The Black Box of Sales Hiring
5 tips for hiring good salespeople who stay
For all its importance to business survival, companies tend to fail miserably at hiring sales staff. A 2011 survey of more than 400 firms by DePaul University researchers found that hiring one seller costs $29,000. But a lot of that money flutters out into the ether; a third of recruits don’t make it through their first year.
Summer Feeding
Local libraries are valuable tools in addressing issues of food access
Your next visit to the public library might not be to check out a book. Libraries are becoming critical agents in a sprouting local food movement, so you might instead bite into an actual meal, join a cooking class or even check out garden seeds.
Unnatural Selection
Scientists at UC Davis may be on the cusp of an HIV cure
The person who finds the cure for HIV will have their name etched in medical history. It’s a hard pill to swallow for one man who has spent 40 years chasing a cure. A cure for HIV, built upon decades of his work, could very well be proven this year. Yet Dr. Gerhard Bauer’s name may be little more than a footnote in the arcane medical journal that publishes the breakthrough.
This is the story of curing HIV.
Groves & Fishes
There is water war brewing between farmers and fisherman
Facing epic drought conditions, Gov. Jerry Brown called this month for mandatory cutbacks on urban water use statewide. But the ag industry, which uses 80 percent of the state’s water, is exempted. This decision has struck a cord with environmentalists and fishermen who fear the drought will compromise aquatic species — and their livelihoods.
How to Navigate a Disruptive Market
Create the radical innovations that will shift your market
In our current era of the startup, responding to disruptive innovation has become a new and often harsh reality. When disruptive innovations and emerging trends radically shift your market and throw you off your game, how do you respond?
Collaborative Spaces
5 companies that work together in style
These local businesses take teamwork to the next level with bold colors and innovative designs that inspire creativity and collaboration. Show us your company’s collaborative space for a chance to take over our Instagram account!
Room to Grow
Should the Capital Region focus more on global exporting?
In 2012, the Capital Region ranked 48th of a total of 100 metro areas on total value of exports and 95th on export intensity. Can more be done?
Zone Improvement
What PBIDs can do, and are doing, for your neighborhood
Downtown Sacramento used to be a dump with a capital D. It was a place for work during the week, but crime and trash made people scatter on nights and weekends. That changed in the mid-1990s when property owners realized blight was bad for business and decided an urban overhaul was in order.
From Dreamers to Movers and Shakers
Past winners of Calling All Dreamers still going strong
Ask Andy Paul or Ana Manzano about launching their businesses and they’ll answer with smiles. The two previous winners of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Calling All Dreamers contest have gone on to successfully launch their dream companies, including brick-and-mortar storefronts that will serve as milestones in the revitalization of downtown’s shopping corridors.
Legacy Crop
With J-E Paino at the helm, can Solano County lead the region to a rebirth of hops?
Paino has made a commitment to using all local ingredients in Ruhstaller’s brews, going so far as to grow his own hops yard. But it hasn’t been that easy. So what’s standing in the way of the Capital Region’s hops renaissance?