Bakersfield.com Kern Business

State of the entertainment industry: Splurging on nights out

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:12:10 PST

Money that used to be spent on dinner and a movie now increasingly is stashed in a savings account or used to pay bills. That’s left restaurants and entertainment venues scrambling for strategies to convince recession-weary consumers to splurge on a night out.

Venues get creative: Local theaters stay inventive to survive

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:17:39 PST

In this economy, catching a play at a local theater would seem to be an extravagance for many. Yet most Bakersfield theaters say either they’ve been unaffected by the recession or ticket sales have improved.

Retail column: Christmas comes early

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:25:10 PST

One of the best things that ever happened to me was a temporary, one-year job I landed in the mid-1990s. The gig started Dec. 1, so I knew that on Dec. 1 of the following year, I’d be unemployed and broke. Just in time for the holidays.

Health care column: Biofeedback not just a 1970s fad

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:34:53 PST

Nothing evokes the wheat-germ 1970s quite like biofeedback. You remember biofeedback. After a jog and a protein shake, you could drop by a clinic, take off your headband and get wired up to a machine that played back your own muscle tension signals and other biological data over big headphones.

Oil column: Fattahi rising in industry

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:15:45 PST

Life must be good for Behrooz Fattahi. After putting in long hours and hard work for the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Fattahi was finally elected to become the group’s 2010 president, a role that lets him travel the world handing out awards and delivering keynote speeches at big industry conferences.

Real estate column: New rules cause uproar

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:19:17 PST

New appraisal process rules haven’t caused much of a stir among consumers, but they’ve sparked quite an uproar among real estate professionals, and still more changes are on the way.

Bakersfield Business Conference set for welcomed encore in 2010

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:10:16 PST

It seems no one ever bothered to scientifically quantify the “real cash” benefits. We all just knew: The 21-year run of the Bakersfield Business Conference was a bonanza to the community. Days running up to the one-day conference and days afterward, Bakersfield’s hotels were filled to capacity. You had to wait to get into most restaurants. The city was jumping with excitement. Businesses raked in lots of cash.

Guest column: Guard against worker theft

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:41:54 PST

One of the most common thieves does not wear a ski mask or use a crowbar. Instead, during this challenging economic climate, our nation’s businesses face the most risk of theft from those who wear name badges and have a key to the office — that is, the employees.

Legislation column: End of a legislative year

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:57:53 PST

The California Legislature’s 2009 season “officially” drew to a close in September, but lawmakers have actually been in overtime for almost two months, negotiating critical issues such as education funding, tax policy and most critical to the valley — water. This month we’ll take a look at where things stand at the close of a busy legislative year.

Gaylen Young column: Entrepreneurs succeed

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:57:51 PST

I was in Salt Lake City to visit and my son asked me to help him shoot his engagement and wedding photos. I couldn’t decide if he was trying to use my photographic expertise or if he was just desperate for someone to click the shutter after he framed each shot. I’m sure now it was the latter since he shoots weddings professionally when he’s not filming TV news for a station in Salt Lake.

Market Intelligence: Food service still growth industry

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:09:08 PST

Kern County’s restaurant, bar and nightclub industry employs more than 16,000 people and makes $918 million in annual sales, according to data from Claritas BusinessPoint (2008). As with most industries, restaurants have been impacted by the slowdown in the economy.

Guest column: Be sensitive to religion

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:01:15 PST

Religion-based discrimination filings were at an all-time high last year, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Because we are approaching the holiday season when religious occasions are celebrated, it’s a good time to review the EEOC guidelines addressing religious bias in the workplace.

How We Did It: Immigrant couple making it work

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:02:14 PST

Talk about a great example of the American Dream. Peter and Helen Wang, both immigrants from Taiwan and both restaurant workers, met and fell in love in Los Angeles. After getting married, they decided to open their own restaurant. So in 1984 they packed everything up and moved to Bakersfield to open China Palace at 4142 California Ave

Comings & Goings in Kern Business

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:55:00 PST

A Wal-Mart Supercenter opened on Panama Lane Oct. 28 after being tied up in lawsuits and environmental studies for six years. About 360 workers from the White Lane location, which was to close, are moving to the Panama Lane store, said Harry Fenske, store manager at both locations. An additional 455 new jobs were created to fully staff the mega-store.

Hooters opened at 4208 Rosedale Highway. General manager Teejay Scharf said Bakersfield is a perfect location for Hooters because of its demographics and the size of the population. “We consider ourselves a restaurant first, a bar second, and sports third,” Scharf said. The opening created 135 jobs, Scharf said.

State regulators shut down San Joaquin Bank and its five branches Oct. 16, citing inadequate capital and liquidity. Ontario-based Citizens Business Bank agreed to purchase virtually all of San Joaquin’s assets and liabilities. It reopened the sites as branches of Citizens.

Specialty Apparel, which provides same-day executive wear and professional apparel to high-end clients, plans to expand to Bakersfield and two other California cities Dec. 1. Bakersfield clients will be served from the company’s Los Angeles office. Along with upscale uniforms, Specialty Apparel offers pick-up and delivery, custom dry cleaning, same-day outfitting and while-you-wait alterations.

Chico-based Tri Counties Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ: TCBK), opened a second Bakersfield location inside the new Wal-Mart Supercenter, 6225 Colony St., open seven days a week. Tri Counties Bank, which also has a branch at 5201 California Ave., has been in Bakersfield since 1996.

Affordable Pet Hospital opened at 8150 Hageman Road. Dr. Ann Hamilton’s 3,400-square-foot hospital includes four exam rooms, a dental room, a surgery suite, X-ray, pharmacy and in-house lab. Adjacent to the waiting room is a boutique, PawMart, where people can buy dog and cat toys evaluated for safety by Hamilton. Pet owners can shop for supplies and medications at www.affordablepethospital.com.

November Business Calendar

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:28:35 PST

Get involved in the many business events in Bakersfield.