Port O Call - April 2012

PORT CALLGREATER STOCKTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.stocktonchamber.org 2012

Vol. 57 No. 12

Together in Spear-ItVolunteerism Keeps the Stockton

Asparagus Festival Growing

June Business Showcase & Tradeshow Mixer

2012 Celebrate! Awards Winners Announced

PR

SRT

STD

US P

OSTA

GE

PA

ID

PE

RM

IT N

O 4

61

STO

CK

TO

N C

A

APRIL

Members can use other convenient online features to:

e-mail their doctor’s office

check lab results

request routine appointments with their personal physician

review past office visit information

With My Health Manager, your employees can refill prescriptions

online and pick them up at their local Kaiser Permanente pharmacy.

Most prescriptions can even be mailed at no extra charge—

no driving, no lines, no time away from work.

See how we can bring greater value to your health care dollars—view a demo at kp.org/experience.

Or contact your Kaiser Permanente broker or account manager.

He just filled his prescriptions. And he never left work.

businessnet.kp.org

PortOCall_8.75x11.25.indd 1 2/11/10 12:43:57 PM

CONTENTS

PORT CALL

Volunteerism Keeps the Stockton Asparagus Festival Growing 13

Don’t Miss!Networking Mixer

Hosted by:

CSU Stanislaus, Grupe Commercial Company

and Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences

University Park 612 East Magnolia Street

April 5, 5:15-7:15 p.m.

Tina Williams, DirectorPacific Gas & Electric

The Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce understands the importance of improving the

quality of life in our community. They know exactly how to reach out to the right people and

connect the right businesses to accomplish a common goal, which is to make Stockton a great

place to live and work.

68



From Your President 4

From Your CEO 5

Events 6

Leadership Stockton 7

Convention & Visitors Bureau 8

Programs and Public 10 Policy Department

New Members 11

Cover Story 13

Ribbon Cuttings 15

Calendar 17

PORT CALL

GREATER STOCKTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE445 W. Weber Avenue, Suite 220, Stockton, CA 95203

209.547.2770 fax [email protected]

Official publication of the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce. Serving the Greater Stockton area business community since 1901.

CHAMBER OFFICERS

PRESIDENT Debbie Armstrong, Old Republic Title Company

SR. VICE PRESIDENT Gary J. Long, Gary J. Long Jewelers

FINANCIAL VICE PRESIDENTSteven Crabtree, Herum Crabtree

VICE PRESIDENT Blain Bibb, ServiceMaster Building Maintenance

VICE PRESIDENT Judith Buethe, Judith Buethe Communications

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Rick Goucher, C B Richard Ellis Commercial Real Estate

CHAMBER DIRECTORSStephen Barney, F&M BankMichael Cera, SMG/Stockton Arena/Bob Hope TheatreDonna DeMartino, San Joaquin Regional Transit DistrictDan Durst, Durst Contract InteriorsPat Filippone, Stockton Ports Baseball ClubLewis Gale, Eberhardt School of BusinessClint Harless, Stockton Auto Glass/Quick’s Glass ServiceDan Keyser, Grupe Commercial CompanyKenneth Levy, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLCSonya Morgan, External Resources, Inc.Darryle Oakman, San Joaquin County Rental Property AssociationBakul Patel, Dorfman PacificTina Williams, Pacific Gas & Electric CompanyDiane Vigil, Dameron Hospital FoundationBob Young, Stockton Golf & Country Club

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERDouglass W. Wilhoit, Jr. 209.547.2766

PROGRAM & PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTOR/ BEAFrank Ferral 209.547.2763

SPECIAL EVENTS DIRECTORHeidi Altamirano 209.547.2764

OPERATIONS/FINANCE DIRECTORSandy Dwyer 209.547.2770

MEMBERSHIP SALESMatt Anderson 209.337.2723

SPECIAL EVENTS/ LEADERSHIP STOCKTON COORD.Timm Quinn 209.547.2960

SCAP COORDINATOR/ ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTMikki Gilbert 209.337.2730

SCAP-SE COORDINATORMichael Morales 209.337.2716

BEA/ SCAP ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTKarla Gonzalez 209.547.2770

RECEPTIONIST/ CUSTOMER SERVICEAlyssa McConnell 209.547.2770

PUBLISHER Stockton Chamber of Commerce 209.547.2770

GRAPHIC DESIGNNever Boring Design Associates 209.526.9136

ADVERTISING Kristin Bowker 209.423.4940

PRINTINGSnyder Parks 209.466.9026

MAILINGSnyder Parks 209.466.9026

Greater

EMERGENCY SERVICE WATER DAMAGE MITIGATIONMOLD REMEDIATION FIRE & SMOKE DAMAGE

BOARD-UP & TARPING COMPLETE RECONSTRUCTIONAND MUCH MORE

1.888.503.483324 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR

WWW.HUFFDKI.COM

A HUFF CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

MEMBER OF NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST PROPERTY DAMAGE RESTORATION CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION

Happy April! This month,

I look forward to seeing

all of you at the Asparagus

Festival enjoying good

family, community fun while

providing much-needed

assistance to our many non-

profits who do so much good

all year long.

Did you know in the past

26 years over $5.5 million has

been contributed back to local

charities directly from The Stockton Asparagus Festival?

This would not be possible without the continued help of the

community and the large amount of folks from outside Stockton

who come to our great city for this “Best of the West Food Fest!”

A very big thank you to all of you who sponsor and volunteer

hours of work for this great event.

This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever! This

is a great way to love and support our community and have a great

time doing it!

Also, don’t forget the Great Asparagus Dine Out is April 1-15!

You can find a list of participating restaurants at

www.visitstockton.org

Remember, living in and loving Stockton means shopping local

and keeping our money here so businesses can thrive!

I look forward to a great April and seeing many of you at the

Festival… God bless you all!

From Your President...by: Debbie Armstrong

APRIL2012 4www.stocktonchamber.org

From Your CEO...by: Doug Wilhoit

PORT CALL Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce5

continued on page 10

WHAT DOES THE APPROXIMATE NUMBER: TEN

MILLION NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE (10.9

MILLION) MEAN TO YOU? Please think about it while you read

this article for there will be a test at the end!

With your leave, may I start off my April Port O Call article by

thanking many of you, and others who may not read this, with the

Wilhoit family’s profound gratitude and thanks for the many, many

acts of kindness and generosity since the passing of my father on

February 23, 2012! His wife of 70 years, my sisters, his grandchildren,

great-grandchildren and I were comforted by all of you and may God

bless you. Again, our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you.

As I sit here on Sunday, March 11 (first day of daylight savings),

it is bittersweet. Each month as I prepared my article, my Dad

would ask what I was going to write about and sometimes I had a

basic idea and would run it by him. He would give me some input,

especially if it was about the trials and tribulations we are going

through in the City of Stockton he loved so dearly. He reminded me

of the days gone by (the 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s) when Stockton had

the largest “skid row” West of the Mississippi, or as former Chief of

Police Rex Parker—our neighbor when I was born—told Dad in the

40’s and me in 1967, that good law enforcement and politics are bad

bedfellows, or how the decline of Downtown created new issues we

still see today. He always reminded me that we should always look at

the positive side and confront the problem with courage, conviction,

common sense and an open mind.

As I was growing up, he often quoted many of his heroes in life!

Here are just a few he believed in: General Douglas MacArthur,

“Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old

by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting

their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt;

as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as

your hope, as old as your despair.” “In the central place of every

heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives a message

of beauty, hope, cheer and courage – so long are you young. When

the wires are all down and our heart is covered with the snow

of pessimism and the ice of cynicism then, and only then, are

you grown old.” George Washington, “the father of our country,”

who said: “Associate yourself with men of good quality if you

esteem your own reputation, for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad

company.” And finally, the legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear”

Bryant who said: “There are three types of individuals who play

the game: First, there are those who are winners, and know they

are winners. Then there are losers who know they are losers. Then

there are those who are not winners, but don’t know it. They’re the

ones for me. They never quit trying. They’re the soul of our game.”

Thanks Dad for everything, and I hope those that read this

article will think long and hard about what those who have gone

before us have said, done and sacrificed to make sure we enjoy life

to its fullest, as you did!

Also in today’s (March 11) Record there were some folks who

surely can relate to the quotes above: Pete Smith, Stockton PD

PIO, who answered the question “your two cents worth about

Stockton.” His answer: “This is a great city. It’s tough and has a

great heart. It will rise again, and be greater than ever.” This is

what we should all be thinking! Columnist Tony Sauro, who wrote

a great positive story on the Rebirth of show business city venues,

Mike Cera, Arena manager and Chamber Board member, who

said, “We’re looking at every single thing that comes to Northern

California. There isn’t anything we aren’t looking at.” Larry Richter,

founder and owner of Richter Entertainment

Eventsby: Heidi Altamarino

State of the City 2012 Sponsors(as of 3/2/12)

Platinum A.G. Spanos CompaniesAmerican Medical Response, Inc.Bank of Agriculture & CommerceBig Valley Ford LincolnCalifornia Water Service Co.City of StocktonDameron Hospital AssociationDelta Sierra BeverageFinancial Center Credit UnionGrupe Commercial CompanyHensel Phelps

Construction CompanyHousing Authority of the County of

San JoaquinHumphreys CollegeKaiser PermanenteLincoln CentermetroPCSNeumiller & BeardsleePacific Records ManagementPort of StocktonRabobank, N.A.Robert Half InternationalSan Joaquin Building & Construction

Trades CouncilSan Joaquin County WorkNetSan Joaquin Delta College

San Joaquin Partnership, Inc.San Joaquin RTD Sims Metal ManagementSt. Joseph’s Medical CenterStockton Convention &

Visitors BureauStockton Ports Baseball ClubThe Record/San Joaquin Media GroupUnited Way of San Joaquin CountyUniversity of the PacificWaste Management

Gold Builders Exchange of StocktonClark / McCarthy Oak Valley Community BankR & S Erection of Stockton, Inc. Stockton East Water DistrictSutter Gould Medical FoundationYara North America, Inc.

SilverDEVCON Construction, Inc.Dorfman Pacific Co., Inc.

TableCalifornia Water Service Co.Health Plan of San Joaquin

APRIL2012 6www.stocktonchamber.org@ Heidi Altamirano: [email protected]


Sign up now for the June 7 Business Showcase & Tradeshow

Mixer at the Hilton Stockton, 2323 Grand Canal Blvd. Expose

your products and services to over 300 business attendees, meet

some new people and grow your business. Tables are just $250 for

Chamber Members. Table space is going fast, so sign up now!

To sign up or receive more information please call Timm Quinn

at 209.547.2960 or email him at [email protected].

State of the City 2012 to be Held on May 17!

If you’re ever in doubt that we live in a great community, just

attend our annual State of the City 2012! This year the State of the

City will be held May 17 at the Port of Stockton. Co-Sponsored

by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, the City of

Stockton and the Port of Stockton, this event features exhibits

showcasing the critical and inspiring services available to you,

your loved ones and neighbors, all in the interest of maintaining a

wholesome community.

Sponsorships are still available, so take advantage of this

high profile marketing opportunity for your business. For more

information, call Heidi Altamirano at 209.547.2764 or email to

[email protected]. Tickets are $35 per person and are

not available at the door. To purchase tickets, go to the Events tab

at www.stocktonchamber.org and download the faxable form.

Business Awards Nominations Needed!

Nominations are now being accepted for our June 7 Business

Awards Luncheon. We are seeking nominations in the

categories of:

• Small Business Person of the Year

• Business Employee of the Year

• Business Manager of the Year

• Business Person of the Year

• P3 Stewardship Award

To learn the nomination criteria and download the nomination

forms please visit the Chamber website, www.stocktonchamber.org,

and click on the “Chamber Message” tab or call 209.547.2770.

Nomination deadline is April 6, 2012.

2012 Asparagus Festival Volunteers Needed!

There is still time to join Tortellini Timm and Angel Hair Heidi

as a volunteer in the Chamber’s Pasta and Ice Cream Booth at the

ever famous, world renowned Stockton Asparagus Festival April

27, 28 and 29! If you’re into having some weekend fun with some

great people while raising funds

for our Chamber programs, then

you will love preparing pasta and

scooping ice cream with some like-

minded folks. Only a few timeslots

open, act fast.

To add your name to the

volunteer list please contact Timm

Quinn at 209.547.2960 or

[email protected].

Green Your Bottom Line with Product Stewardship!

Economic benefits abound: reduced operating costs, energy savings, reduced disposal costs, the creation of green jobs.

www.CalPSC.org

Design it Green | Make it Clean | Conserve Resources | Reduce | Reuse | Eliminate Toxics | Take it Back!

Become a Certified Green Business! Save money & gain customers by:

Reducing waste Conserving water and energy

Protecting public health Using recycled-content in your products

www.GreenTeamSanJoaquin.com

SMALL BUSINESS HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL*

Affordable Hazardous Waste Management for Your Business A Program of San Joaquin County Public Works

www.SJCrecycle.org (209) 468-3066

i Low cost way to safely dispose of hazardous materials. (Costs depend on your waste types.)

i Documentation that you properly manage hazardous waste.

i Assurance that the material will be disposed of properly. *Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQG)

We also accept universal and electronic waste.

Leadership Stocktonby: Timm Quinn

PORT CALL Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce7 @ Timm Quinn: [email protected]

Community Serving Community Session

Leadership Level Sponsor: Financial Center Credit Union

Charitable, nonprofit groups have always played an important

role in our lives, extending essential help to our local community

in many ways. That is why each year we devote an entire day to

exploring some of Stockton’s finest community-based organizations.

That day, the class was divided into seven teams, each assigned

to one of seven different community-based organizations:

Women’s Center of San Joaquin, St. Mary’s Interfaith Community

Services, Stockton Shelter for the Homeless, Child Abuse

Prevention Council, Emergency Food Bank of Stockton, Family

Resource & Referral Center/Podesto Teen Impact Center and

Gospel Center Rescue Mission.

At their host locations, each team was given a tour, an

information session and got right to work. After working hard all

morning, the class met for a great BBQ lunch to enjoy the outdoor

barbecue and pergola the LS Class of 2011 built at the Emergency

Food Bank. After lunch, Andy Prokop, President and CEO of the

United Way of San Joaquin County, talked to the class about his

journey into the world of nonprofits and thanked the class for their

commitment to the community and participation in Leadership

Stockton. Andy then spoke about the great things United Way does

for our community and how Leadership Stockton participants are

already well on their way to being the future of Stockton.

Each team then had the opportunity to share their experiences

at each community-based organization with other members of

the class. They used words such as “eye-opening”, “deep respect”,

“life changing”, “better understanding”, “amazing”, and “extremely

impressed” when speaking about their time spent at the various

non-profit agencies. Then Peter Johnson (LS ’02), Director,

University of the Pacific Westgate Center for Leadership and

Management Development, talked with the class about being

an impactful board member and leaving your legacy. Most

participants felt the session was one of their favorites this year.

I would like to thank the following people for their contribution

to the success of this session: Andy Prokop and Donna Ng from the

United Way for their help, Peter Johnson and to each hosting non-

profit director who helped make the day so special: Lindy Turner

(LS ’01), Uyen Do (LS ’08), Tim Viall (LS ’93), Edward Figueroa,

John Reynolds, Kim Miller (LS ’09), Tony Washington (LS ’98) and

Joelle Gomez (LS ’95)—Thank you for opening your doors!

4.30.12

Grow it, make it & ship it!

Connect with the San Joaquin Partnership.

Convention & Visitors Bureauby: Wes Rhea

APRIL2012 8www.visitstockton.org@ Wes Rhea: [email protected]

Be sure to become a fan on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/Stockton.CVB


The Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced the

2012 Celebrate! Awards honorees to be recognized at the upcoming

2012 Celebrate! Awards & Tourism Luncheon on April 4, 2012.

The 2012 Celebrate! Awards will recognize the contributions

and efforts of the following:

• Industry Professional of the Year: David Crawford - Assistant

Operations Manager, SMG Stockton - Stockton Arena,

Stockton Ballpark & Bob Hope Theatre

• Industry Partner of the Year: The Downtown

Stockton Alliance

• Sports Partner of the Year: California Grapettes Girls

Fastpitch Softball

The event will take place on April 4 at the Hilton Stockton and

will address the current state of travel, tourism & hospitality in

Stockton and the Stockton Convention and Visitors Bureau’s

efforts to promote and market our city. “At our luncheon we’ll

share the importance of travel and tourism in our region and

its impact on our local economy,” noted Wes Rhea, Executive

Director of the Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau, “We

are also looking forward to celebrating some great people and

organizations that make our job a little easier by making a

difference in our industry.”

Doors open at 11 a.m. with the program beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Lunch, program and awards will finish about 1 p.m. Tickets

are $25 each and tables of 8 are available for $200. Tickets are

available now at www.CelebrateAwards.com.

For event or ticket information regarding the 2012 Celebrate!

Awards and Tourism Luncheon please call 209.938.1555 or email

[email protected].

The Great Stockton Asparagus Dine Out is Here!

Stockton will celebrate locally grown asparagus during the 3rd

annual Great Stockton Asparagus Dine Out – April 1 through 15,

with over 25 restaurant locations throughout Stockton serving up

delicious asparagus entrées, appetizers and cocktails!

Participating restaurants and their menus are featured at

www.DineOutStockton.com. Be sure to “like” our Facebook page

at www.facebook.com/Stockton.Restaurant.Week to win great

prizes and for the latest information.

PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL FOR

SMALL BUSINESSES

For details and prices, call (209) 468-3066

√ Affordable, safe disposal of hazardous materials. √ Proof of proper management of hazardous waste. √ Universal and electronic waste accepted.


Output On: March 05, 2012 4:07 PM High-Resolution PDF - PRINT READY

Programs and Public Policy Departmentby: Frank Ferral

CEO Cont’d from pg. 5

Group, who said, “We plan on being a force. We plan on putting

these buildings on the map and making them successful.” And

a very special shout out to Ms. Georgia Brownlee, President of

the Sierra Vista Residence Council, who organized a community

meeting at the Dorothy L. Jones (one of my heroes) Community

and Health Center. Ms. Brownlee is correct when she states, “We

need to stop the violence plaguing our community.” She and all

those who participated are to be congratulated and their example

replicated all around the City of Stockton. As many wise folks have

said for years and I have stated often before, “IF YOU ARE NOT

PART OF THE SOLUTION, THEN YOU ARE PART OF THE

PROBLEM!” Thank you to the Record for the positive stories and

those stand up folks (Stocktonians) in the articles!

NOW: Back to the 10.9 Million PEOPLE at the beginning

of this missive: The first person who can tell me by 5 p.m. on

Monday April 9, 2012 -by FAX ONLY (209.466.5271)- what

the significance of that number is to our community AND as

completely as possible who, what, where, when, why, and how

(old police department training) I arrived at that number, will be

my guest at a Chamber Member restaurant of their choice for a

meal which will include appetizers, main course and dessert (no

alcohol beverages –sorry), two tickets to State of the City, two

Comcast Section tickets to a Port’s game of their choice and a copy

of our Chamber’s publication of the book; “Stockton. Renewed,

Revitalized and Redefined” written by Annie Gonzales. Put on

your positive thinking caps and good luck!

APRIL2012 10www.stocktonchamber.orgFor more info, contact Frank Ferral at [email protected]@

Adopt Your Own Environmental Policy…

Your Chamber Has

In 2007, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce adopted

its Environmental Purchasing Policy to not only reduce our costs

in doing business, but to lead by example on what businesses can

do to better the environment.

Statement of Policy This policy, known as the “Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) Responsible Purchasing Policy”,

supports a triple bottom line – economic, environmental and social. The Chamber supports sustainable

practices that:

• Reduce waste by increasing product efficiency and effectiveness

• Purchase products that minimize environmental impacts, toxins, pollution and hazards to work and

community safety, to the greatest extent practicable

• Purchase products that include recycled content, are durable and long-lasting, conserve energy and water,

reduce greenhouse gas emissions, use unbleached or chlorine-free manufacturing processes and use

wood from sustainably harvested forests.

2. Purpose

1.1 This policy is adopted in order to:

• conserve natural resources, preserve air, soil and water quality

• minimize environmental impacts such as pollution and use of water and energy

• eliminate or reduce toxins that create hazards to workers and our community

• strengthen and support strong local recycling markets by encouraging

Chamber members to use such products whenever practicable

• reduce materials that are landfilled

• increase the use and availability of environmentally preferable products

• identify environmentally preferable products and distribution systems

• create a model for successfully purchasing recycled products that encourages other purchasers in our

community to adopt similar goals

3. Specifications

3.1 Source Reduction

3.1.1 Chamber shall institute best management practices that reduce waste and result in the purchase of fewer

products whenever practicable and cost-effective, but without reducing safety or workplace quality.

3.1.2 Chamber shall purchase remanufactured products such as laser toner cartridges, furniture and equipment

whenever practicable, but without reducing safety, quality or effectiveness.

3.1.3 Chamber shall require all equipment bought after the adoption of this policy to be compatible with

source reduction goals as referred to in this section (3.1), when practicable.

3.1.4 All buyers shall consider short term and long term costs in comparing product alternatives, when

feasible. This includes evaluation of total costs expected during the time a product is owned, including,

but not limited to, acquisition, extended warranties, operation, supplies, maintenance, disposal costs and

expected lifetime compared to other alternatives.

3.1.5 Products that are durable, long-lasting, reusable or refillable are preferred whenever feasible.

3.1.6 Chamber requests vendors to eliminate packaging or use the minimum amount necessary for product

protection, to the greatest extent possible.

3.1.7 Packaging that is reusable or recyclable is preferred, when suitable uses and programs exist.

3.1.8 Vendors shall be encouraged to take back and reuse pallets and packaging materials.

3.1.9 Suppliers of electronic equipment, including but not limited to computers, monitors, printers and copiers,

shall be required to take back equipment for reuse or environmentally safe recycling when Chamber

discards or replaces such equipment, whenever possible.

3.1.10 Print and photocopy on both sides of paper; default copy machines to double-sided printing.

3.2 Recycled Content Products

3.2.1 All products for which the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.EPA) has established

minimum recycled content standard guidelines, such as those for printing paper, office paper, janitorial

paper, construction, landscaping, parks and recreation, transportation, vehicles miscellaneous and non-

paper products, shall contain the highest post consumer content practicable, but no less than the

minimum recycled content standards established by the U.S. EPA Guidelines.

3.2.2 Copiers and printers bought shall be compatible with the use of recycled content products.

3.2.3 All pre-printed recycled content papers intended for distribution that are purchased or produced shall

contain a statement that the paper is made of recycled content. 100% post-consumer content is preferred.

For a full copy of our policy, please visit

www.greenteamsanjoaquin.com and click on “resources.”

Output On: March 05, 2012 4:07 PM High-Resolution PDF - PRINT READY

New Members For more information on becoming a new member, please call Matt Anderson

at 209.547.2770. Please allow up to 90 days for your listing to show.

Beauty Salons

Beauty Garden Salon & Spa4103 E. Morado Lane #140

430 Schmidt Court

Stockton www.beautygardensalonspa.com

Education / Colleges & Universities

UEI College4994 Claremont Avenue

Stockton www.uei.edu

Education / Veteran Training Services

Troops to Teachers5021 Bayview Circle

Stockton www.mpttt.org

Insurance - Agents & Brokers

USI Insurance Services of Northern CA Inc.2021 W. March Lane, 3rd Floor

Stockton www.usi.biz

Janitorial Supplies

Merit Supply Inc.540 N. Hunter Street

Stockton www.meritjanitorialsupply.com

Tammy’s Janitorial ServicesPO Box 117

Stockton www.tammysjanitorial.com

Mediation Services

Mediation Center San Joaquin County829 Rose Marie Lane, #D

Stockton www.mediatorsrus.org

Recycling

ECS Refining2222 South Sinclair Avenue

Stockton www.ecsrefining.com

Service Organizations

March of Dimes1729 Tully Road, #6

Modesto www.marchofdimes.com

Training Programs

LifeSaver CPR1478 Dunigan Place

Manteca www.lifesavercpr.net



COVER STORY


Together in Spear-ItVolunteerism Keeps the Stockton Asparagus Festival GrowingBy Justin Souza

When the 27th annual Stockton

Asparagus Festival closes its gates on

another successful year this April, it will

have an army of volunteers to thank for it.

Since 1986, the Stockton Asparagus

Festival has thrilled over 100,000 people

a year with great food, fun activities

and three full days of celebration of our

favorite local spear, all through the

hard work of a volunteer labor force

who have pitched in to raise over $5.5

million to support San Joaquin County

nonprofit organizations.

According to Kate Post, Executive

Director of the event, the Stockton

Asparagus Festival has become the largest

charitable festival in California, donating

all profit to the groups that send workers

to man booths, take tickets or do any of

hundreds of other jobs that make the

popular annual event possible. “We give

away more than anybody,” said Post.

“When you’re here, every bite you take

goes to nonprofits!”

The Stockton Asparagus Festival is

a major center of local volunteerism,

growing from 8,000 volunteer hours in

1986 to more than 32,000 at last year’s

event. The Festival provides nonprofits

a reliable funding source founded on

the steady popularity of the “Best of the

West” Food Festival, added Post. “The

whole premise of the Festival is to support

nonprofits in San Joaquin County.

Most nonprofits don’t do special event

fundraising anymore, but the Asparagus

Festival has proven to be a tried and

true method and many of our nonprofit

partners count on the money they earn

here for their yearly budgets.”

A Slice of the Spear

The Asparagus Festival works

through partnerships with local nonprofits

to staff the Festival’s attractions as well as

to set up and tear down the facilities and

provide background support. “Some of

these groups work their tails off, but they

still manage to have fun, too,” said Leslie

Snyder, who has served as Volunteer

Committee Chair for the Asparagus

Festival for the last 15 years. “We couldn’t

do this without them!”

Each year, long before the first spear

is battered and fried, the Festival’s

activities are broken down and analyzed

to determine everything required to make

the event a reality. All tasks are assigned

a certain number of hours needed to

accomplish them, then each is assigned

to one of over 100 San Joaquin County

nonprofit groups. The nonprofits are

responsible for handing out assignments

to individual volunteers.

According to Post, the event drew over

5,000 volunteer workers last year, many of

them manning grills, ovens or counters in

Asparagus Alley.

“It’s an interesting study in organization,”

said Post. “We communicate with the

heads of the nonprofit organizations and

their job is to communicate with and

structure their own people. The more

enthusiastic and organized we are, the

better volunteer experience we give to

our nonprofits.”

After the Festival ends, yet more

volunteers get to work figuring out what

the Festival took in and what costs it

incurred. The net profit earned is then

divided by the number of hours worked

by all the volunteers and an hourly

dividend is decided which determines

how much each nonprofit group receives.

Under last year’s dividend of $10.97,

a nonprofit whose volunteer workforce

put in a total of 100 hours would receive

a check for around $1,100 dollars from

Since 1986, the Stockton

Asparagus Festival has raised over $5.5 million for

local nonprofits.


the Festival. Dividends from the Festival

have reached as high as $15.95 and have

generally remained well above minimum

wage during the Festival’s 27 years.

Since 1986, over $5.5 million has been

donated to local nonprofits through these

dividends, including $351,457 from last

year’s event alone.

Snyder added that

her challenge is to

balance the hours

needed to keep the

Festival operating

while also keeping

an eye on the

bottom line. “I try

to keep the hours

in check because

that helps us give

a higher dividend

in the end.” This

can mean that

volunteers are

sometimes swamped

during the Festival’s

busiest times, but

minimizing staff

maximizes the size of

the check the Festival

can hand over.

“After we know what we’re able to

give to each group, we hold the Spear-

It Celebration for our groups,” added

Snyder. “We unveil a big check with the

total amount earned for our nonprofits

during the Festival and then present each

group with individual checks. It’s exciting!

None of the groups know what amount

they’ve earned until that day!”

Making the Festival a Success

With yearly attendance

of over 100,000 people

per year, the Stockton

Asparagus Festival could

be a logistical challenge.

But the innovative

organizational structure

of the Festival—its

focus on distributing

the managerial load to

individual nonprofit

groups—means that no

one person is in charge

of keeping everything

running smoothly.

When the Festival is

open, Snyder can be

found at the Volunteer

Information Booth. “I

always have my feelers

out there to make sure

that everything is going

smoothly and we have adequate staff. I

have a little backup group of

substitutes that I can send out to fill

any gaps.”

Volunteer workers are generally assigned

a shift of around 5 hours, said Snyder.

“Five hours isn’t bad when you’re having

a good time as a volunteer.” In addition to

the dividend earned for their nonprofit,

every volunteer receives a free meal for

every shift worked, a wristband that

allows entry to the Festival throughout

the weekend and free transportation

from Delta College, which saves them the

hassle of locating parking downtown.

Snyder said that while she has worked

hard to include as many groups as possible,

there is still a waitlist of interested groups

going all the way back to 2007. “Last year,

I took 6 or 7 groups from the waiting list

because of some new functions. When I

have an opening, I go to the waiting list. I

have gotten groups that sent letters in years

ago who were still interested and so excited

to be part of this.” Snyder added that while

she doesn’t place individual volunteers, only

groups, those individuals who are interested

in volunteering can contact groups

(including the Greater Stockton Chamber

of Commerce!) to find a spot to help out.

This year’s Asparagus Festival is

scheduled for April 27-29 from 10 a.m. to

7 p.m. Visit www.asparagusfest.com for

more information.

Ribbon Cuttings For additional information go to www.stocktonchamber.org

Attending Ambassadors

Annie RandazzoAllied Waste

Blair HakeAmeriprise Financial Services Inc.

Bryan MeadowsStockton Ports Baseball Club

Carol ClemonsAngel’s Caring Helpers

Cindy WardXango

Diane ReyesSt. Joseph’s EAP

Dr Eunice GreenGreen’s Nutrition

Ella HolmanCollins Reality

Gary GhanBrookfalls Water Co.

Geri BlasStockton Post Office

Glenn JoseH.O.P.E.

Gloria BlaineBasket Caravan & Gourmet Gifts

Greg WaltherPress F1 Computers

Griffin ShibleyStockton Ports Baseball Club

Henry PeraltaStockton Auto Glass

Jennifer LewisHilton Stockton

Joel CarignanEdward Jones

John Paval Kansas City Life

Justin RedmanCentral Valley Community Bank

Keith BurgadBurgad Imaging

Linda StocktonEntravision Radio

Loretta LeeCalifornia State Department of Rehabilitation

Luke ReiffStockton Ports Baseball Club

Mark McDonaldLegalshield

Marsha Saulsbury Dazzlin’ Cleaning

Max VargasSenator Wolk’s Office

Memri JohnsonSport Clips

Michele SherlockOptimal Hospice Care

Nick HarbotEco Chic Salon Naturally

Patricia DeSotoPatricia V DeSoto CPA

Patti Gulick New Image Signs

Peter LopezStockton Ports Baseball Club

Phyllis KleinKlein Insurance

Rebecca DealRabobank

Ross MoermanDoctor Data

Sam WardXango

Shannon DingAssemblymember Bill Berryhill’s Office

Tim AragonTNT Quik Connect

Vince RosatoNew Image Signs

Wes RheaStockton Convention & Visitors Bureau

Networking MixerMarch 1, The Reserve at Spanos Park


yo u r j e w el er f or l if e ’s cel ebr at ions

4 Consecutive Years!

320 Lincoln Center, Stockton, CA 95207209.477.6881 www.GJLongJewelers.com

Turn Your GOLD Into GREEN

Recycle your Old or Broken Jewelry

Gold prices are at an all time high! Over $1,700 per ounce.Broken, damaged, unused or unwanted- don’t miss your

opportunity to get top dollar for your jewelry!

Turn unworn jewelry into green cash!!

CalendarApril 2012

Highlights4/5 - Networking Mixer – 5:15 - 7:15 p.m.

@ University Park

612 East Magnolia Street

also don’t miss... 5/3 - Networking Mixer

@ Pacific Records Management/Bekins

Wilshire Ave., Stockton

13 Leadership Stockton Education Session – 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. @ Health Plan of San Joaquin

12 Manufacturers Industrial Distribution Roundtable – 7:30 a.m. @ TBA

11 Outback Steakhouse Down Under Scholarship Lunch 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. @ Outback Steakhouse, March Lane

11 Green Team San Joaquin – 9:00 a.m. @ Chamber Conference Room

18 Chamber Executive Committee Meeting – 7 a.m. @ Stockton Golf & Country Club

13 Government Relations Council – 3:30 p.m. @ Chamber Conference Room

26 Chamber Board Meeting – 4 p.m. @ Prison Hospital

24 Effective Strategies Group: How to Effectively Use E-Mail Marketing, Karen Rice, Constant Contact 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. @ Chamber Conference Room

25 Business Education Alliance – 3:30 p.m. @ Chamber Conference Room

2 Stockton Chamber Golf Tournament – 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. @ Stockton Golf & Country Club

5 Stockton Chamber April Mixer – 5:15 - 7:15 p.m. Hosted by California State University, Stanislaus, Grupe Commercial Company and Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences @ University Park

Deep Roots ~ Strong Branches

www.ovcb.com

Oak Valley o�ers the perfect blend of personal service and modern technology to meet your every need.

Let us make your banking, our business.

“We enjoy working with local people who

understand the needs of Central Valley businesses.

– John Diederich and Gordon Roby

Mokelumne River Forest Products Inc., Lodi

We Mean Business

John Diederich and Gordon Roby of Mokelumne River Forest Products with Oak Valley’s Loretta Trevena and Gary Stephens

We Mean Business

HE REALLY TATTOOED THAT ONE!

OPENING DAY: THURSDAY, APRIL 12thHome – April 12-18 & April 23-26

Ticket Plans Start at Just $84

PORT CALL Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce17 Contact the Chamber at 209.547.2770 for more info*

Documents

Port O Call - April 2012