For Jacob Cotter, working at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is a family affair. While he works to maintain the safety and soundness of Roar, the towering wooden roller coaster, his wife spends her days as an animal trainer, with two feet planted solidly on the ground. Cotter, 27, is part of a four-man team of carpenters dedicated to maintaining the 13-year-old coaster, which is made up of more than 3,200 feet of track and includes an 85-foot drop. There’s no schooling for wooden coaster repair, so his training came almost entirely on the job. Perks include free park admission and all the rides you can handle (as seen in the October 2012 issue of Comstock’s magazine). — Christine Calvin

“Something isn’t quite right with Tim Collom. On the outside, Collom is doing far better than most of us. In the past year, he has been featured on KCRA-TV and HGTV speaking about real estate and in the pages of The Sacramento Bee and Sacramento Magazine showcasing his paintings. 

The arts may be underfunded in the Capital Region, but creativity abounds. Among Sacramento’s prime talents, a number of product designers stand out for their vision, craft and ingenuity.

The enterprising minds behind the Sacramento Arts and Business Council and The Urban Hive believe growing artistic businesses in the Capital Region is key to economic success. So, to plant and nurture such endeavors, the organizations last month launched Flywheel Creative Economy Incubator.

The hand-carved Italian frame hanging in the back of Archival Framing is priced at $1,400. It surrounds a $10 plastic clock.

The housing market may still be depressed, but here in the Capital Region there is no scarcity of talent when it comes to residential architecture and interior décor.

At Green Acres Nursery & Supply’s new Folsom location, pots of all sizes and hues greet gardeners at every turn. It’s nearly impossible to ignore the rainbow of colors and the assortment of finishes. And that’s precisely the idea.

Tenant: California Independent System Operator
Designer: Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects

When Sacramento-based Breuner’s furniture store chain closed its in-house upholstery shop in 1971, the eight seamstresses and upholsterers were told that, if they opened their own shop, Breuner’s would send its work their way.

When photographer Jill Carmel moved to Sacramento in 2008, she brought a bevy of cameras, a keen eye for composition and her dream of launching a niche business in a new city — a risky move, but passion trumped fear.

Sacramento’s performing arts organizations are struggling to keep the curtains from closing for good during the worst economic slump they’ve seen.

Among the Capital Region’s top-notch talents, some designers stand out for their ingenuity, skill and varied contributions to the fabric of local culture.

Tree aficionado Clark Kayler rescues fallen elms, walnuts, sycamores and redwoods — giants that have lined the streets of midtown Sacramento for more than 100 years — and grants them new life in the form of furniture.

Historic allure and prime location are drawing enthusiastic residents to Sacramento’s newly renovated Maydestone apartment building at 15th and J streets.

Carissa Carpenter had her eye on Mare Island for the location of a state-of-the-art movie and television studio plus production company. Headed by Carpenter and studio president Howard Kazanjian, renowned producer of blockbuster films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi,” the studio aimed to be an alternative to Hollywood’s heavily booked and expensive movie sound stages.

Mandi Miculinich is on the hunt — the hunt for the perfect wedding dress. The Manteca resident has been to nearly half a dozen shops and has come as far as Sacramento to scout the gown worthy of a walk down the aisle.

The tricky part is that Miculinich is a size 22.

Mandi Miculinich is on the hunt — the hunt for the perfect wedding dress. The Manteca resident has been to nearly half a dozen shops and has come as far as Sacramento to scout the gown worthy of a walk down the aisle.

The tricky part is that Miculinich is a size 22.

Thoughts of living room wallpaper oft conjure memories of Grandma’s bathroom or a great-aunt’s old bungalow. At Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers in Benicia, the papermakers think that’s just fine.

For most of his life, Sean Patrick Shadduck had heard — and believed — that hard work yields rewards. When he proved that to himself earlier this year, it was a boost to his self-confidence.

Next month the Crocker Art Museum will open the doors to its new galleries, and some experts say the region could see a museum as notable as those in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

During World War II, the U.S. Army put Depot Park on the map as a central location to collect and distribute war supplies to troops on the West Coast and across the Pacific. The military moved out in 1995, but government, nonprofits and businesses of all sizes have continued to leverage the site as a hub for green activities and technological innovations.