The Sacramento Intellectual Property Association proudly invites you to a presentation on Navigating the Hazards of Cyberspace. This event is scheduled for January 13, 2009 and admission is free. The foremost experts in the field will be discussing the fundamentals and nuances in the following areas:

 Internet advertising, including aspects of Trademark and Unfair Competition;
 Copyright, the DMCA and User Generated Content litigation;
 Secondary trademark and copyright liability for Internet content and misconduct;
 Privacy regulations and pitfalls;
 CAN-SPAM Act case law and regulations;
 Limiting liability with online contracts; and
 Suing anonymous and pseudonymous infringers and tortfeasors -trends and strategies.

PANELISTS

Ian Ballon, Eric Goldman, Scott Pink, Gregory Meath and Kayden Kelly.

LOCATION & KICK OFF

The presentation will be at California Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento, 111 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Doors Open at 5:30 pm. Complimentary wine and hor d'oeuvres will be served.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Ian Ballon represents technology, media and entertainment companies in complex Internet, copyright, and intellectual property litigation and counseling.r. Ballon was named one of the top 100 lawyers in California in 2008 by the Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Daily Journal and has been named one of the top new media lawyers in the United States by CyberEsq. magazine, one of the 100 most influential lawyers in California by California Law Business, one of the top 50 IP Litigators in California and one of the top 25 copyright, trademark and patent lawyers in California by The Daily Journal.

Eric Goldman is an Associate Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law and directs the school's High Tech Law Institute. Before joining the SCU faculty, Professor Goldman taught at Marquette University Law School, was General Counsel for Epinions.com, and practiced law at Cooley Godward LLP. Professor Goldman's scholarship is primarily focused on the legal and social implications of new communication technologies.

Scott Pink is Special Counsel at DLA Piper in Sacramento. Mr. Pink has served as chair of local, state and national intellectual property organizations, including the California State Bar’s Intellectual Property Section, the American Corporate Counsel Association’s national Intellectual Property Committee and the American Bar Association's Cybersecurity Task Force. His practice concentrates in advising technology, media and entertainment companies on intellectual property protection and litigation, advertising and promotional issues, gift cards, sweepstakes and loyalty programs, trademark protection, commercial and technology transactions, e-commerce and Internet law, and privacy and security issues.

Gregory Meath is an intellectual property attorney and Adjunct Professor of Law at Pacific McGeorge School of Law, where he teaches Computer and Internet Law. Prior to forming his own firm. Mr. Meath practiced law at Pillsbury Winthrop LLP. Mr. Meath is a grower of Cabernet Sauvignon wine grapes in California's Central Valley and represents a host of Vintners in the Central Valley .

Kayden Kelly is the CEO, Managing Director of Blast Advanced Media and has over 10 years of experience in ecommerce and online marketing. Kayden is a regular speaker at online industry conferences and has experience working with startups to big brands like Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin, Sysco, Lennar, Brocade and Marvell. He has also led the development of several web based software products including Video SEO Producer and Motivity. Motivity is a website marketing and management platform for marketing teams who need search engine optimized ecommerce and content management solutions that tightly integrate with online marketing and tracking tools such as Google Analytics, Adwords, Website Optimizer and Affiliate Marketing.


RSVP REQUESTED BY JANUARY 8, 2009

SEND ALL REQUESTS AND RSVPs TO

Ian A. Rambarran
Attorney-at-Law
Klinedinst PC
801 K Street, Suite 2800
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.klinedinstlaw.com
Ph: 916-444-7573 (x) 4205
Fax: 916-444-7544

Legal Assistant: Monica Parra
mparra@klinedinstlaw.com


Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

STEWARD, Scott

Scott Robert Steward passed away unexpectedly on November 3, 2008 as a result of a tragic accident. Born on May 3, 1960 in Redwood City, Calif., Scott is survived by his parents Charles and Margaret Steward of Redwood City and his brother William Steward and his family, Heather (wife), Jack, Callan, and Sam (children), all of Sparks, Nev. Scott, a graduate of Notre Dame College of Belmont, Calif., was an entrepreneur at heart who contributed to the growth of several successful businesses. He was a talented athlete who excelled both at sports and at being a life long San Francisco Giants fan.

Friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Life at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at MOUNT VERNON MEMORIAL PARK, 8201 Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks, Calif. Casual dress is requested.

Scott was a respected member of the Sacramento entrepreneur community. He was involved with several local startups. He was always upbeat, rooting for others, full of boyish exuberance. He was a life long San Francisco Giants fan. I remember him trying to cheer up Rich, a new acquaintance of Scott's and a friend of mine, who had just received very bad health news. Scott checked in with Rich often and offered his prized SF Giant tickets as a lure to get Rich focused on taking a trip with his daughter rather than on his illness. It's funny how things turn around. Rich made a full recovery and Scott is gone. I wish I had checked in more often. We will miss him.

Here's a photo of Scott (with my friend Marilyn Edling) at our inaugural Sacramento Executive event in January 2006.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Share an evening with two industry leaders and advocates of Social Responsibility.

Dr. Jonathan M. Sykes, a renowned facial plastic surgeon will offer his perspective on his frequent travels to emerging nations and his operations on children with cleft palates.
Goeffery Ashton, Senior Vice President at Calvert group, the leading Social Responsible Investing (SRI) manager in the US, will offer his corporate perspective on global green
investing and highlights the leading sectors in the SRI arena.

Tuesday, November 18th - 6PM
Viewpoint Gallery
2015 J Street, Suite 101
Sacramento, CA 95811

RSVP: Elena Naderi
Email: elenanaderi@gmail.com
Phone: 916-648-6278

Networking, wine and appetizers included

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

SARTA's Leadership Series Presents: Leveraging Your Board of Directors
Wednesday May 21, 2008 9:00am-10:30am
McClellan Technology Incubator

Course Overview:
Historically, those investing the most money took the Board seats of a given company as a condition of their investment. The "watchful eye" scenario has played itself out for years in Board rooms across the country. Whether qualified to strategically direct or not, there they are; the suits empty as they may be......Whether saddled with such burdens or having those that are qualified, the CEO and management team must properly get "real" work from their Boards on a variety of fronts.

Fund raising, governance, compensation, staff development, customer development, market segmentation, etc. are all areas where an engaged Board might find a useful role. Just how then do you get this entitled bunch to do real work for a living.....

Who should attend:

• President, CEO
• CFO, VP Sales, VP HR, VP Engineering
• Investors for their portfolio companies
• Other Senior Executive team members

Instructor: Roger Akers, Founder and Managing Partner, Akers Capital.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Western Blue, Northern California's largest and most experienced IT service and solution providers, announced the launch of the Extreme IT Makeover Program which will award an IT makeover worth up to $75,000 for a Sacramento business. The goal of this program is to give businesses the ability to be more competitive and grow their business profitably.

As part of this program, Western Blue will partner with HP and Intel to award a complete solution to give the winner the edge it deserves. The package will include an IT and network assessment, design recommendations, set-up/installation services, IT equipment, consultation services, and support and maintenance services.

"We are very excited to announce the launch of the Extreme IT Makeover Program. With so many demands and limited resources, Western Blue has recognized the needs of many small businesses to have IT deliver an impact on growth and profitability," said Terry Joslin, President of Western Blue. "With the help of our partners, we will be able to help Sacramento businesses stay ahead of the competitive and economic pressures."

Visit their website for more information or to apply for the Extreme IT Makeover Program.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:01 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

We've heard the good and the bad about what Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson has done for Oak Park. Cut through the spin and go check it out yourself.

On April 5th, you are invited to join Kevin and his campaign staff on a walking tour. Tours will start at 10am and 2pm. To sign up, all you have to do is call campaign headquarters at 916.441.6500.

And if you go, write a blog detailing your experience and I will post it.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Last month's dinner meeting of the Sacramento Angels had an added visitor - MSNBC. They came to film a segment on a typical angel investor meeting.

The Sacramento Angels did us proud!

Watch the video

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

If you are registered as Decline to State in California, you can still vote for a Presidential candidate. Here's how:

Or Republican!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Borders, during a five-month-long pilot program, will provide approximately 350 free educational classes (per month) for Borders customers on topics ranging from “Baby Sign Language” to “Guerilla Marketing” and “Breaking into Show Business.” The classes, which begin Feb. 2nd, will be taught by local professionals, celebrities and business owners and are designed to be fun, educational and interactive. For the pilot program, Borders stores in Natomas, Roseville and Sacramento will offer a minimum of five free classes per day, six days a week.

Many of the classes are being taught by local women entrepreneurs. Check out this video to get a preview of a class called Delegate or Die, taught by Jessica Chapman whose business is Room to Breathe.

Watch Barrett McBride, another local businesswomen talk about her upcoming class at Borders.

Exciting that Borders has chosen this area to pilot this program. Free classes at your local Borders. Go check out the schedule at your local store. And report back if you attend any of them.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:46 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

Terry Maxon, staff writer for the Dallas Morning News, reported today that James Parker, former Southwest Airlines CEO, recently authored the book "Do The Right Thing: How Dedicated Employees Create Loyal Customers and Large Profits". Maxon's article opens with the following WOW statement:

For many years, companies have flocked to Southwest Airlines Co. to learn the secrets of its success, ex-chief executive officer James Parker says.

Yet they never seem to absorb Southwest's lessons.

More accurately, they never accept the basic point - take care of your employees and everything else falls into place. So they see employees as expenses to be cut, rather than assets to be cherished.

Oh, and one other item worth mentioning:

He also makes the point that a great leader knows the importance of the team, drawing a contrast between Ted Williams, a great baseball player and so-so manager, and Tommy Lasorda, a mediocre player but a great manager.

Mr. Parker criticizes phonies, citing one manager who didn't succeed despite being smart and well dressed.

"When this person finally left, I asked one of his former employees why she thought everybody disliked her former boss so much. She summed it up: 'Because he was the kind of person who kissed up and spit down.' "

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Pierre and I enjoyed participating for several years in the UC Davis Big Bang Competition, a year long contest organized by MBA students of the Graduate School of Management. The goal is to promote entrepreneurship at UC Davis and the region supported by the University. We loved the idea of putting MBA students in touch with scientists with commercialization of research being the end game.

One night we served as coaches at dry run sessions - the presenters putting the polishing touches on their final presentations that were due the next day. That night we met John Argo who was presenting his new collaboration, Q1 Nanosystems, in the field of solar technology. The next night, we watched John do a masterful job at the final competition and win second place.

Over time we kept in touch with John, even running into him in his new office space, which happened to be co-located with the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy in West Sacramento. We even gave him a copy of our favorite startup book at the time.

So, it was with great pleasure that I read in the Sacramento Business Journal this week that UC Davis and Q1 Nanosystems had reached an exclusive licensing agreement.

It could end up being one of the great Sacramento stories of academia fueling industry and it all started with an MBA student meeting a group of scientists at a mixer.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:19 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

Primafuel, a company in the business of producing zero-carbon fuels, will build a 60 million gallon biodesel manufacturing plant in West Sacramento at the North Terminal facility. Funds for the plant come from a $164,000 grant from the California Air Resources Board.

The World Economic Forum recently named Primafuel a 2008 Technology Pioneer for innovative approach to biofuels production and distribution infrastructure.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive
Source: SN&R

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (2)

Here are my google alerts from minutes ago:

New Sacramento Police chief sworn in
Sacramento Bank Robbed.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

“A room of one’s own,” Virginia Woolf once famously suggested, is what a woman needs to get any writing done. Alas, even if you have a writing room in your house, the rest of your house is still there to interrupt you when you sit down to focus your creativity… Wait! Did you remember to start the dishwasher this morning? Better get up and check. Oh, is that the doorbell? Look, a neighbor has arrived to chat. And did you ever return those phone calls from yesterday? Better do it now before you forget. Finally, a moment arrives when you can get back to your thoughts and really dig in… my, but how the time has flown and now you’ll need to get dinner started.

Sound familiar? Instead, why not spend the weekend in Lake Tahoe in a quiet room at “Write By the Lake” with other women writers, lots of wine, and wonderful food? I’ll be there too – Jennifer Sander, of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, 4th Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to) and some fifty other titles. A former Random House editor and long time book packager and publishing consultant, I’m happy to build a cozy fire and chat all night long about the trials and tribulations of the publishing world. Imagine the insider secrets you might pick up over a glass of our custom-made house wine, “Well Red.”

Other than drinking wine, what else happens on a Women’s Writing Retreat Weekend? The schedule looks like this:
Friday: Arrive late afternoon for introductions, socializing, and weekend goal setting. Dinner will be served at 7:30
Saturday: Breakfast before 9, private writing from 9 until 12. Lunch break and a short walk to the lake, afternoon writing time from 1:30-5. Dinner at 7:30.
Sunday: Breakfast before 9, writing from 9 until 12. Lunch break, another bit of leg stretching, and writing all afternoon until it is time for you to head back down the hill.

$235 fee includes all: a private room and all meals and drinks. I plan to hold this small event a few times a year at our South Lake Tahoe house, with a maximum of three writers each time. The first two weekends are Jan 25-27th, and March 7-9th. UPDATE -- MARCH LOOKS SOLD OUT, ONE SPOT LEFT FOR JANUARY!

This is your chance to get started on a new project, finish up an old one, or just sit quietly and let your thoughts and creativity surprise you. Let me know if you are interested, I’d love to see you there!

Jennifer Bayse Sander
Email: onedrymartini@hotmail.com

Thank you J.T. Long for passing along. It sounds GREAT.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

In 2000, the voters of California did something remarkable - they voted overwhelmingly (61%) to treat drug offenders rather than imprison them. And so Proposition 36 came into being. An independent review shows that the program saves $2.50 for every $1 spent. Since the program began in 2001, more than 36,000 people have accessed the program. More than half (19,000) have received treatment for methamphetamine addiction, making the program the country’s largest methamphetamine treatment program. And contrary to previous belief that meth addiction was very difficult, if not impossible, to treat, those who are addicted to meth do better than other addicts in the program.

All good news until you start looking at the funding of the program. Since the beginning, it has been woefully underfunded. According to an independent study conducted by researchers at UCLA, which was released in April 2007, the program needs at least $228.6 million to provide adequate services, improve treatment outcomes and increase taxpayer savings. The program did survive an attempt by the Republicans to cut all funding for FY 2008 and stayed at the $120M level.

UCLA researchers arrived at the recommended funding level by analyzing the costs of a series of improvements, including:

• More appropriate treatment placement (eg, residential placement for those severely addicted, $18.9 million);
• Providing a “minimum dose”, or 90 days, of treatment ($31.3 million);
• Expanding access to narcotic replacement therapies, such as methadone and buprenorphine ($3.7 million); and
• Enhancing probation supervision ($25 million).

Using counties’ Prop. 36 spending in FY 2005-06 ($149.7 million) as a baseline, the cost of these changes would require total Prop. 36 funding of $228.6 million.

This figure mirrors the funding recommendation of the County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators’ Association of California, whose 2007 survey of program administrators found that Prop. 36 needs at least $230 million to “adequately address the treatment needs.”

In their report, the UCLA researchers pointed out that the optimal funding figure for Prop. 36 is still higher. The report notes, “Many potential program enhancements are excluded here, for example, the cost of increasing length of stay in long-term residential treatment, providing ancillary services, or aftercare, all of which have been shown to improve drug treatment outcomes.”

Inadequate funding may already be having a negative impact on the program. Data show that 32.0% of year-three Prop. 36 participants went on to complete treatment. This is two percentage points lower than the completion rate in the program’s first two years: 34.4% and 34.3%, respectively.

Dave Fratello, co-author of Prop. 36, said, “It is remarkable that the state and counties give short shrift to the cheapest, highest-impact reform possible under Prop. 36. For just $3.7 million more per year, UCLA says most heroin and opiate-using clients could get narcotic replacement therapy – the gold standard treatment for this addiction. It is a tragedy that this treatment is so badly under-utilized.”

UCLA found that implementation of Prop. 36 in April 2001, had not resulted in any increases or decreases in crime rates in California. They also found no increase in serious crimes and that offenders in the post-Prop 36 era had fewer re-arrests than those in the pre-Prop 36 era.

Analyses conducted by UCLA show that for every $1 invested in Prop. 36, the state saves $2.50. For program completers, every $1 invested leads to $4 in savings. UCLA put first year (2001-02) savings at $173 million. The Legislative Analyst’s Office has estimated that the state’s $120 million annual investment in Prop. 36 resulted in net savings of $205 million in 2002-03 and $297 million in 2004-05. Conservatively estimating $200 million in savings per year, total program savings in six years surpasses $1.2 billion.

Nearly six years into Prop. 36, the number of people incarcerated for drug possession has fallen by 32% (5,000 people). More than 1,000 Californians on parole complete treatment under Prop. 36 each year instead of going back to prison. By diverting so many into treatment, Prop. 36 rendered unnecessary the construction of a new men’s prison (saving an addition $500 million) and also resulted in the shuttering of a women’s prison. This brings total savings to $1.7 billion.

So, explain to me again why we would consider slashing this funding and why we aren't increasing funding to a level that all of the experts recommend?

The program works, the crime rate is not up, the savings are substantial. Oh, would the reason be the the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA), the California prison guards' union? CCPOA is a major player in California politics and is widely considered to be one of the most poweral political forces in Sacramento. The CCPOA has no desire to see less prisoners, less prisons built, less jobs for prison guards, etc. etc.

This is ludicrous. We are the voters and we need to start asking some tough questions NOW. I think I am going to start by figuring out who is getting all those political donations from CCPOA. I will keep you posted.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

Don't get me wrong. I never used to actually agree with Tom Sullivan on much of anything. But he did have a certain gentlemanly aura about him that made me capable of listening to him without resorting to high pitched shrieks (the kind I use for Rush). But did his joining Fox turn him into a jerk?

I hadn't listened to him for several months. Earlier this week I had a 2 hour drive in an area of poor radio coverage and had forgotten to bring my XM Radio. Turn to stalwart KFBK. Tom Sullivan is going off about incandescent bulbs being banned. He says that he has the right to use whatever bulb he wants and if he wants to pay the extra cost for the energy consumed, that's his business. Well actually Tom, it's not just your business because all of that extra energy that you are requiring is heating up my earth and I an pretty resentful about that. One might think that as a parent, you might be a little concerned about that too. Concerned enough that you might be willing to take a light that is a little 'cooler' than the warm glow you require. How selfish can you be?

Next day, I tune in again, just at the minute that the family who had been lost in the Sierra's for 2 days when they went to cut down a Christmas tree. You are going off about how they had no right to go in there so unprepared, etc. etc. Could you just slow down for a second and let everyone be grateful that they are alive and well? I can sort of see when those climbers got lost on Mount Hood a year ago could make people question the reasonableness of their decision to go out in terrible conditions - they were professionals. But a local family, with a Dad that had just moved from Southern California? Did you ever hear of a mistake, Tom? Thank goodness, it didn't turn into a fatal and tragic mistake.

Is that what happens when local radio guys go national on TV? They turn into jerks. Is that a requirement? Makes me be much more sure to remember my XM every time I travel.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (2)

The Great Start Mentorship Program. A great, free resource for entrepreneurs in Sacramento. If you are starting a company, you would be foolish not to take advantage of this new program from the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance. From the SARTA website:

GreatStart provides assistance to high tech companies in early stages of development. Clients apply to be accepted into the program and then get to work with mentors and advisors over a time specified by panelists and mentors. Upon completion of this process, the GreatStart client is requested to make a presentation to our panel of experts. Our panels are made up of investors, lawyers, strategists and industry savvy professionals. During and after the panel presentation feedback is provided and then a next meeting occurs with comments, suggestions, contacts and more about the plan and presentation. At that time a mentor is chosen and will work with the team for the months ahead through the process of preparation to go in front of investors. The main goal for clients and mentors is to prepare a business plan and strategy to move forward to get funding.

Check it out

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Want to be a successful entrepreneur? I suggest you read Skelliewag and her post on the Audacity of Failure. Skellie writes about blogging. But her principles equally apply to entrepreneurs.

Briefly, Skellie writes:

Part of being audacious is being ignored, or rejected, or brushed off, or criticized. You will sometimes fail. You’ll certainly make mistakes. I’ve experienced all of those things, and if you’re audacious, you will too.

Thankfully, both Albert Einstein and Michael Jordan (strange bedfellows, no?) have a few words of wisdom on that point:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
– Michael Jordan

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
– Albert Einstein

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Broadway has always held so much potential. But between the demise of the Tower chain, the uncertainty as to the long-term status of Tower Theater, and the fire at Joe Marty's, it is not a street you feel enticed to stroll down.

But now a local family (who also happens to be developers) are hoping that a new project might entice others to upscale Broadway.

The Gianulias family has owned the property that was Tower Books,now the Avid Reader, since the 1940s. When Tower Records went bankrupt, the Gianuliases acquired the property and rented it back to Russ Solomon, the Tower Records' founder. They also own the lot across the street. And they have big plans for a new building that will hold one or two nationally known restaurants.

Let's make sure to support their efforts. It's another wonderful area of Sacramento waiting to come alive.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Prosper magazine, launched in 2004, will halt publication of a printed edition, but the Prosper Media Group business will continue in some form online, company executives said.

The December issue will be the last. There was no answer at the Prosper office to a phone call Friday afternoon, and the magazine Web site still invited readers to subscribe to 12 issues for $12.

"The economic model that we had running here with Prosper, both Prosper Media and the print publication, just wasn't working," said majority owner Mike Teel in a videotaped statement dated Nov. 1 and posted on the prospermag.com Web site. "And what we needed to do was eliminate the pressure of the ongoing business to give us the time and platform to rethink the model. ... We're laying off all employees. We've given them a great severance package."

The company did not disclose how many employees were laid off or the specifics of the severance package.

Teel said Sacramento-based Prosper Media would "meet all of our obligations as a business" and is current on most payments. "We want to bring an end to this business and then go on in a virtual realm." The Prosper brand will continue, Teel said, on an Internet platform. Executives now are working through two possible business models, he said, and will make an announcement on the future of the business once they've worked through both strategies.

Teel, an heir of the family that built Raley's Inc. of West Sacramento, and Sacramento River Cats owner Warren Smith are major financial backers of Prosper.

The move comes less than a year after the appointment late in 2006 of several executives at Prosper, including a new editor-in-chief. Two top managers had resigned last fall and the company announced plans to position itself as a national media player.

Reached at his home in Rescue, former editor-in-chief Jeffrey Young said the layoffs took place Thursday. Prosper employed about a dozen people, including seven full-time editorial employees, said Young, a former Forbes magazine editor hired in December to head Prosper's editorial staff.

The December issue has gone to press and is expected to be Prosper's last. But Young said the magazine's fate is uncertain, and the print edition could make a comeback as early as next spring. "There's a possibility we may resurrect it and move the magazine to the Bay Area," where there are more readers and advertising dollars, he said.

"One of the real problems with the Sacramento marketplace is that it's too small to attract first-tier national advertisers," Young said. "You're stuck in a small market with an inability to get access to the media buyer decision-makers."

He said revenue was growing at Prosper, but the magazine was not generating enough return on equity. The problem, he said, is the small pool of business-publication advertisers. Prosper has a circulation of 30,000 per issue.

Scott Doniger, vice president of marketing and circulation, confirmed that Prosper is "reviewing opportunities that would make sense in the print world," but he declined to offer specifics. He said prospermag.com would continue in some form. "We want to try to stay a step ahead of where the market is moving, particularly the market for business news and for businesses that are looking to promote themselves," Doniger said.

Story courtesy of Sacramento Business Journal

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Magazine

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:36 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

The works of Sacramento native son Mike Posehn are literally hitting the big screens around the world. And I mean big. If you have not seen the big sceens at Victory Park in Dallas, you need to, and you just might see one of Mike's movies.

Recently, I received this letter from Mike:

I'll be showing films in two more film festivals this fall. Placerqatsi will be shown in Dallas beginning this November as part of the Victory Media Network outdoor digital arts gallery. It's a set of large high definition video screens outside of the American Airlines Center where the Dallas Mavericks play. Don't you wish Sacramento could do something this interesting if and when they ever build a new arena?

Click the image to watch a quick video about the venue...

Torres del Paine has been showing there already. During that time, it came to the attention of the producers of iDat 2007 Singapore who asked if I would like to have it shown. Duh.. Maybe I should go check it out? That makes twelve festivals for Torres so far.

- Mike

Mike, well done!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Want to be a highly performing company? The recipe is simple, according to Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HP:

1. Focus on customer satisfaction;
2. establish a high rate of innovation;
3. build a diverse workforce and management team;
4. embrace high ethics.

Pierre Cutler
Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 4:58 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

2008 Earlybird Economic Forecast on Wednesday, October 24th from 8 - 11:30 a.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center.

How will the turmoil in the housing market play out in 2008? Come hear what Gary Schlossberg, Senior Economist with Wells Capital Management and Mark Vitner, Senior Economist with Wachovia have to say on this and other issues.

Locally, the once-booming housing sector has limped through 2007. How long will it take to turn around? Analyst Greg Paquin will review.

Barbara Hayes from SACTO will give her annual growth outlook for the region, and new research by the Sacramento Regional Research Institute and CSUS will unveil a new jobs forecast for our region.

You can read more information and register on the Sacramento Business Journal's website.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Reported in the Sacramento Business Journal:

Sacramento has become one of the nation's best buyers market -- but the fifth-worst for home-sellers, according to a recent Forbes report. Forbes says:

Median home price: $356,500 Annual price change from 2006: -6.3% Projected price change to 2008: -7.9%

Another market that could potentially feel positive effects from a loan cap raise, Sacramento was a hotbed of speculation at the tail end of the housing boom. Now there are simply too many unsold homes on the market and sellers looking to unload property are stuck in one of the nation's strongest buyers' markets.

The region's average single-family home price has declined 6.3 percent from 2006, and real estate experts say a 7.9 percent drop is likely in 2008, according to the national magazine's online edition. The median price in the region is $356,500.

Sacramento's hard-hit housing market is better than Detroit, Riverside, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, which ranked first through fourth, respectively. Phoenix finished at No. 6, followed by the four major markets in Florida -- Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Miami.

All of the markets are battling from an abundance of bank-foreclosed properties and greatly lower prices compared to a year ago.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

1 GB of storage then and now. Courtesy of Bestpicever

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

Sign up to attend the Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase on October 11, 2007, at UC Davis. This event is hosted by CleanStart and SARTA.

Click here for details.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

"The Golden Capital Network, Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, and the Sierra Angels announced there are still a few slots open for presenting companies at the 7th annual Silver and Gold Venture Capital Conference conference occurring on October 22-23 at the Siena Hotel in Reno."

Gillian and I have been to this conference numerous times. The combination of angel investors, venture capital firms, professional service providers, and entrepreneurs makes this the region's premier event for entrepeneurs seeking to meet investors.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Click here for conference details.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Mike Posehn, move maker extraordinaire. At it again! Per Mike:

I spent last weekend at the Great Reno Balloon Race making a new video for YouTube. It was three days of waking at 3AM to capture timelapse on three cameras. It turned out pretty good.

You can help jump-start it on YouTube by watching it, giving it a high rating, leaving a comment, asking editor@youtube.com to feature it, and sending the link to your friends....

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

A net 3 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) in the Sacramento area expect to hire accounting and finance professionals during the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the most recent Robert Half International Financial Hiring Index. Seven percent of executives surveyed plan to add staff during the quarter and 4 percent anticipate reductions in personnel. The net 3 percent increase is down one point from the area's third-quarter 2007 forecast. The majority of respondents, 88 percent, foresee no change in hiring.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

The local results reflect a two-quarter rolling average based on the responses of 200 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in the Sacramento area with 20 or more employees; 1,400 CFOs were queried for the national data. You can also view the national results.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Gillian will be hosting the first SacWomen networking event at the Sacramento Children's Home on Sutterville Road in Sacramento.

Megan Seely, activist, teacher, feminist, and author of "Fight Like a Girl", will speak. Megan's bio can be found at www.fightlikeagirl.org.

The Casa Garden Restaurant will be catering the event. The Casa Garden is a volunteer organization and funder raiser for the Sacramento Children's Home.

Mark your calendars! Knowing Gillian's past events, this promises to be a fun evening. Reservation details will be posted later this week.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 6:14 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

As we head back to work after Labor Day, I think the following quote from Alister Cameron is worth a considerable amount of soul searching by each us.

If you don’t have passion and purpose, greater productivity won’t help you!

If what you do with the best hours of your day is not also the thing you’re passionate about, stop right now!

Stop right now and confront the cold hard facts for what they are: no amount of effectiveness training, time management skills, productivity tips and tricks or goal setting know-how will replace the critical missing ingredient of your life: passion.

Until you discover your “fire within” you will remain condemned to a life only endured, not lived; to delicacies only tasted, not devoured; to joys only imagined, not experienced. And in old age you will lament the days of your youth, when fears about money and security kept you from taking the leaps of faith and courage in the direction of your dreams.

A life lived in moderation is not the stuff of stories told to grandchildren with a twinkle in your eye.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

I get automatic alerts from the New York Times and the Sacramento Bee. Who knows why I never signed up to get them from my 'hometown' newspaper, the Dallas Morning News? Guess this really is a temporary 'home' for me.

So tonight I get an alert from the Sacramento Bee at 5:44PM alerting me to the fact that Senator Craig is going to resign. At 6:30PM, the New York Times alerts me to the fact that "Senator Craig plans to resign." I am struck by the fact that the Sacramento Bee has beaten the New York Times by 45 minutes.

But my uncle-in-law is called Larry Craig and knowing how wide someone who has the same name as my uncle-in-law opens their legs when they sit down in a men's room is all too much for me. I am just thrilled he is going to resign and that it is confirmed by two newspapers so maybe, just maybe, we can get back to hearing about the real news. I wonder how many people were killed in Iraq today or how the families of the soldiers killed in Iraq yesterday are going to sustain such a devastating loss.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

The Marriott Residence Inn, at the corner of 15th and J, is open for business in more than one way. Most of the floors will be available for rent, but the top three are for sale. But hurry because half of the available 30 condos are already spoken for.

Remember, not so long ago, when the only upscale chain hotel to stay at downtown was the Hyatt. Then the Sheraton became the competition. There was also the privately-held Sterling Hotel, which was the choice of the senior management of my company, Sterling Software. One time I put a colleague from England in there, forgetting the hotel's no-smoking rule - long before no-smoking rules were the norm. He had to climb out of the window onto the roof to smoke a cigarette during the night. And then we went to Moxie's for dinner (my home away from home in the late 90's) where owner Bill just brought us an ashtray as the crowd was thinning out and told us to go right ahead!

But, enough of my walk down memory lane. The new Marriot Residence Inn is owned by a coalition of Native American Tribes and is only the second hotel of its kind to be built off a reservation.

And that's fuel for another blog soon on the impact that allowing Native American tribes to have gambling has and will have on the future of this country. Hint: I am all for empowerment!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Beverly Scott, General Manager of the Sacramento Regional Transit Authority since 2002, seems all but certain to be confirmed as head of the larger Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Scott makes $171,684 as RT head, but the job in Atlanta has a base salary of more than $250,000.

Ms. Scott won kudos during her time in Sacramento - for winning extra Federal funding, working to build a collaborative regional agency, overseeing the growth of the light rail system to Meadowview and Folsom and making transnit more user-friendly. Recently, she has been pushing to place a measure on the 2012 ballot to authorize a new half cent sales tax and dealing with a downturn in ridership.

While a more than $80K salary increase is worth a move, I wonder how frustrated she was that many of her ideas fell on deaf ears. This is a question the search committee will have to explain when they go looking for replacement candidates - why exactly did she leave?

Too bad she is going - she would have been a great speaker for a SacWomen's event! Luckily we still have a few more strong women in town we can tap!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Sunday is Women's Equality Day and Sacramento is celebrating in style - and even a day early - with a parade starting at Southside Park at 9:30AM and ending at the State Capitol with a Rally at 11AM.

On Friday night, August 24, 2007, come to a very special concert - Great Women of Jazz 1890-1990 - 7:00 pm, 24th Street Theater, Sierra 2 Center for Community and Arts, 2791 24th Street, Sacramento 95818.

For more details, check out our new site SacWomen

What an amazing right we gained when we got the vote and let's re-commit to using it, and using it wisely, every time we can.

Gillian Parrillo
Sacramento Executive and SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:36 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

This blog was originally posted on the LivingUrbanSac blog and was written by City Concilman Steve Cohn.

Sacramento’s Capitol Mall needs an extreme makeover. Not the Hollywood variety, but a serious, concerted effort to make Capitol Mall Sacramento’s signature street.

Imagine if, instead of six lanes of roadway and a barren grass median strip, we put the roadway where the median strip is now and widened the sidewalks on either side to fill in where the current roadways are. Then we’d plant a second row of shade trees, put the new streetcar line connecting downtown with West Sac in the middle, and line the sidewalk with cafes similar to the outdoor café at Il Fornaio in front of the Wells Fargo Building. Voila! We’d have the most beautiful and vibrant sidewalk cafe district this side of Paris—and an instant venue for arts and major special events.

With the Crocker Art Museum and Old Sac close by and several attractive new office and condo towers lining the street, the resources are in place to make this dream a reality.

Most of the city’s efforts at downtown redevelopment have centered around K Street, long considered Sacramento’s “Main Street,” a label I have never understood, since J Street/Fair Oaks Boulevard and Capitol Avenue/Folsom Boulevard are, in fact, the two main east-west arteries in Sacramento. Unfortunately, despite millions invested to date, K Street between Seventh and Ninth is still plagued by divided ownership, lack of investment and vagrancy problems.

The pedestrian/transit mall concept has yet to flourish on K Street, though efforts are still under way to stimulate the street with new retail, housing and performing arts venues.

Meanwhile, just two blocks away sits Sacramento’s most prestigious address, Capitol Mall. Unlike K Street, this one-mile corridor between two fabulous bookends—the State Capitol and Tower Bridge—is a very wide street with unlimited possibilities. But in its present sterile state, it is a gross underachiever.

For many years, the state of California completely controlled the mall as a state highway, with six travel lanes and a large, barren median strip, ostensibly to preserve views of the Capitol. Until recently, this wide street was adorned with nondescript state and private office buildings. Despite its views and location, it was one of the last places on Earth you’d think of taking a leisurely promenade.

Several years ago, the city acquired the mall from the state, allowing the city to make significant changes to the street as long as we preserve the Capitol view. Because of its proximity to the Capitol, its unparalleled breadth and views of both the Capitol and Tower Bridge, it has been attracting a lot of private investment, starting with the Emerald Building and Wells Fargo Tower about 20 years ago, and more recently the ongoing construction of two new Class A office towers and plans for several signature condo towers, including Aura Tower, designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Liebeskind. Although John Saca’s two-tower concept has gone awry, CalPERS is bringing in a seasoned developer, CIM, to do a landmark building at the west end.

The time is now right for the city to partner with the property owners along the Mall to develop a new vision, along the lines of the ChampsÉlysées in Paris, the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, the Ramblas in Barcelona, the Paseo del Prado in Madrid or my personal favorite, the Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence, which has the added feature of cool bubbling fountains throughout the boulevard. Sacramento currently lacks a grand avenue with sidewalk cafes and shops where pedestrians outnumber motorists.

Sacramento is no longer a small town or a collection of suburbs. We need to start thinking longer term about the kind of amenities that will make Sacramento a great city for decades and centuries to come. A great city must have a great center.

But Sacramento currently lacks a grand avenue with sidewalk cafes and shops where pedestrians outnumber motorists. Not a narrow K Street pedestrian mall, but a grand, tree-lined boulevard used by streetcars, buses, pedestrians, cyclists and, yes, even cars, but with sidewalks wide enough to accommodate thousands of pedestrians. Capitol Mall once hosted the mother of all parties to celebrate the Allied Victory in World War II.

It is time to regain that magic on the mall once more. This renovated Capitol Mall would fit well with other major redevelopment projects downtown, such as the railyards, with plans for beautifully restored historic buildings serving as markets and museums, thousands of new residents, hundreds of new shops and restaurants and a new performing arts center alongside a lively waterfront. Nearby, both sides of the Sacramento waterfront are being designed for mixed uses and open space, while the Richards Boulevard area, now known as the River District, will also be converted to a lively new mixed-use district of residences, offices and retail.

Adding to the Central City’s parks and open space is also critical. The south bank of the American River in the Central City has retained its natural beauty, but it has been blocked by industrial sites and landfills. The city plans to reopen access to uncover a whole new section of the American River Parkway, which will also be home to an expanded zoo and freshwater aquarium, and other attractions.

These are just a few of the things Sacramento has in store in the 21st century as we live up to our vision of being America’s most livable city.

Let me know what you think. I can be reached at 808-7003 or scohn@cityofsacramento.org.

That sounds like a great idea. And having been lucky enough to live right off the Champs Elysees in Paris, I know what a wonderful boulevard that is and how much it adds to the vibe of the city.

Hopefully our new plan will be great enough to make us not notice the large hole in the ground on Capitol Mall that once was the toast of town, the Saca Towers. Here's a picture of what Capitol Mall looks like now - a view toward the bridge - pretty junky!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:59 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

The Indians that lived in and around the Sutter Buttes were the Southern Maidu or Nisenan. These Indians, like all American Indians, were descendants of the migratory peoples that crossed the Bering Straits from Asia and then spread southward into the North and South American continents.

There is no precise way to date the American Indians' arrival in what is now the United States, but by 15,000 years ago, people were living throughout the American continents. The best guess at the number of Indians living in present day California at the time of the arrival of the first Europeans is between 310,000 and 500,000. Authorities agree that the Indians of California made up about 10% of the entire Indian population north of Mexico.

The greatest concentration of Indians within the state was in the Central Valley. The Maidu, which simply means "the people," lived in the Sacramento Valley and surrounding foothills. The southernmost Maidu were the Nisenan.

Maidu society was organized in tribes. A tribe was a conglomeration of villages numbering from two to twenty or more. One village was the main village, sort of the capitol, and this would be the site of the ceremonial and religious buildings such as the temescals or sweat houses. Some villages had populations of 500 or more, and others were made up of one or two families. The villages were very loosely organized. Leaders of the villages were mainly advisors, not decision makers. There might be one leader for war, another for religious matters, but there was not a designated leader who could speak for the entire village on all matters.

Being hunters and gatherers, much of their energy went into food gathering and preparation. As with most Native Californians, the acorn was the staple of the Nisenan diet. It took a great deal of time to gather and prepare the approximately 2,000 pounds of acorns every adult ate in a year. Acorn meal provides more calories per serving than either wheat or corn, an important factor in a hunting/gathering society's diet. However, before an acorn can be used for food, it must be processed. Acorns contain tannic acid, and this must be removed prior to using them as food.

The acorns would be gathered in the fall, with some being prepared immediately while the rest of the supply was stored in cone-shaped baskets for use over the winter months. After shelling the acorns and removing the membrane that surrounds the meat, the meat was ground into a meal in mortars. The meal was then placed in a sand basin near a stream or river, and warm water was poured over the meal. This was repeated until the water leached the acid out of the acorns and left the Nisenan with a nutritious meal that they could eat as a mush, soup or bread.

Besides acorns, the Nisenan utilized nearly everything that nature had to offer as a food source. A few animals were not eaten, such as the grizzly bear, coyote or owl, but for the most part, the diet of the Nisenan was varied. Fish, game, seeds, insects, nuts, berries and grasses all had places in their diet. The Nisenan were not farmers because there was no need to farm. The valley and foothills provided enough food and shelter to meet their needs.

The Nisenan were followers of the Kuksu ceremony. This religion originated among the Patwin people and spread throughout the entire Central Valley. Partially because of the abundance of food sources, the Nisenan had the time to develop and practice a very elaborate and intricate form of this religion. The ceremonies consisted of dressing up in elaborate costumes and impersonating gods by performing ceremonial dances. Death released a person's soul to travel west. A spirit might enter a coyote, an owl, a snake, a lizard or perhaps become a whirlwind and be transported to the final resting place. If someone died in a home, the dwelling was abandoned, and the name of the deceased was never mentioned again. The Nisenan cremated their dead and performed yearly mourning ceremonies to honor those who had died.

As with all Native Americans, the most deadly contact the Nisenan had with Europeans came in the form of microbes. In 1833, a trapping party from the Hudson's Bay Company brought malaria into the Central Valley. Within a few short months, thousands of Indians had died. It is estimated that 75% of the Central Valley Indians died in this epidemic alone. In a few short months villages that had numbered in the hundreds were empty. When the discovery of gold was made in 1848, thousands of men poured into the region to hunt for gold. The fertility of the valley floor was soon recognized, and the farmers and ranchers began carving up the land. The Nisenan's environment was altered forever, and those that remained were forced to live in a new society.

Suggestions for further reading:
The California Indians by R.F. Heizer and M.A. Whipple. 19.71, The University of California Press.

Indians of the Feather River by Donald P. Jewell. 1987, Ballena Press.

Maidu, An Illustrative Sketch by Roland B. Dixon. 1910, U.S. Government Printing Office.

The Natural World of the California Indians by Robert F. Heizer and Albert B. Elsasser. 1980, The University of California Press.

The Northern Maidu by Marie Potts. 1977, Naturegraph Publishers Inc.

Gillian Parrillo
Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Labor Day weekend, the Bay Bridge will be closed. Be prepared with alternate plans.

From CalTrans website:

As part of the Bay Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project, the Bay Bridge will be closed in both directions from 8pm Friday, August 31 to 5am Tuesday, September 4 in order for Caltrans to perform seismic safety work on a section of the bridge slightly east of Yerba Buena Island. This work will impact traffic coming into and going out of San Francisco and Oakland over the long weekend. Caltrans will provide more details about the closure and travel alternatives, and 511 will keep you updated ..

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Gillian and I are on the verge of taking the plunge - setting the goal to achieve "Our 4-hour Workweek". This past weekend we built our second website. We are really excited about it. Soon, very soon, we will launch.

Our next endeavor will follow the networking format of Sacramento Executive. (Hint: remember Vicky Blocker's WebGirrls?) We've locked down a great URL and Gillian has created a fantastic vision for women entrepreneurs and executives. Women of Sacramento, stay tuned!

One other note, quite literally our 4-hour workweek is about to become reality. Today, we picked up the URL Our4HourWorkweek.com. We plan to chonicle our journey as we pursue the 4-hour workweek. Particularly gratifying is the support that we are getting from people such as Stephanie Chandler, founder of ProPublishing Services. In one of our recent posts, Stephanie commented:

...I too just finished reading “The 4-Hour Workweek” and I can't recall the last time I was so excited about a book. It caused me to examine the way that I run my business - and my life! I have since hired three sub-contractors, am now minimizing how often I check e-mail, and I'm even getting groceries delivered. All of these efforts are helping to put more balance in my busy life while growing my business.

This is one of those rare books that really makes you think...

Stephanie, we agree. And we look forward to sharing the path to "Our 4-Hour Workweek".

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Jocelyn Wiener, a very talented reporter for the Sacramento Bee, has written an amazing series on the members of the 1992 South Sacramento Raiders entitled Tackling Life. It tells, in a wonderfully personalized way, how tough life is for a black kid growing up in South Sacramento. How the families, many of whom have already been decimated by death, loss of the adult males to jail, drugs and poverty, try valiantly to keep their kids out of trouble. But trouble is what these kids' world is all about in South Sacramento. And the pull of the streets is too strong for many of them and their families, resulting in death for some and jail for others. And another generation left fatherless to be raised by grandparents or aunts or others as best as they can manage.

Thank you, Jocelyn, for adding faces to the terrible tragedy that is going on in Sacramento and many other cities around this country. In fact, around the world. How much different is this than the young muslims in England, who also have no jobs, no prospects, and the lure of the terrorist organizations is just too strong?

And for those who have commented that this is a problem of permissive parents, a race who has too many children and at too young an age, and LBJ's great society, get a clue. This is hurting each and everyone of us. If we could give all of our kids decent educations, with empathy and counseling and mentoring provided to those who need it most, and then offer them opportunities - either to go to college or to learn a trade - then we could certainly stop spending billions on jails and death benefits and aid to dependent children and on and on. If we found the money to fight a war in Iraq, couldn't we have found money to fight and win a war in our own neighborhoods? Leaving large parts of our society behind is not healthy nor ethical.

Please read the series and let's figure out how to solve this problem once and for all. The quote I heard recently from a guy who is doing just that in the worst areas of Dallas, negotiating peace treaties between gang leaders and then recruiting gang members to do positive things with their lives still makes sense to me. "When good voices are silent, bad voices sound good." Let's start the good voices resonating throughout the neighborhoods.

And many kudos Jocelyn. I have read all of your stories with great admiration. You are one of those rare journalists who knows how to get the community to face up to great challenges in their midst and give them the attention they desperately deserve. At least, let's hope so!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Sacramento is one of the nation's top 20 regions for female executives and women-owned businesses, according to a just-released report.

The four-county area -- from Yolo County's biotech companies to midtown Sacramento's chic boutiques -- ranked No. 18 in a national survey of female executives and women-owned businesses, and the third highest-rated city in the state, according to a Bizjournals study.

And soon there will be even more good news for Sac Women, when SacWomen, a new blog and networking group, run by the founders of Sacramento Executive, opens for business. Watch this space. And if you don't already get Sacramento Executive invitations and want to be added to the Sac Women invite list, send an email to gillian@sacramentoexecutive.com. It's going to be fun!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

From the Sacramento Business Journal:

Five members of the Sacramento Angels were part of a group of investors who put $1 million into BrainCandy Co., a producer of early childhood development products in Seattle.

The company operates Web site Braincandykids.com and sells learning products for pre-school children. It was started by a couple of Seattle computer company veterans who were looking for fun educational products for their own twins. When they couldn't find what they were looking for, they quit their jobs in 2004 to start Brain Candy.

The couple had been seeking regional angel investments in the Pacific Northwest. The Sacramento Angels heard about the company and recruited them to present to their group, said George Linscott, one of the angels. He is one of the five Sacramento Angels to invest in BrainCandy. The angel's aren't saying how much they put into the company.

Linscott said he particularly knows there is a market for the company's products. His wife is expecting a child "any day now."

The Sacramento Angels is a group of qualified investors who invest in early stage seed companies. A qualified investor is one who has a minimum net worth and can tolerate complete loss of investment.

Let's hope it gets better results than Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby. A recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics showed that for every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as "Brainy Baby" or "Baby Einstein," they knew six to eight fewer words than other children. Parents aiming to put their babies on the fast track, buy hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of the videos.

Dr. Christakis, one of the doctors who conducted the study, said children whose parents read to them or told them stories had larger vocabularies. "I would rather babies watch 'American Idol' than these videos," Christakis said, explaining that there is at least a chance their parents would watch with them — which does have developmental benefits.

Oh, the joys of angel investing in early-stage companies!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Drexel University, the nation's 16th-largest private university with more than 20,000 students, is considering a Sacramento suburb for a new campus.

Drexel president Constantine Papadakis recently discussed the idea with leaders in Placer County, Calif., and toured a site west of Roseville that a group led by the Tsakopoulos family would donate for the school.

The campus would be built on 600 acres next to about 500 acres that could be developed for housing to finance the four-year university. The land for Drexel would be donated by the Tsakopoulos family, William and Claudia Cummings, Wayne and Mary Prim and their partners.

The project will be reviewed first by the Placer County Planning Commission.

"The opportunity to help create a university in Greater Sacramento -- one of the fastest-growing areas in the country -- is extraordinary," Papadakis said in a news release Monday. "We continually look for ways to expand the outreach of our unique brand of higher education."

Julie Hanson, the KT Communities project manager for the proposed regional university, said Papadakis has accomplished much in Philadelphia.

"In his tenure at Drexel, Dr. Papadakis has brought dynamic leadership and vision to the institution," Hanson said. "He has doubled full-time undergraduate enrollment, increased freshmen applications from 3,500 to 21,500, and increased the university's endowment from $90 million to $640 million."

From BizJournals

Founded in 1891, Drexel is a doctoral research university recognized for its focus on cooperative education and technology. It operates the nation's largest private medical school. With more than 5,500 employees, the university is Philadelphia's sixth-largest employer.

"The excitement Dr. Papadakis expressed about having Drexel establish a university here in Placer County was contagious," said Sylvia Besana, a longtime Roseville educator, community leader and a member of the Regional University Committee. "Everything he had to say was important to me and the people in this area. Wouldn't it be a wonderful opportunity for our students to have such an outstanding university to attend right here in our community?"

"I am excited about the possibility of increasing the availability of higher education opportunities to our students in Placer County," said Gayle Garbolino-Mojica, Placer County Superintendent of Schools. "I was impressed with the quality and number of the academic programs that Drexel offers. It would be a nice complement to other institutions we have or will have so our students will have a broader choice of higher education institutions."

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Whether you are an Investor or an Entrepreneur, the 6th Annual Astia Venture Conference is the foremost fund-raising conference for women led companies in the U.S.

Since 2003, 84 technology-based companies from throughout the US and Canada have presented at our Conferences:

Presenting companies have raised over $249 million
The conferences have achieved average funding rates exceeding 65% in the past two years
There have been 6 exits for presenting companies to date
Presenting Companies Receive:

Access to VCs and angel investors through nine VC-led panels and workshops
Coaching by a team of current and former CEOs, VCs, angels and successful Entrepreneurs
Presentation skills coaching by a leading expert
Company Presentations to Investors will take place at the

6th Annual Astia Venture Conference
Thursday, October 18th
Microsoft: Silicon Valley Conference Center
1065 La Avenida St. Building One
Mountain View, CA 94043

Investors register now to take advantage of early bird registration

“This is an extraordinary success rate for early stage companies and attests to the hidden opportunity presented by women-led companies. The Women’s Technology Cluster’s intense two month Program for the presenting companies clearly contributed to results.” Mitchell Kertzman, Partner, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners

For more information about how to apply, please call:
Jen Shelby
415-421-5500 x5008 or
or email applicant@astia.org

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

LATINA Style Magazine, with the participation of the U.S. Small Business Administration, will host the 2007 LATINA Style Business Series on Friday, August 10, 2007 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel (1230 J Street). The event will be chaired by a committee made up of: Martha Montoya, Los Kitos; Diana Borroel, Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Alice Perez, Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

The conference seeks to empower Latina professionals and business owners by bringing them together with key corporations and agencies that provide goods, services and essential information most needed by today’s entrepreneur.

The Business Series starts at 8:00 am and concludes at 4:00 pm. Attendees have the opportunity to interact with the panelists. The event includes exhibits and expert presenters from sponsors American Airlines, AARP Health Care Options, AT&T, ExxonMobil, IBM Corporation, Principal Financial, State Farm Insurance, Sam’s Club, UnitedHealthcare, and Wal-Mart. In addition, LATINA Style has partnered with Conexion, Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Alianza Metropolitan News, Los Kitos, La Region, La Tricolor 99.9, Super Estrella 104.3, ALPFA, Employers Group, National Latin Business Women’s Association Sacramento, US Small Business Administration, Women in Public Policy, Hispanic Empowerment Association of Roseville and Northeastern California Small Business Development Center.

The emcee, Nicole Chavez, News10, of the luncheon will introduce our keynote speaker. Northern California native, Nicole left Sonoma County to attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. There, she got behind the microphone for the first time at KXLU radio. From the "Biggest Little City" to the "Capital City," Nicole Chavez joined News10 as a reporter from KTVN in Reno, Nevada. Nicole's career's taken her from the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles to the apple orchards of Central Washington state to the Nevada desert. Moving to Sacramento, though, finally feels like home.

In conclusion of the luncheon, a Latina entrepreneur from the Sacramento area will be recognized as the 2007 “Latina Entrepreneur of the Year” award.

Registration fee includes seminars, high power networking opportunities in the exhibit area, breakfast, lunch, commemorative gift bag and a two-year subscription to LATINA Style Magazine, for a total of $30!

For more information or to register for the Sacramento Business Series visit http://www.latinastyle.com or call 1-800-651-8083.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:06 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Gillian & I extend our gratitude and appreciation to Dave Mendoza at Comstock Mortgage, Caroline Jensen at Coldwell Banker, Joe Milam at Legacy Capital, Frank Bodie at Montgomery Professional Services, Michelle Hallsten at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Mark Zetter at Amplify LLC, Suzette Riddle at California Lectures, Andy Eppinger at Sacramento Speakers, and Dave Ross at Alpine Adventures for their generous support of Sacramento Executive.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Sacramento County ranked 7th on the The Center for Digital Government's 2007 list of most digital county governments in the 500,000 or more population. The survey found many counties using information technology in innovative ways to improve services to their residents.

Here's the rest of the list in this category:

500,000 or more population: 1st: Montgomery County, Maryland 2nd: Orange County, Florida (tie) 2nd: Anne Arundel County, Maryland (tie) 3rd: Fulton County, Georgia 4th: Fairfax County, Virginia 5th: Snohomish County, Washington 6th: Oakland County, Michigan 7th: Sacramento County, California 8th: Westchester County, New York (tie) 8th: Tulsa County, Oklahoma (tie) 9th: San Diego County, California 10th: Wake County, North Carolina.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Renae Merle reports in the Washington Post that no-bid contracts for the delivery of armored vehicles to troops in Iraq may have led to needless delays that may have cost lives. The Marine Corps issued $416.7 million in contracts to Force Protection of Ladson, S.C., even though other vendors were available. The contracts continued even through the company didn't meet delivery schedules for getting the vehicles to Iraq. In one case, Force Protection failed to deliver 98 percent of 122 mine-resistant vehicles (that's 119.56 vehicles) in time, despite getting $6.7 million from the Marines to upgrade their factories. In another case, 60 percent of 233 vehicles from Force Protection were more than 30 days behind schedule. But the Marines declined to collect late fees of $6.6 million because the company had "cash flow problems" and collecting the money would have cause the company "financial difficulty."

Sad thing is, that's our money and those are our kid's lives.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Hat tip to Iraqslogger

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Pierre and I will be taking off at the end of this month for a family cruise to Alaska. We are reaching out to our readers to request that some of you step into a guest blogger role while we are gone.

If you could send us your blogs by early next week, we will have a friend upload one per day during our absence. (Of course, we have the right to reject anything, but to maintain our fair and balanced blog, we have published many a blog that we didn't agree with!)

Come on, Sacramento Executive gurus, give voice to your wonderful thoughts and ideas. And let Pierre and I have a short break!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

What do golfers and entrepreneurs have in common? Pressure? Risk/Reward? Big Bets? While only professional golfers may feel the type of pressure that entrepreneurs face every day, we think that golf - even bad golf - might be a new way to help entrepreneurs succeed! On Monday July 23rd, golf and entrepreneurship meet at Serrano Country Club when Velocity Venture Capital presents The First “Entrepreneurial Drive” golf tournament. Join the field of local investors for a golf outing that is sure to be a great day with the proceeds benefiting these important non-profit organizations which are focused on entrepreneurship in the greater Sacramento region:

SARTA, CleanStart, BigBang, Entrepreneur's Foundation, Project Lead the Way, Sacramento State EMBA Program and TBC 2007.

Whether you’re an angel investor, a technology executive exploring opportunities, or an entrepreneur, The Entrepreneurial Drive promises to be fun and rewarding! Where else can you combine 18 spectacular holes of golf with the chance to meet 18 of the most promising Sacramento start-up companies? After golf, the awards cocktail reception will be combined with Sacramento Executive's popular networking event so feel free to invite your friends and colleagues to join you after the round. This is sure to be a memorable day for a great cause. As we expect the event to sell out quickly, sign up today to be a golfer /sponsor --and help drive entrepreneurial success in Sacramento!

To register now or get more information --or you can email us at golf@velocityvc.com and call us at 916.932.2896.

The Team at Velocity Venture Capital

A note from Pierre and Gillian. We are proud to be a part of this great event that will really allow Sacramento to put their money where their mouth is in terms of supporting the startup technology community in Sacramento. If you want to attend just the Sacramento Executive networking event in the evening, check back here in a couple of days for a link at the top of the home page. We will both be in attendance and look forward to catching up with everyone. And profits from the event will be donated to the Entrepreneurial Drive beneficiaries listed above.

Gillian Parrillo
Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Sacramento International Airport adds daily non-stop flights to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada through carrier Air Canada Jazz starting today. Ths will be the second international carrier for the airport. Mexicana has been offering non-stop flights to Mexico since 2002 and US carrier Frontier also has flights to Mexico. Air Canada Jazz, the regional airline for Air Canada, suggests that instead of flying south (LAX or SFO, for instance) to go north to Asia or Europe, it makes more sense to fly directly through north through Vancouver. Flights out of Sacramento have been timed to coordinate well with flights to Asia and other points in Canada.

Wow, Sacramento International Airport is getting pretty international!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

I am a people watcher. I like to examine the characteristics of successful people. Take my wife Gillian, for example. Gillian climbed from the secretary pool to Group President of a large, publicly traded software company. How did she make it to the top? By having a bias for action and building strong loyal teams.

I am absolutely convinced that building a strong loyal team is the key to success. This is the single most important ingredient for success. A highly functioning team foreshadows success for the team leader. Another way to look at it is - great leaders build great teams, and great people want to work for great leaders.

Allow me to share a true story (the names are changed for personal reasons). Here goes...

Fifteen years ago, Boeing (the true company's name is not Boeing) hired two engineers out of college - Steve and Carl. For the first two years, the engineers shared an office, building a strong professional relationship. Over the years, Carl moved up to a mid-management position, with a portfolio of $250 million in annual business and a team of twenty-five program managers.

One of the program managers is Carl's ex-officemate, Steve. Steve pursued and won a $350 million program. Steve established strong customer rapport and during the first year of the program all commitments were met on time and within budget. During the second year of the program, the team incurred program overruns and the schedule slips.

Steve was not able to get the program back on track. Carl decided to make a change and replaced Steve with a new program manager. Steve was assigned other duties, but was not transferred out from under Carl's chain of management. Mistake number one has just been made.

The point here is Carl should have moved Steve to a new manager to allow Steve to recover and grow again.

A month later, Steve, with Carl's blessing, decided to look for a new position in another division. Steve accepted a new position with a nice promotion. Steve's start date was established.

In the meantime, Carl had two programs that were in serious trouble. In spite of this, Carl was promoted to Vice President. About this time shortly before Steve's transition to his new job, Carl's boss (the COO) heard about Steve's promotion and overturned the promotion. Steve was allowed to transfer, but without the promotion. After all, what will the troops think? Steve messes up and gets a promotion - this is a terrible precedence, so the COO argued to Carl.

Well Carl didn't do the right thing and caved to his boss. The company reneged on Steve's promotion. Mistake two has just been made. Understandably, Steve was very upset and began to think about leaving the company.

Mistake three is about to happen - losing a great and loyal employee because the company failed to do the right thing.

A great employee will seek out a great leader. It is inevitable. And the shame - Boeing will lose that great employee and they do not have to.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Michael Moore's truly remarkable movie, Sicko, exposing the flaws of the American healthcare system will open in New York, LA and DC and Sacramento. The Sacramento showing will only be open to doctors, nurses and invited guests. Moore will be in Sacramento on June 12th to testify at a hearing held by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, the champion of a single-payer system. After his testimony, the California Nurses Association will hold a rally with Moore at 2PM on the Capitol West Steps.

The movie, which won rave reviews in Cannes, will open nationwide June 29th.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:23 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

From the Library Journal Blog

Michael Rogers
Revolt in Sacramento, or Jackass 3
May 29, 2007
Before the long weekend (mine was great, how was yours?) I meant to discuss a story detailing how the Sacramento PL staff are pissed off at the administration because centralized selection is sending its collection straight to hell. It seems 600 staffers and patrons signed a petition demanding action, citing numerous copies of garbage like yardbird Paris Hilton's autobiography and 30 copies of the Jackass 2 DVD clogging their collection, while classics get yanked and tossed if they haven't circulated over a given time slot. I recently wrote a How Do You Manage called Weed Killer about that very thing (score another one for me!).

Alas, I was waylaid by another story and never got to Sacramento. Pure luck, because the Sacramento Bee has this little gem of an update. Seems the crappy collection policy is one of many grievances staff has with the bosses. Along with stocking a lot of pop junk, a former librarian claims the admins annually reject $50,000 worth of free children's and YA books without explanation. There also are security issues, with Steve Crouch, the local AFL-CIO agent, saying that "libraries in certain neighborhoods are becoming magnets for troublemakers, gang members, and pedophiles."

There are two sides to every story, and administrators were not on hand to defend themselves, so this could be just a lot of old beefs bubbling to the serface. But if these accusations are true, you can easily see why they would have an affinity for something called Jackass.
Posted by Michael Rogers on May 29, 2007 | Comments (0)

Lots of nuggets in this one, but the part I want to focus on is the quote from Steve Crouch, the local AFL-CIO agent, "libraries in certain neighborhoods are becoming magnets for troublemakers, gang members, and pedophiles." I have written about this before.

Question: are there cities where this isn't true? Certainly any city I ever went to, the libraries are filled with the homeless. And many of these are mentally ill. And no knock on them - where are they supposed to go? If we don't provide services, mental health counseling, places for them to wash and go to the bathroom, etc., then the library employees become quasi mental health counselors/law enforcement. Not to mention that most libraries have now also become after school day care, so the library employees also have to fill that role.

Another nugget: As for stocking Paris Hilton's autobiography and JackAss, why wouldn't libraries change with the times and try to figure out what their demographic wants? Are the librarians complaining about how the nation's reporters have turned into stenographers, how CNN spends more time on Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, and other trivial nonsense while practically ignoring the war in Iraq? Case in point, the 'Sacramento' whales have received many, many more hours than the 3,400+ that have given up their lives in Iraq with no end in sight. What the library stocks is a symptom of the dissolution of seriousness and awareness in our society, not a cause of it.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00, now somewhere around $60.00.

A family member placed a call to Citibank. Here is the exchange:
Family Member: "I am calling to tell you she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Family Member: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections."

Citibank: "Since it is two months past due, it already has been."

Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"

Citibank: "Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!"

Family Member: "Do you think God will be mad at her?" (I really liked this part!!!!)

Citibank: "Excuse me?"

Family Member: "Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?"

Citibank: "Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor." (Duh!)

Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member: "I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply." (This must be a phrase taught by the bank!)

Family Member: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"

Citibank: (Stammer) "Are you her lawyer?"

Family Member: "No, I'm her great nephew." (Lawyer info given)

Citibank: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"

Family Member: "Sure." (Fax number is given)

After they get the fax:

Citibank: "Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help."

Family Member: "Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. I don't think she will care."

Citibank: "Well, the late fees and charges do still apply." (What is wrong with these people?!?)

Family Member: "Would you like her new billing address?"

Citibank: "That might help."

Family Member: " Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69."

Citibank: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Family Member: "What do you do with dead people on your planet? (Priceless!!)

Not sure if this really happened (so apologies to Citibank), but I could definitely believe it did. I have had conversations crazier than this lately with corporations that ought to know better. The other day I called to commend a service person for doing an extra good job. First response was: "That's all you called for?" Guess they don't get lots of these kinds of calls which is a little worrisome. And then I was on hold for 15 minutes trying to get me to someone who might want to know. After 15 minutes they said they would pass on the message. I bet they never did!

And this was a giant corporation who should know that the best feedback they get (and it's free too) is from their customers.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

Drum Roll please.

The IPv6 Forum recognises the outstanding contributions of individuals to the cause of IPv6 development, promotion and deployment. We acknowledge the individuals with the award of the IPv6 Forum's IPv6 Pioneer status:

HyoungJun Kim (Seoul 2007)
Geof Lambert. (Sacramento 2007)
George Usi (Sacramento 2007)

Just a few short years ago, my business partner, Geof Lambert got all excited when reading something on the Internet and all we heard from him for months was IPv6 this and IPv6 that and we all rolled our eyes and said, "Oh good grief, what is Geof up to now?" But Geof just went about his business lining people up for events and meeting people worldwide on the Internet who also were excited about IPv6. And he quickly figured out that countries around the world were much further ahead of the US in preparing for IPv6, which by then I had figured out by actually listening to Geof at some point, was the new version of the Internet. Geof got in touch with Vint Cerf, one of the father's of the Internet, long before he joined Google, and Vint came to town to some IPv6 meetings. And Geof got a meeting with Clark Kelso, the CIO of the State of California, and got him to think about IPv6. And then Geof held meetings with first responders - I remember being at the Fire Department in Elk Grove - and got them all excited about what IPv6 could do for them. And then he even went to DC and talked to the Homeland Security people. And in the midst of this, he got George Usi of Sacramento all excited about IPv6 and he started getting involved in a big way. And all along Geof had an idea that everything that happens technologically in the United States doesn't have to happen in Silicon Valley. One day, he vowed, he was going to get Sacramento on the list.

Well, Geof, you just did. Check out the list above. Two guys from Sacramento getting a worldwide distinguished honor. You have my total respect. You kept at it, you did it on a shoestring and you really got people thinking and acting. And I am sure you have a few more of these ideas up your sleeve because you are always thinking about what's going to be big in the future. And you never let anything get in your way - not even all the people who roll their eyes at your 'new ideas'.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

It's that tme of year again. Interviewing has begun for the best candidates for next year's Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy (SEA) class. This will be the 27th annual class and will welcome another 25-30 students who are seeking world-class, hands-on training in how to successfully start and run a new business. In addition, students will make business relationships that will last a lifetime. SEA is supported by a strong Board, Advisory Board and Alumni, now more than 500 strong, made up of strong leaders in the Sacramento business community. The experience has no parallel and, as such, the commitment is arduous - each Saturday morning during the entire academic year and whatever time outside the formal class to work with teammates on producing a business plan.

Students are usually juniors or above or graduate students at UC Davis or CSUS. But we have had students who have never graduated from college, older students who are planning a career change and even a retiree. The only entrance requirements are an ability to show an interviewing panel that you have a strong desire to be an entrepreneur, a willingness to make a strong commitment for the year, and a high level of ethics.

This is a wonderful opportunity that will serve each successful graduate well for years to come.

If you are interested, please contact director Linda Chock via email at sealink@sbcglobal.net.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:36 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

St. HOPE Public Schools' Public School 7, an Oak Park charter school started by Kevin Johnson, received a unanimous vote to renew the school's charter for an additional 5 years by the Sacramento City School Board.

The Board also praised the schools' achievements. For example, St. Hope was the only area school to meet all of the 'adequate yearly progress' criteria set by the Federal government's No Child Left Behind Act.

Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star, grew up in Oak Park and has spent much of his time renewing the area, including opening this school to give equal access to quality education for the neighborhood's children.

Congrats Kevin and your dedicated team. I know you are making a big difference in these children's lives, which is a big bonus for Sacramento's future.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:45 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

UC Davis GSM has announced the finalists in its annual Big Bang Competition. They are:

AID Networks
Advanced Energy Storage Devices
Simple Robot
Stroke Intervention
Membrex

You can watch them give their final pitch, vote on the audience favorite, and watch the presentation of the first prize of $15,000 on May 16th. Many of these companies have gone on to win prizes at the national level and several others have become real businesses in the Sacramento region. Watch a startup start up before your very eyes.

Click here to register

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

"Connecting is all about your friendliness, your ability to engage, and your willingness to give value first.

When you combine those three attributes, you will have uncovered the secret of powerful connections that lead to RICH relationships."

Jeffrey Gitomer
Little Black Book of Connections

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 6:23 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Text message GOOGLE (466453) and enter your Airline and Flight Number (e.g., AAxxxx) and get back flight info. Now, that's cool.

I tried it a few times. Works like a charm although the gate info doesn't match with the AA website, which is a little worrisome.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

One of the funnest (and funniest) nights we had in Sacramento was the first SARTA Poker Tournament. Lots of good natured, but highly competitive, poker playing. (Yes, that was Michelle Hallsten, partner in a local prominent law firm, with the sunglasses on to ensure no one could read her eyes and she got into the final table and yes, that was Tom Kandris, CEO of a locally established company who came in second). There was great food, great rivalries, and a great time had by all. And we have by now forgotten that it poured cats and dogs, it was freezing, and a trip to the bathroom required a flashlight (and many a shoe left in the mud!)

And then there were no more as the State of California had issues with poker touraments whether they were for a great charity or not. But now that the state has made this event legal (with lots of lobbying by SARTA members), so SARTA is throwing another one. Plan on attending:

DETAILS
Date: Friday, April 27th
Time: 5:00pm - 10:00pm (Cards will be dealt at 6pm)
Location: Morgan Creek Country Club
Tournament Entry: $250 partially tax deductible donation (players limited to the first 100 individuals to sign up, and includes a free dinner ticket for each player and 1 guest).
Non-Player Dinner Tickets: Can be purchased for $55 (member) or $65 (general/non-member) to come enjoy the food, music, ambiance and tournament as a spectator
Dinner: Full BBQ dinner & wine included with each ticket
Dress Code: Very Casual/ Feel free to wear jeans, cowboy boots, or anything in which you will be most comfortable.
Prizes: Details available shortly
Additional Entertainment: Live music, full bar, golf & more!
Your Player and Guest registration fees are tax deductible 501(c)3 Tax ID#68-0332874
Register here

Just watching the Sacramento Angels and other local business leaders and seeing how competitive they are, is worth the price of admission!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:09 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

The Kings have fired Coach Musselman. They hired him with high hopes a year ago and things went from bad to worse pretty quickly. But at least give credit to the Kings organization for realizing they made a mistake and fixing it quickly. It is a lesson to be learned by all of us.

Despite all of our best efforts when hiring a new employee, sometimes we make a mistake. Admitting it and doing something quickly is important. An unwillingness to do so simply perpetuates a bad situation.

Any ideas on who will be next? Do you think Adelman will be invited back?

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Three and a half years ago, Dallas decided to tackle the seemingly unfixable problem of homelessness. They hired a couple of homeless czars, started building a $21M assistance center, and launched a 10-year plan to get people off the streets and into permanent housing. And the results so far show it’s having a significant positive effect. The number of Dallas County homeless dropped 9% in a year and the chronically homeless dropped 23%.

Let’s hope that Sacramento’s new focus on solving this difficult problem also has the same (or better) positive outcome.

Gillian Parrrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

The Sacramento Executive was founded on the notion that the key to success is networking. Our mission is to link executives to all that is great in Sacramento. In keeping with our mission, today we are introducing you to the guru of networking - Jeffrey Gitomer. Jeffrey Gitomer's "Little Black Book of Connections" is a great resource and primer for networking. Gitomer's premise is:

"All things being not quite so equal, people STILL want to do business with their friends. Hint: To climb the ladder of success, you don't need more techniques and strategies, you need more friends."

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Basic Principles All Tech CEOs Must Know
9:00am-12:00pm
Instructor: Jeff Burkholder, President/CEO
NMV Productions
Location: McClellan Technology Incubator

Course Description:
Targeted marketing is key for young companies. This workshop, taught by Jeff Burkholder, will provide key lessons, anecdotes, case studies and basic "how-to" knowledge of successful marketing.

The 3-hour course will give CEOs a broad overview of branding, marketing and PR principles, and directly relate them to launching and building their companies.

The workshop will cover:
• Branding basics: What branding IS and what it is NOT
• Why branding matters
• The importance of, and how to develop, your messaging and positioning.
• The power of PR and why it's a must
• Channel marketing

Attendees are sure to walk away with a stronger understanding of marketing overall and a clearer idea of how it can play a big part in their company’s success!

Future Workshops:
May 16: Protecting Your IP
June 20: Lessons Learned - Common Tax & Accounting Mistakes
July 18: Writing a Business Plan to Get Funding

Register Here The price is right $75 (and discounts for SARTA or MTI affiliations).

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Here is a unique opportunity to honor one of the pioneers of the Information Age, Mr. Vint Cerf, Honorary Chair, IPv6 Forum and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google. Vint will be honored with a Paul Harris Fellow Award from The Rotary Foundation for the contributions he made to humanity with his role in the invention of the Internet. Vint will be sharing words of wisdom regarding the future of the Internet in a presentation titled: Internet: The Next 10 Years & Beyond.

Join members of CAv6TF and Rotary International in welcoming Internet visionary Vint Cerf to Davis on April 16th as he kicks off the 2nd Annual Investorfest 2007. Vint's keynote will feature on the topic of "Internet: The next 10 years and beyond".

As a member of Rotary International, CAv6T, and/or a friend of Geof's (or a friend of Gillian's, which is almost as cool as being a friend of Geof's) you get to attend this evening of heavy hors d'oevres and hosted wine reception at a discounted rate of $50.

Vince is a super-nice, gentle, wonderful guy, who has a brain the size of the world, but doesn't make it super obvious. He is also a big wine lover. And don't make a joke with him about Al Gore being the father of the Internet, as Pierre did, because Vince feels pretty strongly that Al played a big part in making the Internet the giant it is today by being a champion of government funding. And, after all, Vince was there to tell the tale. And Pierre stands corrected, which doesn't often happen!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

State Sen. Darrell Steinberg has introduced a bill to make attacking homeless people a hate crime. Prosecutors could seek up to a year in jail and $5,000 in fines. So-called 'bum fights" often conducted by young adults with no apparent motive, are taped and posted on the Web.
Several other states are also in the process of passing similar laws.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:21 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Tracie Stafford, President and CEO of Exceptional Events, Inc., will compete for the title of Mrs. California in the Mrs. United States Pageant Line. According to Tiffany Ellison, Pageant Producer, if chosen, Stafford will be the first African American on record to hold the title. As well as a Business Owner, Stafford is a wife and mother of four as well as the Chairwoman of the City of Sacramento Small Business and Employment advisory board, Past President of the National Association of Women Business Owners, on the board of the Black Chamber of Commerce and was recently appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger, to the California Small Business Board.

Good luck Tracie.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:13 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

A judge has ordered the Sacramento Sherrif's Department to set up a date to auction off O. J. Simpson's book, If I Did It. Proceeds will be provided to the family of Ron Goldman, who was murdered alongside O. J.'s ex-wife, Nicole Simpson. Details of the date and place of the auction are not yet available.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:19 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

In December 2006, Surewest launched its Internet product with up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps) of synchronous hyper-speed. The product can be reached by 100,000 homes in the Sacramento region. The first customer was Jim Husman. Upon hearing of the new offering, he called to upgrade his previous synchronous 20-meg service. The new service was installed last month and he reports that his speed tests repeatedly surpass 50 Mbps up and down stream.

Husman lives with his fiancee and her sister. Their simultaneous connection of 3 computers cause no lag time at all. Retail price is $259.95 per month, but bundling other Surwest products into the mix provide additional discounts.

Congrats Surewest for meeting consumers continued requests for higher speed. Who's ready to buy more speed?

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

A press release from MicroCredit Enterprises:

Davis, Calif. – March 15, 2007 - MicroCredit Enterprises, a California based not-for-profit venture that provides philanthropic guarantor-backed microloans to aid third-world poor, announced today a US$4.8 million revolving credit facility has been established with the Tokyo Star Bank, a leading Japanese financial institution. The financing will assist MicroCredit Enterprises in helping the estimated 1.1 billion desperately poor people who survive on less than US$1 a day.

Tokyo Star Bank’s International Business Team was instrumental in the execution of the transaction, underscoring the Bank’s commitment to corporate social responsibility on a global scale. The revolving credit facility allows MicroCredit Enterprises to on-lend money to the poor, mostly women, in developing countries, through microloans. The impoverished loan recipients generally have no credit history, no collateral and no formal education.

“We’re extremely excited to be partnering with the Tokyo Star Bank, a company that shares our desire and dedication to reversing the cycle of poverty in economically distressed countries,” said Jonathan Lewis, Founder & CEO, MicroCredit Enterprises. “Microfinancing has been widely recognized as an effective tool for building financial security around the globe by utilizing the means of the marketplace to provide self-help opportunities to millions of impoverished women and their families.”

MicroCredit Enterprises is an innovative, anti-poverty venture which leverages private capital to deliver tiny business loans to destitute people. To date, the venture has secured $20 million in guarantees for loans to aid the desperately poor in developing countries. MicroCredit Enterprises uses the collateral assets of individuals and institutions to borrow debt capital that is channeled through overseas, locally-run, non-governmental microfinance organizations.

MicroCredit Enterprises’ model includes the necessary aspects of sustainability, ensuring the loans reach entrepreneurs who will build businesses which quickly affect positive development in their communities. The venture is actively seeking new guarantors to back its microfinance program. Each new guarantor’s support means the creation of up to 5,000 new, female-owned small businesses overseas. Worldwide, the average loan is $100, and poor women borrowers have an astonishing 97 percent repayment rate.

About MicroCredit Enterprises

Based in Davis, California, MicroCredit Enterprises is an innovative, not-for-profit, anti-poverty venture which leverages private capital to make tiny business loans to impoverished people, mostly women, in developing countries. MicroCredit Enterprises uses the collateral assets and personal guarantees of individuals and institutions to borrow debt capital in the United States that is channeled through overseas, locally-run, non-governmental microfinance organizations. The impoverished loan recipients generally have no credit history, no collateral and no formal education, but with microloans, they create and build home-based businesses. MicroCredit Enterprises’ economic development objective is to reverse the cycle of poverty in economically distressed countries using the tools of the marketplace to provide self-help opportunities to millions of impoverished women and their families. On the Net: http://www.mcenterprises.org.

About Tokyo Star Bank, Limited

Tokyo Star Bank, with its brand as the “friendly, relevant and comfortable” alternative to traditional banking, is an innovative, growth-oriented bank. The company’s mission of “Financial Freedom” seeks to free their retail customers and small and medium-sized enterprises from their worries in managing finances through close collaboration with its financial product specialists. The bank provides their customers with ongoing consultation, continuing education and other after-sales support, and delivers tailored financial solutions through increasing reach of its branch network by opening financial lounges in optimal locations and in the select major cities throughout Japan. Tokyo Star Bank has the stated capital of JPY 21 billion, 35 branches as of March 15, 2007. On the Net: http://www.tokyostarbank.co.jp.

Pierre Cutler
Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Pierre and I came back to Sacramento this weekend. One of our friends had generously given us Kings tickets for the Sunday game. It seemed a little outlandish to fly all the way back for one game, but we told ourselves it would give us a great excuse to check out some of the new local restaurants. So we drove straight from the airport on Friday evening to meet our friend Paul at Mulvaney’s Building and Loan. We had wanted to try it for a long time as we had great memories from when the old firehouse building, in which the restaurant is located, was a wonderfully eclectic coffee house called New Helvetia.

They have done a great job with the space – which isn’t very big and rectangular. Most of the kitchen is open to view by the patrons. There is a small bar at the end with some small high tables and stools for drinks and desserts, etc. The place was busy but the staff was friendly and welcoming. We decided to get a drink at the bar because we were a little early and Anthony, the bartender, was pretty knowledgeable about various wines. We ordered an Australian Shiraz which turned out to be particularly delicious.

When Paul arrived we moved to a table. Our waiter, Mike, seemed efficient and well-trained. I ordered, to no one’s surprise, the lamb shank. I almost always order lamb – in fact Paul once felt very secure in making a sure bet with some table mates that I would order lamb. This one time, I didn't and he lost $20 and learned there is no such thing as a sure bet - especially when you bet on a Gemini. The lamb came on a nice bed of winter vegetables and was quite tasty. Pierre ordered scallops and Paul ordered duck. Both enjoyed their choices. During dinner, Patrick Mulvaney, the owner and chef was visiting various tables but didn’t come to visit us. Pierre was disappointed – Paul and I agreed we found that chef visits were usually uncomfortable and distracting.

We skipped dessert but did have coffee. At the end of the evening we decided the restaurant was OK. We met others during the weekend that also had tried the restaurant and agreed with the OK verdict, although some of them told us that they had friends who raved about it.

Saturday was a blur of Pierre driving to each and every wine store in town trying to find wines on his ‘must find wines’ list. We did drive by our old house in Land Park and were happy to see that the new owners hadn’t changed a thing except for new pots on either side of the front door. Seeing the neighborhood through new eyes, we realized what a special place it was.

We were able to catch up with our old neighbor David Berkeley who, as he always did, suggested some pretty amazing wines for us to buy, which we always do! And we got to visit our friends Lauren and Michelle who own the two Swanberg’s stores, recently relocated from Land Park. Lauren is now on J Street with more than 4,000 Hawaiian shirts (less the one that Pierre added to his collection on Saturday) and Michelle has a new location at 21st and X. You should check them out – they have great stuff.

Dinner was a table for 9 at new restaurant Roxy’s on Fair Oaks Boulevard. The place was hopping when we arrived with a demographic that looked old, even to us. We were happy that we had our table ready and waiting. Although it was pretty small for 9, it was tucked in a quiet corner, so it worked well. Many bottles of wine later (yes, you can bring your own and pay a very reasonable $10 corkage fee), we got into a very loud, lengthy and passionate political debate. Good thing that the restaurant was beginning to clear out by then.

Negatives on Roxy's - very few vegetarian choices, a steak not cooked to order, but a very quick and appropriate customer service response, and the place is loud – even without our political debate. The meal was OK – another OK restaurant when the reviews we had read were rave ones.

Sunday was spent at the Kings game. We realized exactly why we loved to go to Kings games – it’s the arena. The Mavs arena is cavernous. As a spectator you are completely removed from the game, the players, the to and fro, the noise, the energy. But at Arco, you are completely part of everything – an intrinsic part of the whole show. Think long and hard Sacramento about that new arena!

Sunday night was the new Frank Fat’s restaurant in Folsom, which looks and feels and tastes exactly like the Frank Fat’s restaurant in Roseville. It was OK, not great.

So, where are the great restaurants – other than our favorite still, Waterboy? Any suggestions for restaurants for us to try on our next trip to Sacramento?

At the end of the trip, we determined that we need to find a way back. The restaurants might only be OK, but being with our friends is priceless. Anyone got a great lot to sell us downtown – we want to build a loft.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

And change the batteries in your smoke detectors too!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Travel and Adventure: Jazz it up in Sacramento
by David B. Goldman
(Reprinted from the Bend Weekly Newspaper)

If it's just Arnold Schwarzenegger and politics, lobbyists and budget deficits, which come to mind when you think of California's capital city, Sacramento, then think again.

By the time I drove off the freeway and dropped into the downtown section of California's tree-lined capital for the first time on a Memorial Day weekend, nearly a decade ago, and heard the luscious wail of a hot clarinet coming off the street, I'd already learned my own Sacramento lesson. Which is that if you want a hotel room in the city on Memorial Day weekend, which this year is May 25-28, you'd best book it right away, since those days mark America's biggest, swingingest jazz gathering, the annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee.

Beginning 34 years ago with a handful of bands playing mostly traditional Dixieland jazz pretty much as a party on the banks of the Sacramento River, the four-day event, usually basking in the warm, early summer breezes coming off the water, has grown to more than 100 bands and today draws over 100,000 visitors.

By Friday afternoon the politicians have fled the capital and we jazz enthusiasts have taken over. We flood the city from all over the country, arriving by car, by RV and by plane. We're wearing madras shorts, tank tops, hats and lots of suntan lotion. We've come for the music, for a good time and, perhaps even more, for this pure slice of Americana, to revel in America's indigenous music, perhaps the country's major contribution to world culture.

The musical menu has expanded over the years. Today, in addition to classic Dixieland two-step out of New Orleans, we'll get "straight ahead" jazz Kansas City style, big bands a la Benny Goodman, the string stylings of small groups following the work of Gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt, a smattering of gospel and blues, ragtime piano soloists, red hot mamas who belt it out all over town, a dash of cooler trio music, some salsa and several zydeco groups..

Continue reading "Oregon Jazz Buff Extolls Virtues of Sacramento Jazz Festival" »

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:13 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Travel allows me to catch up on my reading. Gillian and I subscribe to way too many magazines and papers. They stack up faster than we can read them. So when work calls for a trip, I load up my briefcase and chill out on the plane reading. I found this almost ten days ago, cut it out, and mentally stored it away for commentary at a later date.

Proctor & Gamble is perhaps one of my top five companies that I would like to work for in corporate America. Why? Because they have repeatedly convinced me that great people want to work there. P&G is a leader in collaboration. P&G embraces openess and sharing. P&G believes for every subject matter expert inside the company there are at least 200 outside the company. P&G thinks globally. They adjust quickly, because they know that the best time to change is when you are on top. When you are the leader.

I admire the philosophy that P&G practices. And perhaps best of all, CEO A.G Lafley has the right focus. Del Jones, USA Today management reporter recently interviewed Lafley and asked, "What makes you one of our best leaders?" Here was Lafley's response:

One of my most important jobs is to build an outstanding team. I've been a change agent. I'm pretty courageous. I'm a builder and I think a lot about the greater good, the long term and whether what we're building will last 10, 20, 50 years. I'm a thinker, but I'm action- and results-oriented. Finally, I'm a low-ego guy. I don't have problems putting the greater good of the company or the P&G brands way ahead of any personal aspirations or achievements.

It's no wonder both Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and U.S. News & World Report recently honored Lafley as one of America's best leaders.

And I love his point on being a thinker. IBM's credo is - Think.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 6:14 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

A big thank you to all of you who attended our latest Sacramento Executive event held Wednesday 21st at Il Fornaio downtown. At final count, you numbered more than 100! You can see pictures to judge the buzz. Thanks to Geof Lambert who took these ‘grip and grin’ photos. Really, that’s what they are called in the ‘industry’.

Pierre and I are truly honored that you choose to attend these events. You are the nicest, smartest, most entertaining and most fun people in Sacramento and over time many of you have become our friends as well as our colleagues. It truly is like holding a party and all of our fun friends show up and the discussions are passionate and real and challenging and mostly stay polite! And even better you guys are nice enough to help cover some of the entertainment costs! Pierre was very sorry to miss this one…and even sorrier to have to be at his corporate headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. But I know he appreciated the many people who asked about him.

Thank you to our long time sponsors for underwriting the event and keeping the entry fees reasonable. And thanks to those companies who generously offer up a selection of interesting prizes. This event’s prize trove was definitely for the snow buffs.

The lucky winners were:

2 lift tickets to Northstar – Compliments of Prosper Magazine
Susan Boyme – Revionics

2 lift tickets to Sierra at Tahoe – Compliments of Prosper Magazine
Mark Tabak – MLP Real Estate Securities

$40 Gift Certificate for Hoppy Brewing
Ilya Miroshnichenko – Kovar’s Satori Academy

2 tickets to Leslie Marmon Silko – Compliments of the California Lecture Series
Scott Hildebrand – Tubes Music

‘Endless Slope’ – Ski/Snowboard Lesson – Compliments of SnoZone
Kendal B. Smeeth – SmeethCO

2 days of skiing/snowboarding – Compliments of Alpine Adventures
John Williams – Wells Fargo

Ticket to ‘Stuart Varney’ – Compliments of Sacramento Speakers Series
Paul Robinson – The Robinson Group


We’ll be contacting the winners shortly with details on how you can collect your prizes. Don’t forget to enter your business card at our next event. And help us out by RSVPing a little earlier next time – it saves you money and makes our life easier by better estimating food and space requirements.

We are thinking about El Dorado Hills for the next event, which for city dwellers like us is heresy, but we started Sacramento Executive to reach out to the seasoned executives moving to ‘the Hills’ and invite them to become part of the very interesting discourse and required heavy lifting surrounding Sacramento and its growth, pains and all. So maybe we need to take Mohammed to the Mountain (or at least the Hills). If you have fierce objections, let us know.

A bientot…until the next time.

Gillian Parrillo
Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

Mike Posehn, local Sacramento film maker, is at it again with this time elapsed film of the Queen Mary slipping into San Francisco.

Mike, fantastic work!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Wishing everyone a happy Chinese new year.

The year of the pig/boar, for people born in 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007. One of those is my year. People born in the Year of the Boar are honest and tolerant and make good friends, but tend to expect the same from everyone else, and more often than not they end up disappointed. They thrive in the arts as entertainers.

Famous people born in the Year Of The Boar:
Dudley Moore, David Bowie, Elton John

A bunch of Brits...just like me!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Over the past few months, this blog has been honored to be chosen several times by IpsoSacto as a candidate to have one of its postings published in the upcoming Sunday edition of the Sacramento Bee.

IpsoSacto (isn't that the greatest name?) was started by blogger John Hughes. He monitored blogs from "Stockton to the Oregon border, Fairfield to Tahoe." I thought it had been started by the Sacramento Bee, but somewhere along the line the close relationship envisioned between the Bee and John was paired down to a column in Sunday's Bee that highlighted (in very brief format due to the small amount of space allocated) 3 or so posts from local blogs.

Last week we received word we were one of the candidates and today I decided to check to see if we had 'risen to the top of the heap' and received a mention in the Bee. I typed in the URL and got this notice:

Sometime between 11:30 p.m. Feb. 12 and 6:45 a.m. Feb. 13, someone gained unauthorized access to this server and deleted all of the content in the web directory.
The ipsoSacto project and the Blog Watch effort are now officially dead.
If you have some technical expertise in computer security and would like to help me locate the security hole that allowed this fatal breach, contact me at jomariworks at gmail dot com

Good grief. Who would do such a thing? A snubbed website owner who learned he or she had not been chosen for an appearance in the Sunday Bee? Some lunactic looking for kicks?

I think it's sad. Not sad because no more mentions for the Sacramento Executive in the Bee, but sad because:

Someone wiped out this guy's great idea and on-going business. (Ok, so he probably should have had better security, but so should we all), and

Sacramento Bee reader's won't get to figure out that the local blogs are talking about subjects that the local newspapers and other media outlets wouldn't cover in a million years.

Lately when I want to get the most up-to-date info on a news item, I go straight to Google's blog search. Otherwise, I have to wait for ages for the regular news services to post, but not bloggers. It's the closest thing you get to instant news and while it's not always accurate, neither are the mainstream media outlets. The other day when I heard something outrageous on CNN and wanted to ensure that it had really been said, the CNN transcript never showed up on line, nothing ever made it into the mainstream press, but there it was front and center on the blogs.

As we watch the mainstream media wimp out, thank goodness for the blogs.

John, my condolences. I think I will buy an IpsoSacto coffee mug on CafePress to make me remember everyday the importance of the voice of the people.

And if any of our readers has any technical expertise that could help John, send him an email at jomariworks@gmail.com

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

Sacramento Parents Monthly Who knew? An on-line magazine website jampacked with resources for parents. I stumbled on it quite by accident. It's impressive. The events calendar is phenomenal. No more, "What are we going to do this weekend?" There's a treasure trove of activities. There are also some free events for readers: Reader Appreciation Day - A Family Safety Clinic - Saturday, February 24th at selected Kovar's Satori Academy of Martial Arts locations. You have to sign up on the website to attend though.

And lots and lots more interesting subjects - Fertility and Pregnancy, Fatherhood, Support Groups, Summer Camp and more. And a wonderful story about how the magazine was founded 25 years ago by a young mother with two small children and no experience in publishing. In 1999, she sold the magazine and 5 years later had a chance to take it back. She now gets help for her adult daughter and daughter in law. Local entrepreneurism at its best.

This is a wonderful resource for parents in the Sacramento area. Go check it out.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

The UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship is offering a one-week academy, March 26 - 30, 2007, for PhD candidates, post-docs, and faculty working in biotechnology, alternative energy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable construction, science and engineering interested in exploring the commercial potential of their research in green technology . Please share this opportunity with any researchers, faculty and students who might be interested in participating. The application deadline is February 23, 2007.

This one-week intensive was created to allow participants to explore the commercial potential of their research while working with faculty, experienced entrepreneurs, and investors. The program includes topics in intellectual property management, market and business validation, building a team, and negotiating with investors. The participating venture capitalists manage roughly $500M in funds targeting green technology ventures.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Nicole Starsinic at nstarsinic@ucdavis.edu

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:16 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

“You can’t make a good deal with a bad person,” so says Warren Buffett.

How many times have we had an interaction with someone and left feeling vaguely uneasy? And yet when a chance comes along to do a business deal with that same person, we too often put our feelings aside and focus on the potential of the deal. But almost every deal that has gone badly for me has been with someone that, in looking back, I knew better than to get involved with. The latest example, a new house I bought from a builder who told me that she was going to make an insurance claim for damage that I knew wasn’t legitimate. Now I own a house built by an unethical builder with all of the resultant shoddy work and little or no attempt on her part to make anything right. I hold a position in a company that is floundering run by a person who didn’t keep his word in a previous deal. And I lost a large sum of money by backing an enthusiastic entrepreneur whom I knew had used and abused other supporters, but I thought it would be different this time. I could go on, but it's too depressing!

My advice, to myself as much as you, run, don’t walk, if you find yourself getting seduced by the ‘deal’ and not listening to your inner voice which is screaming at you to put two and two together and make four this time.

Note to Warren: You can make a bad deal with a good person. You just don’t feel as stupid when you do!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

Fast-growing Sacramento ranks last in a list of the country's 50 largest cities for the number of uniformed police officers per capita, according to the figures compiled by the FBI. In 2005, there were 1.46 uniformed police officers in Sacramento for every 1,000 residents - roughly half the national average for large cities.

Leaders of the Sacramento Police Department say their agency is woefully understaffed and struggling to stop the proliferation of some types of crimes. According to Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge, police officials are working with an outside consultant to outline the need for additional officers and facilities over the next 15 years. A draft of the plan is scheduled to be completed next month.

Source: AP Wire

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Davis resident and best-selling author John Lescroart did it again. His seventeenth book, The Suspect, is on the the New York Times Best Seller List for the second week in a row at number 7. Published on January 16, by E.P. Dutton Publishing, the book immediately jumped on the list.

Congratulations John LesCroart. John lives in the El Macero neighborhood of Davis and writes out of his office on 'C' street downtown Davis. LesCroart actively speaks in local venues, most recently at UC Davis on January 31. Gillian and I had a chance to hear John speak a couple of years ago at the Sacramento Library Foundation's Authors on the The Move annual charity event (the 2007 event was held last night at the Hyatt, and featured David Eggers, Lisa See and Kim Stanley Robinson). He's an engaging speaker and a local treasure.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Crocker/Flanagan, a Sacramento-based communication agency has announced today its merger with Astone, a marketing and advertising agency with offices in Fresno and San Diego. The combined firm, with billings of more than $25 million and a staff of 45 professionals, will focus on public and private sector clients in California and the Western United States.

Scot Crocker will be president of Northern California operations with a focus on client strategy and business development. David Flanagan will become executive creative director for the entire firm and Mark Astone will remain as CEO.

Astone bought out partners of Panagraph, Inc., a 30-year-old advertising agency in Fresno, and has been seeking opportunities to grow Astone throughout California. Now with offices in three major markets, the agency is poised to expand services and its client base.

Congrats Scot

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

The Sacramento area is the home of two companies on Fortune Magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. Congratulations to Nugget Market and Vision Service Plan.

Nugget Market, an 80-year old, family-owned company located in Woodland, enjoys an employee turnover of 8%. According to Fortune Magazine, this is an unheard of rate in the grocery industry. Not only is the Nugget Market a good company to work for, it's a great store to shop. Nugget is my favorite grocery chain in the Sacramento region.

Vision Service Plan, a Rancho Cordova, non-profit, eye-care benefits company, is known for fantastic perks such as 15% of salary contributions to employees' 401(k) and 100% coverage of health insurance premiums.

In the best small companies category (1,000 to 2,500 employees), Nugget Market ranks number 3 and Vision Service Plan ranks number 7.

Well done!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails requests your help in identifying Clean Air Champions for the 2007 Clean Air Awards.

For years, our region has been listed as one of the most polluted metropolitan areas in the country; however, our status has been improving thanks to the many businesses, individuals, agencies and organizations that go above and beyond to help make our region a healthier place to live and breathe.

If you know an individual or organization that has been working to improve air quality in our region, please nominate them for a Clean Air Award!

The awards will be presented at the 31st Annual Clean Air Awards Luncheon on May 24, 2007 at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento.

Visit www.sacbreathe.org for more information.

The nomination deadline is January 31, 2007. Nominations may be submitted as follows:

Mail to:
Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails
909 12th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Fax to: (916)444-6661

Email to: judyb@sacbreathe.org

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Twenty-five (25) greater Sacramento area museums—more than ever before—will be offering free admission during the Ninth Annual Sacramento Museum Day presented by the Sacramento Association of Museums and proudly supported by Starbucks Coffee Company. Sacramento Museum Day takes place Saturday, February 3, 2007, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (all participating museums close at 5 p.m.). Free shuttle buses will serve many of the participating museums (all routes begin/end/transfer at the California Museum for History, Women & the Arts, which can be accessed via Regional Transit Light Rail – Archives Plaza station). For more details, visit

Do yourself a favor - check out some remarkable Sacramento venues. The price is right!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

From Point-Travel

During the Gold Rush of 1849, Old Sacramento thrived as the largest trading center in California, today, as the capital city of California, Sacramento is just as busy.

In a way Sacramento is a 'western' version of Washington DC, with people in suites having meetings in 'classy' restaurants about 'important' issues. For the business traveler, Sacramento is the usual mix of business, pleasure and a few drinks at the bar.

For visitors, the area has a little more to offer. Main attractions include Old town Sacramento, a well-preserved 1800's era community, numerous museums, Cal Expo, Sutter's Fort State Historic Park, Arden Fair Mall and much more.

The historical Gold Rush city that has grown to become the capital of one of the richest lands in the world is one of those towns that is sure worth a visit.

I added the bold because I thought it was hysterical...people in suites (are they in suits too?). And do you need to wear a suit at the bar to have your usual few drinks at the bar if you are a business traveler?

No wonder Sacramento can't get any respect!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

At a recent meeting of the American Heart Association, Dr. Belardinelli of Lancisi Heart Insitute in Ancona, Italy said, "Waltzers had better uptake and less muscle fatigue than a group doing more traditional exercises and a control group that didn't exercise".

So, dancing under the stars is a good way of not journeying to the stars before your time! And how romantic. Suggestion for a cool Valentine's Day gift - waltz lessons with your spouse. When he complains (trust me if you give this to your wife, she won't complain), tell him it's for his health. Sounds much more fun than a treadmill to me.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Welcome to a new blog - a welcome addition to the technology community in Sacramento.

Entrepreneurs Scott Hildebrand and Adam Kalsey have started SacStarts and here's what they have to say:

Introducing SacStarts 3 Jan 2007 The dinners that Scott and I have been organizing have been growing. We’ve met a pretty amazing group of people and the dinners have resulted in good business connections for a number of participants.

As Scott and I looked at what we wanted to get out of the dinners, the idea of building a startup community started to grow. We realized that all the entrepreneurs, small tech companies, and great tech folks in the area didn’t have anywhere to go to connect with each other. There’s events and organizations for larger companies and even a big-ass $150/year professional organization for entrepreneur types. There’s nothing wrong with those organizations and some of our participants are members of them as well. But they don’t fit the informal feel that we’ve come to admire from groups like Stirr and the Barcamp movement.

So we decided to do something about it and SacStarts was born.

We’ll be continuing to run the dinners (the next one is Thursday, February 22nd, RSVP on the site) and we’ll be adding on. A common complaint among people at the dinners is finding high-quality people to work with, so we’ll be launching a job board. The web site has a simple social networking component to it that will grow. There’s a couple of blogs that will focus on local tech startup news. And look for some larger events in the future.

If your business is looking to reach local startups and engineers, we also have sponsorship opportunities available. Just ask me about them.

I’m excited about the future growth of the Sacramento startup community and I’m hoping that SacStarts can help foster that growth.

Scott and Adam have both been very supportive of our efforts at the Sacramento Executive from the beginning. Scott, since we met at a Tuesday Group dinner long ago and Adam as the best commentor we have. These are two young, smart, entrepreneurial guys with lots of great ideas and passion to bring to the Sacramento Technology community. We need to embrace them and offer them all the support we can muster and all the advice they ask for. But we also need to listen to them because they are the voice of the future.

Great idea, great start and you have our full support, Scott and Adam.

Gillian Parrillo
Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (2)

Collaboration and peer production communities are changing how companies do business. Companies that adopt a strategy of collaborating with external entities will hold a competitive advantage over companies that try to do it all themselves.

Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams, authors of Wikinomics, see collaboration as a must do -

There are always more smart people outside your enterprise boundaries than there are inside.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:36 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

From Bob Shallit, the Sacramento Bee's business columnist, comes his 2007 predictions. Every year, Bob writes his list and at the end of that year he grades his performance. We thought it would be fun to monitor his predictions independently and give our own grade. Sort of like an independent audit, SOC compliant. Hey, next year, we might do our own list, but Bob's been at it a long time, so he's tough competition!

Bob Shallit: A fearless look ahead If Bob Shallit's right, Greyhound will finally leave downtown; CalPERS will get into high-rises and the Kings; and Tower's founder will rise to the occasion By Bob Shallit - Bee Columnist Published 12:00 am PST Monday, January 1, 2007 Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D5

It will be a year of high-rise promises fulfilled, finally. Of new international air service, finally. And of one fascinating little retail resurrection.

Straight to it, here's our fearless forecast for the local business scene in 2007.

• Airport officials have been lobbying for years to get nonstop service to Canada. We've been predicting it would happen. This year they get their wish, we get our prediction.

• Speaking of past predictions gone bad, we've long said downtown's Greyhound bus station would move. It's gone nowhere. This is the year. (At least we're consistent.)

• Condos, condos. We see progress in those bold plans to put high-rise condos in the downtown core. The most ambitious of the plans -- John Saca's, at Third and Capitol Mall -- will get additional funds from CalPERS and start to rise from the ground.

• Speaking of high-rise condos, the county will find a new developer to step in with plans for a tower on land it owns at Eighth and I streets, following home builder D.R. Horton's decision to back off from its plans there.

• High-rises in the burbs? Believe it. A local company will come forward with a bold plan for a condo tower along the Highway 50 corridor.

• It won't have a Parthenon-top, but an office building will rise this year at 500 Capitol Mall. Another office project is under way across the street. The market may be slow for a while. But George Tsakopoulos and his son, Angelo G. Tsakopoulos, are long-term players.

• Meanwhile, George's brother, Angelo K. Tsakopoulos, will pull the trigger on Phase II of Meridian Plaza. Construction of the 23-story office building at 15th and K streets will begin in the second half of the year.

• As for that retail resurrection, Tower Records founder Russ Solomon will open a new Sacramento store, with a winning combination of books, CDs and coffee. Resurrection Records will be a hit.

• Tough times continue for the newspaper business. Wild guess here but we're thinking the year will pass without any blockbuster acquisitions by The McClatchy Co.

• Sacramento officials will balk at backing Westfield Corp.'s plans for revitalizing Downtown Plaza. Council members will look at the plans, see a new Target store and maybe a grocery as the only significant changes and ask: Why do Westfield properties elsewhere get all the love?

• Speaking of downtown, look for a year of big changes on K street. Developer Joe Zeiden will completely make over the 700 block. Meanwhile, the Sacramento City Council will back plans for a crowd-drawing, CBS-owned TV studio on the east end of the mall.

• This will be the year for Old Sacramento to come alive, with construction finally beginning on the Orleans Hotel, Ebner Hotel and Magnolia Saloon projects.

• Local venture capital fund American River Ventures has a huge year. It will sell two of the companies in its portfolio -- its first "liquidity events" -- and will raise close to $200 million for its new fund.

• Fundraising also will be the theme at UC Davis. Look for the launch of a new capital campaign that will bring more luster to the campus.

• On the new-company front, look for a break-out year for Revionics Inc., a Sacramento-based maker of software that helps midsized retailers optimize prices. It completed a nearly $2 million financing round last week. It will triple its roster of customers, to more than 100, over the next 12 months.

• This should be a great year, too, for a couple of local publicly traded companies. BluePoint Energy in El Dorado Hills, which makes cogeneration units, will score a bunch of new sales (and see its stock price rise). Ditto for medical equipment maker Volcano Corp. in Rancho Cordova.

• Look for a sale, in the next month or two, of the sprawling Crystal Cream & Butter Co. site in downtown. The buyer will lease back a portion of the property to Crystal for a year but could start developing a mixed-use project on the rest of the land.

• Two huge state leasing deals will shake up the commercial real estate market. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will take more than 200,000 square feet of space along the Highway 50 corridor, and the California Highway Patrol will sign a similarly sized lease in West Sac.

• How about those Kings? Despite an awful 2006-2007 season, with no playoff appearances, a deal is struck for a new, privately funded arena that will keep the team right here. Anybody like the name "CalPERS arena?"

We like the exits for ARV, but a prediction on return would be great - Pierre had asked for a 20 bagger in his Christmas list. And a CalPERS arena, that's almost too crazy to not be true.

Happy 2007 everyone

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Happy New Year to all of our readers, supporters, sponsors. We hope you garnered a nugget or two from last year's posts and get-togethers. And we hope to be of even more help and interest to you in 2007.

I was thinking recently of all the networking groups in town and I believe we are the only one that doesn't require you to be a member or pay a membership fee to attend our events - we just charge the fair cost of the event. And lots of people report finding the job of their dreams or the consultant that saved the company or other remarkable happenings at our events. That makes Pierre and I very happy as we started the Sacramento Executive to 'link executives to all that is great in Sacramento." And it seems like it is doing exactly what we planned...maybe even a little better than we planned, which doesn't happen so often anymore.

So, stick with us in 2007 and we will do our best to educate, illuminate, amuse, tempt, introduce, recommend, and challenge - and not precisely in that order.

Happy 2007 Sacramento Executives.

Here's a hokie card that sort of says it all!

"Top 10 Reasons
To Have a Happy New Year"
© HiCards All rights reserved.


Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:08 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Looking for a different way of celebrating this New Year's Eve? How about the Annual Black & White New Year's Eve Tango Ball! Dancing tango, sipping champagne, and the kissing part at midnight! Beginning tango lesson from 8:00-9:00 p.m and then dancing until 1PM. Cost is $15 per person and includes lesson, dance, hors d’oeuvres & refreshments (including champagne!) Tango by the River is located at 128 J Street in Old Sacramento, on the second floor above the "Visions of Eden" boutique.

You can even squeeze in the 9:00PM Old Sacramento New Year's Eve Sky Spectacular fireworks show, which will also be repeated at midnight.

Tango into 2007. Sounds like lots of fun.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:53 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

We wish all of our readers time to enjoy the wonder.
We thank you for your readership and support
We look forward to winning your continued support in 2007 and beyond.

Happy Holidays



Gillian and Pierre
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Plan on attending the American Marketing Association Sacramento Valley's January Luncheon. Local startup founder and CEO Jason Frankel of Coversant, Inc., will introduce Enterprise Instant Messaging: The Next Best Thing Since Email. Jason will discuss the future direction of this new communication technology and how it will impact your business. And, over a delicious lunch, you will learn how EIM will eat SPAM for lunch!

Sounds like a great way to start your new year. You can register on the AMASAV website. There's even a discount for students. And you'll even get to see a future Sacramento bigwig before he gets big! That's my prediction!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

The company that purchased Tower Records had plans to keep the Tower stores on Broadway and Watt Ave. open. But they announced today that the leases "weren't what we thought they were." The Broadway store closed today and the Watt Ave. store will close is on Friday. Farewell, sweet prince.

It wasn't so long ago that Tower Restaurant on Broadway was worried about Tower Theatre closing and ruining its business. I wonder what will happen to the Land Park Drive/Broadway Corner with no Tower. And as far as I know the future of Tower Theatre hasn't been secured yet. Is this famous corner snake-bit? Let's hope not, there's a lot of history here that Sacramento needs to work hard to preserve.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:51 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (2)

Ran across this in the Folsom Telegraph today:

Golf course may close
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 3:14 PM PST

A strong rumor about its closure is making the rounds at the El Dorado Hills Golf Course this week.

Everyone concerned is speculating about a series of employee meetings to be held at Serrano. The focus of these meetings is being advertised as a decision by Bill Parker, lead developer and owner of most of the remaining undeveloped property in the Serrano complex, as to whether this El Dorado Hills signature 45-year old public golf course will remain open or close in the foreseeable future.

Contrary to recent Sacramento area opinion, the oldest Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designed executive golf course in the Western U.S. has "never" closed.

The course is in great shape. Its greens are still immaculate and fast and, best of all, the green fees are extremely affordable, although you wouldn't know it from the complete lack of advertising by the owner during the past two years.

It would be a quality-of-life (i.e. traffic) and an environmental tragedy if El Dorado Hills and the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors were to allow the golf course to be closed or that this last remaining piece of open, pristine land would be re-zoned from recreational/farming to commercial/multi-family.

Walter G. Andrews

Does anyone have any other info? If so, please post a comment.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (2)

Often I meet with potential new entrepreneurs, especially through my work with the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy . The hardest thing for them is to figure out a business idea. The last time I had this conversation was with a very bright new student who was struggling to come up with an idea. "I may have hit a roadblock," he emailed me recently. This was my response:

don't get too worried about your idea...good business ideas are sometimes just the simplest things but we are too close to them to see them easily. think about your life...think about what frustrates you...what could you do better and more easily every day...somewhere in there is a product that others would find useful... or think about the fastest growing segments of the country - what do they want... e.g., young people can't buy houses in California...they can't afford mortgages...what does that mean? is there a way to help? will they do something else and need other things to make up for lacking a house? just talk to people...what do they wish they could have that they don't... i am sure it will come to you...this is the hardest part!!

And just about every day, I see something in the newspaper about a new company and I think, "Yes, that's what I meant".

Here's one from today's paper. It plays off my husband's daily wish to be able to sit down and turn on (insert whatever piece of your listening/watching pleasure equipment) and it just works. No fancy hit this button, turn this knob, plug this into this and then unplug that. That's not for him and that means I have to try to figure it out and feel like a failure when I can't get it the first time! And we gave up, long ago, trying to connect up all our stuff when we move. We just call a professional company to come do it. It's cheaper than a divorce!

So, here's the new company. WiQuest Communications, Inc. plans to unveil a technology today that could get rid of the wires connecting TVs and other devices, such as cable boxes, game consoles and DVD players.

"Now that meets a real, honest to goodness need," I think when I read it. And great minds think alike - Menlo Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and other leading VCs have invested in the company. Which leads me to another subject on which I will blog soon, the quality of your VC money says a lot about your new venture.

So, keep checking your every day life for that new business idea. It's right there, you just have to 'see' it.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Check out this book, I didn't read it yet, but it got great reviews on Amazon:

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Right in our backyard is an organization that is working hard to alleviate poverty around the world. The organization is Freedom from Hunger located in Davis. On Sunday, a member of this organization's Ambassador Council, Dr. Muhammad Yanus, will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Freedom from Hunger will be hosting a viewing party starting at 2PM at their office in Davis. You can RSVP at 530-758-6200 ext. 36 or by emailing jbeeman@freedomfromhunger.org.

Dr. Yunus, known as the banker to the poor, sparked the present day microcredit business model by giving tiny loans to the very poorest people in Bangladesh. His first loan, the equivalent of $27, was given to a group of very poor women in a small village in 1974, Two years later, he founded the Grameen Bank in order to make these kind of loans to a wider audience most of whom had no collateral and no chance of getting a loan from a traditional bank. The movement known as microcredit had begun and spread around the world assisting thousands of people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. By 2006, when Dr. Yunus and the Grameen Bank were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize, the bank had helped more than six million borrowers, the vast majority of them women.

In awarding the prize, the Nobel Committee stated: "Lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Microcredit is one such means." Dr. Yunus will be donating his share of the $1.4M in prize money to a variety of charities.

Interestingly, Dr. Yunus graduated from Vanderbilt University which he attended on a Fullbright Scholarship. Charity comes full circle.

Freedom from Hunger, a powerhouse in the microcredit business, bases its work on Dr. Yunus' model.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:37 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Chances are you have found some wonderfully appropriate gifts for your friends and family, but there are a couple of names on your list that have not provided any inspiration in the gift-giving arena. How about this for an idea? Give a donation to charity in the recipient's name. That will save you from the marauding crowds at the mall, having to wrap the gift, mailing it, wondering if they liked it, and all the other negatives that come with gift giving, and it will make you feel good. They will not have to pretend they liked the gift, sneak to the mall trying to figure out where you bought it so they can return it, or worse still have to drag it out of the closet everytime you come to visit. And, like you, it will make them feel good. But most importantly you can do a lot of good, sustainable good by giving a gift that provides a chance to change the life for the better for someone who desperately needs it.

We are giving donations through ACCION this year. ACCION provides “micro” loans to people to have a significant impact on poverty. They operate in 22 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and in the U.S. Since 1996, ACCION affiliated programs have made $9.4 billion in microloans to more than 3.97 million people, with a historical repayment rate of over 97 percent.

What a record - in 10 years they have loaned more than $9B to almost 4 million people and 97% of it was repaid. As Donna Dubinsky, Founder, President & CEO, Handspring says, "Giving to ACCION is more than a donation - it's an investment in the future. With ACCION, I know each dollar I give will be leveraged to help many microentrepreneurs. I feel I'm part of a permanent answer to poverty."

And the reason we chose ACCION is that is so highly endorsed by so many emminent organizations:
Clinton Global Initiative Certificate of Commitment 2006
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grants $5.8 million to ACCION International
Clinton Global Initiative Certificate of Commitment
Fast Company Names ACCION One of Top 25 Organizations Changing the World
Charity Navigator Awards ACCION Four-star Rating for Second Consecutive Year
American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) Names ACCION a Top-Rated Charity
ACCION Meets Better Business Bureau (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance Standards
ACCION Accredited by World Economic Forum
Worth Magazine Names ACCION One of 100 Best Charities
President Clinton Honors ACCION for Excellence in Microenterprise Development

So, consider giving a donation to charity, but please also ensure you are giving the money to an organization that will do the most good with it. You can check the ratings of charitable organizations here.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Since March, I have been spending a lot of time on the road. Traveling has allowed me to find more time for reading. Reading is a great way for me to relax and learn. Gillian and I went to Costa Rica in October for ten days. Armed with several books and with the best intentions to get through each of them, we set off on our trip. The first book I turned to was "Mavericks At Work" by William Taylor and Polly LaBarre. The book's subtitle was "Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win". To borrow the words of Tom Peters, "I didn't read this book. I devoured it."

It is a fantastic piece of work. If you could only read one book this year, this one is it. This is a must read for every executive or business school student.

According to Taylor and LaBarre,

Business as usual is a bust. In industry after industry, the old guard is cutting back and losing ground. Meanwhile, organizations that once were dismissed as upstarts, as wildcards - or mavericks - are making waves and growing fast. There is a reason: In an age of hypercompetition and nonstop innovation, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something truly original.

The old guard - such as General Motors, Ford, Amtrak, and Major League Baseball - are going to continue to struggle. The mavericks - such as Google, ING, and Pixar are going to prosper. Why will they prosper? Taylor and LaBarre assert:

• Being different makes all the difference;
• sharing values beats selling value;
• the company with the smartest customers wins;
• nobody is as smart as everybody;
• character counts for as much as credentials;
• great leaders are insatiable learners.

Mavericks are rule breakers. Disrupters. Chris Albrecht, CEO of maverick cable TV HBO, creators of forward edge programs such as Sex and the City and Six Feet Under, said

"We didn't get here by playing by the rules of the game. We got here by setting the rules of the game.'

We need more mavericks.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 7:55 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

By: Kim T. Gordon
Courtesy of: Entrepreneur.com

Throughout 2006, I've been watching and interpreting the marketing stats and studies that impact small businesses to give you tips on staying one step ahead. Now, with 2007 fast approaching, let's look at a roundup of the hottest trends, from changes taking place among consumer audiences through what to watch for in traditional and online marketing. Here's the info you need on the most important trends and how to make the most of them to increase sales and grow your business in the New Year.

Consumer Trends

1. College Grads

If you're searching for the most effective way to reach this desirable prospect group, move your marketing dollars into online media. The internet is now the primary source of media and entertainment among college grads, whose top planned purchases upon graduation are professional clothing, travel/airline tickets, health insurance and furniture according to the “Y2M: eGrad College Graduate Survey”. Nearly 80 percent of respondents are online purchasers, making them ideal candidates for your online campaign.

2. Affluent Working Women

The big news is that this group is increasing in size, and the best way to reach them may be online. According to The Media Audit, affluent working women with family incomes of $75,000 or more are growing in number, and 94.3 percent access the internet during an average month. About half are now considered heavy users of the internet, while heavy use of radio, television, newspapers and direct mail has all declined within this group. To increase sales from this expanding audience, alter your media spending to place greater emphasis online.

3. Asian Population Growth

The southern region of the U.S. boasts the fastest Asian population growth rate (31 percent), followed by the Midwest (24 percent), the Northeast (23 percent) and the West (19 percent), according to an analysis of Census Bureau data in the “American Community Survey” by Kang & Lee Advertising. Asians represent a prospect group with higher than average household incomes and education levels. Can you offer a product or service that will appeal to this growing market?

4. Word-Of-Mouth

Want to build buzz? Lucid Marketing's study, "U.S. Adults: Word of Mouth Communications," found that women were more likely than men to share a positive experience with a business or recommend an enjoyable product; full-time employees made substantially more daily contacts than those not in the workforce; and people with household earnings of more than $100,000 were more likely to make recommendations than those earning less. So buzz marketers should direct efforts to these three "chatty" groups.

Continue reading "10 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2007" »

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Sacramento Executive began publishing on November 14, 2005. Since then we have published 474 entries. And our readership has risen to more than 3000 visitors per month with some days maxing out at more than 150 visitors.

We continue to try to highlight 'all that is great in Sacramento". If you have ideas for articles or you would like to contribute, please email us (Gillian@sacramentoexecutive.com).

And watch for our next quarterly event in early February.

Thanks for your continued support and also that of our sponsors, many of whom have been with us since the very beginning.

Gillian Parrillo and Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:14 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

As our favorite artist advises in regards to successful holiday get-togethers:

Rules for a successful holiday:

1. Get together with the family
2. Relive old times
3. Get out before it blows

Check out this amazing site. We love everything about it. We love it so much we used (with permission and for a small fee) one of the prints for our wedding invitation and 3 of the prints for our grandchildren's birth announcements. You might want to consider dipping your toe in the water as an owner of a StoryPeople print with the one that 100% of the profits go to cure breast cancer - what a fabulous gift that would be to someone on your holiday gift list (and lots of others too!)

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Sunday, Dec. 3
Barbershop concert

Sacramento Capitolaires will present "On the Air - Christmas 1946," a holiday bazaar and concert at the Towe Auto Museum, located at 2200 Front St. in Sacramento.

The Capitolaires and two of their quartets will perform Christmas songs in close 4-part harmony at 1 and 3:30 p.m. The performances will portray the Capitolaires on a radio show in December 1946, less than six months after the group was founded on June 17 of that year.

Also featured will be the Towe's Mighty Wurlitzer Organ.

Offered at the bazaar will be home crafted Christmas items, flower arrangements and jewelry. Food, drinks, and holiday goodies will also be available for purchase.

Ticket prices are $15 in advance, or $18 at the door, which includes access to the museum. To order tickets, call 916-442-6802.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

One of the things we never miss - the East Sacramento Holiday Home Tour. In its 33rd year, this self-guided tour of 5 magnificent Fabulous Forties homes decorated for the holidays by top interior designers and florists, is the best way I know of getting into the holiday spirit.
Tickets $20 online and $30 beginning December 1st, 2006. Children over 1 must have a ticket.

All proceeds benefit Sacred Heart Parish School, and is organized by the Parents of Sacred Heart School.

The tour begins at 1209 47th Street between J and M Streets and winds its way through East Sacramento ending at 1513 39th Street. You may start at either end for an enjoyable, self-guided walking tour that will take about two hours to complete. You may use your ticket for a one-time admittance to each house any time during the tour weekend.

Gather a group of friends and go for dinner afterwards, or brunch before (or better still, do both!)

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.

This has always been my favorite saying. Of course, I am addicted to change. Sometimes I wonder if I create crises because I enjoy them so much (and I am pretty good at solving them too). During my career as an executive at a public company, I was the one that was always sent around the world to 'fix' situations. It certainly kept me challenged and even seemed like a pretty good career strategy. After all, kudos if you fixed a bad situation and chances are you wouldn't make it worse - at least not in the short term.

I remember very early on that I had a young manager. We were both big agents of change - code for outside the mainstream. We thought it would be a great fun to start a consulting company that suggested wholesale changes within companies. Getting paid to shake things up, how much fun would that be?

My favorite cartoon shows two guys deep in a dungeon, heavily chained, with absolutely no escape, ever. And the one guy is saying, "Now, here's my plan." I think it depicts everything I believe. Never, ever, give up.

There's a reason I made 38 of 40 quarters of revenue targets. I always had one more burst of energy, one more creative way to make it happen, one more 'one for the gipper speech' to my incredibly fabulous staff. The two quarters I didn't make - one where I had just taken over a failing division (which soon turned around), the second when the head of a large Brazilian bank that was about to sign my $1M+ contract got tossed out of office along with the President of Brazil in a corruption scandal a couple of days before the end of the quarter. You should have seen me trying to explain it to our very non-International CEO, "Remember Richard Nixon?" I began.....

So, do something different, if you want the outcome to be different. And empower your people to take risks (and allow that failure is fine sometimes too!) I think you might be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

President Bush speaking at today's press conference:

"The message yesterday was clear: The American people want their leaders in Washington to set aside partisan differences, conduct ourselves in an ethical manner, and work together to address the challenges facing our nation."

Nancy Pelosi, soon to be Speaker of the House, also had encouraging words:

"Democrats are ready to lead. We are prepared to govern," she said Tuesday night. "We will do so working together with the administration and the Republicans in Congress in partnership, not in partisanship."

Let's hope our politicians can get back to working in a bipartisan way to solve many major issues faced by this country that need our full focus.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

A piece written by Mark Hanson of the Practical Ethics Center at the University of Montana at the time of the last presidential election, which, in my mind is even more relevant today:

The techniques of the presidential campaign seem more designed to reinforce negative stereotypes and personality qualities as a way to rally the party and draw more members to its side. This makes the election as much about marketing as about platforms. It seems, then, that the candidate with the better personality and public relations firm has at least a strong a chance as the candidate with the most ethically defensible policies. And the marketing of a candidate depends on money—lots of it.

Democracy is not healthy under such conditions. Too much is at stake in the world for candidates not to be straightforward, and for voters to rely merely on party allegiance. To be sure, there are many good candidates running for office at all levels because they believe in honest public service. They make our job easier, and they should be commended. But as the stakes get higher, our job gets tougher. What can we do?

The challenge for the voter is to look past the techniques of political marketing to see what really matters. Policies do make a difference. Exercising true choice and asserting individuality means being mindful of the lenses through which we have come to interpret the world and asking ourselves how they may be distorting the truth. In some sense, we all ought to become independents, even if just for election day.

We also have to call our political leaders to account. Where democracy is being hindered—as it currently is by such moves as voter suppression, deception, and policies developed for big money donors—we need to speak up.

Our biggest responsibility is to vote for the candidates who best promote the values of democracy and the common good. We, the holders of our great democratic experiment, have an awesome responsibility to keep the government worthy of its people.

I added the emphasis above.

PLEASE VOTE TODAY AND VOTE THE ISSUES NOT THE PERSONALITIES.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:39 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Oxford Analytica, an independent strategic-consulting firm drawing on a network of more than 1,000 scholar experts at Oxford and other leading universities and research institutions around the world, attempts to predict what the US political future will look like if the Democrats win the House and/or the Senate.

Just weeks before the midterm elections, polls suggest that the Democrats have a good chance of seizing control of the House and may come close to a majority in the Senate. A switch in control would have significant implications for U.S. economic policy over the next two years.

President George W. Bush's low approval ratings, an unpopular war in Iraq and the recent scandal involving former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley have hurt the Republican party's election prospects. Recent polls show Democrats besting Republicans by 10 to 15 percentage points on "generic" congressional ballots. The Democrats need to pick up 15 seats to take control of the House and six seats to take control of the Senate. They will most likely take 20 to 25 House seats and four to seven Senate seats. If the Democrats capture either chamber, they would have the power to set policy priorities, call congressional hearings and make new rules for organizing the Congress. Economic policy would be high on their agenda.

A sense of Democrats' economic policy priorities can be gleaned from their "Six Campaign Themes for 2006" agenda, which suggests that they would immediately attempt to:

--pass new lobbying and ethics rules;

--raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour (from $5.15);

--cut student loan interest rates in half;

--require Medicare to leverage its bargaining power and negotiate lower prices with drug companies; and

--restore "pay as you go" rules to pay for tax cuts or spending increases.

While the Democrats would push hard for these reforms, their majorities in Congress (if they exist at all) are likely to be very narrow, necessitating hard debate and bargaining with the Republicans:

-- Fiscal policy. House Democrats are likely to push "pay as you go" budget rules for both entitlement programs and taxes. They may also promote discretionary spending caps and ten-year budget windows. These measures were in place in the 1990s and played key roles in creating the deficit-to-surplus budget turnaround late in the decade. .

Continue reading "What's the Implication Of Your Vote on the US' Future?" »

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Morgan Quitno compared all cities with populations of more than 75,000 to come up with its list of the most dangerous cities using FBI statistics.

Most dangerous:
St. Louis, Mo
Detroit, Mi
Flint, Mi
Camden, NJ

Safest:
Brick, NJ
Greece, NY
Orem, Ut
Irvine, Ca
Troy, Mi

Note: Illinois was left out because the state's rape case data does not match the FBI's.

Stockton, Ca was the 19th most dangerous city.

You can buy the whole report for the next week at a special price of $1.99. After that it costs $4.99.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive.com

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

It’s always fascinating how I come upon ideas and materials to write about for the Sacramento Executive. The best time is Sunday morning, the hours before my fantasy football starts. That’s when I have free time to think or read.

I usually rise at the same time every morning, because I have urban dogs and they need to be walked (I have no yard). Else I fear I might find myself cleaning up an “in-doors accident”.

So this morning after the walk, I nestled down with a pot of coffee and the Sunday newspaper. It was 8:30 and I still had over three hours to go before fantasy football.

I quickly became consumed by the front-page story of Matt Doherty - an All-American high school basketball player from New York City.

Matt’s career fascinated me. He played basketball for Dean Smith at University of North Carolina. In 1982, together with Michael Jordan and James Worthy, Matt’s team won the national title. Matt went on to become the head coach at Notre Dame.

With Matt’s success at Notre Dame, he was offered the head coach position at his alma mater, UNC. His first year at UNC (2000-2001 season) saw immediate success – a number one ranking and a 26-7 season. Matt was named Associated Press coach of the year. Then things began to unravel. His second season produced a 15-13 record and his third 8-20 (the first losing record at UNC since 1962). Matt resigned under tremendous pressure.

Matt had failed. Or so it seemed.

Matt Doherty took two years off to learn what happened and to take corrective action. So Matt attended three executive leadership courses – Virginia’s Darden School of Business, the Bell Leadership Institute at UNC, and the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.

I thought this was unusual - sports figure enrolling in executive leadership courses. But it makes perfect sense. Sports, like the business world, depend on strong leaders.

While attending Wharton, Matt met instructor Fran Johnston, co-founder of the Teleos Leadership Institute in Philadelphia. Matt became so interested in her class, that he hired Fran for several one-on-one sessions. Once a month, Matt flew to Philadelphia for a two-hour session with Fran. According to Fran, coaches rarely seek help, especially outside the athletic arena. In one of the sessions, Matt received a homework assignment – to form a personal board of directors.

This assignment hit me like a jab from Mike Tyson. It was an epiphany for me!

For those who know me, you have frequently heard me talk about the need to seek out a mentor or coach. To move up the corporate ladder, I contend you must have a mentor.

But now, I realize that I have been wrong all these years. There’s a much better way – build a personal board of directors.

Think about it – what a concept. Surround yourself with a board, a set of directors just like a corporation. Can you imagine the results?

Implement this advice and you will grow in leadership.

Oh, by the way, Matt Doherty is now the head coach at SMU. SMU has not played in the NCAA tourney since 1993.

I predict Matt will soon lead the Mustangs to their first NCAA tournament in over twelve years. Matt is a leader and leaders know how to make their teams perform.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

As I wrote about previously, two new podcasts to listen to in the very helpful series The Capitol Food Chain hosted by Funding Universe - a mine of very useful information in its own right.

We have already highlighted self-funding and bootstrapping, now we learn how to raise funds from friends and family and whether to fund using debt or equity.

More topics promised in the series - Raising $ from Angel Investors, Raising $ from VCs, Investment from Public Markets, Using business brokers & consultants to raise money, Using your attorney to Raise $

This is really good stuff.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Local 25-year veteran bakery, Tarts & Truffles, is launching a website, ChocolateBakery.com, and going national. But they need more feedback on their holiday cookie line.

Want to help? By clicking here, you can order a holiday cookie sampler (1 dozen cookies) and only pay for the shipping ($4.95). Just click Add to Cart and on the next page enter your zipcode and coupon code SEB1006.

What a treat - a dozen delicious cookes shipped directly to your home just for the cost of shipping.

When you receive the cookies, remember to send your feedback to help ensure success for this Sacramento bakery.

This offer is available to the first 25 Sacramento Executive readers.

Sounds like a fun way to help out a Sacramento business and have an excuse to eat delicious cookies. I have already ordered mine and await their arrival with much anticipation.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Congrats to local movie mogul Mike Posehn for his YouTube clip of the week on ABC News Good Morning America.

Check it out!

Over 1/2 a million people viewed his clip on YouTube.

Awesome!

What's next for Mike? An Academy Award Best Picture?

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Pierre and I get to spend an unexpected weekend at our lake 'shack'. I am excited to relax, play my latest iPod additions and do a little blogging. Fat chance!

My iPod throws up a full screen of some hieroglyphics that not even a Martian could decipher and then settles into a bold black line across the top of the screen. That's it, just a black line that no matter how I tried to dislodge it, refuses to budge. Goodbye cool new tunes - the one CD in the CD player of Christmas anthems hardly sets the mood I had intended for our romantic weekend at the lake.

But, of course, I could dial in and check out my mail, write a blog or two. Fat chance! No mater how hard I try, and try I did, the Earthlink server rejects me. There was no sneaking by. Now what? I have no way of logging in to find a number to call Earthlink to sort this out. As usual, a situation this dire requires a call to our friend Paul, tech guru supreme, who, as usual, answers immediately, makes appropriately concerned noises and gives me the toll free number to Earthlink - which, by the way, is well hidden in the bowels of some out of the way site.

Oh joy. I get to call tech support. I am still resetting all of the passwords wiped out by my last call to tech support . Sean - yeah, sure - answers and over the course of an hour he issues a series of instructions designed it appears more to keep me thinking something is being done to solve my problem than actually resolving anything - sort of reminds me of security screenings at airports. When the server continues its stubborn rejection, Sean 'guaranteed' - yep, that was his exact word, that if I called back in 25 minutes, the server would be waiting for me with open arms (do servers have arms?) and we could kiss and make up and go back to living the way we always had.

It appears that Sean was way too confident. Or, maybe I was way too naive when I hung with great hope of success down the line. Nothing, nothing. At this point Pierre is beginning to get edgy and I suddenly realize that he had only limited hours left before he has to finalize his Fantasy Football lineup. Wow, maybe if I had mentioned that to Sean he might have tried harder. Although maybe Fantasy Football is not that big in Bangalore?

Another call to Earthlink. Another Sean who tells me that even though Sean 1 had told me my account was perfect, there is a major imperfection. My account has been downgraded to only allow me to read email remotely and not to have access to the Internet. Why that happened is not readily apparent? "Well," I say, thinking I can maybe find some interesting email to read to Pierre that could momentarily distract him from climbing the wall regarding his lack of access to his Fantasy team, "How do I download my email." "Let me refer you to this website to learn how to do that." says Sean 2. I am momentarily speechless. Wasn't that the point of the last 2 hours that I have wasted - to get on a website?

Divine intervention occurs. My husband who relies on my limited technical skills reaches such a level of desperation that he becomes Supertech, complete with pocket protector. Whips out his PC, fires it up, and figures out some other planet way of connecting to the Internet that could never be recreated in the next 100 years.

And then divine retribution occurs. As soon as I log on to my computer the next day when I am back in the land of wireless networks, there is an email from Earthlink asking me to rate my call with Sean! Of course, if Earthlink actually read their feedback, then maybe it was divine retribution.

So much for technology on the road. Next time I am bringing a stack of magazines and a pack of playing cards.

And now I am off to the Apple Store to figure out why the replacement iPod they gave me behaves worse that the one I traded for!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

For the week ending 8/26/06, these were the top 10 internet searches under the category of Pharmaceutical and Medical Products:

lexapro (drug used to treat depression)
cymbalta (drug used to treat depression)
viagra (drug used to treat erectile dysfunction)
depression (psychiatric disease)
herpes (a sexual disease)
zoloft (drug used to treat depression)
pfizer (pharmaceutical company)
cialis (drug used to treat erectile dysfunction)
merck (pharmaceutical company)
phentermine (drug used for weight loss)

So, what does this say about us as a country? Seems like a pretty sad commentary.
Are we depressed because we are fat or because we can't perform (or are with someone who can't perform) sexually?
Whatever the reason, you can bet that Merck and Pfizer are pretty happy about it.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

"Stay hungry. Stay foolish".

- Steven Jobs, Entrepreneur and Founder of Apple, NeXT, and Pixar

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 5:50 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Good news for Sacramento which has been attracting some smart women to key positions recently.

West Sacramento biotech startup Lipomics Technologies has appointed Dr. Meeta Patnaik, MD to the newly created position of Chief Medical Officer. The company states: "Dr. Patnaik comes to Lipomics with twenty years of experience in medicine, immunology, virology, molecular biology and has developed and marketed over 200 clinical assays, including the first commercially available test for Hanta virus. Dr. Patnaik will be responsible for developing Lipomics' rich pipeline of diagnostic products leveraging their proprietary database of lipid metabolites to identify disease states."

Over at the UCD Medical Center, Ann Madden Rice replaces Bob Chason as CEO. Ms. Rice had been serving as CEO of the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. Prior to that Rice was Chief Financial Officer of the institution since 1999. She was the vice president of finance and CFO of the Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, Iowa from 1996 to 1999 and vice president of fiscal services for the Central Vermont Medical Center from 1992 to 1996.

Ms. Rice will be reporting to Dr. Claire Pomeroy, who, just over a year ago, was named as Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences and Dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Pomeroy first joined UC Davis in 2003 as executive associate dean of the School of Medicine.

Dr. Pomeroy received bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Michigan, then completed her residency and fellowship training in internal medicine at the University of Minnesota. She also earned an M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky. She held faculty positions at the University of Minnesota and the University of Kentucky prior to her move to UC Davis. At the University of Kentucky, she served as associate dean for research and informatics and as a member of the University Board of Trustees.

And how rare is it to have a women dean of a medical school - pretty rare, but getting better. In 1990 there was only one female dean. As of early 2005 there are 13 (out of approximately 125 medical schools). Most of the women serving as dean were appointed in 2001 or thereafter.

Defying the odds - smart women in leadership roles.
Not a moment too soon!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

On June 19th, I wrote on the Prosper Magazine blog:

It's such a bad financial deal, but I might be persuaded to vote for it simply for its value as a catalyst for developing the railyards. But now the parties seem to be backing off that. Maybe the railyards will be too hard to clean up, maybe this excuse, maybe that excuse. And now they are working on a backup location list. There is nothing that locks the parties into building the new arena anywhere downtown. So,if they don't, what's left then? Tens of millions of dollars spent and not even the possibility of spurring Warren Smith's vision of Smithsonian West or Andrea Lepore's vision of a Downtown Plaza with Saks Fifth Avenue or Bloomingdales as anchor stores. It's just not working for me.

And tonight, AP reports:

Sacramento Kings co-owner Joe Maloof surprised supporters of a new downtown arena Wednesday when he said it could be built elsewhere even if voters approve a quarter-cent sales tax to partially finance the project.

He called the Kings' proposed new home at the Union Pacific railyard "a difficult site to develop." He cited complex negotiations over transfer of ownership, the need for extensive cleanup and a lack of basic infrastructure such as streets and sewer lines.

"If for some reason it can't happen at this site, we may have to consider alternative locations in Sacramento. And we will do that," he said during a news conference at the railyard that was organized to promote the new arena.

Sometimes I just have a bad feeling and sometimes it turns out to be for a reason. It just hasn't been adding up for me and now comes the first leak in the PR dam...

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive.com

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:49 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

From the Sacramento Bee:

The Center for Small Business at California State University, Sacramento, is offering free consultation services to small businesses in the greater Sacramento area.
Business school seniors and graduate students provide the service under the supervision of faculty in the university's College of Business Administration. The services include all areas of business other than taxes, loan packaging and law.

A number of area companies, including local banks, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and REsource Capital sponsor the program, which started in 1969 with seven clients.
For information or to apply for consultation services, call the center at (916) 278-7278.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

On 8-31 the Sacramento Bee ran a story entitled "Police Union Opposes
Arena Measure."

It is time for the media to stop treating public employee unions with
kid gloves. Instead the media needs to help educate voters on this
issue. It is a conflict of interests for public employees to exercise
such undue influence on public policy. With respect to the areana
debate, they are, once again, holding our public policy hostage to
their wages and benefits.

The reason we can't afford public works in general, and more police in
particular, is because of the costs of funding their pensions.

You don't have to be an actuary or a math genius to understand the
taxpayer's dollars involved. Public employees in general, and police
in particular, retire in their early 50's with pensions for life that
are usually around 80% of what they made in their final year of work
(i.e., their highest salary).

This means that they are retired for nearly as many years as they
worked, on average. And because their pension is 80% of their highest
salary, they actually cost taxpayers more, in sum, during their
retirement than they cost during the time they worked. Because of
this, take any salary a public employee makes, and double it.

Continue reading "Public Employees Oppose the Arena - Ed Ring" »

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Listen to a series of podcasts entitled The Capital Food Chain, featuring Brock Blake, CEO of FundingUniverse.com, and Bill Payne, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. First in the series discusses the details of self-funding your early-stage venture. Next in the series - bootstrapping.

Bill Payne is a leading expert on angel funding. He has a lot of useful knowledge to impart for those who are looking for startup funding. More episodes to come .

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

When I led a division of a public company and had to find some budget cuts, I can't imagine a time I would have considered cutting a program that had a 338% return - returning $4.38 for every dollar spent. But that is exactly what the Federal government has just done.

The Federal program that provides funds to the States to help them collect child support from non-custodial parents has been very successful. In 1998, the Federal government tightened the program to ensure results were being met and provided performance-based reimbursement. This helped states double their collections and provided a means for many single-parent families to reach self-sufficiency.

Having raised two children singlehandedly, I met many single parents, almost always women, who had no funds to go hire an expensive attorney to track down their children's other parent and get them to contribute to the upbringing of their children. So many times I recommended that they use this program. And sometimes it had a successful outcome and made an enormous difference in the lives of the affected children. Simultaneously, it saved the government money and put personal responsibility where it should be - on both parents.

With a slash in Federal funds, and little hope that the individual States will have the funds to supplement the program, many more families will descend into poverty and strain the already overburdened welfare programs of the States.

Have we stopped holding our lawmakers responsible? Shareholders of a public company would vote the Board out if they did something as ridiculous as this. It's our tax dollars they are wasting. Let's start paying closer attention and speaking out.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Someone in the family got news that they were borderline diabetic. It has caused us to change our eating habits. For the first time in a long time we are diligently trying to eat more fresh fruit and vegatables. We hang out at farmer's markets and search out interesting recipes.
The biggest surprise is how good vegetables taste all by themselves or with very simple, healthy, and limited additions.

Take some asparagus, snap off the woody bottoms, place on a broiler, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with some sea salt and bake at 500 degrees farenheit for about 15 minutes. The stalks will caramelize slightly and the taste is sheer heaven. And no worrying about how the hollandaise sauce is going to curdle, or worse. Cauliflower, baked with a little olive oil and lemon juice, tastes amazing. And, if you are trying to shed some calories from your meal, try mashing cauliflower instead of potatoes - makes for a nice change. Substitute a sweet potato for a white potato. So much better for you.

And try something you think you hate. If you really think back, you can't even remember when you started hating it. Give it another try and you might find a new favorite. My new find - marinated black olives. I thought I hated them and then suddenly tried one at a Greek restaurant and love them.

New medical conditions have caused us to discover much healthier eating choices. And we are thankful that we live in a country that provides such great access to healthy food choices.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:43 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Fourth-graders in traditional public schools scored better in math and reading (an average of 5.8 points in math and 5.2 points in reading) than same grade students in charter schools. The scores are from the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress test.

Charter school critics portrayed the results as evidence that charers schools are a failing experiment that takes necessary resources from traditional schools. Charter school proponents say the report is flawed and outdated and continued to state that charter schools provide competition to traditional schools thus imporiving public education.

What do you think? Mark Schneider, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which prepared the report for the Department of Education, said, "My advice to parents based on this report is: Shop around carefully."

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

A ten-year study has concluded that you don't have to be obese to increase your risk of dying prematurely. The study found that people who admitted to being slightly overweight in their 50s were 20-40% more likely to die in the next decade. The study of more than 500,000 US adults was lead by the National Cancer Institute. A study of more than 1 million Korean adults produced similar results.

Is there no fun left after 50?

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

An good overview article of the Sacramento Angels is featued in the most recent issue of the Sacramento Business Journal. Check it out.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:26 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Angels, Soar, Wings, Fly...bad analogies.

But the Sacramento Angels is an organization that is worth a serious look The Angels is a group of accredited investors who meet on a monthly basis, over dinner, to hear presentations from entrepreneurs and make individual decisions regarding investment. Due diligence is handled by members of the group. Members are often involved in mentoring the companies - short and/or long term.

Benefits include:

A chance to meet some very interesting, smart people in town
A chance to learn more about Angel investing
A chance to view some very interesting local investment deals
A chance to mentor local companies, entrepreneurs and students

An invitation only membership recruiting event is scheduled for August 23rd. You are eligible to join if you meet the definition of an accredited investor as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Rule 501 of Regulation D.

If you are new to the area, this is a terrific way to get integrated fast! If you are interested in attending, please contact sherria.weiss@pillsburylaw.com by August 16th.

Editor's Note: Pierre and I joined the Sacramento Angels soon after we moved to Sacramento. We got involved on all sorts of levels; the Board, due diligence, mentoring companies, sitting on expert panels, even event planning! We thorougly enjoyed the monthly meetings and ended up making some lifelong friends. We are still waiting for a return on our investments! But I am sure they will come and, if not, we still had a great time, met some great people and learned alot about startups and investing in them!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Today, we woke up to a foiled terror plot. Yesterday, we woke up to the Lieberman-Lamont election results. Last week, we woke up to the Israel-Lebanon conflict. And the week before that, we focused, for a microsecond, on what was happening in Iraq. Unless, of course, a tractor-trailer was being chased by 20 police cars, or a baby had fallen down a hole, or miners were trapped deep below the earth. There is barely a second that CNN doesn’t have the words Breaking Story scrolling on the bottom of the screen these days. Once in a great while, they change to Developing Story to ensure we don’t lose the excitement of a ‘real’ Breaking Story.

Could we possibly get a balance? Today, watching CNN interview everyone who might ever have known anything about terrorists plots – and lots who don’t know more than I do – and asking them the same questions over and over, one would think that conflicts in the Middle East have been completely resolved. Even though the Breaking Story was breaking all day yesterday - not a mention today. I guess Middle East conflicts passed their headline ‘shelf life’.

I am so sick of being shocked and awed. Could we get some balanced coverage? Could we get some real debate? Could we get some real experts? Could we get some real analysis? But, please, most of all, balance.
Or, try listening to BBC news for a change.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (3)

An exciting opportunity from TechCoire:

SACRAMENTO -- TechCoire, Sacramento region's only business-technology education and networking organization, announced today Investorfest 2006, its annual VC Roundtable showcasing northern California's emerging technology startups. Leading venture capitalists participating in Investorfest 2006 include American River Ventures, DFJ Frontier, Draper Fisher Jurvertson, Emergence Capital, Gabriel Ventures, Garage Technology Ventures, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Outlook ventures, SAP Ventures, Storm Ventures, T-Ventures, and TechFarm Ventures.

"TechCoire has been offering various educational programs and coaching for entrepreneurs over the past five years. We are introducing Investorfest based on their feedback and interest in pitching to multiple VCs in the interest of obtaining funding for their current business or ideas. Entrepreneurs will pitch their business ideas to all of the investors simultaneously, exposing the idea to as many investors as well as increasing the chance of finding a VC or VCs who may be interested in their business," stated Gopan Madathil, Founder and President of TechCoire. "Additionally, investors will provide constructive suggestions to the entrepreneur presentations, thus providing valuable feedback that increases their chances of funding."

"I am looking forward to hearing the presentations from the Sacramento area startups. Our current fund is over $400M and are looking for sound businesses to invest in software and software related services," stated Lars Leckie of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners.

TechCoire is now accepting applications from entrepreneurs. Deadline for submitting an application is Tuesday, August 15, 2006. For more information, please visit

Once the application is received, a team of experts will be reviewing the applications and selecting the presenters. Even if you are not selected to present, you may have the opportunity to attend. Both presenting and attending CxOs will have the opportunity to meet and network with the investors during the conference.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Thank you Sacramento!

The Sacramento Executive website has received wide support since we launched last November. It has been very gratifying to Gillian and me. For the month of July we had 7,433 visitors (not including crawlers, spiders, and robots) from 81 countries. We are putting Sacramento on the map!

Content is key. As our content grows, so does the readership of Sacramento Executive. We have posted 296 articles in our first eight months. We expect to do much more. Please provide comments and ideas through the commenting process on what you would like to see and how to make our website better.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

If the new arena deal goes through and a new arena emerges in the railyards, what happens to Arco? Beware that the taxpayers don't get another surprise bill.

In Dallas, the old arena, known as the Reunion Arena, has lost more than $4.5M over the past three years. When the new arena, the American Airlines Center, was built it received a sweet deal - a non-compete clause with Reunion. So American Airlines Center gets the right of first refusal for every event suitable for its size. It's castoff cousin, Reunion Center, is left with the dregs - hence the large losses.

And yes, there were big plans for redevelopment of the site of the old arena, but no deal has come together three years later.

Ask questions. Make sure you know all of the answers. Minimize surprises down the road.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Do you want to be a Sales Guru? If so, practice what Jeffrey Gitomer preaches - Principle 5 of his 12.5 principles in his book The Little Red Book of Selling,

"It's Not Work, It's NETwork!"

Hey Gillian, shouldn't we make this our mantra here at Sacramento Executive? After all, "The Sacramento Executive links executives to all that is great in Sacramento." Our quarterly networking events are a key part of this strategy.

Mr. Gitomer offers three "Red Bites" on networking:

1. Get face to face first.
2. Networking eliminates cold calling.
3. Networking leads to referrals.

How important is networking?Real important.
What can networking do for your relationships?Build them.
What can networking do for your sales?Make them.
What can networking do for your success?The right contacts and connections can make or break it.

Making connections: Gillian Parrillo is claiming a success for Sacramento Executive, the networking group she and husband Pierre Cutler founded before the duo's recent move to Dallas.

Parrillo met former Hewlett-Packard and Agilent exec Julie Morris and realized she had perfect skills for local startups. She invited Morris to the group's April meeting, held at the Supper Club. And there, at the chocolate-dipping fountain, Morris started chatting with biotech entrepreneur Pam Marrone.

Marrone asked for a résumé and ended up hiring Morris as the first employee for her new Davis firm, Marrone Organic Innovations.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

You know a product has become mainstream when you see it on the shelves in Costco. While dragging my over-filled cart around the local store the other day, I noticed a new piece of technology that I thought was still being held hostage by the geeks and early adopters in high-tech land. There on the shelves, besides the flat-panel TVs and Ipods was a grey and silver box called ‘LocationFree’ by Sony. This little box and a similar one by Slingbox will change the way we watch television. The concept is pretty straightforward, you hook the box up to your TV, DVR or Cable/Satellite Box and plug another cable into your home Internet connection. Through the marvels of modern technology, you can now watch your TV wherever you are by simply turning any Internet-connected PC into your personal TV.

The possibilities appear endless. You’re sitting in an airport half way around the world connected to the internet via wi-fi. Your boss wants you to download your email and work on it before your 14 hour flight home. But what if you could connect to your DVR at home and watch last night’s episode of ‘The Sopranos’ , or better yet, watch the latest breaking news on BBC America. With placeshifting it’s all possible. If you’re lucky enough to be on a plane with an Internet connection, you can continue to watch your favorite programs at 30,000ft. Finally, you can control what you watch and when to watch it. No more watching some ‘b’ grade movie on a 2 inch screen with inferior sound while trying to cut your mystery meat with your plastic fork. You can even pause, stop and change channels just like you could if you were sitting in front of your TV at home. Got a favorite XM radio station? With placeshifting, you can ‘listen’ to it even if you’re not in the satellite’s broadcast area. Just connect your laptop to the internet and change the channel to the station of your choice and you’re listening to music wherever you are. The days of downloading an old episode of Desperate Housewives onto your Ipod, and squinting to view it while on the way to your meeting in San Francisco are over. Find a seat in one of the carriages on the Capital Corridor with wi-fi and you can watch it live on your laptop’s big screen. Who said you have to use the internet to do serious stuff for the boss every day?

So how much does all this technology cost? The magic boxes retail for around $200. If you have a high-speed internet connection at home, then you won’t need anything else. Just a laptop with wi-fi capability and a internet connection to ‘plug’ into wherever you are. With more competitors expected into the market in the coming months you can expect the price of the boxes to drop. But why wait? The technology is here today and it’s just amazing.

Paul Robinson

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

I receive a bill from AT&T in the mail. The balance is 3 cents. For a moment, I wonder if it is possible to write a check for 3 cents before the sheer ridiculousness of the situation occurs to me. What, on earth, is AT&T thinking about when they send out a bill for 3 cents? Or more precisely, why doesn’t AT&T think? The process of collecting the data, analyzing it, tabulating it, putting it to paper, putting it in an envelope, paying the postage – how much did that cost? More than 3 cents, I would bet.

I call AT&T to get them to do what they should have done without my help – credit my account. Otherwise, heaven forbid, if I just ignore it, I can imagine this escalating, going to collections, getting on my credit report and other unimaginable out of control consequences. I get through all of the push this, push that, etc. etc., enter this, enter that, enter your underwear size, etc. etc. and can’t find a good solution for – my bill is ridiculous, let me talk to a real person. I finally reach a customer service rep who, as is usual with all those companies that make you input huge amounts of data while waiting, has no idea of my phone number, let alone my mother’s maiden name. They sympathize about my bill, say they can’t help me, but are transferring me to the department that can. I arrive in collections, which is a little concerning because I just received the bill an hour ago. Collections wants to know how I got to them, like I have any idea, and transfers me to someone who can really help me. Of course each of these transfers requires me to re-identify myself with multiple pieces of personal information.

Continue reading "It’s Hard Not To Put In My Three Cents" »

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

As a followup to a previous post this blog had on the genocide in Darfur, we have been asked to inform our readers of a rally on August 8th. Here are the details:

Who: The Sacramento Committee on Conscience and the Sudan Divestment Task Force

What: Rally to promote awareness of AB2941, which proposes to divest California’s public funds from Sudan.

When: August 8th Noon to 1:00

Where: South Steps of Capitol

Why: More than ten years have passed since the world stood by while a genocide destroyed the lives of nearly one million Tutsis in Rwanda. When it was over we promised never to let genocide happen again. However, for three years the government of Sudan and its Janjaweed militia have been killing, raping, and mutilating the black African tribes of Darfur, and little has been done to stop the conflict. Over 400,000 civilians have been killed and more than two million have been displaced in what the United Nations calls the worst humanitarian crisis of today. The United States Congress, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and President George W. Bush have all gone a step further and labeled the crisis genocide. Despite this, California has remained invested in companies whose dollars support the regime committing these atrocities.

The Sacramento Committee on Conscience, Sudan Divestment Task Force and NAACP are sponsoring AB 2941 (Koretz), which calls on CalPERS and CalSTRS to stop doing business with companies supporting the genocide in Sudan. By divesting CalPERS and CalSTRS from these companies, we would send a strong message that the State of California will not support genocide.

The Sacramento Committee on Conscience will be holding a rally on August 8th to promote awareness of the bill. Assemblymembers Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood), Jerome Horton (D-Inglewood), and Joe Coto (D-San Jose) will be speaking, as well as a representative of the NAACP and other sponsors of the bill. For more information, please contact Rachel Burns at (916) 220-2898 and rachelfburns@yahoo.com or Ian Lobel at (916) 806-2617 and IM_Lobel@yahoo.com.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

From Bob Shallit's July 26th column in the Sacramento Bee

Making connections: Gillian Parrillo is claiming a success for Sacramento Executive, the networking group she and husband Pierre Cutler founded before the duo's recent move to Dallas. Parrillo met former Hewlett-Packard and Agilent exec Julie Morris and realized she had perfect skills for local startups. She invited Morris to the group's April meeting, held at the Supper Club. And there, at the chocolate-dipping fountain, Morris started chatting with biotech entrepreneur Pam Marrone.

Marrone asked for a résumé and ended up hiring Morris as the first employee for her new Davis firm, Marrone Organic Innovations.

By the way, Parrillo flies back to town for each Sac Exec gathering and remains president of the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy. But there are signs she's being won over by Big D. She reports the city has "100 times" the downtown activities of Sacramento. And, she gloats, "we already have our arena."

Come to our next event scheduled for September 20th at Lomo's Argentine Grill in Old Sacramento. If you are new to town, you can meet lots of companies looking for help in various forms - employees, advisers, board members, investors. Or if you are a company, start-up or established, come check out the amazing talent ready to jump in and help your company - and be creative about how...it doesn't always have to mean a paycheck every pay period.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Google the term "I love Sacramento" and you get 909 hits. Google the term "I love the
Sacramento arena deal" and you get zero hits. Why? Perhaps because it is a bad deal for the people of Sacramento? Economics 101 taught me that if it is a good business deal for an owner to finance and build a new stadium, then the owner would to so. The Maloofs are good business people (and they show a mastery of basic math) - not only did they get the Sacramento political community to agree to fund the vast majority of the project, the Maloofs will get the financial windfall when the arena is built.

Look at the simple math - If 18,000 people attend 50 events a year, and pay $25 each towards the construction fund, and the building has a useful life of 25 years, then the building fund would equal $562,500,000 - roughly the current expected cost to build the new arena. Is this good math? Is this a good business decision?

What kind of business people are our politicians? Not that good. What kind of business people are the voters of Sacramento? I suspect very good, as I predict they will nix the deal in the fall election.

People will not support being taxed to line the pockets of the rich. I think the local politicians are in for a rough fall.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Start-up entrepreneurs - keep your eye open for the fall application deadline for seed funding by the Y Combinator group. As we reported in February, Y Combinator will be taking applications for the winter session to be held in the San Francisco Bay area this fall. Don't forget to apply - it is a great source of seed funding. For details, check out the Y Combinator website.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

For a great PODCAST, check out Tony Robbins TED Talk on Unlocking Your True Potential. This is an incredible speech on personal achievement. A key theme is to be resourceful.

Leadership is resourcefulness - getting the team to be resourceful in achieving measurable results.

The podcast is 26 minutes...but well worth it. Have fun!

And by the way the TED TALKS offer other fantastic speeches - check out Sir Ken Robinson's comments on education on the TEDBLOG.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. Ralph Nader

Are you in the early stage of your career? Do you want to rise in your corporate endeavors? A key to moving up the corporate ladder is to seek out a mentor. Having a mentor can be a true discriminator. You would be surprised how little mentoring there is in corporations. Most executives don't mentor. But if you just ask, they will be willing to do so.

According to the Bureau of Land Management:

Mentoring is a dynamic, evolving partnership with people who invest time, know-how, and effort into enhancing another's growth, knowledge, or skills. Mentoring responds to critical needs in an individual's life, preparing that person for greater satisfaction, productivity, or achievement in the future. Mentoring is not about being sponsored for a promotion; it is one of many tools available to aid in employee development.

More specifically, mentoring at BLM is a voluntary program where self-directed people can work together to meet developmental needs. Mentor/Mentoree partnerships are established on a one-to-one basis. The partnership is a constantly evolving, growing process with both members providing insights and feedback

Mentors provide a wealth of experience and mentorees can improve their development by taking advantage of this knowledge. The level of involvement and interaction is up to each mentor/mentoree.

Mentors are to provide support and advice. Mentors are not personal trainers or coaches or your next step for promotion to a new position.

The following are among the mentor's roles and responsibilities:

• Teaches the mentoree about a specific issue


• Coaches the mentoree on a particular skill


• Facilitates the mentoree's growth by sharing resources and networks


• Challenges the mentoree to move beyond his or her comfort zone


• Creates a safe learning environment for taking risk


• Focuses on the mentoree's total development

Mentorees are actively seeking to broaden understanding about the profession, work environment, as well as seek to improve mentoree skills, talents, abilities, and commitment.

The following are mentoree's roles and responsibilities:

• Establish specific goals and objectives for the mentoring relationship


• Actively seek to broaden understanding about the profession, work environment, as well as seek to improve mentoree skills, talents, abilities, initiative and commitment


• Understand potential areas of growth, clarify and negotiate needs and expectations, be enthusiastic and take action


• Use mentor as both a resource for knowledge and a sounding board for ideas and issues


• Be open and honest about concerns regarding the profession and work environment and be willing to listen and learn by receiving constructive criticism and feedback

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

The Internet and technology are rapidly changing the real estate industry. A new study by the National Association of Realtors underscores just how much things are changing.

The real estate study, one of the largest of its kind ever conducted, shows that use of the Internet to search for a home has increased dramatically, from 2 percent of buyers a decade ago to 77% in 2005. That’s up from 74% in 2004.

Continue reading "Technology transforms the way we buy and sell homes" »

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

This is what I had to say on the subject published in the Sacramento Bee today

Picking a new leader for a company is hard work. Just ask the Sacramento Kings. The team recently decided not to renew coach Rick Adelman's contract and is in search of a replacement.

But when a business goes in search of someone to take the helm, how should it select prospective candidates and how should they be evaluated?
As co-founder of locally based Maxson Group, executive recruiter Gillian Parrillo has found top-level executives for tech firms such as McAfee Inc., Kenai Systems Inc. and Convergent Logic. Her expertise is in advising firms how to find the right person for the right job.

Parrillo recently discussed the recruiting process and how businesses -- as well as Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof -- move forward. It's an issue about which she has a passion: An ardent Kings fan, Parrillo has been a season-ticket holder for eight years.

Q: The Maloofs have said that they let Adelman go because they want someone who will take the team to the next level, presumably a championship. What process should they use to select the best candidate?

A: They've probably done this, but if they haven't, the Maloofs need to get together with (general manager Geoff) Petrie, and take input from all of the team members: players, support staff, everybody who is involved.

Then they need to build a plan to win. And part of that plan to win is the coach. It's almost like everyone thinks that the day they hire the new coach that they're going to win the championship. It doesn't work like that. Coaching and management decisions are part of the bigger plan.

Q: What qualities make for an effective leader in this situation?

A: The new coach must be someone who can immediately gain respect and someone who will build a winning spirit. I've always thought that the thing the team lacked was the ability to dig down at the most important moments to put them over the top.

The ability to get people to give extra effort is what sets you ahead of the competition. It's the difference between being a top company and an also-ran.

I used to work for a software company that was all about meeting our quarterly goals. Everyone knew what those goals where, and they would dig in at the end of every quarter to meet those sales numbers.

Part of getting that last extra bit comes when an effective leader figures out how to empower people. That helps people in the organization dig down because they feel like they personally have a part in the success of the company.

Q: An NBA coach is the classic middle manager, with the players below and the owners and general manager above. A lot of people focus on the latter when they talk about a coach, but how important is it that the next coach have the ability to "manage up"?

A: The Maloofs need to make sure that they hire somebody willing to tell them things that they don't want to hear. And he needs to have a part in pushing the owners to do things that they don't necessarily want to do sometimes.

It comes down to hiring smart people. You don't want executives or managers who are "yes" people.

Leaders of great companies hire people smarter than them and aren't intimidated by it because they know that there's value in being challenged with new ideas and new possibilities.

Q: How much weight should the Maloofs and Petrie give to experience and whether a candidate has won a championship?

A: They need to hire someone who has done it or an assistant who played a major role on a championship team. The new coach shouldn't have to be explained to the fans or the organization -- everyone should know that he's a winner.

The problem is that a lot of winning head coaches are older. I like the idea of building the team around a younger leader who knows the latest trends and techniques and can run things now and for years to come.

Q: One of the knocks on Adelman was that he didn't have much of a public persona. How important is image to someone managing in a company that has a lot of public exposure?

A: The biggest problem was that Adelman was never seen as part of the management team. When you thought of Kings management, you thought of the Maloofs and Petrie.

But this has broader implications. If the Maloofs bring in the right person with a strong image of leadership and winning, they would be sending a message: A top-notch guy is taking a chance on Sacramento.

Q: Could the new coach impact discussions about a new arena?

A: It's always in the back of your mind that if Sacramento doesn't do things right, the team is going to go. I don't know if that's been said, but that feeling is there. Fairly or unfairly, people question the Maloofs' commitment to Sacramento.

Hiring a top-flight manager would send a message that the owners are committed long-term to the team, so the local government should be too.

Q: It sounds like you think that the team will need to open up the checkbook for the next coach.

A: I think that money is the last part of it. When you're a company looking for leadership, you find the right person and then you pay what you've got to pay.

Finding the right person is the most important thing.

About the writer:
The Bee's Jon Ortiz can be reached at (916) 321-1043 or jortiz@sacbee.com.

I think it's cool that they interviewed a woman about executive recruiting.
I think it's even cooler that they interviewed a woman about executive recruiting for a sports team.
And even cooler that they interviewed a woman about executive recruiting for a men's pro sports team.

Of course, last week we signed up to buy Dallas Mavericks season tickets, so who knows where my loyalties lie. Actually, I don't think I have that figured out myself.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

A common trait among successful business executives is a bias for action. Heike Bruch and Sumantra Ghoshal co-authors of "A Bias For Action" describe how effective managers harness their willpower to achieve results.

Harvard Business Press Books, publisher of "A Bias For Action", offers the following review:

Why do most managers work so hard but accomplish so little? We have blamed everything from a lack of motivation, time, and money to the overwhelming amount of work and corporate bureaucracy that managers face. But a new study suggests a different cause: how much willpower managers bring to their jobs. In A Bias for Action, Sumantra Ghoshal and Heike Bruch show that managers often confuse action with accomplishment and motivation with leading. Their research reveals that 90% of managers spin their wheels by procrastinating, detaching emotionally, and distracting themselves with busywork--whereas only 10% act purposefully to get truly important work done. Based on exclusive research across several industries, and illustrated through stirring personal stories, A Bias for Action shows that great managers produce results not by motivating others, but by engaging their own willpower through a powerful combination of energy and focus. Bruch and Ghoshal provide simple strategies for bolstering your own willpower and action-taking abilities and explore ways to marshal the willpower of others to encourage collective action. Heike Bruch is a professor of Leadership at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). Sumantra Ghoshal is professor of Strategic and International Management at London Business School and co-author of Managing Across Borders (HBS Press, 1998)."

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

A few months ago I found myself on the email list of Rhonda Erwin. She wrote compellingly every few days about the number of youth that were being killed in Sacramento. She wrote that there needed to be an answer besides tracking down the killers and putting them in jail. She wrote that the city needed to step up and recognize the number of young lives that were being lost and come up with an overall plan. And she wrote and wrote and wrote.

Just the other day she wrote this:

Tyrone Rhinehart is the cousin of Lamar Alexander. Many of you may recall me mentioning Tyrone in an email nearly a year ago. Tyrone was the cousin of David Perkins murdered in 2005 and Damon Perkins murdered in 2003. At the vigil Tyrone stood off into the distance, tears filled his eyes. He told me that he has a photo of his peewee football league. He begin to name the names of the starting line up. "They are all gone", he added. "They are dead, (murdered) and the few left from the team are in jail." Tyrone is a young minister. He choked back tears as he spoke of each person one by one and how they died. Tyrone is a young man who cannot get over grieving for one friend or cousin before another one has been murdered.

Ms. Erwin has the attention now of various governmental agencies who have promised to come together to work on a solution. She (and her cause) have been recently featured in several local newspapers. She truly embodies a quote by Marion Wright Edelman I use at the end of each email I send:

“If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.”

Rhonda Erwin, I salute you for your dedication to eradicating the senseless death of our youth.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:51 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (5)

The year is winding down for the 2006 Class of the Sacramento Entrepreneur Academy. The class is set to graduate on May 9. It's time for a little bragging. Many of you know that my wife Gillian Parrillo has been actively involved as the President of the Academy this year. I am very proud of Gillian and her efforts with the Academy. She has been a terrific role model for the Sacramento area with her enthusiasm and boundless energy to promote Sacramento - the people, businesses and students.

Please join me in thanking her for all that she does in Sacramento.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

How many times have you heard the idiomatic expression “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”? If you are an entrepreneur and you follow this saying, then you will have a high chance of failing in your business. Successful business people have a common trait – focus, focus, focus. They typically do one thing extremely well.

If you want to financially succeed, put all your eggs in one basket and mind that basket very well (props to Ben Franklin for this one). This is the secret to building great wealth and is contrary to almost all financial planners who say diversify, diversify, diversify. Diversification almost always yields mediocrity.

Here’s my proof – how did the following people make their money? Joyce Raley Teel, Buzz Oates, the McClatchy family, Mike Bibby, the Teichert family, Abe Alizadeh, Lina Fats, the Wicklands, the Ramos, Bob Pepper, Panattoni’s, Alex Spanos, the Tsakopoulos family, the Maloofs, Brian Strom, Randy Paragary and Roger Valine? They did it by staying focused on a single vision and working hard to make the vision a reality.

Remember, conventional wisdom is seldom the path to success. Just because 99 out of 100 people think an idea is a good idea, that doesn’t make it a good idea! To create extreme wealth, you must put all your eggs in one basket and mind that basket very well.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

Yesterday was a very gratifying milestone for Gillian and I here at Sacramento Executive. Late last night the 2,500th person visited our blog since we put on our statistics tracking software in mid-December. In January, our first whole month of operations, 1,680 people visited the site. We are pleased with the support and interest from our readers, the local Sacramento Executives, and our Sponsors. Oh by the way, how did the 2,500th visitor reach our weblog? By a Google search on Sacramento's "Saca Towers". Very fitting, as the Saca Towers will be the tallest residential complex on the west coast. And here at Sacramento Executive, we hope to be the best of breed and model for linking executives to all that is great in Sacramento.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1)

On December 11, The New York Times recognized Joan Didion's book "The Year of Magical Thinking" as one of the ten best books published in 2005.

Previously, Sacramento Executive's Gillian Parrillo reported Joan's book won the prestigious National Book Award.

Congratulations Joan!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

It happens much too often. A note, a call. An entrepreneur who needs advice, contacts, money – usually money. I do what I can. I try to make introductions, give some encouragement. Sometimes I get a call where I have to just say, “Wow, I don’t know anything about that. I would love to help, but I don’t even know enough to know how.” I got that note last week.

The email came with a subject line of Local Filmmaker/Entrepreneur Seeks Advice. I know I was in trouble. Movies? No, I know software. I pretend I know other stuff sometimes – like the male fertility test kit startup I invested in or the martial arts company I plan on investing in. But movies? The only thing I know about movies is those scary tales of wealthy investors in the 80’s who invested in movies and Broadway shows for a big tax write-off and then the IRS came back years later and took away the write-off. I think it happened to my ex-husband. No movie investing for me.

Continue reading "Sacramento Filmmaker Needs A Loan" »

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

For the past eight years I have lived in Land Park, two blocks from the Sacramento City College (SCC). I had no idea of the school’s baseball tradition until yesterday when I made an astonishing discovery - the SCC Panthers baseball team is a phenomenal powerhouse with a legendary history. Over the past 84 years, Panther teams have won a staggering 72.8% of their games with a record of 1,764 wins, 603 losses, and 21 ties. The team has had a winning record for each of the last 35 years.

Continue reading "Sacramento City College's Baseball Team - The Legend Continues" »

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it?

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.

Continue reading "The $2 Billion Dollar Dinner" »

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it?