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Buildings For Change
Nacht & Lewis draws upon 93 years of social and technological change to design for the future
With expertise in education, health care, justice and public safety, Nacht & Lewis has built some of Sacramento’s — and California’s — most iconic and useful structures
From the Dinner Table to the Board Room
How three local family businesses make it work
Some families love being together, some enjoy short visits and others have a hard time just getting through Thanksgiving dinner. So how do families who have decided to go into business together make it work? Recently I had sat down with three families-turned-business-partners to find out.
Pushed to the Limit
California’s inflated correctional system puts pressure on civic construction projects
Last year’s state corrections budget included $500 million to fund the expansion of county jails (in addition to the jail expansion funds of $1.2 billion from years prior). But how that money should be allocated is debatable (Will adding more jails ease overcrowding? Should funds go toward community-based programs created to help people stay out of jail?), and counties are developing proposals to claim a piece of that multi-million-dollar pie.
Digitize Your Operating Manual
A company wiki will make office life easier
It’s September, the nationally recognized time to get back to school and learn something new. Even if you graduated long ago, it’s still a great time to introduce new systems to improve your business. Whether you’re a brick and mortar, a solo entrepreneur, exclusively online or fall somewhere in the middle, documenting what you do and how you do it is more important than ever.
Public Relations: It Does a Business Good
All that work on your marketing and advertising plans could fizzle without a focus on PR
An engaging, on-point, 30-second spot can be a thing of beauty. But a good advertising and marketing strategy has two engines: awareness and relationship-building, and the driver of those engines is public relations.
Full-Court Press
A roundup of the key, in-progress courthouse construction projects
In a few years, a brand new criminal courthouse is expected to open on the edge of the Sacramento railyards. Located on the corner of H and 6th streets, this second Sacramento County court building will be 405,500 square feet with 44 courtrooms. And it’s not the only new courthouse on the horizon. Right now, there are about 100 courthouses identified for development in California.
How to Make Managing Your Money Less Scary: Do it Over Eggs and Bacon
“Everyone’s stressed out about money, everyone’s nervous, everyone’s embarrassed about it, everyone thinks they’re making all these mistakes and they’re the only ones doing it. The idea of getting to relax and have a meal with somebody just changes the conversation and changes the atmosphere.”
Harvesting a Heritage
At Full Belly Farms, succession hinges on the creativity of younger generations
Every week, 330 American farmers leave their land for good. And as an aging population of baby-boomer farmers retire, their jobs aren’t being filled quickly enough. Only six percent of all farmers are under the age of 35. But as the national food movement strengthens, will we see a return to farming? What about the children of these aging farmers — will they love their farm land or leave it?
How West Coast Businesses are (Trying to) Balance a Higher Minimum Wage
In California, higher state and local minimum wages are contributing to some owners’ decisions to sell businesses, said Bob House, general manager of the San Francisco-based brokerage BizBuySell. The company listed 2,296 businesses for sale in metropolitan Los Angeles between March and June, compared with 2,136 in the same period a year earlier.
Strictly Professional
For the next generation, family-business survival rests squarely on formalized governance
There’s an old saying about family businesses: Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations. Grandpa hustles and creates the business,Dad takes the baton and then Junior goes down with the ship. According to the Family Firm Institute, just 30 percent of family businesses survive into their second generation, and only 10 percent make it to their third. Why do these firms fail?