October 28-November 10, 2014, Section A

October 28-November 10, 2014 lbbusinessjournal.com

HealthWiseColor Of Poop And Your Children’s

HealthSee Page 30

The College

Of Business

Administration

At CSULB

A New Master

Of Science In

AccountancyProgram

See Pg. 4

New Civic CenterCity’s Conway Answers Business Journal Questions About Proposed Project� By GEORGE ECONOMIDES

Publisher

D eveloping a new LongBeach Civic Center is a

major undertaking for the cityand its residents. A project of themagnitude being discussedinevitably brings with it con-cerns, objections, misunder-standing and miscommunication – and, sometimes, suspicionsfrom those in the communityless trusting of decision makersat city hall or government ingeneral. In an effort to better inform

readers about the project and the

two proposals being examined,the Business Journal requestedand received a breakdown of cur-rent civic center expenses andrevenue – which is the basis forestablishing a maximum amount,$12.6 million, the city will pay tothe chosen developer for opera-tion of a new civic center. After analyzing the data, the

Business Journal requested ameeting with the city staff personoverseeing the project. OnWednesday, October 23, MikeConway, director of the LongBeach Economic and PropertyDevelopment Department, metwith LBBJ staff to discuss details

of the project. Conway did not shyaway from answering questions.Also in attendance was Staff

Writer Brandon Ferguson, whohas a separate article in this edi-tion (see Page 28) that providesmore background on the propos-als, process, why a new civiccenter is being considered, etc.

The two groups that have sub-mitted proposals are Long BeachCiviCore Alliance, withMacquarie Capital Group as thelead equity member, and PlenaryEdgemoor Civic Partners, whoselead equity member is thePlenary Group.

(Please Continue To Page 23)

Long Beach Business Journal2599 E. 28th Street, Suite 212Signal Hill, CA 90755-2139562/988-1222 • www.lbbusinessjournal.com

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12-Page Pull-Out Section(Pages 11-22)

• Profiles On The Six Women Business Owners Pictured Above

• Who’s Who In Women In Business• Experts Provide Tips On Marketing

• Getting Your Credit In Shape

Focus On Women In Business

An 11-story port administration headquarters building at the northeast corner ofOcean Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue is part of the proposal for a new LongBeach Civic Center by Long Beach CiviCore Alliance, one of two proposer teams.(Model photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Railway ProjectWestside Residents Raise Questions About Several Mayoral Appointments To City Planning Commission� By BRANDON FERGUSON

Staff Writer

W hile Mayor Garcia hasremained largely mum

on the city’s lawsuit against

BNSF Railway and the City ofLos Angeles, Westside LongBeach residents say four recentrecommendations Garcia made toto the city’s planning commissionsend a strong message aboutwhich side of the issue he falls on.Last week, the city council

approved three of the four plan-ning commission nomineesGarcia recommended, two ofwhom have been openly support-ive of a $500 million rail yardBNSF intends to build in the LosAngeles neighborhood ofWilmington. The project, knownas the Southern CaliforniaInternational Gateway (SCIG)will be adjacent to low-incomeLong Beach homes and schools,raising concerns about increasedpollution and truck traffic. BNSFcontends the project will result intraffic relief and bring air qualityimprovements to the area.The planning commissioners

approved by the city council were

International Brotherhood ofElectrical Workers Local 11(IBEW) Vice President JaneTemplin, President of the SouthBay Latino Chamber of Commerce(SBLCC) Erick Verduzco-Vega;and Andy Perez, who works in thepublic affairs bureau of the UnionPacific Railroad.

Retail Sales Part IILong Beach Men Sound Off On What They Want When It Comes To Shopping Options� By BRANDON FERGUSON

Staff Writer

I n this edition, the BusinessJournal continues its series on

the state of retail in Long Beach.Recent discussions with city staffsuggest that Long Beach is

falling behind other Los AngelesCounty cities when it comes togenerating sales tax revenue.During a recent council meeting,5th District CouncilmemberStacy Mungo said the city waslosing out to the tune of $18 mil-lion annually.

This issue got staffers at theBusiness Journal thinking aboutthe kinds of retail stores LongBeach residents would like to seein town once the city begins torevitalize its former redevelop-ment properties. We also wantedto know where people are cur-rently spending their moneywhen it comes to items likeclothes and home goods. Last issue, we interviewed

several local women ranging inage from their late 30s up totheir 70s. All said much of theirspending happens in other citieslike Costa Mesa, particularlySouth Coast Plaza.For this issue, we interviewed

five men who either live or work inLong Beach: Dan De Leon, a 25-


� By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER

Senior Writer

O ctober was a big month foreducation in Long Beach,

with Mayor Robert Garcia and9th District Councilmember RexRichardson both announcing newinitiatives through which the cityis to become more involved inresidents’ education.On October 13 at Ernest

EducationGarcia LaunchesNew Initiative



1_LBBJ_Oct28_SectionA_LBBJ MASTER LAYOUT 10/27/14 3:05 PM Page 1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE2 Long Beach Business Journal October 28-November 10, 2014

4 Newswatch4-Tom Modica Picked To Serve As Assistant City Manager4-Long Beach City Hall News In Brief5-Port Expected To Raise Shipping Fees6-Four Promoted At The Port Of Long Beach7-Westsiders Oppose Commission Appointments, from Pg 18-Men Speak Out On Shopping Choices, from Pg 19-Mayor Garcia Introduces Education Initiative, from Pg 1

11 Focus On Women In Business12-Profiles Of Six Local Women Business Owners17-21-Who’s Who In Women In Business20-Marketing: An Often Overlooked, But Vital, Tool ForSmall Businesses22-Getting Your Credit In Shape By Ben Alvarado,Orange County/Long Beach Regional President For Wells Fargo

23 Civic Center Q&A23-28-Mike Conway Answers Questions On Civic Center28-Developers Unveil New Civic Center Designs

30 PerspectiveRealty Views Housing Recovery Is Not For All By Terry RossEffective Leadership Life Has No Brakes, No ReverseGears And No Warranties By Mick UklejaHealthWise Color Of Poop And Your Child’s Health By Dr. Barry SteinmetzThird Sector Report Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership:We’re ALL-IN This Together By Jeffrey Wilcox

InsertThe Oil & Gas Industry• Regulation May Have Detrimental Effects On State Economy• Oil By Rail – Moving By Energy• State Continues To Develop Fracking Oversight Rules• Occidential Petroleum Company Spinoff Coming Soon• Plummeting Oil Prices May Affect One-Time Expenditures

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NEWSWATCH4 Long Beach Business Journal -October 28-November 10, 2014

Tom Modica AppointedAssistant City Manager

� By BRANDON FERGUSON

Staff Writer

A month-long search for anassistant city manager endedFriday with the appointment ofLong Beach Deputy City ManagerTom Modica. The position waspreviously held by Suzanne Frick,who announced her resignation inJune to become the top adminis-trator for a city in Idaho. CityManager Patrick West appointedModica with authority granted tohim by the city charter.“Tom Modica is highly qualified to fulfill the duties of

assistant city manager,” said West said in a statement.“Throughout his city service, Tom has demonstrated excellentleadership, problem solving, budgetary and communicationskills. He has developed a reputation for being one who is notafraid to take on and resolve complicated issues, engage thecommunity to solve problems, and provide candid andthoughtful input on a wide variety of important issues.”Modica has worked for the city for 12 years, where he

started as a management assistant in 2002. Eventually hewent on to serve in a number of other functions includingassistant to the city manager, government affairs manager, aswell as director of government affairs and strategic initiatives.The charter-outlined role of assistant city manager requiresModica to support the city manager as well as perform hisduties in the event of the city manager’s absence.Speaking to the Business Journal by phone, Modica said

one of the more challenging issues he worked on as deputycity manager was the 2011 re-districting process.“That was the process of redoing the political boundaries,

which is always a very charged project,” Modica said. “Itactually ended very well.”When asked what he sees as the most challenging issues on

the horizon, Modica said he preferred to see opportunities,adding that Long Beach has a tremendous amount ofresources. The goal he said, is to find the best way to work withthe council, mayor and community to best use those resources.“We obviously need to stay fiscally sustainable. That is

always a challenge and I think we’ve got a great mayor andcouncil that are interested in doing that,” Modica said.The city council is expected to confirm Modica’s appoint-

ment on November 11. �

Long Beach City Hall News In Brief


Staff Writer

Tax Resolution – At its October 21 meeting, the LongBeach City Council considered making changes to the currentsales tax resolution that would allow councilmembers, undercertain circumstances, to review sensitive sales tax data per-taining to local businesses. The item was recommended by5th District Councilmember Stacy Mungo, who also chairsthe economic development and finance committee. Thoughthe council voted unanimously to approve the agenda item, itis unclear what will happen when the city attorney returns tothe next council meeting with the revised resolution. Both 4thDistrict Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell and 9th DistrictCouncilmember Rex Richardson expressed opposition to theproposed resolution. “I’m not comfortable with having councilmembers see data

from specific businesses around the city,” O’Donnell said.“That to me gets a little scary. I think its scary for the businesscommunity too. It could be very anti business, it could scarethem out of Long Beach.” Mungo said the resolution was necessary to address the

city’s lagging sales tax revenues and assist city staff in bolster-ing economic development. Currently, councilmembers don’thave access to specific sales tax data. When pressed by Councilmember Richardson on how this

proposed change could help the city’s future economic devel-

CSULB BusinessSchool Offers A NewMaster Of ScienceIn Accountancy

ProgramCPA licensing in California

has changed academicrequirements to a total of 150semester units (or 225 quarterunits) of education fromJanuary 1, 2014. Though tak-ing the CPA exam requiresonly an undergraduate degree,licensing has additional con-ditions such as one year ofgeneral accounting experi-ence including 500 hours ofattestation experience and the

additional academic requirements. Most jurisdic-tions in the US have adopted the 150 hours ofeducational requirements. Traditionally, a student graduates with a

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting with 120 semes-ter units. To get to the required 150 units, theCollege of Business at Cal State Long Beach isoffering a new Master of Science in Accountancy(MSA) program consisting of 30 semester units.In this program, students obtain their postgrad-

uate degree within a year by taking relevantclasses on Fridays and Saturdays. The programconsists of two semesters and the first summersession. Students complete three 4-unit classes infall and spring, and 6 units in the first six weeksof summer. This demanding program is offered asa lock-step cohort format and begins every fall.Though the program has been set up mainly to

assist students in meeting their academic require-ments for CPA licensing, MSA graduates havecareer opportunities with corporate entities,financial institutions, audit and tax firms, govern-ment audit and tax authorities. Students interestedin getting their CPA license can also work on tak-ing their exams during the year while completingthe MSA program as the pre-requisite for the pro-gram is an undergraduate degree in Accounting.The MSA program will admit students with an

undergraduate degree in Accounting or those whohave taken the required Accounting classes.Students having an undergraduate degree in otherbusiness options such as finance, marketing, ormanagement do need to complete bachelor levelaccounting classes before they can be admitted. The first cohort will be Fall 2015 to Summer

2016. Admission applications will be accepted fromOctober 1, 2014 to June 1, 2015 for residents andOctober 1, 2014 to April 1 2015 for nonresidents.GMAT or GRE scores, a resume, statement of pur-pose, and two recommendation letters are requiredalong with the admission application. For moreinformation, please visit http://www.csulb.edu/col-leges/cba/msa/ or email: [email protected].(The College of Business Administration at Cal

State Long Beach is an AACSB accredited busi-ness school that provides undergraduates andMBAs with the knowledge and skills necessary tobe successful in their careers and to propel theeconomic development of our region.)

By Sudha K.Krishnan, Ph.D.,

Professor, Departmentof Accountancy

(Please Continue To Next Page)

Port Of Long Beach Gives Award To OOCL CEOWhile abroad on a recent trade mission to Asia, Mayor Robert Garcia and representatives from the Port of Long Beach presented Andrew Tung, CEOof Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), with the Port Pilot Award. The award is “presented to business and political leaders and advocates whohave made contributions to international trade within the maritime industry,” according to the port. The Port Pilot Award was established in 1954 inthe name of harbor port pilots whose job it is to guide vessels in the port. In addition to being the 77th recipient of the award, Tung is the third in hisfamily to receive it; his father was given the award in 1987 and his grandfather in 1977. OOCL is one of the port’s biggest customers and underTung’s leadership recently committed to a 40-year, $4.6 billion dollar lease for the port’s Middle Harbor terminal for its subsidiary, Long BeachContainer Terminal. “We’re pleased to present our prestigious Port Pilot Award to a very deserving Andy Tung,” Long Beach Harbor CommissionPresident Doug Drummond said in a statement. “His progressive leadership and lifelong dedication to reshaping and enhancing international trade –as we’ve seen in our next-generation Middle Harbor terminal partnership – should serve as a glowing example for all industry executives.” Picturedfrom left are: Drummond, Garcia, Tung and Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup. (Photograph by the Port of Long Beach)


NEWSWATCHOctober 28-November 10, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 5

opment, Mungo pointed to the recent clo-sure of the Nordstrom’s Rack inDowntown. She said that in conversationswith city staff about the effects of such clo-sures on the city’s budget, staff can sayvery little due to the restrictions of theexisting resolution. City Attorney Charles Parkin told the

council that if the resolution is passed,there would be misdemeanor penalties forcouncilmembers who misused the informa-tion. O’Donnell said he was uneasy withthe proposed resolution’s “spy factor.”Mungo meanwhile said it would be the

first step in a “citywide plan where weinvite great business leaders to invest inLong Beach, so we can invest in ourselves.”Commission Appointments – At the

October 21 meeting, the city council unan-imously approved several charter and non-charter appointments to various commis-sions. All appointments were recom-mended by Mayor Robert Garcia. Includedwere the airport advisory commission, civilservice commission, planning commissionand citizen police complaint commission.In all, 61 commission appointments wereapproved. Among those nominated wasNina Richardson for the city’s commissionon youth and children. Richardson’s hus-band is the 9th District councilmember. Aseparate vote was cast approvingRichardson while her husband recusedhimself and left the room.Schroeder Hall – A ceremony signaling

the transfer of the Major F. SchroederUnited States Army Reserve Center to theCity of Long Beach took place on October24. Col. Peggy Stradford presented MayorGarcia with the deed to the building at theFriday morning ceremony. Located at 3800E. Willow St., the building will soon beused as a police substation. Constructed in1960, the hall was named after Maj.Schroeder, who received the Medal ofHonor for his service during the Philippineinsurrection of 1900. The building wastransferred to the city under the baserealignment and closure process.Covered California – The Long Beach

Department of Health and Human Serviceswas granted $225,267 by CoveredCalifornia, the state’s healthcare exchangeunder the affordable care act. According toan October 21 department press release,the money will be used to increase healthcare enrollment and support existing out-reach and education. “Working with our local partners, Long

Beach is helping to ensure residents enrollin Covered California and stay in the pro-gram,” Mayor Garcia said in a statement.“We are committed to being a healthy citywhere residents have easy access to healthservices and information, and this is animportant step in that direction.”Belmont Pool – On October 21 the

council voted unanimously to revise thebaseline requirements for the construc-tion of the new Belmont Beach andAquatics Center (Belmont Pool). SinceJune, the city has conducted a series ofstudy sessions involving communitystakeholders to conceptualize optionalcomponents for the new pool (the oldpool was closed due to seismic issues).Included in the plan, which is expected tocost an additional $4.7 million and total$103.1 million, is an indoor deep well

diving pool, as well as movable floor forthe main pool. A total of 1,250 indoorseats will also be built. Business Improvement Districts – On

October 14, the city council voted toapprove the continuation of the EastAnaheim Street Parking and BusinessImprovement Area (EASPBIA) as well asthe Long Beach Tourism BusinessImprovement Area (LBTBIA). Both enti-ties assess a fee on local businesses,which pays for various services specificto each area. In the case of the LBTBIA,the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau(CVB) assesses a fee on hotels within theCVB boundary of 3 percent of the grossshort-term room rental rate. The money isused to promote and market Long Beachas a tourism area. The CVB is expected to

generate $4,240,950 from this fee forFiscal Year 2015 (FY15). The EastAnaheim Street Business Alliance, mean-while, takes its fee through a businesslicense assessment. The money is used topromote and market the commercial areaalong East Anaheim Street on behalf ofbusinesses located in the East AnaheimStreet Parking and Business ImprovementArea. It is estimated EASPBIA will gen-erate $141,000 in FY15. On the vote toapprove the LBTIA, CouncilmemberO’Donnell and 6th DistrictCouncilmember Dee Andrews wereabsent. On the vote approving EASPBIA,only O’Donnell was absent.No City Council Meeting – There will

be no city council meeting on October 28as it’s the last Tuesday of the month. There

also will be no meeting on November 4,which is election day in California. �

Port Expected ToRaise Shipping Fees� By BRANDON FERGUSON

Staff Writer

A five percent increase in wharfage ratesis expected to take effect at the Port ofLong Beach by December 1. On October 13, harbor commissioners

unanimously approved the first reading ofan ordinance that would raise fees for com-panies shipping non-container items such

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NEWSWATCH6 Long Beach Business Journal October 28-November 10, 2014

as petroleum coke, bananas and vehicles. No comments from the public were

made prior to the vote. Staff reports state that the tariff fee is

necessary as capital and maintenancecosts at the port increase. Revenues gen-erated from the tariff are slated for use indredging operations, as well as roadwayprojects and security. The Port of LongBeach has not imposed a general rateincrease since 2005 despite a 19 percentincrease in the consumer price index.

“It’s pegged to rising costs,” portspokesman Art Wong said. “The economyhasn’t been great over the last few years,yet costs have continued to increase.”Wong further explained that approxi-

mately a year ago other ports implementeda minimum 1.7 percent general rateincrease.“Our staff took those same rate

increase proposals to our board and [theboard] said ‘no, not in this competitiveenvironment.’”A second reading of the proposed tariff

amendment is scheduled for the October 27meeting of the harbor commissioners. �

Port Of Long Beach Promotes Executive Staff

In October, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved promo-tions of four port staff members to executive positions as part of a restructuringof departments by Chief Executive Jon Slangerup. Dr. Noel Hacegaba wasappointed managing director of commercial operations and chief commercialofficer overseeing a new Commercial Operations Bureau. The bureau, createdat Slangerup’s direction, includes the business development, security services,and tenant services and operations divisions. In his new role, Hacegaba is theprincipal contact for port customers. Prior to his appointment, Hacegaba hadserved since 2013 as acting deputy executive director and chief operating offi-cer. Between 2010 and 2013, he was the executive officer to the board of har-bor commissioners. Also promoted was Sean Gamette, who now serves as thesenior director of program delivery and chief harbor engineer, overseeing theprogram management, construction management and project controls depart-ments. He had served as the acting assistant managing director of engineeringand chief harbor engineer since July 2013. Prior to that, he served as deputychief harbor engineer from 2009 to 2013. Roger Wu, who joined the port asmarketing manager in 2007 and became manager of commercial trade oversee-ing ocean carriers this year, was promoted to the role of assistant director ofbusiness development. Eamonn Killeen, a port employee since 2002, wasappointed to the position of assistant director of real estate. The former assistantdirector, Gail Wasil, retired in August.

Noel Hacegaba

Sean Gamette

Port Tariff Fee(Continued From Previous Page)



Just before the council voted to approveGarcia’s recommendations, the applicationof a fourth appointee, Mike LoGrande wastemporarily pulled from consideration.LoGrande currently serves as the directorof Los Angeles’s planning department. According to Long Beach City Attorney

Charles Parkin, the application was pulledto allow the City of Los Angeles to deter-mine if LoGrande’s appointment wouldrepresent a conflict of interest.“He notified us that the City of Los

Angeles wanted to make sure that therewere no conflicts and they hadn’t had anopportunity to do that yet,” Parkin said. Once Los Angeles completes its review,

Mayor Garcia is expected to bringLoGrande’s name back up for consideration.Long Beach sued Los Angeles in 2013,

contending that the city neglected to fol-low state law as it relates to the CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act by approvingthe SCIG project. Soon after, Long Beach consolidated its

suit against BNSF and L.A. with severalother entities, including the Long BeachUnified School District and South CoastAir Quality Management District. StateAttorney General Kamala Harris joined thesuit on the side of the petitioners this year.A trial date is set for November 2015,though involved parties are working to set-tle the matter out of court. While the rail yard project has been halted

for the moment, members of the West LongBeach Association (WLBA) have expressedsuspicion over Garcia’s appointments.“There’s a perception with the appoint-

ments that it’s setting the stage to give therailroad whatever they want,” said TheralGolden, vice president of the WLBA.“[There’s] a perception that that’s happen-ing because each [appointee] is connectedto the union or the railroad.”At a 2011 Port of Los Angeles hearing

on the SCIG project, Templin spoke infavor of the project, citing the creation ofan estimated 1,500 jobs. “This project is exactly what California

needs, and what our community needs,”Templin said. “This is a positive foreveryone.”A November 2012 letter sent by the

SBLCC to the Port of Los Angeles Directorof Environmental Management expressedthe chamber’s support for the project.“SCIG is an ideal example of green

growth and will be an important economicasset for our region,” the letter read. At thetime, Trini Jimenez was listed as an SBLCCboard member. Jimenez currently serves asBNSF’s director of government affairs.Longtime Westside resident and WLBA

member Roger Rowe told the BusinessJournal he has personally asked MayorGarcia where he stands on the SCIG issue.“He won’t answer the question on SCIG,

[but] his appointments are pro-SCIG,”Rowe said.John Cross, also a member of WLBA and

longtime opponent of the project, said he’sconcerned that pro-SCIG planning commis-sioners will reclassify West Long Beach landthat was zoned as a greenbelt in the 1990s. “The Long Beach Planning Commission

can vote to upzone that to light industry,which means the railroad could put two

1,000-foot spurs that would run downbehind homes and schools,” Cross said.The Business Journal reached out to

Garcia’s office, seeking comment on theconcerns of Westside residents. As of presstime he hadn’t responded. During the October 21 city council

meeting however, following statementsby Cross about commission appointmentsand potential conflicts of interest, Garciaresponded that the city attorney willadvise commissioners on any vote inwhich a conflict may arise.“Any time there’s a conflict of interest,

the city attorney will advise the commis-sion staff as well as the commissioner,[and] that commissioner will not be ableto vote on a topic if there is a conflict ofinterest,” he said. �

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Members of the West Long Beach Association spoke recently about their opposition to BNSF’s proposedrail yard, over concerns of increased pollution and truck traffic on West Long Beach neighborhoods andschools. Members also expressed concerns over recent appointments made to the city’s planning commis-sion. At least two of commission members have publicly expressed support for the BNSF project. From Left:WLBA President Bila Chaka, Vice President Theral Golden, Advocate Roger Rowe, Hostess RenaAnderson; and Acting Treasurer John Cross. (Photographs by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Railway Project(Continued From Page 1)



year-old agent liaison with Coldwell BankerWestmac; 29-year-old Bijan Noori, owner ofBay Point Insurance and Financial Services;Brandon Carrillo, a 34-year-old commercialreal estate broker with Lee & Associates;61-year-old Executive Director of the LongBeach Museum of Art Ron Nelson; and 66-year-old John Morris, principal owner of theAlamitos Bay restaurant, Boathouse on theBay. Like the women interviewed for this

series, it appears men (and their wallets)are frequently drawn away from LongBeach by the shopping options afforded atspots like South Coast Plaza and evenFashion Island. A self-described “Tommy Bahama” man,

John Morris explained that he’s not one towear fancy suits very often, but, even whenshopping for casual wear, he still makes the20-mile trip south to Costa Mesa. Thoughnot a frequent shopper, he explained thatwhen he buys clothes he often finds himselfat the Tommy Bahama at Fashion Island orNordstrom at South Coast Plaza. “That’s my choice outside of Long

Beach. It’s a very limited selection intown,” Morris said. “That’s pretty much theway it’s always been and I don’t see itchanging for a long time either.”For real estate broker Brandon Carrillo,

Nordstrom is the best option when it comesto buying suits for work.“Nordstrom is usually the best deal for

everyone. You get quality stuff and, if

there’s some problems with it, you don’t geta problem returning things,” Carrillo said.He admitted that shopping isn’t his

favorite way to spend his free time, explain-ing that he takes advantage of Nordstrom’spersonal shopper services. The store offersboth free and fee-based services gearedtoward helping customers pick out clothes.“They have a great model to take all the

thinking out of it. I’m sure for most busi-ness professionals, that’s just ideal.Especially guys,” Carrillo said, “Mostguys, the last thing they want to do is shop.I’d rather be at a bar watching the game.”When it comes to buying casual clothes,

Carrillo isn’t too discriminating. “Costco is amazing,” he said. “You know

you’re getting the lowest price because it’salready pre-negotiated upon volume . . .Costco’s thing is, if they don’t have anexclusive low price on an item you won’tfind it there.” He added that he usually shops at the

Costco in Irvine.Carrillo said he’s had many discussions

with local developers who express frustra-tion at the fact that people from the SouthBay commonly bypass Long Beach tomake a 20-mile-or-more drive south to sat-isfy their shopping needs.“It’s one of those anomalies that I know

developers are trying to figure out – how toget that money not to go to Orange County,but to stay here,” he said.Bijan Noori said he has gone to Macy’s

at South Coast Plaza the last couple oftimes he’s been in the market for a suit. Heexplained that he appreciates the service he

gets and the fact that employees there don’taggressively try to upsell their product.“[Other] brokers always try to upsell

you, and their deals are never really deals,”Noori said. Like Noori, Dan De Leon also buys

suits outside of Long Beach. When askedwhy, he explained that Long Beach haslimited selection.“Our only real options right now are very

high-end brokers or the very low-qualitysuit brokers,” he said.De Leon explained he’ll typically go to a

3 Day Suit Broker located in Torrance or aMen’s Warehouse in Lakewood – and, notsurprisingly for a 25-year-old, De Leonalso uses his personal computer as a shop-ping resource. “I’ll do it online. There are quite a few

places where, if you know your measure-ments well enough, they can make youquite a good suit,” De Leon said, addingthat his website of choice iscombatgent.com. “It might just be a symbol of our times,

but when I [shop] online, not only is therethe convenience of it all, but I get a muchwider selection and it’s just simple,” he said.Though De Leon explained he’ll visit

spots on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore suchas the Gap and Buffalo Exchange whenshopping for casual clothes, he’s typicallynot looking to refurbish an entirewardrobe and doesn’t usually spend largeamounts of money. “When I do shop, it’s for one pair of

pants and a T-shirt. It never fills more thanone bag,” he said.

Conversely, as director of the LongBeach Museum of Art, Ron Nelson sees hiswardrobe as an integral part of his profes-sion. His closet brims with clothes –bought out of town. “Because I’m on the arts beat and I’m

aesthetic in everything I see and do, fash-ion for me is just another extension of that.I’m looking for something that’s contem-porary but at the same time business-appropriate,” Nelson said.Though he shops in stores such as

Nordstrom in South Coast Plaza andNeiman Marcus at Fashion Island, Nelsonalso spends a lot of time traveling out of thecountry where he makes purchases in citieslike Tokyo and Paris. Yet, as Nelson himselfwill attest, the brick and mortar stores ofthe world are outclassed when it comes tothe convenience of the World Wide Web.“I’m finding myself more online lately.

It’s easier. Returns are easier, it’s more con-venient. It saves a lot of time – open thebox, [it’s] great. If not, slap on the returnlabel and it goes back,” Nelson said.When it comes to buying gifts for family

members and friends, Nelson said he shopsat Luna in Belmont Shore as well as the giftshop in the Long Beach Art Museum. Hesaid when buying things for the home hetries to keep the money in Long Beach andheads to one of the city’s two Lowe’s homeimprovement stores.When asked about shopping for gifts,

hobbies and home, others interviewed forthis article say they are frequently pulledoutside of Long Beach’s borders. Morris, an avid linksman, explained that

he purchases golf equipment at RogerDunn Golf Shop in Seal Beach. Whenshopping for furniture and home goods, DeLeon said he prefers Ikea in Carson.Almost everybody interviewed mentionedHome Depot in Signal Hill for tools anditems for the home. When asked what he thought the reason

was for Long Beach’s struggles in generat-ing sales tax revenue, Morris theorized itboils down to the city’s demographics.“When you look at the demographics of

the city, it doesn’t warrant the high end retail-ers. I flash back to Pine Avenue when we hadThe Limited, Bath & Body Works, Crate andBarrel, and, for that matter, Nordstrom Rack.All of these stores have pulled up stakes andmoved out,” Morris said.He added that it’s going to take an influx

of high-paying jobs supporting a new waveof residential development before suchretailers can thrive in the city.“You need massive amounts of people

before you can really justify bringing high-quality retail to town,” Morris added.The Business Journal reached out to for-

mer 3rd District Councilmember GaryDeLong, who, incidentally, shops for suitsat South Coast Plaza. He said from a citygovernment perspective he’s more con-cerned with “big ticket” sales tax revenueas opposed to street level retail.“I think we should make an earnest effort

to bring auto dealers back as much as wecan. We’ve made some good progress inthe past but there’s always more room forimprovement.”So the question remains, is there a place

in Long Beach’s future for more high-endretailers, or will it be up to cars to drive aneconomic turnaround? �

Men’s Shopping Choices(Continued From Page 1)



McBride High School, the City of LongBeach became a partner in the Long BeachCollege Promise, a partnership between theLong Beach Unified School District(LBUSD), Long Beach City College(LBCC) and California State University,Long Beach (CSULB). Formed in 2008,the College Promise guarantees enrollmentat LBCC or CSULB for qualified LBUSDstudents. For those attending LBCC thefirst semester of tuition is free and transferto CSULB is also guaranteed. At the event,Long Beach College Promise studentFaviolanny Rath told the Business Journalthe program enabled her to be the first inher family to attend college.At the press conference and signing

ceremony at McBride High, Garcia,LBUSD Superintendent ChrisSteinhauser, LBCC Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley and CSULBPresident Jane Close Conoley signed anupdated Long Beach College Promise. “The city is committing itself to work-

ing, partnering and collaborating with ourinstitutions on the promise so that they canmeet the goals they have in place,” Garciasaid at the signing event. The city’s partici-pation in the College Promise was Garcia’sfirst major initiative as mayor.The expanded College Promise now also

focuses on providing universal preschooland creating more internship opportunitiesfor students. “We are looking and we are

joining together in new ways in trying toreach universal preschool attainment in theCity of Long Beach. We believe that everyyoung student should have access to qual-ity preschool,” Garcia said.Following the event, Steinhauser told

the Business Journal that about 70 per-cent of Long Beach students attend pre-school. The school district has begunworking to include the remaining 30 per-cent of children in preschool programs byopening new preschool programs atGarfield, Webster and HudsonElementary Schools in Westside LongBeach. “We just added an additional 200seats for preschool students in our lower-income areas,” he said. In East LongBeach, three new paid preschool pro-grams are available for middle-incomeresidents and above.As a new partner in the College

Promise, Garcia is pushing to double thenumber of internships for Long Beachstudents to 3,000 total. To start, he andCity Manager Pat West have partnered todouble the number of internships in citydepartments from 400 to 800.“If we are really going to build our eco-

nomic base, we have to start with educa-tion,” Garcia told the Business Journal fol-lowing the event. “Where the city can playa role is in some of these other parts of edu-cation that are oftentimes around issues ofworkforce development. The internshipspiece is really important, but also the uni-versal preschool part is really important.”

Education Initiatives(Continued From Page 1)




North Long BeachWhole Village Initiative

A day after the city joined the LongBeach College Promise, 9th DistrictCouncilmember Rex Richardson andLBUSD Boardmember Megan Kerrannounced the creation of the North Long

Beach Whole Village Initiative, which cre-ates a new education foundation to providefunding for after-school programs and lever-ages a task force of community leaders toidentify opportunities for youth programs. The formation of such a foundation

developed out of a need to provide fundingfor extracurricular activities for students.“North Long Beach has close to 100,000residents north of Del Amo Boulevard.That is one-fifth of the city’s population,and we don’t have one education founda-tion,” Richardson told the BusinessJournal. One hundred percent of fundsraised through the foundation are going tobe funneled into after-school programs,youth jobs, mentoring opportunities andcollege-readiness programs.Richardson and Kerr have tasked a group

of community leaders from local businessimprovement districts, churches, healthcare programs, and city departments aswell as the Pacific Gateway WorkforceInvestment Network to identify opportuni-ties to develop these sorts of programs.Additionally, over the course of the nextmonth, the task force is going to gatherdata from throughout North Long Beach toidentify programs already in place in thearea, Richardson said. Former 9th District Councilmember

Steven Neal is overseeing the foundationand task force in a volunteer capacity. “Myentire career, I’ve believed that it really doestake a whole village to raise a child,” he saidin a statement. “I am proud to be able tocontinue to give back to my community.” �

Education Initiatives(Continued From Page 9)

Long Beach Unified School DistrictBoardmember Megan Kerr (left) and 9th DistrictCouncilmember Rex Richardson (center) werejoined by Rep. Janice Hahn at the announce-ment of their North Long Beach Whole VillageInitiative on October 14. The initiative createsan education foundation to fund extracurricularprograms and work experience opportunities forNorth Long Beach youth. (Photograph providedby the 9th District City Council office)


THE LONG BEACH BUSINESS JOURNAL’S

Focus On Women In Business

Clockwise from top left: • Michelle Manire, Coast To Coast Conferences & Events• Joann Blayney, Safety Dynamics Group• Lisa Albanese, Cheese Addiction• Bunthay Tan, Beach Eyecare Optometry• Anita Grace Edwards, Law Offices Of Anita Grace Edwards

• Annette Kephart, GeoAssurance(Design by Hugo Ricardo)


WOMEN IN BUSINESS12 Long Beach Business Journal October 28-November 10, 2014

Local Women-Owned BusinessesMirror National Growth


Senior Writer

The recently released 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report byAmerican Express OPEN indicated that women-owned businesses in America aregrowing faster than the norm. While the total number of businesses in the U.S. increased by 47 percent from 1997 to

2014, the number of women-owned businesses grew 68 percent. During this period oftime, 591 new women-owned businesses were started every day, on average, according tothe report. Thus far, from 2013 to 2014, “an estimated 1,288 new women-owned firmshave started each day,” the report noted. Women-owned companies now make up 30 per-cent of all businesses in the country.The six women business owners interviewed in this edition of the Long Beach Business

Journal’s quarterly Focus On Women In Business became entrepreneurs at varying stagesin life and through different means. Some started out by simply taking on a job to providefor themselves and their families and organically developed a passion for their work, even-tually leading them to take over the company they worked for. Others were inspired to pur-sue new careers to have more schedule flexibility or to meet the needs of niche markets. These women represent a wide range of backgrounds and industries, reflecting national

trends that indicate women-owned businesses are growing, and growing fast. About half ofthese Long Beach women plan to expand by opening additional locations, and the otherhalf are examining ways to diversify their services, signifying that, in this time of economicrecovery, local women business owners aren’t just focused on surviving, but on thriving.

Lisa AlbaneseCheese Addiction

195 Claremont Ave., Long Beach562/433-4986 • www.cheeseaddiction.com

After essentially running Venissimo Cheese in Belmont Shore for five years, LisaAlbanese leapt at the chance to purchase the store when the owner decided to

close shop in 2013.“The owner approached me and said that I did such an amazing job that she never had

to come up [to Long Beach] to do anything. She was here maybe twice a year for half anhour at a time.” Albanese said. The store had been the first Los Angeles County locationfor Venissimo Cheese, which has four stores in San Diego County. Albanese had beenemployed there since the store opened in 2008, performing the store’s daily operations.

“The owner felt that it was no longer her shop, that I had become the face of this loca-tion. She decided that they wanted to stay in San Diego and I was offered the opportunityto buy my job. So I went and got a loan and I bought my job,” Albanese recalled.Albanese took over the shop about a year ago – on November 1, 2013 – and renamed

it Cheese Addiction. What inspired her to take on the business was simple: a passion forcheese. “It is such a unique and special field. No two wheels of cheese are alike, just likeno two bottles of wine are alike,” Albanese said. “Once you get in a new product or a newwheel of cheese you haven’t had for awhile, it truly is like Christmas.”Not much has changed about the shop since Albanese purchased it. “If it ain’t broke,

don’t fix it,” she said. “I always had control over quite a bit of what came in to the shopbecause we cater to the community. If our community loves fresh mozzarella, we aregoing to make sure we stock it. If Limburger is a no-no for the people in this area then wewon’t carry it,” she explained. “Fortunately, we have some very adventurous people in thiscommunity who love new cheeses. My goal is about two new cheeses each week.” “What sets us apart from anywhere else is everything is cut to order. Nothing is pre-

packaged or pre-wrapped, so you are getting a fresh cut of cheese off of a wheel,”Albanese emphasized. The storeowner also takes pride in the shop’s emphasis on education. “We have Cheese

Addict 101 classes in the shop where you are encouraged to bring your favorite bottle ofwine and we will go through everything you want to know about cheese – and of coursetaste them.” The store also offers gift baskets, custom trays and private parties, and has amonthly cheese club.As a new business owner, Albanese said one of her challenges in growing her business

is managing her time. “There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done,and so much of it can only be done by the business owner versus the staff,” she explained.In the future, Albanese said she hopes to expand having more pairing and tasting events

with cheese, wine and beer. �

Joann BlayneySafety Dynamics Group

4141 Norse Way, Long Beach562/425-4886 • www.safetydynamicsgroup.com

When Joann Blayney was hired by Safety Dynamics Group in 1985, she started asa secretary with little background in safety training and management. After mov-

ing up in the company, she took ownership of the business in 2000.Initially, Blayney’s main motivator for joining Safety Dynamics was her family. “What

appealed to me about it was I had two little kids, and the man I went to work for wasamazing. He didn’t have a problem when sometimes in the summer I would bring the kidsto work,” she recalled. Plus the business was located within walking distance from herhome.“Safety was something I knew nothing about, but once I got into it, it began to get more

exciting,” she said. In the mid 1980s, Safety Dynamics Group was primarily focused onproviding CPR training for hospitals and small businesses. As federal and state workplacesafety regulations became more stringent, particularly under the Occupational Safety andHealth Administration (OSHA), the company evolved to include comprehensive servicesto help businesses learn about and comply with new standards.In the late ’80s, OSHA developed the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency

Response standards, which required businesses and organizations to adhere to certainhazardous waste cleanup procedures and respond to emergencies in particular ways.Safety Dynamics Group began training companies to properly comply with the standards,





which significantly grew the business. “At that time, we trained all of the Texaco locationson the West Coast all the way to Alaska and Hawaii. That was a huge amount of growthfor the company,” Blayney said.As the safety regulatory environment underwent these changes, Blayney began taking

on projects at work. “Going out and training people in CPR and hazardous materials man-agement was just fascinating. I also learned how to write safety programs, which was awhole new area for me,” she said. After three years at Safety Dynamics, the owner giftedBlayney with 20 percent of the company. Several years later, he gifted her with another20 percent. When he retired in 2000, she purchased the company.The transition into owning her own business was fairly smooth, thanks to the clientele

she had developed. “I was well entrenched in the business. I knew what I was doing. Myclients were solid, and we had great accounts,” she said.In a line of business dominated by regulations, Blayney said her biggest challenge is

keeping up with changes to laws as well as new legislation. “The challenge is stayingahead of the game and keeping up with the changes in OSHA.”Blayney continues to grow the business by expanding the services it provides. About

six years ago, Safety Dynamics began providing businesses with onsite safety personneland supervisors. She also opened a second location in Escondido last year, which servesSan Diego County.In the future, Blayney hopes to continue expanding her businesses by opening an office

in the Bay Area. �

Anita Grace EdwardsLaw Offices of Anita Grace Edwards

3811 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach562/490-3825 • www.edwards-law.glfhost.com

For Anita Grace Edwards, starting her own law firm in 1997 was a way to advance hercareer and still have to time to focus on one of her highest priorities – being a mom.

Before becoming a lawyer, Edwards had been working as a contract manager for SonyPictures, a position that led her to pursue a law degree. “I was working directly with busi-ness and legal affairs [departments] dealing with the various contracts for directors andproducers, and that is really what piqued my interest in going to law school,” she said.“I worked full time at Sony Pictures, I went part time to Whittier Law School and I was

raising two small children,” she recalled. “When I passed the bar, I had a choice to eithergo back into the corporate setting to practice law, or to try and spend time being a momand being a professional,” she said. “So I chose the latter. I decided to have my own prac-tice so I would have the flexibility and also have the self-direction to take on cases that Ibelieved in and I wanted to take on while still spending time with my kids.”Not only did opening her own practice, called the Law Offices of Anita Grace Edwards,

provide her with flexible work hours, it also gave her the freedom to choose her owncases. One of the first cases she took on involved workplace sexual harassment, which ledher to ultimately focus on employment law. “That was my first encounter with employment law. The case was so dynamic. There

were so many issues. And I found that my background was very helpful in maneuveringthrough the case because I do have a corporate background, so I am very astute in termsof corporate policies and systems,” Edwards explained. “I just found it a good match forme. From then on I started focusing on employment law.”In the past few years, Edwards has expanded her focus to include small business law.

“I am beginning to represent more small businesses because, in this time period, a lot ofindividuals are opting for careers in entrepreneurship and creating small businesses,” shesaid. “They don’t have the expertise in terms of legal and human resources issues, so I ambeginning to spend more time helping small businesses with those issues to prevent liti-gation issues down the road.”Edwards’ biggest challenges moving her business forward are marketing and finding

time to network, she said. “If you have a heavy caseload, that can prevent you from going

out and actually marketing your business,” she explained. “I think the best marketing toolis self-marketing – going out there and actually meeting people versus just advertising . .. I think that is my biggest challenge as a sole practitioner.” In the future, Edwards hopes to attend more networking events and continue diversify-

ing her practice to serve small businesses. �

Annette KephartGeoAssurance

4404 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach888/806-1088 • www.geoassurance.com

Years of experience in real estate and title insurance, coupled with emerging indus-try needs created by a then-recent California law, led Annette Kephart to start a

specialized business with her husband in 2005.After selling real estate became difficult due to high interest rates, Kephart went into

title insurance where she met her husband, Ralph. Through that line of work, she becamewell acquainted with a law passed in California in 1998 – the Natural Hazards DisclosureAct, which requires a seller of property to disclose to the buyer if the property lies withinstate-mapped hazard areas.“Sellers are supposed to disclose everything they know about a property, but there are

things they may not know, such as whether they are in an earthquake fault zone, a land-slide zone or a liquefaction zone,” Kephart said. Recognizing a need for a source of com-prehensive natural hazard mapping within California’s real estate industry, Kephart andher husband opened GeoAssurance, a company which produces natural hazard, environ-mental and tax disclosure reports.Although her husband had previously owned a civil engineering firm, GeoAssurance

was Kephart’s first experience starting a business. “It was difficult because I never hadmy own company before,” she recalled. “When you have a company, you have to wearmany hats. Not only did I have to do sales, but I had to figure out the marketing and alsotry to become more of an expert [on natural hazard disclosures] so that I could talk intel-ligently about it,” she explained.GeoAssurance is also in the business of mapping to show if certain hazards, such as

flood or landslide zones and abandoned oil wells, are on a property. The company layersmaps showing hazards to create a single comprehensive resource. Mapping abandoned oil wells is a particularly important service in the Long Beach

area, Kephart noted. “We have approximately 10,000 abandoned oil wells in Long Beach,Signal Hill and Seal Beach,” she noted.“We also map FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] flood zones.

California law requires us to say if any portion of your property touches a flood zone, butFEMA only cares if the structure itself is in it,” Kephart said. Through GeoAssurance’sprecise mapping, real estate agents are able to determine not only if a property is withina flood zone, but also if the structure on the land touches the flood zone. GeoAssurance provides this data to real estate agents and escrow companies throughout

California, Kephart said. The business also conducts training classes for real estate groups.Kephart’s biggest challenges moving forward are contending with competition and mak-

ing sure the company is advertising enough, she said. “The biggest challenge is gettingpeople to be aware of what we do that is different and how helpful we really are,” she said.In the future, Kephart said she wants to expand her business’s reach. She is also invest-

ing in a web-based, technologically advanced system to ensure the company is on the cut-ting edge in its field. �


BEACH COUNTYREAL ESTATE



Michelle ManireCoast To Coast Conferences & Events

100 W. Broadway, Suite 250, Long Beach562/980-7566 • www.ctcconferences.com

In 1994, after many years of working in managerial positions in the hospitalityindustry, Michelle Manire decided to use the skills she had developed to start herown business in Long Beach.“At that time in the hotel business, if you were getting promoted you had to leave

the city or state you were in, so I moved around quite a bit,” Manire recalled. Afterworking as a general manager at a local hotel, she realized she wanted to put downroots in Southern California. “I wanted to do something that would utilize the skillsetthat I acquired in the hotel industry, so I started my business,” she said. The business, now known as Coast to Coast Conferences & Events, was originally

founded as Catalina Travel Connection. “After I left the hotel business, one of my pre-vious bosses asked me to go to Catalina to manage a hotel and catering business for ashort period of time as a consultant,” Manire said. “At that time I realized there wasno one selling Catalina on the mainland, so after I left that consulting job I started theCatalina Travel Connection, which sold individual and group comprehensive packagesto Catalina.”Manire has rebranded the company twice since then – first as CTC Destination &

Meeting Management, which expanded the business’ focus to include conference andevent planning services, and most recently to Coast to Coast Conferences & Events, inorder to reflect the company’s national reach, she explained. Manire is the presidentand CEO of the company.Coast to Coast has four main areas of expertise. “One is housing management,

which includes contract negotiations, venue selection and managing the hotel roomsall the way through to the completion of the event or the conference,” Manireexplained. Another main area of focus for the business is destination management,which includes overseeing and advising event or conference organizers about locallicensing and permitting processes as well as tourist activities and transportationoptions. Coast to Coast also provides conference management and specializes in sport-ing events.Looking toward the future, Manire said strengthening the company brand, building

a strong web presence and implementing an online marketing plan are key, but chal-lenging, endeavors. “It is a very daunting initiative to work on while still wearing manyhats as a business owner,” she reflected.To help determine how to tackle these goals, Manire applied and was accepted into

Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses Program at Long Beach City College. Theprogram provides small businesses with educational, financial and business resources.She is also a graduate of Leadership Long Beach, a program that fosters leadershipdevelopment while educating participants about the Long Beach community. “Theeducation I received from Goldman Sach’s and Leadership Long Beach have reallyassisted me in the direction I need to take my business,” she said.Moving forward, Manire is considering opening satellite offices or perhaps franchise

locations. “I am very interested in having a larger presence in our industry and beinga leader in our industry, and I am looking at expanding our reach,” she said. �

Dr. Bunthay TanBeach Eyecare Optometry5531 E. Stearns St., Suite A, Long Beach

562/596-3838 • www.beacheyecareoptometry.com

Although Dr. Bunthay Tan always knew she one day wanted to open her ownoptometry practice, the birth of her son inspired her to achieve that goal sooner

rather than later.“I always knew I wanted to be a doctor since I was very young, maybe even in elemen-

tary school,” Tan said. As a student at UCLA, Tan decided to pursue optometry rather thananother medical field because of the personal interaction it affords with patients. “Themost appealing part of optometry was that I get to see patients day in and day out. I amsort of a people person so I needed that interaction,” Tan said. After earning her doctorate in optometry at the State University of New York in 2006

and then completing the university’s vision therapy and rehabilitation residency, Tanmoved back to California and began working in optometry offices. “I am Cambodian, and in Long Beach there is the largest population of Cambodians

outside of Cambodia. There are not many Cambodian optometrists, let alone womenoptometrists, so I thought it would be perfect to be back in Long Beach,” Tan said ofthe decision to move back to her hometown.“In the back of my mind I had always thought about starting an office, but when my

son came it was like, ‘yeah, we definitely should do this.’ Having someone else to lookafter, who depends on you, makes you prioritize,” Tan said. Last November, when herson was about a year old, Tan and her husband opened Beach Eyecare Optometry onStearns Street in the Los Altos area.“We are a full-scope optometric practice,” Tan said. In addition to offering eye exams

and glasses prescriptions, the practice provides vision therapy, glaucoma and cataractcare, and pre- and post-appointments for Lasik surgery, among other services.The transition to starting her own business was difficult, but worthwhile, according

to Tan. “When you open your own practice, there is a lot to do,” she said. “It was verylong hours for two months. I would be here until maybe one in the morning, setting upinsurances, setting up all of our vendors and making sure everything was okay beforewe saw patients.”In the year the practice has been open, the business has already grown. “I kind of set

lower expectations because I didn’t want to be disappointed, but it has been going verynicely,” Tan said. “I think 2015 will be a very good year for us.”Tan’s biggest challenge moving forward is balancing work and family life. “We are talk-

ing about having a second child. That is when it is going to get tough again, because nowI am going to balance two babies and running the business,” she explained.Moving forward, Tan hopes to become more involved in the community. She and her

husband are a part of the Cambodian Health Professionals Association of America, andshe is now looking into joining the Khmer Parents Association’s board of advisors. �


Laura Claveran, AttorneyClaveran Law Firm

5199 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 508 • Long Beach, CA 90804(562) 494-2828 • www.ClaveranLaw.com

Laura Claveran is an attorney practicing in the areas of EstatePlanning and Immigration Law.

Ms. Claveran specializes in Wills & Trusts, Probate Mattersand Conservatorships.

She also represents clients on Business Immigration includingEB-5 Investor Visas and Family Petitions for Immigration.

Call her office at 562-494-2828 for a free initial consultationand information booklets. Visit Ms. Claveran’s website formore information and her biography at www.ClaveranLaw.comor www.EstatePlanningRedefined.com.

Elizabeth Wise, Founder/ CEOCancer Concierge Network, 501(c)3, Nonprofit

1965 21st St. • Signal Hill, CA 90755 . (562) 342-6830 • www.cancerconciergenetwork.org

Elizabeth, a Cancer Survivor is passionate about CCN.Elizabeth is a successful community leader and will bring thesame energy to CCN as she did with dealing with her cancerin 2002 and 2007. She conducted extensive research onnutrition, wellness and alternative treatments. Elizabeth’sexperience and her knowledge in fundraising, nonprofits,grant writing and networking will be utilized to give back toher community via FREE monthly “Victory” wellnessretreats. CCN’s mission is to guide, educate, and refer thepatient and caregiver in the direction that will best fit theirspecific needs. Give the Gift of Hope!

Heide E. Clark, RN, CCN’s Medical AdvisorCancer Concierge Network, 501(c)3, Nonprofit

1965 21st St. • Signal Hill, CA 90755 (562) 342-6830 • www.cancerconciergenetwork.org

Heide, the Medical Advisor for CCN and a Preferred Provider asMICAH’s Wellness has 40 years of nursing experience and inte-grates mental, physical and spiritual healing of others. She ispassionate about conscious health awareness since her husband'sdeath from testicular cancer. She is trained in CompassionatePain Relief Program and Mind/Body Medicine. She worked withDr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. David Simon in the development ofChopra's Magical Beginnings Enchanted Lives Program. Heide'svision is to facilitate wellness through Christian faith based med-itation, healing touch, pain and stress management, post surgicalservices, childbirth education, and doula services.

Paige Fingerhut, RealtorBeach Equities

4531 E. Anaheim St. • Long Beach, CA 90804(562) 597-8413 • [email protected]

A Long Beach native, Paige maintains expertise in probate,trust, & conservatorship sales, working with attorneys,CPA's, trustees, administrators, & conservators. She isasked regularly to speak at professional trust & estateorganizations on a range of topics from the particulars ofthe probate purchase contract to the real estate temperaturein local markets. “We serve our clients through unparalleledlevels of service, expertise, & experience. They know everydetail of their transaction(s) will be handled smoothly andwith utmost integrity.” Paige is involved in many local char-ities and recently married the love of her life this past May.

Vivian Bigam, DirectorArgus Medical Management, LLC

5150 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 500 • Long Beach, CA 90804 (562) 299-5220 • [email protected]

Mrs. Bigam has been awarded the 2014 Optum LifetimeAchievement Award. Mrs. Bigam has over 25 years experi-ence in physician and hospital outpatient billing and ElectronicMedical Records (EMR) including 19 years with Argus (sinceinception). Mrs. Bigam is certified for physician practice man-agement and EMR on the Optum system.

Gail DesiletsMarriage & Family Therapist

3780 Kilroy Airport Way, Ste. 200 • Long Beach, CA 90806(562) 477-2530 • www.GailDesilets.com

Gail Desilets is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapistwho specializes in working with successful people whoneed some assistance in their personal life. She works withadult individuals and couples and is solution focused to helpmake life better as quickly as possible. She is convenientlylocated in the Kilroy Airport Business Park. Gail has flex-ible therapy hours available during the day and eveningsseven days a week to fit busy life styles. Call (562) 477-2530 or visit www.GailDesilets.com to see how she canhelp you today.License #MFC53879

Monika Zuzanska, FounderEcoCleaning Solutions, Inc.

(562) [email protected] • www.ecoclean-inc.com

Monika Zuzanska is the owner and founder of EcoCleaningSolutions, Inc. She has been actively involved in the cleaningservice industry since 2003. Monika’s house cleaning servicegrew over the years. Her commitment to each and everyhomeowner is to provide the highest quality service in everyhome and business on every single visit. Monika has dedicatedthis business to helping homeowners and businesses protecttheir investments while maintaining clean and healthy livingand working environments. She is also participating inGoldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Monikawelcomes your inquiries and looks forward to talking with you.

Dr. Alyson Emery, OwnerEmery & Emery

3840 Woodruff Ave., Ste. 208 • Long Beach, CA 90808(562) 421-9361 • www.emerydds.com

Dr. Alyson received her B.S. from UCLA and her D.D.S. fromthe University of Pacific School of Dentistry. She has prac-ticed dentistry with Dr. Doug Emery in Long Beach for over25 years. She prides herself in providing high quality den-tistry while making patients feel very comfortable. Dr.Alyson believes in being part of the community and has vol-unteered for numerous organizations. She is a past Presidentof The Harbor Dental Society, LB Chamber Women’sCouncil, and National Charity League. “The most meaning-ful volunteer work I do is providing dentistry to the youngladies in the Pathways to Independence program.”

Celinda Frey, OwnerEn Pointe Dance & Fitness

713 Termino Ave. • Long Beach, CA 90804(562) 438-3262 • www.enpointedanceandfitness.com

Celinda Frey is the owner of En Pointe Dance & Fitness andis so excited to offer a dance and fitness studio to theBelmont Heights Community. Celinda began dancing at theage of 3 and followed her love of dance to C.S.U.L.B. whereshe received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance. She has beenteaching all ages for the past 20 years. The studio offersdance classes for children and adults in ballet, contemporary,hip-hop, jazz & tap. They also offer fitness classes for adultswith a childcare option for most classes: Barre Fusion, Burnat the Barre, Pilates Mat, Yoga & Zumba. Please visit theirwebsite for more information.

Mary Whirledge, RealtorColdwell Banker Star Realty

460 Pacific Coast Hwy. • Seal Beach, CA 90740 (562) 500-2700 • www.LongBeachHomesOnline.com

A Real Estate professional for 20 years, Mary Whirledge is amember of Pacific West Board of Realtors, California Associationof Realtors and National Association of Realtors. She holds aRECS and an e-Pro designation defining her dedication to contin-uing education. Mary shows versatility with a foreclosure/ shortsale designation as well as being a Corp. Relocation and ColdwellBanker Specialist for high end properties. As well as being a list-ing agent Mary holds a designation as an Accredited BuyersRepresentative. UC Davis prepared Mary with strong public rela-tions and economic skills to negotiate in today’s challenging mar-ket. Call Mary today for all of your Real Estate needs.


Machelle Thompson, PT, CSA, CMC President and Geriatric Care Manager, Keen Home Care

260 Redondo Ave. • Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 438-5336 • Fax (562) 438-5337

Machelle has built a sterling reputation working with seniors forover 20 years as a physical therapist and licensed nursing homeadministrator in the Long Beach and Los Angeles area. Hercompany, Keen Home Care, provides insight into the challengesthat aging presents to the senior and their entire family. Machelle,a Long Beach native for over 30 years, plays an active role in thecommunity, serving on the Community Hospital Long BeachFoundation and Long Beach Business Executives Associationboards, along with her National Association of Geriatric CareManagers, Estate Planning and Trust Council of Long Beach,ProVisors and Women Presidents’ Organization memberships.

Janis Krantz, OwnerJ & L Jewelry

1823 Ximeno Ave. • Long Beach, CA 90815(562) 986-4380 • www.jnljewelry.com

Long Beach native Janis Krantz, owner of J&L Jewelry, hasbeen in the jewelry business since 1967 and opened herbusiness in 1991. Janis attended all Long Beach schools – OurLady of Refuge, Saint Anthony High School and Long BeachCity College. You can find quality jewelry items at J&Lranging from $10 to whatever your heart may desire. We carryplatinum, white gold, yellow gold, sterling silver, gold or silver-plated items and estate jewelry. J&L Jewelry is very involvedin our community helping local charities and schools. Ourslogan is: “Welcome to J&L Jewelry where women get intotrouble and men get out of it!” We are diamond specialists.

Sophia Nguyen, FounderHudavi Wellness Spa

5550 E. 7th St. • Long Beach, CA 90804(562) 433-2177 • www.hudaviwellness.com

Sophia Nguyen, the founder of Hudavi Wellness, is a holistichealth provider who believes that wellness is a lifestyle. She is acertified practitioner in Nutritional Counseling, ColonHydrotherapy, Body Work and Esthetics. Sophia’s lifework hasled to the creation of Hudavi which delivers her vision of anaffectionate, affordable, quality wellness facility that incorpo-rates preventive care, Naturopathy, Chiropractic, traditionalChinese medicine (including acupuncture and herbology), bodyand energy work, Ayruveda, and skin care. Sophia and her spe-cialized team will help you take control of your health and max-imize the benefits of both eastern and western health and healing.

Mia Falkenstein, Director of SalesHornblower Cruises & Events

13755 Fiji Way • Marina del Rey, CA 90292(310) 301-6000 • www.hornblower.com

It’s the people at Hornblower Cruises & Events that make it atop attraction in LA. One amazing crew member is MiaFalkenstein, Director of Sales. Mia excels at business develop-ment for Hornblower’s tourism markets and the entertainmentindustry. With 10 years at Hornblower and 20 years in theindustry, Mia is very involved in many organizations, such asWounded Warriors, California Travel Association, LAXCoastal Chamber, TTMA, MPI, LA Concierge Associationand often ties in events on Hornblower yachts whenever pos-sible. Her goal is to create beneficial partnerships, help chari-table organizations and show off our beautiful destination.

Annette Kephart, Executive Vice President/Co-OwnerGeoAssurance

4404 Pacific Coast Hwy. • Long Beach, CA 90804(562) 435-5100 • www.geoassurance.com

GeoAssurance is a natural hazard and environmental hazard dis-closure company located in Long Beach. The reports are used inreal estate transactions, which map earthquake faults, abandonedor active oil wells, and many other issues of concern so that buy-ers can make informed decisions on their home purchase.Annette’s background includes real estate sales, title insurancesales, and mortgage lending. Annette has a strong connection inLong Beach with many Brokers and Real Estate agents. “Whenyou need to know what’s below”® you can contact Annette.

Lourdes Valles, Co-OwnerGems & Jewels

4130 Atlantic Ave., Ste. 102 • Long Beach, CA 90807(562) 426-8601 • www.bixbyjewelers.com

I’ve always been a businesswoman: at age twelve I organ-ized yard sales in our neighborhood, sold stickers to kidsin grade school and of course had a lemonade stand! Now,I own and operate Gems & Jewels in Bixby Knolls, a finejewelry store, and full service jewelry and watch repairworkshop. We focus on quality jewelry repairs, watchrestoration and jewelry customizations. I have the supportof my partner, Jeffrey Winnick. He manages and overseesday-to-day operations of the jewelry store. Combined withmy staff we have over 80 years of experience in the jew-elry business.

Joen Garnica, President/Principal DesignerGarnica Interiors Inc

216 The Promenade North, Ste. 206 • Long Beach, CA 90802(562) 242-9122 • garnicainteriors.com

Joen Garnica is a forward thinking interior designer and founderof Garnica Interiors Inc., a full service interior design firm pro-viding comprehensive solutions for residential and commercialclients. Garnica Interiors creates beautiful, innovative and func-tional interiors for its highly satisfied clients. Projects include res-idences, professional offices, healthcare facilities and restaurants.Celebrating 11 years in business, Joen was selected by Crate &Barrel to have her furniture design featured in stores fall of 2013;her design was a hit. Her firm was voted Best Designer in LongBeach. Travel inspires Joen. Her travels have taken her throughoutthe Middle East, Europe, Asia and North and Central America.

Veronica Silva, Co-OwnerFree Spirit Yoga

3910 Atlantic Ave. • Long Beach, CA 90807(562)989-9489 • www.freespirityoga.com

Veronica Silva, RN, and Denise Birtch, MA have ownedFreeSpirit Yoga since 2011. This studio has been an icon inBixby Knolls since 2001. Veronica, RN, BSN, PCCN,RYT500, received her undergraduate degree from AzusaPacific University. She has been practicing yoga for over 17years ago, and teaching for over 15 years. Denise is an entre-preneur and enjoys selling real estate and creating inventions.She graduated from CSULB with her BS in Kinesiology. Shealso has an MA in Practical Spirituality and is an ordainedminister. They both enjoy spending time with their children,friends and family.

Melissa Glatman, Owner/OperatorFamily Floors, Inc.

5865 E. Spring St. • Long Beach, CA 90808(562) 506-0505 • www.familyfloorslb.com

Melissa Glatman is the owner and operator of Family FloorsInc. We are a 3rd Generation Flooring Store. Family Floorsis based upon good old honest handshake tradition.Straightforward open and honest pricing is the core valuebehind Family Floors. At Family Floors our pricing is clearlymarked with no hidden extras. We don't run specials, wedon’t need to. Our everyday pricing is usually better than theother guys special price. We specialize in carpet, hardwood,vinyl, laminate, tile, area rugs, and window coverings. Comein and talk to any of our Family members about your newflooring purchase.

Tomilee T. Gill, Founder & PresidentExecutives Unlimited Inc.

5000 E. Spring St., Ste. 395 • Long Beach, CA 90815(562) 627-3800 • www.executives-unlimited.com

In 2001, Tomilee founded Executives Unlimited, a nationalretained executive search firm, after a successful career in com-mercial banking and finance. Her demonstrated business acumenand ability to thoroughly evaluate her client’s business and theircorporate culture sets her apart from other recruiters. Tomilee hassuccessfully worked in many industries including: consumer prod-ucts, apparel, manufacturing, distribution, education, banking, andhealth care, in addition to not-for-profit. Her tenacity towardsfinding the most qualified executive talent to best fit the needs ofthe client’s company, along with her integrity and commitment toquality, is what allows Executives Unlimited to succeed today.


Barbara Irvine-Parker, Realtor AssociateKeller Williams Pacific Estates

2883 E. Spring St., Ste. 100 • Long Beach, CA 90806 (562) 208-9726

Barbara obtained her California Real Estate License in 1977. As aseasoned agent, she continues to receive ongoing training and hasdeveloped tried and true marketing strategies. Her accom-plishments have hinged on two points: providing the highest degreeof professionalism and expertise, and providing quality service andcommunication. Barbara has called Long Beach/Signal Hill herhome for more than 25 years. “My professional networking throughNational Association of REALTORS®, California Association ofREALTORS®, and the Women’s Council of REALTORS® hasproven to be invaluable in maintaining a powerful connectionbetween my business and community.”

Susan Burke, Financial AdvisorLander Advisory

1716 Clark Ave., Ste. 361 • Long Beach, CA 90815(562) 597-6632 or (562) 972-0488 • www.landeradvisory.com

Susan’s areas of focus are socially responsible investing,Roth IRA’s, 401(K) plans, 529 college savings plans, finan-cial planning and helping Gen-X and Gen-Y investors getan early start on building their wealth. She holds a Series 7and Series 63 Securities License at Lander Advisory inSignal Hill, an independent branch office of PortfolioResources Group Inc. Susan has a degree in communica-tions, is married with two children and resides in LongBeach, California. To learn more, log on toLanderadvisory.com.

Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, SIFMA, FSI OSJ: 800 Brickell Ave. Ste. 903, Miami, FL 33131

305-372-0299

Julia Sylva, Esq., AttorneyLaw Offices of Julia Sylva, ALC

2700 Cherry Ave., Ste. 101 • Signal Hill, CA 90755(562) 988-3225 • www.SylvaLawCorp.com

The Law Offices of Julia Sylva, A Law Corporation, a full servicelaw firm (litigation, transactional and regulatory). The founder,Julia Sylva, is nationally the youngest first woman to serve as aMember of the City Council, City of Hawaiian Gardens (1976-1980). Ms. Sylva remains active in many professional/businessorganizations that empower the community. Firm Practice Areas:Real Estate (land use, broker liability, purchase and sale);Business and Corporate (formation, shareholder disputes, non-profits); Estate Planning (trust/wills, probate, conservatorships,special needs trusts); Political Law (formation and compliance ofPACs). Ms. Sylva: CSULB (1978) Loyola Law School (1983).

Michele A. Dobson, Esq.Law Offices Of Michele A. Dobson

4117 E. 4th St. • Long Beach, CA 90814(562) 433-7718 • www.mwilsonlawoffice.com

The Law Offices of Michele A. Dobson (formerly Michele A.Wilson) is a diverse law practice serving businesses and non profitorganizations practicing multiple areas of the law for its businessowners, non profit boards, non profit founders and their employ-ees including Employment Law, Civil Suit Defense, Family Law,Estate and Succession Planning, Probate and Criminal Defense.Attorney Dobson currently volunteers on the Board of Directorsof the Long Beach Day Nursery, the Long Beach City CollegeBoard of Governors, CCEJ, the YMCA, LB CommunityFoundation Community Advisory Council, and the Arts Council.She is also a volunteer coach in flag football and soccer.

Linda L. Wallace, MBA, CLU, ChFCLinda L. Wallace Financial & Insurance Solutions

6621 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 220 • Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 596-6559 • [email protected]

I serve business owners and individuals as a Financial andInsurance Advisor. My mission is to help you secure yourfuture and protect your business and the ones you love soyou can focus on growth and prosperity. My previous expe-rience as a U.S. Navy Nurse and as a Critical Care Nursehelps me do this in surprising ways. I serve on several non-profit Boards in Long Beach and enjoy serving theCommunity.“Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet isfighting some kind of battle….”

Bette Bloom, General ManagerLong Beach Petroleum Club

3636 Linden Ave • Long Beach, CA 90807(562) 427-7966 • www.lbpetroleumclub.com

Bette has more than 30 years combined experience as anentrepreneur, VP of an insurance agency and extensive knowl-edge of the hospitality and event industry. Her sales and busi-ness knowledge acquired by owning and operating businessesin Pittsburgh, PA led her to the hospitality industry after relo-cating to California. “As General Manager of the Long Beach Petroleum Club, ithas been a wonderful experience introducing our hidden gemto the community. Our facility has so much history from theoil tycoons to Etta James singing on our stage.”

Marta L. Callotta DC, CCSPLong Beach Spine & Rehabilitation

3434 Los Coyotes Diagonal • Long Beach, CA 90808(562) 938-8770

Dr. Marta Callotta has been serving Long Beach communitiesfor 17 years. When treating a patient she considers the wholeperson. She is a Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner andis currently working on her Diplomat in Sports Medicine.Honored with the CA Chiropractic Association’s 2007-08“Doctor of the Year” award, she is a team doctor for USAVolleyball and was the Official Chiropractor for the OrangeCounty Roller Girls from 2009-2011. Emphasizingbiomechanical health and fitness, customized nutritionalrequirements and exercise programs, focusing on individualneeds and goals, helping you to be the best you can be, naturally.

Saundra Christmas, OwnerMabel's Gourmet Pralines

625 Pine Ave. • Long Beach, CA 90802(562) 682-7156 • www.mabelspralines.com

Mabel’s Gourmet Pralines was developed in New Orleans!Saundra started making pralines as a fundraiser for her daugh-ters. After the fundraiser was over, the orders continued. In2000 Saundra subleased a kitchen and business began. In 2006Saundra opened Mabel’s Gourmet Pralines at Pine and Sixth.Since then, Saundra has added sugar-free Pralines and aBanana Puddin that will take you back to Grandma’s kitchen.Our desserts are made daily with the freshest and finest ingre-dients, prepared in small batches, carefully hand crafted, andmade like no other. The most important feature of Mabel'sGourmet Pralines is its exclusive and decadent taste.

Connie Chick, RealtorMain Street Realtors

244 Redondo Ave. • Long Beach, CA 90803(562) 787-5518 • www.conniechickrealtor.com

“Professional Service with a Personal Touch”.Representing both buyers and sellers in the Long Beachand surrounding vacinities since 1976. Helping folksdecide where they are going to be happy is such arewarding profession. When a seller is ready to put theirhouse on the market, they need to know what is the easiest,fastest and least expensive way to market the property toachieve their highest price. A Realtor must stay in touchwith our constantly changing world of technology!

Natalie Hale, Co-Founder/CEOMedia Partners Worldwide

296 Redondo Ave. • Long Beach, CA 90803(562) 439-3900 • [email protected]

In 1997 Natalie Hale founded Media Partners Worldwide andhas overseen its growth into one of Long Beach’s heritageadvertising agencies providing full service media buyingservices. MPWW specializes in direct response advertising, withan emphasis on radio, TV, digital, and outdoor. Her agency haslegacy relationships and buying power that help it secure loweradvertising rates than most other DR agencies. Over two decadesNatalie has grown MPWW from a “one-woman” shop into avisible, competitive force recognized across the direct responselandscape. Media Partners’ seasoned staff has been recruitedfrom top lead generation agencies both locally and nationally.




Senior Writer

Take a look at the Business Journal’sprofiles of women in business withinthese pages and you’ll find they representa diverse array of small businesses, fromlaw offices to gourmet cheese vendors.As small business owners, many of thesewomen noted they wear many hats withintheir business, performing most financialand operational duties themselves, andworking long hours. As a result, one ofthe most common issues these womenface as small business owners is findingthe time to develop and implement a mar-keting strategy.“A lot of people look at marketing as

the first thing you cut and the last thingyou think of,” Deborah Castro, presidentand CEO of Long Beach-based marketingfirm Creative Productions, told theBusiness Journal.

In speaking with four woman-ownedmarketing, public relations and advertis-ing firms as well as representatives fromthe Small Business Development Center(SBDC) at Long Beach City College, oneof the most common observations aboutsmall business owners was that they neg-lect to consider a marketing strategy asthey start their businesses. All empha-sized that including a marketing strategyas part of a business plan is key, becauseit involves far more than just advertising:developing a marketing plan involvesidentifying what is unique about the prod-uct or services you are selling in relationto those sold by your competition, whothe target audience for your product is,and how to reach them. Advertising is justa piece of that.“What we find in any business, big or

small, is most people show up in the morn-ing, open the doors and hope somebodycomes and finds them, as opposed to really

going out and trying to identify who ismost likely to use my service and how theyare going to attract them,” Mike Daniel,SBDC director, said. “They are taking itday by day as opposed to having a goal anda strategy behind what they are doing.”“I have found that a lot of small busi-

nesses don’t understand the basics of mar-keting. And marketing is not just advertis-ing,” Cindy Allen, president of ETAAdvertising, observed.“Marketing, public relations and adver-

tising are really like putting gas in the car.So the business owners design the car, theyfigure out what color they want to paint it,what size engine they want to put in it andeverything that goes with it, but then theydon’t put any gas in the car. And then theywonder why it doesn’t go anywhere,” LeezaHoyt, president of strategic public relationsfirm The Hoyt Organization, explained.To start out, business owners first need

to figure out who they are selling to and

then analyze their competition in order toidentify how their own products or serv-ices stack up, according to the marketingprofessionals interviewed by theBusiness Journal. From there, the ownercan identify the best methods to marketto those customers. Once those key aspects of the business

have been identified, “Then you will lookat the various tactics and channels youwill have to reach those folks and what thecosts are related to those,” Castro said.From there, a budget may be determined.Identifying a target audience is particu-

larly key in figuring out what marketingtools to use, Daniels noted. Castro agreed,pointing out that, while social media plat-forms such as Twitter, Facebook,Instagram and Pinterest are effective inreaching the millennial demographic,social media might not be as effective inreaching older generations. Sé Reed, an SBDC business advisor

Connie Wildasinn, PresidentMetroCal Brokers

3703 Long Beach Blvd., Ste. 402 • Long Beach, CA 90807(562) 824-4846 • www.MetroCalBrokers.com

MetroCal Brokers is the brain child of Connie Wildasinn. “Ihave seen so many agents stumble about and never reachtheir full potential.” The real estate industry continues toevolve, and one must evolve along with it. For over twodecades I have been mentoring agents to see the full spec-trum of the industry. Understand how to retain clients and bethe best agent they can be. I am proud of all the agents whowork with me and their dedication to the company. Stop inand see us, we are an independent boutique brokerage whotakes pride in handling transactions with strong ethics andhonesty.

Hilda Sanchez, PresidentMinuteman Press

137 W. 5th St. • Long Beach, CA 90802(562) 436-8500 • www.longbeach.minutemanpress.com

Hilda Sanchez is the President of Minuteman Press of LongBeach, which she and her husband Dave Rigby established in2002. Minuteman Press is a printing, design, marketing andpromotional products firm. It’s a one-stop shop for all yourprinting needs and is nimble enough to meet your pressingdeadlines. The company has received numerous awards inrecognition of its quality, customer service, graphic design andcommunity involvement. Hilda serves on several local boardsand the company is active in the Long Beach Chamber ofCommerce and the Printing Industries Association of SouthernCalifornia.

Patty Gadd, Sr. Loan OfficerNew American Funding

6621 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 160 • Long Beach, CA 90803(562) 708-1222 • www.newamericanagent.com/pattygadd

Patty has been in the Lending/Real Estate industry for 38years. As a seasoned lender she has focused on providing thebest service and knowledge to get borrowers the best loan pro-grams that will fit their needs. Anywhere from first time buy-ers, to Super Jumbo loans. Patty has counseled and educatedher borrowers to get the best loan programs at the lowest costand best rates! NMLS # 485809

Mitra Esfandiari, AIA PrincipalPerkowitz+Ruth Architects

111 West Ocean Blvd., 21st Floor • Long Beach, CA 90802(562) 628-8000 • www.praarchitects.com

A highly regarded architect in both retail and entertainmentdesign, Mitra Esfandiari has created an impressive portfolio ofprojects, bolstering solid client relationships and remaining aprominent leader at P+R Architects. As a Principal, she has ledteams in creating a number of high-end, award winning retaildevelopments as well as theater projects. Her experienceincludes the “re-imagining” of Del Mar Highlands Town Centerin San Diego as well as Island Cinema in Newport beach, bothof which garnered industry recognition. Mitra is an integral partof the leadership of P+R Architects, dedicated to mentoring andempowering emerging talents within the organization.

Dr. Linda Marquez GoodinePremier Health & Wellness

540 N. Golden Circle Dr., Ste. 112 • Santa Ana, CA 92705(714) 599-3339 • www.DrLindaMarquez.com

SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED? Doyou have any of the following: low energy, stubborn bellyfat, emotional distress, chronic pain, mood swings, hor-monal chaos, digestive issues, weight gain, allergies, dif-f iculty sleeping or exercising with no results?

Attend our FREE seminars. Call our off ice for a FREEconsult!

"Dr. Linda" has been in practice for over 20 years, is aMother of three, author, speaker, nutritionist, f itnesstrainer, life coach and chiropractic doctor.

Adriana Lanting, Mortgage BankerProgressive Loan Funding

3010 Old Ranch Parkway, Ste. 440 • Seal Beach, CA 90740(562) 833-6069 • MortgageMojo.com

Adriana is celebrating her 16th year with Progressive Loanfunding serving the needs of friends and neighbors. Sheenjoys helping people by providing Real Estate Financing andeducating clients so they can make choices that are most ben-eficial to their particular needs. Adriana resides in the ParkEstates area. She is an active member of the Long BeachRotary and serves on the Board of Directors as Vice Presidentof For The Child. Adriana attended St. Joseph High Schooland the University of Southern California. NMLS# 253707

Marketing: An Often-Overlooked, But Vital, Tool For Small Businesses


WOMEN IN BUSINESSOctober 28-November 10, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 21

specializing in web development, socialmedia and e-commerce, emphasized thatsocial media is sometimes an effectivetool in gaining visibility but is not typi-cally a mechanism for generating sales.“Social media is just a tool, and how youuse that tool will dictate what your out-come is,” she said. “Social media is moreof a long-term strategy where you areincreasing your network and growingyour exposure, but it doesn’t necessarilytranslate directly into sales,” sheexplained.If a business owner is interested in

using social media to develop relation-ships with consumers, it is essential toconsider which social media platform ismost commonly used by certain demo-graphics. “If your audience is peopleaged 60 or older, probably social mediaisn’t going to be a big driver for you,”Hoyt said. “If your audience is in their40s and 60s, your social media effortswill be focused on LinkedIn or maybeTwitter. If you are a consumer-basedcompany – for example a fashion house –

you are going to be all over Instagram,Pinterest and Facebook,” she explained.Another way to reach people via the

Internet is through e-mail marketing, or e-blasts. “E-blasts are absolutely a compo-nent I would look at, no matter what kindof company I am in,” Hoyt said. “As you goto a trade show for example, or a confer-ence, and you collect all the business cards,all those names and e-mails and addressesshould go into your e-blast outreach.”Having a website ready to go before a

business even opens its doors is a necessity,because that is the first source most cus-tomers look to in order to gauge a company’scredibility, Castro said. Hoyt noted that awebsite functions as a “virtual storefront,”where a company’s brand is solidified. Claudia Schou, owner of Media

Boutique, a public relations firm inDowntown Long Beach, said a websiteshould be considered as necessary as busi-ness cards. While she suggested hiring agraphic designer to create all of a busi-ness’s marketing materials such as businesscards, brochures, stationery and a website,

she acknowledged doing so isn’t cheap. “Itcan be very pricey. You can pay between$1,500 for a website design all the way upto $10,000,” she said.For business owners in the professional

services industries such as law, health careor financial services, networking and in-person marketing might be more importantthan focusing on growing visibility via theweb, Hoyt said. “If you are a law firm forexample, Instagram probably isn’t going tohelp you. And Pinterest? Forget it,” shesaid. For those in the professional servicesindustries, an effective way to market abusiness is by positioning yourself as anexpert in your field, she said. For example,a lawyer might hold an informational eventto educate clients about upcoming legisla-tion, she suggested. Writing byline articlesfor local or national publications is anotherway to achieve this, she added.“In this day of social media, we often

forget that in-person networking, network-ing with other businesses in your neighbor-hood and networking with complementaryindustries can really help build your busi-

ness,” Reed reflected. Her colleague,Daniel, agreed. “You actually have to leaveyour business and go meet other people, gomeet the business improvement districtsand the chambers,” he said. “Go talk aboutyour business to other people, and word ofmouth will start to build from there.Networking is an art form everybody needsto understand,” he added.“Get involved with the community.

Bring your marketing materials with you,”Schou suggested.Castro noted there are many professional

networking organizations specificallydesigned to help women find new businessopportunities, such as the NationalAssociation of Women Business Ownersand the Women’s Business EnterpriseNational Council.In addition to these marketing tech-

niques, advertising should also be heavilyinfluenced by a business’s desired targetaudience. “The planning part is so critical,because you can waste a lot of moneydoing things you think might be right but

Charlene Ferry, OwnerSalon Indah

189 Argonne Ave. • Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 498-1557 • www.SalonIndah.com

Salon Indah is a full-service salon with a unique style thataccompanies its friendly and down-to-earth atmosphere.Operating out of the same location for the past 25 years, they’vebuilt a committed clientele of all ages that include both men andwomen. Recently certified in organic natural hair color, ownerCharlene Ferry is committed to providing natural products andtreatments such as permanents, colors, keratin straightening anda full-line of hair care products. Stop by Salon Indah for a freeconsultation, a glass of herbal tea or cold Sangria, and check outtheir promotions on Facebook, Yelp and on their Website.

Jeanne Murphy, Designated Luxury SpecialistVista Sotheby’ s International Realty

[email protected](562) 201-0693 • www.jeannemurphy.com

When honesty, integrity and follow-through really count, you cancount on Jeanne Murphy. Over 28 years of real estate sales inLong Beach have given Jeanne a great reputation and a pricelessnetwork of other top quality professionals. Originally a nursefrom the Midwest, Jeanne brings with her a long history of caringservice. A keen negotiator who is creative and tenacious, Jeannealso has a warmth and sincerity that shines through on every deal.Jeanne’s long history here as a “Beach Specialist” serves all of herclients well – as witnessed by her many referrals and repeatbusiness. It can be a tough market out there, wouldn’t you like tohave someone in your corner who you can trust? BRE 0094211

Nikki Coffman, OwnerTiny ecoUrbanite

3403 E. Broadway • Long Beach, CA 90803(562) 668-7914 • www.tinyecourbanite.com

Nikki Coffman is passionate about the environment. Whenher daughter was born she wanted to share that passion withothers by offering great products and education. She decidedto build a welcoming place for families interested in livinggreen. At Tiny ecoUrbanite we stock only the highest qualityeco-friendly products, tried and tested by us. We also educatein the things that we practice, running classes from clothdiapering to breastfeeding so that we can share what we'velearned as well as learn from others. We are a hub forfamilies of all kinds, bringing our community together to liveorganically.

Shari Blackwell, OwnerThe Undershirt, Inc.

2201 E. Willow St., Ste. D-356 • Signal Hill, CA 90755(562) 426-8939 • www.theundershirt.com

Branding your business – It’s not just for huge corporations. Itis for your business too! For over 34 years, The Undershirt Inc.,has been helping companies define their brand, embroideringand screenprinting apparel with their company’s logo. ShariBlackwell, owner since 2003, prides herself on guiding thecustomer to the right fabrics and styles for their particularapplication and budget. Shari keeps current with changingtrends, like organic apparel, fabrics with moisture wicking,SPF protection and anti microbial properties. Active in theSignal Hill Community, Shari has served on the board of theSH Chamber of Commerce for over 6 years.

Imelda Lorena R.H., OwnerStephanie’s Linens and More

1416 E. Burnett St., Ste. D • Signal Hill, CA 90755(562) 618-8980 • www.stephanieslinens.com

Backed by 15 years of experience as a Marriott partyprofessional, our owner took over her mother's small partysupply business in 2004 and added a wider selection of servicesto her repertoire. Named in honor of our owner's own daughter,Stephanie's Linens and More provides beautiful events for eachand every client. Impress your guests with gorgeous party andlinen rentals from their special event experts in Signal Hill,California. Stephanie's Linens and More is the only name youneed to know for the best party supplies in the area. Amazingselection and even more amazing prices available.

Vali DeVries, AgentState Farm Insurance

1777 Bellflower Blvd. • Long Beach, CA 90815�(562) 494-�(562) 494-7700 • www.validevries.com

Vali is observing her 30th year as a State Farm Agent this week,serving the needs of friends and neighbors with their home-owners, auto, life and commercial insurance coverages. A LongBeach native, Vali attended local schools, is a 1981 CSULBgraduate and resides in the Los Altos area with her husband,Dave, and their two daughters. “I enjoy helping people, provid-ing protection at a good price and solving their problems sothey can sleep better at night,” Vali states. Like a good neigh-bor, State Farm (and Vali DeVries) is there. * CA License#0667954

TM




not really taking the time to analyze what isthe end result,” Castro said. For example, imagine a business owner

intending to reach an older audiencespent $500 on an advertisement on a web-site, but neglected to do research on thedemographic audience of that website. Ifthe audience was teenagers, the moneyspent on that advertisement would likelybe lost. For this reason, Castro explainedthat online advertising should be used toreach a specific audience during a spe-cific time frame in which the audience ismost likely to be online on that particular

website. “[Online Advertising] needs tobe extremely targeted,” she said.For small businesses with community-

based clientele, she suggested advertisingin print media. “With small businesses, andespecially if they are catering to their com-munity, it makes sense to be in community-type newspapers that are either catering tobusiness or to consumers or both,” she said.“Being in any kind of print media givesyou a lot of credibility, because print is tan-gible. You see it and feel it and touch it.”Allen emphasized that advertising must

be consistent to be effective. “You have tostay consistent with advertising. Small

businesses’ expectations are this is justgoing to happen with one ad, and if thatwere true then everyone would just placeone ad and stay in business,” she said.Reed noted that many business owners

might not have the time or resources todevelop marketing strategies on their own,considering all of the other daily tasks theyhave to accomplish. The Small BusinessDevelopment Center has resources andadvisors to help business owners research,develop and implement these strategies.If it is in the budget, a small business

owner with little time to create a marketingstrategy may consider hiring an outside

expert. “Most small businesses don’t thinkabout engaging a company like a marketingor advertising agency to consult with whenthey get started. It is one of those things thatfall off the budget,” Allen said. “And con-sulting with a marketing or advertisingagency is definitely one of the best options. . . You’d be surprised how many agencieswould be willing to negotiate and try towork with them as they start their business.”As Castro put it: “Marketing should be at

the top of the list and not at the bottom ofthe list, because marketing is your messageto the world about who you are, what youdo and why it matters.” �

Deborah Castro, president and CEO of award-winning marketing agency Creative Productions, saysthat before developing a marketing strategy a business owner should identify what makes their prod-uct or service unique in comparison to that of the competition. Castro is pictured in her offices at4510 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach. The agency has won more than 250 national and interna-tional awards. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Claudia Schou, a former Los Angeles Times reporter, started her public relations firm Media Boutiquein 2007. She advises small business owners to develop marketing materials such as a website assoon as they start up. Schou, who has placed articles for her clients in a variety of publications,including the New York Times, is pictured in her office at One World Trade Center, Long Beach.(Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Getting Your Credit In ShapeHow To Strengthen Your

Credit For Better Financial Health

� By BEN ALVARADO, Orange County/Long BeachRegional President For Wells Fargo

Y our credit is much like your physical health: theweaker it is, the harder it may be to get fit and

accomplish your goals. But with hard work and dedica-tion, maintaining good fiscal and physical health canbe accomplished. Getting the results you desire takesdiscipline and does not depend on one action, rather acombination of responsible actions like keeping ahealthy and balanced diet, getting a good night’s sleep,exercising regularly and scheduling yearly checkupswith your doctor. Maintaining good credit is no differ-ent – a little work and some good habits can take youfar. This means that you should pay your bills on time,manage your debt, and keep track of your credit reportand spending.Why is it important to keep an eye on your credit?

First, lenders aren’t the only people who look at anindividual’s credit history to make decisions – manyinsurance companies, cell phone providers and land-lords do, too. So even if you aren’t planning on apply-ing for new a loan or a credit card, maintaining healthycredit can help in other areas of your life. A recent study by the National Foundation of Credit

Counseling revealed that 37 percent of Americans areembarrassed about their credit card debt, followed by30 percent feeling shame about their credit score. Thegood news is that less than perfect credit can be fixed.Establishing or rebuilding credit takes time and the bestway to get your credit in shape is to manage it respon-sibly over time; just as you would routinely exercise ifyou wanted to maintain a healthy weight.

Create A Monthly RoutineWhether you have a credit card or just simply have the

responsibility of paying your cell phone bill, making ontime payments on all your bills is essential to maintain-ing and building healthy credit. Missing a payment canhave many consequences; not only can it cost you moremoney with late fees and increase interest rates, but itcan lower your credit score once reported to the creditreporting agencies.Your payment history is one of the biggest factors in

your credit score, so making loan and other paymentslike phone bills and even utility bills on time will helpkeep your credit strong. A good practice to makingtimely payments is to keep a list of all the bills you havedue. You can contact your lender to adjust the paymentdue date to coincide with others and having one set duedate for all your bills will make it easier to remember.Another simple way to avoid late/missed payments is tosign up for automatic payments when possible. Alwaysmake sure you have sufficient funds by scheduling thepayments to coincide with your pay schedule. Mostimportantly, you should develop a routine that you arecomfortable with and works best for you.

Manage A Healthy Spending HabitMaintaining a good credit score also requires you to

manage a healthy spending habit. This means that youshould not spend more than you can manage or exceedyour credit limit.Your credit limit is the maximum spending amount estab-

lished by your lender, which is set when you apply for acredit card or line of credit. Lenders and credit card compa-nies determine your credit limit based on many factors,including your ability to repay and the strength of yourcredit. Avoid spending more than you can manage to payback and don’t go over your credit limit because doing sosuggests you have trouble managing your credit responsibly. To avoid going over your limit and acquiring any

unnecessary penalty fees, try to keep your spendingbelow the set amount. Keep debt at no more than 35 per-

cent of your gross monthly income. Lenders look at theamount of debt a consumer has compared to theirincome when making credit decisions.

Conduct An Annual Credit Report CheckPart of making sure that you’re maintaining good health

also involves taking preventative actions such as going tothe doctor at least once a year for routine check-ups.Maintaining a good credit score also requires you to checkyour credit report at least once a year to make sure thereare no errors that can prevent you from getting credit or abetter interest rate.It’s also important to review your information regularly

to protect yourself against identity theft by looking forunusual activities such as credit inquiries you don’t recog-nize. If you were to find an error, you can fill out a disputeform provided by the credit agency. If you find an errorand are in the process of applying for a loan, you shouldimmediately notify your lender. Even though small errorsmay not affect your credit score as much, significanterrors can have a much bigger impact.You can review your credit report from any of the three

major U.S. credit reporting agencies: Equifax®, Experian®

and TransUnion®. Consumers are entitled to one freecredit report from each of the three major agencies once ayear. You can order your free credit report throughwww.annualcreditreport.com.Through November 16, 2014, Wells Fargo is providing

a free credit report to its consumer customers as part of itsGet Smart About Credit initiative, a national financialeducational program about responsible use of credit andthe important role it plays in a person’s overall financialhealth and wellness. If you’re a Wells Fargo customer, youcan visit https://www.wellsfargo.com/freecreditscore formore information.Achieving financial health takes practice and dedica-

tion. Your credit is like your health in the sense that it takescommitment and practice of healthy actions to strengthenit. To learn more on how you can get your credit in shape,visit Wells Fargo’s My Financial Guide site. �

(Continued From Previous Page)


CIVIC CENTER Q&AOctober 28-November 10, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 23

LBBJ: The city is leasing 112,500 square feet of office space in various buildings inthe community and paying roughly $1.59 per square foot. The two proposals estimate theconstruction of a new city hall as being $464 a square foot for one and $487 for the other.Using a $475 average, if you eliminate say 75,000 square feet from city hall and maintainthe current, less expensive office leases, you could reduce the construction cost of a newcity hall by more than $35 million. Why not do it?Conway: And over time is that the right thing to do? Right now maybe it is. It has an

economic advantage, but we’re at the mercy essentially of every five years having our rentadjusted and possibly terminated. In which case, then we’re at a bigger disadvantage try-ing to find alternate space. LBBJ: But the counter argument is that a lot of these are neighborhood services. You

don’t want to have everything downtown. Conway: You’re exactly right with something like neighborhood services. That might

be something better suited to be in the neighborhood at city hall. When we started this process, after the George Deukmejian Courthouse was done, we

didn’t know if we had a viable project in the marketplace. We started with the RFQ[request for qualifications] and asked, we’ve got $12.6 million, is it even feasible for usto look for a developer to help us get a new city hall and civic center? We didn’t have anyidea if that was sufficient to market in the development community. We got a lot of posi-tive responses back. And then we issued the RFP [request for proposal] to the shortlist andour cap as the $12.6 million. So what we’re trying to do is – this is the amount of moneywe got, what can we get for that amount of money? LBBJ: So it can be lower than that?Conway: It could be, and the sizes aren’t that different. And in the library as well, the

size isn’t all that different. What our idea was, was that it’s $12.6 million [preliminarycosts to maintain the current civic center], capitalize that at your borrowing rate and con-vert that in to square footage, and what do we get from it?We did not give direction to either of the teams as to the size of city hall. LBBJ: But they’re pretty close.Conway: Well, they’re a bit different, but we didn’t direct square footage at all. We

talked strictly of the number of employees. LBBJ: So they came up with 260,600 and 268,800 square feet, respectfully, for city hall . . .Conway: All on their own.LBBJ: Why is the Port Headquarters building, which is about 35,000 square feet

smaller than city hall, cost 36 percent more to build in one proposal, and 45 percent morein the other proposal?Conway: A couple of reasons. One, for city hall, we required the bidders to canvas

other recent city halls that were built in a similar sized city and make sure that oursquare foot per employee was within that range. So our square footage per employeeis between 188 square feet and 213 square feet per employee. For the port, they’recloser to 400 square feet per employee . . .LBBJ: And that’s another question we have, why is that?Conway: Because the port wasn’t constrained to $12.6 million. And the staff at city hall

didn’t want to be perceived as having a Taj Mahal so we wanted to make sure we were on thecutting edge of efficiency from a space perspective. The port didn’t have that same constraint. LBBJ: One proposal indicates 415 square feet for each port employee and the other is

497. That’s a huge area, and the average for city hall employees is 188 square feet. Conway: That’s [port building is] going to have a lot of meeting space. LBBJ: The current port headquarters, which the port owns, is 176,000 square feet and

most harbor department employees are located in the building. The two proposals call forthe new port building to be 232,000 square feet. That’s nearly 32 percent larger.Conway: The size of that facility is based on their [the port’s] updated needs assess-

ment, and that assessment identified the amount of square feet needed.

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CIVIC CENTER Q&A24 Long Beach Business Journal October 28-November 10, 2014

LBBJ: So this number came from the port? Conway: Yes, that needs assessment is supposed to accommodate the port growth, I

think, for the next 20 years. And at city hall, we had no growth. LBBJ: But the square foot construction cost for the port administration headquarters

seems very high. One proposal pegs it at $620 a square foot and the other at $705 a squarefoot. Yet city hall comes in at around $475 a square foot. Why such a difference?Conway: Part of the reason that number is higher for the port in one of the instances,

particularly P2, proposer 2, is they have subterranean parking for the port underneath theirbuilding, so that really skewed it. On proposer 2 for the port, their proposal has 573 park-ing spaces at $51,000 per space for a total of $29 million just for the parking. These arestatic proposals so we can’t recommend changes, this is just what we’re comparing it on.But we did ask them if they can think of alternatives and they have a couple of ideas inmind for non-subterranean parking. On the other side, on P1 [proposer 1] from the portperspective, they have, again, 573 parking spaces, and they’re at $43,000 per space. Andthe reason that’s high is that they allocated to the port a subterranean portion of the park-ing structure. For ours [city hall], the P1, is at $26,000 per space because we have theabove-ground parking. So that’s an allocation of cost between the port and the city, and sowhen we select someone, when we select a proposal, we would have to reallocate thosecosts so that they would be more equitable between the city and the port. That’s why thenumbers look so unusual. LBBJ: So it’s obviously cheaper to build above-ground parking. Is there not sufficient

space to do that? Is that why the port parking is underground?Conway: Again, it’s their design, I think part of the reason they wanted to go under-

ground for two stories, three above, is viewsheds. If they went even higher the views fromcity hall and the port in that direction would be nothing. You would be staring at a parkinggarage. The Magnolia block is pretty high government and pretty oppressive if you walkthere – tall buildings with very little activity – they were a little worried about overwhelm-ing that corner as well.LBBJ: The port didn’t have a problem with underground parking?Conway: Well, I’m presenting to the port on Monday [October 27], and we did speak

with their director of security, Randy Parsons, who at the time said as long as we havesecure entrances and exits, he’s fine with underground parking. I’m not sure if the boardof harbor commissioners will be.LBBJ: A few years ago, current Harbor Commission President Doug Drummond

referred to underground parking as one reason for the harbor department staff not to moveto the World Trade Center. He said the center’s underground parking would be too difficultto secure – there were so many entrances – and he was concerned about a car bomb. Conway:What has been proposed is that they have absolute controlled access. We took

the direction from port security as to what the constraints were on these bids. We assumedunderground parking would be satisfactory. LBBJ:The renderings for Lincoln Park show lots of families and kids enjoying the day,

but what about the ongoing homeless situation? Are people going to frequent the park ifthere are homeless people throughout the area?Conway:We want an active park. We think that will dissuade people from sleeping and

living in the park. And I think that premise is evident today. I think if you go to LincolnPark today, you’ll see fewer homeless people there because we are trying to activate itwith lunch in the park and we put chairs out there for people to rest and relax. There havebeen complaints in other parts of town that the homeless are moving. With the retail andresidential development that is occurring on the middle block [of the new civic center],we think there is going to be a lot of activity in the park.LBBJ:We’ve heard complaints that would-be buyers or renters would be turned off.Conway:Well, there aren’t too many cities you can go to, at least in the downtown

area, and not find some element of homeless. But that aside, that’s more of a healthissue. Our whole team and the bidders believe that activation will substantially reduceif not eliminate . . . LBBJ: Do they have any evidence of that in projects they’ve done in other cities?Conway: Well, I think the evidence, as I said, is currently available at Lincoln Park.

You’ll see that there are fewer homeless people there because we’ve been periodically acti-vating the park. They have been moving off Lincoln Park into other parts of the city, whichisn’t the necessarily preferred result, but at least the park is getting a little bit more active. LBBJ: Both proposals have quite a bit of retail space. Why so much retail, especially

with so many local retailers struggling? Do you really feel people who do not work at thecivic center will visit these retailers, and will people feel safe like they do on 2nd Street?Most of your employees are not there on the weekends or in the evenings, so these retail-ers are going to be counting on nearby residents.Conway: So there are a variety of different retail uses that are being recommended. One

of the bidders has a Whole Foods that they’re contemplating. And there are other grab-n-gocoffee and sandwich places. It’s not meant to compete with Pine Avenue, but meant to pro-vide a convenience for those people who are coming to city hall or to the port headquarters.Both bidders were contemplating the visual extension of 1st Street through the park and itscontinuation of 1st Street through the middle parcel where all the retail activity occurs. LBBJ: So 1st Street is the transportation corridor right now, where the Blue Line is and

the transit buses?Conway:The transportation corridor that dead ends at Lincoln Park. And we can’t put the

street through, because it’s a park, so there is a pedestrian linkage that extends 1st Streetthrough the park, and then you walk in to the civic campus, and that walk towards city hallhas some retail opportunities. So we don’t think it’s overwhelming. I don’t want to commenton what type of retailers they have, I think their concept of activating 1st Street is good.



LBBJ: Best-case scenario, if everything went smoothly, when would we see a newcivic center?Conway: Best-case scenario, I’d say three and a half years, maybe four from selection

of preferred proposal. LBBJ: So end of 2018, first part of 2019. And who knows what everything is going to

look like with the economy. So you believe, because of all the activities going on, people aregoing to feel safe to go to these retail shops even though city hall is closed on the weekend. Conway: City hall may be closed, but there will be anywhere from 600-700 residential

units there and hotel uses as well. So we think it’s going to be pretty active.LBBJ: Speaking of hotels, do we need another hotel?Conway: I don’t know if I can answer that question. We had studies done by PKF [a

hotel consulting firm] that had indicated that the demand exists. LBBJ:A bond was issued to pay for the current city hall, correct? How much is still owed? Conway: If memory serves, it’s around $20 million to $22 million. We pay about $2.5

million a year. LBBJ: The civic center operating costs do not include debt service. Conway:Yes it does, it’s on there. About halfway down…LBBJ: But this is on the current civic center. What about debt service on the pro-

posed civic center?Conway: That’s better described as a lease payment.LBBJ: Page 2 on your fact sheet, item C says it does not include debt service.

Conway: What we’re paying is a lease. We’re paying $12.6 million in a lease for both cap-ital and maintenance operations, so we don’t have debt service. So both bidders, if I recalltheir submittals correctly, are eliminating the existing debt. So they’re repurchasing . . . LBBJ: So they’re going to eliminate the money that you owe on the current civic cen-

ter? That $20 million to $22 million discussed earlier?Conway:We didn’t instruct that they had to do that and one of the bidders is looking

to transfer the debt to the new civic center. Either way, we’re capped at $12.6 million.LBBJ: So you’re not going to pay more than that? And you hope to pay less?Conway: That’s an interesting question. We want to get a civic center that makes a

statement and that is good for 50-60 years. LBBJ:We’re trying to better understand the current expenses tied to the current civic

center. How hard and fast is the $12.6 million? You’ve got a lot of payroll in here [detailed,three-page preliminary civic center cost breakdown]. It says, “The city requires$10,440,000 to manage and operate the civic center.” That’s the expense side, but you’regetting revenue, and you’re not including revenue to reduce that total. It says here you’rebringing in $804,000 just on the Broadway and Lincoln Park garage revenue. Conway: Right, and revenues from the parking structure ultimately go to the developers.LBBJ: So the revenue you’re generating now…Conway: If it comes from a source that they can manage, we’ll stay with them. There’s

a lot of revenue in here, such as interdepartmental cost. So each department pays to occupy

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city hall and we get charged $3.50 a square foot or something like that to be in city hall.LBBJ: “Civic center rent – $9 million.” The departments pay that?Conway:Yes. And the intent of that, when you look at the expense, it costs us $10.4 mil-

lion, we identify who’s occupying city hall and we allocate those costs to the departments. LBBJ: OK, so let’s say the city manager’s department is paying a fee on the books only,

we assume, to occupy that space. That’s the lease, you’re saying?Conway:Yes, and the source of those funds for him to pay that is in his budget.LBBJ: And that goes toward paying the debt service, but you’re generating $9 million

and you’re paying $2.5 million.Conway: No, it costs us $10.4 million to operate the building. LBBJ: Oh, so part of that $9 million goes to pay payroll and all the other expenses? Conway:Yes. So you take the expense amount and you allocate to all the departments

that are occupying it [city hall] and they pay that to offset this cost.LBBJ: It says here your civic center expense total is $10,440,000. Where again did the

$12.6 million come from?Conway: $10.4 million, plus the off-site leases, which is $2.1 million. LBBJ: So if you eliminate the off-site leases, you’ve reduced your $12.6 million in cur-

rent expenses considerably. Conway: If we eliminate the off-site leases.LBBJ:Why not eliminate them and reduce the overall costs?Conway:As I’ve said before, I think we don’t want to be at the mercy of leased facilities. LBBJ: I understand that argument, but the fact is you’re charging a lot on a square

footage basis to build this thing. You’re charging $464/square foot on one proposal and$487 on the other. There’s no way you’re going to pay that high for a lease if you rent ina current office building in the city. Conway: That doesn’t reflect the lease payment.LBBJ: This is a construction cost.Conway: Right. So you would look at an annual or a return to look at a lease payment.LBBJ: But if you can eliminate $2 million from the expenses, because these people are

still going to be leasing somewhere in the city, then your overall construction cost is goingto drop dramatically. Conway: But why wouldn’t we bring our off-site leases into one location? It’s not only

accounting as a scale but we are masters of our destiny. LBBJ: That goes back to what I said earlier about wanting to be in the neighborhood

instead of all services being downtown.Conway: I agree with you that some of them have services that should be provided to

the community, rather than city hall. I agree with that. And it’s important to understand as

well that this is the basis for the responses to the RFP as $12.6 million and we have to stickwith that number through the decision making process. But once somebody is selected, thatdoesn’t mean that we can’t rethink this and reduce the $12.6 million down to $10.4. LBBJ:What would this fact sheet look like if developers were bidding on a $10 million

cap instead of $12.6? And my other question that relates to that is, why did this otherdeveloper bail? Remember, you had three. Because our understanding is that it doesn’tmake sense at $12.6 million. Conway: Let me go back to your first comment, why the $12.6? When we were in the

RFQ process, we didn’t know if this would work. So we wanted to find as many sourcesof revenue that we could put in to this annual cost to see if we could get a civic center.And so we had to keep that number the same through the entire process otherwise we’removing the target halfway through this. So we’re sticking with the $12.6 million in orderto compare competitively the two bids. Now if a team is selected, that doesn’t mean wecan’t modify this and say, we don’t want to take these leases back in.LBBJ: Do these two teams know this?Conway: Oh, sure, absolutely. Relative to Related [the third proposal] that bailed out;

I had a long conversation with them – and their position was that they didn’t believe thatthe $12.6 million would work – that it was too low. They believed you couldn’t providewhat we were looking for at $12.6 million.LBBJ: So you really needed to show a higher number to get a better product?Conway: A higher number will get you a better product. LBBJ:Why does the port have to be there?Conway: It doesn’t have to be there.LBBJ: So what happens if we backed out the port? Conway: Before we get to the port, let me make a statement. The $12.6 million also is

part of our maintenance and operation budget for 40 years. So that building will be operatedand maintained at a level of good or better for 40 years when it’s turned back over to the city.(Note: The question about the port was not answered and the LBBJ failed to bring

it up again.)LBBJ: How big is the library going to be?Conway: One has it at 78,000 square feet the other one is at 93,000 square feet.LBBJ: And right now, how big is it?Conway: 135,000 square feet. It’s actually 120,000 square feet with a 15,000-square-

foot community room.LBBJ: So we’re dropping it by one-third or so. We understand that it has to be a library

because it’s on park space? Can it be anything else?Conway:We didn’t dictate to the bidders where the library goes, we did not dictate the

size of it either. We just said that we’d like to have a main library, if the costs allow for it.



CIVIC CENTER Q&AOctober 28-November 10, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 27

So, coincidentally, both bidders moved the library to the north end of Lincoln Park, withno direction on our part. And I would have thought that somebody would have contem-plated putting it next to city hall on the old courthouse property but they both ended upat the same location. One of them ended up keeping the ramps that go down in to LincolnPark, the other eliminated the ramps. And they’re very similar size. There’s one floorbelow, two floors above, it’s surprisingly similar.LBBJ: And we have to have a library? Conway:Yes. And the main library is part of our expenses. LBBJ: On the cost for the current civic center, are the employees who maintain the area

public or private sector people? Conway: Public.LBBJ:What about the new civic center?Conway: That will all be handled by the bidder.LBBJ: So that will be private?Conway:Yes. LBBJ: So, for the operating expenses, we added up $2.7 million in salaries and bene-

fits. That’s not going to be there with a private bidder. So that’s another $2.7 million youcan reduce from the $12.6 million. We’ve got you down to about $8 million in annualcivic center expenses. Look at all the money were saving you!Conway: That’s a good approach, but we still have to pay for it, so that’s our source of

funding for paying for that service, from the payroll. LBBJ: Now, is that the developer’s responsibility or the city’s to contract that out?Conway: The developer. And they have facilities management firms on each team.LBBJ: So the developer will hire the engineers, security people, etc.? They are going

to hire all these people listed under operating expenses for which the city is currently pay-ing. What happens to the employees who you currently have? Do those jobs go away ordo you try to assimilate them?Conway:We intend to assimilate them.LBBJ: That brings up another issue. In the past, some councilmembers have complained

that some private sector contractors haven’t done a good job. So, will you have an agreementwith the developer that if you have a problem with contractors that you can replace them?Conway:We haven’t gotten to that detail yet, but we have in our RFP indicated that

if any of the systems are unavailable, then we have a reduction in our payment consis-tent with the value of that.LBBJ: The private sector is typically less expensive than the public sector in provid-

ing services, hence why cities contract-out. So the $2.7 million salary/benefit amountnow being spent, you figure that will cover or come pretty close when the new placeis built. We’re trying to find ways to decrease the overall cost . . . Conway: I don’t know if that’s a good approach to take. Our basis is $12.6 million,

what can we get? We want a new building, a new main library, refurbish Lincoln Park,the 40-year maintenance agreement. You can’t just subtract money from the $12.6 mil-lion, it has an impact on the entire development.LBBJ: We’re just trying to save money.Conway: But I don’t know how it works that way. You can’t just subtract money

from the $12.6 million; it has an impact from the entire development.LBBJ: But you’re assuming a lot of things here. It seems your operation cost could

be a lot less than $12.6 million if you back out of certain things. Like the expenses forthe leases – that’s $2 million right there. Conway: But the whole basis for their proposal is on $12.6 million the first year and

indexed through 40 years. That’s how they pay the bond they will be issuing. LBBJ: This sounds like the Aquarium deal in the 1990s where they had to exagger-

ate the attendance to be able to sell the bonds. Conway:You know, they didn’t. I still use that as an example of complete miscom-

munication between two consultants. The person who designed it wasn’t the same per-son who went on to look at the demand analysis, because the demand was there. Theyshowed a demand of 1.8 million customers a year, and they could actually achieve thatexcept the designer of the building couldn’t get that many people. LBBJ: But the bonds were sold on 2.2 million people. Conway: But the demand was there. The design couldn’t accommodate it.LBBJ: So, overall, you feel comfortable with the approach the city has taken so far?Conway: I am comfortable with the approach the city has taken. I’m very thankful

for the support we have gotten from the elected officials. I am thrilled with theresponse from the private sector. When we issued the RFQ, we were overwhelmed withthe responses. We are trying to deal with the liability issue with city hall. So werebuild, we relocate or we construct new. LBBJ: Would it not be better financially for the developer to build more residential

units than a port building?Conway: The location where the civic center and the port are proposed is successor

agency property and has been identified as government use so residential wouldn’t cur-rently be allowed there, but it could with zoning changes. But again, we didn’t give anydirection to site plan. And, further, I mentioned earlier that Magnolia Avenue is a prettydesolate government-oriented segment between Ocean and Broadway, and so residentialthere probably wouldn’t function well. . . . but moving the residential to the middle parcelwe really like because it puts eyes on the park and we want as many eyes on the park aswe can. It gets the residential community closer to Pine Avenue, and keeps us focused onthe park to make sure it’s activated and lively.LBBJ: The current cost for water, power, gas, sewer, refuse comes to $1,068,000 and

change. This is for a building that is fairly old. Wouldn’t you be saving money, especiallyon power, in the new civic center, thus further reducing your costs?




Conway: The developers will be saving money; we will be paying the same amount.That motivates the developer to have a very efficient building because whatever they savecan go in to the structure rather than into utilities. And they are designing to LeadPlatinum. So the idea is we will have very efficient buildings. We’re going to pay $12.6million, they’re going to pay utilities, but we have a better building.LBBJ: Is there an absolute guarantee from the city that no additional taxpayer dollars

will be spent, other than the $12.6 million.Conway: No additional dollars. We are not going to go out to the community for a bond

or an assessment. That’s guaranteed if we proceed with this proposal. If council doesn’tgo in this direction, that’s probably the only option we have is to go to voters.LBBJ:What happens if the developer goes belly up halfway through the project? Conway: Our consultant created a shower model, and did a sensitivity test. Both pro-

posals have a lot of swing that their cost could fluctuate between 11 and 18 percent. Theycan still accommodate that with their finance scheme. So I think we have some real goodcushion in both proposals. In addition, both proposers were required to have sub-debt inthe project and that is between $40 million and $50 million between the two bidders andthat will be drawn down before bankruptcy can occur. Plus, when you construct, you aregoing to have a performance and completion bond, too.LBBJ:Who has been involved in putting this project together? Who made up the team?Conway: It was me, Amy Bodek [director of the development services department],

John Gross [director of financial management], [City Manager] Pat West and [formerAssistant City Manager] Susan Fricke.LBBJ: So it was a city hall team of numerous people and departments?Conway:Yes.LBBJ:After you put the package together, and before you went to bid, was there any

thought about bringing in a group of people – experts – just to take a look at what youdid and get input?

Conway: Our first effort was the RFQ, and we wanted to make sure it didn’t cost usanything to put the RFQ out. And so, no, we didn’t get experts in at that stage, we justwanted to test the market. But at the RFP stage, we needed consultants.LBBJ: Wouldn’t it have been a good idea to get a group of people who actually care

about their city, and who have expertise in certain areas related to the project . . .Conway: The mayor has suggested that he wants a group of architecturally oriented

people to guide the outreach process for the civic center. And what that would do for usis help the communication from the residents to funnel through architectural minds tohelp inform the bidders and us what is actually being heard. And to guide us well, becausethe project is going to change as we do outreach. This will help us communicate with theresidents, and let the residents communicate with us, through a body that understandsarchitecture and site planning.LBBJ: So bottom line is, you’re going to have some input after the fact. Conway:We’re having 18 months. LBBJ: When do you think a decision will be made? Are we talking months? Less

than a year?Conway: I would think it would be made most likely the very end of 2014 or early 2015. LBBJ: Anything else you want to say while we got you on tape?Conway: I appreciate the mayor’s outreach. We were moving along a little too quickly

earlier on, so I like our opportunity to take a breath and we can present a lot of informationto the public which has been helpful in educating the people. I think we’ve garnered moresupport with that and less suspicion. We’ve worked well with the Library Foundation, andwe’ve had one-on-ones with the bidders for presentations with them for the library. Wehave another study session on Monday [yesterday, October 27] with the board of harborcommissioners. We have two open houses – November 1st and November 8th – with themodels and bidders to hand out brochures. And then we have our November 11thHoughton Park study session. I’ll be talking about the financial aspects of the bids. �

Developers Unveil New Civic Center Designs

Study Session Set For November 11 At Houghton Park


Staff Writer

After more than a decade of public hearings, seismic studies and discussion, two prop-erty development teams finally presented to the city council their visions for a massivecivic center overhaul. Both plans, designed by competing firms Plenary-Edgemoor Civic Partners and Long

Beach CiviCore Alliance, were presented at a special October 14 study session. Eachteam unveiled scale-model mockups of several buildings slated for public and privateuse: a new city hall, port headquarters and library, as well as a hotel, mixed-use residen-tial buildings and retail space. Mayor Robert Garcia cautioned those who filled the council chambers for a first peek

at the designs that the project was still months away from final authorization. Heexplained that a city council vote would first decide on a project designer, followed bymore community hearings, then a second vote on a final design. Though the mayor referred to the civic center project as a less-than-sure deal, Vice

Mayor Suja Lowenthal spoke of the project’s potential in glowing terms.“These buildings and these public spaces have a potential to define a city, a commu-

nity’s identity,” she said.Both designs included several common elements including extending Cedar and Chestnut

Avenues south to Ocean Boulevard. First Street would also be extended further west throughthe new civic center. Both designs called for the revitalization of Lincoln Park.Taking cues from the surrounding harborscape, CiviCore’s 13-story city hall included

massive curved glass and metal fins inspired by sailboats in the nearby bay; the portheadquarters building displayed a large flange-like architectural feature inspired by theharbor lighthouse. The Plenary-Edgemoor presentation cited the multi-colored cargocontainers lining the harbor as the inspiration for the jewel-like metal and glass façade ofits port headquarters. Each plan included towering hotel structures located along Ocean Boulevard,

(CiviCore featured a 250-room hotel, while Plenary’s is 200 rooms). Residential build-ings were included in both designs and located along Ocean Boulevard as well as furthernorth by 3rd Street. While estimating its project would provide between 765 and 900 residential units,

CiviCore also proposed partnering with California State University, Long Beach andLong Beach City College to build a 15,000-square-foot technology incubator focused ondeveloping small businesses. Both plans featured ground-floor spaces for retail centers.Funding for the massive undertaking is expected to be secured through a public-private

partnership wherein the selected team would develop and manage the property, essen-tially leasing the public buildings back to the city for roughly 40 years. The city meanwhile would use $12.6 million it annually spends on the maintenance of

the current civic center to pay the developer. Once the debt is paid, the city hall building,port headquarters and library would revert to the city’s ownership. Under the current plan,public land under the hotel and residential buildings would be conveyed to the developer.While several residents spoke in favor of the plan during public comments, others

remained skeptical. Former Deputy City Attorney Jim McCabe warned the councilagainst thinking it was somehow getting a “free lunch.”“I haven’t seen any realistic estimates of the value of the properties we’re giving away.

No one to my knowledge in the public – perhaps some on the city council – have seenany figures on the financial viability of all of this,” McCabe said.Discussions involving development of a new civic center have been ongoing since the

early 2000s when it was discovered the library roof was leaky. Seismic studies in 2005and 2006 determined the current city hall building, constructed in 1978, could collapsein the event of an earthquake. In February 2013 the city council directed staff to issue a request for qualifications (RFQ)

seeking companies interested in developing the project under a public-private partnership.At the time, 5th District Councilmember Gerri Schipske was critical of the plan, arguing thata seismic retrofit option should have been more thoroughly explored. City staff maintainedthat, even with a retrofit, city hall could become uninhabitable in the event of an earthquake.Staff further argued that a retrofit couldn’t be completed without raising taxes.Three planners were originally selected to present their proposals for a new civic cen-

ter, but one, Related California LLC, dropped out of the process in October 2013. Theremaining two companies were scheduled to present their projects in July, but the hearingwas postponed to give city staff more time to review the proposals.The next civic center study session is scheduled for November 11 at Houghton Park.

To view the proposed plans for the civic center, visit www.lbciviccenter.com. �


Long Beach CiviCore Alliance rendering looking south.

Library

LincolnPark

CityHall

PortAdminResidentialHotel

Residential

Broadway Chestn

ut

Ced

ar

current police station

Plenary Edgemoor Civic Partnersrendering looking south.

Library

LincolnPark

current police station

CityHall

PortAdmin

Residential &Commercial Development

with Hotel option

Ced

ar

Chestn

ut

current parking



PERSPECTIVE30 Long Beach Business Journal October 28-November 10, 2014

Thousands of chil-dren in the

United States are liv-ing with pediatricdigestive and nutri-tional disordersbecause gastrointesti-nal conditions and itssymptoms aren’talways recognized andevery child’s body isdifferent. When itcomes to getting to the“bottom” of the mat-

ter, the color of their bowel movement canindicate good or poor gastrointestinal health. As a parent, it is hard enough to keep your

kids healthy, or know when there is some-thing else going on underneath the surface.Your child’s bowel movements can prove tobe a helpful, colorful road map to under-standing what is going on with their health. The color of your child’s stool can indicate

the current state of their health by givingclues about their diet, their lifestyle or, mostimportantly, if your child might have a gas-trointestinal infection or disease. If yourchild’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not func-tioning correctly, it presents itself throughdifferent bowel movement colors:• Light brown to dark brown – This indi-

cates that your child’s GI tract appears healthy.• Black – This could indicate that your

child is bleeding from the upper part of their

GI tract. This also can result from your childeating dark colored foods like black licoriceor blueberries, or having an increased ironintake in their diet. Iron supplemetation or useof Peptobismal can also cause black stool.• Red – This could indicate that your child

is bleeding from the lower part of their GItract. This can result from inflammatorybowel disease or your child eating too manyred foods like beets or red dyes in foods. • Yellow – This can be the normal stool

color in infants. • White or light grey – This could indi-

cate a blockage in the liver preventing bile,the yellow fluid stored in the gallbladder thatgives stool the yellow/green/brown color,from getting out of the liver. • Green – This could indicate that your

child’s stool is passing through their intestinesrapidly (diarrhea), not allowing enough timefor complete normal stool change in colorfrom its initial yellow to green to brown. Thisalso can result from viral diarrhea or eatingtoo many green foods like spinach or othergreen vegetables. As crucial as it is to check your child’s

bowel movement colors it is equally impor-tant for parents to monitor if their child ishaving consistent bowel movements becauseif not that can be a case of constipation.Constipation is a concern when your childnormally has a bowel movement once ortwice a day, but then it can change to thatthey haven’t gone in several days. However

long it’s been, your child may start to feelgassy, bloated, and generally uncomfortable.Dehydration, changes in diet and activity,and certain drugs are some of the commoncauses of constipation. Some proactivemeasures you can take to help your childprevent constipation are to make sure theyhave an adequate intake of fluids daily,ensure that they are active and exercising,and try to mix high-fiber in their diet whenpossible.It also is important to note that a one-time

color change in your child’s stool may not besignificant as it can be reflective of dietaryintake or even normal bacterial change incolor. Persistent change in stool color can bea clue to your child’s GI health. If the colorchanges remain persistent you should con-sult your pediatrician, especially if thesechanges are accompanied by other symp-toms like abdominal discomfort, loss ofappetite, loss of weight, diarrhea and otherunusual problems.If you feel your child is suffering from a

pediatric gastrointestinal condition, or wouldlike to learn more, contact the PediatricGastroenterology, Hepatology & NutritionCenter at 800-MEMORIAL or visitMillerChildrens.org/GI. (Barry Steinmetz, M.D., is the associate

medical director of the PediatricGastroenterology, Hepatology & NutritionCenter at Miller Children’s & Women’sHospital Long Beach.)

Color Of Poop And Your Child’s Health

� HEALTHWISE

By BarrySteinmetz, M.D.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER

George Economides

SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Heather Dann

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Cori Lambert

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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

SENIOR WRITER

Samantha Mehlinger

STAFF WRITER

Brandon Ferguson

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Michael Gougis

PHOTOJOURNALIST

Thomas McConville

COPY EDITORPat Flynn

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Vol. XXVII No. 21

October 28-

November 10, 2014

We manage time,waste time, spend

time, save time. We wishthe time would come. Wewish the time wouldpass. We see time fly. Wefeel time drag. We watchclocks and carry calen-dars, creating the illusionthat we somehow controltime. Yet all the whilemoments flow forwardlike a mighty river that

cannot be stopped, harnessed or rerouted.Time goes on. We don’t always live that way

but, when we stop to reflect, we know it’s true.We can’t stop clocks or stretch an hour. Withintime’s movement we do the best to manageourselves – not time. To get the most out of theminute is to prioritize our actions. What is most important? Minutes add up to

hours. Hours add up into days, and time moveson. The average person in the U.S. will live28,689 days. This focuses on vita brevis – the“brevity of life.”

“Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closeryou get to the end, the faster it goes”

. . . Andy RooneyHere’s what I know. Happiness doesn’t

come from watching the clock. Happinesscomes from working it. How do you work it?By doing what it does – keep going. How doyou keep going? By managing your priorities.Are you doing what’s important to you? Mostpeople use their schedules to let other people

set their agendas. Your schedule should reflectwhat’s important to you. Don’t schedule yourtasks. Schedule your values.Maturity is coming to an understanding that

our actions can lead to two extremes: break-down or breakthrough. Our priorities place ussomewhere on that continuum. When we havea sense of mission, we can prioritize our livesto get the most out of each moment. When weunderstand that the trajectory of our livesleads to either breakdown or breakthrough, weare motivated to operate from a platform ofpriorities and not feelings. Priorities are goodleaders. Feelings are good responders.So time management is really an issue of

productivity – making the best use of time, andpriorities – making a distinction between theimportant and the urgent. It is helpful to lookat time, not simply as an expenditure, but as aninvestment. When your hourglass runs out ofsand, you can’t flip it over and start again.Don’t spend your minutes. Invest them.There are two extremes in using time. You

can squander it or become a slave to it. Both ofthese scenarios lead to stress and anxiety. Theinvestment of time is not about panic. It’sabout pace. You prioritize and go at your pace.The trap is allowing all the technological addi-tives of our fast track world to drive you.Master them. Occasionally turning off andtuning out could be the best use of your time.As time passes, it is so easy to simply drift

along. You know what that’s like. You placeyour beach equipment in a selected spot. Thenyou go out for a swim or to catch waves. You

are unaware that you are ever so slowly drift-ing. You are unaware of the passing of time.Then suddenly you look up and don’t see yourhome base – your beach furniture. To youramazement you discover that you are severalhundred yards from your original spot.Life is like that. It passes and we look up

and realize how far we have drifted. Withoutfocusing on priorities, it is easy to driftthrough life – sometimes aimlessly and some-times with other things controlling us. Bottomline? You get what you focus on.Managing priorities assumes you under-

stand what’s important to you. At the end ofthe day I do a mental exercise. I ask, “Whatdid I do well?” Then I ask, “What could I havedone better?” If what I could have done betterkeeps showing up again and again, then, num-ber 3, “I need to get some help!” We all needhelp in certain areas. The key is to identifywhat those areas are. Don’t let them linger inyour life and build up residue. Don’t let themget the best of you. Life has no reverse gears, no brakes, and no

warranties. Therefore, decide what you wantto do with it. It’s your gift. Use it wisely.(Mick Ukleja has co-authored several books

including Managing the Millennials. He helpsorganizations create environments in which allgenerations can thrive. He is a keynotespeaker and president of LeadershipTraq, aleadership consulting firm. His clients haveincluded Fortune 500 corporations and non-profit organizations. Check his weekly blog atwww.leadershiptraq.com.)

� EFFECTIVELEADERSHIP

By Mick Ukleja

Life Has No Brakes, No Reverse Gears And No Warranties“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” . . . Albert Einstein


PERSPECTIVEOctober 28-November 10, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 31

Just as variousparts of our nation

suffered declines inhousing prices due toregional differencesdepending on manyfactors, recent studieshave shown that someethnic groups havesuffered dispropor-tionately in the strug-

gle to maintain homeownership over thepast seven years – and their recovery hasbeen uneven as well.According to an analysis of federal lend-

ing data by the Urban Institute, aWashington-based non-partisan researchgroup, Hispanic borrowers have been shutout of the two-year housing recovery morethan other groups in California, denyingthem the chance to rebuild wealth throughhomeownership. The Hispanic share of themarket for mortgages to buy homes fell to22 percent in 2013 from 24 percent theprior year, which is barely half of the 2006peak. The share last year for blacks fell to2.8 percent from 3.1 percent while itincreased for whites and Asians.It appears that Hispanics are dropping

out of the market even as their numbersgrow, surpassing whites this year as thelargest ethnic group in California, account-ing for 39 percent of the population,according to the Urban Institute.“The Hispanic community is going to

make up a larger and larger portion of thepopulation,” said Taz George, an UrbanInstitute researcher. “If they’re strugglingto qualify for loans or to afford home pur-

chases, that has huge implications for theirability to accrue wealth over time.”While it probably is no surprise that

minorities and the economically disadvan-taged are not able to partake in the housingrecovery at the same rates as others, someobservers are taking note of the politicalramifications of this trend as we head intothe midterm elections.Hispanics in California had a higher

unemployment rate in August, 9.2 percent,than the overall rate, 7.9 percent, whichcould become a political issue. Hispanics’growing influence and tilt toward Democratshave made it hard for Republicans to winstatewide office, said Mark Baldassare, chiefexecutive officer of the Public PolicyInstitute of California, a non-partisan group.“Economic opportunity and mobility

are major issues in California,”Baldassare said. “These are some of thedriving factors in why people participatein elections, particularly when they feellike they’ve been left behind.”Homeownership continues to be a signif-

icant source of wealth in the aftermath ofthe housing crisis, according to aSeptember 2013 study by HarvardUniversity’s Joint Center for HousingStudies. Owning a home is consistentlylinked with increases of as much as $10,000in net wealth for each year a home is owned,

the study said. In contrast, renters generallydon’t experience any wealth gains.The homeownership rate for Hispanics in

California was 41.9 percent last year, com-pared with 62.7 percent for non-Hispanicwhites, according to the U.S. Census. TheHispanic rate was 47.9 percent in 2006.In California, which is among the

nation’s most expensive states for housing,the median price of a single-family homewas $480,280 in August, up 8.9 percentfrom a year earlier, according to theCalifornia Association of Realtors. TheU.S. median-priced home was $219,800 inAugust, the National Association ofRealtors reported.Affordability is the worst in big cities

where high-paying jobs have been createdduring the recovery, driving up housingprices. In the San Francisco Bay Area, theHispanic share of purchase originations fellto 9 percent last year from 25 percent in2006, according to the Urban Instituteanalysis. Purchase originations by Asiansgrew to 35 percent from 26 percent in thesame period. Whites jumped to 53 percentfrom 41 percent. In the Los Angeles area,the Hispanic share dropped to 23 percentlast year from 46 percent in 2006.“The recovery itself might be further

exacerbating the racial disparities in wealthbecause the people recovering are more

likely to be white and the people scraping byare more likely to be black and Hispanic,”said Matt Barreto, co-founder of thenational polling and research firm, LatinoDecisions. “Where there are opportunities,those loans are being taken up by peoplealready in the middle and upper class.”Only 30 percent of California house-

holds earn enough to qualify for a mort-gage on a single-family home now, com-pared with 36 percent a year ago, accord-ing to the California Association ofRealtors (CAR). The average in theUnited States is 57 percent.In 2012, according to the Urban

Institute, tighter credit has kept as many as1.2 million Americans from buying, peoplewho would have qualified under the stan-dards in place before the housing bubbleand recession.That National Association of Home

Builders (NAHB) also revealed in a recentpoll that over half of single-family homebuilders believed that lending regulationswere tight or very tight, and have pressuredWashington for housing reform that wouldreverse many of the current lending prac-tices keeping borrowers out of the marketand hindering a full recovery.Given the diverse makeup of the popula-

tion of this state and how it is impactingthese groups, it would behoove those inSacramento and Washington to act on theirbehalf sooner rather than later.(Terry Ross, the broker-owner of TR

Properties, will answer any questionsabout today’s real estate market. E-mailquestions to Realty Views [email protected] or call 949/457-4922.)

� REALTY VIEWS

By Terry Ross

Housing Recovery Is Not For AllThe homeownership rate for Hispanics in California

was 41.9 percent last year, compared with 62.7 percent for

non-Hispanic whites, according to the U.S. Census.

The Hispanic rate was 47.9 percent in 2006.

O ne of theb i g g e s t

challenges thatany nonprofito r g a n i z a t i o nfaces is passingthe torch from itsfounder to thenext generationof leadership.Having had thechance to meet

the new executive director of the LongBeach Nonprofit Partnership, there’s nodoubt that Linda Alexander is out to trans-form that challenge into an opportunity.Last month, Linda was named the sec-

ond executive director of the Partnershipand follows in the footsteps of a pioneerwho helped to birth the organizationwhile it was still incubating as the brain-child of The Josephine S. GumbinerFoundation in the 1990s. A highly suc-cessful demonstration of the Foundation’scommitment to providing resources toLong Beach area nonprofits, the LongBeach Nonprofit Partnership would even-tually evolve into its own organizationbeginning in 2000.The ultimate goal of the Partnership

remains today as it did upon its founding:

Transform communities through success-ful nonprofit organizations.Under the leadership of its first executive

director, Judy Ross, the Partnership wouldgrow during the next 15 years from a staff ofone to a professional team of six supportingmore than 3,000 community-based organi-zations in the Long Beach area. Her foot-prints would include two economic impactstudies, the creation of LeadershipInstitutes, a resource library, organized peerlearning groups, and a stable of top consult-ants who offer proven expertise to any non-profit with capacity-building needs.Finding a successor to continue this

momentum would be no small task. But,thanks to a thoughtful selection processorchestrated by the Partnership board,chaired by veteran nonprofit and civicleader Deborah Goldfarb, chief executiveofficer of the Jewish Federation, a strate-gic hiring decision was made and LindaAlexander was brought on board. Already proving that she’s ready, will-

ing and able to lead, Linda plans to launchthe Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership inits 2.0 version beginning next week.An extremely thoughtful communicator

who prefers to speak from data combinedwith lessons learned through her experi-ences, Linda brings to the Partnership

significant insights about how people andcommunities work together to createquality of life results. While at First 5 LA, for example, she led

an initiative to mobilize tobacco-tax dollarsto enhance services for children under theage of five across a wide-spectrum of LongBeach nonprofit organizations. Her stint asexecutive director of the CommunityDevelopment Foundation ushered majorchanges for residents throughout LosAngeles County living in public housing. In all, Linda’s professional and volun-

tary backgrounds in key social issues likedomestic violence, family advancementand social justice sum to a compellingcomplement to the diversity of organiza-tions that look to the Long BeachNonprofit Partnership for support.“Long Beach nonprofits have a higher

level of cooperation and collaboration thanwhat I’ve experienced in other communi-ties,” explains Linda. “Our aim will be tounleash the power of these relationshipswhile providing tools that empower eachorganization to further advance its ownunique mission to serve the community.”She intends to start walking that talk in

both content and branding at an open housefor the Partnership scheduled for November5. There she will unveil the concept of

ALL-IN, an acronym that stands for ActiveListening and Learning for InnovativeNonprofit Support. ALL-IN will becomethe centerpiece to guide the next generationof Partnership programs and activities.“We are ALL-IN this together,” is some-

thing that Linda uses to enthusiasticallyexplain the concept. “There is an incredi-ble amount of talent at work here,” shecontinues, proudly wearing her “10” lapelbutton representing the nonprofit sector’s10 percent place in the overall local econ-omy. “And, I’m looking forward to facili-tating resources and processes that standbehind these organizations to transformthe entire community.”Linda will soon issue a call to the rest

of us to help mobilize the 2.0 version ofthe Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership.As a nonprofit organization, itself, it’sclear the Partnership is willing to demon-strate what it teaches others about makingstrategic decisions that will lead togrowth and sustainability while advanc-ing a mission in a dynamic community. None of us should hesitate to step up to

the plate when Linda asks for our help. Ifwe truly want strong nonprofits in ourcommunity, let’s take stock in LBNP 2.0and prove that we really are all in thistogether.(Jeffrey R. Wilcox, CFRE, is president

and chief executive officer of The ThirdSector Company, Inc. He may be reachedby e-mailing him at: [email protected])

Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership:We’re ALL-IN This Together

� THIRD SECTOR REPORTBy Jeffrey Wilcox



Documents

October 28-November 10, 2014, Section A