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Biz Briefs: March 5–18, 2015

Business News and Announcements
Compiled by Camas Frank

Each month, the Human Resources Association of the Central Coast holds professional development meeting to discuss labor relations, legislation, cutting edge strategic planning options, and employer resources. Jonathan Fraser Light will present on “Hiring Effectively” Tuesday, March 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Madonna Inn. Light shares tips on employment application reviews, interview questions, background checks, EEOC criminal disqualification regulations, the hiring/offer process, proper documentation, and related topics. RSVP at: www.hrcentralcoast.org.


clairborne
The Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce welcomed Claiborne and Churchill Winery with a ribbon cutting in February. Founded in 1983 Claiborne and Churchill is a small family winery with “dry and fruity white wines and hand crafted Pino Noir from the Edna Valley.” Their tasting room is at 2649 Carpenter Canyon Rd., in Edna Valley.


The Suddenly Spring Fine Art & Craft Faire and Fundraiser for Camp Fire of the Central Coast is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21 at Ramona Garden Park, 993 Ramona Ave., Grover Beach. Become a vendor or come out to support the girls. There will be handmade items from a variety of local crafters and artists, drawings, kids activities, Camp Fire candy for sale, and a tri-tip sandwich barbecue that can be ordered ahead of time for easy pick-up. For more information, call 441-1405 or send donations to: Camp Fire, PO Box 1269, Arroyo Grande, CA 93421.


 

Pat Mullen, a PG&E local division leader, was one of many blood donors
Pat Mullen, a PG&E local division leader, was one of many blood donors

PG&E Diablo Canyon employees joined with Lindamood-Bell in a blood drive in February. Pat Mullen, a PG&E local division leader, was one of many who donated. “Building safe, strong communities is a top priority for PG&E and Diablo Canyon,” Mullen said. “Through this event both groups aim to bring awareness to the importance of donating blood, and are proud to have the opportunity to join efforts and give back to the community in this important activity.”


Congresswoman Lois Capps joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Mark Rosekind in urging Congress to pass legislation to require rental car agencies and used car dealers to fix safety defects before renting or selling vehicles subject to a recall. Capps has been involved with the issue since 2012, after two sisters from Ojai were killed in a car accident while driving a rented Chrysler PT Cruiser that had been recalled. Cally Houck, the mother of the two sisters, has worked tirelessly toward getting legislation passed which would ban rental car companies from renting recalled vehicles to consumers. “No mother should have to go through the tragedy that Cally Houck has endured,” Capps said. Last year, the Administration released the Grow America Act, a broad transportation reauthorization proposal that included provisions that require rental car agencies to remedy any safety defects.


Performance Athletics Gymnastics has hired coach Beth Christensen, an accomplished classical ballerina from Los Angeles, to establish the first rhythmic gymnastics programs in SLO County. The program is now open for all girls 7-older. “This sport,” Christensen said, “is the perfect opportunity for any girl to challenge her ability to coordinate, compete, and enhance complex skills that involve flexibility, strength, motion, body awareness, and performance.” Classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:15-5:45 p.m. Participants will learn the sport and also have the opportunity to compete and perform as part of a team. For more information, see: www.performanceathleticsslo.com.


 

The Cardboard Guys aim to launch its line of recyclable cardboard children’s furniture
The Cardboard Guys aim to launch its line of recyclable cardboard children’s furniture

The Cardboard Guys, a start-up out of the Cal Poly Hothouse, aim to make a dent in the 9.8 million tons a year of furniture waste accumulating in U.S. landfills, with a little help from Kickstarter to launch its line of recyclable cardboard children’s furniture. Accessible from its website: www.thecardboardguys.com, the Kickstarter campaign started Feb. 24. SLO locals got a look at the product last year during demos at the SLO Children’s Museum and SLO Makerspace and they’ve also shown the designs to the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, as well as to daycare centers and family-oriented community events.


French Hospital Medical Center announced the launch of the first hospital way-finding mobile application in SLO County. The Dignity Health Patient & Visitor Mobile App, “French Way,” is “designed to help patients, employees, physicians, volunteers, and the community better navigate through our hospital facilities and connect to useful resources via one-click WiFi access.” This launch is part of a 90-day pilot program for the mobile app. At the conclusion of the successful pilot program, the app should be implemented at all Dignity Health hospitals. The app is available for free download on Android at: bit.ly/dh-android, and for iPhone at: bit.ly/dh-ios.


Cal Poly has been rated the “most efficient school among regional western universities” in a U.S. News & World Report analysis that compared spending and educational quality. U.S. News looked at the public and private colleges that scored the highest on overall undergraduate academic educational quality — as measured by their position in the magazine’s 2015 Best Colleges rankings — but that spent relatively less on their educational programs to achieve that quality. “This is yet another indicator of the quality and value of a Cal Poly education,” said university President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. The magazine measured financial resources by taking into account how much a school spends per student on instruction, research, student services and related educational expenditures. The university’s spending per student for each point in overall efficiency score was $222.36 Efficiency rankings are available at: www.usnews.com/education.


In other news for the mobile computing set, the SLO-based iFixit now has more repair guides for Androids than Apples. “We’ve written a lot of Apple repair guides, Apple teardowns, and we even sell Apple parts. But there’s more to life than just Apples. Way more. We’ve just launched the first phase of Project: Android—and, going forward, we’re working to make sure that iFixit has the Android parts, guides, and tools that you’re looking for,” the company said in a news statement. Android repair guides and replacement parts for a dozen of Android’s most popular devices — including the Samsung Galaxy S, the Galaxy Note, and the Nexus tablet series are available on their website, see: www.ifixit.com/android.

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