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

FEBRUARY 2015 • VOLUME 35 • NUMBER 2 • WWW.VISALIACHAMBER.ORGVi

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VISALIA TIMES-DELTA • JANUARY 31, 2015

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VISALIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MISSION ICONS

Business-Government Business Relations Promoting Community Strong Local Economy

UPCOMING EVENTS■ FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Free Small Business Certification Workshop Employment Connection 4025 W. Noble, Visalia, 9 am - 12 pm RSVP to peggy.chiok@hsr.ca.gov

■ FEBRUARY 5, 2015 Slideshow Presentation Athens & Greek Isles Visalia Chamber of Commerce Office 12-1 pm

■ FEBRUARY 5, 2015 View Partnership Information Session Visalia Chamber Office, 4:30-5 pm For all businesses in Visalia

■ FEBRUARY 5, 12, 19, 2015 Young Professionals Network Professional Development / Networking Series “Investing in Your Future” Brandman University, 6-8 pm RSVP: vypn@visaliachamber.org

■ FEBRUARY 19, 2015 Social Media Marketing Jump Start Seminar Visalia Chamber of Commerce Office 9-11 am $20 per person www.visaliachamber.org

■ FEBRUARY 24, 2015 Business After Hours Mixer 5:30-7:30 pm

■ FEBRUARY 26, 2015 Chamber Ambassador Breakfast Visalia First Assembly 8-9 am

■ Alaska Adventure August 18-28, 2015

■ Athens & Greek Islands October 16-24, 2015

■ Reflections of Italy November 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!

Community LoyaL members

RenewingThe Visalia Chamber of Commerce thanks the following companies for renewing their commitment to the community of Visalia.

■ Assisted Senior Transitions■ Berkshire Hathaway Home Services ■ Boretti, Inc■ California Business Machines■ Carl Nelson Insurance Agency*■ Continental Labor & Staffing Resources■ Edward Jones/Mandy Basra

Financial Advisor■ El Rosal Restaurant■ Executives Association

of Tulare County*■ Family Builders Foster Family Agency■ Friends of the Fox-Fox Theatre■ Golden State Food, LLC■ Hyde Commercial Real Estate*■ Martin & Martin Properties LLC*■ Owens Valley Career

Development Center*

■ Patrick L. Salazar State Farm Insurance Agency

■ Rauber & Johnson■ Redwood Springs Healthcare Center■ Spherion■ St. Paul’s School■ The Yokohl Ranch Company LLC* ■ Tulare County Health &

Human Services Agency■ Valley Oak S.P.C.A.■ Visalia Public Cemetery District■ Wells Fargo Commercial

Banking Office

NewThe Visalia Chamber of Commerce would like to welcome our newest members. We encourage individuals and businesses to support Chamber Member businesses.■ ADVERTISING SERVICES & GRAPHIC DESIGN On3design Independent Graphic Designer 310.713.2963

■ ATTORNEYS & LEGAL SERVICES Littler Mendelson 559.244.7500■ FLOOR, WALL & WINDOW COVERINGS Innovation Commercial Flooring, Inc. 559.439.8800■ MEDICAL CLINIC Orthopaedic Associations Medical Clinic, Inc. 559.733.3346■ MEDICAL SERVICES Golden State Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery, Inc. 559.627.8600■ NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Valley Oak S.P.C.A. 559.651.1111 Wish Upon A Star 559.733.7753■ RESTAURANT Café 210 559.739.9009*Indicates membership in the Visalia Chamber 110% Club.

A thriving community starts here!

Made in Visalia: Hydrite Chemical Co.By Nicola Wissler

Food safety is a hot topic. News reports of large and small food man-ufacturers who have lost business and credibility due to food safety issues occur occasionally. The FDA strictly controls the food manufac-turing business and companies must comply with their intense sani-tation standards. But we don’t often think about the companies and individuals who are tasked with making the products that keep our food safe. Hydrite Chemical Co. provides creative solutions to address food safety as well as operational efficiency for food manufacturers. As a major player in food and dairy products industry, it is no wonder that in 2011 Hydrite Chemical Co. moved to Visalia. Located in the “Bread Basket” of the country, Tulare County has numerous food and dairy manufacturing plants, all of which need products produced by Hydrite.

In 1929 Richard Honkamp and Wayne Thompson started Hydrite Chemical Co. and set a pattern for success; “Find a niche. Do it better than the competition. Always look for ways improve”. Today, Hydrite Chemical is still a family owned and operated busi-ness, with third generation family members in senior management positions. Hydrite Chemical Co. offers expertise in chemical distribution, food and dairy sani-tation, food ingredients, organic processing, liquid sul-fur salts, water treatment, foam control and more. As with any industry, location is a major key to success. Being located near customers helps to reduce the bottom line for everyone involved. For Hydrite, location was a strategic factor in purchasing Choice Chemical in Visalia in 2011 and renovating the property.

“The mission of Hydrite sets us apart from the competition” stated Steve Reid, Hydrite’s Visalia Plant Manager. Our mission is engrained into the culture of this company, it starts at the top and trickles down

to every single employee.” The mission of Hydrite Chemical Co. is to empower employees to be accountable and responsible for their efforts

and attitudes to guarantee 100% customer satisfac-tion. Reid believes that making the employees respon-sible and holding them accountable leads to greater productivity and company loyalty. “We truly believe that our employees are our greatest asset, we want to provide them with the tools that they need so that

they can be successful and do their jobs to the best of their ability.” said Reid.

Today Hydrite Chemical Co. employs more than 800 people nation-wide more than 30 people work in the Visalia facility. According to Reid, Hydrite expects to expand its operation in Visalia with new facili-ties and by bringing in other divisions of the company not currently

See Hydrite / 4

BUSINESSSPOTLIGHT

Hydrite Chemical Co. food grade production equipment at the Visalia facility.

Hydrite Chemical Co. employees work in the Quality Control Lab, testing products for customers.

SAVE THE DATE

APRIL 23, 2015 Visalia Convention Center

Get information about vendor booths and sponsorship opportunities at:

www.visaliachamber.org Find a niche. Do it better than the competition. Always look for ways

to improve.

VISALIA TIMES-DELTA • JANUARY 31, 2015

2 • FEBRUARY 2015 • 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.

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PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Where do good leaders learn to lead?Leadership is never complete. It isn’t something one can

check off a to-do list. Real leaders, those who seek its highest form, are constantly refining their skills and looking for better ways to lead.

As your Chamber President and CEO, I have the oppor-tunity to meet and work with some of Visalia’s greatest leaders. I am humbled by their approach to making their businesses, this city and most importantly our commu-nity thrive. From the young entrepreneur in high school developing his business and leadership skills through the YEA program, to the fourth generation business owner who espouses the benefits of being community loyal, leaders work to make this community flourish. They all have one trait, character-istic, and approach in common. They never think they have it completely figured out. As a leader, they know there is always more to know, more to learn.

The Visalia Chamber proudly offers our communities leaders a way to continue learn. The Leadership Visalia program which is nearly 30 years old allows leaders to complete a rigorous nine month programs to explore and grow their personal, professional, and community leadership. Our graduates represent all forms of leadership from pillars of industry, city council members, county board of supervisors, service club presidents

and elected state leaders. After graduation this June, another 22 class members will join the celebrated alumni, strengthening their network and accomplishments.

I have been asked “When is the perfect time to participate in Leadership Visalia”? The reality is there isn’t an answer that fits everyone. For some, this class comes at a time when they need a new perspective as a leader, the class challenges their current perspectives. For others, they are accomplished leaders, but new to our community and looking to understand Visalia better. Still others are devel-oping as a leader and this course allows them to reach

the next level in their professional career. No matter the reason, this course allows participants to explore leadership issues affecting Visalia.

John F. Kennedy said “Leadership and learning are indispensable of each other.” As a leader how do you continue to grow? If you have not graduated from Leadership Visalia I would encourage you to explore that option as a way to continue to develop as a leader.

Explore the many wonderful workshops and courses offered by your Chamber. Join a committee, volunteer with YEA or attend a meet-ing of the Young Professional Network. Leaders must remain active. Leaders must continue to develop if they are to remain a value to our community.

Gail ZurekPresident & CEO Visalia Chamber of Commerce

Leaders must remain active. Leaders must continue to

develop if they are to remain a value to our community.

Family HealthCare welcomes new providers in Tulare County

With the recent addition of three new providers, Family HealthCare Network

is pleased to announce the continued expan-sion of its family medi-cine services. Physician Assistants, Jeffery Ru-bio, PA-C, Jean Pigford, PA-C, and Geraldo Mu-ñiz, PA-C are now ac-cepting new patients, with a special focus in family medicine, at three of Family Health-Care Network’s Tulare County health centers. Rubio will practice out of the Farmersville Health Center, Pig-ford out of the Goshen Health Center, and Mu-ñiz will see patients at Family HealthCare Network’s Visalia Oak Health Center located in downtown Visalia.

“We are excited to welcome this new group of providers to our health care team,” stated Kerry Hydash, Family HealthCare Network President and CEO. “With the growth of our family medicine team, we are able to continue to positive-ly impact our patient’s lives and further serve our communities.” About Family HealthCare Network:

Family HealthCare Network is a pri-vate nonprofit organization that operates

federally qualified health centers. Our mission is to provide quality

health care to everyone in the commu-nities we serve. We operate 18 sites, of which 14 are community health centers located in Tulare and Kings Counties. Family HealthCare Network is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home and dually rec-ognized by The Joint Commission with its Gold Seal of Approval® for Patient Quality and Safety and as a Patient-Centered Pri-mary Medical Home.

For more information about Family HealthCare Network, visit www.fhcn.org, or to schedule an appoint-ment, call 877.960.3426.

Visalians to receive Cal Water scholarships

Three students from Visalia are among the recipients of California Water Service Company’s inaugural college scholarship program.

The students, selected based on aca-demic achievement and community in-volvement, will be recognized at a pre-sentation at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Cal Water’s Customer Center, 216 N. Valley Oaks Drive.

Twins Cameron and Tyler Haberman are the first generation of their family to pursue higher education. Both attended Mt. Whitney High School and are now freshmen at the University of California, Berkeley, studying pre-business. In high school, both played baseball and basket-ball, with Cameron serving as captain of the varsity basketball team; held officer positions in Key Club; and volunteered with the Salvation Army. Cameron was senior class vice president; Tyler was sec-retary of the Drama Club.

Recipient Joshua Polich, a graduate of Golden West High School, is majoring in agricultural business at Fresno State Uni-versity. A member of the CSU Fresno ski and snowboard team, Joshua also enjoys mountain biking. He works for an agri-cultural irrigation dealer serving Central California.

Cal Water’s scholarship program is funded by shareholders, not ratepayers. The program is administered by Schol-arship Management Services. The next scholarship cycle will open in the spring for students pursuing higher education in the fall.

For eligibility requirements and details, visit calwater.com/community/scholarship.

Integrity Credit 518 N. Locust • Visalia • 559.747.7131

www.integritycredit.com

Ribbon Cutting

Avalon Quarters by Wathen Castanos 3923 W. Jerome Ave. • Visalia • 559.549.5421

http://www.wchomes.com/avalon

Ribbon Cutting

Ribbon Cutting

Kaweah Delta Family Medicine Center 202 W. Willow • 5th Floor • Visalia

http://www.kaweahdelta.org/gme/family-medicine/default.aspx

Ribbon Cutting

Success Learning Center & Visalia Music School

2332 W. Whitendale • Suite A,B & C • Visalia • 559.627.9500www.successlearningcenter.com

Ribbon Cutting

Amvets Department of California 157 South K Street • Tulare • 559.688.3407

www.teamamvets.org

GROUNDBREAKING • GRAND OPENING RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONIES

Rubio

Muniz

Pigford

Students, employers learn about Linked Learning

On Wednesday, January 21st the The Visalia Chamber of Com-merce and Visalia Unified School District hosted a lunch to celebrate

the launch of the Linked Learn-ing Academies. Linked Learning combines rigorous academics, with career themed courses and work-based learning in an acad-emy structure. The lunch was ca-

tered by the Redwood high school culinary arts program and served more than 50 people.

The lunch was an opportunity for VUSD and the Chamber to thank those employers and business leaders who have stepped up to the plate and volunteered to actively participate in the Linked Learn-ing program. The Chamber of Commerce is working with the school district to connect local business leaders directly to students in the classroom. “We understand the importance of having real world experiences integrated into the classroom learning process and are proud to partner with the school district to bring first-hand knowl-edge and experiences straight to the students.” stated Gail Zurek, CEO of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce. Many business leaders have joined advisory boards and are working with VUSD to formu-late curriculum, provide guest speakers, open their facilities for class tours, create job shadowing prospects and ultimately provide intern-ships opportunities.

Throughout the week eighth grade students from Visalia Unified Middle Schools attended a video presentation that featured the six different academies at 5 highs schools. Academy options include: Agricultural Bio-Science & Technology at VTEC, Ag Engineering at Golden West, Architecture & Engineering at Redwood, Computer Science & Health Science at Mt. Whitney, and Media Arts at El Dia-mante. “Work-based learning has been around for years in a number of forms. VUSD is excited to be partnering with the Visalia Chamber of Commerce to Promote and advance its business engagement ac-tivities,” stated Bill Davis, Director of Career and Technical Educa-tion, VUSD. The school district also hosted information sessions for the parents of eighth graders to answer questions they may have about the new programs.

To learn more about the Linked Learning programs go to: http://www.vusd.org/Academics.cfm?subpage=35101

VISALIA TIMES-DELTA • JANUARY 31, 2015

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By Marie LabbeeBrandman University

It is such a joy and an honor to co-chair the Visalia Chamber Ambassador group. When I first joined the Ambassador program I wasn’t sure what it was or what the benefit would be to Brandman University. I soon dis-covered the wealth of

opportunities being an Ambassador provid-ed. The most beneficial thing I have found about being a Chamber Ambassador is the networking opportunities. I say “opportuni-ties” because this program gives back what you put into it.

There are monthly Ambassador Break-fasts, Ribbon Cuttings, Mixers and After Hours. Each one of these is a unique op-portunity for Ambassadors to brand and promote their business, some times to busi-nesses they wouldn’t have had access to be-fore. At the breakfast you sit at a table with seven other business partners for an hour with your promotional material on the ta-ble. Where else are you going to be able to network personally with seven other local businesses for an hour? We give opportu-nities for presentations, brag reports and calendar updates at each meeting as well.

The Ribbon Cuttings allow you the oppor-tunity to network with the new businesses in the area and many times you have one on one time with the owners and staff. Ribbon cuttings are open to all Chamber members but Ambassadors get special invitations. Not to mention if you have a company shirt on in the picture, this is extra exposure when the picture is put on Facebook, Twit-ter, and Instagram, and in the newsletter, as well as hung up in the business.

The Mixers and After Hours also give a unique opportunity to network on a per-sonal level with other local businesses, or your business can host one and increase your exposure.

If these networking opportunities were not great enough you are able to gain ex-posure through decorating tables or volun-teering at Chamber hosted events.

With minimal effort you will receive maximum exposure! Why wouldn’t your company want to participate in the Ambassador program?

What is a Chamber Ambassador and what do they do?

George Vasquez is the VP Branch Manager of Rabobank, N.A. He has

been a member of the Chamber Board of Di-rectors for six months.

Why is it impor-tant to be a Chamber Member? Being able to accomplish collec-tively what we as in-dividuals may not be

able to do, is a huge benefit of being a part of the Chamber. Where else would you be able to be a part of one of the largest business organizations in Tulare County, interacting with businesses, cor-porations, associations, and individual professionals. All while impacting local government, education, private indus-tries, and various other agencies helping to improve the business environment and promote our community as an ideal place to live, work, play & do business in.

What brought you to Visalia? I was raised and grew up on the farm in and around the Tulare area. I have lived in Visalia for my adult life, raising 2 sons & a daughter. My wife Devon and I currently own two additional businesses here in Visalia: The Staffing Connection & Elite Dance Academy.

What is your favorite thing about your job/company? I really enjoy help-ing and assisting people achieve some of their dreams, whether it be buying their first home, expanding their business op-erations, or planning for their family’s future. Naturally with that trust, strong friendships and relationships are formed.

What do you like to do when you are not working? I like to work around the house on different projects and up-grades. I also enjoy hanging out with my family and nieces and nephews. Addi-tionally, getting out for a round or two of golf with friends.

What is your favorite place to go in Visalia when you are not working? Downtown restaurants or local movie theater visits are some of the local activi-ties we enjoy.

What did you want to be when you were in elementary school? When I was a kid, I wanted to be a police officer. I was able to live that dream several years ago, as I was a Reserve Officer for about three years in a nearby town.

What is your favorite quote? “You get out what you put in.”

George Vasquez

Vasquez

Labbee

BOARDSPOTLIGHT

Tulare County Farm Bureau - Matthew Watkins of Visalia was awarded the CFBF State Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agri-culture award in December, and will compete at the American Farm Bureau’s national contest in San Diego on January 10. Matthew was nomi-nated as an outstanding young agriculturalist and for his contributions to the local Tulare County Farm Bureau as a leader.

The Visalia Fox Theatre is celebrating 85 years this year. Happy Anniversary! They have a great line up of concerts and events for 2015.

Congratulations to the Visalia Sunset Rotary. They are celebrat-ing their 10 year anniversary in 2015!

Congratulations to the new Chairman of the Board of Super-visors, District Four Supervisor Steve Worthley, and Supervisor Mike Ennis, who was elected to serve as Vice Chairman.

When Deputies Miller and Saliem encountered a family in

need due to this weeks freezing temper-atures, they took it upon themselves to help the family. After their shift ended, they went to a local store and purchased two space heaters for the family’s home. Sheriff Boudreaux commended the dep-uties for their service to the community.

Go Make a Memory Photo Booth - We’re excited to announce that we’ve been awarded a Wedding Wire’s Couple’s Choice 2015 Award! Thank you all for the love and support

This is how it started...a visit to my friend Steve McCartha of True Legacy Consulting business on Sept. 11, 2013. At the time CASA’s Facebook page had 243 “Likes.” Steve said we needed to increase our likes to 1,000. Steve gave me some great advise on how to reach that goal. Well, another thank you to Steve and everyone for helping us reach our goal.

J.R. House will manage the 2015 Rawhide! J.R. won a champion-ship in Hillsboro last year, and will try to repeat in Visalia this year!

Mark your calendars! The International World Ag Expo is scheduled for February 10-12 this year. Explore over 1,600 exhibi-tors displaying the latest in farm equipment, chemicals, communica-tions, and technology on 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space.

Plus, they have great food. http://worldagexpo.com/

CSET would like to say thank you WellsFargo! Your generous contribution and support will con-nect rural communities to much needed services!

Congratulations to Sweet Nectar Society on the great article in Enjoy South Valley Living magazine!

Congratulations to Visalia Chamber Board Member

Skip Nugent. His non-profit or-ganization Happy Hearts has raised $1,000,000 for Valley Children’s Hospital.

Visalia Unified School District said: Our VTEC students brought home 5 awards tonight at the Tulare County Farm Bureau event. Fol-lowing a rigorous essay and interview process, students were awarded the coveted FFA jacket with their name on it. We are so proud of our fine young people. Congratulations!!

Thank you to Nicole Brooks from WESTAMERICA Bank, here in Visalia, for presenting Habitat for Humanity of Tulare County with a check for $2,000.00. It’s because of our great community partners that Habitat for Humanity is able to serve more people in our community every year!

Wish Upon a Star would like to say a huge congrats to Bill Diltz, who also happens to be our Board President, for being selected as the Visalia Police Department’s Officer of the Year! Not only are you keeping your community safe, but you’re also working hard to make the magic of wishes come true for kids. We couldn’t be more proud of all the fabulous work you do!

The Tulare County Sheriffs Department would like to congratu-late, Deputy Greg Burns who was awarded the Deputy of the Year award by the Knights of Columbus. Deputy Burns began law enforce-ment career in 1996 with the Farmersville Po-lice Department and lateraled to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department in 1998Since joining the Sheriff’s Office, Greg has worked nearly every jail facility be-fore reporting to Headquarters patrol in 2005. As a Patrol Deputy Greg uses his 18 years of professional experience and years of life experience to provide excellent service to residents of Tulare County on a consistent bases, year in and year out. Deputy Burns has also served as a Field Training Officer since 2007.

A great spotlight article of the Martinho Family Business a.k.a Visalia Ceramic Tile. We are featured in January’s Tile Letter mag-azine for becoming the newest 5 Star Contractor! This magazine is distributed all across the United States. Visalia, we are proud to be your local tile contractor.

GoodNews

from our Members

Tulare County Board of Supervisors, left to right, Steve Worthley, Phil Cox, Pete Vander Poel, Mike Ennis and Allen Ishida.

Steve McCartha, True Legacy & Carrie Margosian, CASA

Happy Hearts

Deputies Miller and Saliem

The state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) on January 12 released proposed regulations to substan-

tially revise Proposition 65 warn-ing requirements.

The California Chamber of Commerce remains very concerned that the revised regulation will alarm consumers and further exacerbate the already-problematic Proposition 65 litigation climate.

The CalChamber is urging businesses to voice their concerns to OEHHA on the proposed warning changes.

OEHHA’s formal rulemaking proposal is extensive, and the Cal-Chamber will review it thoroughly over the next several weeks.

At first glance, however, OEHHA notes in its Initial Statement of Reasons that compliance with its new regulations regarding the con-tents of Proposition 65 warnings will help businesses avoid litigation.

OEHHA fails to recognize, however, that under the regulations as they exist today, the vast majority of threatened or actual Proposition 65 litigation relates, not to the contents of a given warning (an issue which this regulation proposes to address), but rather to whether a warning is provided.

OEHHA’s proposal opens a new frontier of litigation over the con-

tents of warnings when the warning may or may not be required to specify one of 12 designated chemicals, an area of litigation that doesn’t exist today.

Unfortunately, this aspect of the proposal contradicts OEHHA’s re-peatedly stated goal of not increasing litigation and the Governor’s previous calls for “ending frivolous ‘shakedown’ lawsuits.”Governor Calls for Reform

In May 2013, noting that Proposition 65 has been abused by “unscrupulous lawyers driven by profit rather than public health,” Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. proposed reforms to strengthen and restore the intent of Proposition 65.

Specifically, the Governor proposed to end frivolous, “shakedown” lawsuits; improve how the public is warned about dangerous chemi-cals; and strengthen the scientific basis for warning levels.Next Steps

The CalChamber will submit comments on the revised regulatory proposal dated January 12. Comments are due April 8.

The CalChamber is urging business to voice concerns to OEHHA on the proposed warning changes. Businesses interested in joining the CalChamber’s coalition should contact Anthony Samson, anthony.samson@calchamber.com.

Create new avenues for litigations

Take the Kill-A-Watt Krackdown challengeVIEW Partnership, a collaboration with Pacific Gas and Electric

Company, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Com-pany are here to help businesses reduce their energy consumption and save money!

We are seeking interested businesses for our upcoming energy challenge, titled Kill-A-Watt Krackdown. Dur-ing this challenge we are asking small and medium sized businesses to benchmark and lower their energy usage through easy and cost-effective energy efficiency measures.

Aside from the improved bottom line due to energy savings, partic-ipating businesses will be in compliance with AB 1103, which man-dates buildings that are being sold, refinanced or leased in whole,

be benchmarked. Also, businesses will gain recognition as energy leaders in their community and help to improve our Valley for years to come.

We will be having an informational meeting on February 5th from 4:30pm to 5:00pm at the Visalia Chamber of Commerce. We will be going over what the challenge is as well as what is involved for businesses.

We hope that you will be in attendance and see how your business can benefit from our energy challenge.

For more information please email sdodero@pesc.com or call (877) 748-0841. Also if you would like to look us up online please visit Viewthesavings.com.

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

VISALIA TIMES-DELTA • JANUARY 31, 2015

www.twitter.com/VisaliaBizwww.plus.google.com www.Facebook.com/VisaliaChamber4 • FEBRUARY 2015 • WWW.VISALIACHAMBER.ORG

Pacific Employers offers employment policies seminar

What are your Company Policies? Do you have the recommended guidelines

in place? Have you omitted essential content from your employee handbook? Come learn what you

should have and what you should not at Pacific Employers’ free Employment Policies Seminar on Thursday, February 19th from10-11:30 a.m. at the Tulare-Kings Builders Exchange, 1223 S. Lov-er’s Lane in Visalia.

David E. Miller, President of Pacific Employers and Candice Weaver, Human Resources Executive of Pacific Employ-ers will be our presenters. To attend the free seminar please call Pacific Employ-ers at 559.733.4256.

Pacific Employers, advisors to man-agement, is a membership based labor relations and consulting firm in business since 1964 with over 600 individual business members and offers employer-fo-cused consultation and expert personnel services, qualified policy manuals, handbooks, trainings, and more.

February 2015■ FEBRUARY 5, 2015

View Partnership Information Session 4:30 - 5:00 am Visalia Chamber of Commerce officeFreeThe VIEW Partnership, a col-laboration with Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas are here to help businesses reduce their energy consumption and save money!What is the KillaWatt Challenge?How can businesses get involved?For more information please email sdodero@pesc.com or call 877.748.0841. www.Viewthesavings.com

■ FEBRUARY 19, 2015 Social Media Marketing Jump Start: Presented by Constant Contact 9-11 am Visalia Chamber of Commerce Office $20.00• Drive repeat business• Engaging your happy customers• Measuring results • Planning your campaignFor information go to: www.visaliachamber.org

For more information on upcoming seminars

and events go to: http://business.visaliachamber.org/

events/calendar/

VISALIA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Good governanceVisalia is very fortunate! We have a dedicated group of

school Board members who put in a tremendous number of hours mak-ing Visalia Unified School District a great place for the students of Visalia. During the two monthly

Board of Trustee meetings, Board members report on the variety of school and community events that they attended since the last Board meeting. This part of the meeting has taken more and more time as most of the Board mem-bers are actively attending multiple school and district events each week.

Why is this important? Good school Board governance begins with knowledgeable Board members, and our current Board members are out and around the district observing district work first hand. Board members are accessible to students, parents, and employees, which is one of the most important Board member commitments: “Each Board member is responsible to all residents of the district.” (Board Bylaw 9005 (c)).

Also, this Board takes the Code of Ethics and Governance Stan-dards very seriously (Board Bylaw 9005). Around this time each year, Governance Standards are reviewed and readopted. This public

action is a way to recommit to focus their work together on student learning and achievement. This includes a thorough review of Board member roles, ethical standards, and agree-

ments on Board member protocols and norms. Good governance is not an accident, it is intentional.

It is not easy, it takes work. The seven individuals who make up the VUSD Board are all independent thinkers. They often express different perspectives and opinions, especially when considering action. However, in the

whole, members strive to understand the issues before them and to keep student interests at the center of their decision making.

Parent and community engagement is sought out by the VUSD Board, and the many years of trust- building is based on a transparency of this

public work. Topics and issues are deliberated in open meetings, usu-ally many times, before decisions are reached. The district regularly holds a variety of advisory meetings to bring in new ideas from par-ents and community members.

Our current Board members work very hard. Though they don’t always agree with each other, on the whole, they are dedicated to working together so that the students in our commu-nity have the best educational opportunity possible.

CraigWheaton, Ed.D.

Superintendent, VisaliaUnified School District

Good governance is not an accident, it is intentional.

It is not easy, it takes work.

NLRB reverses course and allows employees to use company email for protected communications

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) recently held that employers may not prohibit employees’ personal use of email during non-work time regarding many items covered un-der section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). The covered items include union activity. This is a change of course for the Board, which previously held in 2007 that employers do not have to permit organizing activity over the employer’s email system in the case The Guard Publishing Company dba Register Guard.

In Register Guard, the NLRB held that, “An employer has a ‘basic property right’ to ‘regulate and restrict em-ployee use of company property.” NLRB also held that the com-pany “may lawfully bar employees’ non-work-related use of its email system, unless the (company) acts in a manner that discriminates against Section 7 activity.” Many employee handbooks contain poli-cies limiting the use of company internet and email systems.

In the new case, Purple Communications, Inc. (2014), the union and the General Counsel asked the NLRB to overrule the deci-sion in Register Guard, which the Board did. The Board held that, “We will presume that employees who have rightful access to their employer’s email system in the course of their work have a right to

use the email system to engage in Section 7 protected commu-nications on nonworking time.” Although the Board said that employers may rebut this presumption by showing “it is neces-

sary to maintain production or discipline to justify restrict-ing its employees’ rights,” that it will be a rare case that would justify a total ban on the non-work use of email by employees.What This Means for Employers:

This decision applies to both unionized and non-union-ized work forces, and employers must make sure their electronic communications policies are compliant with

this decision. Email policies must allow employees to communicate about activities protected by Section 7 of the NLRA. Section 7 is very broad, and permits communications about ‘wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment.”

The goal of this article is to provide employers with current labor and employment law information. The contents should neither be interpreted as, nor construed as legal advice or opinion. The reader should consult with Barsamian & Moody at 559.248.2360 or toll-free at 888.322.2573, for individual responses to questions or concerns regarding any given situation.

Patrick Moody

Barsamian & Moody

‘Buy Local’ initiative encourages consumers to shop and buy locally

Our community focused “Buy Local” initiative is here to help YOU encour-

age your consumers to shop local in the New Year. At the most basic level, buying lo-cal ensures that more

money is staying in our community. Remember, for every $100 spent at a locally-owned store, $45 remains in the local economy. Now more than ever we recognize that when consumers buy lo-cal, they’re keeping their communities unique and thriving, and assisting in the creation and retention of local jobs.

The first step is simple: create themed promotions on Save Local Now. Remem-ber – you are promoting your business! Offering deals and discounts is icing on the cake, not a necessity.

Save Local Now is all about the small business owner. Have questions about the platform or digital marketing in gen-eral? No problem! Send an email to mar-keting@savelocalnow.com and they’d be happy to lend a helping hand.

From your friends at the Chamber, here’s to a HAPPY and LO-CAL New Year!

Hydrite(continued from page 1)based in California. They have purchased ad-ditional land across the street from their cur-rent location in the Industrial Park.

Hydrite plans to continue to invest in the Visalia community through expansion, but also through community in-volvement. Reid currently participates as the Chair of the Visalia Economic Development Corporation, employees participated in the corporate game as a team with Seals/Beihle Construction, and the company is active in the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, Toys for Tots the SPCA and other local organizations. “The Hydrite corporate office encourages all of the employees and facilities to be involved in their local community. We believe that the company needs to be responsible and ac-countable to our community the same as our employees are for our products”. For exam-ple Reid noted, “One of our biggest challeng-es today is finding and hiring skilled labor. We are actively supporting the new Visalia Unified Linked Learning Academies because we believe these programs will help to fill the skills gap, providing students opportuni-ties to work, and a reason to stay local af-ter high school.” Supporting local education and other programs in the community will help ensure that Hydrite is able to continue producing high quality food ingredients, and sanitation products that will keep our food safe. Newly built storage tanks at the Hydrite Chemical Co. facility in the Visalia Industrial Park.

WWW.VISALIACHAMBER.ORG • FEBRUARY 2015 • 5www.Facebook.com/VisaliaChamber www.twitter.com/VisaliaBiz www.plus.google.com

VISALIA TIMES-DELTA • JANUARY 31, 2015

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy seeks advice from local CEOs and expertsBy Nicola WisslerYEA! Program Manager

Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Each week YEA! students

are being told new informa-tion, taught new skills, and involved in the day to day as-pects of running a business. The goal is for these young students to soon become the CEO of their own small busi-ness, and as Franklin stated there is no better way to teach someone than to have them directly involved in the process.

On January 15th the Young Entrepreneurs Acad-emy hosted a CEO Round-table for 13 local middle and high school students. Seven local business leaders volun-teered their time to speak to the students and impart advice to each of them. Stu-dents asked questions about how to best attract new customers, how to handle difficult clients, and what

inspired the CEO’s to reach for their goals.

Joanna Zegarra, senior at El Diamante high school asked the panel if students should should stick with their business plans always mov-ing forward, or if they should be open to change as they role out their businesses. Many of the CEO’s echoed each other stating; “You have to be flexible, adaptable, able to fail fast and start over with the next great idea for your business”. It is all about how the customers and the community react. Consumers may love what you are doing, or they may give you feedback that requires you to make a change. If you are open to being flexible and willing to take chances your busi-ness will be better positioned to be successful, than if you dig in your heels and refuse to deviate from your original plan.

Jackson Richmond, a senior from University Preparatory high school wanted to know what advice they panel would give to stu-dents who are just starting out in the business world? “Surround yourself with good people; mentors, employees, friends, and family.” Many of the CEO’s relayed stories of how they had been able to get

through tough times and make hard decisions for their businesses be-cause they had good people supporting them throughout the process. Overall the biggest take away from the evening was that the students need to “Find something you are passionate about, and don’t make it all about the money.” Each of the seven CEO’s touched on this theme in some way. They stressed that although the students were starting a new business, and every business needs to make money, money is not the end all of business. If you focus only on making money you will eventually burn out and lose your drive to be innovative and flexible. You have to be passionate about what you are doing to make your business last beyond the initial launch.

We would like to thank all of the CEOs for their time, advice and support of the YEA! program.

■ Michael Gracia, Plant Manager, Land O’Lakes■ Ciaran McMullan, President/CEO, Suncrest Bank■ Samantha Rummage-Mathias, General Manager, Visalia Holiday

Inn & Conference Center■ Jim Holly, CEO Bank of the Sierra■ Ronald Smith, President, Sterling & Smith Funeral Home■ Leslie Gardner, Executive Director, Happy Trails Riding Acad-

emy■ Deanne Martin-Soares, CEO, Amdal In-Home CareWe know that it is hands on learning experiences that these students

will ultimately remember in 10 years when they think back on their experience in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. We hope that being involved in the process and having the opportunity to speak to “ex-perts” in business, will inspire these students to see beyond the class-room and that they will apply what they learned to their businesses and to their lives moving forward.

4 Valley organizations receive clean tech, innovation grants

UC Merced, Fresno State, United Farm Workers Foundation, and Self-Help

Enterprises are four of the 45 national organizations selected to receive a grant from the 2014 Wells Fargo Clean Technology and In-

novation grant program totaling $4.5 million. The grants are part of a focused effort to support technology advance-ments for a clean energy future.

UC Merced’s School of Engineering will use its $100,000 Clean Technol-ogy and Innovation grant to support its Water, Energy, Food Challenge. Grants to Fresno State, United Farm Workers Foundation and Self-Help Enterprises will support each organizations’ drought-related effort. CSU Fresno will use its $75,000 grant to study the economic and social impact the drought is having on the San Joaquin Valley. United Farm Workers Foundation and Self-Help En-terprises, each awarded $25,000, will utilize grant funding to provide assis-tance to Valley residents impacted by the drought, as well as educational efforts on water management and usage.

The Wells Fargo Clean Technology and Innovation grant program began in 2012 as part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to provide $100 million to environmentally-focused nonprofits, colleges and universi-ties by 2020. The goal of the program is to inspire innovation from entrepreneurs and fund research entities working on critical environmental issues.

On October 28, 2014, Wells Fargo also launched the Innovation Incubator (IN2) program, a $10 million environ-mental grant for clean technology start-ups funded by the Wells Fargo Founda-tion and co-administered by the Energy Department’s National Renewable En-ergy Laboratory (NREL) to foster the de-velopment of early stage clean technolo-gies for commercial buildings.

ImagineU continues to provide educational experience for local kids

The construction has begun at the corner of Tipton and Oak Street, and we

are looking forward to opening our doors in the

Fall of 2015. Although the new facil-ity is very exciting, in order to create a museum with all the special programing it deserves there is a lot of behind the scenes work that still needs to be done. Our current museum has a job to do now for our community until we begin the transition to the new facility.

ImagineU is proud to bring Visali the Dreambuilders’ Bash Masquerade, A Night at the Moulin Rouge on Saturday, March 7th at the Visalia County Club. This event will enable ImagineU to con-tinue the good work they have started by offering hands on learning experiences to the Children of Visalia and surround-ing communities.

To learn how you can support Imag-ineU Children’s Museum and for more information about the Dreambuilder’s Bash please visit our website at: https://imagineumuseum.org/

2015 ‘Just Walk’ with a Doc schedule is set

The Healthy Visalia Committee, work-ing in partnership with Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Family HealthCare Network, Tulare County Medical Soci-ety and the Visalia Parks and Recreation Dept. will continue its 2015 Visalia’s “Just Walk” With a Doc walking program.

The walks will take place from 8-9 a.m. at Blain Park, 3101 S. Court St., in Visalia. Walks will be held the second Saturday of each month on the following dates:

Feb. 14, March 14, April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12, Oct. 10, Nov. 14, Dec.12

This is a free program and pre-registra-tion is not required. A health topic will be presented at each walk and healthy snacks will be provided. A list of walk days will be announced through: www.walkwithadoc.org and www.healthyvisa-lia.com.

“This program has had tremendous success in many other cities around the country,” said Dr. Lori Winston, an emer-gency medicine physician practicing at Kaweah Delta Medical Center. She en-courages everyone in the community to join the walk. “I’m very pleased to be a part of this exciting and simple program that shows such improved health results for so many people.”

Walk With a Doc is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to en-courage healthy physical activity in people of all ages, and reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle in order to improve health and well-being.

Leadership Visalia class explores community By Nicholas Galicia

The Leadership Visalia Class of 2014/2015 continued their day session series in January with the focus turning to Visalia’s current workforce development pro-grams and trends. The group began the day at Mt. Whitney High School, where they met with Visalia Unified School District executives Bill

Davis and Larry Buenafe to discuss the newly implemented Linked Learning Academy. From the presentation the class discovered these accelerated, career specific learning programs would be made avail-able at all five public high schools beginning in 2015-2016.

From there the group traveled to the Proteus Inc. William M. Ma-guy Training School for a guided tour courtesy of Program Manager Desiree Landeros and her staff. While touring the property, the class had the opportunity to observe live career & technical training pro-grams Proteus offers in truck driving, forklift operations, and solar panel installation. After the Leadership Team paused for a wonder-ful lunch in the banquet room of Downtown Visalia’s Bravo Farms Smokehouse.

Later the class attended a lively discussion on the changing work-force needs and trends of Visalia’s major industries. Panel representa-tives included: Bruce Nicotero of JoAnn Fabrics Distribution Center, Matt Seals of Seals/Biehle Construction Inc., Tricia Stever Blattler of Tulare County Farm Bureau, and Jaime Morales of Kaweah Delta Health Care District.

The day session culminated with a visit by Mary Rodarte of Tu-lare Workforce Investment Board. From her presentation, the class was educated on how the Tulare WIB organization is working to strengthen the local economy through employee placement, reten-

tion assistance, youth programs, and funding for on the job trainings. Overall the Leadership Visalia Class walked away from the day ses-

sion with a much fuller understanding of the workforce development network operating in the community.

Left to right: Matt Shin, Bill Davis, Director of Career and Technical Education for VUSD, Mt. Whitney Vice Principal Larry Buenafe, and Nick Galicia.

YEA! Student Brandon Pelaiz asks a question to the panel of CEOs during the event on January 15th.

Left to right: Matt Chin, WIB Program Coordinator Mary Rodarte, and Nick Galicia.

VISALIA TIMES-DELTA • JANUARY 31, 2015

6 • FEBRUARY 2015 • WWW.VISALIACHAMBER.ORG www.twitter.com/VisaliaBizwww.plus.google.com www.Facebook.com/VisaliaChamber

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SHRM training session looks at new regulations, judicial opinions, laws

Faith C. Lisle, of Fishman Larsen Chal-traw & Zeitler, will the new laws, regula-

tions and judicial opin-ions affecting California employers at a training session from 11 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the Visalia Holiday Inn, 9000 W. Airport Drive in Visalia.

The training session will include the state mandated paid sick leave, changes regard-

ing employee expense reimbursements, expansion of anti-discrimination laws, fitness for duty examinations and anti-harassment supervisor training.

Attendees will be provided with practi-cal tips for applying the changes in the workplace and communicating them through employee handbook revisions.

To register, go to www.shrmtularek-ings.org.

For questions, contact Fran Herr, 559.300.5941 or email member-ship@shrmtularekings.org.

Visalia Chamber provides educational resources to more than 125 people in January

January was a very busy month for the Visalia Chamber of Com-merce. The Chamber was excited to be able to provide educational

resources to Chamber members and commu-nity members alike, with four seminars and workshops. The first seminar was co-hosted by Sutton & Hague Law Corporation and Boretti Safety Inc. The 2015 Labor Law and

Safety Compliance Update was held at the Visalia Holiday Inn. More than 70 people attended in person while many more attended via webinar. Attendees learned about the new labor laws that are going into effect this year including the new Paid Sick Leave law and the importance of having updated employee handbooks. The seminar also touched on new safety regulations surrounding heat breaks for employees that work outside when the weather turns hot here in the Valley. The presentations from this seminar can be found at: www.suttonhague.com and at www.borettiinc.com.

The Visalia Chamber partnered with the Tulare Chamber of Com-merce to bring a speaker from the State Board of Equalization who spoke to the importance of understanding the intricacies of non-prof-it tax law. With more than 300 non-profit organizations in Tulare County is it important that each of these organizations understands how to comply with current tax law so that they can continue to keep their non-profit status intact.

Later in the month the Chamber partnered with Constant Contact an online marketing platform to host an Emarketing seminar. Michael Loschke is a professional speaker and business coach who helped at-tendees to see the potential of Emarketing. Attendees walked away with tips on creating intriguing headlines, the importance of making e-mail blasts easily viewable on mobile devices, and how to drive customers to their website through e-mail. Michael will return to Visalia on February 19th for a “Jump Start Social Media” seminar at the Chamber office.

Lastly the Chamber partnered with Pacific Employers to host a Sexual Harassment prevention seminar at the Lamp Liter Inn. Cali-fornia Law requires that any employer with 50 or more employees

provide “Supervisory”employees with Sexual Harassment Prevention training every two years. This seminar is provided to the community quarterly to help local businesses comply with AB1825. The next seminar will be held on April 22nd.

For more information on upcoming Chamber sponsored/hosted seminars, please go to www.visaliacham-ber.org.

More than 70 people attended the 2015 Labor Law & Safety Compliance Update.

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

CLIP & SAVE

CALENDAR - FEBRUARY 2015

Visalia City Council Meeting

4 pm work session;7 pm regular sessionCouncil Chambers View Partnership

Information Session Visalia Chamber of Commerce 4:30 pm

Small Business Certification WorkshopEmployment Connection

9 am

BusinessAfter Hours Mixer

5:30-7:30 pm

ChamberOffice

will be closed

Chamber Ambassador BreakfastVisalia First Assembly

8-9 am

Social MediaJump Start Seminar

Visalia Chamberof Commerce

9 am

Greece Travel Slideshow

Visalia Chamber of Commerce

12 noon

Visalia City Council Meeting

4 pm work session;7 pm regular sessionCouncil Chambers

Chamber Government Affairs

Committee7:15 am

Attendees discuss ways that they use Emarketing to benefit their busiensses.

Young Professionals host winter networking mixer; present donation to Wish Upon A Star

On January 22nd the Visalia Young Professionals Network hosted the first networking mixer of 2015 at the Historic Seven Sycamores

Ranch in Ivanhoe. The mixer co-hosted by Seven Sycamores and 4Creeks Creative, featured food from Café 225 and the op-portunity for young professionals to get new

headshots from local photographer Forrest Cavale. In addition to the regular networking event, the Visalia YPN presented a donation check to the Wish Upon a Star organization.

The Visalia Young Professionals Network (VYPN) launched in April 2014. “We knew from speaking to people in our community that Young Professionals wanted to get involved in the community, they wanted to be able to network, both personally and profession-ally, and they needed an organization that was affordable” stated Nicola Wissler, Special Projects Coordinator for the Visalia Chamber of Commerce.

Each quarter the VYPN Hosts a networking mixer for individuals ages 21-40. This was the fourth event hosted by the VYPN and each event seems to grow. The winter mixer saw more than 60 people in attendance. A big draw this time around was the opportunity to get new headshots from a local photographer. “Since it is a new year, many people are working to update their marketing materials” said July Hong, Co-Chair of the Visalia YPN. “We wanted provide young professionals with the opportunity to update their headshots so that their picture represents who they really are.”

A significant goal for the Visalia YPN is to help provide attendees the chance to learn how they can get involved in their own com-munity. “We know that there are many great non-profit organization in Visalia, and those organizations are always looking for volunteers, board members and new supporters,” stated Steve McCartha, Co-Chair of the Visalia YPN. “We also know that our generation is pas-sionate about giving back to the community, we want to make sure that young professionals know about all of the great organizations in the area.” At each mixer the VYPN invites a local non-profit organiza-tion to come and tell the group who they are, what they do in the community and how attendees can get involved further with their organization.

At the end of each year the VYPN vote on which of the 4 featured

non-profits they would like to make a donation to. For 2014 the VYPN voted to make a donation of $250.00 to Wish Upon a Star, a local law enforcement non-profit that grants wishes to sick children here in Visalia. The VYPN plans to make an annual donation to a lo-cal non-profit to help encourage young professionals to give of their time talents and limited resource to make Visalia a vi-brant strong community.

Lisle

Melissa Kaminski and Ashley DeGree, from Wish Upon a Star, accept a donation from the Visalia YPN, presented by Co-Chairs Steve McCartha and July Hong.