Biz Buzz
By Shelby Maloney 05/03/2012
Welcome to Biz Buzz, a monthly dispatch of interesting business news in the VC.
Opening:
The Vintage Pearl, located at the Ventura Harbor, opened its doors on April 7. Owners Cheryl Aronson and Dan Blumfield invite the public to visit the shop for all things vintage, antique or one-of-a-kind. … Naturally Wild Artisan Soap and Bath opens May 16 at 12 W. Main St. in Ventura. Natural Soap and Skin Care Products are made from natural, sustainable and organic ingredients. … Copperfields has opened at 242 E. Main Street in Downtown Ventura. An eclectic selection of greeting cards, antique collectibles and gifts for everyone, the store even has a first edition of David Copperfield for sale. … Absolems Hookah Lounge opened in Downtown Ventura in late March. Themed after the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland it has an upscale feel with private booths and unique furnishings. … Amigos Surf Cantina and Café opened in Downtown Ventura at 546 Main St. in April. It offers classic Mexican cuisine and a full bar. … Panaro Brothers Winery recently opened at 4517 Market Street, Unit 7, in Ventura. It will be featuring grand opening festivities every weekend in May. … The Ventura Family YMCA’s brand-new state-of-the-art cardio room reopened on April 28. The event showcased one of the Y’s most popular programs for youth, the Kids Cardio Club. The Ventura Family YMCA serves more than 20,000 individuals annually with community-enriching programs throughout Ventura, Oxnard, Ojai, Santa Paula and Saticoy.
Moving up
Abe Leider
Rincon Consultants managers Abe Leider (pictured above) and Joe Power recently earned credentials developed by the American Planning Association (APA) certifying them with advanced specialty certification in environmental planning. The two managers are among the first 33 professionals in the nation to achieve the new certification. … The Ventura Black Widows, Ventura County’s only full contact women’s football team, joined the American Football Association. The team is entering its fourth year of playing tackle football and represents the entire California Central Coast. … International trade expert Ray Bowman (pictured below), director of EDC-VC’s Small Business Development Center, was recently appointed to the national District Export Council, Southern California Chapter by Secretary of Commerce John Bryson. As a DEC member, Bowman will counsel small- to medium-sized businesses on the exporting process and provide trade education and community outreach. … Ronald G. Golden, former vice president of major accounts at Chicago Title, is joining as vice president of community investment of United Way of Ventura County. In his new position, Golden will be responsible for expanding UWVC’s community investment strategic plan.
Ray Bowman
Eco-friendly
U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson awarded to six Oak Park High School students the President’s Environmental Youth Award on April 19 at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for their work educating the public and decision makers on the issue of large container ships killing whales in the Santa Barbara Channel. … The Air Pollution Control Districts in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties recently announced that they have secured $250,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission to develop an Electric Vehicle Community Readiness Plan for the Central Coast of California. One of the goals is to develop a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging infrastructure along the Highway 101 corridor through the Central Coast, connecting Southern California and the Bay Area. … The city of Thousand Oaks was awarded $202,938 by the State of California to provide recycling equipment and outreach to all Conejo Valley Unified School District campuses during the 2012/2013 school year.
In the name of charity
The Kingdom Center, a family transitional living center, is hosting its second annual golf tournament at Olivas Links Golf Course on May 22. It will feature a barbecue luau, Hawaiian dancers, awards and guest speaker former Dodgers General Manager Kevin Malone. To register for the tournament, visit www.tkcventura.org. … Project Understanding, a nonprofit organization that offers a range of services throughout Ventura County to assist the economically disadvantaged, will have its inaugural Fundraising Breakfast on May 10 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ventura. The breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to support Project Understanding’s Homeless to Home (H2H) Program and its Tender Life Maternity Home. To reserve a seat, call Kathy Donofrio at 652-1326, ext. 829, or e-mail kdonofrio@projectunderstanding.org. … The Ventura City Firefighters Association presented checks totaling $1,000 to two local nonprofit organizations on April 19. The recipients were the Tender Life Maternity Home and the Douglas Penfield Special Education School Program.
Crowne Plaza Hotel
And the award goes to…
Alma Sol Winery
Alma Sol Winery, a micro-boutique winery owned and operated by Ventura County residents John and Lisa Shaw, won a silver medal at the Monterey Wine Competition in February of this year for its first cabernet sauvignon. The Shaws are now gearing up to participate in numerous regional tasting events this spring and summer. … Ventura Commerce and Education Foundation has named Martha Etchart, fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Ventura, as March’s Teacher of the Month for the Ventura Unified School District. Etchart has more than 15 years of teaching experience and assists the student leadership by planning and implementing various schoolwide and Advanced Via Individual Determination events. … Andrea Torres was named Oxnard’s Employee of the First Quarter for the Year 2012. Torres started her career with the city of Oxnard’s Environmental Resources Department on June 9, 1982, and now holds the position of acting supervisor with the same department. The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) North Ventura Charter Region XIII honoring exemplary individuals in school administration presented the Outstanding Partner in Education award to County Schools Federal Credit Union (CSFCU). As part of CSFCU financial literacy effort, Mandy and Randy and Making the Right Money Moves, both financial literacy programs teaching practical financial skills, habits, and values necessary to save and handle money reach 41,220 students, 67 high schools, and 106 elementary schools in Ventura County.
Education
Oxnard Union High School District will perform a ribbon cutting at Channel Islands High School state-of-the-art — Transportation Technology Center on May 18 at 3:30 p.m. at 1400 Raiders Way in Oxnard. … UCSB Extension is offering Fundamentals of Technical Writing this spring quarter, a course developed to address the very particular writing demands placed on professionals who work in scientific, technical and clinical settings. The 18-hour course begins Tuesday May 8. For more information, call 893-4200 or visit www.extension.ucsb.edu for additional information about this course, and all of UCSB Extension’s programs.
Biz Buzz appears the first Thursday of each month. Send news of openings, changes and other things of interest to Editorial@vcreporter.com by the 20th of the prior month to be considered.
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