Kenneth and Timothy Ouimet founded KhiMetrics in 1997 in Sacramento.

They built a product to deal with 'price optimization'. Almost no one had heard of price optimization. The brothers were ahead of the market. But a few people believed in them. One or more were members of the Sacramento Angels, an Angel investor organization. They invested seed capital in the startup.

But then the company needed additional funding and no local funding was to be found.

In November 1999 the Compay received $3M in funding from Telos Ventures Partners of Palo Alto, CA.

They got a new CEO. The CEO had run successful companies in Arizona. The company moved to Scottsdale, AZ.

Over the next few years, KhiMetrics made considerable progress. Their sales increased more than 1,600 percent since 2001. Customers included Albertsons, PETsMART, Lowe’s, 7-Eleven, Sterling Jewelers, ShopKo Stores, Pamida and Big Y Foods.

Speed ahead to 2005 - price optimization is hot. All the big players want to play in this space. There are only a few companies in the space worth acquiring- those the visionaries started in the mid-90's.

And then the big breakthrough. SAP acquires KhiMetrics. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But there were some pretty happy people who were smart enough to see KhiMetrics' potential way back when. Word is they did VERY well.

Of course, if we had figured out how to keep the company in Sacramento in the first place, there would be many more local celebrations. And some capital to start more high-potential companies right here in Sacramento.

But we still have an opportunity to recover. One of the original founders of the company stayed behind in Sacramento and has started his own price optimization company. The company has traction. The market space is hot and validated.

Question is: has Sacramento gotten smart enough to figure out how to get this company funded and filled with local talent and firmly planted in Sacramento? Let's hope so.

Weigh in....

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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Jet Blue has announced that it will drop its daily non-stop flight from Sacramento to Washington, D.C.'s Dulles airport effective January 5, 2006. The flight had been instituted in May 2004. The flight was cut indefinitely due to lack of demand. The daily non-stop flight between Sacramento and New York's JFK Airport will continue.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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According to a recent report by In-Stat:

The cellular handset, will grow from 1.6 billion cellular phone subscribers worldwide to 2.6 billion subscribers by 2009. That will represent one-third of the world’s population.

Sale of video game consoles bottomed out in 2005 at 16.5 million units. The launch of new products in the segment will double the size of the market by 2008.

The PC is not dead. Some 100 million CPUs were sold in 2002; In-Stat estimates 187.3 million units will be sold in 2005.

PDAs are a dying product line as they are being absorbed in smartphones. By 2009, shipment levels will be almost 1/3 of 2005 levels.

(Full story...)

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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Advantage Route Systems announced its newest portable printing solution, the Advantage BT4(TM).

This compact, portable, 4 inch wide paper printer is Bluetooth enabled. This ultra portable device features a 50' paper roll and has a lithium ion battery that will print over 150 feet (50M) of continuous receipts between charges.

According to company president, David Kroutil, "This printer fills a gap in affordable 4 inch portable printing. Priced at just $495, it represents an outstanding value for printing delivery receipts in various route delivery and field sales applications."

It is compatible with most Bluetooth enabled consumer PDAs from Dell and HP. It has also been successfully tested with ruggedized units from Symbol and Intermec.

Incidentally, the company is headquartered in Turlock, CA.

More info

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Good news for California businesses. The largest provider of workers' compensation in California, the State Compensation Insurance Fund, plans to cut its rates by 16% in January. This would make a drop in rates of 38% since the overhaul of the system was announced two years ago. Government officials point out that the rate decreases cut the cost of employment in the State making it more job growth friendly.

State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi noted that the cuts are good, but more could be done. Last year the insurers earned record profits, paying out 39 cents in claims for every $1 in premiums paid by employers. If all of Commissioner Garamendi's suggested cuts had been made the cumulative two-year drop would have been 46.2% versus the 38%.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sacramento, let's have a little fun. What top ten lists, good or bad, does Sacramento appear on in the print or video media? Please post your documented research in the comment section below. A panel of our corporate sponsors will vote on the best list. The winner will be announced at our spring networking event in April. The prize - dinner for two with the Sacramento Executive publishers at Mason's fabulous Park Complex.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Starting in 2007, Sacramento's 5,500 retail food outlets will be sporting a new ratings system:
Green=Pass
Red=Shut Down
Yellow=72 hours to fix a major violation

This is a similar system to the popular letter ratings used in LA and other counties.

Looks like Mason Wong's Park Complex in Downtown Sacramento is way ahead of the game.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New home builders are offering incentives to buyers this month. Six months ago there was a waiting list a mile long to get a new house.
Inventory of resale homes is growing.
There was a small increase in mortgage defaults this quarter.
The market is definitely slowing, especially at the higher end.
Some experts think the pricing boom will end, but there won't be a bust.
What do you think? Weigh in.....

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Every now and then it is helpful to understand how the world at large views our beloved city of Sacramento. What if we do not like the world’s view about our city? What could we do to create a more positive image? What if we really liked others’ views? Could we get more people to embrace these positive images?

Well, what does the world think of Sacramento? Who is writing about Sacramento and what are they saying? If you asked somebody from Kansas to finish the following sentence, what would they say?

“Sacramento is the largest ……”

Let’s ask Google to complete the sentence. I did and Google provided 479 results. Ten of the most interesting are:

1. Sacramento is the largest metro area in the U.S. with a high flooding danger.
2. Sacramento is the largest metropolitan center without a state-of-the-art planetarium and observatory.
3. Sacramento is the largest metro area in the country without a private university and the only capital in the United States without a private university.
4. CalPERS, based in Sacramento, is the largest pension fund in the United States.
5. Old Sacramento is the largest concentration of historic buildings in California.
6. The California State Railroad Museum, located in Sacramento, is the largest museum of its kind in North America.
7. Sacramento is the largest city in California and the sixth-largest in the nation that has no form of independent oversight of its police Department.
8. Sacramento is the largest exporter of rice in the United States.
9. Sacramento is the largest TV market in the nation not served by its own regional sports network.
10. The California Teamsters Apprenticeship Training Center, headquartered in Sacramento, is the largest Teamsters Union training program in the United States.

Are these the messages that we want the world to have of Sacramento?

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 8:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Nominations are encouraged for all outstanding websites worthy of recognition at the 9th Annual Dottie Awards to be held Thursday, March 9, 2006, at the Towe Auto Museum in Old Town Sacramento. There is a $30 entry fee. Awards will be given in several categories.

(For more information)

The awards ceremony is one of the most entertaining of the year and it benefits a great local charity. LEED is dedicated to developing and supporting partnerships among businesses, schools, community and government groups in order to improve our area's education and training of young people.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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The familiar blue and yellow colors are a sure sign that the West Sacramento IKEA store is on track for a Spring 2006 opening.

(Full Story...)

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I want to go to a restaurant and lose myself in conversation with my dining partners. I don’t want to worry about how long it takes to get the menu, how long it takes to get my order taken, how long it takes to get my food and how long it takes to get my check and everything in between. The food, the service, the ambience, the price – none should be a distraction from enjoying the conversation.

OK, there are some places where the distraction is what the evening is about – The Kitchen, for example. But for the most part, I want my favorite restaurants to be like an old shoe, comfortable, predictable and polished.

For a long time I worried that my list of favorite restaurants should be more appropriately called my list of favorite restaurant – The Waterboy. I love that place. And I am not alone. So many people I meet out trying new restaurants and after we have swapped notes – the wine was too warm, the food was too cold, my meal didn’t come with the rest of the tables, etc., I ask for favorites and invariably the answer is, The Waterboy. The ambience is so laid back – an old money feel – and yet the service is sure and precise, the food is delicious, and the price is reasonable. Only when Waterboy is really crowded do you notice that the space was not built with optimal acoustics for a restaurant.

And so, in a desperate attempt to make my list of favorite restaurants true to its name, I continued to visit each new establishment. I must now admit that I was a big fan of Sammy Chu’s. Even though I ate lunch and dinner on the same day more than once, I guess I couldn’t single handedly keep it going and so it is no more -although it has re-opened as Icon with a different owner and menu. I hope that will not affect how you now view my capabilities to recommend restaurants.

But after many visits to Dragonfly at 18th and Capitol, I realize that it has now joined my list. There are a couple of tips to know in order to fully appreciate it. First, don’t go on busy date nights – Friday and Saturday – as it’s just too crowded. One time we showed up to be told there would be a 3-hour wait! And when you make a lunch date there, make it for 11:50AM when it’s easy to get a table. At noon, it starts to get really crowded. The valet parking is a big help. For $5, you pull up and there is no need to drive for blocks looking for a parking space (and not noticing when you find one that parking is prohibited that day for road cleaning).

Once inside, the food is great – Asian fusion and sushi. The Bento boxes for lunch are a bargain and don’t overstuff the eater. The sushi is innovative with very fresh ingredients. The Asian tapas are varied and tasty. The servers are great at providing suggestions. And the service is good but never intrusive. The restaurant shares a fabulous old building with Zocalo, but its décor is very different. The exposed brick and beams and the dark wood are soothing. It’s a wonderful place for a business discussion or a get together (and catch up on all the news) with friends. OK, there is the proverbial big screen TV, but it’s far enough away from the tables that it is not a problem.

And the final reason that it got added to my list. I took my husband there the other night. He pronounced Dragonfly fine. Fine is an A plus in his book.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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[print version]

Visit www.dailysudoku.com for more puzzles, solutions, hints, books and other resources.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Sudoku makes great gifts for kids!

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Early next year your travel experience at Sacramento International Airport could get a lot less tedious. By paying a fee of approximately $100 and getting pre-screened, which includes being fingerprinted, having your eyeball screened and passing a background check, you will be able to pass through a special pre-screened line at the airport, saving considerable waiting time.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors recently approved installation of the Clear system offered by Verified Identity Pass, Inc. at the Sacramento International Airport. This will be the second system in use in the United States. The first was installed at Orlando International Airport in Florida in July of this year and already has more than 10,000 members paying $79.95 each.

There have been no complaints about preferential treatment or privacy issues so far from Orlando. The biggest benefit reported is that pre-screened travellers no longer have to arrive at the airport an hour (or two) in advance.

But experts are concerned about invasion of privacy issues. And what's to stop a terrorist with no criminal record paying $100 and slipping through security?

Weigh in. Do you think the benefits outweigh the negatives?

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Amador Bustos, CEO of Bustos Media, and Alexander Gonzaelz, President of Sacramento State, have been named to the list of the 100 Most Influential Hispanic Leaders in America by Hispanic Business magazine. Nominations from readers, website visitors, contributing editors, writers and magazine staff determined the annual list in the October 2005 edition.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the holiday season upon us it is worth a reminder - Beware Of Charity Scams!!!!

We have all heard the horror stories over and over about charitable people being taken advantage of by the evil charity scamming organizations during the holiday season. Charity Navigator's article published after the Katrina disaster remains apropos and is worth reading. A summary of the main points are:

1. Do not respond to solicitations over email.
2. Be attentive to unsolicited emails and attachments.
3. Be skeptical of Hurricane Rita and Katrina websites.
4. Be leery of people that contact you online and claim to be victims of this summer's hurricanes.

Charity Navigator has a great tool for rating charities, both locally and nationally. The methodology for rating the more than 4000 charities in their database can be found at this website. According to Charity Navigator, of the 22 local Sacramento charities rated, two organizations have earned the coveted four-star rating - Friends of the River and Planning and Conservation League Foundation.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

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A one-hour journey into Sacramento's past and future airs on KVIE on Tuesday November 29th at 9PM.

The documentary includes the work of two UC Davis scientists and was inspired by Charlie Soderquist, UC Regent, who lived on the Sacramento River and had a deep regard for it. He was also an avid fly fisherman. Before his death in 2004, he urged KVIE's general manager, David Hosley, to make such a documentary.

Sadly, Charlie Soderquist died at the age of 57, but his memory lives on in many ways, not the least of which through the donation he made to the Nature Conservancy to two Conservancy preserves - the Sacramento and Consumnes Rivers. The donations were made in the name of his grandson, Scotty.

Be sure to watch on Tuesday night.

Gillian Parrillo,
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Gillian is a freelance writer and has published several articles in Sacramento's "Inside the City" and "Inside East Sacramento". Her latest article, "Furnishing Your First Apartment", can be found in November's edition of "Inside East Sacramento", where she shares her wisdom and passion for finding "the bargains" with our daughter Rebekah.

You have located the perfect spot, at least the most perfect your budget will allow. And now your first apartment stands cavernously empty. You have scoured your parents’ garage and, despite the fact it is packed to the gills, there are very few things that you deem suitable. So what now?

Option 1: Drive to the nearest Ikea – currently in Emeryville, but coming soon to West Sacramento. Drive around the parking lot several times to find a parking space. Pick out a homogenized grouping of furniture. Drive home. Enlist the help of many friends to read the instructions and assemble.

(full story...)

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

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Julius is our Idaho cat. We were visiting relatives in Idaho Falls a few summers ago. A tiny orange and white kitten with a pronounced limp kept coming into their backyard. We walked up and down the street knocking on doors asking if anyone knew to whom he belonged. We could find no information on his ownership, so my children and I officially declared him to be a stray. My husband, predicting the onslaught from his wife and children, began to formulate his strongest list of reasons why this kitten was not coming home with us.

The kitten was transported to the local vet where, after a two-day stay, lots of exams and x-rays, the vet declared he was baffled as to the source of the limp. By this time our children and I had made an emotional investment, not to mention a significant financial one! My husband, sensing an upcoming defeat, wisely decided to surrender diplomatically. We packed up the car and squeezed the tiny orange and white bundle in for the 12-hour trip back to Sacramento. He enjoyed every second of the long trip, moving from lap to lap, purring at the top of his lungs. The many hours allowed lots of time to debate the best name for our little charge. Orange Julius someone finally suggested and that was that.

When we arrived in Sacramento, Julius jumped out of the car and walked into his new home with no hint of a limp. Could this possibly have been one of the great scams undertaken by an Idaho cat to ensure a new life in California? Later we learned from our relatives that their neighbors returned from vacation and started looking for their kitten. For a moment we felt slightly guilty until we heard that this was the third kitten they had lost in a month, that they had left Julius outside while they went on vacation and the 16-year old primary owner has been comforted on the loss of her kitten by a new car. We all agreed that Julius’ exaggerated limp to ensure his liberation from Idaho had been a very well planned escape plot and we quickly came to terms with the fact that we had been so thoroughly duped by such a tiny little creature.

Julius immediately took on the role of family dog, much to the surprise of the real family dogs. There has never been a time that we drive up to our house that Julius doesn’t dart out of the bushes and race up to the car to meet us. He rolls on his back with his legs in the air. He has never caught a bird and brought it to us for viewing or scratched the sofa. He likes to be brushed and is allergic to milk. He walks around the block with us when we take the ‘other dogs’ on a walk. If he were to bark, we would not be in the slightest bit surprised.

He has managed over time to bend occasionally and then completely break my husband’s No Cats on the Bed Rule. He has persuaded my husband that he can only exit the house via the front door. For the rest of us, he comes and goes through whatever window or door happens to be most open and most handy. But for my husband, he winsomely meows until the front door is opened for his convenience. If he wants to go out during the night, he finds something heavy on the bedside table and deliberately knocks it to the floor waiting for the loud noise to rouse us. He has been known on more than one occasion to push the on button on the bedside clock radio while standing on the volume button. The result is instantaneous – he is immediately escorted out of the house! Julius and my husband have evolved a morning ritual. Julius waits outside the shower and as soon as my husband exits, he jumps in (often leaving muddy paw prints) to lick the remaining water. As soon as my husband is poised at the sink to shave, Julius jumps up to watch intently, while scooping water with his paw from the faucet into his open mouth.

One day, Julius went missing and was found cowering in the basement. Upon closer examination he was bleeding from some important lower area and looked dazed. I gathered him in my arms, yelled for my husband to start the car and we set out for the vet. My head was swimming with options for his medical care. Just when I was mulling over whether I could donate one of my kidneys to keep Julius alive, I heard the voice of my husband. “We should just make sure he’s comfortable.” This is code for we are not going to spend a fortune keeping this cat alive. Fortunately, my husband and I did not have to go toe to toe on this as the vet decided that Julius had probably been hit by a car and that the best course of action was to monitor him at home. This incident turned out to be one of those rare win-win-win situations. Julius recovered completely, I got to keep my kidney to be donated at a later time, and my husband was astounded at how reasonable the vet bill was.

My husband has recently instituted the No Transportation of Kittens across State Lines rule. This is a companion rule to the No More Search and Rescue Missions to the Pound or the SPCA rule. We are preparing our counter arguments.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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Joan Didion, who was raised in Sacramento, won the National Book non-fiction award for "The Year of Magical Thinking", which chronicles the year after her husband's death. The fiction prize went to William T. Vollman, a long-time Sacramento resident, for his World War II novel "Europe Central".

Planners for Authors on the Move, the major fundraiser for the Sacramento Public Library, scheduled for March 18, 2006, food for thought!

Both books can be purchased here:

Listen to readings by the finalists.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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A study by Darmouth Medical School researchers evaluated 5 California regions - Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego - and found that Medicare costs are significantly more in some regions but the quality of care is no better. Sacramento topped the list at providing the least expensive care.

(Full Story...)

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Get out those rods! The Chinook Salmon are about to make a run for it in the Sacramento River. And the population is expected to be the biggest in 24 years.

Seems like a great excuse to miss a meeting. "Well Boss, the last day I took off was in 1981."

(Full Story...)

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the years I have grown very soft in the transportation department. When I was a kid I would ride my bike everywhere. It didn't matter how far I had to go, I simply hopped on my bike and went. Thirty five years later, I still do the same thing, except now it's my car. My bike is in a heap in the garage, collecting dust.

If I need to go to the local Raley's grocery store, even though it's in walking distance, I take the car. If I want to rent a movie, I go to the local Blockbuster Video store, and again, I jump in the car to drive two blocks. Or Vic's Ice Cream, over on 7th Avenue (a mere four blocks away) - yep, you guessed it - I hop in the car to buy the ice cream cone.

Last Wednesday, my wife reminded me that we were going to another California Lectures event that evening at the Crest Theater. Renowned author T.C. Boyle was the scheduled speaker. Boyle has received several literary awards such as the PEN Faulkner Award Winner and National Book Award Finalist. Boyle was on tour to promote his latest book, "Tooth and Claw". It promised to be a fun evening.

So at 6:00PM, I set off for the Light Rail. I put the dogs in the backyard, locked the gate, and headed down the street. All of a sudden, my overweight cat Orange Julius was following me on the sidewalk. "Well, this is not good," I thought. So I turned around and went back to the house to put Orange Julius inside.

I set off for the second time, hustling over to the Light Rail stop on Freeport Boulevard, not wanting to be late for T.C. Boyle. I walked past McClatchy High School, tripping over the uneven sidewalk, and almost doing a facial right in front of the school. Good thing there were no witnesses! I journeyed on to the the Light Rail stop where off in the distance I could see the oncoming train. The train approached the stop and I boarded, looking for the conductor to purchase my ticket, only to find out tickets were purchased on the platform from the machine prior to boarding.

Realizing my mistake, and not wanting to be caught riding the Light Rail without the proper fare, I began to panic. I plotted my exit. I wanted to get off as quickly as possible in order to minimize the chance of the Light Rail personnel finding out my dilemma. How were they going to believe me when I told them I thought you paid when you got on the train? After all, surely that's how the bus system works, right? After a couple of stops, we approached the 16th Street station. I decided to get off at this stop and walk the rest of the way to the Crest Theater. As the train approached the station, the Conductor announced that we should have our tickets ready for the ticket taker as we left the train.

"Oh no! I'm busted!" I thought, as the train slowed to a stop. I quickly jumped off the train and passed by the ticket taker without detection as he was busy checking other passengers' tickets. I reached the exit and walked onto 16th Street, escaping the potential embarassment of riding without a ticket.

I headed off towards the Crest Theatre on K Street. Along the way I happened to bump into my daughter Rebekah and her boyfriend Brian, walking their dog Cosmo. They were quite surprised to see me walking down 16th Street (they live nearby on Q Street). I explained my situation to them and they were rather amused at my Light Rail ride. I carried on towards my final destination. The Sacramento night lights were awesome. I happened to have my camera with me, as I was planning to take a picture of the Crest Theater's neon lighted facade. I was amazed at what I found while walking, rather than driving. The rest of my journey is documented by these photo shots. Oh, by the way, T.C. Boyle was great!

No time to stop for dinner at MaJong's, Mason Wong's fun new restaurant at the Park Complex! I must press on to the Theater!

I like Mason's motto displayed outside The Park Complex - I will endeavor to live up to it!

Pierre Cutler
Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Yep, you got it. Sacramento.

(Full Story...)

Gillian Parrillo
Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After a renovation that took two years and $34 million, the downtown Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is ready for viewing.

"Every great city worth its salt has a first-class cathedral," said the Rev. James Murphy, the cathedral rector, "and now Sacramento has one."

(Full story...)

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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About two years ago, four friends and their three lovely spouses met for dinner at a local favorite restaurant - Randy Paragary's Sammy Chu's. Much to our disappointment, Sammy Chu's is no longer in business. Icon's is making a go of it there now. We loved Sammy Chu's and miss it. That night we dined in one of the private rooms fit for eight to ten people. We had a lot of fun eating, drinking, and talking about Sacramento things.

I remember one of the conversational threads. It went something like this.

"The Bay area venture capital firms are really missing out on deals in Sacramento", said one of the friends.

Another friend replied, "I frequently hear that they don't believe Sacramento has enough quality senior level managers."

I looked at the dinner party assembled that night and remarked, "If the VC's could see us, they would change their tune. The four friends here tonight represent a very powerful group of leaders with a combined P & L responsibility of roughly $2 billion - a recent Senior Vice President and General Manager of IBM's Storage Group, a current Senior Vice President of Hewlett-Packard, the former Group President of one of the ten largest software companies in the world, and the Director of the Sacramento Public Library."

That was some group that was assembled at Sammy Chu's. And they all lived in the Sacramento area. They still do. I think the VC's don't give Sacramento the proper respect. We have a lot of talent in the area.

Oh, by the way, the group of friends who assembled that evening for dinner - they were four of Sacramento's finest women. Barbara Grant, Marilyn Edling, Gillian Parrillo and Anne Marie Gold - All Sacramento gurus!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

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On Tuesday evening, November 8, Sacramento's City Manager, Bob Thomas, formally announced his retirement. According to the Sacramento Bee, Thomas will retire effective December 31.

Readers, do you know the details behind this sudden departure? Do you think this is a positive or negative thing for the City? We would like to hear from you. Please weigh in with your opinions and comments. (Photo taken by Sacramento Bee's Hector Amezcua).

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

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Meet the Sacramento Executive publishers - Gillian Parrillo and Pierre Cutler.

Here we are on a quick day trip to Alcatraz Island.

We left Sacramento at noon on a recent Sunday, after a scrumptious breakfast at Sacramento's The Fox and Goose. Two hours later we arrived in San Francisco at Fisherman's Wharf Pier 41.

We had a blast visiting Alcatraz Island. Thanks to Gillian, we prepurchased our tickets online for $26 a ticket. The fee included the ferry, park entrance and audio tour. Once on the National Park island, the award-winning tour was self-guided and took about two hours.

The scenery was awesome. The self-guided tour was very informative. We returned to Fisherman's Wharf for a great dinner and safely returned to Sacramento by 9:00PM.

Another fun day in Paradise!

Pierre Cutler,
The Sacramento Executive

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When: Every second Sunday 6:30AM-3PM
Where: 21st Street between W and X (Map)
Cost: $3 (no charge for parking or under 16)

First there was Second Saturday and now there's somewhere fun to be each second Sunday. Started just a few short months ago the Sacramento Antique Faire is causing quite a buzz. We arrived around 10:30AM to find both large parking lots almost completely filled. And what had originally started as a one block outdoor antique market has grown to two blocks, with no end in sight! Hundreds of dealers arrive while it is still dark, with their vehicles packed to the gills. They climb from their vehicles and set up their wares. Items range from fine antiques to one step above flea market, from furniture to fabric to pottery to silver and jewelry. As the sun rises, the dealers arrive with flashlights in hand trying to find the bargains that have called them from their beds so early on a Sunday morning. As the day progresses, all ages wander the stalls looking for a bargain, a find, a look.

This is a great place to furnish a first apartment, or find a final architectural piece for a mansion, with every decorating challenge in between. In my travels, my daughter has bought a funky coffee table, two very sturdy dressers, a 60's dinette set and just last week a fabulous glass dining table with 4 chairs - a steal at $125. I have found an extra long linen table cloth to cover the additional table that my exuberance in inviting way too many people for Christmas lunch has required, and just yesterday an old metal sewing machine base which will make a great base for a desk at our weekend place ($40). But even if you don't find a special piece on a given Sunday, just the sheer delight in walking through the aisles, handling the pieces, imagining the history, and watching the crowd is a treat.

And food vendors are available to satisfy your breakfast or lunch cravings. So come early for the best choice and come late for the best prices. But come. It's a fun and entertaining destination and the price is right.

Gillian Parrillo,
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)