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.
Besting the Digital System
Tips from an HR expert on how to successfully scale the dreaded online application
“I am an entry-level employee who just graduated from university. I am finding that most of the companies I am applying to rely on automated application systems and even impersonal Skype interviews, making it nearly impossible for me to use my references or get my resume to the top of the pile. What should I know about besting these systems?”
Smooth Operator
How former UPS logistics exec Jimmy Crabbé doubled a Sacramento plumbing business in less than 24 months
Think of it as The Deodorant Problem. If you’re marketing a brand, it’s easy to sling the sex appeal of wine, cars or a hot new phone. But what if the product is a tad mundane and even a little stinky? How do you convey the emotional appeal of, say, unclogging a toilet? If you’re Jimmy Crabbé, you crack this problem with an inspired move that no one saw coming.
You Look Like You Need a Vacation
6 tips for checking out and kicking back
You just got back from a trip? Me too. And I already need the next one. My name is Christine Calvin, and I take vacations. That’s right, I use all my PTO every year, and I don’t feel an ounce of shame. You should do the same — it’s going to cost your company either way.