Comstock’s spoke to Dyer about her company’s function as an accelerator of medical advancement.

Cassie Gilson is president and managing partner of Axiom Advisors, making her one of the only women who are managing partners at the top lobbying firms in Sacramento.

Dr. Diana Farmer, chair of the department of surgery at UC Davis Health, is the world’s first woman fetal surgeon. 

PODCAST: Carl Landau had spent 37 years in publishing and event organizing when he decided to launch Pickleball Media last year. This profile is part of The Next Chapter, in which we check in with Capital Region professionals who moved into new pursuits or retirement after successful careers.

Carl Landau had spent 37 years in publishing and event organizing when he decided to launch Pickleball Media last year.

Comstock’s spoke to Andersen about the Folsom Plan Area, which will add housing, schools, parks, and commercial and office buildings, and bring in an estimated 25,000 new residents.

Look back on 2020 with a list of our top-read stories and our editors’ favorites.

Michael Guyette became president and CEO of VSP Global, based in Rancho Cordova, in 2018. Comstock’s spoke to Guyette about leading the 65-year-old organization.

Comstock’s spoke to Hirota about leading the organization, which has helped more than 30,000 women and children during its 35-year history.

Proponents say environmental justice efforts will only be successful if they are inclusive and equitable.

Nonprofits make up 97 percent of All-Cal’s clientele, which has been run by the Esparza family in Roseville for more than 30 years. 

Christopher Callahan, who became president July 1, is overseeing the institution’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Comstock’s spoke with Lee about his company’s role in the Black community and in advocating for a better future.

Comstock’s spoke with Belen Flores about how her organization has adapted in recent months and why its mission remains important.

Dr. Vanessa Walker is medical director of the Sutter Health Valley Area’s electronic ICU, a telemonitoring program in which doctors and nurses monitor ICU patients through video, remote diagnostic tools and other technologies.

As assistant director of the Placer County Office of Emergency Services, Holly Powers brings together a variety of partners to prepare for, respond to, and lead the recovery from natural or human-made disasters.

Sacramento app developer Rich Foreman led the development of wellness apps with self-assessment modules and toolkits, including access to peer-support groups and therapists vetted for their expertise with law enforcement.

Under the gloom of a pandemic, people on the front lines of the crisis are encountering a level of unprecedented stressors layered onto already challenging jobs.

Professor Jennifer Harder is the co-director of the Water & Environmental Law program at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. Comstock’s spoke with Harder about water issues affecting the Capital Region and California.

George Usi founded Rancho Cordova-based Omnistruct in 2019, selling cybersecurity compliance programs to businesses. We spoke with Usi about his mission to educate businesses so they can manage their risk when a cybersecurity breach occurs.

As soon as a B Street Theatre show closes at The Sofia in Sacramento, the old set is torn down and installation of the next set begins later that same day. Here are shots of the work that went into the set of “Byhalia, Mississippi” before it closed over coronavirus concerns.

Tonja Wilcox has created a lot of watercolor paintings of trees, mainly birch and aspen, but the exact number is unknown. “I stopped counting after 600,” says the Sacramento-based artist.

Cindy Messer was sworn in as chief deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources the day after the Oroville Dam crisis began in February 2017, when damage to both the main and emergency spillways forced the evacuation of more than 180,000 residents.

Celia Esposito-Noy, superintendent and president of Solano Community College, sees higher education institutions as responsible for serving much more than just their students.

Margaret Wong founded the Sacramento-based California Center in 2012 to facilitate business opportunities between California and China. Comstock’s spoke with Wong about expanding to the China market.

In celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, Comstock’s is honoring 19 regional leaders for our annual tribute to women in leadership. Our managing editor shares her thoughts on the occasion.

Lance Hastings became president and CEO of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association in November 2018. Comstock’s spoke with Hastings about challenges faced by manufacturers and how CMTA works to improve the business climate.

The last remaining microchip plant in Northern California has found ways to thrive in a challenging market.

Corey Sholes, a self-described skateboard fanatic, was 18 years old when he cut his first skateboard. Eventually, he started pressing his own boards using a vacuum press system, and making handcrafted boards became his full-time job and his business, Legend Skateboards, in 1994.

Comstock’s spoke to Marshall Medical Center CEO Siri Nelson about her organization’s efforts to provide quality health care services to residents of El Dorado County.

Mark Haney, the entrepreneur, angel investor, radio host and CEO of Rocklin-based HaneyBiz, says investors should look for startup founders who work well together and are committed to the product.

PODCAST: A growing movement of farmers is focused on agricultural practices that can mitigate or adapt to an uncertain future brought by climate change.

A growing movement of farmers is focused on agricultural practices that can mitigate or adapt to an uncertain future brought by climate change.

Part of this month’s Innovation issue

Merle Axelrad says she fell into the medium of fabric collage 27 years ago when she was nine months pregnant, on maternity leave from her job as an architect, and made a baby quilt. Now, most of her works are public art, corporate and private commissions.

John Kabateck of the National Federation of Independent Business speaks to Comstock’s about tax issues affecting business in California and his organization’s position on Assembly Bill 5.

At 11 years old, Yolanda Vega started selling buñuelos and other local foods at street festivals around Michoacán. When she relocated to Sacramento in 1996, she did the same thing, driving around town and growing her clientele.

During summer months, 6-year-old Hazel keeps busy playing in the office of Huston Textile Company. It’s fitting that she should feel at home here — she is, after all, the inspiration for her parents’ textile milling business.

When Simon and Kelly Holland launched the Etsy shop for their business, Sassy Squirrel Ink, in March 2015, they had about a half-dozen sign designs available to print photos on slate. They’ve been expanding their product line ever since.

WellSpace has operated since 1953 and provides a range of health care services across nearly three dozen sites in Sacramento, Placer and Amador counties. Comstock’s spoke with CEO Jonathan Porteus about how his organization works to achieve regional health.

Comstock’s spoke with Laurel Brent-Bumb, CEO of the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, about efforts to make this largely rural region a desirable place to do business.

Comstock’s recently spoke with King (who is also a member of our editorial advisory board) about challenges faced by community college students and how Los Rios can help train the workforce of the future.

Jessica Filip’s favorite weaving projects are the large commissions that take several weeks to complete, such as her 6-foot-by-6-foot wall hanging displayed in South, a restaurant in Sacramento, or an 8-foot-by-12-foot piece for a client’s cabin in Montana. Her larger commissions range from $1,600 to $4,000. 

After Bethany Sasaki became certified as a lactation consultant about a decade ago, she took a break from her hospital nursing job to earn some cash consulting while caring for her newborn son. She drove all over the Sacramento region to meet with moms struggling to breastfeed. And her phone kept on ringing.

Brad Squires and Matt Brunner wondered what would happen to the agricultural land that housed Tom Tomich Orchards — the sole remaining commercial fruit operation in Orangevale — when the business shuttered in 2017. Would that really be the end of an era?

Cindy Nichol became director of the Sacramento County Airport System in October 2018, bringing more than 30 years of experience in airport management to the position. Her career includes stints at San Francisco International Airport and the Port of Portland. Comstock’s recently spoke with Nichol about the four-airport system she oversees.

While working in a bike shop in the early 1980s, Steve Rex was introduced to custom small-scale bikes.

Using his bachelor’s degree in economics was going to have to wait — Rex wanted to become a frame builder. 

Past approaches to forest fires have been a misinformed regime of fire suppression: extinguishing all flames quickly. Now California’s forests are overgrown tinderboxes-in-waiting; the approach is changing, but there’s a lot of work to do.

When lightning sparked fires in the 1850s, they were left to burn, naturally clearing out dry fuels. Just a few decades later, officials started shifting toward a strategy of fire suppression.

Jeannie Bruins knows Citrus Heights; she’s lived there for 35 years and has served on its city council for five terms. She also co-chaired the campaign to give Citrus Heights cityhood in 1996. Comstock’s spoke with Bruins about how the community has changed and what’s in store for the future.

Local potter Joe Triglia of Tufarock Design details his process of making hand-crafted planters and other garden vessels that were inspired by a recent trip overseas.