On the Horizon
What upcoming development projects are you keeping an eye on?
There are many ambitious projects springing up throughout the Capital Region. What are you looking forward to seeing realized? And if we missed your favorite, let us know in the comments!
Strip Mall Molecular
In suburban Vallejo, a gastronomic gem blooms in an unlikely setting
It’s a rainy Wednesday, and Chef Michael Warring is mulling over the night’s menu in his eponymous restaurant, enjoying a moment of calm before seating begins in an elegantly appointed dining room that gives nary a hint of its former life as an ice cream parlor.
Coin Op Swap
Local karaoke haunt closes, making way for new arcade bar on The Kay
Drawn by the incoming arena, the burgeoning craft cocktail and beer scene and the farm-to-fork movement’s local strength, San Diego business partners Roy Ledo and Hassan Mahmood will be installing a version of their hit North Park arcade bar, the Coin Op, in place of Marilyn’s on K.
The New Team in Town
River Cats become Giants' Triple-A affiliate
The Sacramento River Cats, for 15 years regarded as one of baseball’s most successful minor league organizations, announced in September it would be making a big switch. Beginning this season, the team will no longer be the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics but will instead become the top-dog minor league team for the San Francisco Giants.
Dr. You
An online crowdsourcing service is helping hundreds solve medical mysteries -- but is it right for you?
Sometimes quantity is better than quality. That’s the thinking behind CrowdMed, a website that allows an online community of medical professionals, patients, and laypeople to solve cases for patients with undiagnosed medical conditions.
Startup of the Month: NannyMe
Young entrepreneurs create mobile app for on-call babysitters
NannyMe is a business and mobile application created by a few Sacramento high schoolers. Similar to the rideshare app Uber, NannyMe receives babysitting requests, then pings nannies (local high school students), who can accept or decline the job. Since NannyMe launched in December, about 75 families have signed up with the service.
Past the Ping Pong Tables
Your internal brand matters more than your office perks
Thinking about progressive company cultures probably brings to mind businesses like Google, Twitter, Facebook — companies with free snacks and bean bag chairs. But it’s not the toys and perks that create these cultures. Collaborative-style seating and ping pong tables are the side effects, rather than the catalysts, of enviable and innovative company cultures.
Home on the Range
Amid housing boom, Placer County eyes a plan to preserve farmland
County officials appear close to approving a sweeping plan to preserve Placer’s agricultural character. If approved by the Board of Supervisors, a conservation plan would protect a large area of farms and open space in the western portion of Placer County, and keep them free of development for at least 50 years —possibly longer.
Who’s Your Doctor
Where do you turn when answers are hard to find?
How likely are you to crowdsource a diagnosis for a mysterious medical condition?
Status Check: Stevia First
It’s full speed ahead for this sweet startup
In 2013 we reported on Capital Region startup Stevia First and its CEO Robert Brooke’s goal of making his company the first domestic distributor of stevia. Stevia First made significant progress last year, most notably by entering into a partnership with China-based stevia distributor Qualipride International Ltd.