Roy Dressel Photography

Happy Trails Riding Academy hosts Annual Round Up Fundraiser

Happy Trails Riding Academy is host-ing its 4th annual Round Up fundraiser

Friday, October 3, 2014 at the Happy Trails Rid-ing Academy facility lo-cated at 2773 E. Oakdale

Ave., Tulare at 6:00pm. Your ticket will include a Cowboy BBQ, live music, a wine buy, and riding demonstrations from many of the Happy Trails students. All proceeds of the event will directly benefit the Happy Trails Riding Academy program.

Tickets are $30 per person and ta-bles of eight can be reserved for $240. Happy Trails also has sponsorship op-portunities available for this event. To reserve your tickets or inquire about sponsorships, please contact the office at (559.688.8685.

Happy Trails Riding Academy is a non-profit program that enriches the lives of children and adults with physical, men-tal, and emotional disabilities through therapeutic horsemanship, providing a unique opportunity for self-improvement and independence while offering a chal-lenging alternative to traditional therapy.

If you would like more informa-tion, please contact Leslie Gardner at (559.688.-8685 or [email protected].

County Library helping Visalia residents stretch their food dollar

This fall, join Tulare County Library in Stretching the Food Dollar.

The Visalia Branch is offering work-shops and book clubs on subjects like couponing, meal planning on a budget, and money management starting in Sep-tember.

The first workshop, on couponing, will begin Friday, September 12, at 3:00 p.m. in the Blue Room of the Visalia Branch. The series of workshops will cover topics such as coupon math, price matching and adhering to coupon poli-cies.

The book club, beginning Wednesday, October 1 at 6:30 p.m., will include how-to books on couponing for everyday needs as well as *extreme* couponing to stockpile for a rainy day.

Additional programs will focus on how to make a meager food budget stretch, how to plan your family meals to be in-expensive, healthy and easy to prepare, and how to manage your money a little better to make ends meet. The program is a result of a Library Services and Tech-nology Act grant through the California State Library and Infopeople*s Eureka Leadership program.

To sign up for the series, call Librarian Amanda Grombly at 713-2710 or email her at [email protected]. Space is limited, so please sign up as soon as possible!

Dressel(continued from page 1)

print ads, direct mail and word of mouth referrals.” New clients would come to his office, flip through books of photos and decide if they want-ed his services. Today, there are many more photographers out there

and the internet is where most clients come from. Customers click through online galleries before they ever give him a call. Roy Dressel Photography specializes in weddings and portraits, these types of

photo sessions are very personalized. Roy mentioned that he “loves to photograph weddings, they are really fun to do and when you get the perfect shot, there is no feeling like it, but times are changing again.”

The change he is talking about is public perception of the worth of a professional photographer. With the great camera equipment available at box stores and the software that makes editing pictures so easy for people to use, many customers start to wonder why they should pay a professional to take their pictures. Roy’s answer to that question is “We have training, we know how to make you look your best whether it is a wedding picture, a professional head shot, or a family picture. I know how work with people to make them feel at ease and alleviate the nerves associated with taking

pictures.” Even with all of his experience Roy realizes the need to change his business model. He has recently become a partner with Portraitefx. This partnership will help Roy to move his focus away from the small single session sitting to larger volume sessions like; schools, preschools & daycares, youth sports, martial arts and dance programs. He noted “Parents still see the value in a professional cap-turing these important milestone moments in their children’s lives.”

Obviously Roy understands what it takes to be a successful entre-preneur. You have to be creative and flexible, ready to change your business model according to the needs of your customers. So I asked him one last question; “What is your advice for someone wanting to start their own business?” Roy’s response is one that many business owners can relate to. “Photography is a great part time business, but at the end of the day if you want to make this your full time job it is hard. It is a real business and you have to figure out how you are going to deliver a product to a customer in a unique way, and understand how you can do that while still making money to keep the doors open.”

The Chamber wants to thank Roy for his service in the community including his work with the Lions Club, the SPCA, the Tommy Elliot Golf Tournament and the Chamber of Commerce. We would also like to congratulate him on his 30 years of business and wish him luck in his future business endeavors.

Page 5: Business Update · Happy Bear Surgery Center, LLC Happy Trails Riding Academy IDEA! Printing & Graphics ImagineU Interactive Children’s Museum KARM-FM Harvest Broadcasting Company,

www.ViSaLiachaMBER.ORg • SEPTEMBER 2014 • 5www.Facebook.com/Visaliachamber www.twitter.com/VisaliaBiz www.plus.google.com

September 12-27, 2015

For pricing or registration details call the Visalia Chamber of Commerce at 559-734-5876 or visit www.visaliachamber.org

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Community Food Bank hires new coordinator

Community Food Bank announced that they have hired a new retail store donation coordinator – the first of its kind for the Food Bank – to help work with local and national retailers to se-cure more donated food. The position is funded by a Walmart Foundation grant of $52,500 received earlier this year.

“Having enough food to eat is an is-sue that too many people continue to struggle with here in our Valley. One way we can continue to make an impact on hunger in the Valley is by expanding our retail store donation program. The addition of a Retail Store Donation Co-ordinator is a critical part of making this expansion a reality. We are grateful to the Walmart Foundation for assisting us with the funding of this position, and their continued commitment to helping us provide food to those in our Valley who struggle with hunger on a daily ba-sis,” said Andy Souza, CEO of Commu-nity Food Bank.

While the position is funded through a Walmart Foundation grant, the new re-tail store coordinator will work with all retailers in the area in an effort to secure more food for the Food Bank. The coor-dinator will also help educate store per-sonnel on how to donate food to Com-munity Food Bank and the appropriate guidelines for donation.

Through their long-standing commit-ment to fighting hunger, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation provide dona-tions of both funds and food to Feeding America and its nationwide network of food banks. Community Food Bank is one of the nearly 200 Feeding America members that currently receive product donations from local Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs.

ViSaLia TiMES-DELTa • aUgUST 30, 2014

Dowling Aaron attorneys named Super Lawyers, Rising Stars

Fifteen attorneys at Dowling Aaron Incorporated have received the honor of being selected for inclusion on the 2014 Northern California Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. Only 5 percent of at-torneys in any one state are selected an-nually. Rising Stars represent the top up-and-coming lawyers who are under 40 years old or who have been practicing for 10 years or less.

Richard Aaron, Donald Fischbach, James Burnside III, Leigh Burnside, Nickolas Dibiaso, David Schneider, Dan-iel Jamison, Michael Dowling and Ste-ven McGee were designated as Super Lawyers. Steven McGee was also rec-ognized as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Northern California. Timothy Larson, Nathan Powell, Steven Matiak, Joshua Alipaz and Matthew Dildine were se-lected as Rising Stars by Super Lawyers magazine.

“The exceptional work exhibited by the 15 award recipients is remarkable, “ said Larry B. Lindenau, Dowling Aaron firm president. “They have worked tire-lessly throughout the past year for their clients. Each individual should be proud of themselves for receiving this much deserved recognition.”

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and pro-fessional achievement. The multiphase selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Bar associations and courts across the country have recognized the legitimacy of the Super Lawyers selection process.

The Visalia Chamber invites you to travel the Seine: Paris to Nor-mandy. This 13 day tour will take you from Paris to Normandy up the beautiful Seine River on a 120 passenger river ship.

The journey begins as you board your ship in Honfleur and enjoy a fantastic Captains dinner aboard the ship. In Honfleur you will take a walking tour of the historic Old Port and the Church of St. Catherine. Next stop is Normandy beaches where you will tour a World War II artillery battery and enjoy a picnic lunch in the port of Arromanche.Lagter you will stand on the cliffs of Omaha Beach. From Honfleur you travel to Caudebec and discover the historic main square.

Farther down the river you will tour Rouen and the St. Wandrille Abbey. From Rouen you will travel to Giverny where Monet was inspired and see where he lived, you will also experience a home hosted visit and learn from a local family what it is like to live in France. On day 10 you will continue toward Conflans as you learn about The Impressionists and travel by motorcoach to Auvers-sur-Oise to see Van Gogh’s inspiration. Days 11 and 12 are spent in Paris where you will have beautiful views of legendary landmarks and enjoy a panoramic tour of the city with plenty of time to explore this amazing city.

Throughout this trip you will be have a professional English speak-ing local guide and a personal whisper headset. Travel is at a leisure-ly pace and you can choose to stay with your group and guide or go exploring by yourself. All of the meals on board the ship are included in the base price of the trip. Additional tours include: Bayeux, Fe-

camp & the Cliffs of Etetat, Abbey St. Wandrille, Versailles, High-lights of the Louvre. For more information contact Nicola Wissler at the Visalia Chamber of Commerce 559-734-5876 or go to www.visaliachamber.org

The Seine: Paris to NormandyHighlights:

Optional Extensions:

■ Honfleur■ Normandy Beaches■ Rouen■ Giverny■ Auvers-Sur-Oise■ Caen Peace Memorial Museum

■ Paris■ French cooking demonstration■ Painting lesson■ French language lesson■ Home Hosted Visit

■ Brittany & Mont St. Michel, France■ London, England■ Paris, France■ Loire Valley, France

March 17-29, 2015$3,835 per person (double occupancy)

(includes airfare from Fresno)

Steven Silva: A Young Entrepreneurs Academy success story

By Nicola WisslerYEA! Program Manager

In September of 2013 the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) was launched at COS. 15 students walked through the doors of Hos-pital Rock 110 and began the journey from student to CEO. As with any new program, there were a few hiccups. Students moved away and a few students realized that they just did not have time available to commit to launching a business in 30 weeks. But for the 9 stu-dents who graduated from the program in May 2014 YEA! was both challenging and eye opening.

Steven Silva is the 18-year-old CEO of CREATIVE Board Shop. CRE-ATIVE is a skate apparel company that sells T-shirts, skate decks, and

sweaters through social media outlets. The goal is to one day have a retail shop where Silva can sell his own CREATIVE skate apparel and equipment as well as national brands. “I want to give back to the Visalia skateboard community, the same way that The Boardroom does in Fresno. I want to host events, build a stake park, and make skaters feel like they have a home” stated Silva. We talked with Steven and learned more about this young CEO

and what he is doing now. Why did you join YEA!? I decided to join the YEA! program be-

cause they said that at the end of this program my company was going to be the “Real Deal”.

What was your favorite part of YEA!? My favorite part was working with my mentor Dan McGregor. He was really cool, and we talked about skateboarding and surfing a lot. I could tell he definitely be-lieved in me and my business 100%.

What was the most valuable thing you learned? I learned that you have to believe in yourself and your product. If you believe, you can come up with a pitch, write a business plan, and talk to a panel of judges.

What advice would you give to students who want to start their own business? It’s not all about the money. If you have any idea that you believe in and you have a passion for it then you have already

succeeded. All you need for your dream to become a reality is hard work.

Who should join YEA!? This is not a program for lazy students. And yes, I am EXTREMELY lazy. It is a lot of work outside of the classroom, especially writing your business plan. If you have a real business idea that you believe will

work and you’re passionate, you should join YEA! The instructors want you to succeed and they believe in the vision that you have for yourself.

How is your business today? Since the class ended I have made new T-shirts, sweaters, and skateboard decks for the fall and have been selling them over social media.

The YEA! program will send the next class of young entrepreneurs on the path to becoming a CEO on September 16th. We look for-ward to seeing what fantastic ideas these students will have. We will continue to follow the success of our past graduates and are excited to see how far they can go. For more information on the YEA! pro-gram in Visalia/Tulare go to www.visaliachamber.org or www.tularechamber.org.

Silva

Steve Silva sold Creative apparel & skate decks at the 2014 Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.

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ViSaLia TiMES-DELTa • aUgUST 30, 2014

6 • SEPTEMBER 2014 • www.ViSaLiachaMBER.ORg

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Visalia Chamber Aug. 2011.pdf 1 8/15/2011 12:45:50 PM

VS-0000245664

www.twitter.com/VisaliaBizwww.plus.google.com www.Facebook.com/Visaliachamber

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

CLIP & SAVE

CALENDAR - SEPTEMBER 2014

YPN Steering Committee

Meeting

YEA! Steering Committee

Meeting

Visalia Business Academy Seminar

9 am

Ambassador MeetingVisalia First

Assembly Church8 am

Visalia City Council Meeting

Special Meeting to discuss the General Plan Update

Council Chambers 5:30 pm

Visalia City Council Meeting

4 pm work session;7 pm regular sessionCouncil Chambers

Business After Hours Mixer

IDEA Printing5:30 pm

Chamber Government Affairs

Committee7:15 am

Here are a few of the many things happening at Kaweah Delta Health Care District to positively impact the quality of healthcare services available to this community. Quality and Patient Safety

In an effort to continually improve clinical outcomes and patient experiences at Kaweah Delta, we’re sponsor-ing our first Quality and Patient Safety Symposium on Monday, Sept. 15, at the Visalia Convention Center. Our strong commitment to organizational learning has led us to invite two speakers to share their expertise on how to improve in these areas. They include: Dr. Christine Goeschel, RN, FAAN, Assistant Vice President of Quality, from MedStar Health and Dr. Chet Wyman, Chief Medical Officer, Patient Safety and Quality, from Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins. Kaweah Delta patient care staff will be in attendance, along with others working in health-care statewide.New Surgical Program Provider

Kaweah Delta has concluded its selection process for the group that will lead our surgical program effective Oct. 9. The selected group, Acute-Care and Trauma Service (ACTS), will continue to pro-vide surgical on-call coverage for our Emergency Department and consultations for inpatients at Kaweah Delta. This team will be led by Dr. Nichole Meissner, Dr. Abiy Meshesha, Dr. Satish Kesava, and Dr. Sebastiano Cassaro. This initial core group will be augmented by

additional surgeons as needed over time and provide training to future surgical residents. We thank Dr. Victoria Gerken, and her associates for the outstanding service rendered to Kaweah

Delta, the medical staff, and patients during the past five years and are pleased that Dr. Gerken will remain a vital part of our medical staff and surgical program.Surgical Suite Expansion

Construction has begun on two new state-of-the-art operating rooms that will next year bring our total oper-ating room capacity to 19, allowing more surgical cases

to be performed at Kaweah Delta. The expansion will make it easier for patients to have surgery performed in the daytime, help with phy-sician recruitment and improve physician satisfaction. Demand for surgery has increased as physician practices have grown and new surgeons have moved into the area. Norman Sharrer Symposium

The general public is invited to attend the 33rd annual Norman Sharrer Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 16, as Kaweah Delta and the medical staff bring Physician and Historian Dr. Victoria Sweet, author of the prize-winning book “God’s Hotel; a Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine” to the Visalia Fox Theatre, 308 W. Main St. Dr. Sweet will present on critical conversations between patients and their medical providers in today’s healthcare sys-tem. This event is free and open to the public.

Interested in finding out if QuickBooks is right for your business? Have you just started using QuickBooks and have questions? Or, have you been using QuickBooks and are looking for a refresher? Then, this workshop is for you!

This workshop is designed for businesses that are up and running. However, startups are welcome to attend. Topics covered in-clude:

■ Understanding how important an ac-counting system is to your company

■ What QuickBooks looks like and how to use some of its basic features

■ Basics of paying bills and collecting money

■ Laying the groundwork for a loan in the future

■ Basic accounting terms■ Sources of assistance

Presented By: Christina Pardo, Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisorSMWhen: Saturday, September 13, 2014Location: Visalia Chamber of Commerce 220 N. Santa Fe St., Visalia, CA 93792Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Cost: The cost to attend this workshop is $50 per attendee. However, due to the generosity of our sponsors, it is offered to small business owners at a reduced charge of $30.

For information, questions, or to register please call Gil Jaramillo at 559.625.3051 or email [email protected].

Kaweah Delta works to positively impact the quality of healthcare services

QuickBooks workshop: Buy more time

Lindsay MannChief Executive Officer

Kaweah Delta Health Care District

KAWEAH DELTA HEALTH CARE DISTRICT

Visalia City Council Meeting

4 pm work session;7 pm regular sessionCouncil Chambers